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Mezzing[]
He pops up, blasts a few rounds and vanishes. Never experienced freezes when this happens. ForkyD 14:34, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
If you mezz someone successfully with this perk using the mesmetron, the Mysterious Stranger will appear and simply look menacing in slow motion while he refuses to shoot your target. That is, if you got the 10% chance for him to show up to begin with. Elko 13:46, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
He doesn't always finish your target off either. Ive seen him miss all four of his shots, only hit with some, hit with all but not do enough damage and my personal favorite: Putting all four bullets directly into Dog meat's face by mistake. MisterPuck 14:29, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
[in fallout 3] This is a fun, but not nessicarily useful perk. One way to exploit it is to use a low AC weapon and fire one shot at each target's leg once. Doing that will make it more likely for him to show up.-accountless avenger.
If he can be knocked unconsious while using a fat man... couldn't his body be pick pocketed before he wakes up? Or does he still vanish reguardless?
Accidental Death?[]
I think I may have killed the stranger when he popped on top of a gas leak, which exploded, and engulfed him in flames. I didn't get any message saying he was dead or that he was unconscious, and his body did not show up, but I have not seen him in VATS since then. Is it possible for him to die?
Something similar happened to me. I went into vats to shoot a megaton settler, but when I fired instead of shooting the settler the bullet hit empty space in front of her. Upon exiting vats I got a message saying that the settler had a crippled torso and was unconscious. He didn't leave any remains that I could find. I was using the Gauss Rifle up on the overlook above Lucas Sims' house. On the 360 Version.
I had a very funny instance of him "appearing" while I was shooting from one of the swing-bridges in Operation:Anchorage (the ones with gaping chasms below). First the sound effect indicating his arrival, followed by a "Mysterious Stranger is unconscious" message. Never saw where he spawned, or where he met his untimely fate, and he didn't finish off the Chinese for me lol
I had the same happen with me at Camp Searchlight in New Vegas. When entering the firestaion I ignited the gas and after he chaos cleared I found an empty spot on the ground reading "Mysterious Stranger" which could be pickpocketed. I tried giving him my Katana (successfully) though nothing showed up in his inventory for me to pickpocket. phoenix txt xp 04:00, March 17, 2010 (UTC)
Bio-Gas canister?[]
Hmmmmm i wonder if you could knock him out with a bio-gas canister then loot his body before he wakes up...
- YOU CANNOT GET HIS GODDAM GUN WITHOUT CHEATING NOW STOP TRYING!!!!!! 68.192.9.90 03:04, November 9, 2009 (UTC)
- And you cant loot NPC's knocked out, only dead ones, unless messed or pickpocket. His bosy goes away anyway seeing as he cant olny appear in V.A.T.S. JASPER42
MIRV and a visit from Mysterious Stranger[]
So I was playing around with the MIRV and was shooting in CQC with VATS so I don't blow myself up. However, oddly enough when I killed my target there was a message that showed up "Mysterious Stranger Left Leg is Crippled". He didn't show up but I thought it was odd that it gave me a message that I've crippled his leg. However, other times that he does show up when I nuke my target into a million pieces he doesn't get harmed. --Lord0din69 00:04, 13 December 2008 (UTC)
That's interesting about the crippled leg. When I was escorting "dad" from Vault 112 to Rivet City, he got his leg crippled, and he limped the rest of the way to Rivet City. It was really pathetic! Even after I started the next quest, where you escort the team to Project Purity, he was STILL limping. Since he is marked as essential, just like the Mysterious Stranger, he can't actually die in combat, but apparently essential NPCs can receive crippled limbs. (I took pity on dad and used the command console to reset his health.) I wonder if the Stranger were to receive a crippled right arm or head if it would make him less effective and basically ruin the perk? Or would he "reset" the next time he spawned in? Hmmmm. 12.204.48.130 08:32, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
I especially like the part were they loot him. I though it was very informative. But all in all, I didn't like it as much as many people say how good it is . Also, who is the God Teacher in this story "The Mysterious Stranger"? Thanks! --Lord0diin69
he has a lot of health,however i planted a ton of bottlecap mines around lucas simmns,shot ihm in the vats,and the mysterious stranger appeared and got killed,i looted his stuff,nothing special except that 44.magnum
- To the person directly above this: you can't kill him you liar...
