Brotherhood of Steel (Fallout 76)

The Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel, also known as the West Virginia Brotherhood,Vault Dweller: "Have you gotten to speak with Dodge from the West Virginia Brotherhood?Odessa Valdez: "Yes! He's quite the interesting guy. He really familiarized himself with the proprietary tech that the West Virginia chapter developed. He's been an excellent source for archiving their research. I'm glad we could give him a safe place to stay after all he's been through."(Odessa Valdez's dialogue) was a founding chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel under the command of Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy. By August 19, 2095, they had been almost entirely wiped out by the Scorched, save for Initiate Vernon Dodge, who survived through misfortune. However, a small group of reinforcements later arrived from Lost Hills in 2103, and established a new Brotherhood chapter in the area.Events of Steel Dawn.Russell Dorsey:"The Brotherhood of Steel! The original ones, from out in California! A group of them have been broadcasting radio messages to Appalachia. Your Pip-Boy should be able to pick up the signal. They're on their way to West Virginia to set up a new chapter here at the ATLAS Observatory."(Russell Dorsey's dialogue)
==Background==
The Appalachian chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel originated from Taggerdy's Thunder, a U.S. Army Ranger unit led by Lieutenant Elizabeth Taggerdy. Deployed to war games organized in Appalachia in October 2077, Taggerdy led the Thunder against a unit of U.S. Marines. On the day of the Great War, the unit was camped in the caves at Spruce Knob, planning their attack on the Marines. They never got the chance to do so, as the Thunder was surprised by the Great War. After first dismissing the attacks as part of the simulation, the nuclear warheads that struck Appalachia soon revealed that nuclear war had arrived.War games
With the chain of command in tatters, the Thunder attempted to raise any kind of ranking officer to figure out what to do next. They did not expect to receive contact from Captain Roger Maxson on the West Coast, who had earlier declared secession from the United States, hailing survivors in Appalachia. Although Taggerdy was hesitant about speaking to a professed traitor, her friendship with Maxson made her decide to give him a chance.Radio log: Aug 29 2077 Maxson revealed to Taggerdy the crimes the government had committed at Mariposa Military Base which had led to his declaration of secession, and while Taggerdy did not completely accept his explanation, it planted a seed of doubt in her mind regarding their responsibility to the U.S. military. With survival being the top priority, she opted to take her unit southeast to establish a home base before any further thoughts.Taggerdy's Journal: NOV 04 2077
The unit moved to Camp Venture, an old survival training camp, where they spent the dark winter of 2077. It became a base camp for all their subsequent operations. It was around this time that the unit started believing Maxson: at some point, the unit broke into the West Tek research center with the help of Grant McNamara, a refugee who the Thunder had picked up along the way. What they found there proved Maxson's story and led the Thunder to renounce their allegiance to the U.S. government and military. They began to accept Maxson as their commanding officer.Camp Venture terminal entries; commander's terminal, Training Starts
Taggerdy soon ordered the camp reactivated to fill out the ranks of the Thunder.Camp Venture terminal entries; commander's terminal, Duty Log THNDR8107A Due to the strict requirements posed by the drill instructor, only four recruits out of nine in the first batch made it through to the end of training and became members of the Thunder. However, they were far from the only ones. Soon, recruits started appearing at the camp in numbers, many being former soldiers looking for a new sense of structure.Camp Venture terminal entries; commander's terminal, Duty Log THNDR8708ACamp Venture terminal entries; commander's terminal, Duty Log THNDR9114A
That structure presented itself when Captain Roger Maxson announced the foundation of the Brotherhood of Steel in the 2080s. Taggerdy was hesitant to accept a completely new system of ranks and ideas, believing that the military training and loyalty to commanding officers were enough to carry the day. However, she did not object, at first treating it as an order like any other.Formation of the Brotherhood of Steel Although Taggerdy was skeptical, Maxson outlined his plan to give her and her men a new identity as members of the Brotherhood, both as a way to return meaning to their lives and combat the overwhelming despair suffered by survivors of the war, and to immunize them to the authority of any politicians that might emerge from the Vaults (or in Appalachia's case, the Whitespring Congressional Bunker) and try to set fire to the world again. Taggerdy accepted the new orders without believing in them at first, but soon grew into her role.About the Brotherhood
Paladin Taggerdy was known for only recruiting from those who had military experience and found it difficult to coordinate with the "civilian" factions in Appalachia.Fallout 76 loading screens: "Paladin Taggerdy was known for only recruiting from those who had military experience and found it difficult to coordinate with the other, more "civilian" factions in Appalachia." This became apparent in their dealings with the Responders and Charleston: By October 2082, the Brotherhood appeared on the verge of conflict with the Responders, as they requisitioned munitions while the Responders were trying to contain the Huntersville mutant threat. Although they eventually acquiesced to the demands, it did no favors for their relations.Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries; Holbrook's terminal, Envoy to Taggerdy However, the relations eventually normalized, especially since the Brotherhood had other problems (as did the Responders, due to the Christmas Flood which destroyed Charleston in December 2082). The Brotherhood's numbers and new classes graduating from Camp Venture exhausted the available space at the survival camp, necessitating expansion.
