Road to Freedom

Fallout 4 Railroad main quest
Road to Freedom
Location	Boston Common Old North Church
Rewards	300+ XP
Quest chain
Next	Tradecraft
Technical
Editor ID	RR101
Form ID	000459D2

 

“I followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad. I'm not your enemy.”— Sole Survivor

Road to Freedom is a Railroad main quest in Fallout 4.

Quick walkthrough

Railroad main quest: Road to Freedom

(Optional) Acquire the quest in Goodneighbor or Diamond City.

Travel to Boston Common. Speak to the Tour Bot.

Follow the red trail on the ground. Inspect the markers as you go along.

Travel to the Old North Church.

Head to the basement. Find your way to the end where there is circular landmark on the wall.

Spell RAILROAD by rotating the ring to align each letter to the twelve o'clock position, and press the button.

Speak to Desdemona.

Reward: 300 XP

Leads to: Tradecraft

Detailed walkthrough

There are multiple places to acquire this quest, specifically in Diamond City and Goodneighbor. It can be acquired from listening to the Join the Railroad holotape that can be found lying around, overhearing a conversation between two residents of Diamond City near Valentine Detective Agency, talking to Diamond City security inside Diamond City, or by speaking to NPCs who mention the Railroad over the course of the main story (such as Piper and Amari). Any of these actions will trigger the objective to 'Follow the Freedom Trail' to be added to the Pip-Boy, proceed to Boston Common to find the beginning of the trail. Talking to the tour bot will provide additional information but is ultimately unnecessary.

Follow the distinctive red trail of bricks in the ground from location to location. The red line on the ground is largely unbroken but there are a few stretches that are obscured by debris. In these places the trail is "improvised" using trails of red paint across the street or along wreckage of buses and walls. The trail will take the Sole Survivor past several Bostonian landmarks and historical sites, each with a "Freedom Trail" seal outside in the sidewalk, with a letter circled and a number added in red paint. The first seal ("7A") is at Boston Common right near the tour bot. The second seal ("4L") is in front of the Massachusetts State House. The third seal ("2A") is at the entrance to the Old Granary burying ground. The fourth seal ("6O") is near the entrance to Goodneighbor (the Old State House from pre-War Boston's perspective). The fifth seal ("3I") is in front of the Old Corner Bookstore. The sixth seal ("5R") is at Faneuil Hall. The seventh seal ("8D") can be found in front of the Paul Revere house. The eighth and final seal ("1R") can be found at the Old North Church, the end of the trail. Following the Freedom Trail isn't mandatory, the Sole Survivor can travel directly to the Old North Church if they already know its location.

Inside the Old North Church, kill a handful of ghouls and follow the lantern painting to find a way down into the catacombs. At the end of the catacombs, there's another Freedom Trail marker with a ring that spins, similar in appearance to the eight seals on the trail. Rotate the outer wheel clockwise and counterclockwise to align the letters with the arrow and press in the center to input the letter. Spell the word "RAILROAD" one letter at a time to open the secret door. The word must be spelled without mistakes. If any mistakes are made, the word must be restarted from the beginning.

Once the door opens and is entered, a blinding spotlight will be shone at the Sole Survivor as they are confronted by the leader of the Railroad, Desdemona, and two Railroad agents, Glory and Drummer Boy, who have their guns readied. Speak with Desdemona - the conversation options will have no effect on the Sole Survivor's future relationship with the Railroad. Eventually, Deacon will enter and vouch for the Sole Survivor, listing two of their major accomplishments in the Commonwealth. Desdemona will ask some further questions including why the Sole Survivor has come to the Railroad, if they know what a synth is, and most importantly, if the Sole Survivor would risk their life to save them from their plight. After the questioning is done, the quest completes and Tradecraft starts immediately.

