In this guide we’ll show you everything there is to know about the Cathedral, where the Children of the Cathedral hold sway — and where the Master awaits.
Introduction
The Cathedral is one of your final objectives of the game. It can be done before or after the Military Base. It makes no difference since your two main quests form one goal: to end the mutant threat. Since confronting the Master in the Cathedral is perhaps a more dramatic ending, it is why you’ve found it at the end, though it isn’t any more difficult than the Military Base and actually can be quite a bit easier depending on how you approach it.
If for some fluke of nature the Cathedral isn’t yet on your world map, it is due south of the Boneyard two grid squares, right along the coast. Enter the first area, and click on one of the doors to go inside.
Your main goal here is of course to get rid of the Master, found at Lair Level 3 (or the 3rd level of the Vault). I shall give you two options for doing that when the time comes, a brute force approach and a sympathetic ear approach.
Cathedral Areas
- Entrance: the first place you enter. Enter through the doors to the Cathedral
- Tower Level 1: the main floor of the Cathedral. Laura, a possible contact is here
- Tower Level 2: super mutants on this small upstairs floor
- Tower Level 3: super mutants on this small upstairs floor
- Tower Level 4: Morpheus resides here in his room, holds the black CoC badge
- Lair Level 1: 1st level of the vault
- Lair Level 2: 2nd level of the vault
- Lair Level 3: 3rd level of the vault & the Master
- Lair Level 4: 4th level of the vault & the nuclear device
Cathedral Quests
Here is a list of the significant quests in the Cathedral, each with a brief synopsis containing at least one way to solve it. The remaining ways, and possibly other minor quests I will leave up to you.
Find Morpheus
Since your main goal is to get to the Master, you should first find a way past the locked northeastern door in Tower Level 1. There are several ways. One is to lockpick it. This will earn you 85xp, and nobody will care if they see you doing it. Another way is to first go to Nicole in the Boneyard Library area, and ask her about the Cathedral. She’ll point you to Laura and give you the secret code phrase “Red Rider.” You’ll find Laura in a western room prior to the nave. When you tell her the pass phrase, she’ll lead you to a private area where you can talk. Then she’ll proceed to unlock the door in question. Finally, you can barter or steal a red COC Badge from numerous people in the Cathedral, including Sister Francis and Ton in the nave. The badge works as a key for the door.
Once through the door, you’ll notice another door behind the back wall of the Cathedral. This door requires a black COC Badge or a very high Lockpick skill. Only Morpheus has the black COC Badge and he’s on Tower Level 4, three levels up.
From this point on, you might have to do some fighting. To avoid this, wear Robes or have a red COC Badge, and don’t have any followers or companions with you. If Followers of the Apocalypse are following you around (from asking Nicole for help in the Boneyard), just leave the Cathedral map and visit some other map location (like the nearby Boneyard) to get rid of them. If you fight on one level, nobody on the other levels will notice, so you can mix and match being sneaky and violent if you want.
To reach Morpheus, you’ll need to take the stairs to Tower Level 4, fighting — or not — as you go. He’ll be in the southeastern room on that level. Wear Robes and talk to him if you wish. If you want, you can reveal your identity and he will offer to take you to the Master. You may wish to do this if you want to avoid combat, but otherwise kill him, take his black badge and you’ll get 1000xp. In the room next door you’ll find some Tesla Armor in a locked footlocker.
Make it to Lair Level 3
When you have the black COC Badge from Morpheus (see above), head through the locked door at the back of Tower Level 1 and descend to Lair Level 1. The Lair part of the Cathedral is similar to the Tower part in that you can trick everybody into thinking you belong there. But for this case, you’ll need to be wearing Robes. Having badges in your possession won’t be enough.
In Lair Level 1, there is a secret passage next to the southeastern bookcase. If you wait a minute or two, then Jeremiah will come walking through the passage. If you’re wearing Robes, then he’ll ignore you. But if you’re not wearing Robes, then he’ll question you — and either kick you out of the Cathedral, or attack you and call the guards, depending on what you say.
After you’ve dealt with Jeremiah (or if you don’t want to wait for him), you’ll need to open the secret passage yourself. You can do this by using your Lockpick or Traps skill on the bookcase next to it. This will reveal a lever, and pulling the lever will open the passage. You can also use explosives to blow up the secret door.
When you go through the secret passage, you’ll discover that it leads to a vault. At the entrance to the vault, you’ll encounter a pair of super mutant guards. Bluff your way past them (while wearing Robes) for 750xp, and head for the elevator. You’ll see a computer near the elevator. Use your Science skill on it to reveal the location of the secret Military Base. This will earn you 1250xp even if you already knew its location.
