Magpie is a sharpshooter and former raider, taking refuge in the Chop Shop's diner basement in the Burning Springs region of Appalachia in Fallout 76, introduced in the Burning Springs update.
Background[]
Magpie grew up in Ohio and has lived there for much of her life.[1] As a child before the Great War, Magpie enjoyed patronizing the Buckeye Diner, although she noted that the food declined in quality at some point.[2](Note) Although she does not mention what happened to her parents, Magpie did have a younger brother, who eventually came to live in Highway Town after the apocalypse.[3]
Meanwhile, Magpie fell in with a different crowd; more specifically, she became a raider. She joined the Rust King's Army and became known for her proficiency with firearms, widely recognized as a skilled sharpshooter and marksman.[4][5] Magpie saw the Rust King's Army as a family in their own right; despite their penchant for brutality, she found a place in their "twisted, weird family." She interacted with people who became raiders because they felt as though they had no other options, as well as those who made a conscious decision to adopt the lifestyle.[6] She also became familiar with Spike, a raider from another gang who, she says, did "horrific" things.[7]
The Rust, a toxic phenomenon affecting the Burning Springs region post-War, eventually claimed Magpie's brother as a victim, as he was struck with a serious illness to which he eventually succumbed.[8] Magpie has had a fair amount of time to process her brother's death, and while she still considers it a sore spot, she no longer puts herself down over the subject, remarking that her brother would not want her to be sad over his passing.[9] After her brother's death, Magpie became inspired by his positive attitude in life, always wanting to make the best out of a difficult world, and sought to separate herself from the violent life in which she had found herself.[3]
To that end, Magpie abandoned the Rust King's Army and went into hiding.[4] However, at some point, Magpie became afflicted with the same illness, caused by the Rust, that her brother suffered from, a common phenomenon in Burning Springs. This has left her with a noticeable dry cough and a poor diagnosis for her future, harboring many of the same symptoms that her brother had.[10] Magpie attempted to scrounge up the caps she would need to acquire medicine, mostly via gambling; she also took out a loan of 178 caps (with interest) from Gregory Dixon in Highway Town. However, she was never able to acquire exactly what she needed and ended up indebted to Gregory.[11][12] She hunkered down in the basement of the Buckeye Diner, inspired by her childhood memories there, while also noting the advantages of hiding in a basement filled with preservatives.[2]
However, by 2105, the area surrounding the Chop Shop has become overrun with Rust raiders practicing cannibalism, forcing Magpie to stay hidden in the basement, setting up traps and killing any Rust raiders who venture down.[13] She refuses to leave, having staked her claim on the area by virtue of being there first.[14] All the while, her debt to Gregory Dixon remains an albatross around her neck, to the point she says that she would be hunted down if she did reemerge.[15] Although she is committed to separating herself from, at the very least, unjustified killing,[16] she is still recognized in the area for her skills as a marksman. Although she lacks confidence in her combat skills since becoming sick,[17] Magpie's notoriety makes her a potential candidate for assisting a revolution against the Rust King.[18] Eugene (in reality, Spike) even claims she may have the highest kill count in the region, though it is unclear if this is true, or an attempt on his part to incentivize recruiting her to the revolution.[18][5]
Magpie can be convinced to see the revolution as a way for her to potentially do something good for once,[19] especially with the potential for an early death from the Rust's illness looming;[17] additionally, Magpie believes it would be what her brother would want her to do.[19] She aims to free herself from debt before joining, though she grapples with an internal conflict over the use of violence to attain such ends.[7]
Personality[]
Despite her difficult circumstances, Magpie maintains a warm sense of humor, as most conversations feature her being snarky,[20] joking[21] and playful.[22] She will sarcastically refer to the Vault 76 dweller with the nickname of "hero."[23] She enjoys singing and humming to herself,[24][25] but also indulges in gambling, as she suffers from an addiction to it; she uses her dire straits as an explanation for her gambling, but also admits that she enjoys it on its face,[26] and she applies her gambler's mindset to even the most mundane of topics.[27]
Keeping her brother's memory in mind as her inspiration, Magpie has resolved to cast aside her violent past and model her future behavior after him and his cheery disposition.[3] However, she is still more than capable of and very willing to defend herself, given she is stuck in a basement with cannibals on the other side of the door.[28] She is also willing to kill and fight again when joining the plan to overthrow the Rust King.[29] Her struggle with violence comes from trying to stop herself from causing undeserved death; she wants to be free from her debt to Gregory Dixon but is hesitant to use violence to solve the issue in that particular case. With her new mindset, she is especially repulsed at the idea of reveling in such violence.[16][30] Even if Gregory is a "bad guy,"[30] Magpie knows the old version of herself would, in fact, have just killed him, and therein lies the origin of her hesitance, as she attempts to move on from her raiding days.[31]
Nevertheless, Magpie may be led to believe that overthrowing the Rust King and fighting in a revolution against the raiders would be the right thing to do, seeing it as a newly-discovered purpose in life, to do some good in spite of her likely shortened lifespan.[19][17] Alternatively, if Gregory Dixon is killed and his death is celebrated, Magpie may be turned off of the revolution entirely, disgusted with the notion of playing God, much like the Rust King himself.[32] This is especially demotivating given Spike, now using the alias of Eugene, is the one formulating the plan,[7] and Magpie is ultimately right to distrust him.[33]
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[]
- Insurrection: Magpie is the third and final potential recruit for Eugene's rebellion plan against the Rust King. Magpie tasks the player with freeing her of her debt before she can join the revolution.
- If the player frees Magpie of her debt peacefully (or lies and tells her that they did), she will agree to join the revolution.
- If the player kills Gregory Dixon (or lies and tells her that they did), she will refuse to join the revolution out of disgust.
- When the Rust Settles: If Magpie joined the revolution in the previous quest, she will be found dead in the Rust Kingdom arena, following Eugene's betrayal.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treasure hunter outfit (non-lootable) |
Notes[]
- ^ (Note) Although not explicitly stated that Magpie's adolescence was in the pre-War period, the Buckeye Diner was a pre-War establishment and the Buckeye Diner's ledger indicates their change in ingredients to human meat occurred in June 2077, aligning with Magpie's statement about when the food got "crappier."[2]
- A note titled Magpie's song, containing poetry written by Magpie, is found in the game's files and appears to be associated with the quest Insurrection, but it has no reference records and does not appear to be implemented as of the Burning Springs Public Test Server.
- Magpie will always die if she is convinced to join Eugene's revolution in the wake of his betrayal; thus, the way to ensure she survives the events of the quest line is to actually upset her by killing Gregory Dixon. Although she does live if she refuses to join the revolution, Magpie disappears from the game world after When the Rust Settles and cannot be spoken to again.
Appearances[]
Magpie appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Burning Springs update.
Gallery[]
References[]
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