Quest stages

Quest stages
Stage	Status	Description	Log Entry
110		Follow the Freedom Trail	If I want to fight the Institute, I've been told I should find the Railroad. The only clue I have is: "Follow the Freedom Trail." The tourist trail starts at Boston Common.
120		(optional) Talk to the Tour bot
200		Continue following the Freedom Trail
250		Clicked on marker	Along the Freedom Trail there are markers with numbers and letters. If I follow the trail and solve the cipher, maybe I'll find the Railroad...
260		Clicked on clue	At the start of the Freedom Trail I found a clue: "At journey's end follow freedom's lantern." The trail also has markers with letters and numbers. So, if I follow the trail and solve the cipher, maybe I'll find the Railroad.
300		Enter Old North Church	The Freedom Trail leads to the Old North Church. The clue said : "At journey's end follow freedom's lantern." Using the letters and numbers I found on the trail, hopefully I can find the Railroad.
400		Search for the Railroad
600		Trigger spotlight intro - Possible branch of MQ206RR The Molecular Level
800		Intro over - all stand down
1000		Speak to Desdemona
1100		Quest complete	I did it. I found the Railroad.
1300		Quest failed

Companion reactions

Companions react to three dialogues with Desdemona: When she asks why you have sought out the Railroad (only when selecting "Fight Institute," the other choices lead to no reactions and is not available if coming to the Railroad with the Courser chip); when she explains how the Institute treats synths ("as tools"); and ultimately, if you would risk your life to save a synth.

Fighting the Institute

• Every companion, with the exception of Curie and Danse, like saying you want to make them pay for what they've done to your family ("Avenge my family"). Curie dislikes it, and Danse has no reaction, despite how he personally detests synths.
• Nearly everyone will like saying you want to "protect others" from the same fate you've suffered. Curie loves this choice, while Cait, MacCready, and Strong have no reaction to it.

Slavery

• Hancock and Curie love saying "Slavery is wrong." Preston and Strong like this choice.
• Most companions dislike saying "Synths are machines," while Danse and Strong like this choice. Cait and MacCready have no reaction.
• Codsworth has no reactions to either choice.

"Would you risk your life for your fellow man? Even if that man is a synth?"

• Curie and Nick love saying you would. Most others like it, including Strong. Cait and MacCready dislike this choice, while Danse hates it.
• Even though Desdemona says there's "no shame in that," Nick, Piper, Preston, and Strong dislike you saying you wouldn't. Cait, Danse, and MacCready like this choice.
• Codsworth has no reactions to either choice.

Notes

• It is possible to complete the quest without picking it up in Diamond City or Goodneighbor by just going to the Old North Church first. The quest will act normally after inputting the password, albeit with alternative dialogue. Once the conversation ends, the quest will be skipped entirely and the reward will still be granted.
• Prior to completing this quest, one can find Deacon disguised in various places throughout the Commonwealth. Examples of this include the Memory Den in Goodneighbor, as a guard in Diamond City, or as a caravan worker in Bunker Hill.
• It is possible to kill any of the named Railroad members before they turn on the light. Doing this will result in quest failure and will flag the Sole Survivor as an enemy of the Railroad.
• When answering Desdemona's question whether the Sole Survivor is willing to risk their own life to save a synth positively, the Survivor will respond with different lines depending on their gender, with the male Survivor mentioning the Oath of Enlistment he made when joining the United States Armed Forces before the Great War.
• When responding positively to Desdemona's question, and pointing out how synths are slaves, Valentine will love and like these selected dialogue options, respectively.
• Attempting to leave while answering Desdemona's question will cause her to order that the Railroad will kill the Sole Survivor, thus failing this quest and flagging the Sole Survivor as an enemy of the Railroad.
• When Deacon vouches for the Survivor, he will reference various events throughout the game that the player character has completed, including helping rebuild the Minutemen, joining the Brotherhood of Steel, clearing the Castle, clearing Fort Strong, killing Sinjin, killing Conrad Kellogg, helping Billy Peabody, helping Ironsides, being the champion of the Combat Zone, bailing out Nick Valentine from Vault 114, or saving Stockton's "daughter" from the Compound. However, he will only do so if the Survivor tracked down the Railroad on their own initiative.
  • If Conrad Kellogg is dead, but if Reunions was not turned in, Deacon will not mention his death.
  • If the Sole Survivor hasn't completed any event that can be cited by Deacon, Deacon will still vouch for the Survivor, saying that the Survivor is either smart or tough enough to have made it to the secret door, that the Railroad need friends more than ever, and that he has a really good feeling about the Survivor.
• If the Sole Survivor encounters the Railroad after having finished Hunter/Hunted, the entire conversation between Deacon and Desdemona will revolve around the Sole Survivor having killed a courser instead, without any reference to previous deeds whatsoever. In this case, Desdemona will allow the Sole Survivor right away into the Railroad HQ. However, she will then go back outside along with Deacon and the other agents and wait there to complete the conversation and give you the Tradecraft quest. This may be confusing as the player might expect to find them inside the HQ after having been allowed to enter.
• Starting the quest Institutionalized will fail this quest if not completed first.

