Coursers are Synth hunters and operatives designated to carry out specific surface missions for the Institute. They operate around the Commonwealth in Fallout 4.
Background[edit]
Brian Virgil describes them as "designed for one purpose" stating that they are "hunters" and that if "operations go wrong, a Synth goes missing, a Courser is dispatched. They're very good at what they do."[1] The director of the Synth Retention Bureau, Justin Ayo, states they are "a third-generation synth assigned to operate on the surface" and describes them as "highly self-sufficient, trained in combat, infiltration and tracking."[2]
Once an escaped Synth is found, a Courser uses the Synth's Recall Code to wipe its memories and disable it.[3] Once done, the Synth is brought back to the Institute to restore neural pathways to their original configuration.[3]
The SRB monitors the Gen-3 Synth population, looking for specific traits such as tenacity, fearlessness and independence.[4] Those chosen undergo a training regiment that consists of armed and unarmed combat, investigative techniques, psychology and mechanical skills.[4] Those who pass a final evaluation become Coursers, and have a Courser Chip installed in their head to relay them into and out of the Institute.[5][6] The rest have their memories wiped and return to their former duties.[4]
Publications[edit]
Interactions Overview[edit]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
| This character is involved in quests. |
Synth Retention | |
Statistics[edit]
| Name (Form ID) | Statistics | Behavior | Abilities | Items | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institute Courser 001628EF |
|
|
|
Inventory[edit]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courser Uniform | Institute Pistol or Institute Laser Rifle | Stealth Boy Stimpak | Fusion Cell Courser Chip |
Named[edit]
- B-263 - A dead courser found during the Creation Club Creation "Noir Penthouse."
- X4-18 - During the quest The Battle of Bunker Hill he is found waiting for the arrival of the Sole Survivor.
- X6-88 - He is a possible companion who is assigned to the Sole Survivor in Synth Retention. He is available as a companion after Mankind - Redefined. He also appears in Kellogg's memories.
- X9-27 - He is met during the quest Operation Ticonderoga hunting for the Railroad Agents as ordered by the Institute.
- Z2-47 - He is encountered in Greenetech Genetics during the Hunter/Hunted quest while killing the resident Gunners on his mission to recover a runaway Synth. He is the first courser to physically appear in the game.
- X1-02, X2-36, X2-71, X3-24, X3-28, X3-37, X3-51, X4-72, X5-76, X6-57, X7-55, X9-73 - Coursers mentioned only in either dialogue or The Institute Terminal Entries.
Chase - She worked for the Institute until she met DiMA and was convinced of his mission.
Reinhart VII, a courser unused in Far Harbor.
Technical[edit]
- LvlSynthCourserNoTeleport_Institute [NPC_:0024944E]
- LvlSynthCourserNoTeleport [NPC_:001EB9A7]
- InstituteCourserPatroller1_Institute [NPC_:001CC89E]
- InstituteCourserPatroller2_Institute [NPC_:001F252B]
- Inst307CourserFinal [NPC_:000DF319]
- InstituteCourserSRB_Institute [NPC_:001C27AC]
- RR301InstituteCourser "Institute Courser" [NPC_:0010C4FA]
- EncSynthCourser01Template "Institute Courser" [NPC_:000BE184]
Notes[edit]
- Desdemona states that members of the Railroad run and hide when a Courser is spotted as their first instinct.[7]
- A Courser may call in Synth reinforcements during combat, which will appear in the form of three randomly armed first-generation Synths. Killing a courser before initiating combat (e.g. sneak attacks) will still spawn these Synths.
- During the first visit to the Institute during Institutionalized, a random Courser can be observed talking to a nameless third-generation Synth about accessing a prohibited terminal, threatening her with a memory wipe.
- If the player character completes the mission at Libertalia for the Institute, random coursers in the Institute will comment on how X6-88 admires the player character's combat skills.
Appearances[edit]
Coursers appear Fallout 4 and in Fallout: Wasteland Warfare.
Behind the Scenes[edit]
There is a binary sequence printed on each Courser's neck. The sequence reads "01110011 01111001 01101110 01110100 01101000" and means "synth" in ASCII encoding.
Gallery[edit]
Vibin with the Reclamation Chair
Courser in the Synth Retention Bureau
Courser and Synth concept art
References[edit]
- ↑ Brian Virgil: "Coursers are Institute synths, designed for one purpose. They're hunters. Operations go wrong, a synth goes missing, and a Courser is dispatched. They're very good at what they do."
- ↑ Sole Survivor: "So basically, you're the secret police."
Justin Ayo: "Secret police? If that's a pre-war reference, then I'm afraid it's lost on me. Our main instrument is the Courser, a third-generation synth assigned to operate on the surface. Coursers hunt down and reclaim synths that have escaped the Institute. They are highly self-sufficient, trained in combat, infiltration and tracking. In a word, our Coursers are relentless. But I gather you know all of this, since you've encountered one already. In fact, I'd very much like to know how you defeated it."
(Justin Ayo's dialogue) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sole Survivor: "I'd like to know more about the synth reclamation process."
Justin Ayo: "Fine. Once a Courser has located a rogue synth, it uses that synth's recall code to wipe its memories and render it inert. We then begin the delicate process of restoring the neural pathways to their original configuration. In those cases where the procedure is successful, the synth returns to duty with no memory of its time on the surface. All too often, we're unable to repair the damage and are forced to dispose of the unit entirely."
(Justin Ayo's dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sole Survivor: "You mentioned that Coursers undergo special training. Tell me more about it."
Justin Ayo: "The SRB constantly monitors our gen-3 synth population, looking for specific traits. Those who show tenacity, fearlessness and independence undergo a rigorous training regimen. We teach them armed and unarmed combat, investigative techniques, psychology and mechanical skills. Those who pass a final evaluation become Coursers. The rest have their memories wiped and return to their former duties."
(Justin Ayo's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: "Inside every synth Courser is a specialized chip that is instrumental in "relaying" into the Institute. Obtaining that chip is the first step in infiltrating the shadowy organization."
- ↑ Brian Virgil: "Every Courser has special hardware that gives them a direct connection to the Relay in the Institute. It's embedded in a chip in their heads. You need that chip. But to get it, you'll have to find a Courser."
(Brian Virgil's dialogue) - ↑ Sole Survivor: "Is the situation that bad?"
Desdemona: "Whenever we spot a Courser, everyone hides. We hide deep. We hide long. Until we know we're safe. We've never stayed around to see how fast the Institute can find and kill us all. So we're treading new ground here."
(Desdemona's dialogue)