Highlights
- Fallout 4 presents moral choices that require players to make their own judgment on what is right, as there is no straightforward "good" path.
- The game forces players to make difficult moral dilemmas, such as whether to save a child or cure themselves of a deadly disease.
- The player's choice of faction in Fallout 4 determines the outcome of the game's world, making it a crucial decision with no easy answer.
For the malevolent few opting for a cruel playthrough, moral choices can be easy: simply choose the glaringly obvious evil choice and delight in the anguish. However, the reality of Fallout 4 is that there isn’t a straightforward “good” path to take, instead it is up to the player to decide what is right based on their own moral judgment.
While the Fallout series sure has a humorous take on allowing its main playable character to be undeniably villainous and outright heinous at times, for those benevolent players, being the good guy can frequently feel impossible. Especially when often, in true Bethesda fashion, there’s no clear, correct path.
10 Initiate Clarke’s Ghoulish Compassion
The Brotherhood of Steel quests introduces the Sole Survivor to many interesting characters, one of which is Initiate Clarke. After investigating some missing supplies, the Sole Survivor discovers a pack of ghouls hiding within the underground section of Boston Airport.
Following a confrontation, Clarke reveals that he had been stealing supplies to keep the ghouls fed in an act of compassion, thinking that the ghouls must still have remnants of their former selves. The player is given a few choices, some of which involve lying to the Brotherhood of Steel to keep Clarke alive, deceiving them, or turning Clarke in to pay for his compassion via execution.
9 Fueling An Old Lady’s Chem Addiction
Early in the main quest line, the Sole Survivor rescues a group of civilians from a band of raiders. One of these survivors is Mama Murphy, a peculiar old lady who claims to have “the sight”. Acting as a clairvoyant, Mama Murphy can give the Sole Survivor interesting insight into certain quests, so long as she is given plenty of Chems.
The other characters rescued alongside Mama Murphy make multiple requests for the player not to feed the old lady’s addiction, however, the player can ignore this and continue to give Mama Murphy’s Chems in return for her bizarre intuition. Ultimately, this leads to Mama Murphy’s death.
8 One Cure, Two Sick Patients
Of the many vaults to explore throughout the Commonwealth, Vault 81 poses perhaps one of the hardest moral dilemmas of them all. Upon entering the vault, the Sole Survivor will encounter a sick child named Austin. Austin admits to contracting the disease after exploring a hidden part of the vault. The Sole Survivor ventures in to help find a cure, only to discover disease-ridden mole rats have infested the closed-off wing. Eventually, after clearing through the sealed-off section, players are given a cure by Curie.
Unfortunately, there is only one cure, and if the Sole Survivor has taken so much as one hit from the mole rats, then they too will contract the disease, leading the player to receive a hefty, permanent -10 health points. Players can choose whether to save the child or cure themselves.
7 Choosing Which Faction To Side With
Throughout Fallout 4 the Sole Survivor will encounter four main factions that they can side with. Ultimately, the faction that the player chooses to side with decides the outcome of the Commonwealth, making it a very important choice and not a decision to be taken lightly.
The four factions, made up of the Institute, the Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad, and the Minutemen, all have differing ideals about the new world being developed post-war. During the game, each faction is revealed to have at least one weakness or flawed ideal, making the final choice that much harder.
6 The Paladin Danse Revelation
While completing the Brotherhood of Steel quest line, the Sole Survivor will encounter a literal knight in shining power armor, Paladin Danse. Danse is a tenacious, level-headed character with a traditionally good alignment and unwavering loyalty to the Brotherhood of Steel.
He loathes Super Mutants and Synths and wishes to rid the commonwealth of them alongside the Brotherhood, which only makes the fact that he himself is a Synth more heartbreaking. The Brotherhood of Steel orders the Sole Survivor to hunt Danse down, and Danse himself, inconsolable, also begs to be destroyed. Whether he deserves that fate is ultimately up to the player.
5 Deciding What To Do With The Synths At Acadia
Venturing through Far Harbor, the Sole Survivor can encounter a group of runaway Synths. Having broken away from the Institute, the Synths have made their sanctuary in a structure they call Acadia. If the player has sided with the Institute or the Brotherhood of Steel, this poses a difficult moral dilemma.
On one hand, the group of Synths is clearly not a threat, and they seem to have made a peaceful life for themselves. On the other, they are still Synths, and both the Institute’s and Brotherhood of Steel’s opinions on dealing with them are absolute.
4 The Truth Of Cabot House
The Sole Survivor can discover the truth of Cabot House after completing a series of quests where it is revealed each family member is from before the war. Supposedly, the father of the household found a magical headpiece that grants him some interesting superpowers, such as an extended lifespan. However, the headpiece also made him dangerous, leading his family to build an entire asylum to keep him captive.
During his captivity, the son managed to replicate this extended lifespan by taking his father’s blood, keeping him and his family alive for so many years. After helping the son protect the asylum from some Raiders, the Sole Survivor is forced to choose whether to eliminate the father or the son, leading to shocking outcomes.
3 Dealing With A Paranoid Brother
On entering Diamond City and descending the steps, the Sole Survivor is faced with a dramatic scene. A paranoid man, named Kyle, aims a firearm at his brother while frantically accusing him of being a Synth. Flanked by two guards demanding he stand down; tensions quickly rise, and the player is given a chance to try and intervene.
It’s obvious that Kyle needs mental help, which poses a moral dilemma. Does the Sole Survivor swiftly take him out and save Riley, or do they try to talk him into standing down? Unfortunately, it’s revealed that Kyle is taken out either way, leaving the player with the bitter taste of lawful justice in their mouth.
2 Taking Over Covenant Town
While traversing the Commonwealth, players can come to discover a happy little settlement called Covenant. The town seems to be doing well for itself, with well-defended walls and pristine housing. Before entering, the Sole Survivor must take a familiar test to prove their innocence and remove all suspicions of being a Synth.
After taking the quiz, players are given access to Covenant. Inside, the town appears to be doing much better than many of the other settlements available to discover, which makes it a very appealing location to build on. However, Covenant can only become a functional settlement after eradicating its current residents.
1 Choosing Whether To Save Shaun
After following Shaun’s trail throughout the main quest line, the Sole Survivor is shocked to discover that the beloved child they were searching for was a Synth all along. If the player chooses to take down the Institute after this revelation, they will be faced with a difficult decision.
The Sole Survivor can either abandon Shaun to their fate in the burning Institute, or the player can save him. A slightly bittersweet ending to the search that began the Sole Survivors' journey. Whether the Sole Survivor decides to take revenge on the Institute by abandoning their final wish or attempting to rekindle some part of the pre-war that they lost is entirely up to the player.
Fallout 4 is available on Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.