First off we'll need to address the elephant in the room that pops up as soon as you try to create a character that is anything other than a prewar "_________" that being the whole start of the game and its effect on the main questline. Naturally as I'll be talking about the events of the game anyone that is yet to play it or finish the main questline should be wary of any spoilers that will be part of this.
Before I get into the details I'll be setting the foundations by listing a couple of things seen and heard in Fallout 4.
Now for the details:
The basic idea is that the Sole Survivor is part of one of Father's experiments, in this case to see how a Synth which believes it is a prewar human will be able to survive in the wasteland and possibly make its way back to the Institute. The events prior to the Sole Survivor stepping out of their stasis pod are a part of these false memories that Father has had implanted into their brain along with a couple of other things that I'll mention later.
Our next obstacle is Codsworth the Sole Survivor's robot butler, this is simple enough to explain since the Institute is capable of creating Synthetic Humans it isn't hard to believe that they would be able to either build or reprogram a Mr Handy to have "memories" of the Sole Survivor and then leave it in Sanctuary to await the start of the experiment.
Following this are the records of Nate and Nora's existence prewar that can be found around the ruins of Boston most of which are fairly easy to miss or avoid. Now there are two possibilities for why this may be and you can pick whichever you think is more reasonable.
Post Vault 111
After stepping out of Vault 111 you can choose to do as you wish since your character at this point is essentially no different from any other Sole Survivor. Naturally I have a suggestion perhaps after hearing of the Brotherhood of Steel or the Railroad you feel an unnaturally strong urge to seek them out and join almost as if it was something programmed into you.
Should you follow the main questline and meet Father there are a couple of options for what happens next that I have thought of that you may take a liking to:
Basically the subtitle says it all, these are just a couple of questions and encounters/events that I feel it would be a good idea to put some thought into either before you start or encounter them.
First off are a couple of fairly obvious questions:
Now for those encounters/events:
Well that's it for the base game, and now a warning. Only read past this point if 1) you have the Far Harbor DLC or 2) you don't care about spoilers.
Far Harbor
A quick note that from here on I will be talking about the events of Far Harbor so expect some heavy spoilers for the DLC. This section is also a work in progress and I will be adding to it as I play more of the DLC.
The First Meeting
Far Harbor introduces us to DiMA, a prototype Synth who has set up a Synth refuge, who provides some great support to the idea that the Sole Survivor is a Synth. During our first conversation with him, he will question us about our nature at which point we can outright admit to being a Synth, and about our memories and what the gaps may indicate.
This provides us with countless opportunities as people roleplaying a Synth. How we respond to his questions is going to be effected by whether our character has realised that they are a Synth or if they have not.
If they have yet to realise then maybe DiMA's questioning leads to the realisation of their true nature as a Synth, and this leads them to emprace the refuge. Or perhaps this idea scares your sole survivor so much that they refuse to think or talk about the possibility of it being the truth.
You also have the option of telling DiMA that you are a member of either the Brotherhood of Steel or the Institute. At which point he will request that you keep the refuge's existance a secret and will also point out that if you are a member of the Institute, that this is your opportunity to study Synths living as humans. No matter what your answer is you will then have the option of telling either faction.
When facing this choice it is important to keep in mind whether your character knows they are a Synth, their views on Synths and what faction they are most affiliated with. Below I've listed a couple of possibilities:
DiMA's Secrets
After completing a couple of quests DiMA will send you to retrieve some of his memories which contain some of the plans he has put in place to protect the Refuge and keep the peace on the island. Of these three plans one stands out as holding greater significance for a character that knows they are a Synth. The murder and replacement of Captain Avery, the leader of Far Harbor.
Not only has he killed and replaced the human Captain Avery, but he has also effectively murdered the Synth who replaced her by wiping her memories, a fact he himself points out. When you discover this you have two options, you can choose to confront DiMA or go to the people of Far Harbor and reveal the truth to them.
