Paladin Danse

Paladin Danse, unit designation M7-97, registration DN-407P, is the commanding officer of the Brotherhood of Steel unit known as Recon Squad Gladius, deployed to the Commonwealth in 2287. He is a possible companion in Fallout 4.

Background
Danse's earliest memories are of growing up an orphan living in the Capital Wasteland. As a child he made a dangerous living by scavenging the D.C. ruins until he could afford to open his own junk stand in Rivet City. It was at that time he befriended a man named Cutler, and together the two scraped by as traders.

When the Brotherhood of Steel began recruiting, Danse and Cutler agreed it was "the best way out of [their] nowhere lives." Under the command of Paladin Krieg they both became successful soldiers, but a year after being posted to the Prydwen Cutler disappeared on assignment. Danse spearheaded a three-week search for the missing squad which ultimately led to a super mutant hive. There it was revealed that Cutler's team had been killed, and Cutler himself had been exposed to the Forced Evolutionary Virus. Danse, saddened to discover his friend had been mutated, killed Cutler. The experience incited an intense hatred in Danse of most non-humans including super mutants, ghouls, and synths.

By the year 2287, Danse had risen to become one of Arthur Maxson's most respected officers. He was assigned a reconnaissance team and dispatched to the Commonwealth to investigate the Institute, but misfortune quickly reduced their force to three survivors. When the Sole Survivor first encounters Paladin Danse, he and what's left of his squad are holed up in Cambridge Police Station, unable to proceed with their mission. Danse enlists the aid of the Survivor to help retrieve an item from the nearby ArcJet Systems complex. Afterward, he offers the Survivor the rank of Initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel, should they wish to join.

Danse becomes a full companion following Shadow of Steel provided the Survivor enlists with the Brotherhood. He is fiercely loyal to the order and travels with the Survivor to ensure their ideals are being upheld. As their relationship develops Danse confesses to being burdened by the losses of colleagues, friends, and mentors killed by the many horrors of the wasteland. Unwilling to let their sacrifices be for naught, he asserts the Institute and its synths must be eradicated for the safety of mankind. He believes synths are the embodiment of technology spiraling out of control, and their existence could bring about the end of humanity.

As the main story progresses the Sole Survivor will have an opportunity to hack into the Institute's mainframe. Should they provide the Brotherhood with a copy of this data it is confirmed through DNA analysis that Paladin Danse himself is a missing synth, designated M7-97. Danse goes AWOL and flees to Listening Post Bravo. Outraged by the apparent infiltration of his inner circle, Elder Maxson orders the Survivor to track Danse down and execute him.

Once located, a suicidal Danse is adamant he did not know he was a synth. The disgraced paladin then encourages the Survivor to carry out their orders, insisting that he "must be the example, not the exception." The Survivor must then choose to execute Danse or convince him to leave the Commonwealth. If persuaded to run Danse will leave the bunker only to find that a suspicious Elder Maxson has followed the Survivor to his hiding place. A confrontation will occur in which the Survivor will again have to decide the synth's fate. Should Danse survive the events of Blind Betrayal he will be grateful and, with Maxson's promise not to have him hunted down, stays to aid the Survivor in their mission.

When they rendezvous sometime later Danse is still coming to terms with his nature. Though grateful to the Survivor for saving him, the sudden loss of his identity, memories, and career leave him grasping for answers. The Survivor can attempt to comfort him and, if so desired, may express a romantic interest. Danse will recoil at first, shocked the Survivor could be in love with a synth but eventually admits to feeling the same way. He asks for patience as he works through his "human emotions" and vows to remain steadfast at his partner's side.

Quests

 * Call to Arms: The Sole Survivor accompanies Paladin Danse to ArcJet Systems, which is overrun with Institute synths.
 * The Lost Patrol: The Survivor is asked to find what happened to the last Brotherhood recon team.
 * Shadow of Steel: The Survivor and Paladin Danse board The Prydwen.
 * Liberty Reprimed: The Survivor must secure a nuclear payload. Once found, Danse stays onsite to protect the cache.
 * Blind Betrayal: Elder Maxson orders the Survivor to find and execute Danse after it is revealed he is a synth.
 * Airship Down: If Blind Betrayal has not been completed he will make his last stand with the Brotherhood of Steel, landing with the rest of Recon Squad Gladius and if The Lost Patrol was completed Paladin Brandis.

Effects of player's actions

 * Maximum approval with Danse awards the Know Your Enemy perk which grants +20% more damage against ghouls, super mutants, and synths.
 * Danse is a potential candidate for romance, an option that unlocks after reaching the highest level of affinity.
 * It is impossible to max out the relationship with Danse before completing Blind Betrayal.
 * Siding against the Brotherhood before Blind Betrayal turns him hostile, removing him as a companion.
 * Siding against the Brotherhood after Blind Betrayal results in Danse no longer interacting with the Survivor. However, the player still gets the Lover's Embrace bonus by sleeping near him, which appears to be a bug. The issue effectively removes Danse as a companion but it will not remove his perk.
 * To keep Danse as a full companion following the main story one must either A) side with the Brotherhood, or B) side with the Minutemen and choose not to become enemies with the Brotherhood of Steel. The Railroad and Institute endings both force the player character into conflict with the Brotherhood.

Other interactions

 * Danse has the authority to grant the Sole Survivor membership into the Brotherhood of Steel.

Fallout: The Board Game
Paladin Danse can be acquired at the shop by any player character that has Charisma. When he is the active companion and there is another player character within two spaces, the owner can exhaust him to move the target character one space in any direction. If the owner has the Idolized trait when they do this, they will lose it.

When the player character performs the camp action, he will become unexhausted. However, if the player character does not have the Idolized trait, he must be discarded.

Appearances
Danse appears in Fallout 4 and Fallout: The Board Game.

Behind the scenes
Unused dialogue suggests that Paladin Danse and the Sole Survivor were originally able to challenge Maxson's authority as elder through combat according to "the Litany." Through his defeat, it would have allowed Danse to regain his status as a paladin and grant the Sole Survivor the rank of elder within the Brotherhood.