SPOILER FILLED RANT HERE:
So I've logged in about 80 hours into my first character. I've discovered almost every location, have most of the bobbleheads, and have reached level 50. So i decide: Let's do the main quest finally. Figure I might as well finish that. So i go after it. I find the Institute, listen to their side, figure out the plot twists, all of it. And then I have to pick a side. And my character feels morally good so I go with the Railroad because synths are people too and stuff, yeah, whatever.
SO...I'm doing one of the final missions. The Brotherhood has attacked the Railroad HQ and me, Deacon, and Tinker Tom are on our way in a stolen vertibrid to the Prydwen to blow it the **** up. I kill the WHOLE ****ING PRYDWEN, set up the explosives, hop back into the vertibird and we're off. The Prydwen blows up in a glorious fireball, wiping out almost the entire airport below it. It's beautiful.
Tinker Tom, the pilot, mentions that we have to get out of the vertibird so that he can hide it. We hope out, remnants of the Brotherhood firing at us still. Tinker Tom lingers around, heads over to the soldiers firing at him and blows up. The whole vertibird folds like wet cardboard and hits the water.Me and Deacon wipe out the last of the Brotherhood trailing us and I run over to the vertibird to check on Tom. Sure enough, there's his body--floating in in the water. Dead. I loot his corpse, pay my respects, and save.
BIG. ****ING. MISTAKE.
The quest updates to tell me I need to talk to Desdemona. I go back to the HQ and talk to her. All she says is "The Brotherhood will come back soon. You need to leave." Thats it. I hit it again, "The Brotherhood will come back soon. You need to leave." Everytime. So I save again. Close the game. Come back. She's still saying it. I do a side quest for the Railroad hoping to reset it. Nope. I turn off my PS4. Still no.
Irritated, I look up the quest.
Turns out Tinker Tom isn't supposed to die.
Turns out Tinker Tom is essential.
Turns out the quest is permanently bugged.
TURNS OUT I CANT FINISH THE MAIN QUEST ANYMORE.
TURNS OUT MY LEVEL 50 MAIN CHARACTER IS NOW STUCK IN PURGATORY.
TURNS OUT MY ONLY OTHER AVAILABLE SAVE FOR HIM IS OVER 3 DAYS AGO.
TURNS OUT I HAVE SOME ANGER ISSUES TOO.
**** YOU BETHESDA. **** YOU. HOW DID YOU NOT TEST THAT. HOW COULD YOU NOT MARK TINKER ****ING TOM AS ****ING ESSENTIAL.
****.
/rant