Far Harbor is arguably the best thing Bethesda ever did with the Creation Engine. It’s foggy. It’s radioactive. Honestly, it’s just miserable in all the right ways. But at the center of this soggy expansion lies a moral landmine called The Way Life Should Be Fallout 4 players still argue about on Reddit threads years later. It isn't just another "go here, kill that" objective. It's a messy, uncomfortable look at whether a peaceful lie is better than a bloody truth.
You’re standing in a secret medical facility beneath a Vim! Pop factory. You’ve just uncovered a corpse. Not just any corpse—it’s the real Avery, the woman who supposedly leads Far Harbor. Except the Avery you’ve been talking to for hours? She’s a synth. DiMA, the "benevolent" leader of Acadia, murdered a human being and replaced her to keep the peace.
Now you have a choice. And it sucks.
The Secret in the Basement
Most people stumble into this quest after following the main Far Harbor thread. You find the secret medical lab. You find the holotapes. It’s a classic Bethesda "aha!" moment, but the implications are way darker than your average wasteland discovery. DiMA, who presents himself as this enlightened, peaceful alternative to the Institute, is actually a murderer. He wiped his own memory of the event because he couldn't live with the guilt, effectively gaslighting himself into being a saint.
The technicality of the quest is straightforward. You get the evidence. You talk to DiMA. He’s "horrified" (as much as a machine can be). Then, the game puts the weight of three civilizations on your shoulders. If you tell the people of Far Harbor that their leader is a fake, they won't just be mad. They will be "mobs with torches and pitchforks" mad. They will burn Acadia to the ground. Every synth you met—Kasumi, Faraday, the generic ones just trying to survive—dies.
Is the truth worth a genocide?
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That’s the core of The Way Life Should Be Fallout 4 presents to you. It forces a utilitarian nightmare. You can keep the secret, which involves more lying and possibly more replacements, or you can be the "honest" hero who accidentally triggers a massacre.
Why DiMA Is the Most Polarizing Character in the Franchise
Let’s talk about DiMA. He’s weird. He’s got those exposed wires and that calm, soothing voice that feels like a weighted blanket and a threat at the same time. He claims he wants peace, but his method for achieving it is identical to the Institute—the very people he fled.
He replaced Avery because the harborers were hostile. He thought he was "saving" everyone. Sound familiar? It’s exactly what Father says about the surface world. The irony is thick enough to choke a Mirelurk.
Some players argue DiMA is the ultimate villain of the DLC. Others see him as a tragic figure trying to solve an impossible puzzle with limited pieces. If you confront him during The Way Life Should Be Fallout 4, you can actually convince him to turn himself in. This is the "middle ground" path, but even that has consequences. If you haven't done enough side quests for the people of Far Harbor—helping the Mariners or Cassie Dalton—they won't listen to you. They’ll execute DiMA and then go after the rest of the synths anyway.
It's a reputation check. It rewards you for actually being a part of the community rather than just a tourist passing through.
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The Three Main Paths (and the One Nobody Likes)
There isn't a "good" ending here. There’s just a "least bad" one.
The Path of Silence: You keep the secret. You tell DiMA you'll stay quiet. He gives you a fancy piece of armor (the Acadia’s Shield), and the peace holds. Far Harbor remains safe, Acadia remains hidden, and Avery continues her life never knowing she’s a replacement. It feels dirty. You’ve essentially become a co-conspirator in a murder and a cover-up.
The Path of Total Honesty: You go straight to Allen Lee. Allen is the local hothead who has been itching for a reason to kill synths since the fog rolled in. You show him the skull. You show him the tapes. He rallies the town. You watch Acadia burn. If you like Kasumi (the girl you came here to find), this is the "bad" choice because she usually dies in the crossfire.
The Diplomatic Sacrifice: This is the "best" outcome for many. You talk to DiMA, convince him to face justice, and then use your influence in town to spare the rest of the synths. DiMA gets executed, the town feels avenged, and Acadia is left alone. It requires the most work, but it feels the most "Fallout."
There is technically a fourth option where you involve the High Confessor of the Children of Atom, but that usually leads to nukes or more brainwashing. Most people avoid it unless they're roleplaying a religious zealot.
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The Moral Ambiguity of "The Way Life Should Be"
In the base game of Fallout 4, the choices often feel binary. Are you a jerk or a saint? Far Harbor, and this quest specifically, throws that out the window.
The title itself—The Way Life Should Be—is a jab. Is life supposed to be a series of comfortable lies that keep us from killing each other? Or is life supposed to be the raw, ugly truth, regardless of the body count? The game doesn't give you a trophy for picking the "right" one because there isn't one.
I remember my first playthrough. I was playing a high-intelligence character who valued logic. I thought, "The truth must come out." I told the town. Seeing the aftermath—the smoke rising from Acadia—made me feel like a monster. The game punished my "honesty" with the deaths of innocent people. It’s a brilliant bit of writing that reminds you that in a post-apocalypse, morality is a luxury.
Fact-Checking the Avery Mystery
Don't get it twisted: the Avery you meet at the docks is 100% a synth. There are no fan theories here; the evidence is in the terminal entries and the literal skeleton you dig up.
Interestingly, if you bring Nick Valentine with you, the dialogue gets even deeper. DiMA is Nick’s brother, essentially. Watching Nick grapple with DiMA’s crimes adds a layer of emotional weight that you just don't get if you bring Piper or Preston. Nick sees a dark mirror of what he could have been. It’s some of the best voice acting Stephen Russell has ever done.
Key Details to Remember for the Best Outcome:
- Do the Side Quests First: Before you resolve this quest, finish "The Hull," "Blood Tide," and "Safe Passage." If the townspeople don't like you, they will kill everyone in Acadia.
- Check the Graveyard: The physical evidence is located near the Vim! Pop Factory. You'll need a shovel, though the game usually prompts the interaction.
- Talk to Avery After: If you choose to keep the secret, you can talk to Avery. She’s troubled but remains the leader the town needs.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re currently staring at DiMA and wondering what to do, here is how you should handle The Way Life Should Be Fallout 4 to get the most out of the story:
- Hard Save Now: This is the turning point for the entire DLC. There is no going back once you show that evidence to Allen Lee.
- Bring Nick Valentine: Seriously. The unique dialogue options and the emotional stakes are tripled with him around.
- Assess Your "Home" Loyalty: If you want to keep Acadia as a viable player hub with vendors, do not tell the town. If you want the "Protector of Acadia" perk, you have to play ball with DiMA's plan.
- Consider the Perks: Siding with the Far Harbor locals and wiping out Acadia gives you "Destroyer of Acadia," which grants a temporary damage boost when you're at low health. It's objectively worse than the perks you get for keeping everyone alive.
- Check the High Confessor: If you're feeling particularly chaotic, you can take the evidence to the Children of Atom, but be prepared for the story to head in a much more "glowy" and destructive direction.
The beauty of this quest isn't in the loot. It’s in the fact that, years later, we’re still wondering if we made the right call. Most games let you be the hero. Fallout 4: Far Harbor just lets you be a survivor who has to live with their choices. That’s exactly how a wasteland should feel. Honestly, it's just great writing. Go finish the quest—just don't expect to feel good about it afterward.