Fawkes

Fawkes is a super mutant and possible companion for the Lone Wanderer in 2277. He is an outsider among his kin, having regained his civility and intelligence following the rigors of his mutation.

Background
Imprisoned in Vault 87's medical area, Fawkes in an anomaly among his brethren. Where the majority of mutants are aggressive, barely intelligent idiots, he is an educated, soft-spoken person that keeps his violent impulses in check. He is one of the original dwellers of the Vault, and can still remember glimpses of his past, of the Vault in its prime, with scientists and regular dwellers walking through the halls. However, these glimpses are all that remains of his past, and the inability to recall his past identity torments him to no end.

His origin is the same as any other Vault 87 super mutant: He was taken by the mutants and exposed to the modified FEV used in the Vault's Evolutionary Experimentation Program. However, unlike other victims of the virus, Fawkes managed to survive the mutation process with his mind intact. Where others would succumb to excruciating pain and become insane, he retained enough of his intelligence to be capable of speech immediately after the process completed. He was branded a failure by his captors and placed in isolation room 5 in the medical ward. Where normally he would be killed, he was different enough for the super mutants to keep him as a curiosity.

It is not known why Fawkes turned out different. It is possible that he had some innate genetic characteristic that granted him above average resistance to pain. It is also possible that the haphazard mutation process employed in Vault 87 malfunctioned in Fawkes' case. Interestingly, the mutation seems to have stabilized, as despite 200 years of age, Fawkes does not resemble a Behemoth, which is the typical end phase of the mutation process. However, not all was well. The damage caused by the mutation resulted in a warping of Fawkes' existing neural pathways, resulting in extensive memory loss.

Fawkes coped with the damage thanks to a working terminal still present in the recovery room that acted as his cell. Thanks to its connection to the Vault mainframe, Fawkes was able to study history, literature, science, and other subjects. The extensive database of book files gave him a wealth of knowledge and insight into a variety of subjects. An added motivation to learn was provided by his isolation. The super mutants kept him locked in the recovery room for over two centuries. In fact, the terminal was the only thing that kept him from going insane. In fact, it is from the history books contained within that Fawkes took his name, from a man willing to fight and die for his beliefs. Unfortunately, the super mutants recently realized that the terminal was keeping him sane and destroyed it to torment him.

Identity before mutation
A series of unused holotapes that were meant to be found in Vault 87 shed possible light on the identity of Fawkes.

The holotapes are part of a daily diary Shelton started to record, detailing his "life in one of Vault-Tec's newer vaults." The first tape is primarily an introduction, but the later tapes concern some bizarre sounds Shelton hears while on shift, and later something disturbing he witnessed.

Shelton's next recording reveals that his previous holotapes eventually came to the attention of the wrong people. The recording is made as Shelton is hiding in the reactor room. Before the recording abruptly ended, a door can be heard opening.

The fifth and final holotape reveals what eventually happened to Shelton after his capture.

It is important to note that, although Fawkes shares the same voice as most of the Capital Wasteland's super mutants, he is explicitly defined within the game's dialogue files as being the speaker in the final recording.

Though nothing is left to document why these recordings were not included in the final version of the game, Fawkes' demonstrated intelligence does not appear to be present in the fifth holotape recording; this is consistent with his statement that he had to work to become as intelligent and well-spoken again as he was at the time of meeting the Lone Wanderer.

Daily schedule
Fawkes lives in Isolation Room 05, a cell in Vault 87. Should he find a way out, he will be at the Museum of History inside the lobby and right outside of Raven Rock after the quest The American Dream. If Broken Steel is installed, after activating Project Purity, he can generally be found either in the room with Sawbones or in the Jefferson Memorial.

Quests

 * Finding the Garden of Eden: Fawkes pleads to be released from his cell. In exchange for release, Fawkes retrieves the Garden of Eden Creation Kit device from a radioactive section of the Vault, and then bids the Lone Wanderer farewell.
 * The American Dream: After the player character is incapacitated and taken to Raven Rock, home of the Enclave, Fawkes appears as the Lone Wanderer emerges from the base. He repels any Enclave soldiers with an acquired Gatling laser to aid the player character's escape. Any items given to Fawkes before the trip to Raven Rock will be gone when he is encountered yet again. If the Lone Wanderer's Karma is high enough, they have the choice to add Fawkes as a companion.
 * Take it Back!: When the player character is faced with the climactic decision at the conclusion of the game, Fawkes politely declines to enter the radioactive room in lieu of the Lone Wanderer (even though he is immune to radiation), stating that the decision is the player character's destiny and not his. However, if the player character has the Broken Steel add-on installed, the option to send Fawkes in will appear, allowing them to opt-out of entering themselves or Sentinel Sarah Lyons. When this option is used, he states that although he was going to tell the player character that their destiny lies in that chamber, he has already altered his own.

