Forums » Fallout

Occasionally, I Regret Killing Kellogg

    • 248 posts
    February 11, 2018 1:00 AM EST

    Deliverer + Jet.
    Nuke Nade.
    Frag + Spray & Pray.
    Blitz Baseball Bat Blugeoning.
    Nice long chat...molotov to the face. 

    I've lost count of how many times and ways I've killed Conrad Kellogg. The semi-lazy writing in Fallout 4 forces the Sole Survivor to confront the kidnapper and killer of his/her spouse. Then it leads us right into his mind. 

    In my recent play testing for the event build, I once again made the trek west to Fort Hagen in order to trigger the Prydwen's arrival (and access to Proctor Teegan's 5mm supply). As I unloaded a full metal jacket from the Ashmaker into his burning body, I felt something odd. 

    Regret. 

    Kellogg is actually one of the more developed characters in the game. He's at the start, middle and near-end of the game, in certain capacitites. His presence, and the answers you get from Father often dictate your response toward the end of the main quest. He's a gate-keeper of information, even in death. And his memories also give us look at something deeper. 

    Abusive childhood? Check.

    Wife and daughter murdered? Check.

    Oddly attached to Cyber-Shaun with his own collection of augmented cyborg parts? Check. Check.

    There's a lot of layers to this merc. Maybe that's why this time around I was maybe a little sorry. If only just a little. 

    "The thing about happiness is that you only know you had it when it's gone. I mean, you may think to yourself that you're happy. But you don't really believe it. You focus on the petty bullshit, or the next job, or whatever. It's only looking back, by comparison to what comes after, that you really understand that's what happiness felt like." -Conrad "Connie" Kellogg

    • 1441 posts
    February 11, 2018 3:01 AM EST
    Same here man, heck, he's basically a dark foil to the Sole Survivor. Both of them lose a spouse and child, both are quite skilled in the art of violence, and both at times just seem so...broken.

    Also apparently, cut content shows it MIGHT have been possible to actually spare Kellog
    • 1441 posts
    February 11, 2018 3:01 AM EST
    Same here man, heck, he's basically a dark foil to the Sole Survivor. Both of them lose a spouse and child, both are quite skilled in the art of violence, and both at times just seem so...broken.

    Also apparently, cut content shows it MIGHT have been possible to actually spare Kellog
    • 215 posts
    February 11, 2018 8:44 AM EST

    Nope.  None at all.  When I think of Kellogg:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ovK2QWbgC0


    This post was edited by Ragin Cajun at February 11, 2018 8:45 AM EST
  • Mr.
    • 763 posts
    February 11, 2018 10:01 AM EST

    I wouldn't say it's regret, as I don't think I would feel regret if I were in the Sole Survivor's place, but when I look back to Fallout 4 I think that he is one of my favorite NPCs, if only for his backstory. I loved the references to the better-Wasteland back West, including some obscure factions such as the Shi from Fallout 2. He is a well crafted antagonist, much better than, say, Shaun. Gosh, I hated the fact that after all that had already been shoehorned onto the player, they made it so that your bloody son was the head of one of the factions.

    • 295 posts
    February 11, 2018 10:02 AM EST

    Yeah, I felt the same way when I went through the Memory Den. He's one of my favorite characters for all of his flaws. He's the Morokei of Fallout, leads you into his lair, talks to you via intercom. It's very cool.  Fort Hagen always terrifies me, but at the same time, it's one of my favorite quests in the game. 

    Hmm, how did I kill Kellogg?

    First time, nice sniper shot with my sneaky survival character who was too chicken shit to face him.

    Second time, I fat-manned him. Aggro'd he and his synths with some molotovs and then led them to a hallway.  By the way, no easy feet down a narrow corridor. My fiance looked and was like "dang, woman, takes guts to use a fatman in a narrow hallway." Because...

    Fatman + Interior = sometimes disaster

    The Hobo has guts. :D

  • Mr.
    • 763 posts
    February 11, 2018 10:02 AM EST

    Chris said: Same here man, heck, he's basically a dark foil to the Sole Survivor. Both of them lose a spouse and child, both are quite skilled in the art of violence, and both at times just seem so...broken. Also apparently, cut content shows it MIGHT have been possible to actually spare Kellog

    They shouldn't have cut that, that's actually a meaningful choice.

    • 700 posts
    February 11, 2018 2:20 PM EST

    Kellogg is a really interesting character for sure. One of the few characters I enjoy listenting to speak at length. But they put him in the least sympathetic position one can be put in. It would have been most excellent if we were given the choice to spare him like Chris says we might have been able to, but I wonder how that would change the story. Kellogg is mentally, so far gone, that sparing him wouldn't even matter. What would he do? Help you take down the Institute and change his ways? Disappear for good? The first is unebeleivable, and the second is a waste of a choice. And even if the player offered to spare him, I don't believe he'd accept it. 

    We both know how this has to end. 

    But I'm not the Fallout writer. The biggest problem I see is that the game doesn't give the player a chance to sympathize with Kellogg until after he's dead, which to me is a wasted effort. Kellogg was clearly a good man at one point, but he hasn't been for a very long time. 

    • 248 posts
    February 11, 2018 6:14 PM EST

    The Long-Chapper said:

    Fatman + Interior = sometimes disaster

    The Hobo has guts. :D

    hahaha the Fatman launch before he can initialize dialogue is a great one

    • 248 posts
    February 11, 2018 6:16 PM EST

    I never heard about the Cut content Chris. That's interesting. As Legion said, I don't know what you'd do with him if you spare him. Like - hey unstoppable cyberg merc, I'm going to kill you...oorrrrr you can flee the commonwealth...cause I'm so scary. IDK. Interesting. 

    • 1441 posts
    February 11, 2018 6:17 PM EST
    I don't quite recall, but he night have helped you leave Fort Hagen and I think become a companion