Brotherhood of Steel
The Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland is a splinter faction of the original Brotherhood of Steel. Its headquarters is the Citadel, built into and beneath the ruins of the Pentagon on the edge of what used to be Washington, D.C.. As of 2277, it is led by Owyn Lyons and is one of the most important and influential factions in the Capital Wasteland.
History
Main article: History of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel
Following the destruction of the Enclave on the West Coast, the Brotherhood dispatched an expedition to Washington D.C. on a mission to reconnect with the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel, investigate reports of super mutants in the area and recover any advanced technology. Led by Elder Owyn Lyons, the group included Ishmael Ashur, Reginald Rothchild and Lyons' 3 year old daughter, Sarah.
Contact with the Midwest chapter was unsuccessful, so the group traveled to Pittsburgh. The city was being terrorized by wildmen, trogs, slavers and raiders. Lyons' force swept through the city, destroying many hostiles and suffering only one casualty: Ishmael Ashur. Believing him to be dead, the Brotherhood gathered the surviving children into their ranks and continued toward Washington D.C.
On their arrival, the wilderness outside the city was overrun by super mutants. Attacking head on, they drove the mutants into the ruins of Washington D.C. and earned the favor of the local population. Their investigation of the Pentagon uncovered a remarkable cache of technology, including the two-story tall Liberty Prime. The discovery earned Owyn Lyons a promotion to Elder and a change in his orders: Instead of returning to the West Coast, they would establish a permanent presence in the area. They founded their base, the Citadel, in the remnants of the old Pentagon.
The Brotherhood's actions toward people in Pittsburgh and in Washington marked a characteristic trait of Elder Lyons' leadership. The Brotherhood's primary objective was to recover and preserve technology. In many prior instances this directive was followed, even in the face of human suffering. Elder Lyon's faction prioritized people's lives and well-being over machines. When the Elders in Lost Hills learned of these new priorities, they cut off all support to the Capital Wasteland chapter, though they still considered it as part of the Brotherhood. The chapter suffered a further setback when a number from within their ranks left in protest to form the Brotherhood Outcasts.
It was in this weakened and isolated state that it was possible for the Enclave, having relocated from the Core Region as well, to re-establish a base of continual operations at Raven Rock, to make its move. They seized Project Purity, then set up outposts in Washington D.C. and its surrounding wilderness. However, with the assistance of the Lone Wanderer, the Brotherhood ended the Enclave's presence in the known region; driving them first from Project Purity and then from their final holdout at Adams Air Force Base. The fate of the Enclave as a whole after these events remain a mystery.
Society
The Brotherhood of Steel is a neo-knightly order that rose from the ashes of the American military of the West Coast in the years following the devastation of 2077. The organization's tenets include the eradication of mutants and worship of technology, and the Brotherhood has never been very keen on sharing their resources with their fellow wastelanders (whom they consider too ignorant and irresponsible to deserve such advanced technology).
The Brotherhood is generally beneficial to humanity, but they have their faults: they don't care for mutants, they worship technology (and in many cases put it above human life), and they don't like to share their choicest technological discoveries, despite the obvious benefits their technology could bring to the Wasteland. It's commonly accepted within the Brotherhood that the people of the Wasteland are not responsible enough to use and maintain all of the technology the Brotherhood has at their disposal. They are known for trading some of their technologies with frontier communities and NCR states, but they keep the more sensitive technologies to themselves.
Unlike the chivalrous knights of old, members of the Brotherhood are not interested in justice for the obviously weaker and less fortunate around them, but instead in keeping their secrecy and preserving and developing technology. Their motives are often unclear, and Brotherhood members are not people to be trifled with. The east coast contingent of the Brotherhood has "gone native" under the leadership of Elder Owyn Lyons. Lyons believes he has a responsibility to protect the people of the Capital Wasteland from the super mutant threat. His knights have forgone the mission to recover new technology, and instead acts as a kind of security force. Lyons runs operations from a stronghold christened the Citadel, a heavily defended structure built from the ruins of an ancient building known as "the Pentagon."
Military
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood is divided into three clear ranks.
Initiates who are born into the Brotherhood or local volunteers who are recruited to become members, however in recent years this has become a problem, with many of the Initiates lacking proper training and being rushed into combat. Unfortunately, these are the most numerous members of the Brotherhood's ground forces.
Knights and Knight Captains are members who have served time in the Brotherhood and have become fully fledged members. They are the main backbone, less common than Initiates, but much better fighters.
Paladins are veterans of the Brotherhood, many being members of Elder Lyons' original party that came out to D.C. They are among the best of the Brotherhood and are often high ranking field commanders or used in elite strike teams. Sentinel Lyons is the highest ranking field commander and answers directly to Elder Lyons, she leads the Lyon's Pride, the best soldiers of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel, in one squad.
Members
See: Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel characters
Rank system
See: Brotherhood of Steel ranks#Capital Wasteland
Relations with the outside
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood was known to trade with outsiders, but as of 2277, there have been many incidents which has dissuaded the Brotherhood from such activities. Also the Brotherhood was known to help patrol and defend settlements like Megaton, until the super mutant threat became so big that they were forced to pull out of many key locations. When out in the wastes, they try to protect any and all innocent wastelanders they find, and recruit them if possible. They are also known to hire mercs, such as Reilly's Rangers, to carry out jobs they are unable to handle.
