Pierce (Steel Dawn)

Pierce is a raider in Appalachia.

Background
Before becoming a raider, Pierce states that he was studying hard in school for "a future that never came to be."

Pierce was once held prisoner by the employer of Burke. Although Burke acted as a guard, Pierce treated them with respect. Sheena arrived and the three decided to escape together.

Pierce is one of the three raiders that inhabit the Crater war room, along with Burke and Sheena, that Meg Groberg assigned to fight the Brotherhood. Pierce was the one to start the War Party, considering it a family, with his part being to talk and inform others about why they do what they do, and how important their efforts are. Although Meg was initially unsure if she should trust him with the responsibility of that fight, she realized that Pierce had a "silver tongue" and could easily recruit people to rally behind the cause of fighting the Brotherhood. Although the War Party is small, Pierce assures that the Party has support from dedicated Craterites, as well as mercenaries.

Personality
Sheena calls Pierce stubborn and tight to his morals, while Burke calls Pierce kind. Pierce admits he does not really understand Burke identifying as non-binary. Despite this, Pierce uses Burke's they/them pronouns, acknowledging that it makes Burke happy in the end.

Pierce has a deep hatred for the Brotherhood of Steel, seeing all the bad they do and predicting that they will keep demanding more from people. He also refers to the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force as fascists and tyrants.

He also believes that the Raiders and the Settlers are similar, as both groups of people looking for homes. He believes that Crater is the home for the raiders, wishing to keep Crater as its own place in Appalachia, free from others who may want to take their own space, create their own rules, and enforce said rules on others.

Quests

 * Property Rights: Upon entering the Makeshift Vault, the Vault Dweller is confronted by Pierce. Pierce dislikes Daniel Shin attempting to take the equipment by force, even backtalking at Shin. Shin calls Pierce a simple-minded brute, disappointing Pierce. Pierce will instead turn to the "forward scout" and engage in conversation. One can elect to use either Perception 8+ or Charisma 8+ to talk him down, either by pointing out his hopeless position or appealing to his sense of self-preservation. However, if the Vault 79 raid has already been completed by siding with the Raiders, one can choose to tell Pierce how they helped during the raid, and after realizing Meg thinks highly of the Vault Dweller, Pierce won't turn hostile. But, if the Dweller chose to take all of the gold bullion for themselves at the end of the Vault 79 raid, Pierce will refuse to listen. If the player chooses to take the weapons by force, backtracks by saying Pierce can keep the vault and the weapons, or exits the dialogue system, a battle ensues though Pierce will survive at the end. Shin will order Pierce be let go, once he realizes that Pierce - surrendered or not - will not reveal where the weapons came from, unless he is allowed to return to the Crater. Pierce will be found at the Crater war room, hidden in a broken-off piece of the station due north of the main encampment, with Sheena and Burke. Pierce will refuse to negotiate no matter what, so Sheena will offer the Vault Dweller a deal.
 * Missing Persons: Marcia is found speaking with Pierce, whose reaction toward the Vault Dweller is dependent on their previous interactions during Property Rights. Passing a Perception 12+ check allows for noting that Sheena and Burke are missing from the war room, which leads Marcia to admit that they went to AMS corporate headquarters in Watoga. With the secret out, Pierce makes it clear that Marcia is not coming back to Fort Atlas, and instead has to look for Sheena and Burke. He also recommends that the Vault Dweller assists her with her task.

Appearances
Pierce appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Steel Dawn update and expanded upon in Steel Reign.