Fallout 4 : Hunter/Hunted quest walkthrough

Hunter/Hunted is the eighth main story quest in Fallout 4 and picks up immediately after you complete The Glowing Sea. You'll be facing off against the formidable Courser in this quest, as your main goal is to get one of their molecular relay chips in order to enter the Institute.

It's a tricky fight, but we're here to help with a complete battle strategy in our Hunter/Hunted walkthrough for Fallout 4.

Fallout 4 - 11 cool locations you may have missed - Fallout Friday

Hunter/Hunted walkthrough for Fallout 4

Now that you have a plan in place (even if it's a mostly-terrible sounding one, involving a fight with an unstoppable killing machine), it's time find a way into the Institute. First, however - as Virgil explained - you'll need to head toward the C.I.T.

As it happens, C.I.T. lies just north of Diamond City, so start by leaving the cave. Once outside, open your map and fast travel to Diamond City. On arrival, take off your hazmat suit and slip into something more combat-ready.

Next, turn around and head down the steps toward the building's lobby. Pass through the turnstiles, continue forward then take a right when you reach the road.

Turn right again then pass under the scaffolding to the north. From here, continue north, following the road along until you reach the bridge stretching across the river. Make your way forward and head up the partially raised bridge. At the top, use the ladder to access the other side then continue north until you reach dry land.

When you're safely across the river, take a right and follow the road east. Step over the pile of tires and turn left onto the square outside the C.I.T. Ruins.

Enter the C.I.T. Ruins and track the Courser

Tune to the Courser's Radio Frequency. Next, open your Pip-Boy and bring up the 'Radio' menu. Select the 'Courser Signal' option and tune in to the bleeps. Finally, close your Pip-Boy to proceed.

Your next task is to roam the area in search of the Institute Courser. As you near its location, the constant bleep on your Pip-Boy's radio will begin to increase in frequency. Begin your hunt by heading south and return to the waterfront. Turn left then follow the road as it bends to the east, keeping the river on your right.

Up ahead, you'll spot a yellow and red Blast Radius sign hanging over the street. Make your way toward it and prepare to be ambushed by some Softshell Mirelurks - crab-like creatures that can easily be dispatched with a couple of shots to their fleshy heads.

Once they've been dealt with, continue east and take a left just before you reach the sign. Continue north until you locate Greenetech Genetics. Climb the steps leading up toward the large green building on your left then head inside.

Explore Greenetech Genetics

As soon as you enter the Greenetech Genetics building, turn off your radio to silence the irritating beeps. Head west into the reception area and loot the corpse on the desk. Next, head through the archway in the wall to the north and follow the passage around to the west, climbing the steps once you reach them.

At the top of the stairwell, take a right through the door and proceed along the upper walkway. Pass through the archway to the west and move into the next area. You'll immediately be ambushed by hostiles, so step back through the archway and take cover, carefully picking off your opponents whenever the opportunity arises. Be especially wary of the two turrets in the windows either side of the archway to the west. Deal with them quickly to reduce incoming fire before you tackle your human assailants.

When the coast is clear, pass through the archway to the west on the upper level and take a right inside. Follow the corridor along as it bends round to the east and eliminate the hostiles that you encounter. Duck into the first room on the left and loot the ammo box and locked cooler on the table. Return to the corridor then continue onward, following the passage around to the south. Climb the steps and deal with the enemies at the top.

Next, take a left, proceed along the corridor and enter the room to the right. Take a left and eliminate the raiders further down the passage. Turn left at the end and make your way up the ramp ahead. At the top of the slope, you'll spot a doorway leading outside to the left.

There are more raiders through the doorway, mostly situated along the walkway above to your left. Step outside and quickly sprint along the walkway, passing through the door at the end. Eliminate any hostiles you encounter then take a left, working your way along the passage. When you reach the kitchen, head through the door on your right.

On the other side, you'll see a locked doorway directly ahead. Open it and loot the room beyond for bottle caps and weaponry. When you're done, return to the corridor and follow it south. Pass through the doorway and take a left. Don't sprint up the ramp just yet, however. There's an exposed balcony full of gun-toting hostiles overlooking the ramp - including one opponent that's armed with a missile launcher.

Carefully toss a grenade or molotov cocktail onto the level overlooking the area then back up along the ramp, dealing with the remaining enemies to the south. Next, pass through the doorway at the top of the slope and take a left. More hostiles will spill into the area - bring them down and proceed through the doorway to the south.

