Deacon is a spy and member of the Railroad residing in the Commonwealth in Fallout 4. He is a possible companion of the Sole Survivor.
Background[]
Past[]
Little is known about Deacon's past prior to joining the Railroad; even his real name is unknown[1] and he admits he is frequently dishonest about himself to even his fellow Railroad members.[2] Among other things, he claims that he was among the first wave of liberated Gen 3s, that he helped found the Railroad, and that he is the true leader of the organization while Desdemona merely serves as a figurehead.[3] Privately, Desdemona suspects that Deacon and the equally mysterious "John D." credited in the Railroad's records with pioneering many of the organization's clandestine practices are one and the same.[4]
The most detailed account of his past that Deacon shares holds that when he was younger, he was a member of the University Point (UP) Deathclaws, a gang from the eponymous University Point that harassed people accused of being synths. The gang's antagonism eventually escalated to the point of lynching a man suspected of being a Gen 3, an act that left Deacon shaken.[5] Unwilling to continue down such a violent path, Deacon left the gang to settle down as a farmer, eventually marrying a woman named Barbara. They intended to start a family, but the UP Deathclaws reemerged and attacked the farm out of revenge for his desertion. During the attack, it was apparently uncovered, to both Deacon's and Barbara's surprise, that Barbara was actually a synth herself.[6] Barbara was killed in the attack, and Deacon says he slaughtered the gang in retaliation.[7]
In the aftermath, he was contacted by the Railroad, who were unaware of his prior affiliation with the gang. Despite believing himself undeserving, Deacon swore himself to their cause as a way to make amends.[7] Though there is no direct evidence that this story is any more honest than his other claims, Deacon insists when pressed that it is the truth for once.[8]
Spying for the Railroad[]
By 2273, the allegedly reformed gang member had taken the codename "Deacon," and in December of that year, survived an Institute raid on the Railroad, with Pinky Thompson attributing the organization's survival to his escape plan.[9] When Pinky stepped down from leadership in 2277, Deacon aided Doctor Carrington and Desdemona in revising the organization's policies to put a focus on operational security.[10] Deacon subsequently became one of Desdemona's top men, trusted with vital reconnaissance missions and keeping an eye on the broader Commonwealth.
By 2287, most of the field work Deacon conducts consists of gathering intel on persons of interest for the Railroad.[11] It was in his capacity as a spy doing intel-gathering that Deacon discovered and tracked the progress of the Sole Survivor since they left Vault 111. Throughout their many feats, up to taking out Kellogg[12] and then defeating a Courser[13], he decided they could be a useful asset to the Railroad in the near future.[14]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
Interactions | ||
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This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed. | ||
This character is a permanent companion. They grant the Cloak & Dagger perk. | ||
This character is a temporary companion. | ||
This character starts quests. | ||
This character is involved in quests. |
Quests[]
- Tradecraft: Deacon accompanies the Sole Survivor to the Railroad's previous headquarters to retrieve a lost prototype.
- Precipice of War: The Sole Survivor and Deacon escort Tinker Tom to Cambridge Police Station to steal a Brotherhood vertibird.
- Rockets' Red Glare: Using the stolen vertibird, the Sole Survivor and Deacon infiltrate and sabotage the Prydwen to cripple the Brotherhood of Steel.
- The Nuclear Option: Deacon participates in the Railroad's assault on the Institute, freeing the synths within before blowing up the facility's nuclear reactor.
- Tactical Thinking/End of the Line: Deacon resides in the Railroad HQ when the Sole Survivor is dispatched to eliminate the organization.
Effects of player's actions[]
- If Road to Freedom is progressed before killing the Courser at Greenetech Genetics, when meeting Desdemona below the Old North Church, Deacon will vouch for them to join the Railroad, citing many of the Sole Survivor's accomplishments to introduce them to Desdemona.
- The number of possible events that Deacon can comment on is varied, such as taking out Sinjin,[15] helping the Brotherhood of Steel clear Fort Strong,[16] saving Amelia Stockton from the Compound,[17] helping the Commonwealth Minutemen retake the Castle,[18] rescuing Nick Valentine from the Triggermen in Vault 114[19] among other notable achievements.
- If no other quests have been completed between leaving Vault 111 and entering the Old North Church, Deacon will only remark on their ability in figuring out the password to reach the Railroad HQ.[20]
- Reaching maximum affinity with Deacon grants the Cloak & Dagger perk, which offers a permanent 40% increase to the duration of Stealth Boys and a permanent 20% bonus to sneak attacks.
