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My job's mainly intel, so the more places I go, the better I'm doing it.— Deacon regarding his position in the Railroad.

Deacon (real name unknown)[1] is an enigmatic agent of the Railroad in 2287. After the Sole Survivor begins traveling the Commonwealth, he scouts them as a potential recruit, speaking in favor of their admittance after they locate the organization. Should they agree to join, he will offer them his services as a companion.

Background[]

Little is known about his past prior to joining the Railroad, which he admits he is dishonest about.[2] Among other things, he claims that he was among the first liberated Gen 3s, that he helped found the Railroad, and that he is the true leader of the organization while Desdemona merely serves as a figurehead.[3] Privately, Desdemona suspects that he and the mysterious "John D." credited in the Railroad's records with pioneering many of the organization's current practices are one and the same.[4]

The most detailed account of his past that he shares holds that when he was younger, he was a member of the University Point (UP) Deathclaws, a gang that harassed people accused of being synths. The gang's antagonism eventually escalated to the point of lynching of a man suspected of being a Gen 3, an act that left Deacon shaken.[5] Unwilling to continue down such a violent path, Deacon left the gang to settle down as a farmer, eventually marrying a woman named Barbara. They intended to start a family, but the UP Deathclaws reemerged and attacked the farm. The gang had somehow learned, to both Deacon's and Barbara's surprise, that Barbara was a synth.[6] Barbara was killed in the attack, and Deacon slaughtered the gang in retaliation.[7]

In the aftermath, he was contacted by the Railroad, who were unaware of his prior affiliation with the gang. Despite believing himself undeserving, Deacon swore himself to their cause.[7] Though there is no direct evidence that this story is any more honest than his other claims, he insists when pressed that it is the truth.[8]

Work with the Railroad[]

By 2273, he had taken the name "Deacon," and in December of that year survived an Institute raid on the Railroad, with Pinky Thompson attributing the organization's survival to his escape plan.[9] When Pinky stepped down in 2277, Deacon aided Doctor Carrington and Desdemona in revising the organization's policies to put a focus on operational security.[10] Deacon subsequently became one of Desdemona's top men, carrying out important missions and escorting synths of high value for the Railroad.[citation needed]

By 2287, most of his work consists of gathering intel on persons of interest.[11] When the Sole Survivor awakens from cryostasis inside Vault 111 and emerges into the area, Deacon takes an interest in the traveler. He shadows them throughout the Commonwealth in order to gather information on their activities, with the hopes of recruiting them for the organization in a time of crisis.[12]

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
Perk nociception regulator color
This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed.
Paving the Way
This character is a permanent companion. They grant the Cloak & Dagger perk.
25 Strictly Business
This character is a temporary companion.
Icon quest starter
This character starts quests.
FO76 ui icon quest
This character is involved in quests.

Quests[]

Effects of player's actions[]

  • When the Sole Survivor first approaches the group, Deacon vouches for the Sole Survivor. He can cite many of the Sole Survivor's accomplishments and past actions to introduce them to Desdemona. Should the Sole Survivor agree to join up, Deacon will offer his services as a companion.
    • The amount of actions that Deacon can comment on is varied, such as taking out Sinjin,[13] being a member of the Brotherhood of Steel,[14] serving as general of the Commonwealth Minutemen,[15] and other notable achievements. If the player meets The Railroad before these events, Deacon will make the remark, "Someone even being able to spell 'Railroad' is a cause for celebration these days" instead of noting any major events.[16]
  • At maximum approval Deacon awards the Cloak & Dagger perk, which gives +40% duration for Stealth Boys and +20% damage from sneak attacks.
  • Deacon will instantly become hostile if the player character kills a settler or anyone involved in the Railroad.
  • Siding with the Brotherhood of Steel or the Institute in the endgame sequence will flag the player character an enemy of the Railroad, resulting in the loss of Deacon as a companion and turning him hostile.
  • After siding with the Minutemen and finishing the end game sequence without completing the optional quest, the Railroad and Deacon will turn hostile when the player character next speaks to Desdemona. They may still speak to other Railroad characters and complete quests for them.
  • Deacon cannot be romanced.

