With its iconic Power Armor, The Brotherhood of Steel is the most recognizable faction inFallout, and it appearance inFallout 4is no different. Although the Brotherhood blares out a message of peace during its grand entrance into the Commonwealth, the actions of the faction at times fail to reflect this, giving them a mixed and somewhat problematic reputation. However, there is one piece of evidence hidden on the Prydwen that paints this divisive group in a wholly negative light.
The Brotherhood of Steel inFallout 4is no stranger to controversy, with their views on Gen 3 Synths and ghouls rubbing many who play the game the wrong way. This can often lead tothe highly militaristic and technology-focused faction being viewed as fascistsrather than the benevolent force they claim to be. Indeed, within theFalloutfanbase, the opinion of the Brotherhood can swing between them being the good guys to very misguided to villainous, but there is a particular detail inFallout 4that firmly swings the needle in the direction of the bad guys.
Terminal Hints The Brotherhood Destroyed Rivet City
The Brotherhood Seem To Have Put Themselves Over The Lives Of Civilians
Dotted throughout the Prydwen, the massive airship that serves as the Brotherhood’s flying base, are terminals that give insight into the background of the personnel on board. However, there is one entry, found on Elder Maxson’s terminal, that strongly hints thatthe Brotherhood took the reactor for the Prydwen from Rivet City, the largest settlement in the Capital Wasteland. Given the wording of the entry, the implication seems to be that the Brotherhood stole from a civilian settlement in order to get the Prydwen into the Commonwealth as quickly as possible, most likely to the detriment of Rivet City.
Evidence Supporting The Theory The Brotherhood Crossed A Line
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The evidence can be found in a message from Proctor Ingram to Maxson called Ingram IG-444PR - Prydwen Concerns. In it, she outlinesher concerns for the Prydwen’s main engines and the ship’s coolant, something she will also speakFallout 4’s Sole Survivorabout if asked, and will start a radiant quest. In the message, Ingram says:“As you know, in order to get the Prydwen rapidly to the Commonwealth, I had my engineering team pull her older power plant and replace it with an updated fusion plant we pulled from that aircraft carrier wreckage.”
Many have speculated that this means that the Brotherhood of Steel probably wiped out Rivet City by taking their reactor. Although the aircraft carrier in the message isn’t named Rivet City,the theory is based on the assumption that there is no way the settlement would just hand over its fusion reactor. Therefore, it is most likely the Brotherhood took it by force. This theory is supported by the Brotherhood’s actions within the Commonwealth as well as by other Brotherhood members such as Scribe Haylen.
“As you know, to get the Prydwen rapidly to the Commonwealth, I had my engineering team pull her older power plant and replace it with an updated fusion plant we pulled from that aircraft carrier wreckage.”
In her personal logs, found on a terminal in the Cambridge Police Station, Haylen writes about the Brotherhood:“The leadership seems especially misguided. Instead of diplomacy, they wield violent confrontation to exert control.”Proctor Quinlan, meanwhile, notes:“Elder Maxson reigns supreme in the Capital Wasteland”in a book he’s writing about the rise of Elder Maxson. Indeed,the option of others outside of the Brotherhood seems to be that they will take what they want just like raiders, a view voiced by Porter Gage if the Sole Survivor is a member of thefaction inFallout 4.
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The final piece of evidence is the behavior of Proctor Teagan. Teagan will approach the Sole Survivor and ask them to procure food from settlements“by any means necessary”, leaving it up to the player how far they will go. Teagan attitude can best be seen in an entry from Teagan to Kells where he states that he wants to send out Vertibird to shadow trade caravans and ‘assist’ if they run into trouble to get better prices. While this might seem benevolent, it isa clear intimidation tactic designed to show that the Brotherhood is everywhere and powerful.
Other Options For How The Prydwen Got Its Reactor
There Are Realistic Alternatives That Aren’t As Negative
There are, of course, other ways to explain how the Prydwen got its reactor that don’t mean the destruction of Rivet City but still make sense given Ingram’s wording in her entry.The most obvious answer is that the Brotherhood found another aircraft carrier, one that is not seen inFallout 3. Given that the United States was at war in theFalloutuniverse just before the bombs dropped, it makes sense that more than one would have been stationed close to the capital, and once the Enclave was dealt with, the Brotherhood was able to explore the area more.
Paladin Danse claims to originally be from Rivet City, and he ran a junk stand in the market with his friend Cutler before both men joined the Brotherhood of Steel.
There is also the slim possibility that people weren’t living in Rivet Cityanymore thanks to Project Purity. Rivet City was already a terrible place to live with the rust in the air causing terrible health problems, but people were there out of necessity as it was the safest place to live in the Capital Wasteland. So there is a chance that residents might have taken the first chance to leave it, with perhaps newer settlements being established in the area.
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However, the strongest alternative theory comes from real life, asaircraft carriers have more than one reactor. So even if Rivet City is the aircraft carrier Ingram mentions, there is the possibility that the Brotherhood traded for one of them. In the wake of Project Purity, raider activity in the Capital Wasteland got a lot worse, so the settlement might have given up a reactor for something more useful, like weapons or extra defenses.
Also, with aircraft carriers having multiple reactors and Rivet City being in two pieces, with one half flooded and home to mirelurks, it’s very probable thatthe reactor could have come from the unoccupied wreckage of that section. This would fit better with Ingram’s use of the word wreckage and her not naming Rivet City directly. Although much has been said about the difference in leadership styles of Elder Lyons and Elder Maxson inFallout 4, pulling the power supply from a settlement may have been a step too far even for the ruthless young Elder.
