History of the Brotherhood of Steel The Brotherhood of Steel are a techno - religious faction in North America , whose main mission is to recover pre - war technology . They have a long history with roots stemming from the United States Armed Forces . History . The founder of the Brotherhood of Steel was Captain Roger Maxson of the United States Army . He was a member of a military team commanded by Colonel Robert Spindel , originally sent to the West - Tek research facility on January 3 , 2076 by the U . S . Army to monitor the experiments being conducted there by West - Tek on behalf of the American government in the interest of national security . On January 7 , 2077 , all West - Tek military research was moved to the newly - constructed Mariposa Military Base , along with Spindel ' s team , to enhance the research ' s security . On October 10 , 2077 Captain Maxson and his men discovered , to their horror , that the West - Tek scientists at Mariposa were using military prisoners as involuntary test subjects in their experiments with the genetically - engineered Forced Evolutionary Virus . Morale in the base broke down , and Colonel Spindel suffered a mental breakdown , eventually committing suicide five days later . Captain Maxson ' s men turned to him for leadership in the midst of the crisis . After interrogating Robert Anderson , the chief scientist on the West - Tek research team , and learning about the extent of their scientific experiments on military prisoners , Maxson executed Anderson in disgust , and the other scientists soon followed their leader to the firing squad . Maxson , now in control of the entire Mariposa base , declared himself to be in full desertion from the U . S Army via radio on October 20 , 2077 . Strangely , he got no response from the Army chain - of - command , as the rest of the Army was too busy fighting the Chinese threat . Three days later , on October 23 , 2077 , the nuclear arsenals of both sides were launched , and the Great War ended two hours after it started , with most of the Earth reduced to a radioactive wasteland . The Mariposa Military Base survived the nuclear exchange that devastated the United States , the soldiers within protected from the radiation and FEV flooding into the newly created Wasteland by the base ' s highly - effective nuclear , biological and chemical weapons protection protocols . Two days later at Mariposa , on October 25 , 2077 , an Army scout in Power Armor ( Platner ) was sent out to get specific readings on the atmosphere . He reported no significant amounts of radiation in the area surrounding the facility . After burying the bodies of the executed scientists in the wastes outside of Mariposa the soldiers sealed the military base , then headed out into the desert , taking supplies and weapon schematics from the base with them . Captain Maxson led his men and their families to the government fallout bunker at Lost Hills in California ( this event was later called the Exodus ) . In November 2077 , after a few weeks in the Wasteland , the soldiers and their families arrived at the Lost Hills bunker , suffering many casualties along the way from the terrible conditions of the Wasteland , including Maxson ' s wife ( but not his teenage son ) . The Lost Hills bunker became the headquarters of the newly formed paramilitary organization that Maxson created and named the Brotherhood of Steel , intending to use its resources to eventually rebuild human civilization — no matter the cost . Early years . Little is known about the early years of the Brotherhood of Steel . In 2134 , a faction led by Sergeant Dennis Allen gained strength in the organization , and urged the Brotherhood ' s Elders to let them explore the southeast ruins of the primary West Tek Research Facility , now called the Glow after it was directly hit by a Chinese nuclear bomb , for technological artifacts . The Elders refused , so Sergeant Allen and his separatist faction split away from the Brotherhood of Steel , taking some advanced technology and weapons with them . Despite that , under the leadership of Roger Maxson , the Brotherhood grew in strength , further developing their technology , and the orders of Knights , Scribes , and Paladins were formed . In 2135 , Roger Maxson died of cancer , and his son took over as the new High Elder of the Brotherhood . In the 2150 ' s , the Brotherhood established its control over the areas surrounding the Lost Hills bunker , becoming one of the major powers in New California . Some time in the early 2150s a raider group known as the Vipers began to establish a power base in the badlands to the south of the Lost Hills Bunker . Driven by a religious frenzy ( and the need to provide for their much larger numbers of soldiers and disciples ) , they began raiding more frequently than before , eventually attracting the attention of the Brotherhood of Steel . In 2155 , the Brotherhood sent out a few squads of scouts to track the Vipers down . This was more of a training exercise conducted by the High Elder than anything else , as the Brotherhood was convinced that a small detachment of troops in Power Armor would be sufficient to deal with a group of raiders , no matter how large . One Brotherhood squad , led by High Elder Maxson , found the