They decided to expand south into the Cranberry Bog, opting to seize the defunct Allegheny Asylum as their new base of operations, dubbing it Fort Defiance. Although plagued by feral ghouls, the building was structurally sound and had a direct connection to the Thunder Mountain Power Plant via landlines, wrested from the Free States by Taggerdy's troops.De Silva's recon report While the asylum provided enough space to grow into, they soon encountered problems: scorchbeasts, first as unknown bats flying in from Watoga, easily scared away by miniguns. This was chalked up to bog weirdness at first, which soon proved to be a grave error.Fort Defiance terminal entries; De Silva's terminal, WHAT?
West of the mountains, the Brotherhood forged alliances. The Brotherhood and the Responders united together against the super mutants, fighting a bitter battle known as the Battle of Huntersville to contain the mutants that ultimately ended in a major victory.Battle of Huntersville Speech The campaign ended in May 2086, marking the high point in Responder and Brotherhood relations, although it claimed many lives, including Squire de Silva and Paladin Swafford.Huntersville gravesRiverside Manor terminal entries; headmistress' terminal, 6/1/86 Congratulating them on their victory, Elder Maxson also announced a new mission for the Brotherhood: To act as preservationists, keeping the embers of civilization burning, so that the Brotherhood may become the catalyst for a new, better civilization in the future.Preservation of technology Taggerdy implemented the new orders, and one of her first orders was to pull troops out from Grafton dam, abandoning passes through the Savage Divide that allowed the Responders and Free States to trade openly.Final orders for Grafton Dam Some responded to this new policy with enthusiasm, others with grudging acceptance. In one extreme case, Hank Madigan disagreed with the mission, and left the Brotherhood to join the Responders. This, together with an earlier desertion by E. Fisher, further strained the chapter leadership's opinions of outsiders. By the end, Grant McNamara, who had proven invaluable for his technical expertise, was one of the only civilians Taggerdy trusted; she even refused to recruit additional scribes from the outside.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Scribe Grant's terminal, Scribe Takano
The new mission quickly took a backseat, however, as the Brotherhood encountered the scorchbeasts and the Scorched in the Cranberry Bog. Conferring with Maxson's ace researcher, Scribe Hailey Takano, the Brotherhood in Appalachia quickly calculated that the scorchbeasts represented a potential extinction event for humanity. Lost Hills supplied several designs and weapon schematics to help stem the tide, including a sonic generator and an automated research program,BoS archive: ARP background but by the 2090s, the failing infrastructure of the Old World rapidly rendered satellite communication impossible. Before being cut off, Maxson ordered Taggerdy to hold the tide, but forbade the use of nuclear weapons.The nuclear option
Camp Venture was officially abandoned on July 20, 2093, as the Brotherhood pulled all remaining troops to focus their firepower at Fort Defiance and Thunder Mountain Power Plant. The remaining squires completed their training, though no new candidates were accepted at this point.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Senior Knight Wilson's terminal, 93-JUL-20 The Brotherhood focused on fighting the scorchbeasts entirely, tapping all available sources of supplies, taxing their goodwill. By January 2094, that meant routinely requisitioning food, dozens of missiles, fusion cores, and hundreds of rounds of conventional ammunition from all available sources.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Senior Knight Wilson's terminal, 94-JAN-03 Another incident did not help either: in the early months of 2095, some Brotherhood members caught wind that Responder Amy Kerry was working on a project, and she theorized the Brotherhood were after her to steal her technology. The Brotherhood demanded supplies and information about Amy's project, even holding Responder leader Maria Chavez at gunpoint. Sensing the Brotherhood were finding her location, Amy fled.Tygart water treatment terminal entries
