Brotherhood of Steel (Fallout 4)

The Brotherhood of Steel in the Commonwealth is a chapter of the wider Brotherhood of Steel led by Elder Arthur Maxson.^[1] Formed from the reunification of the Brotherhood Outcasts and the Capital Wasteland chapter, they operate from a mobile command airship known as the Prydwen.

Background[]

The Capital Wasteland[]

The Commonwealth chapter of the Brotherhood originated with an expedition sent to Washington, D.C. with the goals of searching for advanced technology in the former American capital and re-establishing contact with other wayward Brotherhood chapters. The heir of the Maxson legacy, Arthur, was sent with this expedition in an attempt to reduce the influence of "Maxson cultists" that were becoming an issue in the West. Led by Paladin Owyn Lyons, the expedition eventually established themselves in the ruins of the Pentagon, rechristened as the Citadel with Lyons as chapter elder. However, Lyons decided to change the chapter's priorities to include safeguarding the wastelanders of the Capital Wasteland and allowing open recruitment. These were extremely controversial reforms, leading to the Schism and the secession of the Brotherhood Outcasts.

Morale was at an all-time low for the Brotherhood when, in 2277, the Enclave re-emerged to seize Project Purity, a project which the Brotherhood had once supported. With the aid of Dr. Madison Li of the Project Purity team and a dweller from Vault 101, the Brotherhood managed to rally against the Enclave, and despite setbacks, ultimately gained victory in their war against the Enclave. This placed the chapter in a stronger position than ever, with a bounty of Enclave resources and now-unlimited clean water from Project Purity.

However, Lyons and his daughter Sarah passed not long after, and the chapter was subsequently led by a series of largely incompetent elders. After them, Arthur Maxson was appointed elder at age 16, the youngest in Brotherhood history, after displaying skill as a warrior and diplomat by defeating the super mutant leader Shepherd and rededicating the Brotherhood to its mission of seeking advanced technology, brokering peace and reunifying with the Brotherhood Outcasts. The group began construction of an airship called the Prydwen, using parts from the Enclave's mobile base crawler at Adams Air Force Base. The development and construction process took a total of six years.

Following Arthur Maxson's ascendance to elder, contact was reestablished with the West Coast Brotherhood, who had cut off communications due to their disapproval of Lyons' actions. The West Coast elders gave the new Elder Maxson their full support.^[2]

The Commonwealth[]

The Brotherhood sent three scout missions into the Commonwealth. First, an unnamed recon squad volunteered to go into the Commonwealth, then Recon Squad Artemis led by Paladin Brandis and Recon Squad Gladius led by Paladin Danse. The first scout team was successful. They brought back crates full of pre-War technology and documents and the first post-War reconnaissance of the area.

Artemis had problems beginning at their drop-off point in Malden. Ambushed by Gunners straight off the Vertibird, which resulted in abandoning and manually shorting out their power armor and the deaths of four knights. The survivors made their way to the National Guard training yard to regroup, which was infested with feral ghouls and resulted in the death of another knight. Brandis and his scribe left to investigate the pre-War Revere satellite array, but super mutants overcame them and claimed the second to last member of the team. The only survivor was the commanding officer, Paladin Brandis, who made his way to a pre-War nuclear bunker and took shelter.^[3]

Recon Squad Gladius subsequently entered the region also looking for technology and valuable documents. They encountered similar resistance from raiders as Artemis did and over the course of several weeks managed to secure a base of operations at the Cambridge Police Station but lost four knights in various confrontations.

Prydwen[]

After discovering advanced signals originating from the Institute, the Prydwen traveled to the Commonwealth. The Brotherhood established its headquarters at Boston Airport. The vessel serves multiple roles for the Brotherhood, including those of aircraft carrier, command center, clinic, personnel quarters, equipment maintenance bay and research facility.^[4] In plotting a course to find, access and destroy the Institute, Elder Maxson determined the first initiative to be repairing Liberty Prime back to working order.^{[Non-game 1]}

The Brotherhood, soon after arriving to the Commonwealth, chose to seize the nearby Fort Strong from super mutants, capturing a large cache of mini-nukes for their arsenal.