Vipers . Expecting the raiders to break and run at the sight of soldiers in Power Armor , Maxson did not take into account the religious zeal and ferocity of the Vipers . . . or their poisoned weapons . A single arrow nicked him while his helmet was off , causing him to die a few short hours later . John Maxson , the grandson of Roger , took up the role of High Elder , and Rhombus became the new head of the Paladins and the order of Knights . The Paladins , now led by Rhombus , began a full scale campaign against the Vipers , tracking them down and wiping out almost all of their members within the span of a month . Some of the Vipers were able to flee north and east into the Sierra Nevada mountain range . During the campaign , the Brotherhood sent a few scouts and emissaries to the Hub to track down the Vipers ' members , and from these beginnings , the Hub and the Brotherhood opened full trade relations ( caravans had delivered to the Brotherhood before , but not long after the destruction of the Vipers , caravan trains ran directly from the Hub to the Brotherhood ' s headquarters at Lost Hills on a regular basis ) . The super mutants . Several years later , the Brotherhood faced an enemy far greater than any band of raiders . In October of 2161 , a Brotherhood of Steel patrol came across a dead super mutant in the badlands . They took the corpse back to the Scribes , and Head Scribe Vree began to study it . After several long examinations , it was shown to be completely sterile . In 2162 , the Vault Dweller arrived at the Brotherhood ' s base at Lost Hills , wanting to join them . He was not taken seriously and sent on the usual fool ' s errand to the ruins of the West Tek Research Facility , renamed " The Glow " after a Chinese nuclear attack during the Great War made the facility a radioactive death trap . He surprised everyone by not only returning alive , but also succeeding in his mission ( he was tasked with finding a holodisk with the record of an expedition of several Brotherhood Paladins to the Glow ) . As a result , he was the first outsider in a very long time to be accepted as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel , even though some prominent members of the Brotherhood resisted his joining the organization . It was from the Vault Dweller that the Brotherhood learned about the Master ' s mutant army and his plans to turn all human survivors into super mutants . With the support of High Elder John Maxson , the Vault Dweller managed to convince the Council of Elders to send a squad of Paladins to the Mariposa Base ( which had been , coincidentally , where the Brotherhood originated , although not even Maxson was aware of that ) , where the Master ' s FEV vats were located . With the help of the Brotherhood , the Vault Dweller eventually managed to defeat the Master , and was never seen again in the Lost Hills bunker . The Brotherhood at this time appeared to be the most technologically advanced faction encountered in New California . Although the super mutant army and the Gun Runners had access to more advanced weaponry , the Brotherhood had a monopoly on Power Armor , certain medical technologies like cybernetics , and advanced supercomputers . Aftermath . Following the defeat of the Master , the members of the Brotherhood began disputing amongst themselves over the need for new recruits versus their secrecy as an organization . The Elders finally ruled against the sharing of technology with outsiders , believing that they would continue to survive on their traditional principles . The minority that was opposed to this was sent eastward to track down the remnants of the Master ' s army via airships . When these airships crashed near Chicago , this group founded a new contingent of the Brotherhood of Steel . The Brotherhood would later establish small outposts throughout the California area , as well as carry out expeditions to Washington D . C . in 2254 and the Mojave later on . Also following the defeat of the Master , the New California Republic was founded and began expanding . Eventually , the NCR founded the state of Maxson in the surrounding area of the Lost Hills Bunker . While the bunker remained under Brotherhood control , the state was under the jurisdiction of the NCR . Relations between the two factions weren ' t without tensions , but the two remained at peace for the time being . The Enclave . By 2242 , the Brotherhood was no longer the power that they once were . And with the reemergence of the Enclave , they were no longer the most advanced organization in the wasteland . Knowing this , the Brotherhood was intimidated . Without the proper resources to deal with the Enclave , the best the Brotherhood could do was keep an eye on them ; to this end , several bunkers near areas of Enclave activity were reactivated . Eventually , the Brotherhood learned of the Enclave ' s vertibird technology . Without similar technology of their own , the Brotherhood would be unable to counter a possible Enclave invasion . At the request of his superiors , Matt of the San Francisco bunker enlisted the help of the Chosen One in retrieving the vertibird plans from Navarro . ( The Chosen One can refuse this , or just outright not complete the task . Regardless of the player ' s choice , the