Realizing that time was not on their side, the Brotherhood launched Operation Touchdown in the glassed cavern on January 28, 2095, with Paladin Taggerdy taking the most well-trained troops of the Brotherhood to confront the scorchbeasts in their lair and destroy them. The operation claimed the life of Paladin Taggerdy and her men, but for over a week, no scorchbeasts appeared on the surface. This prompted Senior Knight Wilson, who took command in her absence, to declare a preliminary mission accomplished.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Senior Knight Wilson's terminal, 95-FEB-02Note: Five days before February 2, meaning January 28 However, this proved to be optimistic. By June, the sightings continued to increase in number, indicating that Touchdown had failed.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Senior Knight Wilson's terminal, 95-JUN-03 By August, the situation was clear: The Brotherhood had failed in its mission and was rapidly approaching extinction. Rather than flee, the soldiers decided to continue manning their posts until the bitter end, trying to buy as much time for Appalachia as possible. 
Throughout this period, Scribe Grant alone recognized the importance of continuing research into the scorchbeasts, if not for them then for those who would come after. This relied on the automated research program provided by Lost Hills: it would allow the Appalachian Brotherhood to continue research on their own. However, they were unable to use it without access to Vault-Tec University, which was located deep in Responder territory, and by that point the factions were no longer in friendly relations. Taggerdy had approved a single mission prior to Operation Touchdown, and refused Grant's further pleas after the two soldiers she sent never came back.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Scribe Grant's terminal, RE: Mission 099-01 After Touchdown, Wilson similarly refused, citing the need for all hands on deck with their top members gone.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Scribe Grant's terminal, RE: Mission 099-01 URGENT! In the final days of the Appalachian chapter, facing constant siege by Scorched and scorchbeasts, Grant was indeed tied down keeping Defiance's systems alive.
By August 18, 2095, the Brotherhood's numbers at Fort Defiance had been reduced to five: Senior Knight Wilson, Scribe Grant, Knight "Tex" Rogers, and Squires Evelyn and Enrique Belmonte, who made their last stand and were ultimately overrun. Before their deaths, they sent a message across the Appalachian airwaves to warn that "Defiance [had] fallen." However, because of the Brotherhood's secrecy and poor communication, few realized what their message actually meant until it was too late.Mission to AbigayleMessage to SammyDefiance mission report Scribe Grant, recognizing the importance of the Brotherhood's knowledge on the Scorched, also left instructions for any future visitors of Fort Defiance to seek out the intel secured in their top floor.Final stand
By the following day, August 19, 2095, Squires Rosen and Gilden had become the last survivors at Thunder Mountain, and soon, they were also overrun.Thunder Mountain Power Plant terminal entries; communications terminal, 95-Aug-19 With their deaths, the Brotherhood in Appalachia was extinguished, leaving behind a bounty of weapons, automated defenses, and research for those who would come after to try and fight the scorchbeasts.
==Organization==
The Brotherhood of Steel in Appalachia was initially limited to just Taggerdy's Thunder and its auxiliary forces recruited at Camp Venture (later turned into full rangers and members by the brutal training methods). After accepting Roger Maxson's command, they eventually adopted the existing Brotherhood of Steel ranks, with one minor difference characteristic to the early years of the Brotherhood in that squires were adult members of the Brotherhood training to become full knights. This nomenclature was unpopular among some of the troops from the start, and their arguments reached Maxson, who eventually changed the title. By the time of its destruction, the Appalachian chapter had both initiates (such as Vernon Dodge) and squires (such as Enrique Belmonte, who was the first to complain about the title)Camp Venture terminal entries; commander's terminal, Squires and Ranks in its ranks.
