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Here's a key to my workshop in the Bunker. Reba II should be sitting on the table in there. I'd say you've earned her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe today is earmarked for some target practice. The Salem Volunteer Militia never rests!

Barney Rook is the last remaining resident of Salem and the commander, quartermaster, sergeant at arms and scribe of the Salem Volunteer Militia in 2287.[1]

Background[]

Barney Rook is a native resident of Salem, where members of his family have lived for generations in their family home.[Non-game 1][2] After the war, his ancestors worked hard to maintain the community's safety, initially succeeding in becoming one of the safest towns in the Commonwealth.[2] As a consequence, the townspeople became lax in their defenses.[2]

Seeing this shift occur, Barney begged the town council to let him train a militia, to teach the citizens how to shoot and fend for themselves.[3] These requests were denied, as the council thought he was just paranoid.[3] The town was therefore not prepared when a threat did occur in the form of mirelurks from the ocean.[3] Despite his best efforts sniping the creatures from the roost atop his home, for every person he saved, three were lost.[3] Over the next few years, he has done his due diligence in suppressing threats to the town, despite being its last human inhabitant.[3]

Even though he has not had a guest in months,[1] he cannot imagine himself living any other place.[4] As he was alone, and could not be everywhere at once, he set up the series of turrets around town at strategic locations, so he could stay at home most days.[5] He recently took the turrets offline to conserve ammunition since the mirelurks were quiet lately.[6] With the town seemingly empty the Sole Survivor tries to explore,[7] causing the mirelurks to stir. Rook, not wanting another person to die while he was protecting the town, sprung into action,[8] and leads the Sole Survivor to the safety of his bunker,[9] believing that they froze upon seeing the danger "like a deer in headlights."[10] He is also a talented gunsmith, and has made himself a personalized hunting rifle he calls "Reba," and a sister, "Reba II."[11][12][13][14]

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
Icon quest starter
This character starts quests.

Gun Run

Inventory[]

Notes[]

  • Barney carries the key to the locked room containing Reba II on his person. He will also occasionally open the door himself while wandering about, granting access to the rifle without completing his quest.
  • After completing the quest he has no further interactions with the player character. Since he has no permanent Ref ID he will despawn when the player character leaves the cell.

Notable quotes[]

  • "Are you crazy? Get out of the street before any more of them catch wind of you! Look, I'll open the gate and you get in here quick! I'm gonna let you in the bunker. Don't make me regret this."
  • "Son/Lady, did someone drop you on your head as a baby, or did you have to work to get this stupid?"

Appearances[]

Barney Rook appears only in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes[]

Barney Rook shares similarities with Burt Gummer, a character from the Tremors movie series, played by Michael Gross. Barney and Burt are both paranoid survivalists and have a heavily defended home. Barney's rifle, Reba, shares the name of Gross' co-star, Reba McEntire, who played his wife in the first Tremors film. Although not referencing Barney by name, level designer Ryan Jenkins confirmed that he based a character in Fallout 4 off of Burt Gummer.[15]

Bugs[]

