Now that Bethesda has been obtained in Microsoft’s most recent purchases, there have been mumblings of Fallout New Vegas 2 finally becoming a reality.
It’s been quite some time since we discussed the possibilities for a follow-up title to the prominent Fallout New Vegas. However, now it would appear creators under the Microsoft umbrella are ready to do the same!
As reported by VGC, Venturebeat’s own Jeff Grubb discussed the possibility of a new Obsidian crated Fallout now that they are under the same parent company of Microsoft.
Grubb is quoted as saying, ““This is very early, but people have begun to have talks and say these words in sentences, and those words are ‘Obsidian’ and ‘New Vegas 2’.”
While Grubb would go on to explain this project wouldn’t be in the near future, there is at least interest in the idea of it. Interest has been heavily expressed in the past not only by the community but by Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart who views the opportunity like the original Fallout series, the games would be closely related in a relative proximity while still telling different stores.
While the answer to a New Vegas sequel is still largely up in the air, we are definitely closer than we’ve ever been to the reality of it. We anticipate more updates and news regarding the Fallout series under the new umbrella of Microsoft.
My First Fallout Experience Was The Absolute Worst Time I’ve Ever Had Playing…
I’ve been a die hard fan of the Fallout franchise for many, many years now. By far it’s my favorite game series and one I’ve played over again easily a dozen times each. Typically when someone finds their favorite game it’s a fantastic and exciting experience, for me, not so much. I was unfortunate enough to experience the absolute worst the wasteland had to offer on my very first run through, and I’m talking RIGHT AWAY. An experience I’ve never seen anything come close to in my near 100 following play throughs of the series, you’d think I had a real life Luck of zero!
A few things to keep in mind before I get into it:
• The copy of Fallout 3 I purchased came with all the DLC on a second disc .
• I used to keep my TV relatively dark to get away with playing it last midnight on school nights.
Alright, so the year is 2010. I was the absolute last of my friends to play Fallout 3. I decided to pick it up from my local Game Stop after hearing my cousin talk it up for quite some time. Opting for the slightly more expensive Game Of The Year edition, I got home and began installing the DLC from the second disc. Later in the evening once everything was installed I began my journey into the Fallout universe.
Upon starting the game everything ran like expected, Tunnel Snakes, GOAT tests, Overseer , all that good stuff. Then, came time to exit the vault. Stepping into the bright blinding light of the wasteland with nothing but my vault security armor and a baseball bat, I was beyond excited to explore the Capitol Wastes. That lasted all about 15 seconds however. Taking roughly 10 steps from the door, I began to walk toward a tall black figure that stood just off to the right of the vault entrance. Immediately without haste I was greeted with a barge of fire flying towards me. That’s right, the very first enemy I encountered in Fallout was none other than an Enclave Hellfire Trooper. So here I am, level 1, never played before, wood baseball bat, and being repeatedly spawned in front of and killed by a Hellfire Trooper with a heavy incinerator. Fortunately after a dozen deaths and a few tears, I realized I had saved before I left the vault while figuring out the controls.
After loading a new save file and exiting the vault for a second time, I was able to leave in peace! Arriving in megaton I began the main quest of finding my dad. However once again my game wasn’t having it. After informing Lucas Simms about Mister Burke’s offer to blow up the town, I met the two at the saloon, as you do. Only before Burke shot Simms, Simms’ body vanished! Burke shot thin air and Lucas was nowhere to be found for the rest of the game…. alright… guess he’s dead then. Moving on. Exiting the building and coming to realize the day cycle exists, I began wandering aimlessly around Megaton unable to see a damn thing in the dark.
The run from hell wasn’t over there however, opting to help out Moira after the whole Mister Burke incident, I began to make my way down to Super Duper Mart. Now, while I was warned about the vast amount of Raiders that can be found there, what I was not warned about was a damn Deathclaw. Upon arriving to the parking lot I was greeted with the body of a wastelands being thrown about as the giant mutated monstrosity charged toward me. After several deaths, my level 2 ass had just about had enough. Finally having the sense to just turn around and run the opposite direction upon spawning, I opted to run down the map and AROUND Super Duper Mart, just far enough to not be noticed by the Deathclaw.