Take the elevator to Lair Level 2. In the northwestern room you’ll find Gideon. Speak his own double-talk with him for awhile for 1000xp and the Psychic Nullifier, an item needed if you want to remain unaffected from permanent damage on Level 3. All of the occupants of the room have one if you would rather steal it.
In the southernmost room of level 2 you’ll find a few people locked up behind yellow force fields. If you interact with the console near the cells, then you’ll “free” the prisoners for 2000xp. Proceed now to level 3 and I’ll present your options for ending the game (if you’ve already destroyed the Military Base).
There are two ways of dealing with the Master face to face, and a way of blowing up the whole Cathedral, which kills everyone except you, as you’ll escape before the timer runs out. For arming the nuke and starting the countdown, see below. For dealing with the Master personally, read the quest after.
Arm the Nuclear Bomb
Before starting this, you must have the key from the Military Base or a decent Science and Repair skill (70%+) to succeed. In the barracks on the western side of Lair Level 3, you’ll encounter several super mutants. Kill them if you wish and attempt to unlock the nearby elevator door. Proceed down to level 4 and into the room with the two super mutants, an Atomic Access Computer, and a nuclear bomb. If you touch the computer, you will anger the two guards who will then attack, but there is no way around this. Kill them, and either use the key from the Military Base, or first use Science and then Repair. When you are successful, you’ll have 240 seconds to escape from the Cathedral. Equip your Robes for a fast exit. Now witness the end of game sequence and your last conversation with the Overseer of Vault 13 if you’ve destroyed the Military Base. Congratulations.
Confront the Master
Kill the enemies on Lair Level 3 if you wish first, or simply walk to the southeastern section of the level with your purple CoC Robes on. If you do not yet have the Psychic Nullifier, be sure to get one on level 2 from Gideon or steal one from any of the people in that room. Equip it in an active slot to prevent taking permanent mental damage, and look for a doorway attached to the right-hand side of the southeastern room. Open it up and take the obscene hallway toward the Master. Make sure that you are healed, weapons loaded and ready for a fight, if it ends that way.
As I said before there are at least two ways to deal with the Master. You can take the diplomatic or violent approach. The only difference is suicide versus homicide. For the diplomatic approach, you need Vree’s Experimental Disk from the Brotherhood of Steel — or at least know what’s in the report — for “proof.” That and a high Speech skill. Since the conversation path is fairly complicated, I will paraphrase it here:
- Master: Ha, you pathetic human. We represent the best hope for humanity.
- You: Prove it.
- Master: I don’t have to.
- You: I can’t know you represent the best hope until you prove it.
- Master: Very demanding, but I respect you… maybe more than you’ll ever know.
- You: So tell me then!
- Master: Yadda yadda.
- You: That race being the mutants, of course.
- Master: Yes, blah yadda blah.
- You: You mean to change all the others into mutants, dontcha punk.
- Master: Yes, yadda blah.
- You: For such a smart mutie, you’ve got a problem with your master plan.
- Master: What?
- You: I happen to know all muties are sterile.
- Master: Say what?
- You: Oh, you boys may not have been sterile before, but now… you reek of sterility.
- Master: Prove it.
- You: Have you talked to other mutants? (You can also show him the holodisk at this point, if you have it in your possession. This will change the conversation slightly.)
- Master: My scientists say nothing is wrong!
- You: Did you ask a female?
- Master: I am a failure!
- You: Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your plan could never work. Your race will die out after this generation.
- Master: Go. Just go…
If you navigate the conversation this way, then the Master will send you away, and a countdown timer will start, giving you 240 seconds to escape the Cathedral.
The other (more likely) option is to kill the Master. He’s got 500hp, and his soldiers will show up in the hallway behind you every other turn until 12 of them have arrived. The easiest way to defeat the Master is to just hide behind a pillar and kill the soldiers as they show up, and then focus on the Master alone. The two floating eyes next to him won’t do anything unless you attack them first.
The pillars can be a major help in the fight. The Master won’t move, so if you hide behind a pillar, take one step out, fire once or twice, and then step back behind it, then the Master won’t be able to attack you at all. You can also just go toe-to-toe with the Master. If you have Hardened Power Armor and the Slayer or Sniper perk, then you might be able to defeat him easily, unless he gets off a lucky critical hit. Either way, when the Master dies, you’ll be given 240 seconds to escape.
When the countdown timer starts, just put put on your Robes and flee the Cathedral. When you reach the world map, you’ll earn 10,000xp. If you previously destroyed the Military Base, then you’ll be treated to the game’s ending, and a brief final conversation with the Overseer of Vault 13. A very big congratulations for completing Fallout!
