Preston Garvey as a companion?

[Moraelin]

It's not from Nuka World. That all ghouls can eventually turn feral was there since at least Fallout 3. (See for example the conversation with Dr Barrows.) And is there in the FO4 base game too. (See the affinity conversations with Hancock.)

 

But Bethesda didn't invent it. Van Burren was also going to feature ghouls turning from sane to feral, and that's, you know, before Bethesda's time.

 

Beth has its own sins, but I still find it funny that the most vocal about lore violations are those who don't actually know nearly as much as they think about the actual lore.

[TheGadget1945]

Hence my saying "living human", eh? :tongue:

 

But more seriously, yes, there are probably a couple of pre-war non-feral ghouls around who are war veterans, and a couple of supermutants who kept their sanity and were in the military. Unfortunately, nobody seems to listen to them.

 

The BOS in particular isn't going to start listening to either. Danse is proud to even have shot his best friend when he was exposed to FEV. And for the ghouls, let's just say, even the "good" BOS from FO3 was occasionally shooting at the sentient ghouls at the museum. (Just ask the guard ghoulette in front of the museum.)

 

So "the only living human" is kinda relevant, because none of the major factions you're going to have to deal with is holding ghouls and super-mutants in particularly high regard. Whichever you turn into a proper army, is pretty much going to be the ONLY one.

 

 

Edit: that said, not ALL the ghouls are pre-war. Hancock is around the same age as the mayor of Diamond City, for example, seein' as they're brothers. Well, before they replaced the mayor, anyway. There are plenty of ghouls around who became ghouls long after the war.

 

I know, but the Ghouls are living and human but pretty well toasted. If you ran their DNA it would come out as human. Therefore the Vault Dweller isn't the only human to remember before the war. The Gunners already have a military command structure so they'd be the easiest to get into shape. I would pay good money for a DLC that allowed me to lead the Gunners against the BOS.

[Moraelin]

Well, yeah, it would probably be easier to get the Gunners into shape than the Minutemen. I'm just trying to work with what the game gave me.

[llamaRCA]

Beth has its own sins, but I still find it funny that the most vocal about lore violations are those who don't actually know nearly as much as they think about the actual lore.

 

So much this! smdh

[Perraine]

It's not from Nuka World. That all ghouls can eventually turn feral was there since at least Fallout 3. (See for example the conversation with Dr Barrows.) And is there in the FO4 base game too. (See the affinity conversations with Hancock.)

 

But Bethesda didn't invent it. Van Burren was also going to feature ghouls turning from sane to feral, and that's, you know, before Bethesda's time.

 

Beth has its own sins, but I still find it funny that the most vocal about lore violations are those who don't actually know nearly as much as they think about the actual lore.

Actually I would suggest reading your own advice.

 

Though Dr Barrows may be considered the (Fallout) world's leading expert on "Ghoulification", it's never actually implicitly stated that a "wrinkly one" or "normal" ghoul can turn feral after any extended period of time, there is no evidence or documentation that all ghouls are somehow "ticking time bombs". It's thought that the process, in either ghoul direction = "normal" or "feral", is perhaps somewhat/somehow dependent on environmental/living conditions and mental state/health. It generally happens over a relatively short period of time, and indeed we do see evidence of someone going from human to feral ghoul in the game, but never a 200+ years old or pre-war "Normal" Ghoul turning "feral".

 

Although it's "hinted" that someone's mind may slip, so to speak, that is more likely them simply becoming like your average low level Raider (who aren't much better than feral's in many ways) not actually "going feral" ... until Nuka World, Where we implicitly here from two pre-war "normal" ghouls turning feral.

[Moraelin]

So essentially you just made up your own canon that the guy who went feral in Diamond City was a new ghoul? I'm sorry, but you don't get to override the actual canon with an argument from ignorance fallacy. (You don't know that it happens, therefore it is somehow canon that it doesn't.)

 

As for evidence, I'll also point you out at the dialogue with Chief Gustavo in Fallout 3: "The radiation slowly eats away their brain, then they go zombie on you." He also calls them, and I quote, "A goddamn disaster waiting to happen that's what they are." Also, "Look kid, eventually all Ghouls go zombie on your ass. It's only a matter of time."

 

Now Gustavo may be a bigotted liar, but the idea has been floated long before Nuka World anyway, and it's up to Bethesda, not to YOU to decide if he was lying or not. Beth isn't breaking any "Ghoul canon" by deciding he was telling the truth after all.

 

But even if there weren't evidence, here's the thing: "There is no evidence" in a game/novel/movie/whatever, doesn't mean you can just fill in the blanks with your own fantasy and call it the one true canon. If they didn't put evidence to the contrary, then everyone else can imagine whatever they damn wish, until such time as the authors fill it in with something official. Which is ultimately their prerogative. It's only a problem if they contradict something they DID put in, not if they fill in a case of "There is no evidence."

 

TL;DR version: If you don't like Beth's story, sure, that's up to you, but you don't get to make up canon and then complain that the official lore breaks it.

[Perraine]

So you don't count the two pre-war characters introduced in Nuka World, that turn feral long after (hundreds of years in fact) they became ghouls, as "canon"? Interesting,. AFAIK, those are the only two DOCUMENTED and PROVEN occurrences of the phenomenon. Anecdotal evidence with no cases to back them up and vague ramblings don't count, as you quite rightly point out.

 

I'm not talking about the "idea" of what a ghoul is or what constitutes or causes a ghoul to be classed as "feral" I'm only pointing out the FACT that Bugthesda have, with the introduction of two stories in Nuka World, now made it "possible" and perhaps even inevitable, for a any or all ghouls to turn feral. That, is what goes against all previous "lore".

 

Anyway ... this is all very interesting, but it's totally strayed away from the original topic. So back to discussing Presto Gravy's shortcomings :)

[Moraelin]

WHAT previous lore? If there was "no evidence", then there is no previous lore to contradict.

[Moksha8088]

 

Yeah , you have a planet with hostile aliens who luckily for you speak American English. Who do you send ? Your Captain, Science Officer, Doctor and Engineering Officer :laugh:

 

Duke Nukem

[AceGoober]

Preston Harvey isn't all that bad in a fight once he's equipped with an assault rifle. In my current playthrough (24th), I recruited him as soon as available and ran quests until he finally popped once affinity was reached. After that he was moved to Murkwater Construction Site where, at least in this play through, I'll do little settlement development.