Siding with the Minutemen offers the best ending in Fallout 4 (FO4) as it allows the Brotherhood of Steel and the Railorad to coexist. Find out how to get the best ending, as well as a list of all endings in the game and how to get them!
List of Contents
- Best Ending in Fallout 4
- All Endings in Fallout 4
- What is the Canon Ending of Fallout 4?
- Which Ending is Your Favorite?
- Related Guides
Best Ending in Fallout 4
The Minutemen Ending is the Best
The Commonwealth Minutemen faction offers the best possible ending in Fallout 4 as it allows both The Brotherhood of Steel and The Railroad to remain neutral and coexist alongside the Minutemen itself, with The Institute being the only faction destroyed.
This means you can still do the repeatable quests from the two other factions, on top of keeping both Paladin Danse and Deacon as companions by the end of the game, though X6-88 will become hostile.
All Factions List
All Endings in Fallout 4
| List of All Endings | |
|---|---|
| Minutemen | Brotherhood of Steel |
| The Railroad | The Institute |
The Minutemen Ending
| The Minutemen Ending Summary | |
|---|---|
| How to Get | ・Do not start Tactical Thinking ・Do not start Undergroud Undercover ・Start Banished from The Institute ・Complete The Nuclear Option with the Minutemen |
| Consequences | ・Destruction of The Institute ・X6-88 becomes hostile ・Possible truce between The Railroad and The Brotherhood of Steel |
The Minutemen Ending sees the Minutemen becoming the foremost power in The Commonwealth after the destruction of the Institute. This ending will cause you to lose X6-88 as a companion who will turn hostile when encountered.
This is considered the best ending in the game as the people of Boston will react favorably, and all remaining companions will see The Minutemen regaining power as a positive change.
How to Get the Minutemen Ending
| The Minutemen Ending Guide | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Avoid starting Tactical Thinking for the Brotherhood and Underground Undercover for the Railroad.Note: This prevents you from accidentally allying with The Brotherhood of Steel or The Railroad. |
| 2 | Kill X4-18 and free the Synths during the The Battle of Bunker Hill, and then admit and respond negatively to Father to start Banished from the Institute. |
| 3 | Complete the Main Quests Form Ranks and Defend the Castle. |
| 4 | Complete The Nuclear Option with the Minutemen. |
You can get this ending by siding with Minutemen after becoming enemies with The Institute and not starting the Tactical Thinking and Underground Undercover quests which will cause you to side with The Brotherhood of Steel and The Railroad respectively.
How to Stay Neutral with the Other Factions
| Stay Neutral with The Brotherhood and Railroad |
|---|
|
Trigger the Evacuation Signal during The Nuclear Option (Minutemen)The Minutemen ending uniquely allows you to stay neutral with both The Brotherhood of Steel and The Railroad provided that you don't make them hostile such as attacking Brotherhood personnel or failing to trigger the evacuation signal for the Railroad.
Staying neutral with the other two factions will allow you to keep both Deacon and Paladin Danse as companions, as well as the ability to do their respepctive faction repeatable quests.
The Brotherhood of Steel Ending
| The Brotherhood of Steel Ending Summary | |
|---|---|
| How to Get | ・Start Tactical Thinking ・Start Banished from The Institute ・Complete The Nuclear Option with The Brotherhood of Steel |
| Consequences | ・Destruction of The Institute ・Destruction of The Railroad ・X6-88 becomes hostile ・Deacon becomes hostile |
The Brotherhood of Steel ending causes the East Coast chapter of The Brotherhood of Steel to become the foremost power in The Commonwealth after the destruction of both The Railroad and The Institute. This ending will cause you to lose X6-88 and Deacon who will turn hostile when encountered.
The people of the Commonwealth have a divided opinion of the Brotherhood taking power, with many expressing equal approval and disdain for The Brotherhood. Certain companions such as Piper Wright and Nick Valentine will also express concern to the Brotherhood taking power.
How to Get the Brotherhood Ending
| The Brotherhood Ending Guide | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Start Tactical Thinking and wipe out the Railroad members |
| 2 | Complete the Main Quests Spoils of War and Ad Victoriam, |
| 3 | Complete The Nuclear Option with the Brotherhood. |
You can get this ending by starting and completing Tactical Thinking which causes you to permanently ally with The Brotherhood of Steel after the destruction of The Railroad, after which you attack and destroy The Institute with the help of Liberty Prime.
