Independent Fallout Wiki Source Texts - Publication
A transcript of the "Fallout Troublemakers" section in the Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Official Strategy Guide.
Fallout Troublemakers
p.87
Wasteland Gangs
The holocaust that enveloped the world as a result of the Great War brought out the worst in humanity, sometimes quite literally. The men that remained men brushed aside their good will and consciences, and formed brutal gangs called Raiders. Those who were unable to get underground before the bombs fell were reduced to Ghouls, shambling shells of rotting skin. And then there are the mutants–massive hulks of muscle, an aborted evolution of man caused by science gone wrong.
They all hate you. They all want to kill you. They're armed to the teeth, with everything from bats to laser cannons, and gunning for your righteous Brotherhood hide. To survive the incessant onslaught, you must familiarize yourself with this gallery of rogues–learn their preferred attack methods, whether they prefer to act alone, and, most importantly, their Achilles' heels. Only then do you stand a chance.
Raiders
Raiders are average men, unscathed by the fallout. At least, on the outside. Beneath their skin, in their chests, is a gaping hole where their hearts should be. Instead of banding together to help out fellow survivors, they decided to take advantage of their strength and numbers. They coalesced into vicious gangs called Raiders–an apt name because when they breeze into town, they rob, pillage, and loot. They take until there's nothing left. And then they move on, searching for the next unsuspecting town to burn to the ground.
Fortunately, Raiders are all muscle. They attack without thinking it through, which leaves them vulnerable to a foe with a modicum of gray matter. When a mob surrounds you, try luring one or two around a corner to thin their numbers.
Raider Thug
The lowest of the low. These mindless goons serve only to attack Brotherhood characters, and that means you. Fortunately, they haven't been equipped with very good weapons (usually just knives and small firearms) and they wear very little armor.
Raider Soldier
Soldiers are the next step up from Thugs in the Raider food chain. Soldiers are a little smarter, a little faster, and they've been entrusted with slightly better firepower. Some of these Raiders carry hammers, which gives them an increased melee range–so keep your distance.
Raider Torch
These Raiders love playing with fire. They sweep into a town with gas tanks strapped to their backs, and start burning everything in sight. Those tanks, though, are their weakness. They explode if you shoot them, and the resulting conflagration will wipe them out. (This is especially useful if they attack in a horde. Once one gas tank blows, they all start popping like fiery pinatas.) If you're out of bullets when you meet one of these charming fellows, be careful when throwing your melee weapon around. Only hit the Torch in the front, or else you'll go up with the gas tank.
Raider Lieutenant
The highest members of the Raiders, Lieutenants are all females. They only carry firearms, like pistols and rifles, and are crack shots. Watch for their grenade attacks, too. Lieutenants are smart enough to track your movement and lob a grenade directly in your path.
Ghouls
p.88
Billions of people were trapped above ground when the Great War started. Few survived. Those who did probably wished they died, as now they've become Ghouls–rotting, festering skin bags stretched over brittle skeletons.
Most Ghouls are actually peaceful. The Ghoul city, Los, was a fairly quiet place before "The Church of the Lost" set up camp there. Now, the church has whipped up a sizeable portion of the Ghoul population into a well-armed frenzy. Their mission is to protect the Vault, and since that's your destination, expect plenty of undead resistance.
Ghouls wear armor. Mainly to keep their guts from spilling out, but it poses a problem for unskilled characters. You must upgrade your weapons if you want to effectively take out Ghouls. And because the Ghouls are in close proximity to the Vault, they've managed to salvage some of the lost technology and turn it into weaponry, like lasers.
Ghoul Thug
Ghoul Thugs have been trained to kill anything that doesn't look like a skeleton dipped in yellow wax. And since you have all your parts, expect these Thugs to chase you down. They rarely carry anything more powerful than small firearms.
Ghoul Soldier
The Church has entrusted these Ghouls with better weapons, like rifles and Flamethrowers. Not only do they carry deadlier firearms, but they're also dressed in better armor.
Ghoul Kamikaze
These Ghouls are scary. They wander the streets, wearing the latest in Ghoul fashion–the dynamite belt. If they see you, they'll arm the explosive and run directly for you. When they get near you, they explode, doing incredible damage. The best way to deal with Kamikazes is to shoot them the moment you see them, even if you're dealing with a Thug or Soldier. Take the small melee damage instead of risking a major attack.
