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Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationOfficial screenshot from Bend Studio / PlayStation.
Sarah Whitaker
Sarah Whitaker is Deacon's wife, a botanist with two PhDs who studied rare plants at Cloverdale's Iron Butte lab. You get to know her through flashback missions in the I Remember storyline. Deacon believes she was lost in the first days of the outbreak.
- Role
- Supporting
- Affiliation
- Cloverdale Research
Found in
- Cloverdale Research Iron Butte FacilityThe Cloverdale Research Iron Butte Facility is a high-security private lab in Iron Butte, still powered two years after the outbreak. You only go here with Sarah for the story, so there is no open-world job to clear.
- Wizard IslandWizard Island sits in the middle of Crater Lake and is the Deschutes County Militia's main base. You work for Colonel Garret here, with Dee's gun shop and Caleb Tomlinson's garage as the draw.
Good to know
- Full name: Sarah Irene Whitaker, Ph.D.
- Born around 1985 in Seattle, Washington.
- She studied rare plants for Cloverdale at its Iron Butte lab.
- Her younger sister is Emma Whitaker.
- She taught Deacon to use plants like lavender for burns, and he taught her to ride.
- She gave Deacon the custom fuel tank on his original bike.
- Boozer calls her Little Sister.
Before the outbreak
Sarah grew up in a middle-class Seattle family and majored in botany. She joined the bioengineering firm Cloverdale and transferred to its Oregon lab. A coworker, David Gorman, told her the company was hiding a secret project, and she brushed him off.
Meeting Deacon
Deacon stopped when her car broke down and offered her a ride. When thugs jumped them, she grabbed his pistol and fired a shot to scare them off. They married at the Marion Forks church with only Boozer there.
Personality
Sarah is smart, principled and stubborn, with a rebellious streak. She cares more about useful work than about pleasing anyone, her parents included.
Relationships
She and Deacon are devoted to each other, and Boozer treats her like family. She is close to her sister Emma, but her parents never approved of Deacon.
The outbreak
A frightened girl stabbed Sarah as they fled Farewell. Deacon put her on a NERO helicopter, gave her his Mongrels ring and told her he wanted it back.
Role in the storySpoilerShow
NERO surgeons saved her, and her federal clearance kept her moving between camps. When the Militia seized her camp, she joined them to research the virus as a lieutenant on Wizard Island. Deacon finds her there, and they start working runs together.
CloverdaleSpoilerShow
At her old lab, Sarah learns Gorman stole a virus sample and set off the outbreak, and she blames herself. She also shoots Jim Moore, the guard who murdered her coworkers.
FateSpoilerShow
Garret wants her to make a poison to wipe out the other camps. She laces his tea with hemlock instead, and it kills him during the final standoff. She and Deacon settle together at Lost Lake.
Things to know
Most of what you learn about Sarah comes from I Remember, a storyline of flashback missions that unlock as you progress. They are short and mostly pay XP. In the flashback I've Pulled Weeds Before, she teaches Deacon to gather lavender. Lavender only shows up as a pickup in the open world after that mission. Two short missions take Deacon to her memorial stone at an overrun NERO refugee camp. Horde Killer journal entries mention she skied every weekend at Mt. Scott Ski Resort while Deacon waited in the lodge.
- I Know Things Are StrangeSarah needs yeast for her work at Wizard Island. You head out on a supply run to find some and bring it back to her lab.
- You Can't Do This AloneThe final push on Wizard Island. With Lost Lake's fighters behind you, you storm the Militia's stronghold and fight your way into the Ark toward Colonel Garret.
- Afraid Of A Little Competition?Afraid Of A Little Competition? is a Wizard Island story mission for Sarah. She needs another supply for her work, this time a bag of silicate, and sends you out into the Crater Lake region to find it.
- For An Outlaw BikerThe final push into the Ark on Wizard Island. You fight through the Militia inside, save Weaver, settle things with Skizzo and head for the Colonel's chamber.
- What Did You Do?You ride up to the abandoned NERO refugee camp in Belknap and clear the Freakers out of it. Then you leave a Stonecrop flower at Sarah's memorial stone.
- I Tried To Hit That OnceWeaver needs polystyrene for a new weapon. You collect it from the roadsides around Crater Lake and bring it back to Wizard Island so the two of you can test the result.
- Just Another Acquisition FormSarah wants to go on a supply run, and you are her ride. You drive to her tent on Wizard Island, follow her while she gets ready, then walk with her back to your bike.
- Can I Ask You Something?A short ride mission with Sarah. You leave the Militia's territory together and head for Chemult Community College, and the two of you finally talk on the way.
- What's A Nice GirlA flashback to the day Deacon met Sarah. Her car has broken down and he gives her a ride through Belknap, past the Belknap Caves.
- It's On A MissionO'Brian sends you after another NERO field research team near Lost Lake. You ride out and listen in while a researcher studies the Freakers.
- Making ContactYou have spotted a NERO landing zone and want answers. You sneak in, follow the agent O'Brian away from his team and confront him about the night Sarah left on his helicopter.
- So Many Of ThemSarah needs equipment from the Chemult Community College campus. Deacon heads in, fights through Freaker swarms to the science building and helps Sarah find a centrifuge.
- It Was On MeYou ride up to the overrun NERO refugee camp in Belknap to visit Sarah's memorial stone. Deacon has a lot on his mind since Boozer got hurt.
- You Couldn't Stop ShakingYou and Sarah are at Chemult Community College in Crater Lake and need to get out alive. Fight your way back to the bike with her, clear out the Marauders on campus and grab the centrifuge she needs for her lab.
- Give Me a Couple DaysBoozer's burned arm is getting worse at the O'Leary Mountain safehouse. Sarah once taught Deacon to make a burn salve from wild lavender, so you go out and pick some.
