Why are the Children of Atom hostile?

[Duke Flapjack]

I just finished clearing out the lighthouse and I started wondering about the CoA. Mainly, why are they hostile to the PC? They cannot know you are not a member firstly. They also look for converts, so whos to say you aren't one. The guys down in the glowing sea aren't hostile. Neither were the guys in Megaton in F3.

On a side note, WTF is up with the gamma gun? The first time I ran into one of these clowns I was wandering around and decided to check out the interesting nuclear symbol on my compass. About five or six of these jackasses started blasting me with those things. Huge radiation damage PLUS rapid fire PLUS knockback? I thought I was hot ♥♥♥♥ because I could wipe out the Revere satellite array all by myself. These unwashed near-ghouls wiped the floor with me.

[T3chnology]

Originally posted by boeriemore:

Originally posted by dogg:

You must be setting them off somehow. I've played Far Harbor in 3 separate play-throughs and they haven't shot at me yet.

The only time I killed some of them was at the Kingsport settlement I set up, south east Commonwealth. They were hostile so I had to kill them.
At the Crater of Atom I arrived standing high up on a rock then jumped down
to where a few people were takings and they immediately attacked me.
My first play through, no problem.

Did you happen to be wearing power armor when you dropped down from the rock you were standing on?

[mfree]

Ohhhhh yes, that's *classic*.... the 'ballistic damage' that power armor can do on impact, especially when you've got the (if remembered correctly) vented leg mod.

I'm pretty sure the Kingsport CoA are aggressive because they're outcasts, maybe a sub-cult of extremists. The other CoA I ran into all across the game were tentative but not initially aggressive, save for the random squads (and they could be Kingsport members).

[mfree]

BTW, background on the Crater house/Kingsport group:

From terminal at Crater House:
We have sent our faithful to the tower on the cliff. They will create a beacon to call forth Atoms children to rejoin us in the glow. Even the heretics shall be made to participate in the Great Division.

Let us bask in the divine glow of Atom!

And from Kingsport terminal:
It would seem that the beacon has also drawn Heretics who must be shown the glory of Atom. Those who will not join us must be cleansed, then we may use them to feed the Blessed in the tower.

All glory unto Atom!

So it seems they have a reason to 'take care of' those who just show up and aren't immediately recognizable as CoA. Wonder if any of the Far Harbor stuff changes things at Crater, hrmm...

EDIT: That takes care of lore, but on the game front there are more than an dozen CoA factions, and the aggressive CoA are just one of them. There's some cut content too, Crater may have been skipped over for various reasons.

[boeriemore]

Originally posted by Sturmtrupp19:

Originally posted by Omni King Zen-Oh:

The Children of Atom are automatically hostile in some areas, the only place where they're NOT hostile, is the Crater of Atom, and that bunker

and Far harbor

This is why I posted on this thread. They were hostile at Crater of Atom and I have no idea why.

[mfree]

Well, the old standards apply... PA targeting HUD, orange mentats, friendly fire, the wrong companion, lots of reasons other factions can be instant aggro.

[death1996]

I run power armour and take fusion core perk right away
Otherwise you used too many and they can be scarce
Then sell the used fusion core back
As for grenades use explosive skin on your power armour
Yea I ran into them and they were a bear to take down period

[Michael Lemmons]

If you stand behind something, they have trouble hitting you since the gamma gun projectile is HUGE. I stood behind a nearby group of trees and was effectively invincible.

[wellsoul2]

At Kingsport Lighthouse if you run to the lighthouse and shoot down it is much easier.

With a good sniper rifle and distance and something to get behind to heal it is safer.

Plus you see the shot before it can hit you at a long distance and can dodge behind cover.

It's still a pain and you need Radaway unless you use the hazmat suit or Power Armor.

[boeriemore]

Originally posted by T3chnology:

Originally posted by boeriemore:

The only time I killed some of them was at the Kingsport settlement I set up, south east Commonwealth. They were hostile so I had to kill them.
At the Crater of Atom I arrived standing high up on a rock then jumped down
to where a few people were takings and they immediately attacked me.
My first play through, no problem.

Did you happen to be wearing power armor when you dropped down from the rock you were standing on?

Interesting question. Yes, I was, for radiation protection.

[Commander Kieling]

Originally posted by boeriemore:

Originally posted by T3chnology:

Did you happen to be wearing power armor when you dropped down from the rock you were standing on?

Interesting question. Yes, I was, for radiation protection.

When you jump with a power armor from a higher place, npc´s around you will take damage

[mfree]

Originally posted by Sturmtrupp19:

Originally posted by boeriemore:

Interesting question. Yes, I was, for radiation protection.

When you jump with a power armor from a higher place, npc´s around you will take damage

And if you have a helmet modded with the targeting HUD, a *lot* of NPCs will immediately become aggressive.

[boeriemore]

Originally posted by Sturmtrupp19:

Originally posted by boeriemore:

Interesting question. Yes, I was, for radiation protection.

When you jump with a power armor from a higher place, npc´s around you will take damage

Okay, so that must be why they were hostile from the start.

[123nick]

if you DO accidentally damage some children of atom, is there any console command to make them neutral again? itried setally with player faction and children of atom faction but that did nothing, so idk what to do. i also waited a week + 1 day which i heard resets faction hostilities if u accidentally damage or kill one of em.

[terryt3535]

Originally posted by 123nicky:

if you DO accidentally damage some children of atom, is there any console command to make them neutral again? itried setally with player faction and children of atom faction but that did nothing, so idk what to do. i also waited a week + 1 day which i heard resets faction hostilities if u accidentally damage or kill one of em.

Do you have a save before you made them hostile? Have you quit and restarted the game after waiting 8 game days outside the cell where they are hostile?

[terryt3535]

I looked through some older threads. You might try to Toggle Combat AI (tcai) off. It seems to be a global variable, so even Trappers should go neutral with it off (but not animals).

Type tcai once and it should say:
All Combat AI processing is Off.

type it again and it will turn it back on.