Deacon

Deacon is a Railroad agent living in the Commonwealth in 2287. He is a potential companion in Fallout 4.

Background
Deacon is a spy for the elusive synth liberation organization, The Railroad. When the Sole Survivor first approaches the group Deacon vouches for the Survivor's character to Desdemona, citing their accomplishments and potential. Privately he reveals he is pleased the Survivor sought the Railroad out on their own accord; he had already been keeping tabs on their activities in the Commonwealth and was hoping to recruit them. Should the Sole Survivor join up Deacon will become a companion.

At first glance Deacon is a laid back individual with a penchant for toying with people by lying. In reality he is a cautious, even near paranoid, loner who is slow to trust. As they travel together Deacon informs the Survivor that he was one of the first liberated Gen-3's and imparts his recall code: a verbal command that will provide information on the Institute at the cost of erasing his personality and memories. Later on Deacon claims that he was one of the original founders of the Railroad some seventy years before, and that Desdemona is merely the figurehead for his shadowy leadership. However, successfully passing speech checks will force him to admit these are lies. He warns the Sole Survivor to be wary of groups that will deceive them to achieve their own ends, and to focus on deeds instead of words.

Once Deacon has reached maximum approval he will confide that he feels out of place in the Railroad. He says that as a youth he was a member of the University Point Deathclaws, a gang which harassed people accused of being synths. Their antagonism escalated to a lynching that was based upon questionable information. Shaken by his part in the murder, Deacon left the gang to settle down as a farmer. Some time later he married a woman named Barbara. They intended to start a family, but the Deathclaws reemerged and attacked the farm. The gang had learned - to both Deacon's and Barbara's surprise - that Barbara was a synth. Enraged by her execution, Deacon butchered most of the Deathclaws in a bloodthirsty haze. In the aftermath of the slaughter he was contacted by the Railroad, who were evidently unaware of his prior affiliation with the UP Deathclaws. Despite believing himself undeserving, Deacon joined and swore himself to their cause.

Whether or not the Survivor chooses to believe his story, Deacon will thank them for putting up with his games. He says he is grateful to have a friend he can trust and assures the Survivor he is in their corner, no matter what.

Quests

 * Tradecraft: Deacon accompanies the Sole Survivor to the Railroad's previous headquarters to retrieve a lost prototype.
 * Precipice of War: The Sole Survivor and Deacon escort Tinker Tom to Cambridge Police Station to steal a Brotherhood vertibird.
 * Rockets' Red Glare: Using the stolen vertibird, the Sole Survivor and Deacon infiltrate and sabotage the The Prydwen.
 * The Nuclear Option: Deacon and the other members of the Railroad assault the Institute, freeing the synths within before blowing up the facility's nuclear reactor.
 * Tactical Thinking, End of the Line: He must be killed along with the rest of the Railroad.

Effects of player's actions

 * At maximum approval Deacon awards the Cloak & Dagger perk, which gives +40% duration for Stealth Boys and +20% damage from sneak attacks.
 * Deacon will become instantly hostile if the player character kills a settler or anyone involved in the Railroad.
 * Siding with the Brotherhood of Steel or the Institute in the endgame sequence will flag the player character an enemy of the Railroad, resulting in the loss of Deacon as a companion and turning him hostile.
 * After siding with the Minutemen and finishing the end game sequence without completing the optional quest, the Railroad and Deacon will turn hostile when the player character next speaks to Desdemona. You may still speak to other Railroad characters and complete quests for them.

Notable quotes

 * (When told to stay)
 * (When you decide to keep Buddy)
 * (After reaching the top of Trinity Tower)
 * (When seeing the Alien ship crash land)
 * (While getting rads from the lake across from Covenant)
 * (During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does)
 * (When told to stay)
 * (When you decide to keep Buddy)
 * (After reaching the top of Trinity Tower)
 * (When seeing the Alien ship crash land)
 * (While getting rads from the lake across from Covenant)
 * (During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does)
 * (When seeing the Alien ship crash land)
 * (While getting rads from the lake across from Covenant)
 * (During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does)
 * (While getting rads from the lake across from Covenant)
 * (During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does)
 * (During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does)
 * (During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does)

Appearances
Deacon appears only in Fallout 4.

Bugs

 * Deacon goes into a loop if one selects 'Talk' after he has given his recall code, denying exiting of power armor. This may be fixed by reading him the code, which is part of the story.
 * Reading the note then talking to him will allow to read the note aloud, triggering a conversation and ending the loop.
 * It's possible for Deacon to get stuck in an infinitely looped conversation with other companions when not in combat.
 * When in power armor, Deacon's outfit changes affect the armor too, and he will unequip whatever armor pieces are equipped.**Additionally, Deacon will unequip all armor pieces at the destination of your fast travel causing you to take him out of the armor, reattach all armor pieces and put him back into it. Deacon may lose the power armor, including the frame, during these changes. This can be seen sometimes in Diamond City when he changes into a Diamond City security outfit.
 * A rare glitch may occur where Deacon will keep his rifle out, except the trigger will be floating above his hand; he will not move and keep aiming with his rifle while remaining on the spot.
 * The only way to fix this is to fire him and come back for him later.
 * Sometimes when giving Deacon an outfit to wear, he will stay in that outfit even when trying to switch to a different outfit. The different outfit will change his body shape, but he will still be wearing the original outfit.
 * When doing the Police Station part of the Precipice of War-quest, talking with Deacon, and telling him to join you as his companion, can make him your permanent companion, without taking up a companion slot. If he is dismissed, he will say the usual goodbye stuff and you can send him to a settlement, but he will continue to follow, and fight alongside you. You may have other companions at the same time.
 * He can disappear when Father asks for the Railroad to be eliminated. He won't be in the Railroad HQ until the character sides with the Railroad or starts killing them. Once a side is chosen, the message "Deacon tolerates you" will appear and he talk to you about how you're acting crazy.

Gallery
Deacon Дьякон