“I was thinking about what you said, about how lucky I am to be alive. And you're not wrong. But you're not entirely right. I put in work too.”
Sam Nguyen is a mechanic and potential lite ally living in Appalachia inFallout 76, introduced in the Invaders from Beyond update.
He was unlockable upon reaching rank 25 of A Better Life Underground, the eighth in-game season. A plan for him was released with the Test Your Metal update, able to be bought with gold bullion from Samuel.
Contents
- 1 Background
- 2 Interactions with the player character
- 2.1 Interactions overview
- 3 Inventory
- 4 Notes
- 5 Notable quotes
- 6 Appearances
- 7 Behind the scenes
- 8 Gallery
- 9 References
Background[]
Sam is a handyman by trade, a musician for fun and a comedian at heart. He wishes to sit back, relax and compose music.[1] Sam being a mechanic is not his first choice of work,[2] mentioning doing things like repairing generators is needed for survival in the wasteland. For instance, he learned how to fix a furnace because he didn't want to freeze to death. He is mostly self-taught and he learns better by doing things instead of reading how to do them.[3] He works hard to stay alive and becomes slightly offended if the Vault Dweller says he is "lucky" to be alive.[4]
He has always dreamed about becoming a rock star someday, but questions the idea due to his ethnicity, saying he has never seen any Asian men being represented as rock stars on pre-War posters.[5][6] He does hope that people would focus on his music, instead of being concerned with what he looks like.[7] Sam points out that the one good thing about looking different from most people means being recognizable, unless people are trying to hunt him down for nefarious goals.[8]
His mother always said the world would end before he would get his first real gig.[9] Sam and his mother used to move around a lot, and they never had a place they called home. When he was ten years old, he met another kid at a junkyard who offered to teach Sam how to repair old radios, and together they would sell them for 50 caps a piece. After fixing it, Sam heard a song about West Virginia which made the area seem to be a wonderful place to be, making Sam want to visit it to see if the lyrics held true. Sam highly enjoyed the song, saying it was the best song he ever heard, and wondered if it meant he could "belong" there as well.[10]
He has heard a little bit about the Brotherhood of Steel, though is unsure if its name contains "steel" or "steal" as he has heard that the organization seems to swipe people's items.[11] Sam is interested in learning how to become a gardener,[12] and he also likes rainy weather.[13] He mentions having an ex-girlfriend.[14]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
| This character cannot be killed. | |
| This character is a C.A.M.P. ally. Their associated workshop object is Sam's workbench. | |
| This character is a vendor. |
|
| This character offers miscellaneous services. |
|
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Otheritems |
|---|---|---|
| Settler mechanic outfit Settler mechanic hat Eyeglasses | Combat rifle Molotov co*cktail/Frag grenade (15%) | Stimpak (15%) |
Notes[]
If the player has completed the Bucket List quest and the event One Violent Night, they can discuss their findings with Sam.
Notable quotes[]
- "To survive, you gotta do a lot of weird sh*t. This one time, I had to eat an entire closet full of Cram, because all the regular food went bad and there was just nothing else. I'm basically more Cram than human at this point."
- "I'm working on a new song, about an ex-girlfriend. It's part romance, part cautionary tale."
- "You know what I miss? Fresh laundry. Like, if I had a choice between a million caps and a pair of warm socks? Well, I'd take the caps, but my cold ass feet would hate the decision."
- "I once met a guy who was starting his own rock band. Had a voice like nails on a chalkboard, but he had the right look. Sometimes that matters more."
- "Yeah. I've never heard of an Asian rock star. Not anyone with a chart topper, anyway."
- "But I guess that was the old world. From now on, we get to make our own rules. Ha, it's funny, Ma always said the world would end before I got my first real gig. Turns out she was right."
Appearances[]
Sam Nguyen appears only inFallout 76, introduced in the Invaders from Beyond update.
Behind the scenes[]
- "Nguyen" is a common Vietnamese surname.
- Monetization designer and former Bethesda modder Kris Takahashi contributed to Sam's design.[Non-game 1]
Gallery[]
Sam Nguyen
A pre-release image of Sam's workbench with a plain blue paint
Sam using his Vault-Tec themed workbench
Icon
References[]
- ↑ Vault Dweller: "Never mind what you can do. What do you want to do?"
Sam Nguyen: "I'd love to just sit back and compose music. And I've heard it's best to do what you love. Well, provided what you love isn't cracking your knuckles. Something about that sound just ... (shudder)."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "That kind of adaptability is good. You'll do well in the Wasteland."
Sam Nguyen: "I've gotten this far, haven't I? Being a fix-it guy wasn't my first choice, but I feel like I'm good at it. And you can tell I'm not bullsh*tting you because I'm still alive and breathing."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "How did you learn to fix things?"
Sam Nguyen: "Honestly, I'm mostly self-taught. I've always learned better by doing instead of reading. Plus I've found there's no better teacher than necessity. So I learned how to fix a furnace, because I didn't want to freeze to death. And I Iearned how to make a generator, because no power means no furnace. But that means a lot of my knowledge is really specific. If you ask me to do something like, fix a hair dryer, you might as well be asking me to build a spaceship."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "I was thinking about what you said, about how lucky I am to be alive. And you're not wrong. But you're not entirely right. I put in work too."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "Do you have any aspirations?"
Sam Nguyen: "Not that it matters now, but I've always had this dream of becoming a rock star. And maybe in some alternate universe, where the world didn't turn to sh*t, that dream might've had a chance. But I've seen the posters and well ... there aren't a lot of people who look like me."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "Are we talking about race?"
Sam Nguyen: "Yeah. I've never heard of an Asian rock star. Not anyone with a chart topper, anyway."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "That may have been the way the world was. But that doesn't have to be the way it is now."
Sam Nguyen: "Maybe. I like to think music is something that unites people. And maybe in this world, it doesn't matter what I look like. Just how I play."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "The one good thing about looking different, is that you're recognizable. Unless the wrong people are looking for you. Then it's not so good."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "Ha, it's funny, Ma always said the world would end before I got my first real gig. Turns out she was right."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "Why did you come to Appalachia?"
Sam Nguyen: "My ma and I used to move around a lot. We never had a place we called home. I remember I was about ten years old when I met this other kid at a junkyard. He offered to teach me how to fix up old radios, and we'd sell them for fifty caps a piece. So the first one I get working, I turn the dial, and out comes this song about West Virginia. Best song I ever heard. And ever since then I've always wanted to visit. I mean yeah, I get that it's just a song. But you never know. Maybe it's got a point, and this place, right here, is where I belong."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "So about the Brotherhood ... is it steel, as in metal, or steal, as in taking sh*t? From what I've heard, seems like a little of both."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "I might try gardening. Can't typecast yourself into one job. Never know when some better, handsomer, more skilled mechanic comes strolling along."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "I love the rain. Goes great with a guitar."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue) - ↑ Sam Nguyen: "I'm working on a new song, about an ex-girlfriend. It's part romance, part cautionary tale."
(Sam Nguyen's dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ Kris Takahashi on Twitter: "Aleks also voiced Sam Nguyen, one of the Lite Allies I did for FO76. Dude killed it."
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