Fawkes is a Vault 87 super mutant and possible companion of 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
Life in the Vault
Fawkes was one of the original residents of Vault 87, and possibly went by the name of Shelton Delacroix, who was a Vault security officer. Not long after being in Vault 87, Shelton and the Vault's other occupants went through a horrific transformation, and were changed into super mutants.
It wasn't long before the Mutants began to overrun the Capital Wasteland, searching for new sources of Forced Evolutionary Virus. Despite being infused with FEV, Fawkes's mind was not affected as badly as the other mutants when they went through the transformation, the cause however is not clearly given. Even though he forgot his past and who he was, Fawkes still possessed a sense of morality and showed remarkable intelligence. As stated in dialog with the Lone Wanderer, this "ironically" made Fawkes a mutant in comparison to other Super Mutants (or Meta Humans, as Fawkes calls them). As a result, he received the same treatment as other failed FEV experiments, and was confined in an observation cell in the Vault 87 lab area as a "curiosity".
In isolation
His fellow mutants had failed to realize that the chamber Fawkes was locked in had a working terminal. Here he read about the past for at least a century, learning about the history of the world. One piece of history he took a liking to was the 'Gunpowder Plot' which involved a group of rebels, trying to assassinate King James I, the current British monarch at the time, by blowing up the 'House of Lords.' Guy Fawkes was a member of this rebellion, and despite the fact his failure is celebrated throughout the pre-War United Kingdom, Fawkes took a liking to him, and because Fawkes had forgotten his old name a long time ago he renamed himself Fawkes.
Residing as a prisoner in Vault 87, Fawkes is one of two known "humanized" super mutants in the capital wasteland, the other being Uncle Leo. In 2277 he is confined to Isolation Room 5 in Vault 87, where he has resided for as long as memory permits. Fawkes claims that he was able to attain literacy and a civilized personality (things most East Coast super mutants sorely lack) by gleaning as much information as possible from the vault's immense on-line database (or at least until recently as the terminal that he used was destroyed by the other super mutants as a way of tormenting him).
Fawkes credits his intimate knowledge of Vault 87 to being a resident there before being transformed into a super mutant, additionally he wears the tattered remnants of a male Vault 87 jumpsuit, possibly due to him outgrowing it while mutating. Fawkes has knowledge of the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, one of which is located inside Vault 87. He waits patiently inside his small isolation chamber, waiting for someone to come along, in search of the G.E.C.K, and give him his freedom.
Identity before mutation
 | The following is based on Fallout 3 cut content. |
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A series of unused holotapes which were meant to be found in Vault 87 shed possible light to 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.
After they left I snuck into the containment room, and... and I almost threw up. I don't even know how to describe it. It looked sort of human, but it was deformed... I could see some of its organs on the surface of its body like they were trying to push through.”— from the third unused holotape
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.
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 dialog 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, it is interesting to note that Fawkes' demonstrated intelligence does not appear to be present in the fifth holotape recording, consistent with his statement that he had to work to become as intelligent and well-spoken as he was at the time of meeting the Lone Wanderer.
| End of information based on Fallout 3 cut content |
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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.
Interactions with the player character
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
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This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed. | |
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This character is a permanent companion. | |
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This character is a temporary companion. | |
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This character starts quests. |
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This character is involved in quests. | |
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This character is a doctor. |
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This character is a merchant. |  -Sells: - |
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This character can repair items. | Max Repair condition: - |
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This character rents beds. | -.
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This character drops an ear upon death (Contract Killer). | |
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This character drops a finger upon death (Lawbringer). | |
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This character can be enslaved with the Mesmetron. | |
Quests
- Finding the Garden of Eden: Fawkes pleads you to release him 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 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's escape. Any items given to Fawkes before the trip to Raven Rock will be gone when he is encountered yet again, presumably discarded in favor of his new weapon. If your Karma is high enough, the player has the choice to add Fawkes as a companion.
- Take it Back!: When the player is faced with the climactic decision at the conclusion of the game, Fawkes politely declines to enter the radioactive room in lieu of the player (even though he is immune to radioactivity), stating that the decision is the player's destiny and not his. However, if the player has the Broken Steel add-on installed, the option to send Fawkes in will appear, allowing the player 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 that the player's destiny lies in that chamber, he has already altered his own.
Other interactions
- Recruiting Fawkes: Depending on the player's Karma, Fawkes may agree to accompany the player on future travels as a companion.
- If the player's Karma is too low, or if the player fires 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. If you maintain positive Karma, you have the option of recruiting him again.
- Equipment: The player 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
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
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| - | Fawkes' Gatling laser Fawkes' super sledge1 Fawkes' sledgehammer |
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1. Fawkes 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:
Also note that Fawkes will not equip any unique versions of the weapons in the above list.
Notes
- By activating the terminal by the door of Fawkes room in Vault 87, and using the 'Identify Specimen' function, you will find that the cell's inhabitant was called 'Specimen D164'. A different terminal in a room close to Fawkes' cell contains data on 5 specimens, stating that D164 was a female. However, Fawkes is not Specimen D164, as the terminal also states that all specimens were terminated.
- Fawkes is one of the two friendly super mutants in the game, the other being Uncle Leo.
- It seems that after he moves to Underworld, he is counted as a resident as he will become hostile if you shoot or kill any of the ghouls, but like most residents of towns, he will forgive you after 72 in-game hours.
- His super sledge is obtainable without him being your follower after you release him from isolation. By asking to trade equipment, the weapon will be in his inventory.
- Despite being known as an intelligent super mutant his Intelligence is only 3.
- In Fallout: New Vegas, Fawkes remains in the game files, however his Vault 87 jumpsuit doesn't have a texture.
- If you provoke Fawkes and then try to talk to him, he will say, "It saddens me that it has come to this. Farewell my friend." and then will proceed to attack you.
- If Fawkes is a companion, along with Dogmeat, repeatedly hitting him will cause a never ending fight between him and Dogmeat. The player can run away from the fight until he is hidden when sneaking, then waiting it out will cause Fawkes to become a normal companion again.
Notable quotes
Fawkes shares many sentences with the regular super mutants, but also features many unique quotes of his own, often referring to his and Uncle Leo's possible Zen philosophy.
- "In all things, a calm heart must prevail."
- "If you insist. But do be careful - I can hardly repay your kindness while waiting back here."
- "It's amazing people trust you enough not to attack me."
- "There are times that I feel the primal part of me pulling me away."
- "You're going to pay dearly for what you did to me!"
- "No more games, time to die!"
- "I am sorry my companion but no, we all have our own destinies and yours culminates here, I would not rob you of that."
Appearances
Fawkes appears only in Fallout 3.
Behind the scenes
- Contrary to a 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."[1]
- Much of the random dialogue heard from Fawkes as one wanders around can be heard as simple wasteland survival advice, but also references Zen philosophy. Examples include "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.
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. [verified]
- If you do not free Fawkes and instead take the GECK 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?"). [verified]
- 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. [verified]
- 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. [verified]
- 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. [verified]
- 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. [verified]
- If the terminate specimen button is pressed, Fawkes will die upon reaching the doorway even if he was freed beforehand. There is still a Karma loss. [platforms tag needed]
- Fawkes may have two super sledges in his inventory. [platforms tag needed] [verified]
- 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. [verified]
Gallery
References
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