Technology
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood primarily uses T-45d power armor, this armor is much more widely issued, being given to most front-line personnel, and not just select Paladins. Given this, it is possible that most of the Brotherhood's power armor was salvaged from the ruins of the Pentagon, and from other military facilities encountered during their journey east, and used to replace damaged or worn Brotherhood armor and Brotherhood T-51b power armor. It's also very likely due to Rothchild salvaging the Enclave's technology from the mobile base crawler and overall Capital Wasteland Brotherhood usage of Enclave technology from fallen troopers, they have the Enclave's newer power armor models, such as the advanced power armor Mk II, Tesla power armor, and finally the most advanced Enclave Hellfire armor.
They still use energy weapons, mostly the laser rifle and the laser pistol. However, due to the difficulty of finding, producing new parts, maintaining the laser based weapons, and the fact that the Brotherhood no longer receives supplies from the west coast, many paladins use traditional guns, notably the standard assault rifle and the Chinese assault rifle.
Ishmael Ashur of the Pitt wears a version of a T-45d power armor suit that has been heavily modified due to a long amount of use, and few pieces of power armor available. Since Ashur had worn this suit during the Scourge, it's possible that the Brotherhood came across the suits earlier than at the Pentagon.
The Brotherhood formerly had access to Liberty Prime, a super-robot that stands 40 ft tall with enough weapons to decimate anything in its way. It was destroyed by a massive 8 second long orbital missile strike, although members of the Brotherhood hold high hopes of his reconstruction. After the war against the Enclave, the Brotherhood gained access to Vertibirds.
History
Main article: History of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel
Following the destruction of the Enclave on the West Coast, the Brotherhood dispatched an expedition to Washington D.C. on a mission to reconnect with the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel, investigate reports of super mutants in the area and recover any advanced technology. Led by Elder Owyn Lyons, the group included Ishmael Ashur, Reginald Rothchild and Lyons' 3 year old daughter, Sarah.
Contact with the Midwest chapter was unsuccessful, so the group traveled to Pittsburgh. The city was being terrorized by wildmen, trogs, slavers and raiders. Lyons' force swept through the city, destroying many hostiles and suffering only one casualty: Ishmael Ashur. Believing him to be dead, the Brotherhood gathered the surviving children into their ranks and continued toward Washington D.C.
On their arrival, the wilderness outside the city was overrun by super mutants. Attacking head on, they drove the mutants into the ruins of Washington D.C. and earned the favor of the local population. Their investigation of the Pentagon uncovered a remarkable cache of technology, including the two-story tall Liberty Prime. The discovery earned Owyn Lyons a promotion to Elder and a change in his orders: Instead of returning to the West Coast, they would establish a permanent presence in the area. They founded their base, the Citadel, in the remnants of the old Pentagon.
The Brotherhood's actions toward people in Pittsburgh and in Washington marked a characteristic trait of Elder Lyons' leadership. The Brotherhood's primary objective was to recover and preserve technology. In many prior instances this directive was followed, even in the face of human suffering. Elder Lyon's faction prioritized people's lives and well-being over machines. When the Elders in Lost Hills learned of these new priorities, they cut off all support to the Capital Wasteland chapter, though they still considered it as part of the Brotherhood. The chapter suffered a further setback when a number from within their ranks left in protest to form the Brotherhood Outcasts.
It was in this weakened and isolated state that it was possible for the Enclave, having relocated from the Core Region as well, to re-establish a base of continual operations at Raven Rock, to make its move. They seized Project Purity, then set up outposts in Washington D.C. and its surrounding wilderness. However, with the assistance of the Lone Wanderer, the Brotherhood ended the Enclave's presence in the known region; driving them first from Project Purity and then from their final holdout at Adams Air Force Base. The fate of the Enclave as a whole after these events remain a mystery.
Society
The Brotherhood of Steel is a neo-knightly order that rose from the ashes of the American military of the West Coast in the years following the devastation of 2077. The organization's tenets include the eradication of mutants and worship of technology, and the Brotherhood has never been very keen on sharing their resources with their fellow wastelanders (whom they consider too ignorant and irresponsible to deserve such advanced technology).
The Brotherhood is generally beneficial to humanity, but they have their faults: they don't care for mutants, they worship technology (and in many cases put it above human life), and they don't like to share their choicest technological discoveries, despite the obvious benefits their technology could bring to the Wasteland. It's commonly accepted within the Brotherhood that the people of the Wasteland are not responsible enough to use and maintain all of the technology the Brotherhood has at their disposal. They are known for trading some of their technologies with frontier communities and NCR states, but they keep the more sensitive technologies to themselves.
Unlike the chivalrous knights of old, members of the Brotherhood are not interested in justice for the obviously weaker and less fortunate around them, but instead in keeping their secrecy and preserving and developing technology. Their motives are often unclear, and Brotherhood members are not people to be trifled with. The east coast contingent of the Brotherhood has "gone native" under the leadership of Elder Owyn Lyons. Lyons believes he has a responsibility to protect the people of the Capital Wasteland from the super mutant threat. His knights have forgone the mission to recover new technology, and instead acts as a kind of security force. Lyons runs operations from a stronghold christened the Citadel, a heavily defended structure built from the ruins of an ancient building known as "the Pentagon."
