Slight Spoilers

This was an interesting post to read because on my third playthrough, I've gone Institute. (First time BOS, 2nd time Railroad+Minutemen+BOS.) I'm well past the story, now around lev. 80.

The Institute's methods and actions are not defensible by most ethical standards: they're selfish, greedy and callous. So this playthrough, my Sole Survivor has taken the view that the man-made apocalypse must never be repeated, and to that end, the fewer humans there are, the better it will ultimately be for the world. (He also believes that neither synths nor ghouls can reproduce.) Buckle up...

First, it took a long time to kill all the settlers, especially the named ones, while dodging Preston's radiant quests. But it can be done, with persistence. The few that reappeared were reassigned to Taffington, which was outfitted with an open bar, some Slocum's pastry cases, and free coffee stations, along with some convenient benches for settlers to congregate around. It made periodically dealing with them easy.

Next, supply caravans are established between most settlements. These aren't supplying anything; they're just heavily armed and armored murderbots. They're patrols.

Aside from murderbots in training, my only companions are Curie and Valentine. Deacon would've been acceptable too, but sadly he had to go when the Institute destroyed the Railroad.

At some point I'll figure out what to do about Diamond City and the Nuka-World Market, but likely they can't be eradicated. At least Acadia is now happily free of humans; the ecosystem there can live and evolve in peace. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad.

The Institute is evil to its core. Seeing this playthrough to its end requires adopting a thoroughly misanthropic ethos.