| Brotherhood of Steel | |
|---|---|
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| Series | Fallout |
| First appearance | Fallout (1997) |
| Most recent appearance | Fallout (2024) |
| Created by | R. Scott Campbell |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Quasi-religiousparamilitary organization |
| Founded | October 20, 2077 (de facto), 2082 (de jure) |
| Location | |
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| Key people |
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| Technologies | Power Armor Energy Weapons Zeppelins |
| Enemies |
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TheBrotherhood of Steel (often abbreviated toBoS) is a fictional organization fromFallout, apost-apocalypticvideo game andTV series franchise. Descended from asecessionist group ofUnited States Armed Forces soldiers, the Brotherhood collects and preserves advanced pre-wartechnology. However, they are not generally known for sharing this knowledge, even if doing so would improve the quality of life among the people of the wasteland.
The Brotherhood faction has been present in everyFallout game to date.[1]
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Due to the fragmented nature of the Brotherhood, existing in multipleExpeditionary Forces (known as "Chapters"), a set structure is hard to follow. All Chapters follow achain of command, known as "The Chain That Binds", with six ranks used universally by all. These are, in ascending importance, Squire, Initiate, Knight, Paladin, Sentinel, and Elder.
All Chapters stem from the original Western Brotherhood seen inFallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, and usually take on names relating to their location, such as the Appalachian Brotherhood (Fallout 76), Mojave Chapter (Fallout: New Vegas), and the Eastern Brotherhood (Fallout 3 andFallout 4).
Within each chapter, two groups exist: Scribes and Paladins. Scribes are the non-combatant medical officers, scientists and engineers, responsible for all logistical matters within each chapter and are subdivided into different "orders". Members of the Order of Swords are responsible for the maintenance of advanced weaponry and power armor. The Order of Shields are responsible forreverse engineering civilian technology for medical and defensive purposes. The Order of Scrolls are responsible for intelligence gathering and the recovery and acquisition of advanced schematics and pre-war knowledge in the form of books and other media. Paladins are the combatant "armed forces" of the Brotherhood and are the main users of power armor and advanced energy weaponry. These members are the main components of the teams which recover old world high technology, as well as the members who combat threats to the Brotherhood (such as mutants, the Enclave, and theNew California Republic (NCR)). Brotherhood paladins traditionally are the members which can ascend to the rank of elder in a chapter, although certain scribes have been known to become elders, such as in Elder Elijah's case.
The Brotherhood have been shown to have an internal affairs division, known as the Circle of Steel. At least one member (Christine) is known to have been sent after a rogue Elder (Elijah) in theFallout: New Vegas add-onsOld World Blues andDead Money.
The Brotherhood was created by R. Scott Campbell, who stated that he "simply wanted a group exactly like the monks from the Guardian Citadel inWasteland". He stated that he "really wanted the player to be able to befriend and join up with this group (and grab all of their awesome gear, of course)". He added that while "this did make them similar to concepts inGamma World andWarhammer 40K", he "just loved the idea of high-techknights in power-armor", calling their creation "totalfan service to me".[2]
The Brotherhood of Steel made its first appearance in the originalFallout video game and has been present in every entry in the series since. It is also the central faction of two spin-off titles,Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel andFallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
The depictions of the Brotherhood have greatly varied. They are first shown to be an enigmatic, militaristic cult that the protagonist may join inFallout, who can be critical to defeating the Master, the main antagonist. The Brotherhood has a different appearance inFallout 2, where they are shown to have outposts throughout the wasteland and are in cooperation with the NCR.
InFallout 3, the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel were portrayed as an altruistic organization dedicated to protecting the wastelanders from raiders andsuper mutants. The diversion in ideology has caused a splinter group to emerge called the Brotherhood Outcasts, who have no interest in assisting wastelanders but instead pursuing the Brotherhood's original mission of confiscating pre-War technology. If the player character chooses to assist Lyons, the Brotherhood faction soon becomes a dominant power in the region with much of the population appreciating its assistance, such as in operating a massive water filtration project to make the region's water supply safely drinkable.
Other chapters, like the Mojave chapter in New Vegas, remained isolationist and were chiefly focused on obtaining pre-War technologies and often used extreme measures to obtain them, such as terrorizing wastelanders and even becoming embroiled in a war with the New California Republic before the events of the game. The war with the NCR left the chapter very weakened, with around half of their paladins and knights lost after the NCR invaded the Mojave chapter's original headquarters in a decisive victory. Depending on the player character's actions inNew Vegas, the Mojave Brotherhood chapter can maintain the statusquo, make peace with the NCR, or be destroyed.
By the time Arthur Maxson succeeded Owen Lyons as Elder of the Eastern chapter during the events ofFallout 4,[3] the Brotherhood had reverted to their original mission of confiscating and reverse engineering lost pre-war technology, reunified with the Outcasts, and re-established contact with their superiors on the West Coast.[4] The Brotherhood are one of the pivotal factions inFallout 4, and players may choose to either side with them or join another faction to eliminate the Brotherhood in order to progress the narrative of the game's main storyline.
The Brotherhood are heavily featured in the Steel Dawn update toFallout 76, as part of an expansion pack called Fractured Steel.[1] In that game, it is led by Paladin Leila Rahmani, who arrived from California with her troops to establish a new Appalachian chapter.[5][6]
A main character of the 2024 television adaptationFallout, Maximus, is depicted as asquire in the Brotherhood's West Coast chapter. After being mistreated by his knight Titus, he refuses to save the knight's life following a Yao Guai attack, stealing the power armor and assuming his identity. Maximus, in the guise of Titus, is later sent his own squire, Thaddeus.[7][8][9][10]
A Brotherhood of Steel member clad inPower Armor is featured as part of a range ofFallout-themedFunko Pop figurines which were first released in 2015.[11]
Brendan Lowry of Windows Central called the Brotherhood's quest line inFallout 4 morally grey, saying that while "The Minutemen are the "good guys" [...] and the Institute are unquestionably evil", "the Brotherhood is the only faction [...] that makes youcritically think." Saying that "when the Brotherhood arrives in the Commonwealth, they make a promise to defend the people living there", things start to change later, and the Brotherhood "shows its enemies no mercy" regardless of whether they are hostile. Lowry states that "there's a strong argument to be made both for and against the Brotherhood's ideology".[12]
Controversy arose among fans due to aretcon of the Brotherhood in the plot ofFallout 76. Despite establishedFallout lore stating that "first recorded activity from the Brotherhood of Steel was in California in the year 2134,"Fallout 76 establishes a Brotherhood presence "in West Virginia in the year 2102", something that "should be downright implausible if not impossible".[13] Bethesda explained this discrepancy with the use of a "functioning satellite" that allowed the Brotherhood of Steel to extend their reach to Appalachia.[14]
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