Military
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood is divided into three clear ranks.
Initiates who are born into the Brotherhood or local volunteers who are recruited to become members, however in recent years this has become a problem, with many of the Initiates lacking proper training and being rushed into combat. Unfortunately, these are the most numerous members of the Brotherhood's ground forces.
Knights and Knight Captains are members who have served time in the Brotherhood and have become fully fledged members. They are the main backbone, less common than Initiates, but much better fighters.
Paladins are veterans of the Brotherhood, many being members of Elder Lyons' original party that came out to D.C. They are among the best of the Brotherhood and are often high ranking field commanders or used in elite strike teams. Sentinel Lyons is the highest ranking field commander and answers directly to Elder Lyons, she leads the Lyon's Pride, the best soldiers of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel, in one squad.
Members
See: Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel characters
Rank system
See: Brotherhood of Steel ranks#Capital Wasteland
Relations with the outside
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood was known to trade with outsiders, but as of 2277, there have been many incidents which has dissuaded the Brotherhood from such activities. Also the Brotherhood was known to help patrol and defend settlements like Megaton, until the super mutant threat became so big that they were forced to pull out of many key locations. When out in the wastes, they try to protect any and all innocent wastelanders they find, and recruit them if possible. They are also known to hire mercs, such as Reilly's Rangers, to carry out jobs they are unable to handle.
Technology
The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood primarily uses T-45d power armor, this armor is much more widely issued, being given to most front-line personnel, and not just select Paladins. Given this, it is possible that most of the Brotherhood's power armor was salvaged from the ruins of the Pentagon, and from other military facilities encountered during their journey east, and used to replace damaged or worn Brotherhood armor and Brotherhood T-51b power armor. It's also very likely due to Rothchild salvaging the Enclave's technology from the mobile base crawler and overall Capital Wasteland Brotherhood usage of Enclave technology from fallen troopers, they have the Enclave's newer power armor models, such as the advanced power armor Mk II, Tesla power armor, and finally the most advanced Enclave Hellfire armor.
They still use energy weapons, mostly the laser rifle and the laser pistol. However, due to the difficulty of finding, producing new parts, maintaining the laser based weapons, and the fact that the Brotherhood no longer receives supplies from the west coast, many paladins use traditional guns, notably the standard assault rifle and the Chinese assault rifle.
Ishmael Ashur of the Pitt wears a version of a T-45d power armor suit that has been heavily modified due to a long amount of use, and few pieces of power armor available. Since Ashur had worn this suit during the Scourge, it's possible that the Brotherhood came across the suits earlier than at the Pentagon.
The Brotherhood formerly had access to Liberty Prime, a super-robot that stands 40 ft tall with enough weapons to decimate anything in its way. It was destroyed by a massive 8 second long orbital missile strike, although members of the Brotherhood hold high hopes of his reconstruction. After the war against the Enclave, the Brotherhood gained access to Vertibirds.
Brotherhood Outcasts
Background
The Brotherhood Outcasts are a contingent of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers who separated themselves from Elder Lyons' group at the Citadel. The Outcasts attributed their departure to their belief that Elder Lyons had lost sight of the Brotherhood’s true mission, and the reason for their presence in the Capital Wasteland: the discovery and acquisition of advanced pre-War technology. Dissatisfied with Lyons' focus on protecting the population of the Capital Wasteland, a group of Brotherhood members led by Henry Casdin absconded from the Citadel in the middle of the night, taking advanced technology and weaponry with them. Headed by Casdin, the dissidents made their way south to Fort Independence, where they pushed back the indigenous raider groups and seized the pre-War installation for use as their headquarters. Termed “Outcasts” by their angered former brothers and sisters, the renegade soldiers adopted the name as a badge of honor, painting their armor red and black to distinguish themselves from the organization they no longer serve.
Although Lyons and the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel view the Outcasts as traitors, they do not consider themselves as such. In their eyes, they remain the true Brotherhood of Steel, and it is Lyons who has deserted the principles the Brotherhood stands for. The Outcasts believe that their actions will be vindicated when they return to the primary Brotherhood on the West Coast. Until that day, they continue to uphold the Brotherhood’s mission to reclaim advanced technology, exploring areas such as the Virtual Strategic Solutions facility in an effort to uncover new forms of pre-War tech.
Organization
Brotherhood Outcasts wear T-45d power armor repainted black and red. To compensate for their reduced numbers, the Outcasts have supplemented their forces with a number of reprogrammed robobrains, sentry bots, and protectrons painted with the same colors.
In addition to procuring and stockpiling technology from the Capital Wasteland's many ruins, the Outcasts analyze and reverse-engineer what they find, leaving logs at their bases that record their work.
Their main base in the Washington, D.C. area is Fort Independence, though there is at least one other known Outcast Outpost. While the Brotherhood of Steel patrols the D.C. ruins, Brotherhood Outcast patrols are common in the Capital Wasteland. Outcast patrols typically involve three Brotherhood Outcasts (often comprised of one armed with a ranged weapon, one armed with a melee weapon, and one armed with a heavy weapon) or, more commonly, 1-2 outcasts and an Outcast protectron or robobrain. There are three "ranks" of Brotherhood Outcast, which appear according to the player's level, with higher-level Outcasts possessing more hit points and better weapons. Outcast patrols are neutral if not quite friendly towards the player, and will fight against hostile enemies such as raiders, Enclave, creatures, and rogue robots.
