Arcade Gannon

Arcade Israel Gannon (born 2246) was a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse and possible companion in 2281. Arcade is currently researching the potential medicinal uses of naturally occurring compounds in the Mojave Wasteland for the chapter residing in Freeside's Old Mormon Fort. Research into the project is slow going, as Arcade considers many of the avenues "fantastic improbabilities" but is enthusiastic about helping people regardless. However, if someone were to come to him with a more pressing issue, he would step away from his research to help with more pressing matters.

Background
Arcade Gannon is the son of an Enclave officer, born in Navarro in 2246, four years after the destruction of Control Station Enclave. His father died while Arcade was still an infant, killed in combat on an away mission; to this day, the specifics of his father's death are unknown to him. As he grew up, he bonded closely with his mother and his surrogate family, the Enclave Remnants, a group that had formerly served in the same unit as his father. In the wake of the NCR's sacking of Navarro, the group fled the area and attempted to integrate into civilian life, but this was short-lived. Between the Republic and the Brotherhood of Steel both launching aggressive campaigns to track down all personnel that had not already been killed or detained during the siege, the Remnants were forced to retreat further into the eastern territories.

They eventually settled in the Mojave Wasteland and started new lives, their past associations kept secret for fear of further reprisals. Gannon joined the Followers of the Apocalypse to find a peaceful application for his skills and began working in Freeside. Though he's attempted to put the past behind him, he continues to dwell on the shared experiences of his family and his father's old unit, hoping that someday he can repay the Remnants for their unwavering loyalty to both him and his mother. Gannon trained as a doctor with the Followers in the NCR. He prefers research to healing because he is "not good with people." In his spare time he reads "Pre-War books about failed socioeconomic policies". Gannon speaks fluent Latin, although he is quick to assure the Courier that it was not a skill he picked up from Caesar's Legion.

Personality
Arcade is highly intelligent, personable, and quick-witted. He sports a strong self-deprecating sense of humor, which he frequently uses to deflect questions of a personal nature. He shares the idealism of the Followers, but he also tries to be more pragmatic than some of his colleagues. He understands the post-apocalyptic world is one in which sometimes people just have to be killed, but if something is failing it will fail on its own.

He has a deep-seated desire to effect societal change on a broad spectrum, but he is only too familiar with what can happen when ideals become more important than the needs of individuals. This has led him to take a more balanced approach to the troubles of the post-war landscape, taking up the Followers' cause to help those around him achieve independence, assisting in the effort to make the less fortunate communities become more self-reliant. Though he may concede that the NCR's motives are in some ways similar, it's likely that he sees their 'clean up' efforts as distressingly corollary to what he offhandedly describes as the 'fascist' tactics of the Enclave.

Arcade is strongly averse to groups he views as fascist and imperialist, such as the New California Republic and especially Caesar's Legion. Arcade feelings on Caesar's Legion are by far the strongest, viewing Caesar as a regressive megalomanic that's re-creating the past instead of creating anything new.

Relationships
Forced to conceal his past for fear of NCR persecution, he has a desire for companionship from someone he knows he can trust. While he admits to having had many men in his life, he says "lovers make poor confidantes."

Arcade's mother has recently died, so the only people he remains close to are the Enclave remnants, whom he sees as an extended family, though they've grown distant from each other over the years. His closest bond is with Daisy Whitman, who he describes as being "the only woman in his life" after the death of his mother. His other experiences with the remnants vary. Memories of Judah Kreger are of him keeping the remnants together, an astonishing feat considering Cannibal Johnson and Orion Moreno's hostility, and how Kreger was always kind and welcoming to him but never getting too close. Arcade believe it was more of a sense of loyalty to his father. Arcade's memories of the other members are weak, but of Moreno, he remembers his unwavering loyalty to the Enclave, and of Cannibal Johnson he remembers his subversion of orders and him praising his father entirely and further comparing Arcade to him.

By far the most affecting memories Arcade has are of his father Mark Gannon. From the praise he's heard from all members of the remnants, he feels conflicted about his lot in life and how well he's lived up to the example his father set. Despite doing a great deal of good for people in Freeside, he still worries about whether or not the path he's taken is one his father could be proud of. Arcade still keeps his father's personal suit of power armor, should the need arise for it, but is at a crossroads between following his father's footsteps with the remnants or forging his own path he's personally proud of.

