|
Infobox incomplete
The infobox template in this article is missing some required data. You can help Nukapedia by filling it in.
|
|---|
Hugo Stolz is a former Vault-Tec Corporation board member and the overseer of Vault 63 in Fallout 76, introduced in the Skyline Valley update.
Background[]
Early life[]
Hailing from a German-speaking country and blind from birth,[2] Hugo was raised by his father to take over the family business. Succeeding on all fronts,[1] Hugo built on the family business, eventually founding and becoming the CEO of Stolz Enterprises, which brought him to great success as a business magnate (and a self-described "international man of mystery"). His success made him so highly influential and well-connected, with his contacts including renowned government scientists and intelligence operatives,[3] that forming strong ties with the Vault-Tec Corporation and eventually gaining a seat on its board of directors was all but inevitable.[4]
Hugo in a family portrait
To meet the demands of his position with Vault-Tec, Hugo ultimately immigrated to the United States as the global situation deteriorated and world war became imminent, settling down in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Hugo had previously been to the U.S. many times; in fact, it was there that he met his wife Cassidy, the love of his life.[5] Cassidy became an inseparable part of Hugo's life, partners in business as well as in family, someone who kept him focused and level-headed. This was plain to all of his employees; anytime Hugo made the rounds while Cassidy was there, Hugo took care to be especially respectful. He would be willing to do anything for her, an open secret.[6] Meanwhile, to outsiders, Hugo was just another one of the cutthroat businessmen that plagued pre-War society, even if some claimed that ruthlessness was necessary for survival.
As a member of Vault-Tec's board of directors, Hugo had the grand vision of not only preserving, but leading humanity through the post-War world. He made considerable effort to put together a sales pitch to the other directors to become the overseer of a Vault. The effort took significant maneuvering on his and Cassidy's parts (Hugo with the money and Cassidy with the people),[7][8] including snatching up whatever promising research he could find to sweeten the pot for Vault-Tec. The military's recently-shuttered ATLAS Program was one such tool, a last-minute addition to the pitch. The effort paid off, and soon Hugo was appointed as overseer of Vault 63, to be built to his own specifications underneath Shenandoah National Park.[9]
Building the Vault[]
The Stolz's talents were essential in building Vault 63. He elected to build it on the site of Dark Hollow Falls, inhabited by an impoverished community. Its residents successfully resisted attempts by the United States government to seize their land via eminent domain and expand the Shenandoah National Park. The residents initially refused to sell the land to Stolz, so he and Cassidy turned to subtler means; in an age of looming nuclear war, he offered the residents security and guaranteed spots in Vault 63. Citing security concerns, he persuaded the Dark Hollow denizens to accept a simple handshake deal in place of a written contract, which they accepted. Him personally negotiating and dealing with them was a key factor. However, neither Stolz planned to follow through on the deal; while Cassidy arranged for movers and trucks to help the community leave the Falls, any communication with the displaced residents was reviewed by lawyers to ensure it was non-binding.[10]
Construction proceeded, with the old dwellings torn down and the Dark Hollow remodeled to host the Vault's atrium and Stolz's Dark Hollow Manor topside. The Vault was notorious for its size, stretching beneath the entire region, and Stolz planned to use it as a research complex regardless of the looming nuclear war. Another piece of notoriety was feature creep, as even when construction lagged behind, Stolz insisted on increasing the scope of the Vault. However, in contrast with other moguls, Stolz also planned to onboard the construction team as maintenance and security after its completion.[11]
A different fate was intended for the former denizens of Dark Hollow Falls. When the bombs started dropping and they rushed back to the park, hoping that Hugo would make good on his promise, they were instead met by his security force at the edge of the National Park, who ensured they never got anywhere near the Vault.[12] Such violence was not atypical; Hugo and Cassidy were not above hiring assassins to eliminate people who got in the way, be they an employee with a conscience or their daughter's communist girlfriend.[13][14][15]
Post-War[]
With the Vault far from complete when the Great War struck, Hugo was ghoulified alongside his family and many of the dwellers working under him as overseer. The condition was a blessing in disguise in some ways, but a curse in others. Though their newfound immortality allowed them to reprioritize their needs, it came at a price. Soon, the ghouls began to experience the deterioration into going feral, with Hugo's brother August being one of the first. Cassidy, too, began to deteriorate. Terrified at the thought of losing her, Hugo became desperate to restore their connection. No avenue of research had found a way to prevent feralization, apart from one: exposure to the weather machine was found to briefly alleviate feralization.
