The Brotherhood of Steel plays an important role in the new Fallout series on Amazon. But who that is is never really explained. MeinMMO reveals what the mission of the Brothers in Steel actually is and where they come from.
Spoiler warning: We cover topics from the Fallout series here. Although it’s mainly about the background, we can’t completely avoid one or two quotes.
Actually, the Fallout series on Amazon is primarily about the vault dweller Lucy MacLean, played by Ella Purnell. However, on her journey through the wasteland she meets Maximus, a squire from the Brotherhood of Steel.
Maximus himself plays one of the main roles in the series. You will find out how difficult it is for him as a squire in this strange brotherhood, what challenges he has to face and how hard decisions present him with hurdles.
What is only mentioned in passing, however, is the function of the brotherhood itself. As a viewer, you only know three of the squires and two pretty nasty members: the elder Quintus and the knight Titus, both of whom are pretty nasty.
This only partially paints a true picture of the Brotherhood of Steel, which actually pursues a noble goal.
The official trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon in German
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Collect pre-war tech to collect pre-war tech so no one else can
What exactly is the mission of the Brotherhood of Steel? Lucy asks Maximus at one point in the series something like, “Your brotherhood collects pre-war technology to seek pre-war technology so that they can stop others from using pre-war technology?”
That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it gets to the core of what the Brotherhood of Steel does. In the story of Fallout, a major nuclear war between the USA and China essentially led to the end of the world.
The Brotherhood of Steel is committed to collecting blueprints and all sorts of technology dating back to before the war for safekeeping. The goal: Nobody should have enough power to destroy the world a second time.
The trigger for this were experiments on humans that were sanctioned by governments. Something that the original Brotherhood of Steel couldn’t get used to.
How did the brotherhood actually come about? In 2076, the forerunners of the Brotherhood were supposed to oversee an experiment with the “Forced Evolutionary Virus,” or FEV for short. This virus was intended to create super soldiers. Veterans know them as super mutants from the games.
Since this violated all morals, Captain Roger Maxson and his troops decided to rebel. They formed the first Brotherhood of Steel three days before the bombs fell.
After the nuclear strikes, Maxson, his troops and their families built their new faction in old government bunkers. Other units were mobilized via satellite and at the same time the Brotherhood of Steel was brought into being throughout the wasteland.
The Brotherhood of Steel was one of Fallout 76’s biggest expansions:
Fallout 76: The trailer for the “Steel Dawn” update
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The trademark of the brotherhood: the power armor
Where did the Brotherhood actually get this badass armor? Power armor is pre-war tech and was created for war. Since the Brotherhood originally consisted of elite soldiers, they still use these powerful armors to further their mission.
Of course, as pre-war tech, power armor is exactly what the Brotherhood wants to find and keep. Since it makes the knights almost invulnerable, protects against radiation and can supply the wearer, it is also the armor of choice in the wasteland.
Power armor comes in different versions, some of which can be found in the series. The Ghoul explains near the end of the series that they have a construction defect that led to many deaths in the war before the bombs.
“America has failed. Let us forge a Brotherhood of Steel”
Then why are these guys so brutal? The Brotherhood’s highest maxim is – or more accurately: was – that dangerous knowledge must not fall into the wrong hands. Accordingly, it had to be secured under all circumstances, including the use of force.
However, the Fallout series takes place over 200 years after the founding of the Brotherhood and after all Fallout parts, namely in the year 2296. Over time, various currents have developed within the Brotherhood, roughly divided into:
And, as is always the case, at least in the first of these groups there have always been black sheep who strive for more and not always in a good way.
What status is the Brotherhood in the Fallout series? It can’t be said exactly. The Brotherhood chapter in the series appears to have strong ties to the Commonwealth.
Since the series takes place in Los Angeles, it stands to reason that the brotherhood there is still very much based on its origins. Maxson also founded his brotherhood in Lost Hills, California.
This also coincides with the elder’s desire for power. Above all, Quintus wants to gain knowledge for himself and use it to collect and store more knowledge. Apparently charity is less important to him.
If you’re interested in more history, everything that happened before the Fallout games is easily explained here.