Recruiting as companion
There are several ways for the Courier to recruit Arcade. In each case, assuming the requirements are met, they just need to talk to him, exploring the dialogue options until some variant of "Why don't you come with me?" shows up. He will agree if any of the following are true:
 * The Courier has a high reputation with the Followers.
 * The Courier has successfully completed High Times and given Julie Farkas the needed medical supplies.
 * Note that for this approach, the Courier needs to first ask, "Do you need any help?" after which Arcade will thank the Courier for their work for the Followers and a "join me" option will appear.
 * The Courier can pass a Speech check of 75.
 * The Courier has the Confirmed Bachelor perk.
 * If the Courier has an Intelligence of 3 or lower while speaking with him, Arcade will take pity on them. Temporary Intelligence-reduction effects can be useful in this situation, for the Courier who cannot pass any of the other checks.
 * Similar to Craig Boone, if the Courier acquires some positive Caesar's Legion reputation, Arcade will refuse to join them. The Courier can wear NCR faction armor, and talk to him again. It will temporarily bypass the faction check, and allow him to join them.
 * However, unlike some of the other companions who are associated with their respective faction, having a negative reputation with the Followers of the Apocalypse does not affect the ability to recruit Arcade.

Quests

 * For Auld Lang Syne: After the Courier shifts the balance of power between factions and explores several locations Arcade will recall memories of his days with the Enclave. This will reunite the members of his father's old squad in order to have them render assistance in the upcoming battle at Hoover Dam.
 * Beyond the Beef: The Courier can offer Arcade (or any other human companion) as a substitute main course to Mortimer for the banquet. Mortimer makes remarks about his height and his chin.
 * Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues: Arcade can give Markland the specialized medical training he needs, bypassing the part of the quest that requires the retrieval of Tiny, Tiny Babies: All You Need to Know About Pediatric Medicine and Stress and the Modern Refugee: A Primer.
 * Et Tumor, Brute?: The Courier has the option of selling Arcade into slavery as Caesar's personal doctor, completing the quest but losing Karma.
 * ED-E My Love: When asked about which faction to send ED-E to near the end of ED-E My Love, he will unsurprisingly urge you to give it to the Followers.
 * That Lucky Old Sun: In HELIOS One (and after listening to Fantastic), Arcade will urge the Courier to divert power to Freeside and outer Vegas on the belief that the NCR already has power from Hoover Dam and Mr. House has resources unlike the unfortunate citizens of Freeside.
 * The White Wash: Arcade will be very vocal over his preference for the player character to help Tom Anderson rather than turn him in.

Other interactions

 * When recruiting Arcade with ED-E or Rex as a companion he will make a comment on either of them.
 * Wearing a Legion outfit before recruiting Gannon and trying to activate conversation with is impossible as he will refuse to talk to the player character, stating he is only willing to talk after saying "take off that ridiculous Legion uniform. It's insulting."
 * When putting Nuka-Cola in Arcade's inventory, Arcade will eventually drink the Nuka-Cola leaving only empty bottles and bottle caps.
 * Arcade will comment on many quest events as the player character finds or completes them, such as when Vulpes Inculta gives the player character the Mark of Caesar commenting that Vulpes is the Legion's "most notorious" spy, when being asked to plant a bug in the Lucky 38 by Emily Ortal, or activating ARCHIMEDES II.

Non-player character comments

 * As a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, Arcade is recognized all over the wasteland. When traveling with Arcade:
 * The citizens of Freeside will often say "Howdy, Arcade." and will sometimes state that they are surprised to see that he is outside the fort, as they thought that "those scientist types liked to stay indoors."
 * Members of Caesar's Legion will express their disbelief that a Follower had the courage to step out of Freeside.
 * Powder Gangers and escaped convicts will speak of him in a derogatory manner, calling Arcade "four eyes."
 * NCR citizens will berate the Courier for keeping company with "anarchist cultists" instead of "civilized persons."
 * Great Khans will say "I haven't seen a Follower around here in years."
 * The Kings gang members will comment "I see you've hired a Follower doctor. Smart move, with Freeside being what it is."

