Fallout 3 Quest Mods Review #8 by TrickyTrack00
Mod Name: Rebuild the Capital - A Brotherhood of Steel Expansion Mod
Mod Type: Quest/Location/Faction
Original Creator: hman101
Original Link: Mod DB - Rebuild the Capital; Nexus - Rebuild the Capital
Lyon's version of Brotherhood Of Steel isn't my cup of tea even after two re-visited playthroughs of Fallout 3. In vanilla game it was a real pain for me to not have option to kill all those "traitors" (original BoS fanatics from first game can look a bit weird, but I love their "not good, not evil" self-oriented participation in Fallout universe's events).
But this mod, in some ways, enhanced and improved many aspects of the vanilla gameplay elements and world-building lore that even Bethesda (for reasons, I don't hate them for it) didn't implement after all DLC content. I didn't change my mind about Lyon's perspective on BoS future, but now all players can actually see "future" of this organization in Capital Wasteland after events of 2277.
First of all, this mod fixes and provides end-game content which Broken Steel DLC couldn't give many unsatisfied players. After the ending on Adam Air Force Base and wiping pretty much all Enclave force resources, you'll still encounter their patrols and half-functional respawning outposts throughout the Wasteland hours and hours later without any meaningful or explained end. Now, with help from "Rebuild The Capital", you have an opportunity to "wipe the slate clean" from all Enclave activity and BoS will get remaining outposts and their technological projects. And it feels better to actually see consequences of your actions and "what you fought for".
Many new patrols, caravans and opportunities to regain control of places like FairFax, Super-Duper-Mart and revived Grayditch (in vanilla it was really weird that no one tried to reclaim such a good place after Lone Wanderer stopped ants invasion). Capital Wasteland, even though under influence of BoS, quickly becomes much more alive and not in narrative way, but physically - right before your eyes.
There're also many little background stories for you to uncover, new wastelanders to meet and help, yes, "rebuild" the wasteland. After completing all new content, wandering D.C. Ruins felt different. Your personal impact finally mattered
New mechanics with creating system of economy and taxes is good way to spend your caps that were collecting dust in inventory or safe.
Some of the operations that you start have separate long side quest to complete before you can increase BoS presence in new area (sadly, "Thornton" operation doesn't active, little warning for potential players). And final choices about BoS actions and consequences of it also need to be decided by player.
But the highlight of this expansion for me was side quest which involves answering the long forbidden question - will (and how, actually) BoS starts to deal with Underworld population? I understand that not many players will see more philosophical question in this task (and it wasn't author's intention in the first place, clearly), but I find myself thinking about final choices for future of Underworld for some period of time (It's rarity in Bethesda's Fallout games).
Without re-telling much of this quest, in the end you'll get 3 options to deal with Underworld ghouls: kill all residents, "quarantine" them or, finally, start civil relations with BoS. At first glance, very ordinary and simple question that has simple, the most right, answer, but I didn't think like that in my playthrough.
Let's extrapolate "ghouls" to RL situation. Who are these ghouls? They communicate, have consciousness (while not in feral state) , need food and water to survive, but didn't die after radiation effect. But all ghouls, at some point in time (as, at least stated in vanilla Fallout 3 lore when talking to Underworld residents), sooner or later will become ferals and can cause a potential new problem to D.C. settlers and BoS themself.
In our real world we also have many people, which are predetermined (genetically) to become "feral" and cause threat to other "civilized" people. This disease also has chance to "activate" in any age period, whether the person is 15, 25, 40 or 60 years old. Of course I'm referring to paranoid schizophrenics. And at that moment, question about future of Underworld ghouls became more difficult for me. If some of you interested in my final choice, I decided to start civil connection between BoS and Underworld, because, whether paranoid schizophrenics or ghouls that become ferals, these individuals didn't choose to be "that". It was a bad luck and I won't wipe or sacrifice them for the sake of "greater good" and comfort of other population.
So, yeah, you can see how good "Rebuild the Capital" in very different ways. You'll also get new player house, vendors, many guns, armors and companions. Many things to read and find for "book-worms" like me who enjoy long and well-written side notes and logs. And to see and finish all new mod content I spend around 9 hours total, but you can get much more out of it, depending on your pace of playthrough.
Even though, technically speaking, this version isn't a finished project for original Fallout 3 modding community, and author decided to continue his work in TTW, it's still one of the best big expansion mods for Fallout 3 till this day. And even players like me, who clearly don't like Fallout 3 BoS that was organized by Lyons, will find enormous amount of quality content after reaching the endgame of vanilla Fallout 3.
Should you try this mod in 2023? Yes, absolutely, it's the best "faction mod" (on the same deserved pedestal as Mothership Zeta Crew, of course) and well-written, in some way, prologue to the BoS influence before major events of Fallout 4. Stable work with every major dungeon or new quest mods on Nexus. As for issues: just minor misspellings and "Thornton" operation doesn't activate.
It was a good experience, endorsement and my deepest gratitude to hman101.
EDIT 14.05.2023: Even though hman101 stated in description of his mod that it's compatible with Mothership Zeta Crew, I found one funny issue with them activated together. In the "Museum Of History Entrance", if you deployed TSC soldiers to this location, they will automatically become hostile and try to kill BoS Yeoman Pickett and her squad. Good thing that she's essential NPC (too bad for BoS ghoul recruits, heh), but it was funny to see their fights every time when I visited Underworld.
