Question about Institute holotape.

[Atom.Little]

When you first enter the Institute you make a holotape that you take back and give to the faction who helped you make the teleporter (in my case the Minutemen).

If you then get the holotape back and show it to another faction (in my case the BoS) and that faction still has the holotape when you do the Mass Fusion quest, will this permanently make them your main faction?

[Yhwach]

No it won't, the Mass Fusion quest for The Brotherhood, and The Institute will make you enemies with whatever the opposite you side with.
The Minutemen are never a permanent side-with, and are the wild card faction.
The Railroad will be if you decide to attack a certain other faction.

[Atom.Little]

Ainz,

thanks, it's a relief to know this.

I'm trying to maintain peace between the Minutemen, the Railroad and the BoS, and I've done quests for them all against the Institute within the Institute (although the first quest - the one where you create the holotape - is the only Institute related quest I've been given by the Minutemen.

So if after completing the Mass Fusion quest I return to the Minutemen where the teleporter equipment is still at, I can complete the Nuclear Option quest for them and won't have to do it for the BoS (I would really not want that)?

[Yhwach]

Just a note, you'll be forced to take out The BoS and Railroad If you side with The Institute.
If you're hostile with The Brotherhood of Steel and sided with, and the general of The Minutemen you'll be forced to attack them.
You'll be forced to take out every function but The Minutemen If you side with The Railroad.
The only way for three way peace is to:
- Never become hostile with any of the factions EXCEPT The Institute
- Use The Minutemen for the ending
- You may work for The Brotherhood of Steel up to a certan point and no further, that point is before the Mass Fusion quest
- You may not work for The Railroad after you enter The Institute, you must use the teleporter with them or else they'll refuse to talk to you
And after ending the game with The Minutemen, you won't be able to progress The Brotherhood of Steel or The Railroad storylines as you were never meant to keep them alive like that

[Atom.Little]

Ainz,

Thanks for your reply.


My plan now is to not do anything more for the BoS, I'll not even enter the Prydwen.

I did have the Railroad Underground, Undercover quest going at the Institute, but I'm going to leave that alone as well. I can still do the Railroad Safehouse 3 and 4 quests as well as the final two Mila quests, but after that I'll just leave them be.

I'm going to proceed with the Minutemen quests. Do the Taking Independence, Old Guns, Defend the Castle, and hopefully end with being able to do The Nuclear Option for the Minutemen.

I did give the holotape to the BoS, but before that I gave it to the Minutemen who made a copy, so it should still be completely possible to do the Nuclear Option for them.

I think by doing things this way I can maintain peace with all three factions. If the BoS participates in attacking the Castle in the Defgend the Castle quest, then so be it. I'll rather have it that way than loosing the Minutemen.

If everything goes sour with the Railroad, I'll load the last save I made yesterday and continue the quest line for them at the Institute since I can do that and remain friends with the Minutemen (thanks for giving me that tip).


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P.S. Sorry about posting this so late, I actually thought I'd posted a few hours after your response but I had to leave quickly for something important and completely forgot my post was sitting here waiting to get posted.