Glowing Ghoul
Like a nightlight from hell, Glowing Ghouls illuminate the cityscape with their irradiated bodies. You'll encounter these fluorescent foes around radiation pools and sewage pipes. Don't get too close, as one touch from a Glowing Ghoul gives you radiation poisoning.
Psycho Ghoul
There are few sights stranger than a Ghoul hopped up on Psycho, an addictive amphetamine sold in the back alleys of Los. Psycho turns these Ghouls into erratic, unpredictable freaks. One minute they're still, the next they're darting everywhere, hurting everything in sight. Their increased speed means they can even break your targeting lock.
Mutants
p.89
Mutants are the result of genetic engineering gone bad. A long time ago, a couple of scientists bottled up a little genetic juice by the name of FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus), and unleashed it on some unsuspecting candidates. FEV turned the guinea pigs into massive, muscular mutants that could lift a Buick without breaking a sweat.
FEV didn't just alter their bodies, it toyed with their minds. Tucked away rage bubbled to the surface, and now it's directed at you. Some mutants are fast, some are laboriously slow. Others are wicked smart, still more are as dumb as a bag of hammers. But because of their superhuman strength, all mutants are able to carry the biggest guns in the game. And that's what makes them especially dangerous.
Mutant Grunt
Mutant leaders use the Grunts as cannon fodder. These dim-witted mutants make up for their lack of coordination with their brute force and vicious attacks. Using melee weapons, they can deliver near-fatal blows. Very few are equipped with guns, and if you watch carefully, you'll see why. They have a tendency to shoot each other just as much as they shoot you.
Mutant Soldier
Mutant Soldiers aren't smart enough to be given cloaking devices, so instead, they're equipped with huge guns to help satisfy their ferocious bloodlust. They wear decent armor, so it will take a few more hits to take down these mutants.
Nightkin
Nightkin are one of the post-apocalypse's biggest menaces. These clever mutants are equipped with cloaking devices (called "stealth boys") that render them invisible to the unwary eye. Look for the tell-tale blurring of a Nightkin moving in for the kill. They become visible when they attack, but by then, it's too late.
Super Mutant
Mutants are rightfully feared for their strength, but this breed of weird science is also bred with freakish intelligence–a dangerous cocktail, especially when served up in pairs. These mutants proudly wear the armor of their kills, high-tech shielding that was perfected by the Brotherhood. Super Mutants also carry energy weapons, like rapid-fire Laser Cannons, that can cut you in half. If you spot one of these mutants in a pack of others, try to take it down as soon as possible. It will use the distraction of the other mutants to drain your health before going in for a laser-powered kill.
Monsters and Robots
p.90
Few animals survived the effects of the nuclear fallout. Those that did mutated and became twisted versions of their former species. Even the most peaceful mammals and insects became intense predators, and their favorite meal is human flesh.
Dogs, Cows and Rats
Dogs
Canines survived the holocaust, but they're hardly man's best friends anymore. The Raiders use these wild dogs to protect their hideouts, and equip them with armor so they have enough time to warn of intruders before getting struck down.
Ghoul Dogs are half-rotten mongrels, skulking around the Ghoul City with skeletons exposed. Ghoul Dogs love to feast on flesh and are usually hopped up on Psycho, rendering them freakishly fast and aggressive.
Rats
If rats can survive the plague, then surely they won't blink at a mushroom cloud. Wasteland rats are enormous, sometimes as big as a Buick. Their bites aren't terribly damaging, so they compensate by attacking in packs.
Brahmin
These beastly bovines just wander the land, chewing their irradiated cud. Unlike most wasteland critters, the two-headed Brahmin bear no ill will to humans. They just get in the way–often at the most inopportune moment, like when you're running from a gang of Raiders.
Radscorpions
The stable of Z-grade cinema schlock comes to life in these giant, mutant scorpions that can't be crushed underfoot. In fact, you're lucky if you can crush them with a Sledgehammer. Radscorpions are fast and mean, and can attack with their claws and stinger tails.
Normal Radscorpion
These vermin are big and ugly, and they may have heard what you said about them. Their stingers cause considerable damage to characters with little armor. Watch out for their fast claw attacks, which they commonly use to tenderize their meal before the kill.
Glowing Radscorpion
These bugs retain much of the radiation that made them the mutant menaces they are today. The toxins surging through their veins cause them to glow in the dark, and just brushing against them causes radiation poisoning.
Spitting Radscorpion
Fortunately, these Radscorpions don't have the horrific claw strength of their normal brethren. But that's only because they can spit radioactive poison from a distance, eliminating the need for up-close killing devices. Use your ranged weapons to take them out.