- Deacon will instantly become hostile if the player character kills a settler or anyone involved in the Railroad. He will also become immediately hostile along with the rest of the Railroad if the player character travels to the HQ or in the vicinity of the Old North Church with X6-88 as an active companion.
- If completing The Nuclear Option with the Minutemen, and one does not issue the evacuation order to complete the optional objective, the Railroad and Deacon will turn hostile when the player character next speaks to Desdemona. They may still speak to other Railroad characters and complete quests for them.
- Deacon cannot be romanced.
Range of interests[]
Approvals | Disapprovals |
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Inventory[]
Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
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Undershirt & jeans or Sunglasses or Laundered loungewear or Pompadour wig or Flannel shirt and jeans or Road leathers or Padded blue jacket or Farmhand clothes or Athletic outfit or DC guard umpire's pads or Black vest and slacks or Utility coveralls or Lab coat or Newsboy cap or Battered fedora or Weathered outfit |
Sniper rifle Pipe gun (While working undercover, before finding the Railroad) |
Stimpak |
Notes[]
- Prior to entering the Old North Church, one may come across Deacon working incognito in some major settlements. His appearance will be changed save for the only constant in his disguises being the sunglasses which he never removes.
- Even after being recruited as a companion, if one doesn't equip any clothing to Deacon, his appearance will dynamically change while traveling with the player as they move between zones. Taking him to certain areas will cause him to put on specific disguises, such as disguising himself as a security guard when taken into the Diamond City market.
- He is present for the argument between Piper and Mayor McDonough during Jewel of the Commonwealth, disguised as Diamond City Security.
- He can be found wandering around Goodneighbor disguised as an unnamed drifter. He will also join in Hancock's speech about the Institute when the events triggers. He can also be found in one of the pods in the Memory Den.
- He may be spotted in Bunker Hill disguised as a "caravan worker."
- When spoken to in these disguised roles, Deacon will often have unique dialogue that differs from the dialogue used by the other unnamed NPC residents.
- There's a chance for one of Deacon's disguises to be just him wearing nothing but a left leather leg piece.
- Deacon is marked as "essential" in all of the above disguises. If cheats or mods are used to kill him in any of the disguises before one reaches the Railroad, he will still appear alive during Road to Freedom and will act as if nothing happened. This is due to his disguised appearances being considered separate characters by the game files.
- He will not say anything if taken to Nate/Nora's corpse in Vault 111.
- Deacon claims to have visited the Capital Wasteland, mentioning how the Brotherhood of Steel "wasn't so bad" prior to Arthur Maxson's ascension to elder,[21] as well as how the region has drinkable water[22] (making it canonical that the Lone Wanderer did not use the modified FEV to poison Project Purity in Fallout 3).
- Deacon makes negative comments when brought to elevated locations such as Trinity Tower,[23] implying a fear of heights.
- Deacon was previously kicked out of the Railroad HQ by former leader Pinky Thompson because he was "sick of the lying, face-changing son of a bitch," after Deacon had apparently spent a month as a ghoul, which "freaked a lot of people out."[1]
- Deacon is one of only two human companions in Fallout 4 who cannot be romanced, along with Old Longfellow from the Far Harbor add-on.
Notable quotes[]
- "The big three for predicting people: caps, beliefs, and ego. Get a handle on what's driving someone and you know where you stand."
- "I really want to know how the Big One started. What idiot fired first? Why? What the hell did they think they'd gain?"
- "I never really much cared for the Minutemen. The idea sounds great. But you give small men big power and sometimes you'll pay for it."
- "One time, I got a face change and was a girl for a few months. You should've seen the looks back at HQ."
- "Insert something Shakespearean involving death and your inevitable doom here."
- "Fighting is so 2077."
- "Alright. You got me up here... let's go down. Now?" – After reaching the top of Trinity Tower.
- "We got to get to that crash site, even if it means Tinker gets to say "I told you so!"." – When seeing the Alien ship crash land.
- "Your wish is my.... strong recommendation".
- "Got the hang of the Railroad yet? We're just one big dysfunctional family... with guns!".
- "If I were a sniper I'd be there, or there, or there. Isn't this fun?" – When out in the open in enemy territory.
- "Usually it's spa days and macramé, but hey, I'm up for some mayhem." – During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does.
- "Since we're a team, you think we should use a code name? Red Orchard? Or... Code Violet? Or... the Death Bunnies. That'll confuse them."