The Railroad Ending
| The Railroad Ending Summary | |
|---|---|
| How to Get | ・Start Underground Undercover ・Complete The Nuclear Option with The Railroad |
| Consequences | ・Destruction of The Institute ・Destruction of The Brotherhood of Steel ・X6-88 becomes hostile ・Paladin Danse becomes hostile*Note: Danse only becomes Hostile if Blind Betrayal is not completed |
The Railroad ending causes The Railroad to become the imminent power in The Commonwealth after the destruction of both The Brotherhood of Steel and The Institute. This ending will cause you to lose X6-88 and Paladin Danse if you have not completed Blind Betrayal.
The people of the Commonwealth have a mostly neutral opinion of The Railroad, with most negative opinions stemming from existing anti-Synth sentiments. Most companions have a neutral opinion of the Railroad, and Paladin Danse will no longer be an available companion even if you complete Blind Betrayal.
How to Get the Railroad Ending
| The Railroad Ending Guide | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Start Tactical Thinking and wipe up the Railroad members |
| 2 | Complete the Main Quests Precipice of War and Rocket's Red Glare. |
| 3 | Complete The Nuclear Option with the Railroad. |
You can get this ending by starting and completing Underground Undercover which causes you to permanently ally with The Railroad. This leads to repelling an attack from The Brotherhood of Steel and then destroying their faction, after which you infiltrate and destroy The Institute.
The Institute Ending
| The Institute Ending Summary | |
|---|---|
| How to Get | ・Start Mass Fusion ・Destroy the Railroad during End of the Line ・Detroy the Brotherhood during Airship Down ・Complete Nuclear Family |
| Consequences | ・Destruction of The Railroad ・Destruction of The Brotherhood of Steel ・Deacon becomes hostile ・Paladin Danse becomes hostileNote: Danse only becomes Hostile if Blind Betrayal is not completed |
The Institute ending causes The Institute to become the uncontested power in the Commonwealth after the destruction of both The Railroad and The Brotherhood of Steel. This ending will cause you to lose Deacon and Paladin Danse if you have not completed Blind Betrayal.
The people of the Commonwealth will express fear and concern of The Institute openly becoming the main power in Boston due to the increased Synth patrols. Many companions, such as Piper Wright and Nick Valentine with only Codsworth expressing a more positive opinion.
How to Get the Institute Ending
| The Institute Ending Guide | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Escort X4-18 to the escaped synths and activate their recall codes during the Battle of Bunker Hill. |
| 2 | Complete Mankind - Redifined and speak with Allie Filmore to start Mass Fusion. |
| 3 | Complete the Main Quest Pinned by attacking or ordering the Minutemen to stand down. |
| 4 | Complete the Main Quest Power Up with any option. |
| 5 | Complete the Main Quests End of the Line and Airship Down to wipe out The Railroad and The Brotherhood of Steel respectively. |
| 6 | Complete the Main Quest The Nuclear Family. |
You can get this ending by agreeing to recall the escaped synths during the Battle of Bunker Hill and then commiting to the Institute by speaking with Allie Filmore after Mankind - Redifined to start Mass Fusion.
This leads to a couple of quests where you wipe out both The Railroad and The Brotherhood of Steel. You then finally say goodbye to Shaun, departing on good terms with him before he dies.
What is the Canon Ending of Fallout 4?
There is No Canon Ending in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 has no canon ending since it's up to the player and how they roleplay as The Sole Survivor and which faction to side with.
The Minutemen Ending is widely considered the ending since it allows you to remain neutral with the other two factions, though this still causes you to bitterly depart with Shaun during his final moments.
Alternatively, the Institute Ending allows you to depart on good terms with Shaun though this means you'll have to wipe out both The Railroad and The Brotherhood of Steel.
Which Ending is Your Favorite?
The Minutemen Ending 28
Votes
The Brotherhood of Steel Ending 28
Votes
The Railroad Ending 10
Votes
The Institute Ending 26
Votes
Fallout 4 Related Guides
Beginner's Guide to Fallout 4: All Tips and Tricks
Fallout 4 Guides
| General Tips and Tricks | |
|---|---|
| How to Wait | Hacking Explained: How to Hack Terminals |
| Can You Respec? | Suggs Location |
| Best Starting Stats | Caps Farming |
| Supply Lines Explained | How to Level Up Fast |
| Jacob's Password Location | How to Get More Settlers |
| How to Fix Mysterious Signal Bug | Are Scavenging Stations Worth It? |
| How to Save Kent Connolly | What to Do With Mysterious Serum |
| Best Ending and All Endings Guide | How to Assign Workers |
| What is the Max Level? Level Cap Explained | How to Holster Weapon |
| List of Missables and Points of No Return | How to Tag for Search |
| How to Scrap Junk | How to Get Rid of Molerat Disease |
| How to Get Ballistic Weave | How to Get Grape Mentats |