Impatient and desperate, in the year 2095, Hugo brought Cassidy to the machine and activated it for the first time, at full power; the result was that Cassidy was brought into a coma, and some of the effects of the weather machine seemed to quell ghoul feralization. This activation also resulted in the creation of the first Lost, dwellers of Vault 63 mutated from their exposure to such high energy and rendered into a state of violent psychosis. Hugo was changed alongside them, but retained his connection to reality, being the one who activated the machine. Suddenly, he gained the ability to see, perceiving the world in pulses and wavelengths as a "universe of violent synaptic connections" carving out and outlining every object and person. What drove other Lost mad was a blessing to him.
Hugo sits with his comatose wife Cassidy
In 2105, Hugo decided to activate the machine once more. Although Cassidy did not awaken from her coma, Hugo felt a mental connection to her. The second activation worsened the situation in the Vault and the entire region, as it caused a massive thunderstorm and violent earthquakes around Shenandoah that caved in Vault 63's tram tunnels and exposed parts of it to the surface, allowing the Lost to escape onto the surface.[2]
Hugo now wishes to activate the machine a third time. He has been guiding his daughter Audrey to fix the weather machine, which was rendered unoperational after the second activation, and his niece Hilda to study his mutation, which would allow him to reconfigure the machine, so that he can spread his influence to all the Lost.
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
This character ignores combat and cannot be damaged. | |
 |
This character cannot be killed. Status expires when The Eye of the Storm begins. | |
 |
This character starts quests. | |
 |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests[]
- The Calm Before: The Vault Dwellers are introduced to Hugo, who quickly impresses himself upon them and hires them to conduct certain tasks in and around Vault 63.
- Between the Lines: Hugo asks the Vault Dwellers to help him retrieve the weather machine blueprints from his safe, since the key's location was known only to Cassidy and his blindness prevents him from figuring out where she kept it.
- Upon discovering and taking the key from Cassidy's body, Hugo will suddenly appear and shout at the Dwellers for disturbing his wife, explaining that the weather machine accident rendered her comatose and claiming his altered vision allowed him to detect the Vault Dwellers approaching Cassidy. After obtaining the blueprints, Hugo will ask the Vault Dwellers to bring them to Audrey in the Vault 63 meteorology sector, and apologize for his earlier outburst.
- Oldest Trick in the Book: After helping Audrey fix the weather machine, Hugo runs into the meteorology sector and reveals that Cassidy has been kidnapped by cultists, ordering the Vault Dwellers to kill them and save Cassidy. He will not change his mind despite learning that the cultists are led by Audrey's former lover Alex Guerra (only being surprised that she survived his attempts to get rid of her before the Great War).
- If told that a peaceful solution should be sought, Hugo will seem to express understanding and give Audrey's book, a keepsake Alex once gave to Audrey, to be presented as a peace offering to Alex. However, once it is given to Audrey, the book will turn out to be a trap that poisons her to death, and the other cultists must be killed regardless. If Hugo is confronted about this, he will simply be proud of his cleverness in making the trap.
- Double-Crossed Wires: After finding Daniel Smith for Oberlin, it is discovered that Oberlin's "Army remnant" contacts do not exist, and that Oberlin is being deceived by Hugo. Hugo can be confronted over this, and will simply claim that the deception is necessary to keep Oberlin focused and prevent him from breaking down mentally, urging them to lie to Oberlin about the Army.
- Gathering Clouds: Hugo asks the Vault Dwellers to set aside whatever reservations they have about his character, given the revelations of the preceding events, and assist Audrey and Hilda with a weather experiment using a piece of his body that has the potential to cure the Lost.