98.216.32.46 21:27, 7 January 2009 (UTC)
Wellll.... unless you mark him as non-essential. LOL. 12.204.48.130 08:32, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
- ya i would take credit for picking up a 44 that deals 9999 DM without computer mods, thats why he didnt sign it, lies--King of the wastes 23:33, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
- It's true that you can even score critical hits on the stranger. I've done it many times in my effort to use the bottlecap mine trick to score his gun on the 360. Even if I'm killing him, it seems he never leaves any lootable remains... I'm calling for a worldwide effort, with a reward: Three internets (and one infernally powerful weapon) to the genius that figures out how to obtain it on the 360. Jdw 00:28, 17 January 2009 (UTC)
- (This is a true story I swear!) One of the times he appeared (I was in the RoboCo Factory) he stuck around for a bit after the VATS had ended. I could even see his health and he was slightly injured (apparently by one of the robots on the floor bellow) he then promptly disappeared. Judging by this info, I'm positive that not only can he be caught outside of VATS (and therefor be lootable) but can in fact be damaged maybe even killed if one were to act quick enough. (Though I think that shooting the gun out of his hand would be better. Probably doesn't help anyone as I haven't been able to recreate the situation but it does add confirmation to the fact that he can be killed. What I think happened was through some error, one of the robots targeted and shot him while in VATS and he, responding as an NPC, retaliated and killed the robot. If you can recreate the situation be sure to post.
Strangers and Experience[]
If the Stranger bloke kills a target, will it yield experience to me?--Burneddi 23:15, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
- Yes, you will get experience.
98.216.32.46 22:52, 7 January 2009 (UTC)
Similar question, if the Stranger shows up and kills your target, do you still reap the benefits of Grim Reaper's Spirnt? --Keebalicious 23:16, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
- yes it will restore vats--King of the wastes 23:25, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
Maybe it should be worth mentioning that this perk is a bit less useful then some of the others out there since for people like me he may show up very rarely and glitch often. MaseFace 02:07, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
killing your target while he shows up[]
will make him randomly chose a near by enemy target happened to me many times.--King of the wastes 23:29, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
Yes,yes he will--Snipitysnipsnip 23:21, December 30, 2009 (UTC)
Reference[]
This is clearly a reference to The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. Is it worth mentioning in the article? A Spoonful of Slurry (is good for what ails you) 23:29, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
- Absolutely. There seems to be no other references. Besides, all theories and possibilities are usually welcomed on a page.MaseFace 02:12, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
I don't believe the "Over 9000" reference is applicable. It is highly obscure and mostly known to those who frequent 4chan.71.171.31.205 11:21, 10 May 2009 (UTC)MercMap
Who IS he?[]
I'm just confused.Why would a guy with a .44 Magnum and a really cool outfit have better things to do then help you kill a Radroach?
- Damn straight - there IS no reason he would have anything better to do! Jdw 03:14, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
- :p
Woah, I just figured out who he is!! He's Jon Arbuckle!! I guess he finally went off the deep end and bought a gun. Now, how has he survived for 300 years? Hmm, maybe an early experiment with FEV...? 68.53.137.48 12:59, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
To quote a random Black Mesa Scientist "OH MY GOD WE'RE DOOMED!" Jdw 06:54, 12 August 2009 (UTC)
He's mysterious... you're not SUPPOSED to know who he is. 68.192.9.90 01:31, September 15, 2009 (UTC)
I think the mysterious stranger is the fallout equivalent to Half Life's Gman, or perhaps he only exists in your self conscious and comes out at random times when you are in need, like a power hidden inside you? ChipsHandson 18:46, April 6, 2010 (UTC)
Its me. If you use console comands to kill him and loots his body you for his 44. then drop it you will see JASPER42 engraved on it. nah, thats a lie. or is it. hum... think about it.
Bullets from nowhere[]
There`s more to this perk than "10% chance of appearance when the enemy has less than 150 health". Sometimes, instead of the stranger showing up in person, a magnum shot will come out of nowhere, which sometimes hits an enemy you aren't even targeting. For example, I attacked an enclave camp under the bridge outside oasis (which had 2 enclave soldiers and a sentry bot), and while I was hitting one enclave with the deathclaw gauntlet, I heard magnum shots behind me. When VATS ended, the other enclave and the sentry bot were dead. Also, when this happens, a chime plays (which is not the same as the music when he appears in person).
