Summary
- Fallout 4 players will meet many different groups and factions, some of which can be ed, as they journey through the game.
- During the "Blind Betrayal" quest, player must choose between killing Danse, letting Maxson kill him, or sparing Danse's life.
- Players can spare Paladin Danse for rewards, companionship, and roleplay.
As part of Fallout 4's main questline the Sole Survivor will come into with many different groups and factions, some of which can be ed. While it is expected that the main factions of the Commonwealth will force a decision between them at some point, the Brotherhood of Steel has an addition choice as part of its questline. However, after rising through the ranks of the military style organization, revelations about Paladin Danse mean that the Sole Survivor has a difficult decision to make.
In order to get the quest "Blind Betrayal" the Brotherhood of Steel will need to be ed and their questline followed. After helping Danse and his team at Cambridge Police Station, the Brotherhood's main forces will arrive on the Prydwen after the main quest "Reunions". From there, the Sole Survivor can complete plenty of radiant quests for them until it is time to gain access to the Institute.
Every Major Fallout 4 Faction, Ranked
There are some great factions in Fallout 4 with a mixture of new and returning groups for the Sole Survivor to meet and potentially up with.
Choose Between Loyal Companion Or Superior Officer
How Synths Are Viewed Will Factor Into The Decision
In order to trigger "Blind Betrayal" the Brotherhood must be the faction to help the Sole Survivor teleport into the Institute during the quest "The Molecular Level" and be given a holotape to steal Institute data for them. Completing "Outside the Wire" and giving the holotape to Proctor Ingram will let the Brotherhood have some very surprising data surrounding companion Paladin Danse. The Brotherhood quest will continue with "Liberty Reprimed" after which Elder Maxson will want to speak to the Sole Survivor about something very serious.
Although not stated in dialogue or the quest details, it is best to take Danse as a companion during "Liberty Reprimed" as if he is not the current companion his affinity score will drop to zero.
Maxson will reveal that the data from the Institute shows that Danse is actually a Gen 3 synth, and will order the Sole Survivor to track him down and kill him. Finding Danse is quite easy, as after speaking with Proctor Quinlan, Scribe Haylen will privately beg for Danse to be given a chance before revealing his location. The bunker will be marked on the Pip-Boy map and after fighting past turrets and Protectrons, Danse will be found inside. Here the decision comes down to three choices: kill him, let Maxson kill him, or spare Danse’s life.
What Happens If Danse Is Killed?
The Sole Survivor Can Quickly Follow Orders
The first choice when meeting with Danse is to simply kill him. Although he will automatically will open dialogue and express that he did not know his true nature, Danse will not disagree with Maxson's orders for his death. After agreeing to execute him, Danse will not fight back and can be easily killed.
The quest will conclude back on the Prydwen where the Sole Survivor can give Danse's holotags to Maxson. Maxson will be pleased with the result and give the Sole Survivor Danse's old power armor, quarters, as well as a promotion to the rank of paladin. This is the quickest method for completing "Blind Betrayal", although an alternative method is to leave the bunker during the conversation to force Danse to do the deed himself.
What Happens If Maxson Kills Danse?
The Rewards Don't Change If Maxson Becomes Involved
The second choice is to spare Danse and speak to him about being a synth. At first Danse is resistant to Maxson's orders being disobeyed and he will state that he should be the example not the exception. However, it is possible to persuade him that he deserves to live by ing a medium-level check, after which he will hand over his holotags for the Sole Survivor to give to Maxson.
Fallout 4: Every Returning Character From Fallout 3
Fallout 4 is full of fascinating new characters for players to meet on their journey, alongside some very familiar faces who return from Fallout 3.
With the intention to flee the Commonwealth Danse will leave the bunker to say goodbye. However, if the bunker is left with Danse then Elder Maxson waiting upstairs on the surface. He will explain that he suspected the Sole Survivor would struggle with his orders and came to make sure they are carried out.
Danse and Maxson will then have a tense exchange, with Maxson continuously making his point that synths should not be allowed to exist. Here, Maxson can be agreed with, and the Sole Survivor can execute Danse, or Maxson can be told to do it himself. The result is the same as before, with the Sole Survivor gaining a promotion and the Brotherhood and main questlines continuing.
Maxson will also kill Danse himself if the persuasion attempt to have him spared fails.
What Happens If Danse Is Saved?
Same Rewards Plus A Great Companion Seem Like The Best Outcome
If Danse is spared in the bunker, then during the conversation between him and Maxson the final chance to save him appears. The talk between him and the Sole Survivor seems to have helped him in someway come to with his nature and the impact his death might have on those that care about him. This prompts Danse to try to reason with Maxson with the Sole Survivor able to back him up with persuasion attempts.
Both persuading Danse and Maxson require fairly high Charisma. Grape Mentats and the Charisma bobblehead will help, but saving before each attempt is highly advised.
Ultimately, it will be up to the Sole Survivor to save Danse by ing a difficult persuasion check with Elder Maxson. If successful, Maxson will declare that as far as he’s concerned Danse is dead and will be fired on by Brotherhood personnel if spotted. After Maxson leaves, a grateful Danse will thank the Sole Survivor and remain at the bunker.
Although it obviously comes down to roleplay choices and how an individual views synths, the best overall choice is to spare Paladin Danse. After travelling with him as a companion for so long it really feels like an evil choice to kill him after becoming good friends. The Sole Survivor will gain the rank of paladin, a new set of Brotherhood power armor and quarters on the Prydwen regardless of how “Blind Betrayal” concludes, so losing a companion makes little sense.
...the best overall choice is to spare Paladin Danse.
More importantly, Danse’s affinity is capped prior to “Blind Betrayal” meaning it is impossible to max out his friendship and gain his perk without completing the quest. Danse’s perk, Know Your Enemy, is great as it gives the Sole Survivor a 20% damage boost against synths, feral ghouls and super mutants. These are by far some of the most common enemy types, making this perk one of the best companions perks later in the game.
Finally, “Blind Betrayal” is also necessary for those looking to romance Paladin Danse in Fallout 4. Obviously, when planning to romance a character it is usually best to keep them alive, so sparing Danse is the only option in this case. But given that there is no real advantage to killing Danse then siding with him makes the most sense.