Another difference was the emphasis on the military aspect of the organization. Taggerdy was famously distrustful of civilians, considering them to be weak links in the chain, and that attitude translated into their dealings with non-military factions across Appalachia, making cooperation difficult. The landmark battle of Huntsville and Maxson's Preservation of Technology speech that introduced a new mandate and elevated scribes like Grant McNamara as equals of the knights changed the internal organization of the faction, but not, unfortunately, the general attitude that prevented effective cooperation and confronting the scorchbeasts.
==Technology==
Like its parent organization in New California, the Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel was the most advanced faction in Appalachia, especially after the Enclave under Thomas Eckhart went extinct. It used standardized weapons and uniform, and most importantly, had access to a large number of T-51 power armor suits that were standard issue to ranking knights, after completing their training at Camp Venture under Senior Knight Ted Wilson.Camp Venture terminal entries; commander's terminal, MAR-26-86: Tex Rogers The Brotherhood used many conventional weapons such as the minigun, missile launcher, and even custom-modified hunting rifles. However, they also had access to highly advanced pre-War weaponry, such as the Fat Man, Gatling laser and laser gun. With the help of ultracite, they even modified some of their laser weapons to do improved damage against creatures infected with the Scorched Plague and utilized numerous automated surface to air missiles to combat the Scorched both in the air and on the ground. Augmenting their firepower was a broad array of research and recon tools provided by Lost Hills and Scribe Hailey Takano, including an Automated Research Program for analyzing scorchbeast DNA for weaknesses,BoS archive: ARP background sonic scanning module for tracking down the echolocating monsters using their unique frequencies (which provided the intel necessary for Operation Touchdown),Sensor module specs and even tentative designs for a modified T-51 power armor utilizing ultracite to enhance its combat performance.Fort Defiance terminal entries; Paladin Taggerdy's terminal, Ultracite Power Armor
==Locations==
Originally a small unit of US Army Rangers, Taggerdy's forces eventually exercised limited control of several strategic locations across Appalachia, including:
* Big Bend Tunnel East: A chokepoint in the Cranberry Bog to help prevent the Scorched threat from spreading outside the region. 
* Camp Venture: A survivalist camp that acted as the first permanent base of operations for Taggerdy and the Thunder. Later served as a training camp for Brotherhood recruits. Abandoned in the terminal stages of the war against the scorchbeasts.
* Drop Site V9, Firebase LT, Firebase Major, Firebase Hancock, Forward Station Alpha, Forward Station Delta, Survey camp Alpha, The Thorn: Defense sites established along the perimeter of the Cranberry Bog.
* Fort Defiance: Formerly the Allegheny Asylum, the fort was established as the Brotherhood sought to expand its operations from Camp Venture. Although never fully cleared of ghouls leftover from the war, it became the nucleus of the Brotherhood's defense against the scorchbeasts.
* Grafton Dam: A frontier outpost used to provide power and secure a trade route between the residents of Morgantown and Harpers Ferry. 
* Spruce Knob
* Thunder Mountain Power Plant: Primary source of power for the Brotherhood forces in Appalachia, seized from the Free States. It was the last location to fall to the Scorched.
* Watoga
* Huntersville: Temporarily occupied following the Battle of Huntersville. The Brotherhood set up a small outpost with checkpoints. 
==Members==
===Paladins===
* Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy - Chapter founder, associate of Roger Maxson, leader and namesake of Taggerdy's Thunder unit. Killed in action during Operation Touchdown, a mission to destroy what was thought to be the main scorchbeast nest in the Glassed cavern.
* Paladin Swafford - Killed in action in Huntersville.
===Knights===
* Senior Knight Ted Wilson - In charge of training at Camp Venture before it was abandoned, held out with Tex and an unknown member on the fourth floor of Fort Defiance during its fall to the Scorched.
* Knight Esposito - Training sergeant at Camp Venture before it was abandoned,Belmonte incident later killed when her position was assaulted by three scorchbeasts.
* Knight Johnny Moreno - Killed along with Paladin Taggerdy during Operation Touchdown.