Mysterious Stranger Appeareance[]
So the article say, "He only appears when the enemy is below 150 health". I tried shooting a Talon Comp. Merc's Fat Man in the Capitol Building, and he still have full health. Then the Stranger came by and shoots him up. Any thoughts? --AdrianWinters 00:17, 26 April 2009 (UTC)
- It's possible that another enemy was present with under 150 health. I don't think it has to be the enemy you're actually shooting at, but rather any hostile NPC in the area. All the other posts about how he shoots at other enemies instead of the one the player is shooting at would seem to confirm this. 12.204.48.130 08:25, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
BE the stranger![]
(Fallout 3) This probably goes without saying, but if you're playing on a PC, you can BECOME the Mysterious Stranger! This could be entertaining if you're getting bored with all the other ways to approach the game. All you have to do is use console codes such as player.additem and player.modav to set your equipment and stats. You can even raise your health to 10,000 and be every bit as tough as he is. But the REAL prize is that .44 magnum. If you do take it for a test drive, be sure to try shooting an enemy's gun with it. I shot a Super Mutant from long range, without VATS, and my shot happened to hit the minigun he was carrying... and it LAUNCHED the minigun spinning off into the distance. I'd say it traveled at LEAST 100 feet before landing. Absolutely hilarious. Now all we need is for someone to make a mod that adds an NPC version of the "Lone Wanderer," so that we can be the Stranger and follow him around in sneak mode and help him on his quest, lol.... 12.204.48.130 08:25, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
Nocturne...?[]
Well, here's an interesting thought. There was a PC game released in 1999 called Nocturne. The protagonist in that game was a trench coat and fedora-clad man who used pistols (and eventually other weapons as the player acquired them) to dispatch supernatural enemies. He was referred to simply as "the stranger." Now, the first Fallout game was released two years earlier in 1997, so I'm not sure that there is a connection at all. (In Fallout, the Mysterious Stranger didn't actually appear wearing the now-familiar costume, but he did appear that way in the icon for the perk.) Who knows... perhaps the Nocturne character was inspired by the original Fallout perk, rather than vice-versa? Anyway, here's a screenshot for your perusal, and here is more info about the game.68.53.137.48 02:03, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
or he could be the mysterious stranger from the adventures of mark twain.
Friendly fire[]
Is he supposed to be able to shoot you? Because he did. Spoon 21:48, 7 July 2009 (UTC)
Does this really happen?[]
I'm new here, and I was reading the Mysterious Stranger page when I saw this: "During the mission to defeat the Enclave at Project Purity, he may spawn near Enclave troops and be killed by crossfire from Liberty Prime's eye-beams." Now, I'm not sure this is possible, him being essential and all, but I was asking before editing in case someone found someting to the contrary. --NukaPepper 02:34, 10 July 2009 (UTC)
Well im sure it doesn't happen, cuz it says he's essential, so whoever put that is kinda retarted.... Onipix 02:39, 10 July 2009 (UTC)
I wouldn't be calling other people retarded considering how you used proper English and spelling in the last paragraph. Oh wait, you didn't.
On mine there were no enclaves near him,and Liberty Prime knocked him uncounscious.
Yes, it's already been said on the article that it is possible if he spawns between the player and the target that he may be shot and crippled or knocked unconscious.
