There are many side quests in Fallout 4, often given to the player through a companion or faction leader. But there are also side quests discovered only by talking to specific NPCs, more of the quirky characters found by exploring The Commonwealth. One of those NPCs is a Mr. Handy robot named Molly, found at the Cambridge Polymer Labs.
Cambridge Polymer Labs is located just to the left of the CIT Ruins. Once inside, Molly will float over to the player to start talking about the lab. If you struggle to complete your objective in this tricky location, this guide will show you the way.
Finding The Labs And Being Hired By Molly
On arriving here and speaking with Molly, she will mention the need for extra staff and will offer a job to the player. The player must speak with Molly, as killing her or hacking her using the Robotics Expert perk will not start the quest. It will not softlock the quest either, as the player can enter the lab by themselves, but you will miss the relevant information. As such, it is advised to play as intended and answer Molly's questions.
Pressing "What?" will result in Molly repeating the question but in further detail. Pressing "No" will result in Molly telling the player they are not allowed anywhere beyond the lobby and will not activate the quest, meaning the player has to speak to her again. Pressing either "Sarcastic" or "Sure" will continue to the next part of the quest start-up, which is another question from Molly. She'll ask if the player knows about polymer synthesis.
All answers from the player will work, but each will lead to a different career option. "Threaten" will result in Molly hiring you as a security guard, "Polymer synthesis?" will result in Molly hiring you as janitorial staff, "Yes" will result in being hired as a researcher, and a successful "You need me" will result in the player being hired as a sales coordinator. After this, Molly will tell the player about the orientation, which can be further elaborated on if asked. This orientation is only there for the backstory and can be skipped outright. After either skipping or sitting through orientation, Molly will ask the player to follow her to the lab itself. Molly will hand the player clothes based on their chosen career and then lock them in a room. This is where the quest officially starts.
Creating The Piezonucleic Power Armor
You are tasked with finding the correct materials, bringing them to the terminal, and starting the procedure to create a new alloy. The three ingredients are:
- Lithium Hydrate
- Gold
- Isotope U-238
There are multiple canisters containing an element but only one isotope, and each canister is labeled secretly. When placed on the left or right reagent dock, the computer can scan the canister to reveal the contents, but this can cause a problem for players not using mods or console commands. The reason for this is that all canisters are quest items and remain so even after completion, meaning they will be forever stuck in the player's inventory. Thankfully the canisters are always in the same location and are color-coded. The lithium hydrate is located on the first floor, directly across from the start, as pictured here:
It's the green canister on the shelf and just above it is a hazmat suit that the player can also pick up (which will prove very useful a little later). For gold, the player must go up the stairs and the room to the right, where they will find a hole in the ceiling.
Walk to the very end and find another hole leading to a sealed-off room. The canister of gold is on a table.
It is the red canister next to the terminal, and further to the left on another table is a password. On exiting the room, be warned: there is an explosive trap.
Drop back down to the bottom floor and enter the room adjacent to where the lithium hydrate was located. Here you'll find a novice-level terminal. Use the password or hack it to unlock the room on the opposite side.
This room is heavily irradiated. Players without strong radiation resistance may need to rely on the hazmat suit to progress safely. Once you've dealt with that deadly danger, simply pick up the isotope U-238.
Take all three ingredients and place them on the console; hydrate in the left reagent space, gold in the right reagent space, and isotope in the far right space. Use the terminal the start the procedure. When the process is complete, you will gain a piece of power armor. Report back to Molly.
Speak with Molly and tell her you are done. Molly will let you out of the lab and walk you upstairs to see the Director. She unlocks the master level door, where the player discovers the Director is another feral ghoul that must be defeated.
After killing the Director, Molly thanks the player for their work, pays them 25 pre-war money, fires them on the spot for being redundant, and permanently shuts off. Players can loot her corpse, but the most important thing to pick up here is the Massachusetts Surgical Journal on the desk.
Optional Exit Route
If the player chooses, they can instead instantly leave the lab without doing the experiment. In the same room as the gold is a hackable terminal. The terminal is an expert-level one, and there is no password to find. This room, again, can be accessed by a hole in the roof, but the player can also hug this wall and use a terminal to open the door from the outside.
If you choose to do this, you will take damage due to the tripwire. Walk up to the terminal to start hacking.
If successful, the override will commence, and the lab door will open back up. Molly will be hostile to you and killing her is required to end this optional route.
The key to the office will be on her corpse, so the player can still acquire the Massachusetts Surgical Journal if they complete the quest through this optional path.