Making him quit
Arcade will get fed up with the Courier if they do or say things that he dislikes. He has an internal counter of "dislike" points that are increased by doing or saying stupid or mean things or doing things that hurt the Followers. Once he has accumulated 3 "dislike" points, he will warn the Courier that they are "acting crazy." Most of these possible "dislike" points may be obtained during The White Wash quest. At 6 points, he will leave permanently. He also tracks "like" points, but those are only used to decide if he will start the For Auld Lang Syne quest early or not.

The "dislike" points are triggered by the following statements or actions:
 * Relating to The White Wash quest:
 * 1 point for saying "Right. The Followers don't endorse his actions, and all that." when Arcade comments on Anderson, when visiting Westside after already having completed The White Wash without Arcade.
 * 1 point for saying "They profit from crime, now I profit, too." when Arcade chastises the Courier if they finished the quest by extorting money from the Westside Co-op.
 * 2 points for saying "Anderson killed White. He deserved to pay for what he did." when Arcade challenges the Courier if they finished the quest by killing Anderson.
 * 1 point for saying "What's done is done." when Arcade challenges the Courier if they finished the quest by killing Anderson.
 * 1 point for saying "You're assuming a motive without evidence. Please be rational." (which requires Intelligence 7), followed by "It was either this or spend the rest of his life in an NCR chain gang." when Arcade challenges the Courier, if they finished the quest by killing Anderson.
 * During the first visit to The Fort with Arcade along:
 * 2 points for saying "With how messed up New Vegas is, do you really think Caesar has nothing to offer?" followed by "Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting." when Arcade asks why they are there.
 * 1 point for saying "He seemed smart to me." after meeting Caesar for the first time when Arcade is a companion.
 * After speaking to Thomas Hildern (any conversation that ends with "Yes...Goodbye" or "Wrong turn?...") with Arcade (one time) he will talk about Hildern's motives.
 * 1 point for saying "But in the end, doesn't it all just come down to numbers anyway?"
 * 1 point for murdering non-hostile innocents. (Dislike is not raised until Arcade comments negatively.)

Arcade will leave immediately and permanently if any of the following happens:
 * The Courier responds to one of his challenges with some variation of "If you don't like it, leave."
 * They enter the Legate's camp in preparation to help Caesar attack Hoover Dam.
 * Convincing the Remnants to support Caesar's Legion during the For Auld Lang Syne quest.
 * Activating Archimedes I. (Diverting power to Archimedes II is not a problem.)
 * Reporting back to Caesar after assassinating Kimball. He will leave regardless of the Courier's preparation to move on to the final mission. He will stay as long as the quest is unfinished.

Inventory

 * Only worn if fighting at Hoover Dam.

** Because Arcade's Plasma Defender uses magical companion ammo instead of energy cells, it does not have the -2 DT effect that comes from using standard energy ammunition. Otherwise, the weapon has the same statistics as the standard version.

Appearances
Arcade Gannon appears only in Fallout: New Vegas, but was set to appear in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios (see Arcade Gannon).

Behind the scenes

 * Arcade Gannon was one of several player characters J.E. Sawyer used while playing a Fallout tabletop RPG developed by Chris Avellone. As a character, he is also inspired by Sawyer's idealism.
 * Sawyer possesses a notebook of his original design for Arcade's character, created during the course of this tabletop game. During an October 2020 livestream, Sawyer revealed some content from this notebook, including the reference image used for Arcade (see gallery). In Arcade's profile, he is stated to be 34 years old and around 145 pounds. His middle name was originally "Daniel."
 * When brought to The Fort, Arcade will get upset with the Courier and ask "What's going on? Am I playing Virgil to your Dante?" This is a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy.
 * Arcade's worst ending directly mimics the suicide of Cato when Julius Caesar became ruler of Ancient Rome; Cato slipped over while attempting to stab himself, and was forced to disembowel himself to succeed in what he sought; Caesar was unhappy at his death.
 * If questioned about the Legion's use of Latin, Arcade will respond that "Caesar can cite Cato to suit his purposes." This is a paraphrase of the line "The devil can cite scripture for his purpose," from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Bugs