Too glitchy...[]
I took this perk on one of my characters for the entertainment value of it. I mean, it's unique, right? So eh, maybe it'll be useful too. Well, it was useful sometimes, I have to admit. Although this article says he can kill a behemoth in one hit, I've seen him fire on a power-armored Enclave NPC four times, hit all four, and whittle away hps until it was dead. So, effective? Yeah - that time, though there were other times in the past that he did NOT kill his target (rare though). Efficient? Not really when you consider I was still being shot up by 4 other Enclave units. Couple all this with the time shortly thereafter that he appeared (he obviously appears quite frequently, so don't let appearance chance deter you from taking this perk) on the same roof, near the crawler during the Broken Steel quest, V.A.T.S. just sat there forever. He appeared, he shot, and then I waited. I watched my follwer in slow motion get blown up by a missle, myself get continuously pelted with plasma rifle blasts, and just waited. Nothing changed, eventually Fawkes had killed everything, and I couldn't progress. That's not the first time he glitched either. So, if you're going to take this perk, consider saving at regular intervals for the somewhat frequent reloads your going to have to do due to his glitchy nature.--Sigan 17:26, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
Possible glitch in Mothership Zeta?[]
This was quite odd when I saw this, it really confused me as this has never happened to me before. I was in the Weapons Lab, walking up some stairs. 2 aliens came after me, both with those forcefield shields. I went into VATS to use my Atomic Pulverizer, but due to a previous encounter with aliens seconds before, I was low on AP and could not kill the one I targeted. The Mysterious Stanger came and killed the alien I targeted, and then turned to the other alien I did not yet attack (as he commonly does, so he may attack other nearby enemies) Please note this alien was at FULL health, the Mysterious Stranger shot him once and disappeared. When I exited VATS, the alien was STILL ALIVE with exactly 1 health! Has anyone seen this before? --MightyKingJohan 14:19, 6 August 2009 (UTC)
- Maybe the Alien shield cloaks work better than we thought? Nitty 01:37, September 15, 2009 (UTC)
shoot an already dead target?[]
on the 360 i was attempting to be evil so i could gain the achievment at lvl 20, all i needed was 1 kill, i unfortuantly had the whole town of megaton come into the room i was in at the time, i went into vats and killed a person, and too my surprise the mysterious stranger appeared and shot at his already dead corpse several times, i don't see anyone else talking about it so maybe i misinterpreted my kill(perhaps shot someone else?) but has anyone killed someone/something to have the mysterious stranger still show up and wastefully shoot the target? 32.139.69.158 03:51, 7 August 2009 (UTC) liquidwater
Yeah, it's happened to me before. ~ HAZMAT82 04:08, 7 August 2009 (UTC)
Me too! ThePog 14:55, January 11, 2010 (UTC)
It seems he really doesn't like radroaches 76.116.211.71 07:11, January 18, 2010 (UTC)
He does that all the time in V.A.T.Sed a raider and he die, Mr Stranger came along shot all 6 rounds in to the dead raider then left, compleatly ignoring the others. JASPER42
What the hell?[]
He seems to enjoy popping up whenever I'm in the middle of punching the crap out of someone. Like, before I even finish, I see a round of magnum shots coming from off screen, shooting my target into little chunks. And every time I check the 'Mysterious Stranger visits' it says at 17 and doesn't increase.
So he's prematurely popping up a lot for me when I'm in close quarters combat, and I guess since he's appearing early, it doesn't affect the statistics. Can't remember if this happens when I'm using a gun. Anyone else have a similar experience? 68.151.53.77 06:55, September 22, 2009 (UTC)
Using my Unarmed character, he seems to do this all the time. With my other, more gun focused characters he only shows up in his usual flashy way. And sometimes he'll even target other characters in the room that i'm not even attacking in VATS... does he act different for melee characters or something? CloudT 09:46, April 25, 2010 (UTC)
Followed me into the Anchorage Simulation...[]
Helped me kill a few enemies there, but it surprised me that he would appear in a simulated location. --173.22.187.126 06:10, December 1, 2009 (UTC)
Hyped Nuka Vs. The Mysterious Stranger[]
While testing the nuka grenade on a super mutant behemoth with explosives skill at about 18000 (Chinease stealth armor glitch + raider blastmaster hemlet), I managed to kill the mysterious stranger!! He layed dead on the ground until the V.A.T.S sequence was over, then he was gone. This was done on the xbox 360.
- You cannot kill the Mysterious Stranger. He has 10114 HP, and is essential. Nitty Tok. 21:14, March 30, 2010 (UTC)
- While it is possible in very rare circumstances for the Mysterious Stranger to be rendered unconscious, he cannot be killed. As Nitty has stated he is an "essential" character. phoenix txt
00:16, March 31, 2010 (UTC)
It's true. he cant die. JASPER42
The Useless Stranger?[]
I was in Point Lookout and was being chased by a Feral Ghoul Reaver, I went into VATS and shot him, the mysterious stranger showed up and started firing at the reaver, he was right beside him, yet the reaver was left unhurt, the bullets did no damage whatsoever.
