This quest delves into Kellogg’s memories, revealing crucial information about his association with the Institute and the abduction of the player character’s son, Shaun. Through immersive experiences in the Memory Den, the player gains insights into Kellogg’s past, uncovering leads that propel the quest forward.
Prepare for the next phase of the quest, armed with newfound knowledge.
Quest Branching:
Dangerous Minds branches into an unmarked subquest, Shattered, which involves further exploration of Kellogg’s memories.
Reward
300+ XP Piper as a companion (if not already recruited)
Notes
The quest involves immersive experiences within Kellogg’s memories, allowing the player to witness significant events firsthand.
Certain scenes trigger additional monologues from Kellogg, providing deeper insights into his motivations and actions.
Bugs and glitches may occur during memory exploration, requiring troubleshooting or reloading previous saves for resolution.
Bugs
Players may encounter various bugs during memory exploration, including issues with progression and freezing screens. Troubleshooting methods, such as reloading saves, may be necessary to overcome these obstacles and continue the quest.
Trivia
Notable voice actors contribute to the portrayal of characters within Kellogg’s memories:
Radio announcer in Kellogg’s childhood scene: voiced by Emil Pagliarulo, Fallout 4 lead designer
Bartender in bar scene: voiced by Veronica Cartwright
Two wastelanders: voiced by Brandon Keener and Bruce Thomas
Agent at desk in Institute scene: voiced by Misty Lee
Scientist in cut implant sequence: voiced by Jim Cummings
Virgil tasks the player with tracking down and eliminating a Courser named Z2-47. Virgil instructs the player to travel to the old C.I.T. ruins to see if you can pick up a signal from the Courser using your Pip-Boy.
Location(s)
C.I.T. ruins
Greenetech Genetics
Rocky cave
Given by
Virgil
Walkthrough
Upon receiving the quest, the Sole Survivor travels to the ruins of C.I.T. north of Diamond City. They tune their Pip-Boy to the Courser’s radio frequency and follow the signal east to Greenetech Genetics.
Inside Greenetech Genetics, the building is overrun with Gunners engaged in combat with the Courser. The Sole Survivor must fight their way through the Gunners, who are being systematically eliminated by Z2-47.
Reaching the top floor, the Sole Survivor encounters the Courser threatening Gunners for a password. The Gunners refuse, leading to their execution. The Sole Survivor can intervene or choose to engage the Courser.
After defeating Z2-47, the Sole Survivor retrieves the courser chip from their body. They may also encounter a synth named K1-98 locked in a nearby room, who requests assistance in obtaining the password from the Gunners’ stash.
Reward
350+ XP
Quest Stages
Travel to C.I.T.: Head to the ruins of C.I.T. and pick up the Courser’s signal.
Tune to Courser’s Radio Frequency: Tune the Pip-Boy to the Courser’s radio frequency.
Use the Courser’s Radio Frequency to Track Courser: Follow the signal to Greenetech Genetics.
Kill Z2-47, the Courser: Defeat the Courser and recover the courser chip.
Recover Courser chip: Retrieve the courser chip from Z2-47’s body.
Notes
Unlocking the terminal before the fight with Z2-47 can activate a special scene where the Courser thanks the Sole Survivor before turning hostile.
K1-98, the synth locked in the room, will collapse and die upon the Courser saying her recall code, unlike other synths who enter a deactivated state.
Some bugs may affect the completion of quest stages or cause glitches during gameplay.
Bugs
Various bugs on different platforms may cause issues such as missing elevators, immediate attacks from Z2-47, crashes-to-desktop, and incomplete quest stages.
These bugs may require workarounds or console commands to resolve.
Upon successfully teleporting into the Institute, the Sole Survivor is greeted by a mysterious voice and directed to enter an elevator.
Inside the Institute, the Sole Survivor follows the voice through the corridors and eventually encounters a scared child, revealed to be a synthetic version of Shaun.
Father, the real Shaun and director of the Institute, enters the room and initiates a conversation with the Sole Survivor, revealing details about their situation and offering them a chance to join the Institute.
The Sole Survivor explores the Institute, meeting division leaders and acquainting themselves with the facility.
Depending on their choices, the Sole Survivor may agree to join the Institute, refuse, or attack Father, leading to different outcomes.
If combat is initiated, synths and Institute personnel may attack the Sole Survivor as they attempt to leave the Institute.
Upon reaching the relay room, the Sole Survivor is teleported to the C.I.T. ruins, completing the quest and leaving the Institute behind.
Reward
400+ XP
Synths throughout the Commonwealth become friendly (optional)
Quest Stages
Enter the elevator: Infiltrate the Institute and find a way to reach Shaun.
Done talking to Shaun, trigger Father’s entrance: Encounter Shaun and initiate conversation with Father.
Meet the Division Leaders: Introduce yourself to the department heads within the Institute.
Use the Network Scanner Holotape: Complete the network scan if enlisted the Railroad’s help in building the signal interceptor, or if declined to join the Institute.
Exit the Institute: Depart from the Institute, either peacefully or forcefully.
Quest finished: Complete the quest and leave the Institute behind.
Notes
The current companion is unavailable during this quest.
Progress with Dr. Madison Li for the quest “From Within” cannot be made until after completing Institutionalized.
