Conrad Kellogg is a ruthless, highly skilled, and cybernetically-enhanced mercenary acting as the main surface operative for the Institute in the Commonwealth. He serves as the secondary antagonist in Fallout 4.
Background[]
Younger years[]
Born on the West Coast and raised in one of the five settlements that would become a founding member of the then-infant New California Republic,[3] in his youth, Kellogg lived in a dysfunctional and impoverished household with his abusive father, and his cynical, imposing but loving mother. Being an alcoholic, Kellogg's father was unreliable as a provider for the family, so his mother turned to her son for support, while also teaching him that relying on others was foolishness and that the only things in the world he could depend on were himself, his gun and his will to survive in the wasteland. Kellogg eventually ran away from home believing it was for a better place and life when in reality, he was fleeing from the guilt and humiliation of being unable to protect his mother from his father's abuse. Due to being mentally scarred beyond repair and left with a misguided sense of judgment, Kellogg chose the "survival of the fittest" way of life. He joined up with various raider gangs in his teen ages just to survive, fighting for every scrap he could find. This hard lifestyle also toughened up Kellogg with a strong sense of independence, among the few lessons he learned from his mother even if it was not enough for him to protect her and stay, which misled him to recklessness, impulsivity and a sociopathic disregard for the rest of the world.
A second family[]
Growing up to be a young adult after a youth of hopelessness and despair, Conrad Kellogg honed his talent for killing to become a highly skilled mercenary and hitman who took any dangerous contract that came to him, whether it was to kill people, or other less lethal tasks, as long as the profit was big. His unscrupulous methods eventually culminated in shooting an individual named "Valdez," which led to a significant boost for Kellogg's reputation, to the point he was able to get a job working for the Shi as a guard and enforcer, one that he accepted as a more stable and secure line of work.
In-between his mercenary work, Kellogg met a woman named Sarah one night while in the Hub. They grew close, eventually marrying, after which the new couple moved to San Francisco. Sarah later became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Mary. Despite Conrad's reassurances that he could protect their family, sometime later, unknown assailants retaliated against him for unknown reasons by finding and killing his wife and daughter, then mocking him over their deaths. Kellogg was devastated by the traumatic loss of his family, fueling an intense bloodlust that spurred him to arm himself and hunt down the killers. Even though he avenged his family's deaths, Kellogg found no peace, and was only left more broken on the inside.
Joining the Institute[]
Forcing himself to leave another home full of bad memories, Kellogg traveled eastward. Once more a mercenary, this time, he was more brutal and willing to do any job no matter how dirty, even if it meant killing men, women or even children, though he claims to not enjoy the act of child murder. Eventually, he reached the East Coast and finally the Commonwealth, where he settled in Diamond City and came across rumors about the Institute. Kellogg's line of work led him to frequently interfere with the Institute's surface operations, leading to them sending a proxy to confront and eliminate him. After defeating the assassin, Kellogg tracked the Institute down in turn, meeting with an unnamed scientist and her escort of Gen 1 synths. Kellogg offered to become their agent and put his skills to their use, then effortlessly eliminated the synths when the offer was initially refused, convincing the envoy.
Since then, Kellogg has been the Institute's primary surface operative; though many within the Institute despise him for being a "dirty surface degenerate," his extensive experience working in the wasteland made him indispensable, and he knew it. Among the tasks he performed in his new capacity included acting as the main human contact for the attempted tech retrieval at University Point,[4] and later commanding a synth legion to destroy the settlement when they could not produce the preferred results. He also served as the contact for the synth masquerading as Mayor McDonough and collecting his reports on the state of Commonwealth affairs in and around Diamond City. Kellogg's many bloody exploits put him at the top of the Railroad's hit list of Institute targets.[5]
Raiding Vault 111[]
Around 2227, Kellogg was eventually tasked with leading a team of Institute scientists to break into Vault 111. The Institute required radiation-free test subjects for their research on perfecting the Gen 3 synth model, and after discovering records on the vault's cryogenically preserved residents, decided they were perfect candidates. In particular, the Institute learned that among the occupants was an infant, Shaun, and they dispatched Kellogg to escort the retrieval team and retrieve him from the vault. After finding the pod containing the boy, held in the arms of one of his parents, the team opened their pod to retrieve the child. Despite attempts to keep the situation calm, Kellogg ultimately resorted to shooting and killing the defenseless parent after they refused to give up their baby. He then turned to the surviving parent, remarking that at least the "backup" would be unharmed, then ordered they be put back into cryo-stasis. Before leaving the vault, as he found out later, the Institute's then-director ordered that the other residents be left in their pods and their life-support systems deactivated, causing all of them to eventually asphyxiate. After Shaun was brought to the Institute, his DNA was used as the genetic template to create the third generation of synths.