* Knight Kaede Ito - Mentioned by her brother Jonah Ito, killed defending Fort Defiance.
* Knight Melissa Reische - Oversaw supply lines and scout deployment for the camp at Big Bend Tunnel East.Big Bend Tunnel terminal entries; Knight Reische's terminal, Supply Line Reports
* Knight "Tex" Rogers - Held out with Wilson and an unknown member on the fourth floor of Fort Defiance during its fall to the Scorched.
===Scribes===
* Scribe Grant McNamara - Helped restore power to the Grafton Dam and collaborated with Scribe Hailey Takano in the fight against the scorchbeasts.
* Scribe Kerry - Killed on the rooftops of Watoga.
===Initiates===
* Initiate Vernon Dodge - Former member in-training at Camp Venture, enslaved by raiders while attempting to locate a lost recruit, and the only current known surviving member. 
* Initiate Fowler - On a mission with Initiate Tieggs in Forward Station Delta.
* Initiate Tieggs - On a mission with Initiate Fowler.
===Squires===
* Squire Enrique Belmonte - Mentioned in Fort Defiance.
* Squire BelmonteForm ID 00121C82, Editor ID BOS_BodyBelmonteREF - an alternate version of Enrique Belmonte or possibly another Belmonte altogether. This Belmonte can be found dead on top of the Watoga Civic Center and would have been involved in an alternate Brotherhood of Steel storyline in which Roger Maxson dispatches the player character to locate the bodies of Squires Belmonte and Kerny, determine their cause of death, and record it on the "Brotherhood terminal" so that Belmonte's sacrifice would never be forgotten.
* Squire Evelyn - Mentioned in Fort Defiance.
* Squire Kerny or KerryForm ID 00121C7D, Editor ID BOS_BodyKerryREF (the Maxson mission brief dialog says "Kerny" while the name is "Kerry" in the game files) - this member would have been involved in the same mission as Squire Belmonte issued by Roger Maxson: find Kerny's body, identify the cause of death, and record it in the Brotherhood terminal so that Kerny will never be forgotten.
* Squire Hannah de Silva - Performed initial recon of Fort Defiance, killed in action in Huntersville.
* Squire Gary Weber - Went missing during a patrol.
* Squire Gilden - One of the two final survivors, who died in the last stand at the Thunder Mountain Power Plant.
* Squire Montgomery - Sent to VTU with a strike team to secure the automated research lab.Mission 099-01 orders
* Squire R. Rosen - One of the two final survivors, who died in the last stand at the Thunder Mountain Power Plant.
* Squire Schultz - Scouted out locations in the Cranberry Bog.
===Other===
* Rachel Pryce - Combat medic, former member of the Responders.Morgantown Airport terminal entries; Responders HQ terminal, Announcement: Rachel Pryce
* Danny - Part of Squire Montgomery's strike team sent to VTU.
* Martinez - Part of the team to secure Grafton Dam.
* Melissa Reische - Responsible for the camp at Big Bend Tunnel East.Scattered journal pages; Journal page 4
* B. - Recruit at Camp Venture, only known by initial.
* M.R.V. - Armorer at Camp Venture, mentioned only by initials in a cut note at Camp Venture.
* Henry - Recruit at Camp Venture.
* Shelley - Recruit at Camp Venture.
* Romeo Squad - A Brotherhood squad sent to investigate a large number of military robots at the Harpers Ferry pump station.Burrows mission brief
===Former===
* E. Fisher - Stole supplies and deserted in the middle of training at Camp Venture.
* K. Kelly - Committed suicide during her training at Camp Venture.
* Hank Madigan - Joined the Fire Breathers after having a falling out with the Brotherhood.
===Robots===
* Brotherhood vendor
* Vendor bot Phoenix
* Construction Protectrons
==Interactions with the player character==
* The Brotherhood of Steel is the last faction to be introduced in the course of the main quest, as the main goal of the struggle becomes clear: The destruction of the scorchbeasts. The locations are primarily focused on fighting off the Scorched and scorchbeasts, reflected by the Brotherhood event quests.
* There are two vendors for the Brotherhood, Vendor bot Phoenix (Watoga Shopping Plaza) and the Brotherhood vendor (The Whitespring Resort).