Other interactions

 * Recruiting Fawkes: Depending on the player character's Karma, Fawkes may agree to accompany them on future travels as a companion.
 * If the player character's Karma is too low, or if they fire him at any time, Fawkes can be later found wandering around the entrance to Underworld, located in the Museum of History. Fawkes may also return if left on his own for a significant length of time. By maintaining positive Karma, the option of recruiting him again will be available.
 * Equipment: The player character cannot equip Fawkes with different clothing, though his staggeringly large health bar and damage rate are more than enough for almost any situation. He can carry a total of 229 pounds of equipment.
 * Combat: Fawkes is extremely resilient thanks to the inherent thick skin natural to super mutants. Fawkes is highly skilled in all weapon categories (Small Guns, Big Guns, Energy Weapons, Explosives, Melee Weapons, and Unarmed).

Inventory

 * ¹Fawkes no longer carries this weapon once he appears at the conclusion of The American Dream

Fawkes is limited in the weapons he can use, and will only equip weapons from the following list. He will not equip any unique versions of the weapons below, including:

Appearances
Fawkes appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * Contrary to comment about Fawkes' gender made by his voice actor, lead designer Emil Pagliarulo has confirmed, "No, Fawkes was absolutely a male. This was a mistake. Wes gave an interview and he was mistaken. Trust me, Fawkes is and was male."
 * Much of the random dialogue heard from Fawkes as one wanders around with him can be heard as simple wasteland survival advice. However, there are also references to Zen philosophy, examples being, "Be aware of the present moment" and "There is safety in mindfulness."
 * Fawkes' battle cry of "Wake up... Time to die!" mirrors a quote from Leon to Deckard in the film Blade Runner.
 * When asked about his name, Fawkes answers that it was taken from a historical entry on his terminal, "The name comes from a man who was willing to fight and die for what he believed in." This refers to Guy Fawkes, an English Catholic who participated in the Gunpowder Plot, a failed assassination attempt on King James I of England.
 * Even though he is one of the two companions recruited with "Good" Karma, the other being Cross, Fawkes' Karma is "Neutral."
 * In Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, the protagonist "V" was also locked in cell number five, and wears an iconic Guy Fawkes mask.

Bugs

 * Fawkes is unable to use any unique weapons, including unique versions of weapons he is otherwise able to use (e.g. Eugene vs. the Minigun). This is caused by the list determining what weapons Fawkes is able to use missing the entries for these unique weapons.
 * If you do not free Fawkes and instead take the G.E.C.K. yourself then return after escaping Raven Rock and talk to him the speech options will be the same as if he had come to rescue you from Raven Rock, ("Fawkes, what are you doing out here?").
 * If you kill Fawkes after entering Broken Steel his body may follow you to Adams Air Force Base and back to the Citadel after being taken back via the Vertibird.
 * When Fawkes kills something, his Gatling laser may continue to play the sounds, even after he has holstered it. This can be fixed by saving and then loading the saved game.
 * Other fixes include engaging him in conversation and getting him to fire the weapon again or fast traveling to another location.
 * Fawkes will "not speak" to the player. Conversation dialogue initiates but he doesn't say anything. Pressing the "Activate" button doesn't help, making it impossible to trade equipment, fire him, etc. This forces the player to kill Fawkes to obtain the equipment given to him.
 * Fawkes will not be in the Museum of History after you fire him. He will sometimes be waiting for you at the entrance to The Pitt DLC.
 * Fawkes may have two super sledges in his inventory.
 * Upon freeing Fawkes, if you choose to retrieve the G.E.C.K. yourself and do not talk to Fawkes after doing so, he will not appear outside of Raven Rock. He will instead be waiting in Vault 87. and will react in the same manner that he would as if he were standing outside of Raven Rock.
 * When fired right before turning on the purifier, Fawkes will sometimes wait in the inaccessible area above the entrance to the Jefferson Memorial. Firing Fawkes anywhere in the Jefferson Memorial will result in this happening.
 * He may just die randomly (after having infinite health) possibly by a door or in the Museum of History.
 * While in the Satellite Relay Station during the Death From Above quest, if told to wait, then follow, Fawkes will not move, nor will he move if told he is "fired."
 * Fawkes may not appear at Raven Rock during your escape in The American Dream. This may happen if you decided to pick up the G.E.C.K. yourself.
 * When the player character escapes Raven Rock with low karma, Fawkes will not be recruitable and will instead just wander. He may become unusable as a companion and will freeze in places such as Underworld, Wilhelm's Wharf, etc. Talking to Fawkes and recruiting him does not work and he cannot be provoked into combat. If you do try to recruit with a higher karma level after he denied you previously, he will be registered as a companion and you can't recruit any other humanoid companion. He will not fast travel with the player character anywhere and instead will be stuck at the place he was recruited. He will travel to DLC locations, such as Adams Air Force Base, but will be stuck at the companion spawn areas.