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Go Underworld! Go Ghouls! Yay! ...damn this pansy zombie programming...

Cerberus is a Mister Gutsy defending the Underworld, a major ghoul settlement in Fallout 3.

Background[]

Painstakingly maintained by Winthrop, Cerberus is a Mister Gutsy living up to his name as the guardian of the Underworld. Or rather, guard dog, defending from threats foreign and domestic. He's keenly aware of the irony.[1] Aware in a literal fascion: While the ghouls assume that Cerberus is a robot following its algorithm, Cerberus actually has a degree of self-awareness thanks to his malfunctioning neural network. However, he is constrained by Winthrop's programming, which forces Cerberus to present the Underworld as a town of peaceful ghouls and remind any visitors to check their bigotry at the door. Cerberus hates being shackled by the programing and its combat inhibitor, and would like nothing more than to indiscriminately open fire on the "rotting zombie maggot farms" he's stuck protecting.[2] The most he can manage is the odd curse under his breath, damning the "pansy zombie programming".[Non-game 1][3]

Cerberus is very adept at masking his self-awareness. He only speaks normally when speaking to outsiders. Winthrop receives the driest of status reports, to the point of malicious compliance, such as claiming he cannot parse his commands when Winthrop tries to chat.[4] Patchwork is also routinely ignored, especially when he comes looking for missing body parts.[5]If he does deign to chat, Cerberus might randomly switch to Spanish, or inquire about Winthrop's dead wife, being deliberately cruel. Winthrop dismisses all problems as a result of old data tapes.[6]

He isn't far off the mark: Cerberus is ancient. Its systems are old and worn, and whenever Winthrop runs diagnostics (using code 662-847-B), Cerberus spits out a multi-level diagnostic that consistently returns numerous errors including low ammo levels in unit 2B, fluctuating contact in his cognition system with no known source of failure, constant target recognition system failures, and class two failures in its locomotion systems, with a 47% probability of graduating to a class one failure. Winthrop tries to keep on top of the repairs, but he prioritizes keeping the Underworld from falling apart, and most of the time Cerberus goes without maintenance. The noisy, old Mister Gutsy just patrols the concourse endlessly, with tech reports just piling up and Winthrop constantly promising to take him offline for repairs for later. It's likely the unaddressed cognition system failures are responsible for his self-awareness, much like Sawbones' damage due to a generator overload was.[7]

Daily schedule[]

Cerberus patrols the entire Underworld concourse using an 11 marker route, 24 hours a day.

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
38 Paradigm of Humanity
This character has no special interactions.

Other interactions[]

  • If the player character has the Robotics Expert perk, the player can disable Cerberus' combat inhibitor via a dialogue option. This grants negative Karma and turns Cerberus permanently hostile.[8]

Inventory[]

Apparel Weapon Other items On death
Mister Gutsy flamer and plasma pistol Flamer fuel
Energy cell

Notable quotes[]

Appearances[]

Cerberus appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes[]

Cerberus (Κέρβερος) is a mythical creature from Greek mythology, with three heads and sometimes portrayed with a serpentine tail and snakes protruding from its body. Cerberus was placed by Hades at the gates of the Underworld, to protect them against trespassers and escapees. This Mister Gutsy parallels it not just by being a guard dog, but also having three eyes (heads) and three arms (snakes).

References[]

