Exploring the Commonwealth in Fallout 4 can be dangerous, but luckily for the Sole Survivor, a host of companions can them on the journey. One such companion that can be met very early is Paladin Danse, who acts as an introduction to the iconic Brotherhood of Steel. Danse is a loyal soldier and will follow the Sole Survivor into even the most treacherous situations, but there is more to him than meets the eye.

Along with the other 16 companions in Fallout 4, Danse can be recruited after a brief quest where he'll explain why his group is in the area. As you travel more with Danse and gain more affinity, the stoic paladin will open up more about his past and thoughts. But there are more details about Danse hidden throughout the game, and what little he does divulge hints at past events in the Fallout universe.

7 Danse Tried To Be A Trader

Before ing The Brotherhood, He Worked In Rivet City

Although it might be hard for players of Fallout 4 to imagine Paladin Danse as anything but a highly trained soldier, his life before ing the Brotherhood of Steel was very different. Once he trusts the Sole Survivor more, Danse will open up more about his past and explain that he used to be a trader and operated a junk stand in Rivet City. Danse re being a child in the harsh Capital Wasteland and being forced to scavenge in the ruins to survive before scraping together enough caps to move to the derelict aircraft carrier.

Rivet City plays a key role in the main questline of Fallout 3 and is also where SRB Director Dr Zimmer can be met.

Anyone who has played Fallout 3 will know just how dangerous the ruins around the former capital are, and it's hard to imagine a child in this scenario. So, even though the residents of Rivet City suffered from respiratory diseases because of the rust, it still would have been the safest place in the area, especially pre-Project Purity. While running his junk stand, Danse met and befriended Cutler, before the two ed the Brotherhood during one of the faction’s recruitment runs to the settlement to escape Rivet City and their “nowhere” lives.

6 Danse Has A Good Reason To Hate Super Mutants

Losing A Friend Can Change A Person

Although many within Fallout's Brotherhood faction have very strong views about non-humans, often referring to them with very derogatory , Paladin Danse seems to have an especially strong hatred for Super Mutants. While he will make mean quips about fellow companions Nick Valentine or Hancock, Danse’s most vitriolic comments are usually reserved for the large mutants. However, Danse does have a very good reason for his hatred, as Super Mutants in the Capital Wasteland are directly responsible for the death of Cutler. Danse will explain that a year after being assigned to the Prydwen, Cutlervanished while on patrol.

In his second affinity dialogue, Danse reveals that he had to convince his commanding officer to let him go looking for his friend, and after three weeks, Danse found Cutler. Unfortunately, the other man and his squad had been grabbed by Super Mutants, who killed the others but infected Cutler with FEV. Heartbreakingly, Danse was forced to kill his best friend rather than let Cutler live on as a Super Mutant. A situation like that would have a massive impact on Danse’s perception of Super Mutants, even though he doesn’t sound entirely convinced he did the right thing.

5 Danse Is Suffering From PTSD

Medical Files Tell A Sad Story

When the Sole Survivor first meets Paladin Danse at the Cambridge Police Station, he and his team are fending off a feral ghoul attack. However, one of the first things that stands out about this Brotherhood of Steel squad is its small size. Through talking with Danse, Scribe Haylen, and Knight Rhys and checking the terminal entries in the police station, the Sole Survivor can learn that Recon Squad Gladius has suffered significant losses since arriving in the Commonwealth. In fact, from an initial team of seven, only three are left.

Once Danse is revealed to be a Synth, Cade's notes change from referring to him as the patient to using the word subject and requesting that Danse be brought back intact for examination.

Just as with Cutler’s death, this appears to have taken a significant toll on Danse, as if the Sole Survivor reads the medical files on Knight-Captain Cade’s terminal, they will be able to find an entry about Danse. Under Medical File DN-407P, Cade notes that Danse has reported a “dull throbbing pain” in his head as well as insomnia; however, he also mentions that all his tests have come back negative. Given Danse's inability to sleep and the loss of his squad, Cade concludes that he is likely suffering from PTSD and recommends that Danse take some time off.

