Issues with the Brotherhood (Warning Spoilers)

[ThePBG]

Warning Spoilers!

 

If you do not want spoilers stop reading!!

 

If you like surprise and immersion in your first play through please cease reading to avoid spoilers!!!

 

I strongly enforce the idea that if you do not wish to have the story spoiled, if in some minor fashion, you cease reading this page to avoid details about the fictional universe of Fallout and its fourth instalment that will be discussed bellow!!!!

 

Alright is everyone good?

 

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Anyway I would like to begin by saying Fallout 4 is an amazing game, but I am feeling a little let down with the Brotherhood of Steel faction in terms of the recent lore behind them. The reason is that you can discover that Arthur ascended to the role as Brotherhood leader after the death of Elder Lyons and his daughter Sarah (who dies in combat). Now firstly I will say I am sad to see Elder Lyons go, and while I am also unhappy to see Sarah die as I thought she was a good character and deserved to lead the Brotherhood I am okay with this. If none the less upset that two awesome characters died.

 

What I am upset with is that Bethesda have pulled a 180 degree turn with the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel (Capital Wasteland) with it being revealed that Arthur has decided to throw out a lot of the reforms that Elder Lyons made, once again placing technology over the lives of the average person.

 

Now yes I am aware these are the fundamental core aspects of what the Brotherhood is, a organisation dedicated to the securing of dangerous pre-war technology and making sure it is used responsible and kept away from any individual who would misuses it or not by accident cause irrevocable harm. Even so as can be seen in Fallout 1, 2 and New Vegas, and the Outcasts in 3, the Brotherhood had developed a inward looking, apathetic view of the Wasteland, with some Elders, the most extreme example being father Elijah, using technology more as a tool to advance their own positions and power, seeing human lives as a secondary inconvenience. This however only in the most extreme cases.

 

However this is what I loved about Lyon's faction, they were a reformist group who decided to look beyond themselves and expand their horizons, with their being major hints that Lyon's was attempting post Fallout 3 to use the purifier as a major PR campaign to win the support o the local people in the post-Enclave-East Coast Brotherhood War. In a sense this showed progress, a change of the status quo, and the formation of something clearly distinct from the West coast, giving the Fallout World a greater diversity.

 

And in comes Fallout 4 and it says, "Hey you know that faction you fought with in the last instalment? Well we all feel that they were one-dimensional good guys so lets put some edgy controversy back in their and make them seem more morally grey!"

 

Okay, I do realise that the Brotherhood in Fallout 4 are not bad guys, they are just people with a mission who are doing their job. What I am angry about is that they threw out all the development and uniqueness of the East Coast chapter. Yes they could have been considered generic good guys fighting a war against overwhelming odds, but they had some controversy, like issues over recruitment, the Outcast issue, they were in a stalemate in the war with the super mutants, some of them were massive jerks, and it was more a Cult of loyalty to Elder Lyons then the Brotherhood ideals.

 

And now they are back to square one, and although Arthur is shown to 'care' for the people of the Wasteland, trying to protect them from themselves, we find out he invited the Outcasts back, and is a staunch a traditionalist who was, when he was raised by a major reformer. That to me considering all the hate that went on in the 3rd instalment between Lyons group and the Outcasts, and the big deal they made about the East Coasts Brotherhood's new ideals just does not add up?

 

I have a feeling this was done in the backlash that I kept hearing from old time fans that the East Coast Brotherhood were no longer acting like the Brotherhood, that they were in essence the exact opposite. And while Broken Steel did try to elevate that issue by showing some within the Brotherhood who did not agree with Lyons ideals, case in point Bigsley. This means rather then getting a new reformed Brotherhood, who struggles with new issues like say nation building, keeping populations protected, and the same internal conflicts, we get one who is exactly the same as every other chapter because change is overrated.

 

I will admit this somewhat links into another gripe I have with Fallout, in that nothing seems to change, your characters do these amazing things, but barring the Vault Dweller (With the NCR) and the Chosen One (With the Enclave), none of the other characters have any meaningful impact on the world. Indeed also beyond your character everything in the world seems still mired in the same radioactive hellhole that it was right after the bombs fell, with their being little in the way of self-organising, or nation building (ironically why I like the Republic of Dave as silly as it sounds). Your characters just seem to be 'preventing problems' rather then building upon successes. In short nothing changes, and this 180 with the Brotherhood is so far the biggest example have where plot advancement is sacrificed for familiarity.

 

This is why I actually liked Creaser's Legion as an enemy (although I never joined), they were a new nation, and a new challenge, something different, and while the institute also fills a similar role, the Brotherhood example just seems like to big of a retracing of steps on the path of progress because its changing an existing thing.

 

I will still say Fallout 4 is one of the greatest games ever, and Fallout 3 is my childhood, so yes it may be my nostalgia which is causing me to waffle, but it doesn't change the fact that I have a point. But please feel free to express your opinions. Also if you are going to put up spoilers please put a warning.

 

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