Apart from the three orders, Knight-Captain Cade resides in the medical bay, treating wounded soldiers and assessing new recruits in order to see if they're combat-ready. Cade is the one who refuses to clear Paladin Brandis for duty until the Sole Survivor completes either The Nuclear Option for the Brotherhood or completes the Mass Fusion quest for the Institute while working for the Railroad. Lancer-Captain Kells commands the Brotherhood's aerial units as well as controls the flight path of the Prydwen from the command deck.

New California[]

In 2296, the Eastern Brotherhood somehow discovered that an Enclave scientist, Siggi Wilzig, had deserted from the Enclave with a key technology that could forever change the balance of power in the wasteland, and was headed towards Los Angeles. The clerics in the Commonwealth charged a West Coast Brotherhood chapter stationed at an airbase with tracking down the scientist. The Prydwen had been sent west, arriving at the airbase and deploying a squadron of knights in T-60 power armor to aid in the manhunt.

Together, the two chapters conducted military operations in Southern California, forcefully seizing the settlement of Filly from its citizens. Though their manhunt was not initially successful, as the scientist's remains ended up in the hands of its intended target, they achieved their objective by routing the remnant forces of the New California Republic at Griffith Observatory. The NCR remnants' leader, Lee Moldaver, had just completed a cold fusion reactor using Wilzig's technology that was now powering all of the Los Angeles Boneyard. With their victory at Griffith Observatory, the Brotherhood gained control of this power source.

Armaments[]

While the Brotherhood is one of the most well equipped factions in the wastes, most gear must be purchased from the quartermaster. Some weapons may be rewarded for mission completion, while power armor suits are granted to those who reach the rank of knight.

The Eastern Brotherhood is perhaps the strongest air power in the wasteland following the defeat of the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland. The foremost expression of this is the Prydwen, an airship designed to act as a mobile command base for Brotherhood operations in the field. They also control a fleet of vertibirds which are capable of docking with the Prydwen and equipped with side-facing miniguns. These Vertibirds have a durability issue and can be taken down with small-arms fire, unlike the Enclave models. These advances in airpower necessitated the creation of the lancers, a class of Brotherhood personnel specially trained as pilots. Smoke grenades are used to call in Vertibirds for transport, though they must be purchased from the quartermaster.

Most Brotherhood members are equipped with laser weapons that individuals will sometimes personally customize. Brotherhood members are told to keep backup weapons on hand.^{[citation needed]}

The Brotherhood is not seen to use robots for combat purposes in the Commonwealth, apart from automated turrets. As a matter of great secrecy, the Brotherhood has transported the remains of Liberty Prime, the military super-robot that was destroyed in the Battle of Rockland approximately ten years prior, to attempt to finish its repairs and use it against the Institute.

The Eastern Brotherhood deploys scribes and squires in field operations, though mainly for support and/or training purposes, and not as frontline personnel. Scribes wear an outfit with pants, a sweater, and a leather harness with multiple pouches. Lancers often wear recon suits with a leather bomber jacket over top and yellow flight helmets. Most soldiers who do not wear or are currently out of their power armor wear a Brotherhood jumpsuit, often alongside combat armor with a Brotherhood modification that increases radiation resistance. As a continuing practice, the Brotherhood uses holotags to identify those killed in action.

Policies[]

The unification of the Lyons Brotherhood and the Outcasts under Elder Arthur Maxson was the result of his making compromises between the two chapters' doctrines. Outside recruitment was maintained, but it became more limited, requiring a sponsor from within the Brotherhood to nominate candidates, and the advancement of rank beyond initiate needed approval from an elder.^{[citation needed]} Lyons' policy of defending wastelanders was heavily de-emphasized, while instead greater emphasis was placed on the pursuit and preservation of technology. This change in mission is in part what lead to the expedition to the Commonwealth to root out the Institute for the threat their scientists and production of synths posed.^{[citation needed]}

The Brotherhood, however, maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with settlements in the Capital Wasteland. Water continued to be distributed freely from Project Purity, and in addition, aerial escorts from Brotherhood vertibirds were given to merchant caravans which had the benefit of earning the Brotherhood the best prices.^{[citation needed]} The Brotherhood hoped to continue this practice in the wasteland, but their wartime mindset made logistics a secondary concern and though they were willing to negotiate, food was sometimes extorted at gunpoint from settlements.