On the other side, nip left and grab the missile launcher dropped by the downed enemy then backtrack and follow the corridor around to the right. Head north and take a left at the junction. Quickly sprint across the walkway to avoid the turret overlooking the area.

Slip through the doorway at the end of the walkway and take a right. When you reach the debris blocking the passage forward, enter the room to the left and follow it around to the right, emerging on the other side of the blockade.

Take care of the raiders that emerge through the doorway to the north then head right along the corridor. Take another right and step out onto the balcony, watching out for incoming gunfire. Quickly make your way through the doorway to the left and climb the steps beyond. Once you reach the next level, look left and ascent the next flight of stairs.

At the top, proceed west along the corridor, making a note of the door to the left. Slip down the ramp ahead, loot the corpse and unlock the ammo box. Finally, make your way through the door that you noted a few moments ago and deal with the hostiles inside. Be sure to avoid activating the laser tripwire as you move around the room.

Before continuing through the door to the south, head west and - if you're sufficiently skilled - unlock the advanced-level door to the left. Inside, you'll find some ammo, medical supplies, a wall safe and a computer terminal. Hack the latter to disable the turrets in the area and to unlock the wall safe to the left. Finally, raid the safe and leave the room.

Head back along the corridor to the east then approach the door to the right, working your way around the back of the machinery to avoid the tripwire in your path. Note that the terminal on the desk lets you to disable and enable the turrets, tripwires and spotlights in the area if you didn't do so in the previous room.

Head through the door to the south and immediately eliminate the hostiles in the area. Take cover in the room to the left if necessary and lure your opponents down the steps one by one - the turret inside has been safely disabled. When the room is clear, enter the elevator up the first flight of stairs and push the button inside.

Once you reach the next floor, head along the corridor and enter the room at the end. Note the master-level terminal ahead, granting access to the cage in the centre of the room if you're sufficiently skilled. Make your way through the door to the north and proceed up the stairs. At the top, take a left then open the door to the right. Head on through, then hack the terminal in the south-west corner of the room to open the security door.

Next, hack the terminal to the south-east and open the security door to the left. Head on through, loot the room beyond then return to the main area. Finally, make your way through the newly-opened door to the south.

Fight the Courser

Grab the RadAway from the washroom to the left then climb the staircase in the centre of the chamber. At the very top, head through the doorway to the north and speak with Z2-47 inside. Note that moving away during the conversation will immediately turn him hostile - as will selecting anything from the dialogue tree. As such, you'll need to battle Z2-47, whether you want to or not.

Like Kellogg before him, the Courser is able to turn invisible, confounding your VATS. He's also able to restore health over time. The good news is that he's pretty easy to bring down, provided that you're suitably prepared.

Use Buffout, Med-X and Psycho to boost your health, damage and damage resistance prior to the fight, then take cover - either through the doorway to the south or behind the column in the centre of the room. When you're safely sheltered, begin launching a volley of shots, frag grenades and molotov cocktails at your target - don't forget to use the missile launcher that you collected earlier in the level.

Once he finally turns visible again, activate V.A.T.S and unload everything you have at him. Work quickly and keep shooting until Z2-47 finally goes down.

Recover the Courser Chip

Next, approach the Courser and loot his body, making sure you grab the Courser Chip. This will immediately end the Hunter/Hunted quest and add The Molecular Level quest to your log. There are, however, a few more things to do in the area before continuing.

First, grab the Greenetech Genetics Password from the toolbox by the stairs in the northern part of the room, then approach the terminal on the wall to the east. Use the controls to turn on the nearby elevator (unlocking a shortcut back to ground level) and to open the security door.

When the door opens, step inside and approach K1-98 (or Jenny) at the end of the room. Once she's thanked you for the help, she'll leave you in peace.

Immediately return to the area where you fought the Courser and climb the stairs to the north. Grab the (extremely heavy) Fat Man and ammo as you go, then access the terminal to the left at the top of the steps. Use the Remote Door Control to unlock the door to your right then head on through, admiring the view on the other side.

There's not much you can do out here for the moment - so loot the ammo box near the door then bring up your Pip-Boy map. Fast travel to Goodneighbor and get ready to begin the next stage of your quest.

---

- Keep reading for our guide to completing The Molecular Level, the next quest in the game.

- For the rest of our Fallout 4 guide, head back to the index page.

---

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.