Synths throughout the Commonwealth become friendly if the Sole Survivor agrees to join the Institute.
Institute teleportation becomes available immediately after completing this quest.
Bugs
Bugs related to quest progression, NPC behavior, and dialogue may occur, requiring troubleshooting or reloading previous saves for resolution.
The Sole Survivor embarks on a perilous journey into one of the most irradiated regions of the Commonwealth to find an escaped Institute scientist named Virgil.
Following clues from Kellogg’s memories and advice from Doctor Amari, the Sole Survivor sets out to locate Virgil, who is believed to be hiding deep within the Glowing Sea.
Navigating through treacherous terrain filled with deadly creatures like deathclaws, radscorpions, and feral ghouls, the Sole Survivor heads southwest from the Edge of the Glowing Sea, eventually reaching the Crater of Atom.
Upon encountering the Children of Atom, led by Mother Isolde, the Sole Survivor has the option to peacefully interact or resort to violence. Mother Isolde can provide directions to a nearby rocky cave where Virgil is hiding.
Making their way to the rocky cave, the Sole Survivor must be cautious of the deathclaw patrolling the area. Inside the cave, they find Virgil, a former Institute scientist who has transformed into a Super Mutant to escape.
Reward
350+ XP
Quest Stages
Talk to Doctor Amari: Obtain information about Virgil’s whereabouts.
Enter the Glowing Sea: Journey into the irradiated wasteland to locate Virgil.
Find Virgil in the Glowing Sea: Locate Virgil’s hideout in a cave southwest of the Crater of Atom.
Virgil gives information on Courser: Virgil reveals that to access the Institute, the Sole Survivor needs a chip from an Institute Courser.
Notes
Destroying any of Virgil’s defenses prior to returning with the serum will result in quest failure upon completion.
Due to high radiation levels, waiting using furniture in the crater area is not possible.
Mother Isolde’s death can cause the quest marker to be stuck on her for the remainder of the quest.
Bugs
Sometimes, upon entering the cave, Virgil may not be present, with the marker indicating the ground. This issue may arise if the cave was visited prior to the quest.
On PC, using console commands can sometimes resolve this issue by forcing Virgil to appear in the cave.
In this quest, the Sole Survivor works towards constructing a signal interceptor to infiltrate the Institute.
Location(s)
Place selected by the player to build The Teleporter Railroad HQ Rocky cave
Walkthrough
After obtaining the courser chip, the Sole Survivor seeks assistance in decoding it. If aligned with the Railroad, they can approach Tinker Tom for decryption. Otherwise, they must locate the Railroad HQ by following the Freedom Trail.
At the Railroad HQ, Desdemona facilitates the decryption process by assigning Tinker Tom to decode the chip. If Tinker Tom is unavailable, the decryption can be completed using a file on his terminal.
With the decoded data, the Sole Survivor returns to Virgil, who provides plans for the signal interceptor. However, Virgil reminds them of the favor promised in exchange for his assistance.
The Sole Survivor must now choose a faction (Minutemen, Brotherhood of Steel, or Railroad) to assist in constructing the signal interceptor. They gather the necessary components and resources, including a reflector platform, beam emitter, control console, and relay dish.
The signal interceptor can be built in various allied settlements, excluding Home Plate and add-on settlements. The chosen faction expert oversees the construction process.
Once built and powered, the Sole Survivor steps onto the platform, receives a faction-dependent holotape, and initiates the teleportation process.
Constructing the Signal Interceptor:
Build the stabilized reflector platform first in the target settlement.
Speak to the chosen faction expert (Ingram, Sturges, or Tom) to receive the remaining resource list.
Gather and construct the necessary components, ensuring sufficient power supply.
Ensure all components are linked together with power cables on the same network.
Reward
400+ XP
Quest Stages
Talk to Doctor Amari/The Railroad about the chip: Seek assistance in decoding the courser chip.
Find the Railroad: Locate the Railroad HQ by following the Freedom Trail.
Talk to Desdemona: Initiate decryption process at the Railroad HQ.
Tinker Tom decodes the chip: Obtain decoded data from Tinker Tom.
Search the Railroad HQ: Retrieve decryption data if Tinker Tom is unavailable.
Talk to Virgil: Inform Virgil of the decoded data and discuss next steps.
Get help to build the Signal Interceptor: Choose a faction to assist in constructing the signal interceptor.
Build the Signal Interceptor: Gather components and resources to construct the signal interceptor.
Signal Interceptor completed: Complete construction of the signal interceptor.
Step on the Platform: Initiate teleportation process by stepping onto the platform.
Obtain holotape: Receive faction-dependent holotape before teleportation.
Signal Interceptor activates: Activate the signal interceptor to initiate teleportation.
Signal Interceptor teleports the Sole Survivor into the Institute: Complete teleportation process and enter the Institute.
Notes
The choice of faction for assistance in building the signal interceptor impacts the construction process and subsequent events.
Ensure all necessary components are gathered and constructed before initiating teleportation.
Various bugs may affect quest progression and require troubleshooting.
Bugs
Bugs may occur related to quest initiation, NPC behavior, and construction glitches. Some bugs may require console commands or specific actions to resolve.