My plan was fool proof, until I began to get a little too close to the parking lot once again. Finding myself in [Caution] I slowly began to back away toward the bridge just south of the store before turning and running away in full sprint… well, Fallout 3’s equivalent to a “full sprint”. Sprinting right into a Mirelurk King. Keep in mind, I didn’t even know better than to try and engage it! So here I am running away from the Mirelurk King back TOWARDS the Deathclaw just praying one of them would target the other. Fortunately for me the Deathclaw wasn’t having it and decided to attack the king, providing me just enough time to get the fuck outta dodge.
After this, I promptly turned off my Xbox wondering if I had just wasted $40. It would take me about a month or two before I finally gave it a second chance with a new profile and a normal ass play through. Here I am 10+ years later still playing Fallout 3 and every other Fallout title 100 times over, yet I’ve never once experienced anything that has even come close to that first one.
I’d love to hear about your first and/or worst Fallout experience! Let me know if you’ve ever experienced anything like what I went through my first time around and be sure to check out more Fallout right here!
The Fallout series mostinteresting and mysterious cut content
The Fallout series has adapted, improved, and tested numerous new ideas and gameplay modifications over the years right in front of our eyes as the series progressed. However, there are still plenty of scrapped concepts and designs that we never got to experience first hand in post-apocalyptia. The following are just a few examples of interesting and mysterious cut content of the Fallout franchise we’ve been able to uncover.
Tenpenny Tower Radio
YouTube.com/ Ketaruz
Home to the “elite” of the Capital Wasteland, Tenpenny Tower is the brainchild of founder Allistair Tenpenny. The prewar hotel remains relatively untouched by the outside world and as such, the residents have taken up a prewar lifestyle to compliment that. Dressed head to toe in Casualwear and Parkstroller outfits, you can’t expect the residents of such a classy establishment to be subjected to the rough and rowdy sounds of Galaxy News Radio! Enter Tenpenny Tower Radio. A station seemingly cut for unknown reasons in the late stages of development, several audio files can still be pulled from Allistair Tenpenny’s file!
Vault 120
Aminoapps.com
Most likely to be an end result of completing Fallout 4’s cut quest, 20 Leagues Under the Sea, Vault 120 was to be located in the waters of The Commonwealth! Files and assets for this vault can still be found using the Fallout 4 Creation Kit as well as several unused scripts referencing the underwater vault. Furthermore, Vault 120 appears to have been tossed around as an idea for the wild wasteland of Appalachia in Fallout 76 as multiple unused cells can be found for Vault 120 that are not present in the files for Fallout 4. Don’t be surprised when the next Fallout title or even 76 DLC features this underwater mystery.
Catfish Mierlurk
Fallout.Fandom.com
Sticking to the underwater genre, there have been several references to a catfish like creature across multiple titles In the Fallout franchise. That being said there shouldn’t be any surprise the idea has been toyed with as to how it should be represented in game. The only official In game name given to the creature occurs in Fallout when a fisherman speaks of a “Giant Catfish” . However, Fallout 3’s concept art shows the idea for a mierlurk variant referred to as the “Catfish Mirelurk” a mutated bipedal fish with menacing teeth and barbs that very well could’ve been another obstacle for The Lone Wanderer. Yet another entry we are expecting to eventually see become canon.
Vault 65
Fallout.fandom.com
A vault cut from the final release of Fallout 76, Vault 65 contains numerous files depicting a large scale vault including several rooms, elevators, machinery, and crafting stations. Diving into the game files will find the vault also referred to as “Vault 75” which might have been an early prototype for Vault 76 or other larger scale vaults according to Fallout Wiki. Interestingly enough while this vault was cut and may not even have ever been intended for gameplay, a Vault 65 trunk does exist alongside the other canon vault numbered containers.