4 Danse's Speech Hints At His True Nature

All The Clues Were There If You Listened

One of the biggest twists in Danse's personal story is the reveal that he is really a Synth, as files found in the Institute contain his DNA, prompting Elder Maxson to order his death in Fallout 4. However, this bombshell is cleverly hinted at throughout Fallout 4 with elements of Danse's personality and his impressive vocabulary pointing at his true nature. When speaking with Danse in his affinity dialogues or listening to how he comments on locations or quests, one of the things that stands out the most is his very formal way of speaking.

Whenever speaking, Danse uses pedantic speech, which is characterized by being overly formal and overexplaining even when discussing personal matters. Danse will state repeatedly that he doesn't find talking about personal stuff easy, which can make him come across as very serious, or as Deacon puts it, “having a stick up his backside.” However, the best example of how Danse's speech hinted at him being a Synth comes from Piper, who comments after being ordered to find Danse by Maxson: “I can't believe Danse was a synth... I mean, I can, because, you know, I've heard him speak.”

3 Danse Is An Early Gen 3 Synth

Danse Was Already A Brotherhood Paladin In Fallout 3

Other clues in Fallout 4 offer hints at how long Danse has been a member of the Brotherhood, which in turn indicates when the Institute created Danse. In Danse's first affinity dialogue, he will speak to the Sole Survivor about his sponsor and first commander, Paladin Krieg. Danse opens up about how losing Krieg affected him and mentions that Krieg was killed during the assault on Adams Air Force Base. This event occurs in Fallout 3, meaning that Danse was already a paladin for 10 years before meeting the Sole Survivor.

Having already been a member of the Brotherhood during Fallout 3, Danse would have known Arthur Maxson since he was a young child.

The first example of a Synth who could successfully as a human is a story the Sole Survivor can learn about from Nick Valentine, Dr Chambers in Covenant, or Piper's articles. The Broken Mask incident, where an early model humanlike Synth became violent, took place in Diamond City in 2229, 48 years before Fallout 3, where Harkness can be met and revealed to be a Synth. Given the timeline and how the Institute was already using humanlike Synths, it is very likely that Danse was one of the first Gen 3 Synths created.

2 Danse Went Through The Railroad

Danse Is Listed As A Missing Synth

As part of the Brotherhood of Steel questline in Fallout 4, after activating Liberty Prime, it is revealed that Danse is really a Synth. Part of the data gathered by the Sole Survivor from the Institute's computers was a list of missing Synths with a picture of Danse, designated M7-97. While some fans speculate that Danse could be a sleeper agent, others have pointed out two things: that the Institute is very deliberate in its wording and that Synths intended to operate for the Institute on the surface are all aware of their identity as Synths.

Danse most likely left the Institute and would have had new memories and an identity given to him by the Railroad.

With Danse clearly listed as missing, it appears that he most likely left the Institute and would have had new memories and an identity given to him by the Railroad. The Sole Survivor can speak with Railroad and check the terminal in the faction's HQ to discover that they frequently send escaped Synths to the Capital Wasteland, which is where Danse's earliest memories place him. This means that it was his own choice to the Brotherhood, based on the false memories of a harsh childhood the Railroad gave him.

1 Danse Appears In The Fallout Play Death Shroud

Peter Jessop Reprised His Role For The Non-Canon Production

During his final affinity dialogue after “Blind Betrayal,” Danse will express his frustration at his place in the world. Having his entire world shaken and his identity ripped from him, Danse is understandably scared of what this means for him. He will comment that, for the first time in his life, he has no purpose or plan, and questions how much of his memories are real. This could lead to perhaps a bleak future for Danse; however, the CHAD A Fallout 76 Podcast production “Death Shroud: A Nick Valentine Mystery” offers a glimpse into a possible life beyond Fallout 4.

With Peter Jessop reprising his role in the play, Death Shroud offers a peek into one possible future for Danse as far as his personal life is concerned. With the default female Sole Survivor, Nora, used in the play, it is hinted that she and Danse were once a couple, as Codsworth will ask Danse if he’ll resume his duties as the man of the house. While there are many outcomes for Fallout 4 and Death Shroud’s reality-bending antics are not canon, it is still nice to think of Danse getting his life back after Maxson’s betrayal.

Source: CHAD A Fallout 76 Podcast/YouTube