Fallout 4's Ending Explained (In Detail)

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culminates in an explosive ending, although exactly what kind depends on a final choice made by the player in the last few hours of its campaign. There are two main endings to, each of which is tied to one of the main factions in the Institute conflict. However, minor details of the ending are also influenced by the player's relationships with the various factions of . Both their alliances and their rivalries will come into play in the final moments of, bringing an all-encompassing conclusion to an epic story of warring ideologies.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for every ending in Fallout 4.]

Ultimately, each ending of determines who wins the conflict between the Institute and every other extant faction in the Commonwealth. The Institute is a scientifically-minded group devoted to the development of synthetic humans, or Synths. Secretive, militaristic, and omnipresent, many recognize the Institute's activities as inherently dangerous — but others don't even believe they exist. The Brotherhood of Steel opposes the Institute on technological grounds, the Minutemen on safety grounds, and the Railroad on Synth rights grounds. The Sole Survivor can form their own opinion, but they may be biased: their long-lost son, Shaun, is the Institute's director.

Fallout 4 has tons of places to explore and side quests to keep players busy, and some of them can end up being truly bizarre experiences.

If the player character sides with the Institute the whole way through, then ends with Shaun dying of cancer, and the Sole Survivor taking his place as director. The player character returns to the Institute after having dismantled both the Brotherhood of Steel and the Railroad, only to find Shaun on his deathbed. They explain to him that they've enacted his vision for the Wasteland: there's no longer any threat to the Institute's activity, and they're free to act as they please.

Shaun's final words vary based on the Sole Survivor's choices throughout the game, but no