Fallout 4: Unlikely Valentine quest walkthrough
Our essential guide to finishing Fallout 4's Unlikely Valentine quest, from tracking down Nick Valentine himself to discovering Vault 114.
Unlikely Valentine is the third main story quest in Fallout 4, and follows directly on from Jewel of the Commonwealth. In this quest, you'll discover the whereabouts of detective Nick Valentine, as well as the existence of Vault 114.
It's an essential part of Fallout 4's storyline, so follow our Unlikely Valentine walkthrough to continue your journey across the wasteland as you search for your lost son.
Unlikely Valentine walkthrough for Fallout 4
Before leaving Valentine's Detective Agency to begin your search, climb the steps to the east and locate the First Aid box on the dresser. You're free to swipe its contents but note that the items inside are highlighted in red. This indicates that they belong to someone else - and that taking them constitutes theft. If you do decide to take other people's belongings, you probably want to avoid being caught.
When you're ready to continue, return to the lower level and exit the building through the red door on the eastern wall. Back outside, take a right and head west until you reach the squat green shack. From here, turn left and follow the wooden walkway directly south until you reach the green trash, positioned between the steps to the right and the ramp to the left. Make your way up the steps and head down the tunnel at the end. Once you're back at the stadium entrance, make your way through the turnstiles and out into the open air.
Your next destination is Park Street Station, which lies deeper into the city, a little way to the east. Join the road immediately south of the batter statue and take a left. Follow the road east passed the junk yard and continue forward at the junction.
Shortly the road will disappear, so work your way north-east through the debris, travelling directly toward the objective marker. Keep a lookout for raiders in the area (dealing with them swiftly) and continue following the marker until you reach Trinity Plaza.
Continue forward, moving north passed Trinity Church to your right, then take a right at the junction. Follow the road east (you'll pass Hubris Comics to your left as you go) and push onward until you reach the large public park on the left.
Discovered: Boston Common / Boylston Club
Travel anti-clockwise around the park's perimeter and follow the road north. As you reach the fountain to your left, you'll complete the first step in the new Road to Freedom quest. We'll be revisiting this area - and the quest - much later in the game, however, so don't worry about it for the time being.
For now, we'll focus on finding Detective Nick Valentine. Just beyond the park fence to the north, you'll spot a squat stone building. Travel around to its north-facing side and locate the entrance to Park Street Station. Make your way through the blue double doors to continue your investigation.
Enter Park Street Station
Inside the station, enter Hidden mode and slowly descend the broken escalator. Once the chattering voices have subsided, barge into the next room and eliminate the sub-machine-gun-toting hostiles in the area.
You'll need to contend with gunfire from all sides here so, if you're struggling, consider slipping down the passage to the right and taking cover by the restrooms. Your opponents will approach along the corridor one by one, making them much easier to deal with.
When the coast is clear, head back into the main area and move south-east, travelling along the corridor to the right of the counter. Note that you can investigate the area behind the counter first if you choose - you'll discover a fairly useless terminal, plus a locked door to the rear of the room. Unlock the door and you'll find a small stash of caps. There's also a floor safe here - but it requires some expert unlocking skills to open.
Back along the south-eastern passage, check behind the crates on the left to locate a mattress - and take a nap if you need to restore your health. When you're ready to proceed, descend the steps to the right and, as you turn the corner, look for the proximity mine on the left-hand wall. Shoot it carefully then continue downward.
You'll emerge on the station platform and immediately be swarmed by enemies. As before, the wide open nature of the environment can make it hard to protect yourself from incoming attacks. If you're struggling to survive the fight, you might find it easiest to lure your opponents back toward the stairwell and deal with them individually.
When the enemy threat has been quelled, loot the corpses in the area then hop down onto the rail tracks. From here, make your way along the tunnel to the north-east, heading in the direction of the objective marker.
Enter the tunnel
Once you reach the fallen debris blocking your route forward, take a left and continue north across the tracks. Shortly, you'll spy a partially-constructed tunnel housing a couple more hostiles. Eliminate them and follow the objective marker toward the illuminated staircase at the back of the chamber. Climb the steps and activate the vault door controls.
With the door to the Vault 114 now open, head along the newly-revealed walkway and pass through the gates at the end. Several more mobsters lie in wait to the left so clear them out and approach the locked door in the north-eastern wall.
From here, take a right and pass through the sliding door directly ahead. You'll find a couple of stimpaks on the shelf, plus Med-X and RadAways on the desk against the wall. While you're here, feel free to browse the terminal in order to find out more about the experiments going on in Vault 114.