Relations
Relations with the Lone Wanderer
The Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts show great disdain towards wastelanders. While not hostile, they will constantly insult and berate the Lone Wanderer. Though the player character can make a deal with them at Fort Independence, it is not possible to join their faction. If the player character is caught trying to enter their base or killing Protector Henry Casdin, the Outcasts will become hostile, unless the player character has delivered enough technology to them to be considered a friend. Even if the Lone Wanderer begins to be considered as a friend, the Outcasts will still berate the player character for his/her's assumed technological backwardness, unless the player is wearing Outcast power armor, in which case the Outcasts will treat them as one of them.
Access to Fort Independence is never technically "given" but after supplying Protector Casdin with enough scrap metal, energy weapons, and/or power armors, the dialog option "So are we good? Do you trust me enough now?" appears when speaking to Protector Casdin. This is usually when it becomes safe to pick the locked door to Fort Independence, providing the player character does not pick the lock with an Outcast watching.
Protector Casdin does engage in nearby firefights and can sometimes be found dead at Fort Independence making the free form quest to deliver materials impossible. Searching his corpse reveals a door key, but using it will still turn the Outcasts hostile upon entering Fort Independence.
Outcast members are scripted as evil characters (despite being more gray in outlook than black). Thus, fingers can be taken off their corpses if the player character takes the Lawbringer perk. Interestingly, Protector Casdin, Defender Rockfowl, and Defender Morgan drop ears but the player character's Karma is not affected.
Relations with other factions
The Brotherhood Outcasts are considered hostile by the Brotherhood of Steel, and vice versa. Outcast and Lyons Brotherhood members will engage each other on sight. This is somewhat surprising, as Elder Lyons professes to understand the reason for the Outcasts' departure. It is unknown whether this open hostility is due to orders from Casdin, Lyons, or mutual anger and distrust between the rank-and-file soldiers of the two organizations.
Although the Outcasts emphasize collecting technology as their primary mission, not the protection of the populace, Outcast patrols will still engage hostile enemies such as raider groups, super mutant bands and Enclave patrols, although this is probably in self-defense. Similarly, Outcast patrols will not fire upon neutral Wasteland inhabitants such as scavengers.
Technology
Brotherhood outcast soldiers are formidable opponents. They have superior protection, weaponry, and skills to virtually every faction encountered in the Capital Wasteland, including raiders, Talon Company mercenaries, and most indigenous fauna the Wasteland has to offer. Outcasts generally, though not always, operate in patrols of 3 units(a typical patrol consists of two soldiers and one robot, or three men, one melee attacker, one mid-ranged, one heavy weapon user), making them a bit more dangerous as all of them can open fire the second a hostile appears. Outcast patrols are generally weaker than Enclave kill-teams, however, and frequently lose to them in direct combat unless the Outcast squad is making use of heavy weapons. Fortunately for the player, Outcasts are usually not hostile (but gruff and rude) when encountered, making their appearance often helpful. Outcasts will fight any of the more hostile indigenous factions and creatures, saving you ammunition, time, and energy, and their fallen can be looted for Outcast power armor and advanced weapons.
Outcast patrols generally use the following weapons:
10mm SMG
R91 assault rifle
AEP7 laser pistol
Super sledge
Ripper
AER9 laser rifle
Missile launcher
Flamer
Minigun
Gatling laser
Frag grenades
Frag mines
Power fist
Also any weapon salvaged from other enemies (If you see an Outcast carrying, say, a plasma rifle, combat shotgun, sniper rifle, or Chinese assault rifle, this is, more likely than not, the reason)
In addition to having human members, the Outcasts make extensive use of protectrons, sentry bots and robobrains. A few squads will even make use of particularly powerful sentry bots, equipped with Gatling lasers. All of the above can be easily spotted by their red-and-black-flecked paint job, mimicking those of their Outcast masters. While the protectron is hardly a wonderful combatant, the robobrain can prove a challenge, and the sentry bot is outright deadly. Particularly strong squads have a higher concentration of better gear.
The Brotherhood Outcasts are a contingent of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers who separated themselves from Elder Lyons' group at the Citadel. The Outcasts attributed their departure to their belief that Elder Lyons had lost sight of the Brotherhood’s true mission, and the reason for their presence in the Capital Wasteland: the discovery and acquisition of advanced pre-War technology. Dissatisfied with Lyons' focus on protecting the population of the Capital Wasteland, a group of Brotherhood members led by Henry Casdin absconded from the Citadel in the middle of the night, taking advanced technology and weaponry with them. Headed by Casdin, the dissidents made their way south to Fort Independence, where they pushed back the indigenous raider groups and seized the pre-War installation for use as their headquarters. Termed “Outcasts” by their angered former brothers and sisters, the renegade soldiers adopted the name as a badge of honor, painting their armor red and black to distinguish themselves from the organization they no longer serve.