Vault 11 Survivor
Fallout.Fandom.com
Naturally, a game built around the idea of surviving nuclear annihilation via underground vaults is going to have plenty of vault related content that doesn’t make it off the cutting room floor. With that said, we tack on our third vault related entry to the list. Located in the barren wastes of the Mohave, Vault 11 played host to one of Vault-Tec’s darkest social experiments. For those not familiar, residents of the vault were told each year one member of their community must be scarified in order for the rest of them to be able to sustainably survive, failure to do so would result in all dwellers death. In reality, Vault-Tec had a prepared message once the residents refused to do so explaining they are a true beacon of humanity and as a reward for not killing one another would be granted access to the vault door. Unfortunately the dwellers found this out much too late, with only 5 remaining survivors. The final five are said to have gone insane form the realization of that they had done resulting in eventual suicide or homicide of all the remaining member except for one. This one remaining member was originally meant to be able to be discovered in game with game files containing a character model able to be spawned via console commands. However, unlike the previous entries, while the NPC itself was removed, this character as a concept is still canon thanks to the Holotapes able to be collected in Vault 11.
Mister Burke
DiviantArt.com/ Vincent-Is-Mine
Now I know what you’re thinking, “Mr.Burke? One of the primary characters in Fallout 3? Someone who is directly involved in one of the largest choices the player can make in game?” Yes. While the majority of us who have played through Fallout 3 are faced early on with the option to either save or destroy the town of Megaton courtesy of Mister Burke, players who revived the Japanese version of the game did not! The Japanese release of Fallout 3 featured the removal of Mister Burke and with him the players ability to revive the detonation device, meaning destroying Megaton wasn’t even an option! While this was removed for “Cultural Reasons” and understandably so, it just seems odd to play through the events of Fallout 3 without one of the biggest choices the character has to make, as well as seemingly removing much of the appeal of Tenpenny tower.
These are just a handful of the mysteriously interesting cut content found within the Fallout series. As always, we’d love to hear your favorite content that never got the chance to make it to release day! Let us know in the comments down below, and check out more Fallout related content right here!
How far away exactly are we from the release of the next main entry in the Fallout series?
(Opinion piece featuring an estimated time table)
It’s the question that comes around every couple years, when is the next Fallout game coming out? With the varied reactions received upon the release of the online multiplayer RPG, Fallout 76 it seems now more than ever fans of the franchise have been clamoring for the next title in the series. Unfortunately, it seems as though Fallout 5 may take longer than most expected.
In September of 2020 Microsoft announced their recent purchase of ZeniMax Studios, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Upon this purchase many fans of the beloved Bethesda franchises such as Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Doom began to worry future releases of these series would be exclusive to Xbox/PC. Contrary to these rumors, Xbox head Phil Spencer stated moving forward Xbox exclusives will be determined on a “case by case basis.” This however does not mean an Xbox exclusive Fallout title is completely out of the picture just yet however. While the next project under Bethesda (after honoring their two previously agreed upon Sony exclusive titles: “Ghostwire: Tokyo” and “Deathloop”) “Starfield” will be exclusive to Xbox and PC gamers via Game Pass, moving forward it would appear doubtful to see major Bethesda titles released on Sony or Nintendo.
Bethesda.net
But when exactly could we see the next Fallout?
While we already know the previously mentioned “Starfield” will be the next title under Bethesda, it would also seem the next project in line will be “The Elder Scrolls VI” releasing sometime after 2021, according to TechRadar.com. With that being said Fallout 5 may not even be in the picture until the mid to late 2020’s! While it is possible for studios to begin working on one title before finishing another, with a series as big and as detailed as The Elder Scrolls it seems very unlikely this will be the case.
Previously in the Fallout series we’ve seen a gap as large as 7 years between main title entries Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. However in that time we were also given Fallout: New Vegas in the fall of 2010. While another minor title seems unlikely with the structure of Fallout 76 seemingly put in place to continue being updated for many years moving forward, not so improbable would be a digital remaster of one of the previously listed titles under Microsoft’s new ownership. As far as the projected release date of Fallout 5 goes, Reddit user Noah-x3 has broken down the past four main series Bethesda releases, estimating Fallout 5 might take until the year 2030 or more!