- "But I had a point here. A lesson, if you will. There're other organizations out there. And, in time, I'm sure they're going to spoon-feed you their own patented form of bullshit. Ignore the verbage and look at what they're doing. What they're asking you to do. What sort of world they'd have you build and how they're going to pay for it."
- "I'm a fan of Grognak myself. What will that wacky barbarian do next?." – When picking up a magazine
- "We're great. We're fricking fantastic. Songs will be written about our sheer awesome-osity." – At maximum affinity
- "Here I was wanting to spend the day reading Proust, then you had to go and ruin it!" – Upon entering combat
- "This will be our finest hour. Tales shall be told of our fight versus the rad roaches."
- "Would you look at that? Damn." – Upon witnessing the Brotherhood of Steel's arrival in the Commonwealth.
- "Back in Capital Wasteland the Brotherhood was a force to be reckoned with. But them plus that giant airship..." – On the Brotherhood of Steel's combat capability.
Appearances[]
Deacon appears in Fallout 4, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, Fallout Shelter Online, and in the Fallout: The Roleplaying Game supplement book Settler's Guide Book.
Behind the scenes[]
- Deacon was written by quest designer Ferret Baudoin.[Non-game 1]
- In localized versions of the game, Deacon's voice is dubbed by Antonio Domínguez (Spanish), Jiro Saito (Japanese) and Alessandro Capra (Italian).
- Ryan Alosio, Deacon's voice actor, has expressed interest in reprising his role as Deacon in future installments, and often shares fan-created content related to Deacon on his social media.[Non-game 2]
- Deacon's dialogue contains nods to previous Fallout games, including suggesting "Code Violet" as a team name, which was part of Harkness' override code during The Replicated Man in Fallout 3,[24][25] attempting to use what he says is Robert House's personal override codes on Deezer (which he supposedly won in a poker game),[26] and joking about convincing a new Railroad member that he is actually President John Henry Eden.[27]
Bugs[]
- The Nuclear Option (Minutemen), resulting in him often falling behind when exploring.[verified]
- It can happen before completing the quest, seemingly at random.
- Possible fix for PC is to use the console command setstage comdeacon 1000.
- Another possible fix (only tested on PS4) is to draw your weapon to cause him to draw his and start running.
Deacon will be stuck in walk mode after completing - Rockets' Red Glare Deacon can get stuck lying face down on the ground after exiting the Vertibird. This can be fixed by dismissing Deacon. He will revert to normal when you find him in whichever settlement you sent him to.[verified] During
- Additionally, Deacon will unequip all armor pieces at the destination of your fast travel causing you to take him out of the armor, reattach all armor pieces and put him back into it. Deacon may lose the power armor, including the frame, during these changes. This can be seen sometimes in Diamond City when he changes into a Diamond City security outfit.
When in power armor, Deacon's outfit changes affect the armor too, and he will unequip whatever armor pieces are equipped.[verified]
- If there is no dialogue option to read the recall code, pause the conversation by moving the camera away, read the note from the inventory and then turn back to Deacon.
Deacon cannot be told to exit the power armor because he only talks about his recall code. To fix this read the recall code, and then start the dialog and tell him the code. After this it will be possible to make him exit the power armor the usual way.[verified]
- Sometimes when giving Deacon an outfit to wear, he will stay in that outfit even when trying to switch to a different outfit. The different outfit will change his body shape, but he will still be wearing the original outfit.[verified]
- A rare glitch may occur where Deacon will keep his rifle out, except the trigger will be floating above his hand; he will not move and keep aiming with his rifle while remaining on the spot.[verified]
- The only way to fix this is to fire him and come back for him later.
He can disappear when Father asks for the Railroad to be eliminated. He won't be in the Railroad HQ until the character sides with the Railroad or starts killing them. Once a side is chosen, the message "Deacon tolerates you" will appear and he talk to you about how you're acting crazy.[verified]
- When exploring, Deacon's outfit may begin to change rapidly. If you try to speak to any companion after that it will not work.[verified]
Gallery[]
Fallout 4[]
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare[]
Fallout Shelter Online[]
References[]
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Non-game
- ↑ Bethesda Fallout 76 Interview ~ QuakeCon At Home 2020:
Ferret Baudoin: "I was a designer on Fallout 4, I did the Railroad, I did Deacon, I did Curie, I did all sorts of fun quests there. And I was the lead quest designer at launch for all the content for Fallout 76, and then post-launch, I was lead designer." - ↑ Ryan Alosio interview on Gamerant
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