Open Season Ends ‘Nuka-World’ Early, But it’s Worth It

In the final DLC for Bethesda’s open-world shooter, Fallout 4, the developer has answered fan requests to play as a Raider and inject a little more evil into the Commonwealth. But what about those gamers who aren’t in the mood to promote slavery and murder innocent civilians? What’s the temptation to shell out money for a DLC that insists we dabble in some evil? That’s where a little quest called “Open Season” comes in.

For those gamers who just can’t tap into the Dark Side, the “Open Season” mission tasks players with walking through Nuka-World’s opening zone and slaughtering all the Raiders you see. Once completed, it nullifies the DLC storyline, renders the DLC’s companion a statue, and removes your ability to mount Raider attacks on Commonwealth settlements.

And it’s totally worth every blood-soaked inch.

(Spoilers ahead).

Screw You, I Like Being a Good Guy

Among fans, an inability to act like a sadistic asshole in the main game was one of Fallout 4’s most loudly contested issues. In part, Nuka-World seems like a direct response to those grumbles. That’s great for those people who just have to break shit and hurt people, but for a large portion of folks, playing the hero is actually fun, and mounting a Raider army to attack the very Commonwealth you just spent hours rebuilding seems incredibly out of character.

What’s more, since the DLC doesn’t unlock until Level 30, there are decent odds that the settlements you attack will already belong to you in some fashion. The whole setup might make benevolent gamers extremely reluctant to move forward with the story after clearing out each of the five remaining zones in Nuka-World and discovering the specifics of Gage’s long-term plan.

Not to worry, though, as those with conflicting feelings on the matter should be happy to run across a medical supplies trader in Nuka-World’s marketplace who needs help ejecting the current tenants and returning the park to the people who deserve it.

Taking Out the Trash

The goal is simple. Take out the leaders of each of Nuka-World’s three gangs: The Pack, the Operators, and the Disciples.

Completing that goal isn’t so simple. Once you open fire on a single Raider inside the park, all hell breaks loose, and everyone with a gun will come your way with malice in their hearts.

With the firing of a single shot (it’s a good idea to make sure that shot is fired at one of your primary targets, by the way), the whole of Nuka-World will explode into a war zone. And it’s freaking awesome (especially if you bring explosives). All the Raiders in the park put up a strong fight, and the bosses are some of the most unconquerable bullet sponges in the series’ history. To get through, you’ll need a boatload of supplies and a strong battle plan.

Here’s What You Miss by Playing the Hero

Exactly three things change as a result of completing this mission.

If you go in pro-Raider, the majority of your time in the DLC is spent grinding your way through the park’s various zones. In a pro-Raider play through, once you’ve completed each section, you can assign one of the park’s gangs to look after the place in your stead.

Once you kill everybody in “Open Season,” the option to clear out the park’s different zones is still available, with the caveat that once you’re done clearing things out, there’s little reason to ever go back. Of course, the only persistent reason Nuka-World provides to compel a return visit is to pick up the random, semi-worthless loot the various gangs offer as tribute.

After the “Open Season” kerfuffle, the Raider companion, Porter Gage, will also refuse to interact with you. In terms of content, it means that you miss out on a potential romance, a perk, and a companion who can neither pick locks nor hack computers.

Finally, in choosing “Open Season” you also lose out on the ability to take over settlements in the Commonwealth and fill them with Raiders. Of course, that shouldn’t present too much of a missed opportunity, Sole Survivor, because it would make zero logical sense for Raiders to be cool with you after you just went on the largest Raider killing spree in history.

Besides, you’ve proven you’re a builder, not an extorter.

Enjoy Nuka-World Without Sacrificing Your Soul

Nuka-World is there to give you a good, violent send-off for Fallout 4. And “Open Season” manages to accomplish that same goal nicely, while sacrificing only those elements of the DLC it makes sense to lose. Even better, the battle itself is a challenge that’s simply not provided on the road Bethesda lays out in the DLC’s storyline.

In other words, it’s entirely possible to experience all the best parts of Fallout 4’s DLC plus an added set piece that’s tons of fun without inadvertently turning traitor on the wasteland on which you’ve spent so long lavishing love.