Although Lyons and the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel view the Outcasts as traitors, they do not consider themselves as such. In their eyes, they remain the true Brotherhood of Steel, and it is Lyons who has deserted the principles the Brotherhood stands for. The Outcasts believe that their actions will be vindicated when they return to the primary Brotherhood on the West Coast. Until that day, they continue to uphold the Brotherhood’s mission to reclaim advanced technology, exploring areas such as the Virtual Strategic Solutions facility in an effort to uncover new forms of pre-War tech.
Organization
Brotherhood Outcasts wear T-45d power armor repainted black and red. To compensate for their reduced numbers, the Outcasts have supplemented their forces with a number of reprogrammed robobrains, sentry bots, and protectrons painted with the same colors.
In addition to procuring and stockpiling technology from the Capital Wasteland's many ruins, the Outcasts analyze and reverse-engineer what they find, leaving logs at their bases that record their work.
Their main base in the Washington, D.C. area is Fort Independence, though there is at least one other known Outcast Outpost. While the Brotherhood of Steel patrols the D.C. ruins, Brotherhood Outcast patrols are common in the Capital Wasteland. Outcast patrols typically involve three Brotherhood Outcasts (often comprised of one armed with a ranged weapon, one armed with a melee weapon, and one armed with a heavy weapon) or, more commonly, 1-2 outcasts and an Outcast protectron or robobrain. There are three "ranks" of Brotherhood Outcast, which appear according to the player's level, with higher-level Outcasts possessing more hit points and better weapons. Outcast patrols are neutral if not quite friendly towards the player, and will fight against hostile enemies such as raiders, Enclave, creatures, and rogue robots.
Relations
Relations with the Lone Wanderer
The Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts show great disdain towards wastelanders. While not hostile, they will constantly insult and berate the Lone Wanderer. Though the player character can make a deal with them at Fort Independence, it is not possible to join their faction. If the player character is caught trying to enter their base or killing Protector Henry Casdin, the Outcasts will become hostile, unless the player character has delivered enough technology to them to be considered a friend. Even if the Lone Wanderer begins to be considered as a friend, the Outcasts will still berate the player character for his/her's assumed technological backwardness, unless the player is wearing Outcast power armor, in which case the Outcasts will treat them as one of them.
Access to Fort Independence is never technically "given" but after supplying Protector Casdin with enough scrap metal, energy weapons, and/or power armors, the dialog option "So are we good? Do you trust me enough now?" appears when speaking to Protector Casdin. This is usually when it becomes safe to pick the locked door to Fort Independence, providing the player character does not pick the lock with an Outcast watching.
Protector Casdin does engage in nearby firefights and can sometimes be found dead at Fort Independence making the free form quest to deliver materials impossible. Searching his corpse reveals a door key, but using it will still turn the Outcasts hostile upon entering Fort Independence.
Outcast members are scripted as evil characters (despite being more gray in outlook than black). Thus, fingers can be taken off their corpses if the player character takes the Lawbringer perk. Interestingly, Protector Casdin, Defender Rockfowl, and Defender Morgan drop ears but the player character's Karma is not affected.
Relations with other factions
The Brotherhood Outcasts are considered hostile by the Brotherhood of Steel, and vice versa. Outcast and Lyons Brotherhood members will engage each other on sight. This is somewhat surprising, as Elder Lyons professes to understand the reason for the Outcasts' departure. It is unknown whether this open hostility is due to orders from Casdin, Lyons, or mutual anger and distrust between the rank-and-file soldiers of the two organizations.
Although the Outcasts emphasize collecting technology as their primary mission, not the protection of the populace, Outcast patrols will still engage hostile enemies such as raider groups, super mutant bands and Enclave patrols, although this is probably in self-defense. Similarly, Outcast patrols will not fire upon neutral Wasteland inhabitants such as scavengers.
Technology
Brotherhood outcast soldiers are formidable opponents. They have superior protection, weaponry, and skills to virtually every faction encountered in the Capital Wasteland, including raiders, Talon Company mercenaries, and most indigenous fauna the Wasteland has to offer. Outcasts generally, though not always, operate in patrols of 3 units(a typical patrol consists of two soldiers and one robot, or three men, one melee attacker, one mid-ranged, one heavy weapon user), making them a bit more dangerous as all of them can open fire the second a hostile appears. Outcast patrols are generally weaker than Enclave kill-teams, however, and frequently lose to them in direct combat unless the Outcast squad is making use of heavy weapons. Fortunately for the player, Outcasts are usually not hostile (but gruff and rude) when encountered, making their appearance often helpful. Outcasts will fight any of the more hostile indigenous factions and creatures, saving you ammunition, time, and energy, and their fallen can be looted for Outcast power armor and advanced weapons.
Outcast patrols generally use the following weapons:
10mm SMG
R91 assault rifle
AEP7 laser pistol
Super sledge
Ripper
AER9 laser rifle
Missile launcher
Flamer
Minigun
Gatling laser
Frag grenades
Frag mines
Power fist
Also any weapon salvaged from other enemies (If you see an Outcast carrying, say, a plasma rifle, combat shotgun, sniper rifle, or Chinese assault rifle, this is, more likely than not, the reason)
In addition to having human members, the Outcasts make extensive use of protectrons, sentry bots and robobrains. A few squads will even make use of particularly powerful sentry bots, equipped with Gatling lasers. All of the above can be easily spotted by their red-and-black-flecked paint job, mimicking those of their Outcast masters. While the protectron is hardly a wonderful combatant, the robobrain can prove a challenge, and the sentry bot is outright deadly. Particularly strong squads have a higher concentration of better gear.
