 |
For the human Nick Valentine, see Nick Valentine (human). |
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“I'm a synth. Synthetic man. All the parts, minus a few red blood cells.”
Nick Valentine is a synthetic private detective and a potential companion of the Sole Survivor living in Diamond City in 2287.
Background
An unusual robotic detective, Nick Valentine is the sole detective of a small agency he runs in Diamond City alongside his assistant Ellie Perkins. In addition to possessing the memories of a late pre-War detective, Nick has certain abilities that complement his investigative skills: he is very effective at hacking computers, and adept at both ranged and melee combat. Valentine believes himself to be a prototype between second generation synths and the latest, which might explain why he exhibits sapient intelligence and is not innately hostile towards non-Institute humans. He is generally well respected throughout Diamond City despite his mysterious origins.
Originally, along with another synth named DiMA, the synth that would become Nick Valentine was one of two unique prototype Gen 2 synths used to test if and how synths could handle independent thinking. For years he was experimented on, having various personalities and memories from former humans loaded into him. Despite this, he and DiMA grew a family-like bond to one another, due to being the first and only synths of their kind. This was until DiMA, having been an experiment on a synth developing its own sense of consciousness and self without preloaded personalities or memories, grew to resent the experiments being performed on him and his "brother." The two synths managed to escape, but not before the Institute uploaded a new personality and memories in DiMA's brother. The synth, now identifying himself as a pre-War police officer named Nick Valentine, in a state of confusion due to suddenly "waking up" 200 years in the future, attacked DiMA. DiMA was left with no choice but to knock Nick out and leave him behind. After regaining consciousness in a pile of garbage an unknown amount of time later, Nick wandered the wasteland in a state of confusion for several weeks.
Due to unfamiliarity with the Institute and its technology, most wastelanders regarded Nick with equal parts fear and awe; however, he was eventually accepted into a small local community where a mechanic offered to repair the damage he had sustained in his travels. During this time Nick befriended a child he knew only as "Jim," the first human contact Nick ever had. The community was the first time since his reawakening that anyone had treated Nick as a human being and not some mechanical monstrosity. Nick eventually left that settlement; upon visiting years later, he found that it had been pillaged by raiders. The fate of its population remains unclear.
Nick eventually found himself traveling to Diamond City. Although Diamond City holds no small amount of hatred for the Institute and their synths, Nick gained their respect by saving the daughter of the city's former mayor, Henry Roberts, when she ran away with a caravan trader. The caravan trader and his companions were, unbeknownst to the girl, actually kidnappers who proceeded to take her hostage. Nick stumbled upon the kidnappers purely by accident when he was wandering the Commonwealth wasteland, having been almost exclusively itinerant since his "awakening." Finding himself held at gunpoint and likely the girl's only hope, Nick scared the abductors away by claiming that he had a bomb inside him and beeping (Nick claims that he literally just said the word "beep" repeatedly).
When the Mayor's daughter told Nick what had happened, he returned her to her father, who in turn gave him a house in Diamond City as compensation despite the citizens' dismay and objections; Nick gradually eased the citizens' fears by acting as Diamond City's handyman. His formidable detective skills were brought to the forefront when he helped to find a wife who was thought dead: Nick discovered that she had in actuality run away with her lover. In time, people stopped asking Nick to fix things when it became clear that he had found his true calling as Diamond City's private investigator.
While on a case to find a human named Darla, who was believed to had been kidnapped but in fact had run away to join the gang of mobster Skinny Malone, Nick was captured by the gang and imprisoned within their hideout in Vault 114. It was here that he met and was rescued by the Sole Survivor. The two escaped the vault after confronting Skinny Malone. Upon their escape and meeting back up at Nick's office, the Sole Survivor enlisted his help in tracking down their missing son.
Nick eventually opens up to the Sole Survivor and starts the quest Long Time Coming. Nick asks them to help him tie up the last "loose end" of the original Nick Valentine's life: bringing down his old rival Edward Winter. Tracking down all 10 of Winter's old holotapes, Nick and the Sole Survivor use them to decode Winter's hideout and the code to get in. Once inside, Nick confronts a ghoulified Winter (who, predictably, does not recognize Nick). Together, with the Sole Survivor, Nick kills Winter and avenges the murder of the original Nick's fiancée, Jennifer Lands. Nick then shows the Sole Survivor the site where Winter had killed Jennifer, before contemplating who he is and what purpose his life has after that point.
While traveling with the Sole Survivor, Nick finds himself on a case to find the missing daughter of Kenji Nakano (who apparently worked with Nick on a prior case that wound up with Kenji getting shot in the hip). The trail leads to Far Harbor. While on the island, Nick is reunited with DiMA, who is now the current leader of Acadia. Though DiMA is very glad to see his brother again, Nick is reluctant due to not remembering DiMA at all. Upon finding proof of their relationship, the Sole Survivor can convince Nick to accept DiMA as his brother, and the two will occasionally greet each other or chat upon entering Acadia.
The original Nick Valentine
Nick Valentine was originally a police detective from Chicago.[1] He was brought to Boston to lead "Operation Winter's End," an operation to bring down mob boss Edward Winter.[2] Unfortunately, Winter or one of his associates managed to find out about Nick's fiancée, Jennifer Lands and killed her in revenge for Nick's involvement in the operation.[3]
The Bureau of Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms and Lasers received intelligence of associates of Winter discussing her whereabouts, but senior officers decided not to place Jennifer or Nick into witness protection in order to avoid compromising the investigation.[4] To make matters worse, Nick and the rest of the task force on Operation Winter's End discovered that Winter made a deal with the BADTFL and the district attorney to incriminate his associates in exchange for immunity.[5]
In the weeks preceding the fall of the bombs, Winter was released and Operation Winter's End was disbanded. Nick was ordered to seek treatment for PTSD at the C.I.T. ruins, where his brain was scanned as part of his treatment. This was how the Institute was able to obtain Nick's pre-War memories.