Roaches
p.91
Nothing kills a cockroach. Not insecticide, not starvation, not even nuclear fallout. Now that they're as big as a dog, and in some cases, much bigger, Roaches are ready to exact their revenge for centuries of human cruelty.
Normal Roach
Expect to find these annoying buggers in dark corners, waiting to spring when you walk by. Their speed makes them difficult to dodge, but thanks to their weak carapace, they are easy kills. To compensate for their weaknesses, they often travel in numbers. They also hide in crates and barrels, so be careful when you rummage for supplies.
Should you strike a Roach, but not kill it, it will start jumping around feverishly, making it impossible for you to lock on to it.
Mutant Roach
Much larger than normal Roaches, Mutant Roaches are twice as deadly. Like their smaller cousins, Mutant Roaches prefer to attack in hordes, figuring that numbers will make up for their decreased attack abilities.
Deathclaws
What these abominable creatures were before the Great War, nobody knows. Were they bears? Tigers? They certainly retained the killer instincts and brute strength of both. Deathclaws are frighteningly fast, and their massive claws pack a forceful punch.
Baby Deathclaw
They may look harmless–that's how they lure you in. And then the others pounce. Baby Deathclaws are rarely alone, they prefer to attack in packs. Sure, they're quite easy to flatten, but do so before they shriek for nearby Adolescent Deathclaws. These beasts take care of their own, and they don't particularly cotton to folks wiping out their young 'uns.
Adolescent Deathclaw
Not quite adults yet, but still deadly. Adolescent Deathclaws are particularly headstrong, so much that they use their plated noggins as their preferred attack. One spearing from an Adolescent Deathclaw does enormous damage. Dodge this attack, and use the Deathclaw's required moment to reorient itself to take it down.
Chameleon Deathclaw
Chameleon Deathclaws are slightly more evolved than the adolescent variety. Their adaptive hides help them blend in with their surroundings, rendering them invisible in dark passages. This breed also prefers to hang back and wait for the right moment to attack, rather than rush in without caution. To neutralize their invisibility, you can either hit them, or wait for them to hit you–which is not recommended.
Elder Deathclaw
Elder Deathclaws are slow and blind. They won't instigate attacks, as they have no idea where their prey is located. However, should you make a sound around them, they lock in on the source and pummel it until all is silent again (which usually isn't until you're dead).
Robots
p.92
If you built a billion-dollar, subterranean fallout shelter, you'd install a security system, too. The employees of Vault-Tec protected their investment with an army of well-armed Robots, programmed to mow down any unwelcome visitors. That means mutants. And that also means you.
The 'bots kill without prejudice, and if you're clever, you can sometimes trick them into doing your dirty work. Let a Robot get a bead on you, then run until a mutant comes between it and you. The Robot will chew up the mutant in an effort to get to you, which gives you a moment to arm yourself with the best weapon you have, or make a run for it.
Turret Robot
Turret Robots are single-minded killing machines, equipped with dual Gatling guns that spray bullets at anything that moves. Fortunately, these Robots are stationary, but their unlimited ammo and lethal accuracy make them a pain to deal with. Turret Robots are hidden beneath steel plates on the floor, so you can't smash them while they're inactive. You must wait until they're up and ready to fire before laying it on.
Sentry Robot
The three-legged Sentry Robot is deployed in hallways and tight spaces to prevent intruder penetration into the Vault. Once you've been detected, the goofy-footed Robot will hobble up to you and try to attack with its small guns. These are pretty easy to crush; be sure to check their wreckage for any extra parts.
Patrol Robot
Patrol Robots are upgraded Sentry Robots, armed with better weapons and increased armor plating. They fire twin Gatling guns, like the Turret Robot, but are able to move.
Tesla Robot
This class of Robot was created to serve as the clean-up crew. Once Sentry and Patrol Robots have detected an intruder, the Tesla 'droids are sent in to deal the real damage with deadly energy weapons. Unless you're fast and well-protected, one zap is enough to cleave your health bar in two.
Kamikaze Robot
These are just Patrol Robots with a screw loose–the screw that keeps them from self-destructing. When an intruder's presence has been detected, Kamikaze Robots move in and blow themselves up. Because these Robots are fairly cost prohibitive (you can only use them once), Vault-Tec made very few.
Who's Who of the Wasteland
p. 93
It takes a certain someone special to survive a nuclear war. Nothing thins the herd like a fiery holocaust, and those left standing are a peculiar bunch, indeed. During your journey through the wasteland, you must meet and greet with the bizarre folks and creatures, as they'll all have information and gear absolutely vital for your mission. And some of them, well, some of them you won’t talk with for long before you realize it's time to put one between the eyes.
