Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

You have a Guardian Angel, but with a deadly hand-cannon instead of wings. Meet the Mysterious Stranger, an odd and eldritch entity said to appear and aid you in combat before you draw your dying breath. Of course, it helps to have the Mysterious Stranger Perk first...Fallout 3 Official Game Guide

The Mysterious Stranger is a character that has made multiple appearances in the Fallout series and typically only when one has the Mysterious Stranger perk and utilizes V.A.T.S.

Background[]

The Mysterious Stranger has been spotted throughout the wasteland in the aftermath of the Great War, always wearing his trademark trenchcoat and hat. He appears suddenly to certain people during combat and assists them with his signature .44 Magnum before vanishing as abruptly as he appeared.

Chronologically, the Stranger has been seen assisting members of the Vault 76 reclamation effort, the Vault Dweller, the Chosen One, the Lone Wanderer, the Courier, and the Sole Survivor. He has also been spotted at ease within certain active Vaults.

Similar figures to the Stranger have also been seen in post-War America, such as the Mysterious Savior, a different man wearing identical clothing who provides life-saving healing, and Miss Fortune, a non-lethal female counterpart who wears a veil and a revealing armored showgirl outfit. Additionally, the Mysterious Stranger sometimes appeared to the Chosen One as a woman.[1]

By 2287, the synth detective Nick Valentine has built up a casefile investigating the Stranger. He is certain the Stranger has been active in the Commonwealth and the Capital Wasteland but characterizes his possible presence in the West and the NCR as "old rumors,"[2] and can only speculate variously on the nature of the Stranger.[2]

Characteristics[]

Fallout and Fallout 2[]

Mysterious Stranger
image proto affiliation dialogue base SPECIAL derived
Jacketguy Jacketgirl 00000304 Fallout
00000270 Fallout 2
00000271 Fallout 2
Vault Dweller (optional)
Chosen One (optional)
GENCHAT.MSG Fallout
Ecmststr.msg Fallout 2
7 ST, 9 PE, 9 EN, 6 CH, 7 IN, 8 AG, 9 LK
Fallout
9 ST, 7 PE, 7 EN, 5 CH, 6 IN, 6 AG, 5 LK
Fallout 2
7 ST, 8 PE, 7 EN, 5 CH, 7 IN, 7 AG, 6 LK
Fallout 2
Levels 9-14: 50 HP
Levels 15-18: 70 HP
Levels 19-22: 90 HP
Levels 23-26: 110 HP
Levels 27-99: 130 HP
derived apparel weapon
Levels 9-14: 50 HP
Levels 15-18: 70 HP
Levels 19-22: 90 HP
Levels 23-26: 110 HP
Levels 27-99: 130 HP
Levels 9-14: leather armor
Levels 15-18: combat leather jacket
Levels 19-22: metal armor
Levels 23-26: combat armor
Levels 27-99: power armor
Levels 9-13: hunting rifle or FN FAL
Levels 14-19: assault rifle or combat shotgun
Levels 20-26: laser rifle or H&K CAWS
Levels 27-99: H&K G11
  • There is a chance that the Mysterious Stranger will appear as a temporary ally during random encounters.
    • To calculate, the chance of appearance is equal to % = 30 + (2 x Luck).
  • While the Stranger is always male to the Vault Dweller, the Stranger will have the same gender as the one selected for the Chosen One.

Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas[]

Mysterious Stranger
image formid affiliation tag skills base SPECIAL race
Mysterious Stranger GR
0005F9CE Lone Wanderer (optional)
Courier (optional)
Small Guns 100
Sneak 100
Explosives 100
6 ST, 7 PE, 5 EN, 3 CH, 3 IN, 6 AG, 5 LK
Asian
apparel weapon sounds
Mysterious Stranger outfit and hat Mysterious Stranger's .44 Magnum Fallout 3
Mysterious Stranger's .44 Magnum Fallout: New Vegas


  • A short guitar riff will play whenever he holsters or upholsters his weapon, as does the Mysterious Magnum.
  • Regardless of the gender selected for the Lone Wanderer/Courier, the Stranger will always be male.
  • He circles around the enemy shooting several times.
  • He can appear in water, and swim around. He will not shoot when this occurs.
  • Mothership Zeta (add-on) During the Fallout 3 add-on Mothership Zeta, having the Mysterious Stranger perk opens up a unique dialogue option for the Lone Wanderer with Somah.[3]
  • Fallout: New Vegas The Lonesome Drifter remarks about his past when speaking to the Courier, mentioning his father was a "mysterious" man, and a "stranger" to his own family. The Drifter carries a unique .44 Magnum that looks similar to the Mysterious Stranger's .44 Magnum. When the Courier draws it, the same guitar notes that are heard when the Mysterious Stranger shows up are played, and a chord is played when the weapon is holstered.
  • The Mysterious Stranger has a unique .44 Magnum called the Mysterious Stranger's .44 magnum that can only be obtained via console commands. It deals up to 9,000 damage, making it one of the strongest weapons in both games.

