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The Lieutenant of the Master's Army[1] (sometimes called Lou Tenant,[2] or simply Lou[3]) is the right hand of the Master and the commander of the Mariposa Military Base.[Non-game 2] He serves as the secondary antagonist of Fallout.

Background[]

The Lieutenant is the model super mutant, being faster, tougher, and more intelligent than standard humans. He was the strongest of his batch, capable of withstanding the regimen of the FEV transformation without losing his intellect and skills (possibly even receiving an increase). His transformation created a sense of religious awe in him, focused on the Master and the Unity. He became his most devoted follower, supporting his master's ideals and firmly believing that the super mutants shall inherit the earth. For his devotion, he was rewarded with the highest position in the army, cybernetic implants, and personalized equipment.[4][5][Non-game 2] The Lieutenant is unlike any other super mutant in this aspect: He bears the pauldrons of what apparently is power armor, has an eye prosthetic and cerebral implants.[6]

In terms of personality, the Lieutenant is further unlike any other mutant. Soft-spoken, urbane, and well-read, his firm belief in the superiority of super mutants borders on conceit. Yet he believes it is simple honesty, for the super mutants are truly better adapted to the demands of the post-nuclear world.[7][8][Non-game 2]

Yet for all his intelligence and refinement, there are darker sides to the Lieutenant's personality. Though he considers torture crass, he finds it oddly satisfying. Unlike regular sadists, he does not employ it needlessly, especially if he can obtain the knowledge through normal coercion.[9][Non-game 2]

Abilities[]

The Lieutenant is noticeably tougher and smarter than standard super mutant soldiers. He has about 250 HP, and is equipped with a Gatling laser. He has several cybernetic augmentations (including a bionic eye), and also appears to be wearing metal armor custom-made for his super mutant bulk. During the battle, he is aided by Van Hagan and two heavily armed super mutant commanders (plus, some robobrains that can intervene and strike the Vault Dweller from behind).

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
Icon talkinghead
This character has a talking head.
FO76 ui icon quest
This character is involved in quests.
33 Protector
This character is allied with the following faction(s).

Quests[]

  • Destroy the source of the Mutants: The Lieutenant is an optional encounter on the fourth level of Mariposa. He provides information on the Master's plans and can be killed to ensure his demise. Killing him or sneaking past will allow the player to pilfer his locker, which contains the nuke key that can be used to unlock the nuclear bomb console beneath the Cathedral.

Other interactions[]

  • Harry will take the Vault Dweller to the Lieutenant if they allow him to. The Lou will then interrogate the Vault Dweller concerning the location of their Vault.
    • There is a possibility to give in to the torture and reveal the location of Vault 13. This will result in a cut scene, where the Vault Dweller is dipped into a tank of FEV while Vault 13 is being raided by super mutants, after which the game jumps back to the main menu.
    • Otherwise, if the Dweller survives being beaten (in a scripted scene that can be interrupted by entering attack mode and walking away or simply to skip the beating), they will be teleported to a cell on level 2, with all of their belongings removed permanently. At this point, the player can lockpick their way out of the cell and try to infiltrate the command room on their own, which is challenging, but doable.
  • Sneaking up on the Lieutenant (simply coming near his room will suffice) allows the Vault Dweller to overhear a conversation between him and Van Hagan concerning their imminent discovery of Vault 13. This is worth 1500 experience points.

Tell me about[]

Death animation[]

  • Killing the Lieutenant will trigger a unique and violent death animation:
The Lieutenant death animation
Lieutenant death animation

Inventory[]

Notes[]

  • He has a unique death animation in which his body literally falls apart, resulting in quite a gruesome demise. His death animation and overall appearance suggest him being further upgraded by the Master after his initial transformation. His metal armor and implants probably act as life support, because after he dies, the head implant breaks, triggering his stomach and knees to blow up from the inside and his arms to slowly melt away.
  • A potential reference to "Lou Tenant" is made in Fallout: New Vegas during the quest G.I. Blues. When the Courier talks to Wayne about being attacked, he will mention that one of them was called Lou, and on further thought, Lou Tenant. He will then be corrected by his friend Roy, who says he means "Lieutenant," and that Wayne can be as "dumb as a mutant."[10]
  • The Lieutenant appears on the vats screen when the Vault Dweller is immersed in a cistern with FEV.

Notable quotes[]

Appearances[]

The Lieutenant appears as a talking head in Fallout, and in the intro of Fallout 2. He is mentioned in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Dead Money,[11] and the Fallout Bible.