Chosen One helped the Brotherhood in Fallout canon . ) It is unknown whether or not these plans ever reached the High Council , as Matt was killed by Frank Horrigan a short time later . When the NCR - Enclave War occured , the Brotherhood played a small part in hunting down Enclave members . War with the NCR . By 2231 , Jeremy Maxson had assumed the position of Brotherhood High Elder . In addition to wanting to expand Brotherhood operations eastward , he was much more aggressive in his " hoarding " of pre - war technology . He wanted to restore the power of the Brotherhood by wresting all advanced tech from the hands of " lesser people " by any means necessary . Naturally , this led to disputes with the NCR , which had always been in favor of using advanced technology for the benefit of society ( at least according to Thomas Moore , an NCR citizen , which is what he saw as the NCR ' s justification for trying to annex Vault City ) . Shortly after the destruction of the Enclave , a war broke out between the Brotherhood and the NCR . With their superior technology , the Brotherhood managed to hold out against the NCR , even coming close to total victory . Yet , the Brotherhood ' s technological advantage was eventually outdone by the sheer size of the NCR ' s army ; no matter how many troops the NCR lost , they always seemed to have more . The Brotherhood , on the other hand , was still a selective group , and thus , was short on numbers . With this discrepancy in troop numbers , the Brotherhood ' s defeat was imminent . The Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel was still fighting the NCR as late as 2274 . After establishing a base at HELIOS One , the Mojave Brotherhood soon found themselves at odds with the NCR and its growing power in the region . Eventually , the NCR sought to control Helios One , and the Brotherhood , under the orders of their Elder , Elijah , refused to leave . This led to a confrontation between the two , and in the typical chain of events , the Brotherhood ' s superior technology was no match for the NCR ' s superior numbers . Defeated in one of the , in which over half of the chapter was killed , the Brotherhood retreated to the Hidden Valley bunker , where Nolan McNamara ( in light of Elijah ' s disappearance following the battle ) took the role of Elder upon himself , and placed the bunker under lock - down . Since then , the Brotherhood ' s presence in the Mojave Wasteland has been confined to only a few scouting missions . Elijah set up a plan and fortress in the Sierra Madre resort . His goal was to break into the casino vault by capturing anyone foolish enough to set foot into his traps , collar them , and force them to help him break inside . His objective was to use the casino to send the Cloud soaring over Nevada and California , suffocating everybody , so that soon the Brotherhood could truly occupy the areas when the Cloud cleared and everybody had died . However , his plans were vanquished by the Courier . Brotherhood of Steel in the East Coast . The Expedition . In the year 2254 , some time after the destruction of the " west coast Enclave " , the Brotherhood ' s ruling council , based in the Lost Hills bunker in Southern California , decided to send a contingent of soldiers all the way to the East Coast , with three important objectives . First , to scour the ruins of Washington D . C . , once the nation ’ s capital , to recover any and all advanced technology . Second , to investigate the reports of super mutant activity in the area , and third , to re - establish contact with the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel and return them under Lost Hills command . And so a small but hardened contingent of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers , led by an idealistic Paladin named Owyn Lyons ( and accompanied by his friend and technological adviser Reginald Rothchild , as well as his three - year old daughter Sarah ) set out from the Lost Hills Bunker in California , and began the long trek east to what was once Washington D . C . Scourging the Pitt . Contact with the " rogue " Midwestern Brotherhood in Chicago turned out to be unsuccessful . On their way to the Capital Wasteland , the Brotherhood ' s East Coast expeditionary force came across the post - Great War slaver settlement known as The Pitt located in the ruins of what had been Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . As the next morning dawned , the Brotherhood came over Mount Wash and razed the city to the ground . The Brotherhood were out - manned and out - gunned but they managed to fight their way through anything that put up a fight with barely a scratch . Along the way they gathered up every non - mutated human child they found . In all , there were only twenty of them . Most were recruited into the Brotherhood . One , Greg Bear , is stationed with Lyons ' Pride and is the only one of the children rescued from the Pitt left in the Capital Wasteland . This hints that the Brotherhood may have spread out more after the Pitt . One member from Lyons ' squad , Ishmael Ashur , was knocked unconscious during the battle against the slavers and buried in the rubble of The Pitt . The rest of the squad continued onward , leaving him for dead . Later , a group of