So, based upon the brotherhood presence in the Commonwealth we can determine that they are obviously no longer who they were in Fallout 3.

However, I was unable to find out exactly what happened to the Brotherhood that made this extreme change back to their original west coast ideology. Yes, I know that even in fallout 3 they still followed the west coast ideology to some degree in that they still protect and gather technology, however, that aspect of Lyon's BOS was secondary to trying to save people.

So, since I've been unable to find the lore surrounding the new brotherhood, I'm wondering if anyone else has.

What happened to Owyn Lyons?

What happened to Sarah Lyons (She seemed to be the closest in line of succession to Owyn Lyons)? Why would she let the Brotherhood revert back to it's former self? Why was she not made Elder?

How the hell did Maxson who's 20, become the Elder and if he was raised under Lyons how did his ideology change so much from Lyons?

Why is this Quinlan guy the head scribe (who also seems extremely young)? What happened to Rothchild, and the other scribes of fallout 3, how did Quinlan who's completely new surpass them?

Any information would be helpful, thanks.

Feel free to give your ideas if you don't know the actual answer.

My guess is they couldn't mention Sarah because she can die in Fallout 3 and Broken Steel. Also I haven't done much of the BoS stuff in Fallout 4 so I don't know why they changed so much.

It was mentioned somewhere in game. Elder lyons died of old age. Sarah took over and died a few years later in combat. After that a series of idiots took over until the final leader you meet in fo4 took over (with the blessings of both the outcasts and western brotherhood)

I hate BoS in FO4, Maxxson is a dike plain and simple...

Well, at least they are back on line again then...it felt weird and odd in F3 when the Brotherhood where suddenly the good guys.

If you talk to some of the current crew members about the old BoS, they said that it (Under Lyons) became a charity rather about saving humanity and that Maxson put them back on the track to glory.

It really could have happened any number of ways. A very Charismatic leader can sway folks in a particular direction towards what they choose to believe. Pick your own explanation for it.

Don't worry they will end up like the Mojave BoS soon enough if they don't change.

I hate them to. The only ones I like was FO3 BoS and the two people I like are dead( I like Veronica in FNV to).

But well, wasn't that the point of the BoS in Fallout anyway?

To be this group which defines who can use high grade technology and who not and because of that aim they tend to be very oppressive, elitist and brutal?

Well, not as much as the Enclave but still, they dictate the use of technology and keep knowledge from the public/common wasteland.

Even though their goals and origins developed through facing the FEV abusing government scientists seems like a "good cause" in the beginning.

sorry....but i am confused.....how can you compare teh Fo4 BoS to the western one? Maxson's BoS allow wastelands into the fold, unlike the western one, they DO protect civilians, unlike the western one, and you can persuade them, unlike the western one.

What are you talking about? Arthur Maxsons BoS is literally the exact same as the western BoS in almost every aspect. The Western BoS didn't protect civilians... they collected technology... they hoarded the technology... they hated mutants etc. Which is almost the exact same as the BoS on the east coast currently is. They don't protect citizens they say, "Join or be destroyed". The single change they made is that wastelanders can now be easily recruited.

They are almost identical.

They protect people that donate to their cause like farmers in the Commonwealth. They're doing a lot more for wastelanders than the isolationists out west.

huh, because a major thing that maxson still talks about and you see BoS members is protecting civilians, maybe no as much as Lyons, but still there. and in original fallout games, BoS would simply TAKE everything they wanted from the locals, there was no negotiating, no nothing, if they wanted it, you gave it to them or died, where as Maxson's is collecting unused tech, we do not see any examples of them just taking stuff from the locals, except for the institute....and well....yeah.

Probably not everyone shared the fallout 3 bos elder's ideas . But to be real this is just game that [censored] up, not the bos. They wanted player to make "hard" choices, but having to massacre everyone else than the faction you are siding is complete bs.

They won't because they recruit outsiders.

Actually, Maxson speaks a lot about protecting the people of The Commonwealth, and terminals aboard the Prydwen mention that they are using their vertibrids to watch over and protect the various trader caravans in the region. OFC they are only doing this for their own benefit, but then again, Lyons was only helping people for the same reason. And that's far more then the western BoS ever did to help people.

As for why the BoS became the way they did, see these pics

Oh you mean Adolf Maxson? Leader of the Nazis, no sorry The Enclave oh wait i mean the Brotherhood of Steel. Owyn died of old age and Sarah became Elder. And somehow as Elder she died in battle. I find that very odd. I am guessing that Maxson grew up and saw his chance to remove Sarah, and the last of the Lyons line by making a deal with the Outcasts. They were brought back into the fold and they became what they are now.

This. The BoS now seem to have hit a good balance under Maxon. They'll still harrass people over tech, but only when it's of the kind that can change the entire development of a region when misused. But they don't exactly ignore the woes of civilians, because at the very least being seen as protectors and not better-equipped and organized raiders makes their other job a helluvalot easier.

Maxson II died as high elder in battle against the Vipers, he took off his helm for a second, and the Vipers used a poisoned arrow against him.

Sarah was one of those "lead from the front" types. Which tends to inspire troops and keep morale high in battle.

But also shortens your life expectancy. Its no surprise really that a battlefield Elder lost her life.

Bleh... you're headcanon svcks IMO. He was 12 when she died, too young to play politics, and IIRC he had a crush on Sarah. It's more likely that he's just badass by nature and nurture. And stop with the Nazi comparisions. Synth, Supermutants, and Feral Ghouls are dangerous. We're lucky this is fiction and not real. A lot more people would be riding the Brotherhood Zeppelin if that weren't the case.

Wait, you mean donate, like "give me your crops or die"? Using that logic, raiders are protecting much more. Sure you can pay for the crops, but noone is exactly crying if you crush that farmer underfoot.

Look at the ship, the attitude, the uniforms, the greeting when they say Ad Victoriam. It is Nazi Germany all over again. Its not hard to see that the inspiration came from there. I am not saying the soldiers share the viewpoint of the leader though, as we often know its not black and white. And the game isn't either, i will give the game credit for making me even considering joining the Brotherhood.