==Appearances==
The Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel appears in Fallout 76 and was expanded upon in the Wild Appalachia, One Wasteland For All and Steel Dawn updates.
==Behind the scenes==
A large amount of the Appalachian Brotherhood's story was written by Ferret Baudoin. To Baudoin, writing for the Brotherhood in Fallout 76 was an opportunity to explore "some things that haven't been explored before that make sense," including Roger Maxson, whom he had always seen as an intriguing figure.Bethesda Fallout 76 Interview ~ QuakeCon At Home 2020:Ferret Baudoin: "I did a lot of the writing for the Brotherhood of Steel at the launch of Fallout 76. And for me, I'm like, a big, huge Fallout Brotherhood of Steel fan. And to me, it was an awesome chance to sort of say like, 'let's explore some things that haven't been explored before that make sense.' Because Maxson has always been just a very intriguing figure to me. Just by talking about that, actually, there are nods to all sorts of things from various games. Fallout 1, probably, more than anything." Baudoin addressed some of the early criticisms claiming that the Brotherhood of Steel's presence in Appalachia was a retcon, explaining that the Brotherhood of Steel has always had a deeper history than the glimpses seen in the Fallout series show.Ferret Baudoin - 12/16/2020 Fallout for Hope - CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story Podcast Twitch stream: "It was a bit intimidating reading, before we launched... the many articles about, the Brotherhood of Steel, being a ret-con that they were here and such. What people may not know is that I was actually going to be doing, over at Black Isle, I was going to be doing the Brotherhood of Steel there, on the Fallout 3 that never shipped. That was my faction. And so, I was very, very up on the lore of that, and talked to the people who created the original Fallouts on that. And so, to me, I knew that this could be... like, we could do this. And in a way that I think would be - hopefully add value, not only to our game, but hopefully make it feel like wow, there's a richer history going on here. Like, I've always been fascinated with Maxson as a historical figure. In fact, I was planning on doing Maxson's bunker there, and so, to me, it was bliss to be able to have the opportunity to do this... these are some stuff, that, later on, you will not hear these stories. You may be able to figure out many reasons why you would not hear these stories later on, but this is the actual Elder Maxson and what he believed."Ferret Baudoin - 12/16/2020 Fallout for Hope - CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story Podcast Twitch stream: "They're such an interesting group. At parts, noble. At parts, just completely introverted and not caring... and just trying to imagine how you go from the principled letters you see from Roger Maxson as he's basically seceding from the union to the Brotherhood of Steel-that is a journey. To me, it was fun to be able to at least put some-a little bit of breadcrumbs to where you can see like OK, this is how they went from here to there." He went on to explain that he enjoyed the opportunity to tell the story of the evolution of the faction from everyday soldiers to zealots."They haven't become zealots yet. Some become zealots very fast, which I think is very realistic, right? Like if the bombs fall, people will cling to things that give them sanity and hope, or just even a sense of order. Because everything else has gone to hell, but I think a lot of people are just like, 'Paladins? Knights? For real?' It's fun to explore that before people are like... because in Fallout 4 times, it's like of course, yeah, that's just the Brotherhood of Steel. Whereas this was an opportunity to explore like how do you go from a normal like, 'I'm in the Army Rangers' and now I'm a knight."
==See also==
* The Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel (video)
==Gallery==
FO76 BoS spray logo.png
FO76 BoS spray logo white.png
FO76 Twitter Brotherhood of Steel.jpg|Behind the scenes (via Twitter)
FO76 Vertibird Watoga BoS.png|A Brotherhood Vertibird crashed in Watoga
Taggerdy card art.png|Seen on Elizabeth Taggerdy's card for Magic: The Gathering
==References==
Non-game
Category:Brotherhood of Steel (Appalachia)
es:Hermandad del Acero (Fallout 76)
it:Confraternita d'Acciaio dell'Appalachia
pl:Bractwo Stali Virginii Zachodniej
pt:Irmandade de Aço (Apalaches)
ru:Братство Стали (Fallout 76)
uk:Братство Сталі (Fallout 76)
zh:鋼鐵兄弟會 (辐射76)