raiders poked around the battle site as Ashur arose from the rubble . The raiders saw him as a godlike being , coming out from the rubble unharmed . Ashur then managed to take control of The Pitt after the Scourge had taken out the worst of the worst . Ashur managed to reactivate the old steel mills , and used the new industry to buy slaves from all over to continue the manufacturing work . There are five holotapes in the locked safe in Ashur ' s room in Haven that contain a pre - recorded message from Ashur to his daughter , Marie . In these tapes , Ashur explains that he was pulled out of the rubble by a scavenger trying to take his power armor . The scavenger and their family often made raids deep into the ruined city for supplies . Ashur - looked upon by the scavengers as a god because of his power armor and Brotherhood of Steel technological know - how - took advantage of this and began to build a new city . As the city grew , raiders often attacked , and Ashur would kill the leader then recruit the others to serve as his guards . Arrival . When the group finally arrived in the Capital Wasteland , it did not take long before they made some remarkable discoveries . The Pentagon , as they had feared , was largely destroyed . But its sub - levels remained intact and contained enough pre - Great War technology and weaponry to keep Lyons ’ forces going indefinitely ( once the defense robot s were destroyed ) . But there was something else , as well : Liberty Prime , a technological marvel that , if restored , could help the Brotherhood of Steel rebuild a strength and reputation that had been declining steadily for years . The discovery was significant enough to earn Paladin Lyons a battlefield promotion to Elder , and a new directive from his superiors in Southern California – to establish a new , permanent Brotherhood base in the Capital Wasteland , and continue the search for any other advanced technology hidden in the former capital city ’ s ruins . Lyons accepted his new post gladly , and founded the Citadel , built into and beneath the ruins of the Pentagon . It was a fortress the Brotherhood of Steel desperately needed , and one they rushed to fortify , thanks to their other great discovery in the Capital Wasteland : Super mutants also existed on the East Coast . The Super Mutant Threat . It did not take long for Elder Lyons and the Brotherhood of Steel to find the super mutants , mostly because they didn ’ t have to look : the Super mutants found them . In the Capital Wasteland , particularly in the urban ruins of downtown D . C . , the super mutants were simply too numerous to be avoided . That is why , for the people of the Capital Wasteland , the arrival of the Brotherhood of Steel became the answer to their prayers . Scattered , hungry , and largely disorganized , they had lived with the constant threat of death or capture by the super mutants for as long as they could remember . Elder Lyons and his brave Knights and Paladins changed all that . For the first time , the super mutant tide was stemmed and forced back into the ruins of Washington . The D . C . ruins remained Super Mutant - controlled and uninhabitable , that was true , but the number of incursions against the outlying wastelander settlements dropped significantly . Life was still harsh and unfair , but at least now the people of the Capital Wasteland had a fighting chance , and they had Elder Lyons and the Brotherhood to thank for that . New Objectives . Fighting the super mutants , or simply keeping them at bay , may have been enough for the region ’ s innocent wastelanders , but for the Brotherhood , too many questions remained : how had these local super mutants been created ? Were they related to the super mutants of New California ? Why were they capturing the people of the Capital Wasteland ? Where were they taking them ? Finding these answers would ultimately , become Owyn Lyons ' obsession . The years passed , but not in a way anyone had foreseen . Indeed , the Brotherhood of Steel ’ s importance to the people of the Capital Wasteland was not something that Lyons had ever expected . Nor was it something his Brotherhood superiors back in California cared at all about . Their newest Elder had a clearly defined mission – to acquire advanced technologies in and around the ruins of Washington D . C . Finding the source of the super mutant threat and destroying it was important too , of course . But it was assumed that the Brotherhood could easily eliminate the super mutants and their source fairly quickly . For the Brotherhood leadership , Elder Lyons ’ prime objective was , first and foremost , the acquisition and preservation of pre - Great War technology . The super mutants were his second priority . This was the subject of every communication from the Brotherhood of Steel leadership in California . But Elder Owyn Lyons had another priority , one he considered more important than his original directive or any orders received since – the protection of the innocent people of the Capital Wasteland . And so , Lyons sent word to his superiors that he would continue his search for technology when he was damned good and ready , and would not sacrifice the people who had come to rely on the bravery and strength of the Brotherhood of Steel . The Californian corridors of the Brotherhood ' s Lost Hills headquarters erupted in rumor and speculation . Had Owyn Lyons “ gone native , ” putting the needs of the people of D . C . above those of the Brotherhood itself ? Or had a Brotherhood Elder finally exhibited the selfless behavior that should serve as a model for the entire order ? Caught in the middle , the ruling Elders made the only decision they could – they would still recognize Elder Lyons as a leader of the Brotherhood of Steel , and the Citadel as their D . C . headquarters . But all material and personnel support from the West Coast was completely cut off . If Lyons wanted to pursue his own agenda on the East Coast , he would do it alone . So that is what the stalwart Elder did . The East Coast division of the Brotherhood of Steel , headquartered in the Citadel , became its own entity like the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel : keep its laws and customs , but no more affiliated with the original Brotherhood of Steel on the West Coast and completely independent . Outcasts . Most of Elder Lyons ’ soldiers supported his dedication to the welfare of the people of the Capital Wasteland , and were proud of their leader ’ s commitment to honor and heroism . But there were those who voiced their opposition – loudly , and aggressively . They believed that by abandoning the Brotherhood of Steel ’ s primary mission of acquiring lost technologies , Elder Lyons had abandoned the very values that defined the order itself . One night , the dissenters ( under the leadership of Paladin Casdin ) departed from the Citadel , absconding with weapons , power armor , and other pieces of advanced technology and equipment . This was , without question , Owyn Lyons ’ darkest hour . He had become a man of compassion and understanding , and could not help but sympathize with those who had left : he had abandoned the Brotherhood ’ s primary mission . He recognized that , and took full responsibility . Some of the Knights and Paladins who left had been his brothers in arms for years . Together , they had shared victory and loss , pain and elation . But to those soldiers loyal to Elder Lyons , this dereliction of duty and theft of technology was an act of cowardice and treason . Lyons was left with little choice : he branded the dissenters “ Outcasts ” , traitors to the Brotherhood of Steel – it was a name they would ultimately wear like a badge of honor , proud of the distance it put between themselves and Lyons ’ “ soldier sycophants ” . After Arrival . In 2277 , Elder Lyons ’ daughter Sarah Lyons is now a grown woman , and one of the Brotherhood ’ s fiercest warriors ; in fact , she ’ s the only member to have achieved the illustrious rank of Sentinel , and now commands her own elite squad , Lyons ' Pride . The war with the super mutants – a conflict that has continued unceasingly for over twenty years since the Brotherhood expeditionary force arrived on the East Coast – rages on , and the Brotherhood is feeling the strain of this extended conflict . Without reinforcements from the West Coast , Lyons has been forced to recruit locally from the wastelander settlements , and the results have been less than stellar : most new recruits are overeager , unskilled , or both , and as a result their survival rate is atrocious . So low , in fact , that word had spread throughout the Capital Wasteland – join the Brotherhood of Steel , and you ’ ll be dead within the week . The Brotherhood Outcasts re - dedicated their lives to the Brotherhood of Steel ’ s original mission – the acquisition and preservation of lost technologies , operating out of the aptly named Fort Independence . Project Purity , the Enclave , and Broken Steel . When the Brotherhood discovered Project Purity , based inside the Jefferson Memorial , they decided to help defend the scientists that worked on the project from the frequent super mutant attacks . The goal was simple , and beneficial : huge amounts of pure , non - radioactive water for the Capital Wasteland . The only problem was that large - scale tests of the project were always unsuccessful . As time went on , and super mutant attacks became more frequent , the Brotherhood became disinterested with the project . In 2258 , Lead Scientist James ' s wife , Catherine , died in childbirth , and James abandoned the project to find a safe haven for his new child , and the project collapsed . The Brotherhood focused on fighting the super mutant threat for the next two decades , while also attempting to also learn of their source . In 2272 , a man by the name of Three Dog set up a news / music radio station inside the middle of the D . C . ruins , and the Brotherhood struck a deal with him . As stated by Sentinel Lyons " The Brotherhood needed a roof over their heads , and the guy here needed to not get his head blown off . It ' s a mutually beneficial relationship . " The Brotherhood continue to use the GNR building as a " port in the storm " . Eventually , James ' child emerges from Vault 101 to find his / her father who wants to restart Project Purity in 2277 . A science team is brought together , and repairs are started . Soon though , the Enclave ' s forces show up , and storm the Purifier . Colonel Autumn demands that the project