Interactions with the player character
Fallout 4
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed. | |
  |
This character is a permanent companion. They grant the Close to Metal perk. | |
  |
This character is a temporary companion. | |
  |
This character starts quests. | |
  |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Companion uses
- Valentine can be used to hack terminals of any tier by guiding him to the nearest terminal. This will take some time, depending on the difficulty. However, he might fail and be locked out forever. This chance increases with each tier. If he fails and locks himself out of the terminal, the player character can still attempt to hack the terminal themselves.
- Valentine will not hack terminals that strictly belong to someone else.
- Valentine can be used to hack otherwise inaccessible terminals in the game that are actually part of a specific quest.
Effects of player's actions
- Achieving maximum relationship with Nick Valentine gives the Survivor the Close to Metal perk, which allows one extra attempt when hacking and a 50% reduced lockout time upon failing a hack. His personal quest Long Time Coming must be completed before the perk can be obtained. The quest Dangerous Minds must be completed to trigger quest Long Time Coming if maximum relationship is already achieved.
- He will comment on the Sole Survivor's decisions after completing the main questline. He responds negatively to choosing the Institute.
Loyalty
| Nick Valentine's loyalty actions | |
|---|---|
| Approvals | Disapprovals |
|
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Comments
| Nick Valentine's comments | |
|---|---|
| Location/Requirement | Comment |
| Diamond City, entrance | "Even good people do crazy things when they're scared. Ought to be Diamond City's motto." |
| Goodneighbor, entrance | "Goodneighbor. Lowest place in the Commonwealth. Everything not nailed down rolls through here at some point." |
| Combat Zone, exterior | "What a waste of a venue." |
| Boston Airport, before the barricades | "If you're looking to do some salvage, you've come to the right place." |
| Boston Airport, before the barricades after the Brotherhood of Steel arrive | "The airport, huh? You sure you want to waltz through Brotherhood HQ with a Synth at your side?" |
| Cabot House, exterior by the shrubbery | "It's like painting a huge sign on their front door. "Rob me."" |
| Parsons State Insane Asylum, entrance foyer on the rug just past the front door; during the quest The Secret of Cabot House. | "Not sure they're taking new wards, but for us, they might make an exception." |
| Jamaica Plain, northwest road entrance, by the diner | "Hey, this is Jamaica Plain. Stay sharp. Lot of Raiders end up here, looking for that lost treasure." |
| Vault 81, entrance walkway | "Vault 81, friendliest Vault in all the Commonwealth. Because here, they don't shoot on sight." |
| "A two-hundred-year old submersible, huh? What could go wrong?" | |
| "Unless you're looking to get a gut full of lead, I'd sample the sea air somewhere other than Libertalia." | |
| Trinity Tower, base of the tower | "Trinity Tower. Thirty stories of Super Mutants." |
| "Well, if they were going for ominous, they nailed it." | |
| "When the Minutemen lost this place, the Commonwealth knew they were done." | |
| "I never thought the Minutemen would be a force to be reckoned with again. I stand corrected." | |
| Covenant, gate exterior | "Covenant. Never did feel terribly welcome here." |
| Bunker Hill, base of stairs to the monument - before the gate | "Bunker Hill. What it lacks in personality it makes up for in greed. No wonder it's such a success..." |
| Parking garage, after entering the parking garage | "Something seem off about this place to you? Why no Ghouls in here?" |
| "This place must've been massive in its heyday." | |
| Sentinel site Prescott, bomb storage room entrance | "Just how many of these did they need?" |
| Sentinel site Prescott, gantry just inside the main entrance | "I... I can't believe what I'm looking at." |
| Sentinel site Prescott, exterior entrance | "The pharaohs set up a franchise way out here?" |
| "Goodness. Mind your fire down here. Couple stray bullets and this whole place could go up." | |
| Ticonderoga, penthouse foyer | "Seems awful risky hiding out on the top floor of a skyscraper. Only quick escape is a jump." |
| Old North Church, catacombs | "People have been down here. Recently." |
| Old North Church, nave | "Even after all these years, it still feels sacred." |
| Trinity Tower, on very top floor with the jail cell | "Hell of a view." |
| "But you can bet the view will be killer." | |
| Hubris Comics, shop floor | "You know, the detective life is a lot less glamorous than the comics had led me to believe." |
| Hubris Comics, top floor studio | "Huh. So this is where they filmed that god-awful TV show." |
| "Imagine having to hear this all day long." | |
| "Almost makes Diamond City's reactor look quaint." | |
| Yangtze-31, bridge | "Well, it's certainly in better shape than I expected... thank god." |
| Starlight Drive-In, in the projection room | "No blood. No sign of gunfire. Have you been up here since the bombs?" |
| Starlight Drive-In, at the screen | "I think it's lost some of its romance over the past two centuries." |
| Wilson Atomatoys corporate HQ, Arlen Glass' office | "What year is it in here?" |
| Wilson Atomatoys corporate HQ, foyer display | "To think, such a valuable relic, nearly lost to the ages." |
| Wildwood Cemetery | "It's a little disheartening that this is one of the nicest places we've been." |
| "Guess Mirelurks aren't picky tenants." | |
| West Everett Estates, backyard bunker | "Huh. Don't see any remains down here. Think this thing actually worked?" |
| "Super Mutants sure make it easy to forget they were ever human." | |
| Walden Pond, just in front of said cabin. | "Four of the most important walls in the Commonwealth." |