For a character that knows they are a Synth not only are you confronted with the dilemma of whether the safety of Acadia and peace on the island, justify a single woman's death. But also if they justify effectively killing a Synth through deleting her memories, a process you yourself could potentially undergo. Do you brush it aside as "what's done is done" and focus on protecting Acadia? Do you say agree with what DiMA did and decide continue helping him? Or do you turn away disgusted and tell the people of Far Harbor?
So now I ask, do the results justify a woman's murder and that of a Synth, a being your own nature may provide you increased sympathy for?
If the answer is yes, then DiMA has a request for you. Doing the same thing to someone else, that someone being High Confessor Tektus, the leader of the Children of Atom. Presented with the same Dilemma, but now with the added element of your own involvement. With this choice you cannot use the excuse of "what's done is done", you must make a choice, are you prepared to condemn these two people, a Synth and a Human to death, for peace?
Kasumi Nakano
As the reason behind your trip to Far Harbor, Kasumi provides use with a choice that may be a little close to home. She herself is going through the same thing as our Synth Sole Survivors, she is faced with the possibility she herself is a Synth. The choice we have to make is whether to agree with her or convince her that she is human. And then following your decision you have the choice of whether to leave her in Acadia or to tell her to return to her parents.
As a character who knows they are a Synth, perhaps you sympathize with her and after discussing it with her come to agree that she is in fact a Synth. Or perhaps your sole survivor does not know and instead does their best to convince Kasumi she is human.
For now that is all I have to say in relation to the Far Harbor DLC, I'm sure there is more as I've yet to play through the side quests or side with either the Children of Atom or Far Harbor. So until I've done that I bid you good luck in playing your own Synth Characters.
First off we'll need to address the elephant in the room that pops up as soon as you try to create a character that is anything other than a prewar "_________" that being the whole start of the game and its effect on the main questline. Naturally as I'll be talking about the events of the game anyone that is yet to play it or finish the main questline should be wary of any spoilers that will be part of this.
Before I get into the details I'll be setting the foundations by listing a couple of things seen and heard in Fallout 4.
Now for the details:
The basic idea is that the Sole Survivor is part of one of Father's experiments, in this case to see how a Synth which believes it is a prewar human will be able to survive in the wasteland and possibly make its way back to the Institute. The events prior to the Sole Survivor stepping out of their stasis pod are a part of these false memories that Father has had implanted into their brain along with a couple of other things that I'll mention later.
Our next obstacle is Codsworth the Sole Survivor's robot butler, this is simple enough to explain since the Institute is capable of creating Synthetic Humans it isn't hard to believe that they would be able to either build or reprogram a Mr Handy to have "memories" of the Sole Survivor and then leave it in Sanctuary to await the start of the experiment.
Following this are the records of Nate and Nora's existence prewar that can be found around the ruins of Boston most of which are fairly easy to miss or avoid. Now there are two possibilities for why this may be and you can pick whichever you think is more reasonable.
Post Vault 111
After stepping out of Vault 111 you can choose to do as you wish since your character at this point is essentially no different from any other Sole Survivor. Naturally I have a suggestion perhaps after hearing of the Brotherhood of Steel or the Railroad you feel an unnaturally strong urge to seek them out and join almost as if it was something programmed into you.
Should you follow the main questline and meet Father there are a couple of options for what happens next that I have thought of that you may take a liking to:
Basically the subtitle says it all, these are just a couple of questions and encounters/events that I feel it would be a good idea to put some thought into either before you start or encounter them.
First off are a couple of fairly obvious questions:
Now for those encounters/events:
Well that's it for the base game, and now a warning. Only read past this point if 1) you have the Far Harbor DLC or 2) you don't care about spoilers.
Far Harbor
A quick note that from here on I will be talking about the events of Far Harbor so expect some heavy spoilers for the DLC. This section is also a work in progress and I will be adding to it as I play more of the DLC.