Last mission and death[]
At some point following the operation in Vault 111, Kellogg was cybernetically enhanced by the Institute, significantly slowing his aging process and extending his lifespan. By 2287, he is over 100 years old but physically appears to be less than half of that, looking much the same as he did in 2227.
Sometime shortly before October 23, 2287, Kellogg was sent, against his better judgment, to Diamond City with a synth made to look like a ten-year-old Shaun. The mercenary himself described it as a "pet project" of the Old Man,[6] although he realized later that the project was intended to set him up as bait for the Sole Survivor after they escaped Vault 111.[7] He eventually abandoned the house after X6-88 came to collect the synthetic Shaun on behalf of the Institute. The Courser also gave him a new mission to track down the rogue Institute scientist Dr. Brian Virgil, who had recently fled from the Institute and was hiding in the Glowing Sea. In preparation for this job, Kellogg set up a base of operations in Fort Hagen west of the Boston area, though he was injured in a series of battles on his way from Diamond City, forcing him to take time to recuperate there before moving on Virgil.
Before he was able to, though, the Sole Survivor, with the help of Nick Valentine and Dogmeat, uncovered the mercenary's identity and used the latter's sense of smell to track him down to his hideout, where they confronted and killed him, at the same time learning from either Kellogg himself or from a terminal report that he had taken Shaun to the Institute.[2]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kellogg's outfit Kid's pajamas (as a kid in Dangerous Minds) |
Kellogg's pistol Frag grenade |
Stealth Boy Stimpak |
Kellogg's terminal password Cybernetic brain augmenter Cybernetic pain inhibitor Cybernetic limb actuator |
Notes[]
- Depending on player character level, in addition to his decent armor, Kellogg will generally have more than twice as much HP as an NPC companion, making the fight with him difficult for low-level characters.
- At the biological age of 108, Kellogg is one of the oldest characters in the Fallout series when not accounting for non-human characters (such as ghouls, super mutants or Harold) or long-lived humans who underwent a form of cryogenic suspension (such as the Sole Survivor, Robert House, Stanislaus Braun, or those captured by the Zetans) or used supernatural means (such as the Cabot family), as Kellogg's longevity is due to his cybernetic implants.
- During battle, Kellogg will make use of a Stealth Boy and, when damaged past a certain point, will use stimpaks to restore his health.
- Kellogg also uses grenades frequently and can throw multiple grenades at once.
- Kellogg's memories seen during the events of Dangerous Minds contain numerous references to major locations and factions from previous Fallout games set on the West Coast, such as the Hub, the New California Republic, and the Shi.
- After completing Dangerous Minds, during which Nick Valentine accesses Kellogg's memories through the mercenary's cybernetic brain augmenter implant, when talking to him later, Nick will speak to the player character in Kellogg's voice, saying: "Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head. Heh. I was right. Should've killed you when you were on ice." Nick expresses no knowledge of doing this, and when it's mentioned to him, he only claims that Dr. Amari mentioned that some mnemonic impressions may have remained, and the phenomenon never occurs again.
- With certain dialogue choices during Reunions, Kellogg may express some compassion despite his ruthless nature. He offers the Sole Survivor sympathy and expresses regret for murdering their spouse. He also mentions that he had grown attached to young Shaun during their time together, remarking that it reminded him of what his life would have been like if his family were still alive.
- After entering the Institute during Institutionalized, when speaking to Father, he will express that he never truly forgave Kellogg for killing one of his parents, and that he deliberately sent Kellogg to Diamond City where he would eventually be found by the player character. He will also express surprise if the player character says they pity Kellogg.[8]
- Although the player character can choose different dialogue choices when talking about Kellogg with Nick and Piper after his death, they will always comment that he "was barely human" after looting the cybernetic brain augmenter from his dead body in Fort Hagen.
Notable quotes[]
- "At least we still have the backup..."
- "Haven't you been paying attention? You don't find the Institute. The Institute finds you."
- "And there he/she is. The most resilient man/woman in the Commonwealth. Funny, I thought I had that honor."
- "But I think we've been talking long enough. We both know how this has to end. So... you ready?" – Kellogg before engaging the Sole Survivor in battle
- "The thing about happiness is that you only know you had it when it's gone. I mean, you may think to yourself that you're happy. But you don't really believe it. You focus on the petty bullshit, or the next job, or whatever. It's only looking back, by comparison to what comes after, that you really understand that's what happiness felt like."