Range of interests[]

Approvals Disapprovals
Likes
Loves
Dislikes
Hates

Inventory[]

Notes[]

  • Prior to contacting the Railroad, the Sole Survivor may come across Deacon working incognito in some major settlements. Deacon will alter his appearance while following the player character around the Commonwealth. The only constant in his disguises is the sunglasses which he never removes. He has some fixed disguises for certain places.
    • Even after being recruited as a companion, if one doesn't equip any clothing to Deacon, his appearance will dynamically change while traveling with the player as they move between zones. Taking him to certain areas will cause him to put on specific disguises, such as disguising himself as a security guard when taken into the Diamond City market.
    • He is present for the argument between Piper and Mayor McDonough, disguised as Diamond City Security.
    • He can be found wandering around Goodneighbor disguised as a "drifter" and later joining in Hancock's speech about the Institute. He can also be found in one of the pods in Memory Den.
    • He may be spotted in Bunker Hill disguised as a "caravan worker."
    • When spoken to in these disguised roles, Deacon will often have unique dialogue that differs from the dialogue used by the other unnamed NPC residents.
    • There's a chance for one of Deacon's disguises to be just him wearing nothing but a left leather leg piece.
    • Deacon is marked as Essential in all of the above disguises. If cheats or mods are used to kill him in any of the disguises before one reaches the Railroad, Deacon will be alive during Road to Freedom and will act as if nothing happened. This is because all of the disguises are technically considered separate characters by the game.
  • He will not say anything if taken to Nate/Nora's corpse in Vault 111.
  • Deacon claims to have visited the Capital Wasteland. He mentions how the Brotherhood of Steel "wasn't so bad" prior to Arthur Maxson's ascension to elder,[17] as well as how the water there is drinkable.[18]
  • Deacon makes negative comments when brought to elevated locations such as Trinity Tower.[19]
  • Deacon was previously kicked out of HQ by former leader Pinky Thompson because he was "sick of the lying, face-changing son of a bitch," after Deacon had spent a month as a ghoul, which "freaked a lot of people out."[1]
  • Deacon is one of the two only human Fallout 4 companions who cannot be romanced, alongside Old Longfellow.

Notable quotes[]

  • "The big three for predicting people: caps, beliefs, and ego. Get a handle on what's driving someone and you know where you stand."
  • "I really want to know how the Big One started. What idiot fired first? Why? What the hell did they think they'd gain?"
  • "I never really much cared for the Minutemen. The idea sounds great. But you give small men big power and sometimes you'll pay for it."
  • "One time, I got a face change and was a girl for a few months. You should've seen the looks back at HQ."
  • "Insert something Shakespearean involving death and your inevitable doom here."
  • "Fighting is so 2077."
  • "Alright. You got me up here... let's go down. Now?" – After reaching the top of Trinity Tower.
  • "We got to get to that crash site, even if it means Tinker gets to say "I told you so!"." – When seeing the Alien ship crash land.
  • "Your wish is my.... strong recommendation".
  • "Got the hang of the Railroad yet? We're just one big dysfunctional family... with guns!".
  • "If I were a sniper I'd be there, or there, or there. Isn't this fun?" – When out in the open in enemy territory.
  • "Usually it's spa days and macramé, but hey, I'm up for some mayhem." – During Memory Interrupted when Glory asks what he does.
  • "Since we're a team, you think we should use a code name? Red Orchard? Or... Code Violet? Or... the Death Bunnies. That'll confuse them."
  • "But I had a point here. A lesson, if you will. There're other organizations out there. And, in time, I'm sure they're going to spoon-feed you their own patented form of bullshit. Ignore the verbageIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar and look at what they're doing. What they're asking you to do. What sort of world they'd have you build and how they're going to pay for it."
  • "I'm a fan of Grognak myself. What will that wacky barbarian do next?." – When picking up a magazine
  • "We're great. We're fricking fantastic. Songs will be written about our sheer awesome-osity." – At maximum affinity
  • "Here I was wanting to spend the day reading Proust, then you had to go and ruin it!" – Upon entering combat
  • "This will be our finest hour. Tales shall be told of our fight versus the rad roaches."
  • "Would you look at that? Damn." – Upon witnessing the Brotherhood of Steel's arrival in the Commonwealth.
  • "Back in Capital Wasteland the Brotherhood was a force to be reckoned with. But them plus that giant airship..." – On the Brotherhood of Steel's combat capability.