Part of the re-emphasis on Brotherhood tradition came with heightened distaste towards non-humans, such as ghouls, super mutants and synths. Their plans for the Commonwealth included the extermination of these populations, though they were willing to tolerate the presence of some individuals of these races.^{[citation needed]}

These reforms had some controversy, as some members of the Lyons Brotherhood who supported his leadership resigned in protest. However, these were a relatively small number. The leadership of Elder Lyons then was largely remembered as one of failure by members who stayed within the Brotherhood.^{[citation needed]}

Iconography[]

The Brotherhood maintains much of the same symbols as the rest of the organization. However rather than the light blue of the Lyons Brotherhood or the red of the Outcasts, they use light grey for their main symbol. Since the discovery of a cache of T-60 power armor suits in the Capital Wasteland, this has become the primary power armor used in field operations,^{[citation needed]} though the old T-45d's are still used in some capacity.

Brotherhood combat armor is done in dark grey with a white brotherhood symbol. Alternate armor colors come with a light grey background with red Brotherhood symbols and accent markings.

The flag used to represent the Eastern Brotherhood is orange with a white Brotherhood symbol in the center, rather than the striped red flag with the Brotherhood symbol to the side used in the Capital Wasteland. It bears resemblance to the flag used by the extinct Appalachian chapter.

Locations[]

The Capital Wasteland[]

• The Citadel
• Project Purity
• Adams Air Force Base
• Fort Independence
• Virtual Strategic Solutions

The Commonwealth[]

• The Prydwen
• Boston Airport
• Cambridge Police Station
• Waypoint Echo
• Recon bunker Theta
• Brotherhood outpost near Nuka-World
• Acadia (optional)

In event of Brotherhood victory[]

Marked locations[]

• Diamond City
• Fort Strong
• South Boston military checkpoint

Unmarked locations[]

• Military checkpoint (Lexington)
• Military checkpoint (Cambridge outskirts)
• Military checkpoint (South Zone 3)
• Military checkpoint (Lake Cochituate)
• Military checkpoint (West Roxbury)

Checkpoints[]

• Northeast of Poseidon reservoir
• Northeast of Old North Church
• West of Finch farm
• Northwest of USAF Satellite Station Olivia
• East of Graygarden
• South of Natick Police Department
• South of Greater Mass blood clinic road junction
• South of the rotten landfill

Outposts[]

• West of Atom Cats garage
• East of Milton General Hospital
• Southeast of Breakheart Banks
• East of Tenpines Bluff
• West of Murkwater construction site
• Northwest of Wattz Consumer Electronics
• Northwest of Nahant Sherrif's Department
• North of Neponset Park
• South of Drumlin Diner

Members[]

Notes[]

• Paladin Danse mentions that the Brotherhood once ran a quarry somewhere near the Capital Wasteland, referring to the situation as "more trouble than it was worth."^[5]
• Should the Sole Survivor choose to wipe out the synths of Acadia, the Brotherhood of Steel will establish a presence on the Island, using Acadia as a forward operating base.
• After completing Spoils of War, the Brotherhood will use the Mass Fusion building as an outpost, most of the soldiers will say that the building is a "goldmine" for tech and that the scribes are still searching the building.
• After completing Ad Victoriam, the Brotherhood will take control of pre-War military checkpoints scattered throughout the Commonwealth.
• A Brotherhood of Steel knight aboard the Prydwen may directly reference the Capital Wasteland, saying "If you think the Commonwealth is bad, you should see the Capital Wasteland."

Appearances[]

The Brotherhood of Steel appears in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes[]

Quest designer Alan Nanes wrote for content relating to the Brotherhood of Steel as they appear in Fallout 4.^{[Non-game 2]}

Gallery[]

The Art of Fallout 4

The Art of Fallout 4

The Art of Fallout 4

The Art of Fallout 4

The Art of Fallout 4

Arthur Maxson in launch trailer

References[]

Non-game