In the wasteland of Fallout, there is a whole range of different factions, as seen in the Amazon-series. An organization that operates from the shadows constantly causes paranoia – primarily, it is concerned with scientific advancement.
Which faction is it? The Institute is a very special organization from Fallout. Unlike other groups like the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, or the Railroad, it is hardly present in the wasteland – at least not on the surface.
For the mysterious society of the Institute lives underground. Its base is located in the Commonwealth, deep beneath the ruins of the “CIT” – which stands for “Commonwealth Institute of Technology”.
The word “Technology” is crucial for this faction. After the Great War in 2077, professors and students who had sought refuge underground began to settle there.
In 2110, the Institute was officially founded. The organization aims to continually advance science and technology. This is to happen with the help of a manageable but very intelligent society.
Unlike the people on the surface, the members of the Institute live in a clean, modern, and high-tech environment – in material abundance and luxury. Strict planning and isolation of this society have led to the Institute becoming both advanced and notorious.
Synthetic people cause fear
How does the Institute work? Initially, the scientists made some effort to cooperate with the surface dwellers. But they soon realized that the mutual distrust was simply too great.
Moreover, the Institute believed that “those up there” would not comprehend the massive technological advancements at all. This led to the society isolating itself and retreating back to its underground base.
The Institute is led by a Director, who is supported by four department heads. They manage the areas of Biological Sciences, Advanced Systems, Robotics, and Synth Retention.
Especially the Synths, i.e., synthetic people, are among the major achievements. They even gained ill-fated notoriety on the surface. The Institute often sent first and second generation Synths to the surface. There they conducted experiments on one hand and infiltrated rival factions on the other.
This often led to great paranoia in the wasteland, as Synths were sometimes not immediately recognizable as such. For the Institute itself, however, these humanoid creations are treated like slaves and looked down upon.
For the third generation of Synths, the Institute aimed to create synthetic tissue using FEV samples (Forced Evolutionary Virus) to bring them even closer to humans. This virus has already caused obscure mutations in other places in the wasteland.
Only when a baby named Shaun was kidnapped from Vault 111 did a scientific breakthrough occur: The DNA of the baby was used to create a new type of Synth.
Here you can read spoilers about Fallout 4
For this reason, Shaun is referred to as the father of this new generation. Particularly exciting: He is the son of the player in Fallout 4 and is kidnapped in the prologue.
Unscrupulous science
How is the relationship with the other factions? To put it mildly: tense. The Institute is primarily focused on achieving its own goals. They go over corpses to do so. Anyone who does not belong to them is worth nothing and can be… utilized in the service of science.
In the years around 2230, the Institute carried out a massacre among surface dwellers who advocated a government in the Commonwealth. The Railroad faction, which took care of fugitive Synths, also fell into the Institute’s sights. The Railroad paid for their efforts with numerous deaths in their headquarters.
In 2229, there was a wild shootout in a bar in Diamond City, where a Synth named Mr. Carter killed several people. It was only after he was incapacitated that it was discovered that he was an artificial human.
Another important enemy is the Brotherhood of Steel. Especially during the time of Fallout 4, in the year 2287, the Institute is a thorn in their side. The Brotherhood wants to have the technology for themselves to preserve it and control that it is not misused.
In Fallout 4, you can complete a series of quests for the Institute, join the faction, or work for their destruction.
Thus, the Institute is a mysterious organization about which many inhabitants of the wasteland do not know much. The elite and isolated society primarily cares for its own well-being and is little concerned about morality. The question remains how much technological advancement counts when a person’s life is worth nothing. How the Institute ranks in our ranking can be found on MeinMMO: In Fallout, 7 factions fight over the wasteland – but which is the strongest?