The First Meeting
Far Harbor introduces us to DiMA, a prototype Synth who has set up a Synth refuge, who provides some great support to the idea that the Sole Survivor is a Synth. During our first conversation with him, he will question us about our nature at which point we can outright admit to being a Synth, and about our memories and what the gaps may indicate.
This provides us with countless opportunities as people roleplaying a Synth. How we respond to his questions is going to be effected by whether our character has realised that they are a Synth or if they have not.
If they have yet to realise then maybe DiMA's questioning leads to the realisation of their true nature as a Synth, and this leads them to emprace the refuge. Or perhaps this idea scares your sole survivor so much that they refuse to think or talk about the possibility of it being the truth.
You also have the option of telling DiMA that you are a member of either the Brotherhood of Steel or the Institute. At which point he will request that you keep the refuge's existance a secret and will also point out that if you are a member of the Institute, that this is your opportunity to study Synths living as humans. No matter what your answer is you will then have the option of telling either faction.
When facing this choice it is important to keep in mind whether your character knows they are a Synth, their views on Synths and what faction they are most affiliated with. Below I've listed a couple of possibilities:
DiMA's Secrets
After completing a couple of quests DiMA will send you to retrieve some of his memories which contain some of the plans he has put in place to protect the Refuge and keep the peace on the island. Of these three plans one stands out as holding greater significance for a character that knows they are a Synth. The murder and replacement of Captain Avery, the leader of Far Harbor.
Not only has he killed and replaced the human Captain Avery, but he has also effectively murdered the Synth who replaced her by wiping her memories, a fact he himself points out. When you discover this you have two options, you can choose to confront DiMA or go to the people of Far Harbor and reveal the truth to them.
For a character that knows they are a Synth not only are you confronted with the dilemma of whether the safety of Acadia and peace on the island, justify a single woman's death. But also if they justify effectively killing a Synth through deleting her memories, a process you yourself could potentially undergo. Do you brush it aside as "what's done is done" and focus on protecting Acadia? Do you say agree with what DiMA did and decide continue helping him? Or do you turn away disgusted and tell the people of Far Harbor?
So now I ask, do the results justify a woman's murder and that of a Synth, a being your own nature may provide you increased sympathy for?
If the answer is yes, then DiMA has a request for you. Doing the same thing to someone else, that someone being High Confessor Tektus, the leader of the Children of Atom. Presented with the same Dilemma, but now with the added element of your own involvement. With this choice you cannot use the excuse of "what's done is done", you must make a choice, are you prepared to condemn these two people, a Synth and a Human to death, for peace?
Kasumi Nakano
As the reason behind your trip to Far Harbor, Kasumi provides use with a choice that may be a little close to home. She herself is going through the same thing as our Synth Sole Survivors, she is faced with the possibility she herself is a Synth. The choice we have to make is whether to agree with her or convince her that she is human. And then following your decision you have the choice of whether to leave her in Acadia or to tell her to return to her parents.
As a character who knows they are a Synth, perhaps you sympathize with her and after discussing it with her come to agree that she is in fact a Synth. Or perhaps your sole survivor does not know and instead does their best to convince Kasumi she is human.
For now that is all I have to say in relation to the Far Harbor DLC, I'm sure there is more as I've yet to play through the side quests or side with either the Children of Atom or Far Harbor. So until I've done that I bid you good luck in playing your own Synth Characters.
Goldie this is great, so subversive and inspiring to me. I was hyped thinking about what art you would come up with and I promise you did not disappoint on that score either! This really gets me thinking and when I next load up Fallout 4 this is how I will be playing it.
See, I am not that familiar with the game, only played it once and had no time for Synths or the way the dilemmas were presented, but I think a character based on this guide will change all that for me. Two of those encounters are unknown to me so I will be making it a priority to see them,
It could be that the character has an arc, that he/she exits the vault thinking they're human but slowly starting to come to realise the truth. It could be quite a conflicted character, repressing something he or she knows on a fundamental level. Whichever way I look at it I cannot help be excited by it.