When you're ready to continue, leave the room and head through the open doorway directly opposite. In the next room, locate the sliding door in the western corner and make your way through. Immediately, take a right and descend the staircase. As you near the bottom, you'll hear more voices - indicating another group of mobsters nearby.
Move into the next area then pass through the door to the left, dealing with the two hostiles further along the corridor. Loot the corpses then proceed to the door at the end of the passage. Step on through and you'll find yourself in another large, enemy-strewn chamber.
Immediately enter Hidden mode and carefully work your way down the staircase toward the walkway at the bottom. You'll spot a lone enemy patrolling the walkway so get in close and bring him down quickly. As soon as you pull the trigger, you'll alert the remaining hostiles - situated down the steps to the south-east - to your position.
Once the area is clear, follow the walkway around until you reach the eastern corner of the room. When the path splits, take either flight of steps down - both lead to the same room at the bottom. Be careful, however - there's one more hostile awaiting your arrival here.
Locate the open hatch in the floor ahead and drop down to the lowest level. When you land, proceed through the doorway to the north-east and take a right along the corridor. There's another door to the right at the end of the passage so head on through.
On the other side, take a left and follow the corridor all the way along as it winds to the right. Finally, pass through the door on the right at the end. Inside the next chamber you'll find a mobster talking to Valentine through a window on the upper walkway.
Take a left and make your way toward the staircase in the south-western corner of the room. Carefully climb the steps, grab the bobby pins from the toolbox at the top then turn right. Up ahead, you'll see the mobster still yammering away. Take him out with a well-aimed molotov if you have one then loot his body to retrieve the Overseer Door Password.
Talk to Nick and follow him out
With the password in your possession, approach the terminal on the northern wall, immediately adjacent to the sealed room containing Nick Valentine. Select the 'Override Door Controls' option then enter the newly-opened room to your left. At long last, you've located your target. Approach Mr. Valentine and engage him in conversation. Explain that you're trying to find Shaun.
Shortly, your new friend will bolt through the door and you'll be instructed to follow him. Before leaving the room, grab the Speech Bobblehead from the desk - permanently giving all vendors 100 more caps for bartering. Next, head back through the door and catch up with Nick, who should be waiting a short distance away. As you near, he'll start sprinting again - so keep close and follow him through the complex.
Soon, you'll leave the current room and pass down a flight of steps. At the bottom, Nick will alert you to the presence of more mobsters ahead. Make your way through the doorway to the right and take care of the hostiles roaming the cafeteria. Your opponents will likely all be congregating to the west of the room - so another well-placed molotov should bring them down swiftly. Once the area is clear, Nick will race through the doorway to the west. Before joining him, use the water fountain on the northern wall to restore your health.
Once you've caught up with the detective, follow him north along the corridor and wait for him to bust open the door on the right. Head on through then climb the stairs. At the top, take a left then enter the sleeping quarters to the left. Follow the passage along, keeping close to Nick, and eliminate any remaining hostiles in the area.
Eventually, you'll reach another stairwell - climb it and take a right at the top. You'll find a few more mobsters along the next corridor so bring them down quickly. When the coast is clear, explore the adjacent rooms to the north (containing some much-needed stimpaks) then head east along the passage. Take a right at the end and climb the steps.
At the top, you'll see another door in the wall to the south. Once Nick has prised it open, follow him through to return to Park Street Station. On the other side, you'll be greeted by the mob boss and his cohorts.
Let the conversation play out and then, assuming your persuasion level is high enough, convince the woman to leave. After she's fled the scene, follow Nick out of the vault and back through the station. When you reach the Back Bay ladder, clamber on up to return to the city's surface.
Discovered: Vault 114
Back outside, tell Nick that Ellie sent you. He'll suggest that you both reconvene at his office in order to discuss your missing son. As you've no immediate business to attend to in the area, agree to follow Nick back to Diamond City. This will initiate a new quest - Getting A Clue - and end the current one.
- Our walkthrough continues with a step-by-step guide to completing Fallout 4: Getting a Clue.
- For the rest of our Fallout 4 guide, head back to the index page of this article.
You can also read our guides on where to find all of Fallout 4's Bobblehead locations, how to locate and romance all Fallout 4 companions, how to use cheat and console commands to help you out in combat, and how to get started with Fallout 4's base building.
Plus, we've also got a Fallout 4: Far Harbor walkthrough if you're looking for how to complete Fallout 4's main expansion.