| Milton General Hospital, basement morgue | "Guess all these folks just missed the bombs, didn't they? Lucky them." |
| Milton General Hospital, waiting foyer | "Bet this place helped a lot of people in its day." |
| Vault 95, Overseer's office | "Bet meetings like this sure made life down here easier." |
| "The heart of the beast." | |
| Museum of Witchcraft | "My god." |
| Museum of Witchcraft | "Well, I don't think it's a Mole Rat." |
| Vault 75, combat training room | "Now this feels like home." |
| Vault 75, entrance | "What have we here." |
| Vault 114, entrance construction | "You think these workers got to join the folks in the Vault?" |
| Vault 111, cryonic stasis room | "Now that's not... oh. Oh, I'm so sorry." |
| Trinity Church, theatrical rigging | "Bet they put on some wild shows with all this stuff up here." |
| Trinity Church, nursery | "That's a damn shame." |
| Thicket Excavations, near the waters edge; before the conclusion of the quest Pull the Plug. | "How far down you think it goes?" |
| "Never thought I'd get to affect the future of the Commonwealth so directly." | |
| Gwinnett Brewery, brewing floor | "Sure could make a lot of hooch back here." |
| "That's enough to get a Super Mutant hammered." | |
| "The underbelly of the Combat Zone. Not sure it gets seedier than this." | |
| Combat Zone, front row | "Sure made a mess of this place, didn't they?" |
| "Well, that ought to keep the Mirelurks away for a while." | |
| "And that was the day the Commonwealth knew, the Minutemen were back." | |
| Thicket Excavations | "Doesn't look like the Mirelurks made it down here. Now why do you think that is?" |
| "Gonna take a lotta elbow grease to clean this place up." | |
| "Nasty way to go." | |
| Boston Common, just in front of the infantry fighting vehicle | "Lot of my cases dead end in Boston Common. I'd prefer not to join them." |
| "Let's hope they don't mistake us for Ghouls." | |
| South Boston military checkpoint | "This thing's been on a loop for as long as I can remember. No wonder folks in this neighborhood are irritable." |
| Skylanes Flight 1981 | "No blast burns on the plane. Plenty of foreign rubble nearby. The nukes didn't take this down. That highway did." |
| "Looks like there's some choice salvage here." | |
| "Didn't know my temperature sensors went this high." | |
| "Hope you brought your can opener." | |
| Sandy Coves Convalescent Home, captain's room | "At least it looks like they died peacefully." |
| Rocky Narrows Park, at the playground | "There really is no way to ride a seesaw with dignity." |
| "The park ranger. Master of all he surveys." | |
| Robotics disposal ground, in front of the sentry bot | "There's likely a damn good reason that bot's still intact." |
| "Raiders around here are awful sour for having such a pleasant view." | |
| Revere Beach Station, end tunnel raider encampment | "Leave it to Raiders to ruin a lovely stroll." |
| "Looks like there was quite the scuffle in here." | |
| "Dress looks prewar. Easy to forget folks didn't have it so good back then either." | |
| "Watch your step." | |
| Quincy ruins, southeast entrance | "Quincy wasn't exactly a tourist hotspot before the Gunners moved in." |
| Boston Police rationing site, in front of the trailer kiosk | "Makes ya wonder how some folks made it through at all." |
| "I think this place was lacking in charm before getting bombed." | |
| Poseidon Energy, generator room - the part past the raider defenses. | "Quite the setup they had in here." |
| "Be my guest. Lord knows, I'm not pressing 'em." | |
| "I wouldn't breathe any more of that than you have to." | |
| Pickman's Gallery | "What kind of monster could think this is art?" |
| "Someone was living down here. Emphasis on the was." | |
| Fiddler's Green Trailer Estates, entrance | "Must've been nice, bein' able to pick up and move at a whim." |
| Neponset Park, | "No matter how lovely, no water is safe from Mirelurks." |
| Natick power station | "If there were any justice in the world, this place would be nothing but fried Deathclaw." |
| "At least the Mirelurks won't be hurting for housing anymore." | |
| Nahant Oceanological Society, second floor | "Don't be afraid to dream big, buddy. This isn't all you have to be." |
| Nahant Oceanological Society, research laboratory | "You think this'll affect ticket sales?" |
| "As if the Commonwealth didn't have enough monsters." | |
| Gorski Cabin, root cellar workshop | "Huh. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were trying to build a nuke in he... Oh my god..." |
| "Had some funny ideas for entertainment back then, didn't they?" | |
| "Roomy." | |
| "Sometimes I think these Gunners are too smart for their own damn good." | |
| University Point, just inside the gate | "Mass State was a real nice settlement in its day. But once the Institute had its way with it..." |
| "You ain't planning to take up where our friend left off?" | |
| "Well, this certainly explains a lot about the local fauna." | |
| Mass Fusion disposal site | "Probably safe to say that's not the place to take a dunk." |
| "Never in my life did I expect to stand this close to a sun." | |
| "So I guess Mass Fusion did alright for themselves in their day." | |
| "I think we may have missed the last train for a while." | |
| Mahkra Fishpacking, basement store room | "If you're looking for a fresh meal, I'd steer clear of this place." |
| "Well, this is a fine mess." | |
| "I've witnessed some unspeakable things in my day, but this may take the cake." | |
| Vault 81, observation room | "A peepin' tom's paradise." |
| "I expect there's a damn good reason this place is abandoned." | |
| "We heading to Libertalia? You in the mood for dodging gunfire?" | |
| Libertalia, at the top of the main structure | "I figured it might be prettier from up here." |
| "A dunk in here's a quick way to up your rad count." | |