Bug?[]
I ran into a glitch today trying to get the Giant Teddy Bear. Hadn't set up the mines for the attempt or anything though, so that's unrelated. I went into VATS to kill two of the raiders (who apparently respawn in these sattelite towers, unlike the rest of indoor places) with headshots using the blackhawk. In the process I heard the Mysterious Stranger tune, but he didn't show up and one of the raiders shrunk to a small size (the height of a lawnmower; http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i198/TLS4_GatorBait/Raider.jpg). I don't know if it was a bug with VATS, the raider, or the Mysterious Stranger.
Soon after, I went into VATS to kill another raider, but this time the headshot connected and did no damage to the raider. Instead, I got a message saying the Mysterious Stranger's head was crippled, or he was just unconscious (I don't remember). Didn't want to add this to the bugs list, as I don't know what caused this.
Mysterious Stranger chance?[]
Does anyone know what the formula for the chance of the mysterious stranger appearing is? It seems to me, the more dire your situation, the higher chance he'll appear. At the shooting range aboard Mothership Zeta, I had been there for maybe an hour, and he did not appear even once. However, later, I was fighting a rather large mob of raiders (maybe 10 or so) and they were dealing a decent amount of damage to me. At a low health, he appeared twice. So, it seems, the lower your health, the higher the chance of his appearance. It may also have something to do with how many of, and what kind of enemies you're fighting.
Mysterious Magnum[]
I was playing Fallout New Vegas and durring a Mysterious Stranger visit, I saw that he was using the Mysterious Magnum from the game, nickel finish and pearl grips in all.
Family[]
The Mysterious Stranger looks so much like The Lonesome Drifter. And I have the craziest idea ever. What if Miss Fortune is The Lonesome Drifter's Mother???? This would be like...a whole new story. Now I'm curious. Thanks a lot, Obsidian. The Unknown User 05:14, November 28, 2010 (UTC)
Mysterious Stranger/Monte Carlo Bug?[]
Has anyone else encountered the Mysterious Stranger just standing in one of the Monte Carlo Suites rooms? Oddly enough I was walking through when I somehow targeted him in V.A.T.S. and he's just been standing there for a while. I tried killing him a few times to take his gun but no luck. He kills me in 1 shot. He even chased me out of the room so he wasn't stuck inside a wall. He also never appeared when I was using V.A.T.S. inside the suites. Weird eh?
I cannot recommend this perk[]
I wouldn't recommend this perk for anyone. If it worked exactly as it was supposed to then it might be cool, but in practice I've noticed the Mysterious Stranger seldom shows up, and even if he does its usually after the enemy is already dead anyway. There are also a lot of problems that can occur if he shows up where you get stuck in VATS with not way to get out and you forced to load from your last save. For that reason alone I will never use this perk ever again. The game is buggy enough as it is, but this is something you at least have the option of avoiding. A better idea would be to choose perks that make YOU more powerful so that you can more easily deal with enemies YOURSELF so you don't need a helping hand from Mysterious Stranger. That's my 2 cents. --108.70.58.56 13:26, April 3, 2011 (UTC)
- Have to agree with you there, I've only had the Mysterious Stranger appear once in New Vegas and by then I was at a high enough level where I didn't need his help. --Fezgod 19:35, August 7, 2011 (UTC)
- I don't completely agree with you. The Mysterious Stranger appeared over 30 times in my game (±70 hours of playing). If he doesn't appear, it is probably because your Luck level is too low. If you don't/didn't spend/t points into Luck, then you shouldn't take this Perk indeed. But yes if you do.
- ~ Scribe Aurora
- At 70 hours you should have roughly 1200-1500 total kills, to say he showed up 30 times pretty much proves the point the others were trying to make. Seeing as he's just as likely to show up while you're killing a mole rat as a deathclaw, he most likely only helped you when you needed it 10 times at best. As the others have said, it's pretty mush a useless perk. ReapTheChaos (talk) 00:52, November 29, 2012 (UTC)
- 130h into the game(New Vegas) 8 points in luck, 8 combined visits of Mysterious Stranger and Miss Fortune (Very Hard + Harcore) => next to useless in NV
Mysterious stranger and the puppet man. one and the same?[]
my friend was playing fallout 3 an recovered the vault 77 jumpsuit. shortly afterwards, while fighting Eulogy Jones, the mysterious stranger appeared, dressed in a vault jumpsuit and had a small object at his feet that appeared to be a vault boy figure minus the legs. I also had a encounter like this. has anyone else seen something like this?