be handed over to the government , but James adamantly states that Project Purity is private and intended to benefit all the people of the Capital Wasteland . To make a point , Autumn shoots the scientist in the room . James then sacrifices himself by flooding the control room with radiation , and killing himself , along with the Enclave soldiers , but Colonel Autumn survives . The remaining scientists and the Lone Wanderer manage to go through the old Taft Tunnels that link the Jefferson Memorial to the Citadel at the Pentagon , with only the Lone Wanderer to defend them from any Enclave soldiers , or feral ghouls along the way . When they reach the end , a Brotherhood of Steel member will make a final stand with the Wanderer against a final horde of feral ghouls , and get the scientists topside to safety . Once there Dr . Li demands that Elder Lyons opens the gate to the Citadel and let them in , which he does so promptly . Once inside , Elder Lyons begins to contemplate the threat the Enclave now poses . The Lone Wanderer is sent to Vault 87 to locate a G . E . C . K . that is necessary to start the Purifier , if nothing else than to keep it away from the Enclave . Meanwhile the Brotherhood gears up for war , modifying their weapons and armor in preparation for fighting the Enclave . Scribe Rothchild teams up with Madison Li on the Liberty Prime robot , and together manage to solve the massive automaton ' s power problems . Meanwhile , the Lone Wanderer battles his / her way through the dangerous Vault 87 and obtains the GECK , also learning that Vault 87 is the source of the D . C . super mutants . Unfortunately , he / she is captured by agents of the Enclave , and the GECK is installed in the Purifier . He / She is the transported to Raven Rock , an Enclave command base , and then interrogated by Colonel Autumn for the activation code , but is interrupted by President Eden , who requests a meeting with him / her . Unfortunately , Colonel Autumn soon orders the Enclave soldiers to attack the Lone Wanderer regardless of the president ' s orders , and the Wanderer must fight his / her way to the president . Once the two finally meet , Eden asks the player to install a modified FEV virus dispenser in the Purifier , as a way to cleanse the Capital Wasteland of all mutations so that only " pure strain " humans like those in the Enclave and the Vaults will survive . The player is forced to leave with the virus in hand , but has a chance to " blow up " Eden and Raven Rock , if he / she wishes to . Once the Lone Wanderer makes it back to the Citadel , Sentinel Lyons asks her father permission for an assault on the Purifier , which he denies , until the Lone Wanderer tells Elder Lyons of the current situation . Elder Lyons then asks the player for any important information before proceeding . At this point , the player can hand over the Modified FEV ( positive Karma ) , tell the Elder about the super mutants and Vault 87 ( positive Karma ) , and about the current status of the Enclave ( no Karma ) . Then the Elder asks Rothchild whether or not Liberty Prime is ready to go into battle . Rothchild is skeptical as he ' d only just gotten it operational , but ultimately agrees that if it ' s not yet fully ready then it won ' t matter in the long run . Sentinel Lyons recruits the Wanderer as an honorary member of the Pride , and together the Pride sets out for the Memorial . Liberty Prime easily clears the way through all Enclave forces , clearing a path for the Pride . Once inside the Jefferson Memorial , the Wanderer and Sentinel Lyons make their way through the last of the Enclave forces , and eventually confront Colonel Autumn . The Lone Wanderer ' s can choose the ultimate outcome , but regardless the two make it to the control room whereupon Dr . Li tells them that something has damaged the Purifier , that it must be activated " now " , and that the current radiation levels would kill whoever enters the room to carry out the activation . The outcome here is also dependent on the choices of the Wanderer , and either someone goes inside to activate the Purifier , only surviving if the " Broken Steel " add - on is already installed , or no one goes in and everyone within the room dies . Likewise , at this point the Wanderer can secretly use the FEV to poison the water . With the Purifier up and running , the Brotherhood takes control and begins distributing the clean water throughout the Wasteland with Scribe Bigsley overseeing operations ( supposedly to get rid of him ) . Also during this time , the Brotherhood begins systematically destroying all remaining Enclave outposts in the Wasteland with Liberty Prime spearheading the assault ( even destroying Raven Rock if the Wanderer had not done so already ) . During this time the Brotherhood also begin to reverse - engineer the Enclave ' s plasma weaponry , removing that advantage for their enemies . Two weeks after the assault on Project Purity , the Lone Wanderer awakens in the Citadel ' s clinic , and is greeted by Elder Lyons . Scribe Rothchild updates the Lone Wanderer on the current situation on the war between the Brotherhood and the Enclave , then directing the Lone Wanderer to journey to Rockland to help with a Brotherhood attack on an Enclave communications