Fallout 4: The Nuclear Option Quest - The Minutemen

This guide will provide instructions for completing the Minutemen Quest: The Nuclear Option. This quest initiates the ending sequence of events for the Minutemen faction, effectively concluding the main storyline. If you sympathize with Preston Garvey and his cause, then follow this guide to proceed with the Minutemen’s plans.

Should you instead need walkthrough guides for any other quest in the Commonwealth, then make sure to head over to our Fallout 4 guides walkthrough hub page.

How to Complete the Nuclear Option Quest

Talk to Preston Garvey

Head to the Castle and speak with Preston Garvey to discuss the Minutemen’s plans. This quest becomes available upon completion of the previous quest Defend the Castle, and by having completed the objective in the Minutemen Quest: Inside Job. To review these quests, head over to USGamer’s Fallout 4 Walkthrough and Guide.

Talk to Sturges

While Preston rallies the troops, locate Sturges in Sanctuary to speak with him about his findings. Based on the intel you retrieved from the Institute holotape, Sturges has found a way to infiltrate the Institute.

The plan is to access the Relay from inside the Institute to teleport the Minutemen inside. However, you must first sneak into the Institute through an underwater grate. Sturges gives you the code, so accessing the grate should be easy. The tricky part is wading through the irradiated waters to reach this grate in the first place.

Gain Access to the Institute

After speaking with Sturges, prepare for your journey by packing some radiation relief items, such as RadAway and Rad-X. If you want to be extra cautious, you can choose to equip a Hazmat suit to survive the prolonged radiation exposure in the water.

When ready, fast-travel to the C.I.T. ruins and jump into the murky river just south of the building. The location you’re trying to reach should be marked on your Pip-Boy map. Swim east, curving around the river bank towards the objective waypoint on your map. Continue until you reach an underwater pipe labeled as the Public Works Maintenance Area. Swim through the pipe to emerge on the other side, where you will find a keypad on the wall. Activate the keypad to open the grate and gain access to the institute.

How to Activate Institute Relay

After using the keypad, dive back into the murky waters and swim through a tunnel to the east. Follow the drop to reach the old sewer area at the other end. Climb out of the water onto the walkway, and head through the tunnels. Prepare to destroy several laser turrets that line the tunnel ceiling as well.

Continue through the second pipe and follow it all the way to the end, where you discover a hatch on the left. Head up the staircase to the room and enter the next part of the sewer. Look for a large pipe labeled with “Inflow” arrows on its side. Follow the arrows until you reach an open security door at the end. You can also hack the security terminal or pick the lock on the Expert level security door that you pass by along the way. The sewers can be fairly dangerous if you stray from the path, so be prepared to eliminate any Ferals, Synths, or turrets that you may encounter on your trek.

Once you enter the security gate, prepare to fight off several more Synths as you get closer to the facility. Locate another inflow pipe that leads toward the Institute. Continue through the winding pipe until you discover another hatch. Enter the hatch to infiltrate the Institute Control Room. Access the center computer terminal, and input the Institute Relay Targeting Sequence. Preston Garvey and the other Minutemen should arrive shortly.

Talk to Preston Garvey

Now that the Minutemen crew has successfully arrived in one piece, speak with Preston Garvey to receive the Fusion Pulse Charge and to discuss how to proceed.

Reach the Institute Reactor

Head through the northeast corridor and enter the door to Old Robotics. Prepare to fight off the hostile Synths in the next room. Hack the computer terminal just before the staircase to deactivate some of the turrets if you wish.

Continue through the passages, eliminating Synths and turrets within the various chambers of Old Robotics. Follow the objective marker through a hallway to the east and locate a hatch on the floor. Drop down the hatch, and head through a short tunnel leading to the Bioscience Lab. Go down the stairs toward the main lab, and prepare to destroy another handful of Synths and turrets. Clear the lab of hostiles, and proceed through the door leading to the central hub of the Institute.

Use Terminal to Override Institute Lockdown

• Optional: Issue Evacuation Order

After clearing out the Synths in the main section of the Institute, Sturges informs you of the location of the reactor. However, you will need to access the Director’s terminal and input the override before you can enter the Advanced Systems division.

Ride the central elevator up to Father’s quarters. Speak with him to obtain the override password, or hack the computer terminal behind Father’s bed instead. If your Charisma rank is high enough, there’s a slight chance to convince Father to help you.

At the terminal, activate the Master Security Lockdown Override. You can optionally engage the Evacuation Protocol as well, if you want to reduce the number of Synths you encounter through the rest of the mission.

Reach the Reactor

After initiating the override, head down the spiral staircase and make your way to the Advanced Systems division. Fight your way past the Synths, and enter a room leading to the reactor. Continue up the long hallway, carefully taking out each of the turrets that line the ceiling. Enter the door and go down the staircase into the fusion reactor room. Eliminate the hostile Synths, and ascend the scaffold to approach the reactor door.

Plant Fusion Charge Inside Reactor

Keep in mind that as soon as you enter the reactor, your Rads meter will rapidly increase. When you’re ready, open the reactor door and quickly plant the Fusion Charge on the reactor.

Talk to Preston Garvey

After the charge is planted, speak with Preston Garvey, and he will have Sturges teleport both of you to safety.

Talk to Shaun

When you arrive at the Relay Control Room, you discover an unexpected person waiting there for you. Speak with Shaun, and make a decision regarding his outcome.

Talk to Sturges

Speak with Sturges to inform him of your decision regarding Shaun. Let Sturges know when you are ready to leave, and he will prepare the Relay for your departure.

Step Into the Relay

Gather into the Relay with the rest of the Minutemen. Once Sturges activates the Relay, you and your crew will be teleported to the rooftop of the Mass Fusion Building.

Use the Detonator

Once you arrive on the roof of Mass Fusion, prepare yourself with a good view of the wastelands, and press the detonator to complete the Minutemen’s mission.

After successfully completing the final step of the plan, speak with Preston Garvey once more regarding the future of the Minutemen and the Commonwealth. Afterward, the Nuclear Option quest concludes, and the main storyline comes to a close.