The Way Life Should Be

The Way Life Should Be is a quest and achievement/trophy in the Fallout 4 add-on Far Harbor.

Detailed walkthrough
The quest begins shortly after entering the Vim! Pop factory after obtaining DiMA's Memory #1 during Best Left Forgotten. Enter the main factory and battle your way through the super mutants to find a security door on the lowermost floors. Inspect the terminal to open the security door and take the elevator to DiMA's secret medical facility.

Inside the facility is an unmarked grave. Exhume it to find the body of the real Captain Avery, taking Avery's skull, Avery's locket, and the holotape What's Done is Done as evidence of DiMA's crime.

Before leaving, if Nick Valentine is the active companion, he can be used to fool KYE 1.1, the security program for the facility, into thinking he is DiMA and granting access to an additional room, filled with medical junk items and the December's Child legendary combat rifle.

At this point, two choices are available:

Option 1: Confront DiMA
Return to Acadia and confront DiMA with the evidence of synth replacement. After reading the memory he had removed he remembers all of the guilt he felt at the decision. He pleads to the player to conceal this information from Far Harbor, concluding that revealing the truth will enrage them to the point they raze Acadia as a whole for DiMA's crime. The player can agree to keep his secret, which leads to Reformation and the conclusion of the quest, or convince him to turn himself in to Far Harbor's justice.

If the latter option is taken, Allen Lee will attempt to incite the entire town against Acadia, fulfilling DiMA's worst fears. It is possible to persuade them to stand down and only exact justice upon DiMA, with the persuasion attempts becoming easier depending on the number of side quests the player has completed on the citizens' behalf. If successful, Acadia is spared and the quest concludes. If unsuccessful, the town will immediately march on Acadia and execute all of the inhabitants, including Kasumi.

Optionally, the player can bring their findings to Kasumi before talking to DiMA. She is distraught to learn what DiMA has been hiding and wonders if Acadia is worth preserving. Regardless of the player's answer she is resolved to see this through to the end, and unless "Acadia will burn" is selected she will reward the player with 3 stimpaks and 3 Stealth Boys. If "Acadia will burn" is selected she will become irate and refuse to speak to the player any further.

Option 2: Inform Far Harbor
Return to Far Harbor and present Avery's skull and locket to Allen Lee. He will want the skull examined by Teddy Wright to confirm it's that of the original Avery. Taking the skull to Teddy will confirm that it is Avery's skull, and he will ask what the player intends. He elects to keep quiet about it and let the player decide, but cautions against bringing it to Allen. Taking this confirmation back to Allen results in him assembling a lynch mob to assault Acadia and claim DiMA's head. The end result is the same as putting DiMA on trial and failing to convince Far Harbor to stand down, except DiMA will be at Acadia making his last stand with the other synths.

Additionally, the player can present this evidence to the synth Avery, and she will come to realize the truth, and that her own mind has been altered to sell the deception. She remains determined to keep the peace on the island and pleads for the player to not tell Allen the truth. She can be extorted for 1300 caps or told upfront that the player will keep the secret.

Attack on Acadia
If the player has failed to prevent Allen from assembling his lynch mob, Acadia's fate is sealed. The player can either join in the violence or simply watch. Either way, Acadia is destroyed and the quest concludes.

Companion reactions

 * Nick Valentine likes telling Kasumi that Acadia is an ideal worth protecting, in spite of what DiMA has done to make it happen.
 * When confronting DiMA, Nick dislikes telling him he did the right thing. Additionally, Nick loves telling him that Far Harbor has a right to the truth. It is possible to reopen dialogue with DiMA and ultimately agree with him or convince him to turn himself in after selecting this option. Nick has no reactions to any other choices in the conversation.
 * When talking to Avery, telling her "I'm sorry" when she realizes the truth about herself will elicit a like from Valentine. He hates extorting her, and has no reactions to any other choices in this conversation.

Behind the scenes

 * "The Way Life Should Be" is the state motto of Maine.