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This page is about the Blue Ridge Caravan Company employee. For other characters named Klein, see Klein. |
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Herschel Klein is an employee of the Blue Ridge Caravan Company in Fallout 76. An eccentric bartender found at the Blue Ridge office in Appalachia, Herschel deals in drinks and outlandish rumors while also attempting to work on a writing career.
Background[]
Herschel Klein serves as a bartender for the Blue Ridge Caravan Company's bar at the western entrance to the Big Bend Tunnel, though he also claims to be an author, an aspiring playwright, and a "reveler of life."[1] According to Vinny Costa, Herschel simply "showed up one day" and has worked for Blue Ridge ever since, as Vinny is more than happy to let Herschel's bar collect more revenue for the company.[2] Although Herschel's eccentricities have occasionally gained Vinny's ire, Herschel is still a good bartender who can pour an exceptional drink, and as such, is tolerated by his co-workers at Blue Ridge.[3]
As a bartender, Herschel also trades rumors and often outright embellishments. Some of his outlandish rumors include that the Brotherhood of Steel is actually a traveling theater troupe with members coming all the way from Florida,[4] that everyone is actually just in a memory lounger simulation in Hoboken, New Jersey,[5] that Aries is an alien stuck after his spaceship was destroyed during the Great War,[6] that the Raiders in the Crater are actually astronauts that came down with the space station,[7] that becoming a ghoul is actually a side effect of excessive Nuka-Cola consumption,[8] and that an intelligent society of mole rats thrives beneath Appalachia.[9]
Though bartending is his primary focus as his day-to-day job, Herschel is serious about his writing aspirations, if in his own strange way. He is saddened by the fact that more people are not interested in his work, and claims to be working on an autobiography, My Life at the End of the World: A Herschel Klein Story, with a foreword by the Mister Handy Billingsley from Bolton Greens.[10]
Herschel's lack of success in his hopeful career as a post-War author takes focus in the quest Costa Business: Herschel. A particularly nasty case of writer's block has affected Herschel to the point that Vinny Costa has noticed. In his roadblock, Herschel becomes slightly more self-deprecating than usual,[11][12][13] which Vinny refers to as "whining."[14] To regain his motivation, Herschel asks the Vault Dwellers to investigate one of the many rumors he has heard. Herschel has heard of a supposed ghostly writer named Jacque haunting the Torrance House. Herschel wants to read Jacque's writing to gain inspiration for his own works, so that he may "share [Herschel's] brilliance and beauty with the world."[15][16]
Although Herschel is aware that the story of Jacque may sound as ridiculous as his other rumors,[12][17] it does turn out to have a nugget of truth in it, if slightly misguided. Jacque is actually a Protectron who produced a series of jeering notes directed at a Blood Eagle named Striker.[18] If told about Jacque, Herschel will express surprise at both of the facts that the writings were real[19] and were actually produced by a robot (though he says the latter should be kept between him and the Vault Dwellers).[20] Alternatively, if Herschel is lied to and made to believe that the ghost is real, he will be intrigued and joke about the prospect of a "ghostwriter,"[21] and Vinny remarks that Herschel has started to have conversations with thin air, though he still bartends just fine.[22] Either way, Herschel becomes reinvigorated and resumes work on his writings, as well as serving drinks without complaint.[23] Even if Jacque's writings turn out to "stink," that is beside the point:[24] Herschel expresses his gratitude by promising to include the Vault Dwellers in one of his stories, which he puffs up as a rare honor, in typical Herschel fashion.[25]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
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This character ignores combat and cannot be damaged. | |
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This character cannot be killed. | |
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This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests[]
- Out of the Blue: Herschel serves the Vault Dweller and Leila Rahmani drinks. The player can ask for whiskey, Nuka-Cola, a Pickaxe Pilsner, or with a low Intelligence SPECIAL check, a Nukashine.
- Costa Business: Herschel: Herschel is suffering from writer's block. Go to Torrance House where there are rumors of a ghostly writer named Jacque. Collect the five notes around the area. Return to Herschel and tell him the truth about Jacque or lie.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| White and grey shirt and slacks |
Notes[]
- Herschel often uses loanwords from Yiddish in his dialogue, such as "schlepping,"[26] "schmuck,"[12] "shlumps"[27] and "putz."[13]
- Herschel appears to balk at Vinny Costa, jokingly calling him uneducated, and saying that he hates it when Vinny is right.[28][26] Vinny, in turn, sees Herschel as "weird"[29] and a "pain in the neck" but will tolerate him for the extra caps brought in.[2]
Appearances[]
Herschel Klein appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Steel Reign update. His character was expanded upon in the Once in a Blue Moon update.
References[]
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