Ruby
Ah, the harlot with the heart of gold. Ruby is the main source of, uh, entertainment in Carbon. By getting that close with some of the more unsavory folks that mosey through town, she learns information that will certainly help your mission.
Mayor Richard
Apparently, two things will survive the holocaust: cockroaches and crooked politicians. The Mayor of Carbon may soothe the savage heart with his pleasant Southern drawl, but beneath beats the heart of a traitor. He's in cahoots with something sinister.
Jesse
The grizzled old trader has made shop for himself in car-bon, selling weapons and gear to anybody who stands up to the Raiders. Like the other citizens of Carbon, Jesse has a fondness for illicit substances, and will pay handsomely if you choose to deliver Vidya's errant meds to him instead.
Armpit
The sole proprietor of the Atomic Diner in Carbon. A surly sort, Armpit is mainly concerned with making a buck. Or a cap, that is. He'll pay top cap for Radscorpion Tails because he's certain he can turn their venom into a brew that will make him a rich man.
Raider Matron
The dominatrix of darkness. The queen of mean. This ruthless vixen runs the Raiders in carbon, but she's got a shadow partner supplying her with weapons and information. There's no redemption for this lost soul, so it's up to you to put her out of her misery.
Vidya
The good doctor of Carbon is a beleaguered soul, what with all the injuries she must treat due to the Raider presence. Never mind that her supply of drugs keeps disappearing into the hands of pill-poppers looking to forget their woes, even for an hour.
Harold
The poor old Ghoul just wants to live his (hopefully) final days in peace. But with Mutants tearing up the once-quiet Ghoul city of Los, that dream's put on hold. Harold is just going to pieces over the whole ordeal, and if you manage to find some of his missing pieces, he will reward you.
The Wanderer
The old salt has seen plenty of action in the past, but has come to Carbon hoping to find someplace peaceful to hang it up. No such luck. Not with the Raiders in town. The Wanderer will provide information, but if you fetch a Vault Flask for him, he will reward you with caps and experience points.
Giese
p.94
Giese is a former vault-Tec engineer that found himself stuck on the surface. Choked by radiation, Giese became a Ghoul. Though he lost his skin, he never lost his mind. He's as sharp as ever, and if you motivate him properly with caps and scraps, he'll fashion some special boom-boom for you.
Hieronymous and Salieri
These twin traders cornered the weapons market in Los. They’re so rich, in fact, that they opened up a gladiator sport where contestants earn caps for capping monsters for a paying audience. Sweet talk these brothers, do their errands, and you'll receive a fat discount on their wares.
Blake
The former Vault-Tec security officer was banished to the surface where fallout turned him into a rage-filled Ghoul. Blake rejected tech, becoming something of a luddite messiah, leading the Ghouls to the promised land. His cult is a major headache for the Brotherhood, though, so it's up to you to put a stop to his bad religion.
Rhombus
Rhombus is the paladin you're searching for when your adventure begins. You'll finally catch up to the old coot in Los, but he's certainly seen better days. Enjoy Rhombus' final hours, mowing down Ghouls together as you make your way to the Vault entrance.
Mary
Mary is proof that kindness cannot be completely destroyed, no matter how many megaton warheads you drop. The little girl rescues you from near-death, leading you to a hospital facility inside the Vault. She's an orphan, but an orphan with a wallet, as she will pay you well if you manage to find her mother's ring.
Patty
Patty replaced Blake as the Vault-Tec security officer. The tough-as-nails woman is all lady, though–a lady with a trigger finger. Patty will help you reach the center of the Vault, but pay the ultimate price for doing so.
Ching Tsun
Ching Tsun is the Vault's very talented weapons engineer. Busy in his lab, Tsun is cooking up ways to help people kill smarter, not harder. To supplement his pension, Tsun sells high-grade weapons, so bring your checkbook.
DuBois
The Vault's top scientist has gone missing. And, of course, he's the only cat in the Vault with the key you need. So, head into the field and bring him back. Or, what's left of him.
Attis
Attis may be a Mutant, but he hardly possesses the mealy mind of one. A brilliant strategist and fearsome brute in a single, deadly package. Attis believes that Mutants deserve to inherit the planet since humans screwed it up in the first place, and he'll fulfill that prophecy by any means necessary; employ similar tactics to bring him down. Humanity is counting on you.