Fallout 4[]

Mysterious Stranger
image formid affiliation weapon apparel sound
Mysterious Stranger on alert
00188AA7 Sole Survivor (optional) .44 pistol Dirty fedora
Dirty yellow trench coat
  • In Fallout 4, the Mysterious Stranger is middle-aged and has a mustache. His coat is buttoned shut rather than being tied. His outfit is also no longer unique to him and can be found in the wasteland.
  • The Mysterious Stranger does not have a unique weapon, instead uses the standard issue .44 pistol and possesses a unique perk, named "Mysterious Stranger Damage," which increases all the damage stats on all weapons except melee weapons. It can be obtained only through console commands using player.addperk 00188AAA.
  • The short guitar riff from previous games is replaced by one of three short piano riffs to signify his arrival and disappearance.
  • The Mysterious Stranger is being investigated by the detective Nick Valentine, who has a short log containing everything he knows about them in his office. If the Stranger kills an enemy while he is traveling as a companion, Nick will express incredulity when he appears, and frustration when he vanishes.[4][5][6][7][2]

Fallout 76[]

Mysterious Stranger
image formid affiliation weapon apparel otheritem
FO76 Mysterious stranger got my back
00188AA7
00509C3B
Vault Dwellers (optional) .44 pistol Dirty fedora
Dirty yellow trench coat
Pack of cigarettes
.44 round

In Appalachia, the Mysterious Stranger appears middle-aged, clean shaven, with sunken cheeks, and short, cropped hair. He wears a tan, worn trench coat that is buttoned down the middle, on top of a collared white shirt and red tie. He has a fedora that matches his coat, with a darker brown band. He wears olive green pants and brown shoes. He appears to player characters who take the Mysterious Stranger perk.

Fallout Shelter[]

Mysterious Stranger
image sounds
FoS Mysterious Stranger

In Fallout Shelter, the Mysterious Stranger appears in Vault rooms or elevators and a sound is played when he does so. He does not aid in battles, but may appear in the Vault regardless of whether or not the Vault is experiencing an incident. When selected, he disappears and the Vault is awarded a random amount of caps. If any rooms are not powered, he will not appear, even when the sound effect occurs. He can spawn at anytime, appears with a smoke poof and leaves with one as well. He will spawn in intervals of at least 10 minutes.

Appearances[]

The Mysterious Stranger appears in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. He also appears in Fallout Shelter.

Bugs[]

Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas[]

  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 If the Mysterious Stranger appears and there is a wall or other obstacle between him and his target, he will not take a shot. This will sometimes lead to you being stuck in V.A.T.S. permanently, necessitating a reload of an earlier save.[verified]
    • This may also happen if your target is swimming as he will not be able to draw his weapon and will swim around possibly rendering you stuck in V.A.T.S.
  • PCPC If the enemy is near a cliff and a weapon is used that knocks them off it without killing them, the Stranger may spawn in the air off the cliff and fall to his "death" as a result. As he is an "essential" character, he will be rendered unconscious and the "Mysterious Stranger is unconscious" message will appear on screen like any other essential non-player character. This will not prevent him from appearing to aid the player at a later date.[verified]
  • PCPC One can sometimes knock the Mysterious Stranger unconscious if one attacks a nearby enemy in V.A.T.S. with an explosive such as a grenade.[verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 After the Mysterious Stranger has killed his target, there may be a considerable delay in V.A.T.S. before he goes away and normal play is resumed. The player character and companions can still be attacked and may be killed if there are other enemies around.[verified]

Fallout 4[]

  • PCPC If the Mysterious Stranger appears and there is a wall or other obstacle between him and his target, he may not take a shot.[verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 The Mysterious Stranger may spawn either on top of the enemy or within touching distance and will not fire his shot. He may continue doing this and resetting the game will not fix it, effectively making him useless.[verified]
    • If this happens, try to put space between the player character and the combat target.

Gallery[]

Perk art[]

References[]

  1. Female variant in Fallout 2.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Mysterious Stranger
  3. The Lone Wanderer: "If we're lucky, a friend of mine might show up to help."
    Somah: "Uhh... okay... So, does that mean you're in?"
    (Somah's dialogue)
  4. Nick Valentine: "That was him! The Stranger! He was right here! Where'd he go?"
    (Nick Valentine's dialogue)
  5. Nick Valentine: "He was just here. You saw him, right?"
    (Nick Valentine's dialogue)
  6. Nick Valentine: "You! Sto... damn. Vanished."
    (Nick Valentine's dialogue)
  7. Nick Valentine: "What the-- the Stranger... slipped right through our fingers."
    (Nick Valentine's dialogue)
Advertisement