Chinese remnants
The members of this faction are the last known, scattered remnants of Chinese military operations in the United States after the Great War. These spies, intelligence agents, and special-ops soldiers were stuck on foreign soil and continue to exist after many years as ghouls. Their numbers are considerably few, and encountering them is unlikely unless one should stumble across their covert operation from years ago at Mama Dolce's.
Enclave
The Enclave is a secretive political and military organization that is descended directly from members of the pre-War United States government, and claims to be the legally-sanctioned continuation of the government while styling themselves as such.[4] The Enclave comprises mostly descendants of government officials and military elite, and some others such as those with ties to powerful corporations who retreated to the Poseidon Energy Oil Rig.
Overview
The Enclave takes pride in being the last known concentrated bastion of pure, unmutated humanity, aside from the unopened Vaults, and being the most technologically advanced faction in the wasteland. Because of the effects of radiation and the Forced Evolutionary Virus on the people of the Wasteland, most members of the Enclave generally do not consider them to be human any more because of these hazards. They, as well as other mutated creatures, like the various generations of super mutants and ghouls, are considered to be abominations that are, at best, to be used as conscripted assets or slaves, and at worst, eradicated so that "true humanity" could take its place as the "real" nation of America.
The government is headed by a President, and, according to the speeches made on Enclave Radio, there is some form of Congress.[5] The Enclave's scientists continue to do research on armor (e.g. the advanced power armor) and weapons after the War and thus are better equipped than the Brotherhood of Steel, who only have U.S. Military standard issue left over from when the Great War broke out. The Enclave had managed to gain access to one of the last known supplies of fossil fuel in the post-nuclear world.
Background
Main article: History of the Enclave
Origins
USA Flag Pre-War
The Star-Spangled Banner
One of the few old world organizations to survive the Great War, the Enclave finds its roots in various branches of the pre-War American government. Its founding members embraced the inevitability of nuclear war. They believed that the common man of the nation could not survive it. With most believing that as long as the 'important people' of the United States survived, they could regroup quickly when worse came to worst and wipe out communism once and for all.
Though not technically a part of the Enclave, many powerful corporations lobbied for the benefits that they hoped would result from government-sanctioned war contracts. Based in many of the Enclave's research facilities, most were protected or grazed during the nuclear firestorm of 2077.
In 2073, as the global race to exploit the handful of remaining natural resources reached its most fevered peak, the United States managed to stake a claim on the entire world's last known supply of crude oil, buried thousands of feet beneath the Pacific Ocean. Poseidon Oil, which in the years leading to the war became the world's leading monopoly on remaining oil reserves, was contracted to build an oil rig and extract the precious oil.
Finally, early in the fateful year of 2077, with the planet ultimately headed directly for nuclear devastation, the President of the United States and various other members of the continuity of government fell back to multiple fortified areas around the world. The Poseidon Oil Rig in the Pacific Ocean was chosen as their main hidden fortress with which the United States could continue to exist and wage war on China, with the eventual goal of retaking the continental United States and wiping out communism forever. Other members of the Enclave retreated to remote locations in other parts of the world, but when the bombs began to fly, they lost communications with the main group.[7]
As the world burnt in nuclear hellfire and the United States with it, its President, and the Enclave, remnants of the pre-War American government,assumed positions and established themselves as its continuation...
The Vault Experiment
A poster advertising the Vault program.
Falloutvaultsecure
The Vaults were funded by the U.S. government and, accordingly, the government had control over them. Ostensibly, they were intended to allow a selection of privileged United States citizens to survive the Great War. Secretly, however, a large part of the Vault Project had a far more sinister goal.
Gametitle-VB The following is based on Van Buren and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
The U.S. government's real plan to survive a nuclear war was simply to find another planet to live on after blowing up Earth. A spacecraft designed to ferry the human race to another planet was either under construction or ready to go before the War. The plan was for the government to flee to the oil rig, and then leave in a spaceship for another planet.
Any voyage to space or recolonization of Earth would have been very difficult and fraught with unforeseeable complications. Thus, many of the Vaults were designed to have some sort of critical flaw in order to test how an average American would be able to deal with various circumstances. Vault 12 in Bakersfield had a faulty Vault door that wouldn't close all the way, allowing dangerous radiation to leak in, leading to the creation of California's ghoul population. Vault 15 was built normally (the rock slide that buried its control center was accidental), but was populated with a diverse mix of races and people to see what sort of tensions arise when varied backgrounds are packed into a small environment. Vault 13 was intended to stay shut for a full 200 years to test the effects of long term isolation. Vault 101 was to be sealed permanently to study the evolution of small communities in complete isolation from the rest of the world. The types and purposes of the experiments go on.
Eventually, due to either a change of plans by the Enclave's leadership or the spacecraft being destroyed, the Enclave abandoned their initial goal of settling on another planet, and decided to resettle the one they already had, although the Vault monitoring and research continued as the Societal Preservation Program. In order to monitor the populations being experimented upon, the Enclave's oil rig possessed a great deal of equipment that allowed them to observe and control the Vaults. For example, the Enclave sent the all clear signal to Vault 8 shortly after the War, prompting them to leave their Vault and build their city. These monitoring tools also let the Enclave see that the population of Vault 13 was largely intact, although this wouldn't become important until much later.
