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High Elder Maxson II (2060s-2155) was the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, a position he inherited after the death of his father, Roger Maxson.

Background[]

Born in the 2060s,[1] Maxson II was a teenager under the most extreme conditions, including the Great War and the subsequent Exodus of the future Brotherhood from Mariposa, made even harder by the loss of his mother during the journey. By 2095, in stark contrast to his father, he shared the sentiment of most Brotherhood members in the need to seal the Brotherhood off from the world and look out for only themselves.[2] However, he survived and ascended through the ranks of the nascent Brotherhood, eventually succeeding his father as the high elder following the latter's death in 2135.[3]

In 2155, at the age of roughly 90, he led a scout unit to track down a war band of Vipers. Protected and supported by power armor, he did not realize that religious zeal and poisoned arrows could counter the apparent overwhelming technological advantage in the right conditions. He provided them the perfect opportunity when he took off his helmet in the combat zone. A lucky shot from a Viper allowed the poisoned arrowhead to nick the elder's head, leading to death within hours.[3][Non-game 1]

In response, Rhombus led the paladins against the Vipers, killing the vast majority of their members. Maxson II's legacy would be the near-extermination of the Vipers and the establishment of full trade relations with the Hub as a result of Brotherhood search parties reaching the trading center while looking for Viper members. His son, Paladin John Maxson, would also be promoted to the elder council, eventually becoming the high elder in 2159.[Non-game 2]

Appearances[]

Maxson II is mentioned in a terminal entry at the Citadel in Fallout 3, a holotape in Fallout 76 and in the Fallout Bible.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The history of this figure's title is considered contentious, as it was ostensibly created by fans and adopted by Bethesda.
    • Maxson II comes up in the Fallout Bible, but not by name.
    • The term "Maxson II" was assigned to this figure by fans on the pre-2008 version of the Fallout Wiki.
    • This became the canonical moniker for the figure when Maxson II was mentioned in Fallout 3.
    • This is not the only time the Fallout Wiki has impacted the IP.

References[]

  1. Teenage years are generally assumed to be between 13 and 19 years - given that he died in 2155, he is likely at the younger end of the spectrum.[clarification needed]
  2. Elder Maxson's final conversation
  3. 3.0 3.1 Citadel terminal entries; Maxson archive terminal, Maxson II

Non-game

  1. Fallout Bible 0: "2135 Elder Roger Maxson dies of cancer, and his son, already an accomplished soldier, takes up the role of "General" (Elder) within the Brotherhood of Steel. John Maxson becomes a member of the Paladins, showing tremendous promise as a soldier."
    "2155 John Maxson's father dies in a raid by the Vipers. Expecting the raiders to break and run, Maxson doesn't take into account the religious ferocity of the Vipers (or their poisoned weapons), and when a single arrow nicks him with his helmet off, he dies within hours. John Maxson takes up the role of Elder, and Rhombus becomes the new head of the Paladins."
  2. Fallout Bible 6: ".2 Near Extermination by the Brotherhood of Steel in 2155: One Brotherhood squad found the Vipers, and during the firefight, John Maxson's father (who was leading the squad) was killed with a poisoned arrow. The response from the Brotherhood was immediate. 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. A handful of Vipers were able to flee north and east into the mountain range, but they were never heard from again.
    During the campaign, the Brotherhood sent a few scouts and emissaries to the Hub to track down Vipers members, and from these beginnings, the Hub and the Brotherhood began 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 on a regular basis). So some good did come out of the Vipers' presence in the wastes, for what it's worth."
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