Behind the scenes

The Freedom Trail, including the red (both painted and brick) paths, as well as the embedded seals, exists in the real world as well.

Bugs

• PC In some cases, the game will freeze when attempting to enter certain buildings in Boston Common, including Old North Church, making this quest impossible to complete. The console command coc OldNorthChurch01 will teleport the player into Old North Church, past the entrance to the Railroad. The console command tcl must be used to go through and open the door to the Railroad properly. Exiting through the front entrance should work afterwards.^[verified]
• PC Playstation 4 When first approaching the Railroad HQ, Desdemona and the other guards may instantly become hostile, making the quest impossible to complete, and making you enemies with the Railroad. They become hostile right after unlocking the door, making it impossible to start a conversation even if you approach slowly or use a Stealth Boy.^[verified]
  • They are not susceptible to the Intimidation perk.
• PC Xbox One After opening the door and entering, the conversation options will not be shown at all, and it is impossible to answer Desdemona's question or otherwise interact. In this case there is no option but to kill them all to gain access to Railroad HQ. If on PC one can use the console to move Desdemona to the player after she speaks (prid 000508ed followed by moveto player) which may cause the dialogue options to show without aggroing the Railroad. ^[verified]

Gallery

Tour bot in Boston Common

Freedom Trail markers

Quests in Fallout 4 Main quests Act 1 War Never Changes · Out of Time · Jewel of the Commonwealth · Unlikely Valentine · Getting a Clue · Reunions Act 2 Dangerous Minds · The Glowing Sea · Hunter/Hunted · The Molecular Level Act 3 Institutionalized · From Within · Inside Job · Underground Undercover Side quests Cambridge Polymer Labs  · Confidence Man · Curtain Call · Dependency · Diamond City Blues · Emogene Takes a Lover · Here Kitty, Kitty · Here There Be Monsters · Hole in the Wall · Human Error · In Sheep's Clothing · Kid in a Fridge · Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution · Mystery Meat · Order Up · Out in Left Field · Painting the Town · Pickman's Gift · Public Knowledge · Pull the Plug · Reveille · Short Stories · Special Delivery · Story of the Century · The Big Dig · The Devil's Due · The Disappearing Act · The Gilded Grasshopper · The Marowski Heist · The Memory Den · The Secret of Cabot House · The Silver Shroud · Trouble Brewin' · Vault 75 · Vault 81 Companion quests Benign Intervention · Emergent Behavior · Long Road Ahead · Long Time Coming Miscellaneous quests Art Appreciation · Atom Cats · Botany Class · The Cleaner · The Combat Zone · Detective Case Files · Diamond City's Most Wanted · Fallen Hero · Find the Treasures of Jamaica Plain · Fly Fishing · Giddyup 'n Go · Gun Run · Hazardous Material · Meet Ness at the Crash Site · Nuka Cola Needs · Pool Cleaning · Prep School · Traffic Jam · Treasure Hunt · Vault 81 Tour · Virgil's Cure Unmarked quests A Pillar of the Community · Bill Sutton · Brother Against Brother · Familiar Faces · Fertilizer Woman · Holly · Lucy Abernathy · Maintenance Man · Quality Assurance · Supervisor Brown · Supervisor Greene · Suspected Synth · Wedding Day Cut quests 20 Leagues Under the Sea · Bullet · Off the Grid · Salvage · That's the Spirit · The Enemy of My Enemy · The Replacement Creation Club quests A Pint-Sized