Behind the scenes[]

  • According to Chris Avellone, the Lieutenant potentially became more intelligent from his FEV treatment.[Non-game 3]
  • There are actually two protos for the Lieutenant in the game's files, 00000023 and 00000145. Only the former is used. The only difference is that the latter deals slightly less melee damage.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lieutenant's character description: "{100}{}{You see the Lieutenant of the Master's army.}"
    Lieutenant's dialogue
  2. Harry: "{177}{Harry301}{He Lou Tenant. He my boss. Not tell him, but Harry could take on good day.}"
    (Harry's dialogue)
  3. Harry: "{155}{Harry_23}{Ummm...yes. You prime normal. The Lou will be happy. Take away, take away.}"
    (Harry's dialogue)
  4. Lieutenant: "{164}{LIEUT20}{We all work for the Master to uphold the glory of the Unity. He was the first, you see.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{165}{}{How did you come to work for him?}"
    Lieutenant: "{167}{LIEUT21}{Fate. Luck of the draw. I was the strongest of my batch to be dipped in the virus, and I have always supported the ideals of the Unity and the Master, for he is right. And for my devotion, I have been rewarded.}"
    (Lieutenant's dialogue)
  5. Fallout Bible 5
    "7. Just a question about the LuietantIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar from Fallout 1, was he a Brotherhood soldier that got dipped? Or was he just a mutant that got lucky and scored himself some nice armour (that looks a lot like PA) - Stainless
    He's a human that got lucky when he was dipped and managed to keep his intelligence (or possibly, got greater intelligence). As for armor and weapons, yeah, he lucked out, especially with that gatling laser. :)"
  6. Menu Sprite
  7. Lieutenant: "{137}{LIEUT10}{The Unity is our goal. It is quite simple, really. Certainly, even you have noticed the steady downhill slide of civilization?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{138}{}{Well ,yeah, but . . .}"
    Lieutenant: "{139}{LIEUT11}{The Super Mutant is the next advancement in human evolution. To save the world, we will convert all the worthy individuals. Simple, efficient, glorious.}"
    (Lieutenant's dialogue)
  8. The Vault Dweller: "{171}{}{So where is this Master?}"
    Lieutenant: "{173}{LIEUT23}{He's busy with the Children of the Cathedral. They actually consider us gods. But then, who can blame them.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{174}{}{My, aren't we conceited?}"
    Lieutenant: "{176}{LIEUT24}{Is honesty conceit? We're the next step in evolution. Through our Unity, the world will survive. Where is the conceit in that?}"
    (Lieutenant's dialogue)
  9. Lieutenant: "{205}{LIEUT34}{Going? I believe . . . let me check . . . Why, yes, I almost laughed! How wonderfully humorous. The only place you're going is the Vat. But first, you'll tell me where your Vault is.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{206}{}{I hope you can take rejection.}"
    Lieutenant: "{207}{LIEUT35}{We shall see, won't we?}
    {209}{LIEUT36}{Feel better now? Since torture is such a crass, yet oddly satisfying and effective technique, I'll ask you once more nicely. Where . . . is . . . the Vault!}"

    (Lieutenant's dialogue)
  10. The Courier: "Every bit helps. Thanks."
    Wayne: "Hey wait! I just remembered something. I might of heard one of the guys that attacked us call another by name. We had just about had it when one of them said 'Hey Lou, we gotta go.' At least I think he said Lou. It might have been something else. Now that I think of it, he said Lou-something. Something with a 'T'. Tenant! That's what he called him. Lou Tenant."
    Roy: "He probably said 'lieutenant', Wayne. The boy means well, but he's dumb as a mutant sometimes."
    (Wayne and Roy's dialogue)
  11. The Courier: "Why you want to look like ground?"
    Dog: "When put it on, hard to see. Hard to see... Dog was told not to be seen then. Same as now, except different. Dog and others... had to hide in Base. And Church. The Master was there. Master was... spoke like many people. Smart. Like Lou-Lieutenant. Dog misses the Church. When got dark, no people, Dog could sit on floor and look up at ceiling. Could... take off wrist-collar then."
    (Dog and God's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Fallout Bible 0: "2162 April 20: Vault Dweller destroys the Military Base. Dogmeat dies defending his master."
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fallout Official Survival Guide p.102: "The Lieutenant: The Master's Right-Hand Mutant"
    "Think of an urbane and well-educated college professor who has become the very essence of evil incarnate. He is highly intelligent, and is second-in-command to the Master himself. He genuinely believes that the super-mutants and the Unity are the future of the planet, and will do anything to see them succeed. His attitude toward the player, at least at first, will be amused and curious; humans, from his point of view, are less than insects, good only for the Vats, or for being crushed. He will interrogate the player to learn about the Vault, but along the way he can be induced to speak at length about the Master, the Unity, Morpheus and the Children of the Cathedral, and the FEV virus that causes the mutations."
  3. Fallout Bible 5:
    "7. Just a question about the LuietantIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar from Fallout 1, was he a Brotherhood soldier that got dipped? Or was he just a mutant that got lucky and scored himself some nice armour (that looks a lot like PA) - Stainless
    He's a human that got lucky when he was dipped and managed to keep his intelligence (or possibly, got greater intelligence). As for armor and weapons, yeah, he lucked out, especially with that gatling laser. :)"
Gametitle-FO1
Major antagonists
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