“Salutations, Commander! Sergeant RL-3, gutsy-class robotic soldier, reporting for duty!”
Sergeant RL-3, also truncated to simply Sarge, is a robot residing in the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3. He is a possible companion of the Lone Wanderer.
Background[]
A Mister Gutsy, a combat-ready spin-off model from the domestic Mister Handy model, that was created by General Atomics in the pre-War era[1] for use in mobile assault tactics on American battlefields. Following the nuclear apocalypse, "Sergeant" RL-3 survived mostly intact but rendered inactive. Sometime prior to the Lone Wanderer leaving Vault 101 in 2277, the Gutsy was found by Tinker Joe, who scavenged parts for customized repairs to bring "Sarge" back to full function in order to sell him as a bodyguard to anyone who was interested.[Non-game 1]
Unfortunately for Joe, he found the pool of potential buyers extremely low due to the Mister Gutsy's simulated personality unit being rife with programming issues, namely that RL-3 is incredibly "picky" about who he will designate as worth following.[2] Because of this, the robot refuses to travel with anyone he considers "too extreme," for good and bad, largely preventing Tinker Joe from unburdening himself while stopped near the RobCo facility.[3]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is a permanent companion. | |
Companion[]
Sergeant RL-3 can be recruited as a companion by talking to Tinker Joe, located between the RobCo facility and Tenpenny Tower, for a sum of 1,000 caps and only while the player character has Neutral Karma. With 70 Barter, the price can be halved to just 500 caps.
Effects of player's actions[]
- If Tinker Joe is killed prior to paying him the caps for RL-3 and gaining the robot as a companion, it becomes impossible to recruit him for the rest of the game.
- If separated from the player character, RL-3 will return to Canterbury Commons after first being bought, regardless of why he was separated.
- He is marked as essential until after first being recruited as a companion.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Flamer Plasma rifle |
Stats[]
| Combat Skill | Attack Damage | Attack Reach | Turning Speed | Foot Weight | Speed Mult |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 23 | 96 | 150 | 3 | 110% |
* Robots are considered creatures rather than non-player characters and thus have an additional list of stats present for creatures.
Notes[]
- Sergeant RL-3 is unable to Sneak, thus he will be spotted no matter how high the player character's Sneak skill level is.
- When in dark areas (such as Vault 87), RL-3's eyes will glow.
- Like all Mister Handies and Gutsies, he is capable of "floating" over bodies of water while traversing them.
- RL-3's maximum carrying capacity is 197.5 pounds.
- He always refers to the Lone Wanderer as "Sir," regardless of their gender.
- Due to a bug, Sergeant RL-3 gains an increasing amount of HP as the player character levels up. At the maximum level of 30 with all add-ons installed, he ends up with a total HP in the thousands, making him nearly impossible to kill normally.
Sergeant RL-3 is one of three companions that can be sent into the irradiated chamber in the Jefferson Memorial to activate the purifier during Take it Back!, along with Fawkes and Charon. His response to agree or refuse depends on if Broken Steel is[6] or is not[7] installed, respectively.
- If Broken Steel is installed and RL-3 is an active companion during Take It Back! and is sent to start the purifier, he is referred to as a hero in the epilogue, then when the game resumes, RL-3 will be waiting in the infirmary at the Citadel.
- If one starts the add-on and is transported aboard Mothership Zeta, RL-3 will wait near the alien crash site until it's swapped with the alien homing beacon.
Notable quotes[]
- "Salutations, Commander! Sergeant RL-3, gutsy-class robotic soldier, reporting for duty!"
- "Old war-bots never die; we just rust away."
- "There's nothing I like better than making some other poor bastard die for his country."
- "I cannot wait to find you, so I can kill you as a personal favor to Uncle Sam."
- "Another glorious day in the U.S. army!"
- "Kill them all, let God sort them out!"
Appearances[]
Sergeant RL-3 appears only in Fallout 3.
Behind the scenes[]
- One of RL-3's combat lines, "You're making me angry, you won't like me when I'm angry!" is a line from the 1970s TV show The Incredible Hulk.
- Another combat line, "Old war-bots never die; they just rust away." is a reference to an old Army ballad line, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away," made famous by General Douglas MacArthur's farewell speech.
- Another combat line, "There's nothing I like better than making some other poor bastard die for his country," is based on the quote from American General Patton, "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
- Another combat line "Kill them all, let God sort them out!" is based on a Latin quote (Caedite eos, novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius) from Cistercian church leader Arnaud Amalric, during the Albigensian Crusade.
- Sergeant RL-3's designation closely resembles the initials of the late R. Lee Ermey, an actor and former Marine drill instructor, in leetspeak (i.e. RL-E).
- Coincidentally, Ermey previously served as a sergeant in the US Marine Corps, albeit as a staff sergeant (E-6), up until 1972; in 2002, he was given an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant (E-7) for his support of US Armed Forces members through his acting work such as his famous role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.
- One of Ermey's voice-acting roles was for the leader of the toy army men group in three of the Toy Story films, whose name was "Sergeant" and also typically truncated to "Sarge".