facility . The Lone Wanderer makes it to the Rockland car tunnels , and assist Paladin Tristan , and a squad of Brotherhood members , and Liberty Prime in the attack . The Enclave forces are decimated , and Liberty Prime manages to literally punch a hole through the Enclave ' s defenses , giving the Brotherhood an access point . Then , Liberty Prime detects a signal and orders the Brotherhood forces to retreat . Soon after the area is destroyed , along with Liberty Prime , by an orbital bombardment from a weapons satellite ordered by the Enclave , leaving the Brotherhood shaken . Paladin Tristan orders the Lone Wanderer to lead a squad of Brotherhood members to find out what had happened . At the Citadel , the Brotherhood are really taken aback by the orbital assault . Moments before the attack they had been crushing any Enclave resistance , and now they have lost their biggest weapon , and are facing a new weapon they know nothing about . In addition , it is certain that the Enclave will counter - attack , especially since the Brotherhood was the one to instigate the war . When the Lone Wanderer comes back from the Rockland Satellite Station , he / she delivers some encrypted data for Scribe Rothchild to decrypt , who is aghast at all the hard work that went into restoring Liberty Prime , only to see it all go to waste . Paladin Tristan then sends the Lone Wanderer to the Old Olney Powerworks for a Tesla coil , so the Brotherhood can recreate Liberty Prime ' s liberty laser , the only effective defense the Brotherhood had against the Enclave ' s Vertibirds . The Lone Wanderer does so , with a prototype device made by the Brotherhood meant to jam the signal the Enclave uses to control deathclaws . The Lone Wanderer makes it to Olney Powerworks , encountering many deathclaws , Enclave forces , and robots , but eventually he / she makes it to the center with a functioning Tesla Coil in the middle . With the Tesla coil in hand , the Lone Wanderer makes it back to the Citadel and hands it over to the Brotherhood scientists there , and is then ordered to make it to the Adams Air Force Base via the Presidential Metro . When the Lone Wanderer enters the Air Force Base , he or she opens up a supply crate , containing ammo and a working Tesla cannon . When opening the crate , the Brotherhood receive a signal to commence attacking the Air Force Base , so the Lone Wanderer can make his / her way through the Enclave forces and open the way to the Mobile Base Crawler . Eventually the player makes it to the top of the Mobile Base Crawler , and has a choice to either launch the Enclave ' s last orbital ballistic payload on either the Mobile Base Crawler , setting back the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland severely , or on the Citadel , thus devastating the Brotherhood of Steel . Once outside , a Brotherhood squad , led by Sarah Lyons if she survived Project Purity , pilots a stolen Vertibird to take The Lone Wanderer back to the Citadel . By canon , the Lone Wanderer destroys the MBC , and the Enclave is permanently removed as a threat from the Capital Wasteland . The East Coast Brotherhood moves on back to normal , taking out the mutants and raiders . With the Brotherhood in control of Project Purity ( providing access to clean , purified water ) , one Vertibird and vast amounts of technology and equipment acquired from the Enclave after the successful war , and access to local recruitment and manpower , the East Coast Brotherhood is effectively in control of the Capital Wasteland . The original Brotherhood however in California , is more weakened than before by 2281 . Current Status . In the years that follow , fortunes change for the Eastern Brotherhood . The Lone Wanderer journeyed west , having left the East Coast Brotherhood to seek new ideas . Elder Lyons dies of cancer , leaving Sarah Lyons in the position of Elder . Shortly afterwards , the new Elder is killed during combat , which is shortly followed by the election and deposition of several ineffective Elders . While this occurs , Arthur Maxson , now 16 years old , singlehandedly kills a deathclaw armed with nothing more then a knife , and this action alone garners enough respect to his election to the position of Elder . He brokers peace with Casdin and his Outcasts , putting an end to the Brotherhood Civil War , and refocuses the goals of the Brotherhood on the East Coast . Instead of the protection of the populace , he instead focuses on the preservation and acquisition of Pre - War tech . The East Coast Brotherhood , however , still remains the only chapter to improve upon acquired technology as well . Learning of super mutant actitvities in the Commonwealth and organic - synthetic hybrids known as " synths " wandering into the Capital Wasteland , Maxson spearheads an expedition into the new land and makes the Brotherhood ' s base of operations at the Boston Airport , after eradicating the Ghouls that first took up residence there . The Prydwen glides above the airport , keeping a watch on the skies and keeping the Brotherhood ' s Vertibirds safe from theft or gunfire . The Brotherhood prepares for war with the Institute while simultaneously planning the destruction of the Railroad , and the implementation of order in the Commonwealth .