The A House Divided quest in Fallout 4 will involve you having to settle a serious dispute within The Institute. The game steers your hands towards peace, however, conflicts can’t always be dealt with passively.
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How to Start the A House Divided Quest
Talk To Newton Oberly
Near the research area of The Institute, you will have to find Newton to start A House Divided. He wears a white and yellow lab robe and can be found wandering in various hallways around the research area.
When spoken to, Newton will tell you about the strife between different factions of The Institute. He goes on to tell you that some aggressive people have locked themselves up in a lab nearby and asks for your help.
Choose Peace or Violence
Newton will urge you to handle things peacefully, however, this is only possible if you pick certain dialogue options due to the hostile individuals being somewhat disagreeable. You can persuade Lawrence Higgs to back down or take out the aggressors.
Get to the BioScience Observation Room
Follow Newton
After Newton briefs you on what is happening, he will direct you toward the BioScience Observation Room, which is directly outside the area held hostage by Higgs and his men. Newton will unlock a nearby door for you to make your trip, however, be warned as you will find enemies on the way.
Deal with the Synth Enemies and Reach the BioScience Observation Room
There will be a series of hallways and rooms where you will have to defeat a number of synth enemies. These humanoid robotic foes will shoot at you with guns that fire energy rounds. As such, be sure to put on some armor that resists this damage type.
It is also worth mentioning that synths, like all metallic adversaries, are weak to energy damage. You can get through these inhuman threats quicker with an energy pistol or plasma rifle.
How to Resolve the Conflict in the BioScience Observation Room
Exhaust the Dialogue Options with Higgs
Regardless of what you say, Higgs will have to either stand down or be defeated in combat. You will still need to exhaust all of the dialogue options with him to progress the quest if none persuade him. When all options have been exhausted, Higgs will walk away and the quest will get updated.
Deal with Higgs and His People
What is left is to handle Higgs and his people, however, the method of doing so is up to you. Here are the options for dealing with Higgs:
- “Talk about this?” – This is a persuade option that you can use to calm Higgs down.
- “Made your point” – This is another persuade option that you can use to deal with Higgs peacefully.
- “Direct Solution” – This is an intimidate option that could lead to Higgs fighting you.
- “Better Way” – This last persuade option is the one with the lowest odds of you convincing Higgs.
Which Solution to Choose
Depending on your character’s build, you will want to choose different methods. If your character has high Charisma, you will be more likely to pass the Speech checks when trying to calm Higgs. Equipping gear that raises this attribute can help.
Alternatively, if you don’t have high Charisma, it’s recommended to take a more aggressive approach. If you go into the observation area where Higgs and his people are located, it will cause them to become instantly hostile. You can prevent this by calming Higgs down through dialogue options. However, if you’re taking the aggressive route, that won’t be necessary.
How to Complete A House Divided
Subdue Higgs One Way or Another
You will have to force Higgs and his people into submission, either by conversation or combat. Either way, once you do that, you will have a choice of whether to spare Higgs or not. However, if you chose the aggressive option and killed Higgs, you won’t be able to make this choice.
Chose to Spare or Kill Higgs
There is a good reason for you to spare Higgs, as doing so will result in getting better quest rewards. If you chose to execute Higgs, you will still complete A House Divided, but won’t get the bonus loot.
Rewards for Completing A House Divided
Regardless of what you did to Higgs, be it execute him, exile him, put him on probation, or refuse to punish him, you’ll always get 200 XP (before multipliers). However, to get a bunch of Chems as a bonus reward, you’ll need to choose a non-lethal option. Higgs is the one who gives you the helpful drugs, which is why you need to let him live in order to get them. Here are the Chems Higgs will give you if you spare him:
- Jet (5)
- RadAway (5)
- Mentats (5)
You’ll need to be tough in order to survive the wastelands of The Commonwealth, however, this quest shows that you should also remember to be merciful once in a while. By sparing people, you’re giving them more chances to give you great loot!