- "Even then, I knew it was a mistake leaving him/her alive. I understood that kind of revenge, no one better. But I was cocky enough to assume I could handle some soft prewar Vault dweller, even if he/she got thawed out. At least I know those Institute bastards will soon get what's coming to them, too. If he/she could take me out they won't be able to hide from him/her for long."
- "Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head. Heh. I was right. Should've killed you when you were on ice."
- "You open a closet, it's just a closet. You can never find the monster that hides inside. Not until it jumps out at you."
- "I will, mom. I promise. I won't let you down." – Kellogg as a child in Dangerous Minds
Appearances[]
Conrad Kellogg appears in Fallout 4 and Fallout Shelter Online.
Behind the scenes[]
- Kellogg is voiced by Keythe Farley, who was cast for a video game role in 2014. Because of the secretive nature of voice recording for video games at the time, Farley did not know what the game he was working on was. He did not even know he was going to be a major antagonist until he started reviewing the script. He recorded dialogue for Kellogg with a session every few months over a year and a half. Farley only figured out he was working on a Fallout game after talking with other actors working on the same project.[Non-game 1]
- In localized versions of the game, his voice is dubbed by Tōru Ōkawa (Japanese), Paolo Sesana (Italian) and Carlos Kaniowsky (Spanish).
- According to Emil Pagliarulo, a villain in the science fiction TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was the inspiration for Kellogg. Played by actor Frank Gorshin, Seton Kellogg is the leader of a group of assassins in parts one and two of "The Plot to Kill a City" from Buck Rogers.[Non-game 2]
- Although Kellogg is never given a definitive age in-game, the script notes for the dialogue spoken by the child version of "Me" seen in the first memory during Dangerous Minds indicate that Kellogg was ten years old when the NCR was founded in 2189. This means he would have been born around 2179, and conversely, would be at the age of 108 by the events of Fallout 4, due to his extended lifespan owing to his cybernetics.[1] The non-canonical Fallout Shelter Online confirms his date of birth in his character description.[Non-canon 1]
- In Fallout Shelter Online, it appears to be a running gag for him to constantly call the player's party "kids," and he acts a bit condescending to them, as if they are naive because of them being younger than he is.
Gallery[]
Fallout 4[]
.jpg "Young Kellogg (Fallout 4).jpg (420 KB)")
Other Fallout games[]
.png "Fallout Magic Kellogg, Dangerous Mind (Extended Art).png (302 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Conrad Kellogg: "I was such a dummy back then. What did I know about how the world worked? I think now she wanted me to kill him. I should have. Instead I ended up running away. I told myself I wanted to find somewhere out from under the thumb of the NCR and all their rules. But really, I was running from the guilt of not protecting her from Dad. Doesn't matter now, though."
(Kellogg's dialogue) Note: The script notes explain that the child Kellogg seen during the memory in which the NCR's founding is reported over radio, is ten years old. - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Events of Reunions in Fallout 4
- ↑ Kellogg's memory radio broadcast
- ↑ University Point council meeting
- ↑ Deacon: "And as if that wasn't enough... The Railroad owes you a crate, hell a truckload, of Nuka-Cola for what you did to Kellogg. He was our public enemy number one."
(Deacon's dialogue) - ↑ Kellogg: "It wasn't my idea to settle down with the kid in the middle of Diamond City. I thought it was a terrible idea. But it was one of the old man's pet projects, so here we were. Me and the kid like a happy little family. But it was one of the old man's pet projects, so here we were. Me and the kid like a happy little family. But there's no going back. I knew it was just temporary, and it would be back to normal business before too long."
(Kellogg's dialogue) - ↑ Kellogg: "This whole setup in Diamond City was part of some elaborate plan of the old man's. Seems obvious now that we were bait for our friend from the Vault. The timing couldn't have been an accident. That's not how the old man works. I wonder if he outsmarted me in the end. Another loose end tied up."
(Kellogg's dialogue) - ↑ The Sole Survivor: "After what I've seen, I pity the man. He was as much a victim as anything."
Shaun: "After what he did to you? I'm shocked you would be so generous. But yes, I understand you've... experienced things. Perhaps you ended up knowing him better. I, for one, will never truly forgive him."
(Shaun's dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ The voice actor who didn't know he was working on Fallout 4
- ↑ Emil Pagliarulo on Twitter: "(5/7) After that, there was this sort of post-Star Wars TV gold rush, and I couldn't get enough of (the original) Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers. In fact, in Buck Rogers, there was a bad guy character named Kellogg, and yes, he was the inspiration for Kellogg in Fallout 4."
Non-canon
- ↑ Fallout Shelter Online character description
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