  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One Upon entering Salem, the player character may find Barney dead at the top of his house. Sometimes Barney's body falls down onto the overhang above the front door. This is noted by receiving the quest "kill the mirelurks" upon approaching Rook's house, even if they haven't spoken to him. The quest "kill the mirelurks" may not appear, however. Resurrect him before killing the three mirelurks and the quest can be completed normally. On PC, he can be revived by opening the console, clicking on his body and then using console command recycleactor and then player.setstage 0001243d6 15 to solve the Talk To Barney line. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One After talking to Barney and accepting the sidequest, he may immediately open the door to the room with Reba II, allowing the player character to take the weapon without having first activated the turrets. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One Barney will simply not exist, with two dead mirelurks at his house, and the "Inaccessible" gate open. This makes interacting with the quest, and his basement, impossible. placeatme can be used to spawn him manually, on console, however, this is not an option.[verified]
    • Opening the hatch to the bunker requires his key. Since it never spawns with him, unlocking the hatch is impossible without the unlock command.
  • PCPC One may go upstairs and flip the circuit breaker to the gate however this appears to do nothing as well. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One When he is missing, Barney's turrets are invincible. Shooting the combat inhibitors of the turrets makes them hostile, however that reverts on the next visit. [verified]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Barney Rook: "Son/Lady, did someone drop you on your head as a baby, or did you have to work to get this stupid?"
    The Sole Survivor: "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."
    Barney Rook: "Listen, don't let an old codger like me scare you. I'm old and I'm cranky and I haven't had a guest in months. Barney Rook, commander of the Salem Volunteer Militia, at your service. I'm also the quartermaster, sergeant at arms, and scribe for all official meetings. This here is Reba. But you two already met when she saved your life."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sole Survivor: "Barney, what happened here?"
    Barney Rook: "Well, that's a long story. You sure you want to hear it?"
    Sole Survivor: "Yes, I'm really interested."
    Barney Rook: "Ok, I guess I've got a minute. My family's lived in this town going back generations. Far as I can tell, we've been here as long as it has. Even after the bombs dropped, my folks worked hard to keep the town together and drive out any threats. We did such a good job that before I was even born, this place was one of the safest towns in the commonwealth. And soon everyone forgot how to be cautious."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Barney Rook: "I begged the town council to let me train the militia, to teach the citizens how to shoot and fend for themselves. But they thought I was just paranoid. I knew something was coming, I just didn't know what. And when the mirelurks started rising out of the ocean, no one was ready. I saved as many as I could, sniping crabbies from my roost upstairs. But for every one I saved, three were goners. That was a couple of year ago. Ever since then, I've vowed to protect this town, and I don't plan on breaking that vow."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  4. The Sole Survivor: "I think you might want to consider moving on, Barney."
    Barney Rook: "No, I don't think I will. Even if no one comes back, I can't imagine living any place else. All right, enough chit chat. You've got a job to do, so go do it!"
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  5. The Sole Survivor: "Listen, I accidentally destroyed some of your turrets, but I still think we're ok here."
    Barney Rook: "You did what?!? Oh, well, I'm glad you've still got hope, sunshine! Maybe we can group hug the rest of them to death!"
    The Sole Survivor: "Look, I don't see what the problem is here. You've still got Reba."
    Barney Rook: "Nice sentiment, but she can't be in every place at the same time! Those turrets were in strategic locations so Reba and I can stay home most days! The good news is the turrets may be down but the targeting system should still be up. So your mission technically remains the same. Turn on all of the terminals and when I get time to fix your mistakes, those turrets should be ready to go. So get back out there and try not to do something else stupid, ok? Like burn down the whole town."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  6. The Sole Survivor: "Who's Reba? Are you talking about your gun?"
    Barney Rook: "She's not just a gun! She's top of the line, best gun in the Commonwealth. Made her with my own two hands. Oh, where are my manners? Introductions! Barney Rook, commander of the Salem Volunteer Militia, at your service. I'm also the quartermaster, sergeant at arms, and scribe for all official meetings. This here is Reba. But you two already met when she saved your life."
    The Sole Survivor: "Thank you, Reba. And thank you, Barney."
    Barney Rook: "No thanks needed, sir. The Salem Volunteer Militia is at the service of the people of the Commonwealth. Duty is its own reward. Reba says you're welcome. Now, I'd love to sit here gabbing all day like a couple of house wives, but we've got some work to do. And by we, I most definitely mean you. Before you showed up, the Mirelurks had been mostly quiet. And those that were a problem were quickly dispatched by my turret defense system. Since things had been quiet lately, I took the turrets offline to conserve ammunition. Obviously, they need to be reactivated. And that's your mission, soldier. I'm going to continue to hold down the home front while you go reactivate the turrets."
    The Sole Survivor: "Sounds good."
    Barney Rook: "Of course it sounds good, I'm a tactical genius. Smartest man in town, as a matter of fact. The turrets should be easy enough to find. They're up high in strategic locations around town. Just be careful. All your noise probably woke up more crabbies and other mirelurks. The town could be crawling with them by now."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  7. The Sole Survivor: "This place seemed empty. I thought everything was ok."
    Barney Rook: "Ok? Do you go walking into every empty town you come across assuming everything is going to be "OK?" It's amazing that you're not a corpse already! Luckily, I've got Reba here to help me crack those crabs wide open. Isn't that right, girl?"
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  8. Barney Rook: "Are you crazy? Get out of the street before any more of them catch wind of you! Look, I'll open the gate and you get in here quick! I'm gonna let you in the bunker. Don't make me regret this."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  9. The Sole Survivor: "You seem busy. I can show myself out."
    Barney Rook: "Where? Back out there? Why not just ring the dinner bell and serve yourself up on a plate? No, better to stay in here for a little while, at least. Barney Rook, commander of the Salem Volunteer Militia, at your service. I'm also the quartermaster, sergeant at arms, and scribe for all official meetings."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  10. The Sole Survivor: "I could have handled myself."
    Barney Rook: "Oh, I saw how you handle yourself. Froze on the spot, like a deer in headlights. Luckily, I've got Reba here to help me crack those crabs wide open. Isn't that right, girl?"
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  11. The Sole Survivor: "I don't have time for this..."
    Barney Rook: "Well, you're about to make some time! I saved your sorry butt, the least you can do is keep me company for five stinking minutes! Barney Rook, commander of the Salem Volunteer Militia, at your service. I'm also the quartermaster, sergeant at arms, and scribe for all official meetings."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  12. Barney Rook: "You did it, didn't you? Ha, I could hear that sweet, sweet machine gun music all the way down here! You almost caught me and Reba mid-waltz."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  13. The Sole Survivor: "What the hell were those things?"
    Barney Rook: "What, you've never seen a Mirelurk before? You must have lived a charmed life up until now. Mirelurks are disgusting creatures that live near the water. Some of them look like walking fish men. Others, like big, butt ugly lobsters. The ones outside, the crabby looking ones. Those S.O.B's are hard to kill, on account of the armor you saw. Luckily, I've got Reba here to help me crack those crabs wide open. Isn't that right, girl?"
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  14. The Sole Survivor: "What's in it for me?"
    Barney Rook: "Look, don't tell Reba, but I've been working on a sister for her in my spare time. I'm thinking of calling her "Reba II." She's in the back room. She's not as tough as her older sister, but she's all yours if you help me out. Reba would probably get jealous anyway. The turrets should be easy enough to find. They're up high in strategic locations around town. Just be careful. All your noise probably woke up more crabbies and other mirelurks. The town could be crawling with them by now."
    (Barney Rook's dialogue)
  15. Ryan Jenkins on Twitter: "Did you know I based a character in Fallout 4 on Burt Gummer?"

Non-game

  1. Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Collector's Edition p.332: "[4.08] ROOK FAMILY HOUSE
    Barney Rook was a keen survivalist and has defended his property with impressive fortitude. He is currently under Mirelurk attack."
    (Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Map)
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