One of the major factions in Fallout 4 is the Brotherhood of Steel, a group of soldiers who believe in the superiority of humans above all other beings. Although their beliefs are highly controversial, being a part of this faction grants the player some pretty interesting quests, one of them being The Lost Patrol.
After a patrol has gone missing without a word, the newest recruit to the Brotherhood of Steel, the Sole Survivor, is sent out to find what happened to its members. The wild hunt eventually leads to a bunker, where a lone Brotherhood member and the last surviving man of the patrol has been living in isolation. While the quest seems straightforward enough, here are just a few details many tend to miss.
10 Movie Reference
Starting with the name of the quest itself, Bethesda definitely loves it pop culture references. In this case it’s a reference to an old military-themed movies from 1934, also titled The Lost Patrol. The events of the quest closely follow those of the movie.
In The Lost Patrol, a group of British soldiers suffer a defeat and are on the retreat, led by their sergeant. But just like in the quest, one by one, the members of the patrol die until only the sergeant is left alive and found by a rescuing patrol, delirious and traumatized.
9 Quest Rewards
Like every quest, The Lost Patrol yields some nice rewards. However, it’s important to report to the right person upon completion in order to reap the maximum benefits. The player has the choice between Captain Kells and Paladin Danse.
Reporting to Captain Kells will give the player experience points for completing the mission, as well as the combat armor chest piece. However, Danse will only grant the player experience points.
8 Three Ways To Get The Quest
This quest can be acquired in a few different ways. The player can simply stumble across it by walking into the vicinity of one of the emergency beacons, and their Pip Boy will pick up the signal. If Danse happens to be a companion, he’ll have a special dialogue with the player about the quest.
Otherwise, Captain Kells will give the quest to the player after they’ve finished Call to Arms. They’ll also be accompanied by Danse so long as they’ve finished the Shadow of Steel quest.
7 Danse’s True Nature
Spoilers ahead. If the player has chosen to side with the Brotherhood of Steel and has already been to the Institute, thus discovering Danse’s true nature as a synthetic, it will influence Brandis’ behavior in this quest.
If the Blind Betrayal quest is completed and Danse accompanies the player to the bunker, Brandis will immediately become hostile no matter what, since they’ll recognize Danse as a traitor and a synthetic.
6 Preston’s Comment
During the quest, the player will have to discover three different signal beacons in the northern parts of the Commonwealth left behind by members of the patrol. Most of the beacons will be next to the corpses of the former patrol members.
If Preston Garvey is around as companion when the body of Knight Astlin’s body is discovered bunkered away from ghouls, he’ll comment on it and say that what happened to her is pretty much his worst nightmare.
5 Brandis After Rescue
After the Sole Survivor and their companion find Brandis inside the bunker, they’ll have the opportunity to successfully rescue him. This involves asking him to come back to the Brotherhood of Steel, and requires enough charisma points.
If he does return, he’ll be present at most major faction events. Brandis will participate in the taking of the Institute, as well as the raiding of the Railroad headquarters. Since he’s not an essential, he can even die during these events.
4 The Effect Of Chems
Chems are a great way for some type of character builds to really use their combat abilities to their maximum potential. However, most companions and many NPCs will express annoyance and even loathing when the Sole Survivor uses chems.
One key example is when the player first enters the bunker where Brandis is located. If they player is on Berry Mentats, Brandis will notice this immediately and become automatically hostile.
3 Companion Reactions
Companions will have a strong reaction to what happens in the bunker once Brandis is found, and Danse is one of the most important characters since it directly affects him. If the Sole Survivor acts selfishly, Danse will absolutely hate their responses.
As such, lying to Brandis and stating they have no idea where the members of his patrol are or even asking for a reward for discovering the fates of his patrol members will make Danse angry. However, giving Brandis the holotags of his patrol members will result in a happy Danse. If Strong or Gage are there instead of Danse, they’ll hate the latter.
2 Why Brandis Is In The Bunker
Unlike in the original Lost Patrol movie where the sergeant was initially isolated inside the bunker due to having no place to go, in reality, Brandis could have left the bunker a long time ago and rescued himself. So, why didn’t he?
After Brandis’ patrol failed its mission and his members went missing, he felt too ashamed to return to the Brotherhood. It’s why he chose to isolate himsel and why he might initially not want to return.
1 After The Quest
As mentioned, Brandis will become a regular member of the Brotherhood if he’s persuaded to come along. If not, he’ll stay in the bunker, but the player can freely loot their abode for whatever items they might need.
If the bunker ends up empty or Brandis is killed, raiders will eventually set up camp in the bunker later on in the game.
NEXT: The 10 Most Powerful Builds In Fallout 4, Ranked