- No, because that's obviously false.177.4.59.94 10:24, June 27, 2015 (UTC)
Follower[]
I have mentioned that whenever I try killing my follower in V.A.T.S. (I do this when I'm bored) and the Mysterious Stranger appears he just stands there with his gun. The bug section already mentions this, but when I try to kill my follower this always happens. I have added this bug and it needs verification.
I think this could be because the game takes into account that you may have accidentally attacked your follower, and it would be quite annoying if the Mysterious Stranger kills him.
~ Scribe Aurora
Mezzable?[]
In Fallout 3 can the mysterious stranger be accidentally mezzed? --Xclockwatcher 17:23, November 20, 2011 (UTC)
When does the roll occur?[]
In both Fallout 3 and NV, is there any way to use V.A.T.S. to overly exploit this perk? For instance, if the roll occurs at the start of a V.A.T.S. sequence, then using a separate sequence for each individual shot would greatly increase the chance of him appearing. Or, if the roll occurs during each individual shot/expenditure of AP, then a weapon with low damage and a miniscule AP cost, when used together with this perk, could become just as dangerous as a powerful weapon with a moderate/high AP cost, simply because of the greater number of chances to summon the Mysterious Stranger. So, exactly what in V.A.T.S. triggers a chance for the Mysterious Stranger to appear, and is it the same in both Fallout 3 and NV? --ISmartMan (talk) 11:59, July 24, 2012 (UTC)
Fallout Tactics[]
This perk exists in Fallout Tactics files. Is it available to take or just mentioned? --Korney San (talk) 08:01, January 29, 2013 (UTC)
Fallout 2[]
In this page it states that he only shows up in hostile encounters. I know this isn't true though. I don't want to edit the page though without some confirmation on this from someone else. I have often just stopped while traveling, and entered the cell I was on. (via the little triangle) Very often, he will be encountered on an empty map, and will simply be standing there. He also won't run off like he does after hostile encounters. I get bored sometimes, and do this to steal his ammo for fun. So if someone can load a Fallout 2 game, and try this out, and update that, it'd be nice. Deadling (talk) 12:04, February 8, 2014 (UTC)
- I also want to state that the reason I don't simply update myself, is not sure how to word it. I can load my Fallout 2 save and get a screenshot if you'd like also. I just want correct info for it, since Fallout 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. If you want the screenie, just ask.
Deadling (talk) 12:24, February 8, 2014 (UTC)
- I simply added it as a Note, and in the description of the game for my findings. I don't currently have Fallout installed, just FO2. So I can't confirm for Fallout 1 if it's the same there. Not even sure if I can get Fallout 1 to run correctly on Windows 7.
Deadling (talk) 02:33, February 17, 2014 (UTC)
Duration[]
I can't be the only one who's been killed or injured when I otherwise wouldn't have been as a result of the very gratitious amount of time the game seems to spend showing him when he does show up. Yes, he looks cool, but it's no use to me how nice of a supreme gentleman he looks if I have to watch a rat gnaw my face off the background.
--222.154.232.126 21:03, December 29, 2014 (UTC)
Fallout 4?[]
There is a scene in the FO4 trailer where a fedora-wearing man approaches the player in a night street. I can't think of any reason this scene was included except to hint at his appearance, which has me wondering if he will be given a canonical explanation this time around? 198.84.235.232 17:40, June 4, 2015 (UTC)
Looks like its highly possible he looks to much like the Stranger to NOT be him 84.155.101.138 09:32, June 8, 2015 (UTC)
Fallout 4: Nick Valentine[]
In Fallout 4 Nick Valentine keeps a detective case file on the stranger near his bed in his agency.
He notes their appearance in the former NCR and now appearing on the East Coast. He suspects it could be a less irradiated ghoul to explain the time gap.
We should probably transcribe it and put it up there.