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The Drifter is a hostile wastelander who can be found in the Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel in 2277.[Non-game 1]

Background[]

The Drifter was once a member of the Treeminders in Oasis, but was exiled long ago for unknown reasons. Scorned and alone in the unforgiving wilderness, the apostate was only able to survive by hunting wildlife and stealing from other wastelanders.[Non-game 1]

Circa 2277, the Drifter has currently taken up residence in the dilapidated husk of the old Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel.[Non-game 1] He sleeps in the church rafters, inaccessible to the numerous yao guai living in the area. Jaded and silent, he snipes prey and possible threats with his unique Reservist's rifle from the safety of the chapel spire, all the while dimly remembering his prior life among Harold and his friends.[Non-game 2]

At some point in the 2280s, he hunted a particular experimental deathclaw which had escaped from Raven Rock. He confronted the creature at Mount Mabel but ultimately left without slaying it.[1]

Daily schedule[]

The Drifter spends his days standing guard on the chapel's top floor attacking anything that gets close.

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
Severed
This character drops a finger upon death (Lawbringer).

Other interactions[]

The Drifter is located on the top floor of the chapel and will attack the player character once they reach the building.

Inventory[]

Notes[]

  • None of the Treeminders mention this individual, nor do they obviously allude to the events of his transgression and exile.
  • Sapling Yew says her parents are Tree Father Birch and Leaf Mother Laurel, but Laurel appears to be conspicuously old to be her mother. It's theoretically possible Yew was originally the Drifter's daughter, adopted by the cult leaders after his shunning.
  • He is one of few unique characters who wear eyepatches, the others being Split Jack, Junders Plunkett, Billy Creel and Wernher.
    • The eyepatch item covers the right eye, and NPCs aim with the right eye. Resultantly, the Drifter can be seen aligning his weapon with his covered eye to aim.
  • He appears throughout a short arc of the main quest in Fallout Shelter Online, where he is called "wanderer." He does not have a Hero card or illustration, which is highly unusual for established combat-oriented characters reappearing in Fallout Shelter Online. He does have a unique cartoon portrait and Vault Boy model.

Appearances[]

The Drifter appears in Fallout 3, Fallout Shelter Online, and the Magic: The Gathering crossover event.

Behind the scenes[]

The name of the "freeform" (unmarked) quest associated with him in the Tour of the Capital Wasteland, "High Plains Drifter," is a reference to the 1973 western film of the same name.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Events of Fallout Shelter Online main quest.

Non-game

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.314:
    "1.08: DICKERSON TABERNACLE CHAPEL (LAT -19/LONG 19):
    FREEFORM QUEST: HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
    Sitting on a blasted heath are the remains of a once-thriving Tabernacle Church, now a dilapidated shell that's home to a Drifter, standing on the old roof supports. Sneak in the back to ambush him; knock him off his perch to secure the items he's carrying. The Reservist's Rifle and Oasis Coordinates are of interest, especially the rifle for long-range Deathclaw take-downs. The Oasis Coordinates and the Druid's Hood indicate that the Drifter may once have been part of the Treeminders. Check the Oasis Coordinates (LAT -03/LONG 28), and search the area for the following items:"
  2. Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.70
    "Drifter:
    The Drifter was cast out from the Treeminders long ago, and forced to eke out an existence hunting mutated wildlife and stealing from hapless Wastelanders. Due to the Yao Guai prowling the vicinity, the Drifter has wisely decided to snipe from the safety of a high spire, while he dimly remembers his time with Harold's friends."
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