Erickson

Erickson, or Erikson, is a friendly Super Mutant on the Island.

Background
Erickson came to the Island with a group of super mutants, who established themselves at the Vim! Pop factory. He subsequently left his peers, stating that he did not see the point in killing others any longer. He comments that this change in perception may have been due to the Fog or Vim, but that when he questioned his own group's need for hostility, they threatened to kill him. In order to escape, Erickson locked the leader, a behemoth named Grun, up in the basement of the factory. He knew that the others would struggle to unlock the terminal, providing enough time for him to leave unseen.

He subsequently settled at the Horizon Flight 1207 crash site, building a home for himself in the airplane wreckage. He shares his residence with several dogs, who he takes in, cares for, and trains. He crafts his own clothing, such as the bearskin hat he wears. Erickson comments that he trades with others when he can, mentioning that the inhabitants of Far Harbor do not leave their settlement any longer due to the Fog. He developed a friendship with Old Longfellow, who he will recognize and greet if accompanying the Sole Survivor.

Other interactions

 * He will sell guard dogs to the player character, including a wolf (or variant of a wolf), a junkyard dog (or another variant) and a mutant hound. Their names are randomly selected after Gracie, Duke and Mishka are bought.
 * Once the player character buys one of Erickson's dogs, it will take him about a week to refill that spot with a new one.
 * He has three dogs to choose from: a wolf (or variant of a wolf), a junkyard dog (or another variant) and a mutant hound.
 * If a wolf or mutant hound is assigned by the player character to guard Bunker Hill or Nuka World raider settlements, the radiation they emit will cause surrounding characters to attack them. This may also happen at other settlements where Bunker Hill caravans visit if the wolf or hound gets close enough for the caravan workers to sustain radiation damage from their presence.
 * All dogs may spawn as any variety every time a new one is available, but the types which can spawn depends on the player character's level. However, all purchased dogs will level with the player character and will be just as strong as their type regardless of which variant they are. For example a purchased grey wolf is going to be just as strong as a purchased glowing wolf other than the lack of radiation of the glowing variant.
 * If the player character arrives and Erickson isn't present, his dogs may attack. If the player character kills them, Erickson will become hostile.
 * He provides information on various parts of the Island, including Echo Lake Lumber, the Nucleus, and Harbor Grand Hotel.

Companion reactions

 * Longfellow will like when the Sole Survivor purchases the first and second of Erickson's hounds.
 * If accompanied by Strong upon meeting Erickson, he will dislike the player character for meeting, but will not say anything.
 * If Dogmeat is the current companion, Erickson will give him a blue bandana.

Appearances
Erickson appears only $$

Behind the scenes
Erickson was designed by Bethesda level designer Drew Langlois. The randomly generated names of dogs consist of those submitted by members of their development team.

Bugs
Erickson will frequently walk away from the player character while they are attempting to converse with him. This interrupts whatever Erickson is saying, and the game assumes the player character heard everything and moves to the next dialogue when they return.
 * PC players can prevent this by pulling down the console, clicking on Erickson and typing the command . This will prevent him from moving until it's undone by typing.