- The experiment reveals that, rather than curing the Lost, Hugo would be able to control them if allowed to activate the weather machine. Shocked, Oberlin will attempt to apprehend Hugo only to realize he has taken Cassidy and escaped to the meteorology sector.
- The Eye of the Storm: Hugo has arrived at the Vault 63 meteorology sector with Cassidy and intends to activate the weather machine to bring all of the Lost and Vault 63 dwellers under his control, since he views it as the only way to prevent them from going feral. He also reveals that both of the previous weather accidents were caused by him in his attempts to save Cassidy from feralization. The Vault Dwellers must battle their way through the Lost in the sector and battle Hugo. Oberlin will order the Vault Dwellers to capture Hugo alive in order to use him for further research on the Lost. Audrey will instead order for Hugo to be killed, reasoning that he is too dangerous and manipulative to be left alive. There are three possible fates for Hugo:
- Assist Hugo: The Vault Dwellers can side with Hugo by walking away and letting him activate the weather machine after defeating him. It will later be revealed Hugo has made Oberlin, Audrey and Hilda become Lost, and he views his mental connection to them as being close to his family.
- Capture Hugo: Hugo will be sedated and imprisoned in a cell in Vault 63. He can not be interacted with. Oberlin mentions that Hugo will serve as a test subject to see if the community can research a way to quell ghoul feralization and possibly save the Lost.
- Kill Hugo: Self-explanatory. Oberlin will also be killed by Audrey in this route.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Vault 63 jumpsuit | Tesla rifle (first phase) V63 Zweihaender (second phase) |
Notable quotes[]
- "I see the world in pulses, wavelengths -- a universe of violent synaptic connections carving out and outlining every object and person."
- "What is it they say? "It's all about who you know?" In my case, that would be everyone of importance in assuring such a thing came to be. My position and connections are both expansive and unique. Such a thing comes with many privileges."
- "Anything is worth it for my dear Cassie."
Appearances[]
Hugo Stolz appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Skyline Valley update.
Behind the scenes[]
- According to lead designer Carl McKevitt, Hugo's country of origin is "intentionally not specified in-game." While Hugo does indicate that he is from a German-speaking country, it is never explicitly confirmed which country this is.[Non-game 1]
- However, the Skyline Valley research sites (Rhineland, Saxony, Bavaria), set up at Hugo's direction, reference the Länder of Germany, specifically Rhineland (presently divided between the federal states of Nordrhein-Westphalen and Rheinland-Pfalz), Sachsen (Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, and Sachsen), and Bayern.
- Hugo's dialogue was, in part, written by a native German speaker on the development team, though it is not known who this designer was. Hugo was also voiced by Thure Riefenstein, a multilingual German-born actor with an Austrian-Serbian background.[Non-game 1] Riefenstein previously worked with publisher Bethesda Softworks as a voice actor on Wolfenstein: The New Order and its sequel.
- According to McKevitt, many alternate takes were recorded for Hugo's dialogue using original German expressions.[Non-game 1] Although he was unsure which made their way into the final release, he cited one ("Are you made of sugar?") which does appear in Hugo's dialogue in its original German form ("Aus Zucker gemacht?") as part of his combat taunts.
- Hugo's family name, Stolz, is the German word for "pride."
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vault 76 dweller: "Have you always wanted to run your own business?"
Hugo Stolz: "Family Business! This business goes a looong way back. It was absolutely out of question to ever do anything, but this. Mein Vater was a very intelligent man. He taught me everything I needed to take over, and I like to believe that I haven't let him down"
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vault 76 dweller: "How did you find me? I thought you were blind."
Hugo Stolz: "Apologies for the confusion. I often forget just how unusual my situation has become. I was born blind, and lived that way even after becoming a 'Ghoul', as you put it. However, as I've mentioned, an accident at this facility altered me. Not unlike the 'Lost' that wander the surface. I see the world in pulses, wavelengths -- a universe of violent synaptic connections carving out and outlining every object and person. Navigation is trivial for me now. I was able to spot you in these sacred grounds even from my office. To the 'Lost', I imagine this vision is a curse, a terrifying cataractous cloud that distorts their world. To me, it is a new life. Needless to say, I don't find myself bumping into things while getting around the Vault anymore."