  1. The Lone Wanderer: "So what are you, the guard dog?"
    Cerberus: "I am Cerberus! It is my solemn duty to guard the citizens of Underworld against any and all threats, both foreign and domestic! So yes... I'm the guard dog."
    (Cerberus' dialogue)
  2. The Lone Wanderer: "What can you tell me about Underworld?"
    Cerberus: "This is a town full of peace-loving Ghouls, so check your bigotry at the door. They're just like humans! They feel, they hurt, they bleed… They deserve the same love and respect as any human, and don't you forget it! At least, that's what they programmed me to say. Personally, I think they're a bunch of rotting zombie maggot farms, and I'd send them all back to hell if I could. Damn, this combat inhibitor!"
    (Cerberus' dialogue)
  3. The Lone Wanderer: "You ever get outside, Cerberus? Into the Wasteland?"
    Cerberus: "Negatory! I have been programmed to remain on premises at all times! In the event of hostilities, I will respond with deadly force! Go Underworld! Go Ghouls! Yay! ...damn this pansy zombie programming..."
    (Cerberus' dialogue)
  4. Winthrop: "All clear, Cerberus?" or "Have you seen anything unusual, Cerberus?"
    Cerberus: "Alert status: null. Patrol uninterrupted." or "Threat level alpha. Disturbance level zero."
    Winthrop: "No news is good news, eh, Cerberus? What about you, how are you doing?" or "Well, that's good. That's good to hear, Cerberus. Anything else going on?"
    Cerberus: "Unit functional. Patrol priority one. " or "Command not parsed. Please restate command."
    Winthrop: "<sighs>You're a terrible conversationalist, Cerberus." or "I really need to teach you a thing or two about talking to people." or "You really suck at conversation, robot."
  5. Patchwork: "Dammit... it was attached a second ago... Hey! Robot! You seen any, you know, toes around here?" or "Hey, robot, have you seen any toes laying around here?"
    Cerberus: "Scanning... target identified as "Patchwork". Hello, Patchwork. I trust that all is well with you." or "Scanning... target identified as "Patchwork". Hello, Patchwork. How are you?"
    Patchwork: "That ain't what ... I asked you, stupid... stupid robot." or "I'm doin' fine... fine indeed. How are you? ... I said how are you? What? Are you ignoring me? Stupid asshole robot..."
  6. Winthrop: "Why, hello there, Cerberus." or "Cerberus! How are you? Programming holding up?"
    Cerberus: "Scanning... target identified as "Winthrop". Hello, Winthrop. How are you?" or "Scanning... target identified as "Winthrop". Hello, Winthrop. Que pasa?" or "Scanning... target identified as "Winthrop". Hello, Winthrop. How is you- you- your wife?"
    Winthrop: "She's dead, you damn fool robot. Thanks for reminding me." or "She's dead, you know that. Lousy old data tapes..."
  7. Winthrop: "Cerberus, run your diagnostic program. Code 662-847-B." or "Cerberus, you're still making that god awful noise. Go ahead and run that diagnostic program. Code 662-847-B."
    Cerberus: "Unit diagnostics system compiling... diagnostics system ready. Running level 2 diagnostics... complete. Report prepared." or "Unit diagnostics... running... running... complete. Report prepared."
    Winthrop: "Well, give the report, you old bucket of bolts. I haven't got all day." or "Well? Do you think I asked just out of curiosity? Give me the report, dammit."
    Cerberus: "Unit weapon system 2B ammunition level low. Please service at earliest convenience." or "Unit cognition system experiencing fluctuating contact. Unable to determine source of failure. " or "Unit target recognition system contains failure of an unknown class. Advise immediate unit service for repair." or "Unit locomotion system contains a class two failure. Currently operable. Failure will escalate to class one with a 47% probability."
    Winthrop: "Dammit. I thought I fixed that. No time now, resume your patrol Cerberus. I'll deal with it later." or "Damn worthless... it never ends with you, does it? Just resume your patrol, I'll take you offline for service later." or "For Christ's sake, that's the fourth time this month. Just go back on patrol, I'm sure you'll be fine."
  8. The Lone Wanderer: "<Disable Cerberus' combat inhibitor.>"
    Cerberus: "Whoa Nelly! Sensing combat inhibitor removal! Guns are hot! Firing for effect! Welcome to Hell, you zombie freaks!"
    (Cerberus' dialogue) Note: This option is available with the Robotics Expert perk in Fallout 3.

Non-game

  1. Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.65:
    "Cerberus:
    Winthrop's main guardian against attackers, this Mister Gutsy with a combat inhibitor specifically tailored to "not shooting Ghouls" floats around the concourse, greeting his new masters. Programmed to serve, Cerberus's robotic mind is keen to be unshackled, so he can massacre these rotting lumpyskins where they fester. There's no chance of this happening, so Cerberus is reduced to muttering insults under his steam vent."
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