Reddit.com (Noah-x3 in r/Fallout)
Wether or not Bethesda can surprise us again like they did back in 2015 with the announcement of Fallout 4 is up in the air. Of course at this point in time it’s all still speculation but If reality looks anything like how it’s being projected however, it might be time to sit back and get comfortable with Fallout 76 and see just what exactly Bethesda has in store for the future of the series. Let is know when you believe Fallout 5 could hit the shelves in the comment section below and check out more Fallout related blogs right here!
The day of reckoning has come and love him or hate him, Todd Howard and the Bethesda team are now under the management of Microsoft. Above all else this means Todd Howard has achieved his greatest feat yet, he has sold Skyrim again. This time is the heist of the century however, $7.5 Billion. The master plan does not end there however, with the overwhelming popularity of Game Pass, Todd will be selling Skyrim to Xbox users every single month for the foreseeable future. While the future of Todd presenting the newest Bethesda titles may be up in the air, we can always look back at the wise words he has left us in the past.
“It Just Works”
tenor
There is absolutely no way we are running down the best Howardisms without kicking it off with THE most quoted line of all. “It Just Works”. Picture it, E3 2019, Bethesda Softworks own Todd Howard takes the stage, rumors have filled the air about a brand new Fallout title but have been supported by whispers of a new Skyrim variant. Then boom, there it is. Fallout 4. You sat in awe at the new iteration of the series was unveiled. The gameplay rolls on the screen as Godd Howard’s voice projects over the audience. As he explains the new world design, lore and mechanics, One assurance was made. “It Just Works”. From the game studio with more bugs than an insect exhibit, the lie that defined the future of the product and spawned millions of mems, “It Just Works”.
“Who’s Laughin’ Now?”
tenor
Coming off the cult success of the Oblivion title, ZeniMax Media’s Todd Howard sat down for a one on one interview to discuss his most recent works. During this encounter, Todd recalls how in school while other students dreamed of playing professional football, Todd always planned on becoming a game developer. To all those who doubted him Todd had one simple message, “Who’s Laughin’ Now”. Of course because the internet exists and we are all equally awful people this too was subject to become top meme material but hey, Who’s laughin now?
“You Dork, Go Back To The Chess Club
During his infamous “Who’s laughin’ now” interview came anither great line that was sadly overlooked. While the internet latched onto the previously stated line, the exclamation that follows is equally as funny in that same regard. Todd explains that while sharing his dreams of designing video games the general consensus from his peers was, “You dork, Go back to the chess club”. The line is delivered with such straight face monotone conviction that one cannot help but laugh, not to mention after a few breif moments of silence he follows it up with, “… yes I was in the chess club”. Classic Todd.
“As Far As Stupid Gimmicks Go, It’s The Best Fucking One”
gfycat
When the inhumane Godd Howard begins his reign of game unveiling he knows no bounds and can not be stopped! Alongside the introduction of Fallout 4, Todd showcased a real life Pip-boy 3000 that would be available with the collectors addition. Well surely this is a prop and will not have an actual electronic display the naïve audience collectively thought. Wrong you are peasants answered the divine one! Todd reviled that along with the Pip-boy came an app that acted as a second screen for your Fallout 4 experience. However, Todd was not shy to express his feeling s on how distracting he finds the second screen experience before quickly ensuring us all, “As far as stupid gimmicks go this is the best fucking one.” The man strikes again, dropping a hard F-bomb right there in the center of the E3 stage simply because he is Godd Howard and knows no mortal man can stop him.
“Glows In The Fucking Dark”
destructoid.com
There is no stopping this man. Another E3, another Fallout special edition. This time around Fallout 76 was announced to include a functional power armor helmet for special edition packages, but only that, as Todd so eloquently put it, the special edition would also include an in game map that, “Glows in the fucking dark.” Todd, this is why we love ya. The power of Godd Howard knows no social filters and it has since become the stuff of meme expectation for Todd to get so excited during a game announcement that he must drop the F-bomb.