 * Follower-related
 * If you have Lily and ED-E as a companion it is possible to recruit him as a third companion. This is also true for Veronica Santangelo. It is also possible to have Rex, Raul, and Arcade at the same time.
 * After dismissing Arcade as a companion to the Old Mormon Fort, he sometimes becomes un-recruitable again through dialogue. Dismiss your non-humanoid companion (ED-E or Rex) to the Lucky 38/their Home and try Arcade's dialogue again. His follower dialogue will reappear.
 * After completing For Auld Lang Syne and convincing Arcade to stay in Freeside instead of returning to Freeside he may just wander around the lucky 38 suite unrecruitable and just becomes an information hub until all of his speech options are exhausted. This happens when Arcade is sent to the Lucky 38, then completing For Auld Lang Syne. If you don't want Arcade in the Lucky 38 send him back to the Old Mormon Fort when firing him. This may happen even if he is not fired before completing the quest.
 * Sometimes he will still be recruitable after completion of For Auld Lang Syne. He will not display a companion screen and will die in casual mode instead of being knocked unconscious, but will still follow the player.
 * After completing his quest For Auld Lang Syne, when you talk to him you cannot exit the conversation. In order to exit, you must reload a save.
 * There is a way to get Arcade Gannon to still be your follower after For Auld Lang Syne. Be sure to save before you go outside as he can disappear after he gives you the Gannon family Tesla armor, you can follow him out when he is getting his father's armor and then ask him to be your follower again, as many times until it works, you have to pick the option to go back to Freeside as this is the only way he will not be locked in the remnants bunker's command center.
 * Sometimes when you don't have any followers, you may ask him to be a follower and he will claim that there are too many people in your party already. Recruiting Rex or ED-E before asking Arcade to join will alter his response tree and get him to accept your offer to join.
 * Arcade will occasionally die upon fast travel.
 * While in combat, explosions may occur around Arcade, and permanently cripple his legs. Trying to use stimpaks and/or doctor's bags will not work, nor does dismissing Arcade as your companion and waiting a considerable amount of time. (after dismissing him you can watch him hobble around at the Old Mormon Fort at Freeside). A possible fix is to change his apparel and get him to attack, this should bring him out of his crippled state. He will also be unable to fast travel with the Courier. Waiting for him to catch up is a possible solution if you cannot remember where you lost him.
 * Sometimes when you enter the Old Mormon Fort, Arcade may become duplicated.
 * Sometimes when either non-humanoid companions are in the party when conversing with Arcade the travel together option will not display, dismissing the other companion will allow him to be recruited.
 * When speaking to Arcade while he is recruited the option to tell him to follow you may not appear. This can be fixed by telling him to wait then telling him to follow you in the companion wheel.
 * Enemies turned to 'goo piles' by Arcade's plasma pistol will sometimes remain for the entire game. This can be especially annoying as it will take up more memory and possibly lead to lags in FPS.


 * Inventory-related
 * When Arcade returns any items the courier has given to him (Due to leaving should the player activate the Archimedes, or at the end of For Auld Lang Syne), it is possible that he will not re-equip his default Followers outfit, leaving him "naked" for the remainder of the game.
 * Give Arcade a pre-War bonnet to put on & the game rendering messes up. Might happen on other gaming platforms & maybe on different companions but not tested yet.
 * Boone will take his Plasma Defender if both are waiting in the Lucky 38. He will use it instead of his hunting rifle, leaving Arcade unarmed. The weapons don't appear on the inventory. A way to fix this bug is by doing the companion glitch with Veronica.
 * Sometimes after entering a casino and you hand over your weapons, Arcade will not get his default weapon back (or any you issued him) and will attack with fists (During this glitch I could not issue him another weapon, due to the fact he would equip it and the first time he engaged in combat he would instantly deplete the condition of the weapon to 0% and drop it saying "This weapon is done for") Not sure if this problem is isolated to the Xbox360.
 * Arcade will not use any GRA ranged weapons.
 * Sometimes if Arcade equips a weapon that is placed into his inventory, it will vanish from his inventory after fast-traveling and he will switch back to his Plasma Defender.
 * Sometimes weapons issued to Arcade such as the Gauss rifle may appear as though they have a full condition, but after a short battle with one or more enemies the weapon will become completely depleted with no warning except an occasional remark from Arcade about needing a new weapon. To further complicate matters, he will likely discard the depleted weapon, making it difficult or impossible to locate and repair. It is highly recommended that the courier saves the game frequently and checks his inventory often when giving Arcade any rare or named weapons.
 * Arcade might stop following the "stay back" command. This persists on any new or old save file. There is no known fix.