Rise to Power
FO02 NPC Richardson B
Dick Richardson, President of the United States in 2242.
The seal on the Poseidon Oil Rig's entry level floor.
For a long time after the Great War, the Enclave sat quietly in its oil rig, consolidating its forces and working on gaining a technological edge over anyone on the mainland. Eventually, when they felt it would be safe, they decided it was time to move out and start working towards the rebirth of America. Using their vertibirds, the Enclave sent out scouting parties all over California, the closest state to the oil rig.
The Enclave scouting parties arrived in California after the Master's defeat, and so saw super mutants and ghouls inhabiting the land. When this was reported to the higher ups at the Enclave, it was decided that all the mutants would have to go. It occurred to the Enclave that those who had lived out in the open on the mainland for over a hundred years since the end of the war must have been contaminated or compromised somehow by radiation...or worse. These mutants too, then, would have to be destroyed before "true" humanity (as defined by the Enclave's leadership), could once again lay claim to the mainland.
Reconnaissance and exploration of California continued, looking for a way of carrying out their genocidal ambitions without destroying the world all over again with nuclear weapons. Eventually, Enclave troops stumbled across the old abandoned Military Base, where research on the Forced Evolutionary Virus had been done before the Great War. The FEV was what had created the super mutants, the biggest threat of all to the Enclave.
The Enclave excavated the military base, largely using slave labor gathered from the nearby mining town of Redding, eventually finding the vats deep inside the lower levels of the base. Though they had been buried in rock and forgotten for decades, the vats still contained that old familiar green bubbling gunk, the Forced Evolutionary Virus. The Enclave gathered samples to be sent back to the oil rig for further analysis. Before long, though, the slave miners, some being fully exposed to raw FEV, others likely falling into the vats accidentally, began to mutate into a second generation of super mutants. The mutant slaves soon overthrew their guards. Seizing their weapons, hardware left behind by the first mutant army or anything lying around, the super mutants stormed the upper levels and quickly overran the troops in the base. Panicked and retreating, the Enclave troopers on the upper levels fled the base and used explosives to seal the entrance, trapping the second generation mutants inside the base.
The Project
Even though things went badly at Mariposa, the Enclave still had the samples of FEV they needed. Back at the oil rig, the United States Chemical Corps began work on the serum immediately. They found that it would be possible to make from FEV an incredibly potent and lethal toxin that only affected mutants. But, in order for research to progress, they would need test subjects. They needed two test groups: one of clean, pure humans and another composed of the "mutants" that lived all over the mainland, suffering radiation and FEV exposure for decades that, to the Enclave, made them unclean. This unclean sample was easily obtained by kidnapping the entire tribal population of Arroyo.
The clean group would be more difficult to obtain though. The Enclave wouldn't allow the Chemical Corps to use people living on the oil rig so they had to look elsewhere. Thus, they traveled in force to Vault 13 and sent a command to the Vault's computers to open the Vault door. After taking care of some mild resistance, the Enclave troops rounded up the residents of Vault 13 and shipped them off to the oil rig in Vertibirds to take part in the Chemical Corps' FEV experiments.
Fall and Aftermath
Just as the Enclave was preparing to launch the poison into the jet stream to kill off the entire known population of the mainland, a tribal known as the Chosen One arrived at the oil rig on the Poseidon oil tanker that had sat in the San Francisco bay for many years. The Chosen One freed the survivors of both the Vault 13 population as well as the Arroyo tribals and started a self-destruct sequence in the oil rig that destroyed the entirety of the Enclave's headquarters, saving the world from horrible death at the hands of the modified FEV.[13][14]
Although the Enclave survived the destruction of their oil rig, all traces of President Richardson were erased from history. Weakened and cut off from much of their leadership, eventually the remainder of Enclave personnel stationed in the Core Region that did not retreat prior were finally shattered by the combined might of the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic. But beforehand, Autumn Senior led the majority of surviving Enclave personnel east, such as to the ruins of Washington D.C. at Raven Rock, to re-establish the Enclave as the dominant power in their nation's former capital.
Those who remained (why Autumn Senior and his subordinates left so few of the remnant personnel behind in the Core Region to begin with remains an unsolved mystery) were hunted by the Brotherhood and the NCR, while some tried to integrate themselves into the NCR and met temporarily minimal success,[16] from time to time stories will crop up of an elderly Enclave veteran that was caught integrating being executed or arrested.
Return
ZAX-JohnHenryEden
John Henry Eden, President of the Enclave in 2277.
In D.C., the ZAX mainframe installed in Raven Rock to ensure continuity of government continued to function until the destruction of the oil rig. When President Richardson was vaporized, ZAX created a persona, John Henry Eden to claim the post and assume authority over the remaining California Enclave forces, in addition to resuming construction of military ordnance to provide for the resource-stricken subordinates. Augustus Autumn was chosen as the commanding officer of the armed forces (eventually succeeding his father). A series of eyebots were sent to roam the Wasteland, spreading hope and patriotism. Eden could spout his pro-government rhetoric, and promise a return of the pre-War America of legend: a land of white picket fences, baseball, apple pie, and good, old-fashioned American global supremacy.