- I've Pulled Weeds BeforeA flashback with Sarah from early in their relationship. She takes Deacon on one of her field trips and shows him how to pick lavender.
- What Kept Me GoingYou and Sarah set out from Wizard Island to ride north over the Thielsen Pass. The goal is the old Cloverdale facility, where she can get the equipment she needs.
- I Knew These PeopleSarah takes you to the Cloverdale facility where she used to work. You walk the grounds with her and look for a way into the warehouse so she can get inside.
- I Should Have Left HerA memory entry in the I Remember storyline. After finding Lisa in Marion Forks, Deacon thinks about Sarah's younger sister Emma.
- Expect The WorstSarah needs to get inside the Cloverdale research labs, and you clear the way. You fight through the warehouse to the atrium and then look for the facility's head of security.
- We Couldn't Take The RiskYou and Sarah have reached the Cloverdale facility, and it is not safe yet. Shut down the electric fences, burn the Crier nests on the grounds and get back to your bike.
- Evil Surrounds UsColonel Garret is giving another speech at Wizard Island in Crater Lake. Head to the gathering spot and listen to what he has to say to his soldiers.
- This Could Be ItSarah Whitaker sends you south on a job for her research. You drive out, find the test subject she needs, knock it out with a tranquilizer and bring it back to her.
- You Don't Want To KnowWizard Island posts a bounty on a soldier named Meyers, who killed two men and ran. You track him into Crater Lake, find the Anarchist camp he is linked to and bring back proof that he is dead.
- He's Full of CrapYou ride up to the overrun NERO refugee camp to visit Sarah's memorial stone. Deacon fills her in on the move to Lost Lake and the people he has met there.
- You Alone I Have SeenCaptain Kouri wants Weaver's new Napalm Molotov tested on a real horde. You take on the Chemult horde of 300 Freakers, then report back to Kouri.
- I've Got A PlanSarah sends you out from Wizard Island to gather samples of water hemlock. The Militia thinks it is for a new weapon, but Deacon has his own plans.
- Riding Nomad AgainDeacon gets ready to ride south and look for Sarah. You say goodbye to Boozer, then Iron Mike leads you out to the Thielsen Pass and you ride on to the summit.
- You Could Have Done MoreO'Brian wants another meeting, so you ride out in Lost Lake to hear what he has found out about Sarah. Boozer comes along and waits at the bike while you talk.
- It's Been Crazy HereAnother trip to Sarah's memorial stone at the overrun NERO refugee camp. Deacon has news to share about O'Brian, Boozer and life at Lost Lake.
- Shadow Of DeathDeacon tries to get Sarah off Wizard Island. You take out the Militia's RPG, reach Sarah's lab in the Ark and lead her to the top of the volcanic cove.
- No Beginning and No EndAn I Remember mission. Deacon rides to the old church in Marion Forks and has to clear out the squatters who have moved in. The place matters to him because of Sarah.
- Drowned Them Like RatsOne of Deacon's visits to Sarah's memorial stone. You ride up to the stone and he talks to her about what has been happening.
- I Was DistractedA camp scene at Iron Mike's. You watch Rikki try to teach Addy how to ride a motorcycle, and it sends Deacon's mind back to Sarah.
- Only Thing Keeping Me SaneDeacon rides back up to the overrun NERO refugee camp for one last visit to Sarah's memorial stone. It is the end of his habit of talking to the stone about the past.
- We're Fighting A WarYou go with Captain Kouri to the Militia's Diamond Lake encampment to look for any trace of Sarah. You talk to a drifter there and search the camp before meeting Kouri back at your bike.
- I Promise To Never Leave YouA memory entry in the I Remember storyline. Deacon thinks back to the night he proposed to Sarah, and why he did it without a proper ring.
- A War We Can WinA War We Can Win is the story mission where Deacon arrives at Wizard Island, the Deschutes County Militia's fortress in Crater Lake. Colonel Garret walks you through the base and explains what his Militia is fighting for.
I RememberI Remember is Deacon's personal storyline about his past and his wife Sarah. It runs through the whole game, mixing present-day missions with flashbacks to how Deacon and Sarah met and the night of the outbreak.- I'm Never Giving UpI'm Never Giving Up is the storyline about Deacon staying in the south to be near Sarah. It starts once he reaches the Militia at Wizard Island and follows him running supply jobs and other work to help her however he can.
- Race Against TimeRace Against Time is a short late-game storyline that sets up the final push against the Deschutes County Militia. It picks up after Deacon rides north to Lost Lake and covers the plan to strike back at Wizard Island.
More supporting
- Supporting
Ada Tucker
Ada Tucker runs the Hot Springs work camp, where everyone has to earn their keep. She is the one who puts the bounty on Leon in the opening storyline. Early on she becomes a key job giver, paying well for bounties, rescues and new workers.
Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationSupportingAddison Walker
Addison Walker, called Addy, is the doctor at Iron Mike's Lost Lake camp, though she trained as a livestock vet. You meet her when Deacon brings in a badly sick Boozer. She is Rikki Patil's partner and gives jobs in the It's All We've Got storyline.
- Supporting
Arturo Jiminez
Doctor Arturo Jiminez, called Doc, is the only physician in the Deschutes County Militia and holds the rank of captain. He gives Deacon his medical check when he enlists at Wizard Island. He is one of the kindest people you meet in the Militia.
- Supporting
Derrick Kouri
Captain Derrick Kouri commands the Militia's Diamond Lake outpost and is second in command to Colonel Garret. Deacon meets him after saving two of his soldiers, and Kouri brings him into the Militia. He is wearing the Mongrels ring Deacon gave Sarah.