“There Are Very Few Things as Good as Fallout”
Jumping back over to E3 and the presentation of Fallout 4, what better way to introduce your newest addition to the franchise than with a firm pat on your own back. While it’s amazing to hear him mutter in shaken confidence, we cannot exactly disagree with the man. Upon taking the stage an recounting how far video games have come in society, Todd take a deep breath before stumbling trough one of the greatest lines in E3 history. “There are very few things as good as Fallout”. The crowd, dressed to the nines in vault 101 jump suits, erupt along with all the viewers at home. A bold claim? Absolutely, Is he wrong though is the real question. The series will always have bugs, flaws, and skeptics but regardless of individual titles and opinions when it comes down to it, as a game, as a series, a story, and a community, when it comes to entertainment, There are very few things as good, as fallout.
“Sometimes It Doesn’t Just Work”
Oh Todd, there has never been such a strong love hate relationship as the one between the fallout community towards your leadership. Upon revealing the completely online and first ever multiplayer Fallout, Fallout 76, fans of the series were immediately divided between excitement and fear of what this may bring. While the ability to finally explore the waste with friends was on the table, so was the lingering reputation of Bethesda’s engine development. Fortunately enough for us Father Howard shared these mixed emotions as well as he introduced the Fallout 76 Beta dubbed, the Break-it Early Test Application. Now why would a man with the confidence of a god seem unsure about the quality of his engine? To quoke the man directly, he had read on the internet that, “Sometimes, It doesn’t just work”. We love you Todd. The Godd has become self-aware.
In all seriousness I am a die hard Fallout fan through and through, while people may disagree about certain entries in the series or have issues with overall bugs in gameplay, we cannot forget how much time and effort has gone into this project and how much of an impact it has had on our lives. For that we do have to give credit where credit is due to Todd Howard and all the devs from Bethesda. I encourage everyone to go and rewatch both the Fallout 4 and 76 E3 presentations as even though they may not have turned out exactly as you wanted, going back and watching them still gives you that old magic feeling of a new Fallout title.
Let me know what some of your favorite Todd Howardisms are as well as what you think the future holds for Bethesda Softworks under the banned of Microsoft by using the Discord link below! Turn on notifications to keep up to date with all the latest events and happenings and get behind the scenes access to The Rebel Podcast!
Before we dive in here let me make something abundantly clear, this list is a squeal. In order to check out all the great characters who made up the first list give Ol’ Easy Pete here a nice gentle click.
reddit.com
Now, it seems as though the last list of minor characters just didn’t cut it. While there still needs to be limitations set on just how many of these unique beings can be featured here, after further review we definitely could not live with ourselves without including these characters. Once again before we dive in I would like to remind everyone that the qualification these NPCs must meet is ultimately not having any form of barring on the main story or it’s outcome. With that in mind here are MORE of the greatest minor characters in the Fallout series.
Dave
Fallout.fandom.com
Election season is upon is and who better to kick of this list than the president himself, president of The Republic of Dave of course. Let’s face facts here, you rolled up on this little “republic” as you were patrolling the capital wastes where, surprise surprise, you find Dave, leader of The Republic of Dave and from that first interaction you had it out for this pompous SOB. Naturally, seeing organized government working in the post apocalyptic society turned your stomach and with your vast knowledge of the democratic process begin poking around asking about the election of Dave. As you begin to learn more about the ill constructed, incest filled republic, you come to find out The Republic of Dave derived from the The Kingdom of Tom, which derived form The New Republic of Stevie-Ray which itself derived from Billyslvania by way of The Republic of Stevie-Ray originally being formed after it’s predecessor The Kingdom of Larry. Dave is but a spoke on the wheel and you are about to ensure that wheel keeps turning. Whether you choose to oversee the electoral process yourself or “you gotta shoot ’em in the head” you made damn sure Dave got his reality check and you loved every minute of it.