| Kingsport Lighthouse, at the top beacon | "A Glowing One as a lighthouse beacon. I won't fault 'em their cleverness, that's for sure." |
| WRVR broadcast station, control room | "The cultural center of the Commonwealth sits in that building. Heartbreaking, isn't it." |
| Jamaica Plain, treasure room | "The former citizens of Jamaica Plain and I have very different definitions of "treasure."" |
| Jamaica Plain, security room | "They don't usually build security like this to protect a broom closet." |
| Jalbert Brothers Disposal, at the barn with the barrels | "Unless you're looking to suck down some sieverts, I recommend we move out." |
| Super-Duper Mart, front counters | "I doubt they'd planned on this market being open-air." |
| Irish Pride Industries shipyard, at the corpse of Rory Rigwell | "I expect he'd wished he'd kept birds about now." |
| "I don't think it was called the Hippocratic Suggestion." | |
| Cambridge crater, edge | "Sticking around here's a real quick way to earn, then lose, an extra limb." |
| "Don't even want to think about what these folks do with their sewage." | |
| "Just imagine how nice this place would've been without all the cannibals." | |
| Hub City Auto Wreckers, while on the crane | "Going up." |
| Hesters Consumer Robotics, entrance: showroom floor | "I'm not looking to get set up, if that's why we're here. Besides, these aren't my type." |
| "It's hard to believe anything that was once human could do something like that." | |
| College Square, the square | "College Square isn't exactly the intellectual hotbed it once was." |
| "Could build ourselves a friend with all the stuff in here." | |
| "I get the feeling we're being watched." | |
| Fort Hagen, command center – outside the gated main room, next to the door | "Some folks never lose their fondness for living in the basement." |
| Greater Mass blood clinic, basement storage | "Bloodbug paradise." |
| The Slog, next to the swimming pool of tarberries | "They're going to have a hell of a time swimming in there with all that foliage." |
 Atom Cats garage, unable to determine due to bugged content.
|
"Those are some real flashy killing machines." |
| Gunners Plaza, cafeteria – before the staircase | "Was probably real nice before it was covered in glass shards." |
| Gunners Plaza, main entrance of the atrium writer's room | "Nice set up for a bunch of mudslingers." |
| When walking on a mirelurk infested beach, between Reeb Marina and Gibson Point Pier. | "This isn't exactly the kind of stroll on the beach I was hoping for." |
| General Atomics factory, quality assurance test chamber | "And this is where they taught the puppets to dance." |
| Back Alley Bowling, at the lanes | "I'd offer a game, but you probably can't calibrate your arm sensitivity, now can you?" |
| General Atomics Galleria, at the gate | "My name is Mister Handy, tidier of things. Look upon this room I said I'd cleaned, and despair." |
| "These boys must've had some pretty strict bylaws to need all this." | |
| Fort Strong, sublevel in the room before the main mini nuke storage room. | "I hate to say it, but they're probably safer in our hands than out there in the wild." |
| West Roxbury station, platform | "That train's getting juice." |
| "I don't expect this is what the former residents had in mind when it came to owning waterfront property." | |
| Federal surveillance center K-21B, gantry overlook | "Well, could've fooled me." |
| Faneuil Hall, the hall | "Certainly gives new meaning to the phrase "tourist trap."" |
| Concord civic access, main pipe room | "Must be directly under the city by now." |
| "Sweet dreams, you monster." | |
| Fairline Hill Estates, at the fortified house | "Looks like someone's not interested in uninvited guests." |
| Fairline Hill Estates, at the entrance to the cul-de-sac | "Seem a little too quiet to you out here?" |
| "Huh. Looks like a pretty seaworthy craft hanging up there. Wonder why no one's taken it down..." | |
| "Feels like we're walking into the back room of a butcher's." | |
| Easy City Downs, northern corner fence hole to the racetrack, next to the stands | "At least someone's taking care of those bots." |
| East Boston Preparatory School, third floor torture chamber | "What kind of monsters..." |
| Dunwich Borers, at the entrance of the submerged tunnel with Kremvh's Tooth | "We going for a dunk?" |
| Dunwich Borers, the vertical chamber where Bedlam is at | "It's alright. I'm sure the rocks at the bottom would break your fall." |
| "If the patients needed any more reminder what they were missing." | |
| "I doubt all this was for rehabilitation." | |
| "I question the therapeutic value of a place like this." | |
| "Well it looks like this fishing trip didn't go according to plan." | |
| USS Constitution, after quest the completion of the quest Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution | "You know from this angle it doesn't look half bad." |
| Weatherby Savings and Loan, before the completion of the quest Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution | "I don't know what I find more disturbing - the fact that there's a ship lodged in that building or that there's still a ship lodged in that building." |
| D.B. Technical High School, basement – after killing Bosco or at the throne | "Not what I'd pick for combat attire, but then who am I to talk?" |
| "Hopefully that's all the ceiling that decides to crumble." | |
| Croup Manor, basement | "Goodness. What happened down here?" |
| Crater House, edge of crater | "I guess folks'll live anywhere." |
| "I always figured trolls preferred bridges to tunnels." | |
| Corvega assembly plant, entrance of the assembly line room | "They may have been coffins on wheels, but they sure knew how to build something with style in those days." |
| Coast Guard Pier, either at the corner of the pier by the tower, or the center of the building. The super mutants were supposed to be wearing Coast Guard hats.