Appearances[]

Deacon appears in Fallout 4, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, and Fallout Shelter Online, and in the Fallout: The Roleplaying Game supplement book Settler's Guide Book.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Deacon was written by quest designer Ferret Baudoin.[Non-game 1]
  • In localized versions of the game, Deacon's voice is dubbed by Antonio Domínguez (Spanish), Jiro Saito (Japanese) and Alessandro Capra (Italian).
  • Ryan Alosio, Deacon's voice actor, has expressed interest in reprising his role as Deacon in future installments, and often shares fan-created content related to Deacon on his social media.[Non-game 2]
  • Deacon's dialogue contains nods to previous Fallout games. These include suggesting "Code Violet" as a team name (part of Harkness' override code in Fallout 3),[20][21] attempting to use what he says is Robert House's personal override codes on Deezer (he claims to have won it in a poker game),[22] and joking about wanting to convince a new recruit he is actually President John Henry Eden.[23]

Bugs[]

  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One Deacon will be stuck in walk mode after completing The Nuclear Option (Minutemen), resulting in him often falling behind when exploring. [verified]
    • It can happen before completing the quest, seemingly at random.
    • Possible fix for PC is to use the console command setstage comdeacon 1000.
    • Another possible fix (only tested on PS4) is to draw your weapon to cause him to draw his and start running.
  • PCPC During Rockets' Red Glare Deacon can get stuck lying face down on the ground after exiting the Vertibird. This can be fixed by dismissing Deacon. He will revert to normal when you find him in whichever settlement you sent him to. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One When in power armor, Deacon's outfit changes affect the armor too, and he will unequip whatever armor pieces are equipped. [verified]
    • Additionally, Deacon will unequip all armor pieces at the destination of your fast travel causing you to take him out of the armor, reattach all armor pieces and put him back into it. Deacon may lose the power armor, including the frame, during these changes. This can be seen sometimes in Diamond City when he changes into a Diamond City security outfit.
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One Deacon can't be told to exit the power armor because he only talks about his recall code. To fix this read the recall code, and then start the dialog and tell him the code. After this it will be possible to make him exit the power armor the usual way. [verified]
    • If there is no dialogue option to read the recall code, pause the conversation by moving the camera away, read the note from the inventory and then turn back to Deacon.
  • PCPC Sometimes when giving Deacon an outfit to wear, he will stay in that outfit even when trying to switch to a different outfit. The different outfit will change his body shape, but he will still be wearing the original outfit. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 A rare glitch may occur where Deacon will keep his rifle out, except the trigger will be floating above his hand; he will not move and keep aiming with his rifle while remaining on the spot. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox OneXbox One He can disappear when Father asks for the Railroad to be eliminated. He won't be in the Railroad HQ until the character sides with the Railroad or starts killing them. Once a side is chosen, the message "Deacon tolerates you" will appear and he talk to you about how you're acting crazy. [verified]
    • The only way to fix this is to fire him and come back for him later.
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 When exploring, Deacon's outfit may begin to change rapidly. If you try to speak to any companion after that it will not work. [verified]
  • Creation Club With the Creation Club item Settlement Ambush Kit, when the player builds a shooting range at the settlement Deacon is currently staying at, he will stand in front of it naked, with the exception of his sunglasses and a pipe gun. This does not remove any items in his inventory.[verification overdue]

