Burke was born in 2221. When met by the Lone Wanderer, Mister Burke spends his days at Moriarty’s Saloon, drinking and talking to Moriarty or asking Gob the Ghoul probing questions about being a Ghoul, the effects of radiation on his body, and what it’s like to live among the non-irradiated populace. He also likes to eat at the Brass Lantern restaurant, where he can keep an eye on the atomic bomb.[1]
Daily schedule[]
He can be found sitting in a chair in Moriarty's Saloon before the start of the The Power of the Atom. If the Lone Wanderer accepts the fusion pulse charge, he will go back to Tenpenny Tower once the task of re-arming the bomb is done and wait for the Lone Wanderer to rendezvous with him. Alternatively, if the Lone Wanderer disarms the nuke, he will leave Moriarty's Saloon and travel to Tenpenny Tower. (This might take him a few days, and he may be killed in the wasteland)
If the player has the Black Widow perk, she can seduce Burke. When seduced, he will refer to her as his lover and plan to go to Tenpenny Tower to convince Tenpenny to not blow up Megaton. Although he travels to Tenpenny Tower after leaving Moriarty's Saloon, he will still send four love letters to Colin Moriarty to give to the player. In the last one he will finally break up with the player.
If the player refuses Burke's offer or disarm the bomb without speaking to him, hitmen will show up at random encounters and try to kill them.
If the player accepts the offer but reports Burke to Sheriff Simms, Simms will attempt to arrest Burke, but get shot. The player can intervene and save Simms, but this can only be accomplished by killing or disarming Burke before he opens fire.
If the player has helped Roy Phillips take over Tenpenny Tower before meeting Burke at Megaton, Phillips will make Burke his right-hand man.
If the player kills Burke, they gain positive Karma, but can still detonate the bomb if they have already accepted the offer.
Mr. Burke has a house in Megaton next to the bomb in the middle of town, but he never goes there and does not even possess its key.
Mr. Burke will not be killed if the player sides with Roy Phillips during the Tenpenny Tower quest.
Mr. Burke and Roy Phillips will have a special non-player character to non-player character conversation on Tenpenny's balcony during which Mr. Burke reveals his intentions to blow up Megaton and Phillips expresses his shock if the player decides to rig the bomb in Megaton and side with Roy Phillips during the Tenpenny Tower quest.
Stealing items from Mister Burke's house in Megaton does not result in Karma loss.
When asked if the people of Megaton can be warned before the bomb goes off, Mister Burke will say they cannot.[2] When talking to Tenpenny after rigging the bomb, but before blowing it up, he will say that he told Burke to suggest that the residents of Megaton evacuate, revealing that Burke is the only one who doesn't care at all if all the residents die.[3]
Notable quotes[]
"Any moment now, you'll be dead. Are you excited to see what that's like?"
"You've made a grievous error in judgement. Watch your back."
"It was a wonderful thing you did. Inspirational. Truly."
"The pulse charge is rigged? Excellent! Meet me upstairs at Tenpenny Tower. There you will see a most glorious sight."
"The pulse charge is rigged? Excellent! Excellent!Ah. The anticipation is palpable. Isn't it?When you have finished savoring the moment, you may have the honor of pressing the button. Oh, and mind your eyes. It'll be brighter than bright."
"Absolutely not! The place, the people, they're one and the same! Sacrifices for a nobler future. I assure you, they are worth ten times as much in death, as they are in life."
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Mister Break[]
Mister Break is a character found in the Sacred Bog area of Point Lookout. He is a part of the hallucination that occurs after the Lone Wanderer consumes punga seeds and is seen leaning against an atom bomb, similar to the Megaton bomb but much larger. After interacting with him, the bomb explodes, and the Lone Wanderer wakes up outside of the Sacred Bog. Mister Break is a delusional image of Mister Burke. His clothes are the same as Mr. Burke's. When spoken to, he will respond in Tobar the Ferryman's voice (it is later revealed that it was indeed Tobar talking to the player), and he gives a warning to not get up, saying "you might hurt yourself." Mister Break is an essential character.[4]
Burke is the name of a town in Virginia south of Fairfax and Annandale.[5]
Mr. Burke does not exist in the Japanese version of Fallout 3, thus disabling the "detonate the bomb" option in The Power of the Atom as the player cannot get the fusion pulse charge under any circumstances, which was done for cultural reasons.[6]
Bugs[]
PlayStation 3 If the player kills Burke, after a long while he may respawn, and can be found standing beside the bomb if it is disarmed, though he cannot be engaged in conversation.
Xbox 360 If you kill Burke and disarm the bomb, you will still encounter hitmen. If you loot one of their bodies, you will find a contract instructing them to kill you, signed "-B", as though you hadn't killed Burke.
↑Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.86: "Mister Burke Mister Burke spends his days at Moriarty's Saloon, drinking and talking to Moriarty or asking Gob the Ghoul probing questions about being a Ghoul, the effects of radiation on his body, and what it's like to live among the non-irradiated populace. He also likes to eat at the Brass Lantern restaurant, where he can keep an eye on the atomic bomb." (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "We're talking a lot of innocent lives here, Burke. Can I warn them?" Burke: "Absolutely not! The place, the people, they're one and the same! Sacrifices for a nobler future. I assure you, they are worth ten times as much in death, as they are in life." (Burke's dialogue (Fallout 3))
↑The Lone Wanderer: "You don't have a problem with killing all those people?" Allistair Tenpenny: "Oh no. I'm certainly rather sore about all that. But certain sacrifices must be made.Besides, Burke assured me that bomb was quite unstable. I asked Burke to suggest they vacate.It was all a matter of time. Think of it as helping speed along the process of natural selection. Don't lose any sleep over it." (Allistair Tenpenny's dialogue)
If the player kills Burke, after a long while he may respawn, and can be found standing beside the bomb if it is disarmed, though he cannot be engaged in conversation.