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 63 atrium terminal entries; Cassidy's personal terminal, [Draft] Dinner
- ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "You're on Vault-Tec's board of directors?"
Hugo Stolz: "Is it such a surprise? In case you hadn't noticed yet, we used to move in high places and were very influential people. Getting on the board was inevitable. Creating a seat as an Overseer... Well, was much more challenging."
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "What brought you to America?"
Hugo Stolz: "Well business, of course! My position on the Vault-Tec board required a permanent move as things escalated. I'd frequented this country many times, of course. This is how I met my Cassie. Perhaps the best summary of what brought me here is simply 'her.' "
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "What can you tell me about Hugo?"
Laurence: "He's always been pretty respectful during the rounds and inspections, especially when Cassidy was around. Say what you will about the man, it's clear he would do anything for his wife. He was head-over-heels for her."
Julio: "She did keep him level-headed. She just up and disappeared one day. I hope she's doing well wherever she is..."
Margaret: "Is there anything else?"
(Laurence, Julio and Margaret's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "How did you persuade them?"
Hugo Stolz: "I had a way with money, but Cassidy... she had a way with people. Oh, I wish you could have seen her. They danced for her like a puppet on a string. Of course, the smell of money will always be the best conversation starter... but it takes true talent earn true, unending trust. She was a marvel. Oh Verzeihung! I got carried away there. Another topic, please."
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "How did you become Overseer of this Vault?"
Hugo Stolz: "What is they say? 'It's all about who you know?' In my case, that would be everyone of importance in assuring such a thing came to be. My position and connections are both expansive and unique. Such a thing comes with many privileges."
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Hugo Stolz: "Perhaps I should introduce myself to assuage any hesitation you have. I am Hugo Stolz. Overseer of Vault 63, yes, but also a principled man of business from the world of yore. Founder and CEO of Stolz Enterprises, respected member of Vault-Tec's board of directors, and overall international man of mystery. Allow me to formally welcome you to Vault 63, as our... let's say, outside consultant. Yes, that'll do perfectly."
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 63 atrium terminal entries; Cassidy's personal terminal, [Draft] Apologies
- ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "What can you tell me about the Vault?"
James Oberlin: "As I understand it, our Vault's make-up is atypical from your standard operation, largely due to Mr. Stolz's ambitious approach to its construction. Intending to begin its research even before the bombs fell, residents-- scientists and engineers-- began moving into the region. Even as construction was underway. Mr. Stolz's intention was for the construction team to onboard as maintenance and security once the project had been completed. This would allow for full operations even during peace times. But... well, construction fell behind as the scope of the Vault ever increased. You've perhaps heard the specifics before, but we wound up vulnerable to drafts of fallout when the bombs did finally fall."
(Hugo Stolz's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 76 dweller: "How did Hugo screw you over?"
Disciple Blair: "The history of this park ain't so simple. We still had homes here, even after the lines were all drawn up. But when that snake slithered his way in here, our rickety old homes stood in the way of his grand scheme. And a spot for his mega-mansion. We told him no money could ever buy our land, so he offered something else... Safety. Security. A spot in his fancy Vault. He said he couldn't make a contract, though. It'd contain too much sensitive, top secret information. Handshakes only. That slimy bastard shook each of our hands, grinning from ear to ear. We cleared out so his crew could move in. When the bombs started dropping, we all rushed back to the park. Their security was waiting on us... We never even stepped a foot on Shenandoah dirt. The bastard said everything we wanted to hear to take our homes, and then left us for dead."
(Disciple Blair's dialogue) - ↑ Instructions for hitman
- ↑ Charleston Herald: Mystery Disappearance
- ↑ Hugo must pay
Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Carl McKevitt on the Bethesda Game Studios official Discord: "Hugo was in part written by a native German-speaker and performed by an actor fluent in German. His country of origin is intentionally not specified in-game.
There's also a few alt takes of Hugo using the original German expression (such as "Are you made of sugar?") I'm not sure which ones we ultimatley
went with in each case, nor what the proper German translation would have been, as German isn't exactly my speciality... 😅"
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
