“The pulse charge is rigged? Excellent! Excellent!”
Mister Burke is an associate of Allistair Tenpenny operating in Megaton in the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3.
Background[]
Little to nothing is known about Burke's past before 2277 save for that he and Tenpenny first met sometime around when Allistair first began accepting tenants and building a security force for Tenpenny Tower.[1] The elderly Tenpenny comments that over time, Burke did so well at catering to his needs, he hardly ever had to do anything himself.[2]
It was originally an off-hand suggestion by Allistair, complaining about how the sight of Megaton ruined his view from his penthouse balcony (though he also suggested for the town to be vacated beforehand) that led to Burke coming to the shantytown and trying to learn more about its people and especially the bomb residing at its center.[2] His curiosity about the bomb caused concern from Lucas Simms but without hard evidence of Burke's intentions, the town sheriff could only observe him from afar and wait for him to step out of line.[3] Colin Moriarty considers him a "class A weirdo" but has not presently done any further digging into the man, seeing him as just another paying customer at his bar.[4]
Daily schedule[]
Mister Burke can typically be found sitting in a chair in Moriarty's Saloon prior to starting The Power of the Atom. After one accepts the fusion pulse charge and arms the bomb in Megaton, he will return to Tenpenny Tower and wait for the Lone Wanderer to rendezvous with him on the balcony. If Megaton is successfully destroyed, he will then spend all of his time in or on the same floor as his suite. However, in any outcome where the bomb does not go off and he is not killed, Burke will simply be disabled the next time the player leaves his current location cell, disappearing from the game.
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character starts quests. | |
  |
This character drops a finger upon death (Lawbringer). | |
Quests[]
- The Power of the Atom: Talking to Mister Burke at Moriarty's Saloon will begin the destruction path of arming and detonating the Megaton bomb to destroy the town.
Effects of player's actions[]
- If a female Lone Wanderer has the Black Widow perk, they unlock a unique interaction where Burke can be seduced. Afterward he will refer to the player character as his "lover" and will plan accordingly to go to Tenpenny Tower and convince Tenpenny to not blow up Megaton. Burke will actually disappear from the game altogether but will send a total of four love letters to Colin Moriarty to give to the Lone Wanderer as if he were at Tenpenny Tower, with the last one declaring they are breaking up.
- If one refuses Burke's offer or disarms the bomb without speaking to him, hitmen will show up at random encounters to attack them.
- If one accepts the offer but reports Burke to Lucas Simms, the sheriff will attempt to arrest Burke but he will shoot Simms in the back and kill him shortly after. One can intervene and save Simms, but this can only be accomplished by killing or disarming Burke before he opens fire, or by attempting to speak to Simms while he is confronting Burke.
- If one completed the Tenpenny Tower quest by helping Roy Phillips take over before meeting Burke at Megaton, once he returns to the tower after the bomb is armed during The Power of the Atom, Burke and Roy will have a unique interaction on the balcony.[5]
- If one kills Burke, they gain positive Karma while still having the option to detonate the bomb if Burke's offer was already accepted.
Inventory[]
- Fallout 3
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Dirty pre-War businesswear and hat Tortiseshell glasses  |
Silenced 10mm pistol |
- Fallout Shelter
Mister Break[]
“Mister Break is a figment of your Punga-infused imagination. Isn't he? Yes, yes he is. Or is he? Yes, most definitely, he is. Right?”— Fallout 3 Official Game Guide, on Mister Break
During the hallucination sequence of the quest Walking with Spirits in the Point Lookout add-on, a character named Mister Break will appear leaning against an atomic bomb, similar to the Megaton bomb but much larger.[Non-game 1] After interacting with him, the bomb explodes, and the Lone Wanderer wakes up outside of the sacred bog. The character looks identical to Mister Burke, including his clothing. When spoken to, he will respond in Tobar the Ferryman's voice and he gives a warning to not get up, saying "you might hurt yourself.".
Notes[]
- Though he has a house in Megaton next to the bomb in the middle of town, Burke is never found residing there nor can the key for it be found in his inventory.
- Stealing items from Mister Burke's house in Megaton does not result in Karma loss.
- Burke is one of nine named characters in the base game to have "Very Evil" Karma.
- If one attempts to kill Burke on the Tenpenny Tower balcony, he will panic but not fight back, nor even try to escape.
- If Burke is present at Tenpenny Tower during the named quest, and the ghouls are allowed to enter non-violently, he will be the only human they do not kill.
- The Fallout 3 Official Game Guide states that Mister Burke likes to eat at the Brass Lantern, where he can keep an eye on the atomic bomb.[Non-game 2] In-game, however, he never appears there and always resides in Moriarty's Saloon.
Notable quotes[]
- "What you did, it was a great thing. That place, those people... necessary sacrifices. Here's to a better future. Here's to Tenpenny Tower!"
- "Any moment now, you'll be dead. Are you excited to see what that's like?"
- "Why do you knuckle draggers always insist on doing things the hard way? Very well, Sheriff. Lead the way."
- "It was a wonderful thing you did. Inspirational...Truly."