Problem · A Place to Call Home · Burned on the River · Can You See Me Now? · Captain Cosmos · Carbonated Concerns · Combat Ready · Crucible · Deathmatch · Dog Rescue · Early Retirement · Enclave Radio · From Hell · Giddyup! · Holiday Spirits · Malevolent Malfunction · Method to the Madness · Neon Winter · Over the Moon · Pyromaniac · Shrouded Manor · Silver like the Shroud · Slocum's Joe · Speak of the Devil · The Paper Mirror · The Prototype · The Quantum Stag · Tunnel Snakes Rule! · Way Back Home Faction quests Brotherhood of Steel Main quests Fire Support · Call to Arms · Semper Invicta · Shadow of Steel · Tour of Duty · Show No Mercy · From Within · Outside the Wire · Liberty Reprimed · Blind Betrayal · Tactical Thinking · Spoils of War · Ad Victoriam · The Nuclear Option Side quests A Loose End · A New Dawn · Cleansing the Commonwealth · Duty or Dishonor · Feeding the Troops · Leading by Example · Learning Curve · Quartermastery · The Lost Patrol Commonwealth Minutemen Main quests When Freedom Calls · Sanctuary · The First Step · Taking Independence · Old Guns · Inside Job · Form Ranks · Defend the Castle · The Nuclear Option Side quests Clearing the Way · Ghoul Problem · Greenskins · Kidnapped Trader · Kidnapping · Out of the Fire · Raider Troubles · Resettle Refugees · Returning the Favor · Rogue Courser · Taking Point · The Sight · Troubled Waters · With Our Powers Combined The Railroad Main quests Road to Freedom · Tradecraft · Boston After Dark · Underground Undercover · Operation Ticonderoga · Precipice of War · Rockets' Red Glare · The Nuclear Option Side quests A Clean Equation · Burning Cover · Butcher's Bill · Butcher's Bill 2 · Concierge · High Ground · Jackpot · Lost Soul · Memory Interrupted · Mercer Safehouse · Randolph Safehouse · To the Mattresses · Variable Removal · Weathervane The Institute Main quests Institutionalized · Synth Retention · The Battle of Bunker Hill · Mankind - Redefined · Mass Fusion · Pinned · Powering Up · End of the Line · Airship Down · Nuclear Family Side quests A House Divided · Appropriation · Building a Better Crop · Hypothesis · Plugging a Leak · Political Leanings · Reclamation · Pest Control Add-on quests Automatron Far Harbor Main quests Mechanical Menace · A New Threat · Headhunting · Restoring Order Side quests Rogue Robot Main quests Best Left Forgotten · Cleansing the Land · Close to Home · Far From Home · Reformation · The Way Life Should Be · Walk in the Park · Where You Belong Side quests Ablutions · Acadian Ideals · Blood Tide · Brain Dead · Data Recovery · Deadliest Catch · Forbidden Knowledge · Hull Breach · Hunting the Hunter · Living on the Edge · Rite of Passage · Safe Passage · Search and Destroy · Shipbreaker · The Arrival · The Changing Tide · The Great Hunt · The Heretic · The Hold Out · The Price of Memory · The Trial of Brother Devin · Turn Back the Fog · Visions in the Fog · What Atom Requires · Witch Hunt Vault-Tec Workshop Nuka-World Main quests Vault-Tec Calling · Better Living Underground · A Model Citizen · Explore Vault 88 · Power to the People · The Watering Hole · Vision of the Future · Lady Luck Side quests Overseer's Most Wanted Main quests All Aboard · Taken for a Ride · An Ambitious Plan · The Grand Tour · Home Sweet Home · Power Play Side quests A Magical Kingdom · A World of Refreshment · Amoral Combat · Cappy in a Haystack · High Noon at the Gulch · Open Season · Precious Medals · Safari Adventure · Star Control · Trip to the Stars