[FO] Cathedral before Base? (no spoilers please)

[AntiPasta]

A good day to you, gentlemen,

on my first time playing through the original Fallout, I decided to enlist Laura's help in the Cathedral and go to the basement. There, I miraculously slew everything without losing any party members. Now, I heard several things about "The Master" being down there. I have this vague memory that The Master is actually the final boss of the game, and that killing him ends the game.

However, I've never been to the Mariposa base yet - should I go there first? I wouldn't want to finish the game and miss out on what appears to be a rather important locale in the game. All computers in the cathedral basement mention an "important base to the northwest", is this some kind of hint?

Please, no spoilers - shall I leave the cathedral and head for the base first, or descend to the 3rd floor?
(provided I can kill the dozen super mutants down there)

 

[Sander]

Nope, the game won't end if you kill the Master but haven't done Mariposa yet.

 

[clever curmudgeon]

The game isn't over until you destroy both the cathedral and the military base. The order doesn't really matter, though I believe going to the cathedral first and then the military base was the intended order of the game as it unlocks something in the military base if you go there last.

 

[Per]

The order doesn't really matter, though I believe going to the cathedral first and then the military base was the intended order of the game as it unlocks something in the military base if you go there last.

If you go to the base first and the cathedral last, it literally unlocks something as well.