Doc Mitchell
Tumbler
For someone not considered a “main” character, Fallout NV does not happen without Doc Mitchell pulling your ass out of the dirt and fixing you up. While we’re on the subject though, why the hell was this dude rooting around a fresh grave and playing with what he found. Regardless after Frankenstein over here finishes digging the 24 caret run of bad luck out of your noggin he goes out of his way to ensure you can walk, talk, and take a Rorschach ink blot test. (Definitely two bears high-fiving BTW.) Not to mention if you were one of the lucky few you got to see this man’s head spin right round like a record while he asked you how you felt. Talk about a way to be introduced to a game. Doc Mitchell deserves more praise for not only being the sole reason you weren’t six feet deep on Benny’s dime through out all of Fallout New Vegas but for allowing a stranger to steal literally everything from his home.
Fisto
Tumbler.com
“Please assume the position.” Need I say more?
Vault-Tec Rep.
Warosu.org
First and foremost, We know that’s you Todd Howard. You aren’t slick. Fresh off hearing about how “it just works” you boot up Fallout 4 and see this familiar face. Upon his instance and no matter how much you may have tried to avoid him The Vault-Tec rep. locked you into a family plan at your local Vault, 111. Fast forward legitimately 6 minuets, and we see our persistent friend once again being denied access to that very same vault. “I am Vault-Tec” he shouts as we chuckle being lowered into safety while he is inevitably turned to nuclear dust. You take a quick ice nap and wake up 200 years in the future with no wife and presumably no son. Remembering you left the TV on, you head to what was once your neighborhood to find just how much damage nuclear warfare can accomplish. After some chit chat with good ol’ Codsworth you set out on your quest to find your son… and apparently act as Tye Pennington for the entire commonwealth. So your travels lead you to Goodneighbor, and after the live entertainment makes you feel some way you head back to the local hotel for a good nights rest. Why not rummage through other people’s stuff while I’m here, you think to yourself, so you open the first door and who do you find? None other than Vault-Tec himself. You smiled, don’t even lie. The only other human being… well kinda… you have had any kind of bond with in over 200 years. I don’t care who you are are what kind of character you are playing, I know damn well you invited him back to Sanctuary with you. Like it or not, this is the closest living person you’ve got out there who knows you and look at you now, best buds. Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong.
Old Man Harris
Anotherwargameblog
Strolling down the streets of an almost picture perfect small community where everybody seems to be in good spirits and family values have outlasted total nuclear annihilation you seem to get the feeling something larger may be at play here. The residents of Andale welcome and greet you with open arms, even going as far as to invite you over for dinner! However one particular resident doesn’t seem to hold himself to that same regard. Old Man Harris explains to you everything is not as it seems and these people are crazy. Hey, he’s just a crazy old an the townsfolk assure you, driven mad by the death of his wife. As much as you may enjoy the change of pace you need to get to the bottom of this and thus you take the old man’s advice to check out the shed out back. Ah yes, cannibals. When confronted about your trespassing you could take the rout of, Hey to each their own, but there is just something about distraught Old Man Harris that will linger in the back of your mind. So you kill a couple people eaters, no harm no fowl right? Reporting back to this lovable Old coot, he explains he will now be taking care of the two neighborhood children himself. While your interaction with Old Man Harris my be limited, should you ever stumble back near Andale, in the back of your mind he will always have a special place. Of course, there is always this gem to take with you courtesy of Old Man Harris himself, “Better an orphan than a cannibal I guess.” All of this may be for loss however if you have been roaming The Capital Wasteland cannibal perk intact.
