For the Fallout 4 faction, see Synth Retention Bureau. |
Synth Retention is an Institute main quest in Fallout 4.
Contents
Quick walkthrough
Institute main quest: Synth Retention | |||||
Talk to Father. | |||||
Meet X6-88 outside Libertalia. | |||||
Get to the top of Gabriel's boat. | |||||
Reclaim Gabriel and kill his bodyguards. | |||||
Return to Father. | |||||
Visit your quarters. | |||||
Reward: 200+ XP Quarters in the Institute | |||||
Leads to: The Battle of Bunker Hill | |||||
Detailed walkthrough
Speak with Father about the Institute, he'll request help dealing with a renegade synth turned raider at Libertalia. There will be a Courser companion at Nahant Wharf who needs to be collected first. Once he is collected, fight along with the network of ships until the target is reached. Upon entering the cabin, X6-88 will initiate a conversation and provide Gabriel's recall code.
On reaching the top of the ship Gabriel will initiate conversation, and no matter what, a fight will break out. Using the synth's factory reset code will disable Gabriel and keep the fight limited to a few raiders. There's a couple of persuasion checks that give extra choices like the password for the Master locked terminal that can open a nearby safe. Once the fight is over, X6-88 will teleport out with Gabriel.
The player character can kill Gabriel, much to X6-88's dismay. This will also trigger different dialogues from many of the Institute scientists and Father. On returning to the Institute there will be another discussion with Father, and he will provide quarters for the Sole Survivor. Upon entering them, the mission is complete, and the Battle of Bunker Hill begins.
Quest stages
Companion reactions
![]() |
Missing data
This article is missing some data. You can help Nukapedia by filling it in.
|
---|
Notes
- When meeting up with X6-88, he may be under attack from a Brotherhood of Steel team and a vertibird. The Brotherhood members will not be hostile to the Sole Survivor unless they are already an enemy of the Brotherhood of Steel. Since X6-88 is essential, he cannot lose the fight but will continue to fight ad infinitum. If this happens, proceed to Gabriel: X6-88 will teleport to the Sole Survivor upon entering the captain's cabin at the top of the ship, and the quest will progress from there.
- There appears to be a disconnection between the affinity changes generated and the actually spoken responses, for many of the companions. For example, Nick "loves" saying it would be more humane to kill Gabriel than use the recall code, but Nick states "I think you and I got real different definitions of 'humane'" which implies he should not like this choice. Further along, Danse "hates" refusing Gabriel's bribe or electing to take his loot by force, yet his spoken responses are "A wise choice, soldier," and "This is going to be a pleasure," respectively.
- It is possible to clear the area without the help of X6-88. To do so, simply do not speak to him and proceed to the cabin on top of the ship. The quest will proceed normally once inside the cabin interior.
Bugs
- This can be fixed by fast-traveling back to Libertalia, locating X6-88 (he will mostly at all times be located at a small boat directly between Libertalia and Nordhagen Beach), and begin shooting him. After he takes some damage, the game will prompt the quest as completed.
- e210a.moveto player while standing in front of your quarters. Close the console and open it again, which will force X6-88 back into his normal routine. Alternatively, open the console and type
X6-88 may not appear next to your quarters at the Institute, preventing the final objective from being completed.[verified]
- This can be fixed by simply entering the captain's quarters at Libertalia, progressing the quest and moving X6-88.
X6-88 may get stuck underwater when attempting to attack nearby raiders before being able to speak to him the first time.[verified]
- After killing Gabriel, the quest description will remain the same as if he was deactivated by the recall code, mentioning the now dead synth being returned to the Institute and the success of the mission. [verified]
- If you manage to kill Gabriel his body can't be selected and looted.[verified]