Gallery[]

Fallout 4[]

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare[]

Fallout Shelter Online[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Railroad HQ terminal entries; Pinky (73-77)
  2. Deacon: "I lied. I do that."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  3. Sole Survivor: "You? You founded the Railroad?"
    Deacon: "Sure. Me and Johnny D and Watts. Hell, that was 60? 70 years ago? After awhile you lose count."
    Sole Survivor: "Do you really think I'm going to fall for this?"
    Deacon: "Fall for what? Haven't you noticed when I say the word Desdemona does a 180.}"
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  4. Railroad HQ terminal entries; PAM mainframe terminal, 2284
  5. Deacon: "I ran with a gang in University Point. We called ourselves the UP Deathclaws. For kicks we'd terrorize anyone that we thought was a synth. We kept egging each other on. Started with some property damage graduated to some beat downs. Then, inevitably, a lynching."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  6. Deacon: "We were trying for kids, ekeingIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar out a living. Then one day... It turns out my Barbara... She was a synth. She didn't know that. I certainly didn't. I don't know how the Deathclaws found out. But... there was blood."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Deacon: "I don't remember much clearly after that. I know I killed most of the Claws. I must've made a big impression. The Railroad contacted me, figuring I'd be sympathetic. Seeing that I lost my wife. And, well, what I did afterwards."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  8. Sole Survivor: "Is this the part where you admit it's a lie? And try teaching some stupid lesson?"
    Deacon: "I deserve that. But no. That's the end of the story."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  9. Railroad HQ terminal entries; PAM mainframe terminal, 2273 Dec
  10. Railroad HQ terminal entries; PAM mainframe terminal, 2277 Dec
  11. Deacon: "In our little outfit, it's my job to know things."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  12. Desdemona: "I need intel. Who is this?"
    Deacon: "Wow. News flash, boss, this [guy/lady] is kind of a big deal out there."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  13. Deacon: "Does the Silver Shroud mean anything to you? I heard he took out Sinjin's Gang all by himself. Pretty remarkable, huh?"
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  14. Deacon: "Dez, [he's/she's] the one that cleared Fort Strong for the Brotherhood. [He's/She's] one of their main knights or something."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  15. Deacon: "You're the leader of the Minutemen. I hear you cleared out the Castle. Everyone's talking about that."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  16. Deacon: "These days being able to even spell "Railroad" is cause for celebration."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  17. Deacon: "The Brotherhood... well, I met them on an op in Capital Wasteland a few years back. But now with Elder Maxson... Let's just say, not a fan."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  18. Deacon: "I miss Capital Wasteland. You can actually drink the water there."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  19. Deacon: "Let's just stay away from the... ledge. I feel dizzy."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  20. Deacon: '"Since we're a team, you think we could use a code name? Red Orchard? Or... Code Violet? Or... the Death Bunnies. That'll confuse them."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  21. Horace Pinkerton: "Just say to him, "Activate A3-21 Recall Code Violet" and that will activate the hidden subroutines."
    (Horace Pinkerton's dialogue)
  22. Deacon: "Command override. Vocal audio House, Robert. "Access core programming.""
    Deezer: "You're really missing out. Enjoy a longer, healthier life with: Deezer's Lemonade."'
    Deacon: "Ah, too bad. I won those codes in a poker game once. Hasn't worked yet."
    (Deacon's dialogue)
  23. Deacon: "I'm convincing the next raw recruit I'm actually President Eden. Think I can pull it off?"
    (Deacon's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Bethesda Fallout 76 Interview ~ QuakeCon At Home 2020:
    Ferret Baudoin: "I was a designer on Fallout 4, I did the Railroad, I did Deacon, I did Curie, I did all sorts of fun quests there. And I was the lead quest designer at launch for all the content for Fallout 76, and then post-launch, I was lead designer."
  2. Ryan Alosio interview on Gamerant
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