|
"Now at least these boys have some fashion sense." |
| "Don't even want to fathom how much alcohol was involved making this monstrosity." | |
| Chestnut Hillock Reservoir | "Wonder how long that dinghy's been out there..." |
| Shaw High School, library | "What a waste of good knowledge." |
| Shaw High School, cafeteria | "Say what you will about the ambience, but you can bet the Mutants improved the freshness of the meals in here." |
| Charles View Amphitheater | "Not sure we wanna see whatever kinda performances go on here now." |
| "Probably was a real nice set-up in its day." | |
| Cabot House, laboratory | "Seem like an awful advanced set up for a civilian, don't you think?" |
| Cabot House, living room | "This place is more museum than home." |
| Bunker Hill, base of the monument - by the scaffolding | "Hell of a view from this thing." |
| Breakheart Banks, at the building | "Makes ya wonder who would choose this sort of a life." |
| Boston Public Library, hall where defenses are | "How many masterworks, lost forever." |
| Boston Public Library, outside near the lion statue? and inside at the main entrance | "Stay. Good kitty." |
| Boston mayoral shelter, at the basketball court | "No luxury too great for those at the top." |
| "It's a lovely place to catch a bullet in the brain." | |
| "Guess he thought this was the only way out. Shame." | |
| Beantown Brewery, bottling room floor | "Always a market for folks who want to forget the world." |
| Fallon's Department Store (West Roxbury township), by the fountain | "I expect all the blood in here's a recent addition." |
| Fallon's Department Store (West Roxbury township), by the escalators | "They really would do anything to avoid walking back then, wouldn't they?" |
| Joe's Spuckies sandwich shop, speakeasy stairway | "Lose the gun-toting psychopaths and this'd be my kinda joint." |
| The Switchboard, the foyer of the agency | "Nothing but a tomb for old spooks." |
| BADTFL regional office, evidence lockup | "Could have a hell of a weekend with all this." |
| "Well, well. This place just got a little more interesting." | |
| "You think anyone actually felt like they were at the beach in here? Yeah, me neither." | |
| "I guess someone wasn't a fan of robobrains. At least not this one." | |
| "I remember this picture. Not half bad." | |
| "Wouldn't look too close in that pool, unless you're trying to lost your appetite." | |
| "Well, that's subtle." | |
| "This story pretty much tells itself. How much do you want to bet money was involved?" | |
| "Well that looks like fun." | |
| Nick Valentine's quest comments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location†/Quest and requirement | Context | Comment |
| Fort Hagen: Reunions, on the roof while the Prydwen passes overhead, into the Commonwealth. | In this line – which is a paraphrase – he is referring to the disbelief of the sight of the invading army via armored dirigible, this is in reference to the lover and his reaction to being driving insane at the loss of his love Lenore. As shown in the character the talking Raven. | "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing." |
| Three times; the first is after gaining Nick Valentine's affinity to admiration, the next two are during Long Time Coming describing Eddie Winter's machination after their confrontation. | The first line is used ironically, describing his encounter with people after waking up after the Great War thinking he's his predecessor. The second is also used ironically, describing Eddie Winter's machination to extend his life, and the final is after dealing with Eddie Winter. Spoken in a satisfactory manner with the murder of Eddie Winter; quoting the character Miranda in The Tempest by Shakespeare (Act 5, Scene 1). |
"It's all pretty hazy from back then, but now and then I get glimpses. Life inside the Institute... they keep you isolated. A single test chamber was my whole world for years. And someone was always watching. Then one day you wake up on the other side. And that's it. They've cut you loose. Welcome to the Brave New World... with such people in it." "The story gets even more twisted. The arrogant bastard wanted to cheat death. Live forever... So he could come out of that shelter someday, into this brave new world. Sound familiar? Only Eddie didn't want to be a frozen banana. No cryo sleep for him. No, he invested his money in some sick, crazy radiation experiment." "Well, there were a lot of questions I was hoping the Institute could answer, but I've already made it this far without 'em. I think I'll manage. This is a brave new world you've ushered in. But I suppose it'll do." |
| The Nucleus: Cleansing the Land, outside the blast radius of the intercontinental ballistic missile. | In this line Nick is quoting Robert Oppenheimer in the infamous interview about the Trinity nuclear explosion, which itself is a paraphrase of Krishna to Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita. | "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds..." |
Other interactions
- Valentine cannot be romanced.
Fallout: The Board Game
 | The following is based on information from Fallout: The Board Game. |
|---|
Nick Valentine can be acquired at the shop by any player character that has Charisma. When the player character has him as the active companion and there is an enemy within two spaces, the player character can exhaust him to move the target enemy one space in any direction.
When the player character performs the camp action, he will become unexhausted. However, if there are any active level 3 enemies on the map at that time, he must be discarded.
Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Faded trench coat Worn fedora |
Pipe revolver pistol | Pack of cigarettes |
Notes
- Meeting Nick Valentine in Vault 114 before visiting Diamond City will automatically start Unlikely Valentine. At the end of the quest, the Sole Survivor can respond to Valentine with unique dialogue.
- Nick Valentine becomes an available companion at the end of Getting a Clue.
- After Dangerous Minds, conversing with Nick in the Memory Den and choosing an option where Nick does not accompany the player character, Nick may say, "I'll return to Diamond City..." However, if one has had Nick as a companion prior to Dangerous Minds, and at some point dismissed him and sent him to a settlement, he will actually go to the last settlement he was assigned to. This may account for some of the reports of Nick disappearing - the player character has previously assigned him to a settlement, forgotten and the game dialogue hasn't accounted for that.