Bugs[]
- One may not be able to talk to RL-3 when trying to rehire him at Canterbury Commons. If this happens simply reload the most recent save and go back. He should now talk to the player character, allowing one to rehire him as normal. [verified]
- With Broken Steel installed, RL-3 possesses a staggering amount of health at higher levels. At level 20 he has fully several thousand HP, more so than even a super mutant behemoth. This is due to a badly adjusted setting concerning RL-3's leveling, which grants him 350 HP per level gained. Dogmeat and Fawkes are similarly affected. This only occurs if Broken Steel is installed prior to meeting RL-3, otherwise RL-3's level does not scale and his health is fixed at 350. [verified]
- If in sneak mode, having the Robotics Expert perk produces the usual dialogue box with RL-3. However, selecting "Talk" does nothing. [verified]
- RL-3's plasma projector uses the laser rifle's firing sound, not the usual Mister Gutsy sound effect. [verified]
- When traversing over mountains, RL-3 may get stuck on, or in, a rock. [verified]
- Some events cause RL-3 to become hostile towards everyone (including the player character) indefinitely after ever being dismissed from the party. These include the destruction of the combat inhibitor, him witnessing Tinker Joe die, Crow's death in general (because RL-3 has some sort of scripted-in co-affiliation to Crow like he has with Tinker Joe) and investing any money in Crow's business during the Merchant Empire quest (because the game treats merchants one has invested in like they were dead in some regards). [verified]
- RL-3 may remain frenzied even if his combat inhibitor appears repaired. To check, open the console, click on RL-3 (or enter prid 94285), and issue the getav aggression command. If it returns 3.00, RL-3 is frenzied, which can be repaired with setav aggression 1.
- RL-3 can be waiting in the Commons even if one did not purchase him and he can be hired for free. [verified]
- RL-3 will sometimes attack friendly or neutral non-player characters. He has a knack for attacking everyone inside of the Republic of Dave capitol building, and Scribe Yearling and the Brotherhood of Steel knights inside of the Arlington Library. What is odd is that one must walk to a certain spot in these areas before he will turn hostile towards them. To fix this, simply have RL-3 wait in an area away from these spots, but don't dismiss him. Conduct one's business and when it is concluded, reacquire him. (If one wants RL-3 in the Arlington Library to help them out with the raiders further in, just go another way that won't trigger this bug.)[verified]
- It is possible to recruit Sergeant RL-3 at the same time as another companion by dismissing your current companion, then speaking to Tinker Joe and purchasing RL-3, followed by quickly re-hiring your old companion before RL-3 speaks to you. This glitch works with Butch, Charon and Dogmeat. Leaving the Capital Wasteland to Point Lookout or the Pitt will need one to fire all companions. This glitch cannot be repeated. [verified]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "I'd like to buy a robot."
Tinker Joe: "Of course you would, of course! Well, it just happens that I've got a beaut of a deal on this customized Gutsy. And it's not just "Mister" Gutsy - he's a full fledged sergeant! "Sergeant RL-3" to be precise, the pride of General Atomics International. Comes complete with a simulated personality unit, so he's good protection and good company, too! And all yours for just 1000 caps."
(Tinker Joe's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: ""Simulated personality"? Sounds like trouble."
Tinker Joe: "To tell the truth, it is a little trouble. But he can't help the way he got built. General Atomics programmed the Mister Gutsy to be a good soldier, but their definitions were a bit vague. So a lot of units had... issues. So we got a gung-ho, robotic soldier that's picky about the company he keeps. But he seems to like you, so it'll be fine."
(Tinker Joe's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "You just don't want to sell to me, is that it?"
Tinker Joe: "Trust me, friend, Tinker Joe does not turn down the opportunity to make a sale. If that Gutsy would go with you, I'd sell him in a heartbeat. It's just that his programming's a bit off. He won't travel with anyone he considers "too extreme." And sadly, his version of "too extreme" seems to cover both sides of the coin - slavers and saints alike. Sorry, pal."
(Tinker Joe's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Time to head back into the fight, RL-3."
RL-3: "Sir, I regret to inform you that this unit cannot accept orders from an officer under a Court Marshall!"
(RL-3's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Time to head back into the fight, RL-3."
RL-3: "Sir, I regret to inform you that this unit cannot accept orders from an irresponsible officer! It is a soldier's duty to soldier, not to play hero!"
(RL-3's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Fine. You do it then. The code is 2-1-6."
RL-3: "Now that's more like it! This unit is more than equipped to handle the harsh combat environment. Cycle that airlock, soldier, and we'll end this war."
(RL-3's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Emergency directive, sergeant. Go into that chamber and turn on the purifier."
RL-3: "Soldier, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. This is your fight! You gotta finish what your daddy started! Stand strong and get your ass in there!"
(RL-3's dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p. 96: "Sergeant RL-3
Scavenged from parts by a wandering trader named Tinker Joe, Sergeant RL-3 is a RobCo Industries Mister Gutsy model, created for mobile attacks prior to the Great War. Utilizing both plasma and flame as its main weapons system, "Sarge" is always ready with a ready quip ("Pain is just weakness leaving the body! Hooah!"), but has an experimental "personality," making it difficult for Tinker Joe to offload him."
(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
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