In the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout, the Brotherhood of Steel stands as one of the most iconic aspects of the whole series. The Brotherhood is a paramilitary order dedicated to preserving and regulating advanced technology, and it appears in every Fallout game, plus the TV show. It has its own hierarchy and ranks, which we have compiled a simplified breakdown of.
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Ever since the Brotherhood of Steel was formed in the wake of the bombs dropping, the order has become rather fragmented, meaning some divisions don’t all share the exact same hierarchy. They’re all typically derived from the original regime established by the Brotherhood of Steel’s founders, though, with the various ranks ordered similarly. However, the roles of certain ranks have also changed through Fallout‘s history.
As such, we’ve broken down each of the main ranks, from lowest to highest, to provide a general overview of the Brotherhood of Steel’s most modern iteration.
Initiate
Starting at the very bottom, we have initiates. While the term can vary from division to division, initiates are generally fresh recruits who are still in training, and are rarely, if ever, given their own power armor. Originally, new recruits began as squires but, at some point, the roles were reversed, with squires now slightly higher up the totem pole and acting as personal servants to knights. A couple of divisions also have aspirants, who are initiates who train directly under a superior officer. Maximus from the Fallout TV show (the most chronologically recent entry in the Fallout franchise) used to be an aspirant, but was recently promoted to squire.
Scribe
Scribes typically stand on equal ground as knights though not for their combat prowess. Scribes are the scientists of the Brotherhood of Steel, studying and keeping records of the technology the order acquires as well as experimenting with new weapons for knights and paladins to use in the field. As such, they rarely leave their bunkers. There are three different orders of scribes that focus on different fields of expertise, and they have their own hierarchy, with the head scribe in charge of who works on which project.
Knight
Knights are the main foot-soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel. Their duties can sometimes vary, but they otherwise perform a multitude of roles, from performing patrols to serving as security detail. Sometimes, they can be drafted into combat to support the higher-ranking paladins, though not every division grants knights the use of power armor. Like with scribes, there are individual ranks of knight, starting from journeyman knight and going up to head knight, who oversees the whole operation.
Lancer
Lancers are on equal footing with knights, but aren’t exactly common in Fallout. In fact, they only appear in Fallout 4 and, unlike knights, they specialize in air combat, piloting the Prydwen airship and vertibird gunships. The lancers’ internal hierarchy is roughly the same as that of the knights, whose members report to a lancer-captain. There’s so far only ever been one lancer-captain to appear in the series, named Kells, who is also the captain of the Prydwen and second-in-command of the Brotherhood of Steel’s operations in Fallout 4.
Paladins
Although knights are capable of participating in combat, that duty primarily belongs to the paladins. Deemed the protectors of the Brotherhood, especially skilled knights can be promoted to this rank, where they gain access to far more advanced tech and equipment. It used to be only paladins were allowed to wear power armor, but that rule seems to have been loosened a little bit over the years.
Higher ranking paladins naturally serve as commanders who issue orders to lower ranked members, with a head paladin overseeing everything. Paladins can eventually be promoted to elders, though the Eastern division has an extra sentinel rank in between the two. Sentinels work directly under elders, and you yourself can become one in Fallout 4.
Elders
The highest rank one can attain within the Brotherhood of Steel, elders basically run the entire order. Individual elders are put in charge of their own divisions though they must all still answer to a high elder, the de facto leader of the entire organization. Despite their high ranking, elders are not exempt from the Chain That Binds (the strict policy all Brotherhood members must follow), and can be dismissed and stripped of their ranking should they violate the order’s laws.
So far, the only people known to have held the position of high elder are Roger Maxson (the rogue U.S. army officer who formed the Brotherhood), his son Maxson II, and grandson John Maxson.
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