- The quest Long Time Coming must be completed to obtain Nick's perk. Before that, the affinity with Nick will be capped at 999.00, making it impossible to receive his perk.
- Even though he is set to essential, he has a death quote. He says "Not like this..."
- Nick cannot change clothing, as he is restricted to his detective outfit. He may, however, enter power armor. This means the only way to increase Nick's carrying capacity is with power armor. Unlike other characters, Nick will exit the power armor after he is dismissed.
- Nick can, however, be upgraded in terms of defense. If the faded trench coat given to the Sole Survivor is customized with ballistic fiber, this item can then be equipped to Nick. This will restore his right hand, although it appears to be slightly shorter than his left hand.
- One can restore his original metal hand at any point by re-equipping his unique coat. Click on him in console and type addItem 0010c3ca to do this.
- Nick can, however, be upgraded in terms of defense. If the faded trench coat given to the Sole Survivor is customized with ballistic fiber, this item can then be equipped to Nick. This will restore his right hand, although it appears to be slightly shorter than his left hand.
- Nick has about 30-40 more hit points than most other companions, with the exceptions of Strong and Curie in her Ms. Nanny body. This is balanced out by his inability to wear armor. However, as a prototype synth he has an innate damage resistance of 25 (about equal to a full set of girded leather armor) and an energy resistance of 5, offering him some modest protection in combat. This is the same innate damage/energy resistance that Codsworth has. Like Codsworth, this innate resistance receives a moderate increase at very high player levels, but is less than what would be provided by a good suit of armor.
- Despite being an early model synth and therefore made of "gears & sprockets" as he puts it, when injured as a companion Nick can be revived with a stimpak as if he were flesh and blood.
- Nick Valentine will comment whenever the Mysterious Stranger appears in V.A.T.S. with the Mysterious Stranger perk. If one finds the case file under Valentine's bed, it will detail the notes for the Mysterious Stranger case that dates back to at least the original Fallout's timeline (the file will note the "really old rumors" about the Mysterious Stranger appearing in Shady Sands, where the Vault Dweller assisted the residents in Fallout). The only exception is New Vegas, which is not mentioned.
- Like with Preston Garvey, random townspeople may occasionally offer Nick a gift for his help in the past. However, he will not accept, and nothing will be found in his inventory afterwards.
- Nick will comment if taken to Nate/Nora's corpse in Vault 111.
- During the last part of Reunions, Nick may be waiting only in his or Piper's office, even if sent to a settlement.
- After using Nick Valentine to access Kellogg's memories, Nick speaks to the player character in Kellogg's voice saying "I should have killed you when I had the chance" or "Did you find what you were looking for in my head?" in an amused and resigned tone, suggesting that part of Kellogg has survived in some way through Nick. This has no effect later in the game and Nick does not say anything else as Kellogg. Nick seems to not notice speaking as Kellogg, simply stating that Doctor Amari mentioned that some mnemonic impressions may have remained when asked about it. He will seem a little upset when the Sole Survivor says there might be something wrong with him and is thus unsure about bringing him along further.
- During the quest The Glowing Sea, Valentine recommends that the Sole Survivor take him with them as he is immune to radiation. However, the Sole Survivor can take any companion with them to the Glowing Sea, as all companions are completely immune to radiation, regardless of race.
- When doing Nick's companion quest, it's best to tell Nick to leave his power armor before collecting the last tape, otherwise he will remain in it until the quest is finished, since the "Talk" option will trigger quest-relevant dialogue instead of the usual options which include the prompt to exit power armor. However, it may be still possible to get him out by trying to "Talk" again right after answering his question.
- There is a random event where a group of raiders wait until the Sole Survivor gets very close before attacking. They may recognize Nick and stop attacking. One will then say if they recognized Nick they would not have attacked, as Nick helped him in the past. Nick replies awkwardly with something like, "er... well, I'm glad you have made something of yourself... we are just going to walk away now..."
- This may be a reference to Jim and the first settlement Nick found, implying that the raider was once a member of that settlement.
- Nick appears briefly in the Fallout 4 official trailer walking under a streetlamp outside the Memory Den.
- If sent back to a settlement, before visiting the Memory Den during the Dangerous Minds quest, he will instead go to the Memory Den and his movement will be locked to the quest progression.
- Nick appears to have a decent knowledge of classical literature, quoting The Raven when he first sees the Prydwen and Ozymandias if he is brought to General Atomics Galleria. He also quotes Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" during his second approval talk if one chooses to ask him what he remembers about the Institute. In fact he is quoting William Shakespeare's The Tempest, when Miranda meets the other characters and she says "O' Brave New World, with such people in it" (Act 5 Scene 1), Huxley's title is inspired in that line. Similarly, if asked about his outfit, he paraphrases Polonius from Hamlet, who in giving advice to Laertes comments "the apparel oft proclaims the man" (1.3.75).
- If taken to Acadia after the Sole Survivor has suggested Nick not accept DiMA as family, DiMA may say, "Good to see you again, Brother." to which Nick replies "I'd prefer to keep it 'Nick And DiMA' for now." If Nick has chosen to accept DiMA, Nick will say "It's good to see you too, DiMA" instead.
- If he is present during the explosion of The Nucleus, he quotes the Bhagavad Gita, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." This exact sentence was quoted by Oppenheimer after witnessing the first nuclear test detonation.[6]
- If sent to Old Longfellow's cabin, he may spend his time wandering around the outskirts of Far Harbor instead.