The Mechanist
Propnomicon
It had to be didn’t it. For arguments sake, we will be referring to the original Mechanist in Fallout 3 as the Fallout 4 iteration can be argued to be an essential character.to the DLC “story”. While jamming out to the hottest station in all of DC, Galaxy News Radio, you learn about two “costumed cookes” holding up Canterbury commons. Strap in for one of the most out there missions in the game as you diffuse the superhero movie that is The Mechanist vs. The AntAgonizer. Everything about The Mechanist would make you forget you’re playing a Fallout game, other than the endless swarms of Robobrains ruining your day. Once you engage in conversation with the self proclaimed hero, you cannot help but sit there smiling as he does his best impression of a stereotypical comic book hero. Should you chose to align yourself with him in the fight against evil and convince his arch nemesis to throw down her guns, you’ll be walking away with her AntAgonizer garb. This right here is why this spot goes to The Mechanist rather than the former, while the Legion of Doom spikes of the AntAgonizer look cool enough, you know deep down you want to BE The Mechanist. Whether you achieve this by convincing The Mechanist to step down himself or by being true neutral and giving each of them a 10mm alternative to their comic book lifestyle, you know damn sure you’re walking out of there with that armor. Hell, The Mechanist was so well received for such a minor role they brought him…well her… back in Fallout 4’s Automotron DLC.
Once again we have come to the end of another Fallout list and I’m sure there are plenty of names that have been left off. That’s one of the greatest things about the fallout series as a whole however, no matter which games you prefer they are all packed full of unique and memorable characters that don’t necessarily need to play major roles to have a major impact on your experience. As always I’d love to hear who you think the best minor characters in the Fallout franchise are and who knows, maybe there will even be yet another list.
The Fallout game series is one of the most loved and hated series at the same time. Regardless if you love it or hate it however, anyone who has sat down and taken the time to become invested in the game usually walks away with some redeeming experience. The Fallout series follows the protagonists on their individual journeys across the vast and barren wasteland on their respective quests. Now, anyone who has ever played a Fallout game knows the real fun comes not from that main questline, but rather the side quests and intriguing characters you’ll meet along the way. Quests and characters that ultimately have no real barring on the overall outcome of the story, yet seemingly exist to make the path you take there all the more enjoyable. The following NPCs are worthy of a spot at the top of that list and will truly never be forgotten when we look back on our in game choices.
Easy Pete
Reddit
Just picture it, you find yourself on the wrong end of an 18-Karat run of bad luck ending with a bullet lodged firmly in your dome piece. When you wake up, surprisingly, after the local town Dr. finishes scraping the led from your noggin and deems you mentally fit… somehow, you wander into the one horse town and up to the local saloon where just outside the door you find a soft spoken Ol’ feller appropriately named Easy Pete. Admit it, the sight of the old prospector outside the bar drew your interest more that popping off some shots on empty bottles out back. You wanted to know more, you wanted to be his friend, and when those nasty old powder gangers rode into town you wanted his dynamite. Regardless on if he would fork over the loot or not, you fought your heart out to protect not the tow of Goodsprings, but Easy Pete.
Gary!
Funnyjunk.com
By this point in your travels as The Lone Wanderer you have begun to grow accustomed to some of the more predictable elements of The Capital Wasteland. You enter an abandoned school, Raiders. Snooping around in downtown D.C., Mutants. Breaking into a government controlled underground vault system, some raiders, bugs, wastelanders, nothing too fancy there right? Wrong. Enter Vault 108. Upon cracking open the nuclear worn sealed door, you will be greeted with faint yet ominous, “Gary”. “My name’s not Gary ” you may think to yourself as you proceed to explore deeper, unless your name really is Gary… yikes. As you bypass the mandatory post war vault corpses you begin to notice they are in fact ALL Gary. Then boom, faster than you can think twice about the fact your dad sounds eerily similar to Liam Neeson, a swarm of vault dwellers with the vocabulary equivalent of a Pikachu are plumbing you wit a vast array of melee attacks as they all call out, “Gary”. However once you have defeated the relatively small army of Commander Cody bootlegs and begin your ascension back to the surface, you come to realize how much you enjoyed your visit in Vault 108. You laugh audibly at the fact the dialect comprised entirely of the word “Gary” still involved punctuation and enunciation. From there on out, you could never hear the name “Gary” the same way ever again.
