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How to Join the Railroad
Fallout 4

How to Join the Railroad

Learn how to join the Railroad in Fallout 4. This guide covers the 'Road to Freedom' and 'Tradecraft' quests, including key locations, puzzles, and dialogue choices.

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Learn how to join the Railroad in Fallout 4. This guide covers the 'Road to Freedom' and 'Tradecraft' quests, including key locations, puzzles, and dialogue choices.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Starting the Quest: The quest "Road to Freedom" can be initiated by waiting outside the Valentine Detective Agency until two NPCs discuss the Railroad. If they aren't present, wait or zone in and out of Diamond City until they appear.
  2. 2
    The Freedom Trail (Optional): This path involves following historical landmarks in northeastern Boston, finding murals for clues, and solving a puzzle at the Old North Church. It leads from Swan's Pond in Boston Commons to the Old North Church in the North End. You will encounter various enemies like Ghouls, Raiders, and Super Mutants.
  3. 3
    Direct Route to Old North Church: You can skip the Freedom Trail by traveling directly to the Old North Church in northeastern Boston (southeast of Bunker Hill). Clear out the Ghouls inside and descend into the catacombs to find a Freedom Trail Ring.
  4. 4
    Old North Church Puzzle: Use the Freedom Trail Ring to spell "RAILROAD" by selecting letters indicated by the red arrow. This opens a hidden passage.
  5. 5
    Meeting the Railroad: Enter the passage and speak with Desdemona. Expressing willingness to help synths, even through a dialogue check, is sufficient to complete "Road to Freedom."
  6. 6
    Starting "Tradecraft": After joining the Railroad, speak with Deacon to begin the "Tradecraft" quest.
  7. 7
    Rendezvous and The Switchboard: Meet Deacon at the elevated highway west of Lexington. Travel with him to meet a "tourist" for intel, then enter The Switchboard via a sewer pipe.
  8. 8
    Retrieve Carrington's Prototype: Clear The Switchboard of Synths and retrieve Carrington's Prototype.
  9. 9
    Return to Old North Church: Bring the prototype back to Deacon and Desdemona at the Old North Church. Pass an easy dialogue check to go along with Deacon's story.
  10. 10
    Joining the Railroad: Desdemona will invite you to join. Choose your codename to complete "Tradecraft." You will then be introduced as a new member at the Railroad HQ.
  11. 11
    Unlocking Radiant Quests: To access radiant quests from PAM and unlock Ballistic Weave armor mods, you must complete the subsequent quest, "Boston After Dark."
Tips
  • You can bypass the "Road to Freedom" quest entirely by going directly to the Old North Church.
  • The "Freedom Trail" itself is not necessary to find the code for the Old North Church puzzle; the word "RAILROAD" is the key.
  • Dialogue checks can help, but expressing commitment to synths is the main requirement for joining.
  • Completing "Tradecraft" is mandatory to officially join the Railroad.
  • Completing "Boston After Dark" is necessary to unlock PAM's radiant quests and Ballistic Weave.
  • Membership in the Railroad
  • Access to Railroad HQ
  • Initiation into the next quest, "Boston After Dark"

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