- Vault dwellers, settlers and the Brotherhood of Steel will insult Nick on random occasions, who will respond in kind. Some Brotherhood members will question if the player character isn't worried that Nick is "a spy." In addition, Elder Maxson will question the Sole Survivor's judgement for traveling with "that thing." Despite this, the Brotherhood will not become hostile to the Sole Survivor or Nick at any point, unlike with Danse if the Sole Survivor convinces Maxson to let him live and in exile during Blind Betrayal.
Notable quotes
- "Hey, chin up. I know the night just got darker, but it won't last forever."
- "You'd be shocked how many folks I've managed to convince I'm just a really sick ghoul."
- "If it isn't my favorite former icicle."
- "Well ain't that a blast from the past."
- "Who do you think actually won the war? No one, I guess."
- "I'm gonna run some diagnostics while you're tinkering. Take your time."
- "You really want this to be the last mug you see?"
- "We survive this, I owe you a stiff drink."
- "There's always another case to close."
- "It's synth detective, jackass." – When choosing the Sarcastic option upon finding San Francisco Sunlights.
- "I told them I was rigged to explode and started going 'beep, beep, beep'. Hardest part of that rescue was trying not to laugh as they ran over each other trying to get away."
- "You good to keep going? I don't sleep or eat or anything like that. But if ya need to, you do it."
- "And that's how they put Nick back together again." – When stimpaked. A clear reference to Humpty Dumpty, the nursery rhyme.
- "If you find any pieces of my legs, could you pick them up for me?" – When caught in an explosion.
- "I can't tell if your aim is spectacular or horrendous. Either way, knock it off." – When the player is shooting at nothing.
- "More stairs? Who built this damn Vault, a fitness instructor?" – During Unlikely Valentine.
- "So much for Skinny Malone. Think he's lighter or heavier with all those holes in him? Bullets probably add a few ounces..." – After killing Skinny Malone during Unlikely Valentine.
- "Every scumbag in the Commonwealth is going to know our names."
- "So, you gonna spill the beans?" – After agreeing to help Paladin Danse.
- "Good God. You catch the plates on that one? No way anyone survived that. Though I guess we ought to make sure..." – After seeing a UFO fall out of the sky.
- "There really is no way to ride a seesaw with dignity." – After passing children's play equipment.
- "It's not easy to do the right thing for something that seems so evil, but everyone deserves their fair chance." – After returning the pristine deathclaw egg to its nest during The Devil's Due.
- "Deep into that darkness peering. Long I stood there, wondering, fearing." – A quote by Edgar Allan Poe, after witnessing the Prydwen enter the Commonwealth.)
- "Flying that ship into the heart of the Commonwealth. Mark my words, the Brotherhood's here to start a war." – After the Brotherhood of Steel announces their arrival in the Commonwealth.
- "Well, good afternoon to you, too." – When a Brotherhood of Steel Knight calls Nick an abomination.
- "Now that's not... oh. Oh, I'm so sorry." – If taken to Nate/Nora's corpse in Vault 111.
- "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds..." – A quote from the Bhagavad Gita, famously referenced by Robert Oppenheimer, if the Sole Survivor completes Cleansing the Land with Nick as a companion.
- "My name is Mister Handy, tidier of things. Look upon this room I said I'd cleaned, and despair." – A reference to Percy Shelly's Ozymandias, heard upon entering the General Atomics Galleria with Nick.
- "I've been wanting to say that since we first met that guy." – When telling Allen Lee to shut up.
- "Time to make our exit." – After triggering Division in the Nucleus.
- Picking up junk:
- "You building a collection or somethin'?"
- "No accounting for taste."
- "As long as you're carrying it."
- After a Mysterious Stranger visit:
- "That was him! The Stranger! He was right here! Where'd he go?"
- "He was just here. You saw him, right?"
- "You! Sto...damn. Vanished."
- "What the-- the Stranger... slipped right through our fingers."
- Comments on locations:
- "So, pharaohs set up franchise way out here?" – When arriving at the Sentinel site.
- "What kind of monster could think this is art?" – When inside Pickman Gallery.
- "Flying around in 200 year old aircraft? What could go wrong?" – When inside a Vertibird.
- "I don't know what I find more disturbing...the fact that there's a ship lodged in that building, or that there's still a ship lodged in that building." – When on board the USS Constitution.
- "Vault 81, friendliest Vault in all the Commonwealth. Because here, they don't shoot on sight." – Upon entering Vault 81.
- "Even good people do crazy things when they're scared. Ought to be Diamond City's motto." – When entering Diamond City.
- "This is one grim locale." – When approaching Croup Manor.
- When swapping Valentine with:
- Danse: "Danse.", to which Danse replies: "Valentine."
- Hancock: "You two stay out of trouble.", to which Hancock replies: "Come on, Nick. You know I don't make promises I won't keep."
- Codsworth: "Don't let this one boss ya around, too much, Codsworth.", to which Codsworth replies: "There's nothing I'd like more, Mr. Valentine."
- Preston Garvey: "You two go do the Commonwealth proud.", to which Preston replies: "We'll try, Nick."
- Curie: "You two watch yourselves out there.", to which Curie replies: "Oh, monsieur. We do not watch. We observe." (A reference to a Sherlock Holmes quote from "A Scandal in Bohemia.")
- Cait: "Heading out with Cait, huh? Hope you know what you're getting into.", to which Cait replies: "Hey Valentine... I think you've got somethin' on your face. Oh, it's skin. Yeah, you might want to get that looked at."