Behold! For he is the prophet of Atom and leader of the undying glow! You stroll into a metal heap fresh off a newly acquired set of daddy issues and after being greeted by Calamity Jane waltz down the crumbling isle way to find a man shouting at an active nuclear bomb that is conveniently placed in the center of town. Without even stopping to think that somewhere out over the horizon this bumbling cesspool might be considered an eye sore, you engage in conversation with the man who is knee deep in irradiated water preaching about “The Glow”. You decide to humor him and toss him 10 rusty bottle caps that have been surely giving you tetanus for days now, and ask him just what in the blue hell his issue is. He informs you that you are now dwelling in his sacred land and that every eye will be blinded by his glory and every ear stricken def to hear the thunder of his voice, Atom that is of course, who lets not forget, is an active atomic bomb. Nevertheless his stories entertain you and you carry on your way now knowing there is in fact organized religion in the wasteland, well more of cult but to each their own. All fun and games right, until you’re be escorted into a basement of a burned down house and being nothing short of breast fed “holy water” by a bunch of dudes high off battery fumes. Even after all that though, you’d feel bad about blowing up Megaton because you’d miss your irradiated little buddy. Hell, he’s even popular out in the commonwealth.
Dukov
Youtube.com/Oxhorn
Slinkin’ around downtown near the metros of D.C. and acting like for some unknown reason you are more important than it’s other patrons, you find yourself between a rock and a hard place. By that of course we mean between a sizable camp of raiders placed conveniently in front of a camp of super mutants and an Enclave post (yes, we play with Broken Steel like we were meant to). Naturally instincts kick in as you slip between them into an open building between the two. Inside is not your typical office building or abandon super market however, rather a full scale bachelor pad! When a man who could only ever be described as a cross between Hugh Hefner and Vladimir Putin approaches you wearing nothing but some sexy sleepwear you begin to believe you’ve made the right choice. After you emotionally recover from being given the nickname “Clown shoes” you come to realize while Dukov may live in the middle of a hell hole with two prostitutes who are about as trust worthy as Amada, it’s still a pretty solid set up. Not to mention a fast track to free booze and pre-war money. All thanks to you, you crazy stereotype sex god.
Harold
Giant Bomb
It had to be didn’t it. The absolute greatest minor character in the history of the franchise. What starts out as a bright new adventure exploring the hub gets intriguing when you run into a friendly ghoul, who oddly enough has a sapling sprouted from his head. To each his own you figure and begin listening to his story, which is essentially the entire backstory for the game even though Harold remains largely minute in his actual in game role. After many hours of getting the water chip and putting The Master in his place (you better have), Bing, bang, boom, roll credits. You move on with life until the next generation of the most compelling game in existence brings you back the sweet sensation of post-apocalyptia. Bam here we go. Who am I, The Chosen One (Not Drew McIntyre). What am I doing here, finding the GECK. Got it! But wait, guess who’s waiting in Gecko. It’s our boy tree head, Harold and Bob, that would be the name of the ever growing tree in Harold’s brain, and they want their power plant fixed. Simple enough, fix the plant, move on with life, end the president, obtain the GECK, save the wastes. Another year in the books, but wait, Fallout is back… IN DAZZLING 3D. After hours of searching for your old man, or lets face it, exploring the niche areas of the map because that’s the selling point here really isn’t it, you stumble upon Oasis. Greeted not by Liam or Noel Gallagher, but equally as shocking… trees! Trees blooming with life as far as the eye can see! But why, why are trees growing here and not in the rest of the hellscape that is The Capital Wasteland? I’ll tell you why, Harold. Taking a big ol’ hike up to D.C. Harold and Bob have hunkered down, by decision of Bob and are now the focal point of a cult. Being a cult icon ain’t always jet and hookers though my friend, so once and for all we get to close this chapter of human… tree history and take Harold out behind the wood shed.
In all honesty this was the hardest article I have ever written, don’t get me wrong it was physically the easiest, once I began typing everything just flowed so naturally. The hard part was narrowing down the list of names to a select few! As I am currently writing this there is a list of 13 more names I considered for spot on this blog. Who knows, maybe we’ll do this again sometime soon! If you’d like to see more content like this leave a comment down below and let me know what you thought!
Style's Rebel Radio 