- "The pulse charge is rigged? Excellent! Excellent!"
Appearances[]
Mister Burke appears in Fallout 3 and Fallout Shelter.
Behind the scenes[]
- Mister Burke's script was written by Emil Pagliarulo with the voice of Wes Johnson in mind. In his role, Johnson chose to voice the character by taking the sinister undertones from his performance as Lucien Lachance in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, subtracting Lucien's distinct accent and adding a more "corporate" persona.[Non-game 3]
- Mister Burke does not exist in the Japanese version of Fallout 3, thus disabling the "detonate the bomb" option in The Power of the Atom, as the Lone Wanderer cannot get the fusion pulse charge under any circumstances. This was done with respect to sensitivity surrounding nuclear weapons due to the nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II.[Non-game 4]
- However, Burke, alongside other characters involved in his path of the quest, does have Japanese-dubbed voicework that was not used in the public release.[6]
Bugs[]
- If the Lone Wanderer kills Burke, after a long while he may respawn, and can be found standing beside the bomb if it is disarmed, though he cannot be engaged in conversation. [verified]
- If the Lone Wanderer kills Burke and disarms the bomb, they will still encounter hitmen. If their bodies are looted, they will have contracts instructing them, signed "-B", as if the Lone Wanderer had not already killed Burke. [verified]
- If Lucas Simms is told about Burke and one pickpockets Burke's ammo before Simms confronts him, Burke may enter into his draw sidearm animation and loop indefinitely. Simms may still drop dead however, as if Burke had killed him, possibly after leaving the saloon.
- [verified]
Gallery[]
Mister Burke concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Mister Break, his alter ego, can be met after collecting seeds during Walking with Spirits in the sacred bog at the Luck bubblehead.
Mister Burke killing Lucas Simms
Mister Burke in ending slide
References[]
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Indeed! I'm extremely impressed!"
Allistair Tenpenny: "Righto! When I saw this place jutting up out of the horizon, I knew what I had to do! I hired some muscle and we got this place fixed up right quick. I had the great fortune to run into Mr. Burke, an absolute gem of a man. He certainly has a way of getting done what needs to get done, doesn't he? Then it was a matter of getting the right type of tenants with the right type of assets, and the rest is, as they say, history."
(Allistair Tenpenny's dialogue) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Lone Wanderer: "I've been wondering... why blow up Megaton?"
Allistair Tenpenny: "I complained off hand one day about how I thought that heap of metal on the horizon was a bit of an eyesore. Mister Burke offered to take care of it. Burke is such an agreeable man, isn't he? I don't know how I got along without him. I practically don't have to think about things anymore. He takes care of everything. I seldom even have to ask. He's a real go-getter, that one. We need more men like him if we're to rebuild the world."
(Allistair Tenpenny's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "I met a man named Burke. He said he'd pay me to rig the bomb to explode."
Lucas Simms: "He said what?! Oh, I never did like the look of him..."
(Lucas Simms' dialogue) - ↑ Megaton terminal entries; Moriarty's terminal
- ↑ Roy Phillips: "Look, Burke. I... I don't care how you got past the others. I could... I could have you torn apart in an instant, with a snap of my fingers!"
Burke: "Is that so? Do it then, Phillips. Set you feral pets upon me. I could use a bit of sport. After I’ve dealt with them, I'll turn my attention to you. After all, you've destroyed my home, murdered my employer. I’ve something of a score to settle, wouldn't you say?"
Roy Phillips: "Hey, now, come on... The old man got what he had coming… Look, maybe we can work something out. You said you just have some... business to conclude?"
Burke: "Correct. You and your friends may have killed Tenpenny, but the man gave me a task, and I intend to complete it. There's a detonator on the balcony. When that switch is activated, the bomb at the center of Megaton goes... boom. THAT will conclude my business."
Roy Phillips: "Holy shit, you're gonna blow up Megaton? No lie? Look Burke… if you're about to burn down that smoothskin shithole, I ain't gonna stop ya. In fact, I... Well, I think it's fair to say you'd be quite welcome around here. So what do you say? You do your thing and we let bygones by bygones."
Burke: "All right. Water under the bridge, then. Truth be told, I'm a firm believer in natural selection. What you people did here was... inspired."
(Roy Phillips' and Burke's dialogue) - ↑ Casey Mongilloケイシ・モンジロ (November 28, 2018). Mr. Burke Restored (Japanese Fallout 3 Patch) [フォールアウト3]
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.85:
"Mister Break:
Mister Break is a figment of your Punga-infused imagination. Isn't he? Yes, he is. Or is he? Yes, most definitely, he is. Right?" - ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.86:
"Mister Burke:
Mister Burke spends his days at Moriarty's Saloon, drinking and talking to Moriarty or asking Gob the Ghoul probing questions about being a Ghoul, the effects of radiation on his body, and what it's like to live among the non-irradiated populace. He also likes to eat at the Brass Lantern restaurant, where he can keep an eye on the atomic bomb." - ↑ Interview with Wes Johnson at Planet Fallout.
- ↑ Kotaku: Bethesda Censors Fallout 3 For Japan
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