- Deacon: "Hmm. Deacon. You two taking care of some... official business?", to which Deacon replies: "Mr. Valentine. You flatter me." (Deacon's dialogue does not match the subtitles, which say "Nick. I haven't the faintest what you're talking about.")
- Strong: "Hey. Big guy. Don't eat this one, alright?", to which Strong replies: "Roboman not tell Strong what to do."
- Piper: "Traveling with Piper's not for the faint of heart. I'd know", to which Piper replies: "Nick. You always know just what to say."
- MacCready: " So, this is the sort you're taking up with now?", to which MacCready replies: "Yeah. And who could blame him/her?"
Appearances
Nick Valentine appears only in Fallout 4.
Behind the scenes
- According to Emil Pagliarulo, Nick was one of the first characters created for Fallout 4. An original design document contained concepts for Nick even before the setting of the game was finalized.[7]
 | The following is based on unverified behind the scenes information and may be inaccurate. |
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- Nick Valentine's name is similar to Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade: Spade is the name of a suit of playing cards while a "Valentine," often given on Valentine's Day, is also associated with a heart-shape (another suit of cards.) And, of course, Nick is inspired by the classic noir detective of which Sam Spade is the archetype. His costume, facial appearance, and voice are also similar to those of Humphrey Bogart, who was famous for his roles as a hard-boiled detective in various films noir, most notably as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon.
- Nick could also be influenced by the character Pero from the 2001 movie Metropolis as Nick and Pero, after his fatal gunshot wound, have similar appearances, outfits, jobs and even injuries.
- Nick Valentine's name may be inspired by the 50's music artist "Dickie Valentine" and relates to his song [1] "The Finger Of Suspicion" which is a love song themed around having your heart stolen and accusing your lover of the crime.
- Nick Valentine's voice shares a number of characteristics with the voice of George Valentine (portrayed by Bob Bailey) from the radio serial "Let George Do It", about a detective-for-hire. His first client in the pilot episode is a Mr. Winters, who dies under mysterious circumstances.
- The quote "Well ain't that a blast from the past" is a possible reference to the 1999 film, A Blast from the Past; a film relating to a fallout shelter and (as imagined by some of the film's characters) a nuclear war.
- Nick's appearance bears several resemblances to the character Palmer Eldritch in the 1965 sci-fi novel "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick. Described as having one mechanical hand, steel teeth and glowing Jensen (green/ yellow) eyes, Nick has all three features as well.
| End of information based on unverified behind the scenes information |
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Bugs
- Nick may vanish sometimes to an unknown location. Check Piper's office in Diamond City or Mass Fusion executive suite after the completion of his companion mission.[verified]
- Nick may become invisible after freeing him from his cell, and choosing to attack instead of stealth. The player character is unable to converse with him while he's invisible, although his quest marker remains above his head, as well as still being able to attack.[verified]
- If Nick is given power armor before entering the Memory Den during Dangerous Minds the armor will count as stolen if the player character tries to enter it. Nick can still be told to enter it himself.[verified]
- If Nick is in power armor and one trades items with him, "Take All" will remove his hat. It does not show up in the player character's inventory, but returns upon telling Nick to exit his power armor suit.[verified]
- Nick can be given the quest reward faded trench coat and it can be equipped, but doing so makes both of his hands synthetic, rather than one synthetic, one metal.[verified]
- During the quest Dangerous Minds after talking to Doctor Amari and discussing Kellogg's brain, Nick will just stand there and if the Sole Survivor interacts with him it will just say this individual is busy.[verified]
- After breaking into the room in which Nick is held during the Unlikely Valentine quest and telling him one will follow him out of the vault, Nick may walk to the door of the room and stop, and/or walk face first into the edges of the doorway and not be able to turn around.[verified]
- This can be fixed by physically pushing him out of the way, or running several feet away from him and then running back to him.
- Nick may vanish after Dangerous Minds, if he is not taken as a companion.[verified]
- If Nick is severely wounded during a fight, he may remain in the "sitting" position indefinitely.[verified]
- Possible fixes include giving him a stimpak, fast traveling away from the area, or loading an earlier save.
- Open the console and click on Nick, then use the console command recycleactor. This will cause him to respawn without clothing and most (or all) of his inventory will be missing, it's a good idea to remove all his inventory before doing this.
- When he is a companion, Nick may start emitting the sounds of a machine gun turret. The sound is louder when he is closer. Dismissing him eliminates the noise. Requesting him to follow will restore the noise. The noise is evident both indoors and in the Commonwealth.[verified]
- Giving Nick the faded trench coat and telling him to equip it will make it disappear and be impossible to get back without the use of console commands.[verified]
Gallery
Inside the Memory Den
Inside the Valentine Detective Agency
From The Art of Fallout 4
Nick in the Fallout 4 trailer, walking under a streetlamp outside the Memory Den
Nick Valentine Cherry Bomb promo image, released with the GOTY edition
Nick's icon from the Close to Metal perk
Nick's hero card in Fallout Shelter Online
Nick's maxed hero card in Fallout Shelter Online
References
- ↑ Welcome home!
- ↑ Operation Winter's End
- ↑ Case Closed on Crime Boss Eddie Winter by Mags Veccio
- ↑ BADTFL regional office terminal entries
- ↑ We are done
- ↑ http://www.atomicarchive.com/Movies/Movie8.shtml
- ↑ The History of Bethesda Game Studios: "It was set somewhere else, and I still have the design doc in my desk, the original design doc. And in that design doc, the one thing, the one holdover is the character of Nick Valentine. He was conceived even way back then, he was like the first character they came up with."
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