I'm also thinking about the character's stats, if there are any perks or weapons the character can make best use of to reflect an artificial intelligence. I know that may not be technically lore accurate but sod it, this is pure imagination and I love it. Well done Golden, great job!
Goldie this is great, so subversive and inspiring to me. I was hyped thinking about what art you would come up with and I promise you did not disappoint on that score either! This really gets me thinking and when I next load up Fallout 4 this is how I will be playing it.
See, I am not that familiar with the game, only played it once and had no time for Synths or the way the dilemmas were presented, but I think a character based on this guide will change all that for me. Two of those encounters are unknown to me so I will be making it a priority to see them,
It could be that the character has an arc, that he/she exits the vault thinking they're human but slowly starting to come to realise the truth. It could be quite a conflicted character, repressing something he or she knows on a fundamental level. Whichever way I look at it I cannot help be excited by it.
I'm also thinking about the character's stats, if there are any perks or weapons the character can make best use of to reflect an artificial intelligence. I know that may not be technically lore accurate but sod it, this is pure imagination and I love it. Well done Golden, great job!
While I was writing this I was struck by the realisation that this could make it possible to play so many types of characters even those ripped straight from books, movies or other games cause who's to say what the Institute programmed your character to believe/remember.
Hmm I'd never thought of using Kellogg's implants like that, I mostly just sell them or forget I have them.
While I was writing this I was struck by the realisation that this could make it possible to play so many types of characters even those ripped straight from books, movies or other games cause who's to say what the Institute programmed your character to believe/remember.
Hmm I'd never thought of using Kellogg's implants like that, I mostly just sell them or forget I have them.
Tough to say about Art and Art, that could be a real dilemma - one of those pause the game and smoke a cigarette moments like when I first had to choose between Ash and Kaiden (my first Shep was Stoopid with a capital S). I am conflicted as to whether I should watch a vid of this encounter or remain spoiler free. Yet my instincts right now are that I might be tempted to save the Synth, like an unconscious urge or the like - a sort of radar??
As for the second question, Mayor McDonough in "In Sheep's Clothing". I never really spent much time in Diamond City. I think the voice actress on my character really made me embrace the main story and so I just ploughed on like a rutting stag on a doe.
Tough to say about Art and Art, that could be a real dilemma - one of those pause the game and smoke a cigarette moments like when I first had to choose between Ash and Kaiden (my first Shep was Stoopid with a capital S). I am conflicted as to whether I should watch a vid of this encounter or remain spoiler free. Yet my instincts right now are that I might be tempted to save the Synth, like an unconscious urge or the like - a sort of radar??
As for the second question, Mayor McDonough in "In Sheep's Clothing". I never really spent much time in Diamond City. I think the voice actress on my character really made me embrace the main story and so I just ploughed on like a rutting stag on a doe.
This is a great little discussion. I think the greatest part of this is the whole memory reprogramming thing, which is pretty much what makes it all possible. I think the fact that the Institute can do that makes it almost possible to become a synth halfway through one's playthrough.
Perhaps something like: Character "dies" fighting synths (or anyone really), character "wakes up" and slowly discovers they were abducted instead of slaughtered, and replaced with a synth. I think it's this sort emergent roleplay that makes for a really dynamic and interesting character.
<peer pressure> Can't wait to (maybe) see more from you on this part of the Vault </peer pressure>
This is a great little discussion. I think the greatest part of this is the whole memory reprogramming thing, which is pretty much what makes it all possible. I think the fact that the Institute can do that makes it almost possible to become a synth halfway through one's playthrough.
Perhaps something like: Character "dies" fighting synths (or anyone really), character "wakes up" and slowly discovers they were abducted instead of slaughtered, and replaced with a synth. I think it's this sort emergent roleplay that makes for a really dynamic and interesting character.
<peer pressure> Can't wait to (maybe) see more from you on this part of the Vault </peer pressure>