President Eden’s secretive plan all along had been to rule over an America of the "pure", free from any mutation, just as his predecessor had planned before him. He has learned of a ridiculously ambitious scientific experiment known as Project Purity, and knew the time to strike had come: the Enclave's armed forces would "reclaim" the Jefferson Memorial. By controlling the purified water supply, Eden would control the Capital Wasteland, and the rest of the country eventually. What better way than to administer a Modified FEV virus, which kills anyone infected or irradiated with any form of mutation—than through a deceptively clean water supply?
Enclave propaganda found in the Capital Wasteland.
East Coast Enclave troopers.
When Project Purity was restarted in 2277, the Enclave acted at once. Troops under Autumn occupied the Purifier, and established a presence in the wastes, which was resisted by the Brotherhood of Steel. After retrieving a Garden of Eden Creation Kit from Vault 87, Eden attempted to recruit the individual known as the Lone Wanderer to work as a double agent, participating in the Brotherhood's attempted reclamation of Project Purity but infecting the water supply with the modified FEV at the last moment. Eden was opposed by Colonel Autumn, who wanted to make a bid to lead the populace by completing and activating the purifier, thus providing the Enclave with a strong bargaining chip in unifying the wastes under their flag. When the Brotherhood took the Jefferson Memorial, Autumn was defeated by the Lone Wanderer, but it is not known whether he survived. The Lone Wanderer stood poised to finally realize the Enclave's goal of purifying the wasteland, but it is unknown to history whether or not they took that action.
The definitive fate of the Enclave as a whole after these unclear events, remain a mystery.
Enclave Sigma
After the destruction of Raven Rock, the Enclave performed a combination of tactical retreat and all-out flight, and their grip on the Capital Wasteland loosened significantly. Now contending with overwhelmed soldiers, ragged Enclave camps dot the Wasteland with little communication to and from the others. With the conventional Enclave military experiencing a lack of new recruits and the high command remaining silent, the Enclave would seem to be a doomed force.
However, a small influx of specially trained fighters is seeking to fill the manpower losses caused by the Brotherhood of Steel advances. Previously posted to remote and classified locations outside of the Capital Wasteland, only the most elite of Enclave personnel having training in multiple forms of combat can earn the right to belong to Sigma. Squad sigma operates in six-soldier units, which utilize heavy incinerators and are led by a soldier clad in Hellfire Armor. Furthermore, Squad Sigma members are experienced fighters, each member being a hardened veteran of numerous successful combat operations. Sigma Squads are posted around locations deemed by Enclave high command as imperative to the salvation of the cause.
Western Remnants
Though they were a powerful force in the west decades ago, the Enclave has not been seen or heard from in the Mojave Wasteland for years. Members who were not hunted down are believed to have traveled east - or successfully integrated into the NCR.
In the year 2281 on the west coast, a few elderly Enclave survivors make an existence on the fringes of, or near the borders of NCR territories, keeping their heads down for fear of persecution. Many left for the Mojave Wasteland, where the NCR's grip was significantly weaker due to the presence of Caesar's Legion. Enclave Remnants may have supported the Courier at the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, either desperate for a final shot at glory and to exact revenge on the NCR, or assist them against the Legion. Whether they joined the Courier, and/or the outcome of the battle, remains unknownEnclave scientists and engineers stationed at Adams Air Force Base sent a reinforced combat-model eyebot, ED-E, to Navarro to be serviced and repaired there, seemingly uninformed of the assault on the outpost.
ED-E's programming contained a message saying that any repairs needed on the way were to be made by Chicago Enclave personnel, indicating that there are Enclave outposts there. [21] The Illinois license plate bolted to ED-E's side is just one more fact that supports the idea that other Enclave outposts or holdings still exist elsewhere within North American Wastelands.
The Oil Rig
West Coast
The Poseidon Energy oil rig, dubbed in Enclave records as Control Station ENCLAVE, lying just beyond the coast of California served as the base for the post-Great War United States government. They were relocated to the rig as the bombs began to fall and it served as their main headquarters until its sabotage by a tribal from Arroyo known as the "Chosen One".
Navarro
Navarro was an old oil refinery that served mainly as a refueling stop for Enclave Vertibirds carrying out missions in or around California as well as a general go-to base of operations outside of the Oil Rig. The Navarro perimeter is patrolled by Enclave Control Company light teams, that operate independent from Navarro's base commanding officer.
Mariposa Military Base
Mariposa was a pre-War U.S. military base where the vast majority of the Forced Evolutionary Virus research was being done. After the war, it was taken over by the Master who used it to create an army of super mutants. After the Master's defeat and the base's destruction at the hands of the Vault Dweller, it was excavated by the Enclave, but abandoned when their newly mutated slaves rebelled against them.
East Coast
Raven Rock
Raven Rock was the Enclave's main base of operation in 2277. The Lone Wanderer is captured and taken to Raven Rock and held in an interrogation room by Colonel Augustus Autumn. President Eden asks for the Lone Wanderer to be released so that the Lone Wanderer can be spoken to privately. Upon reaching President Eden, the Lone Wanderer is asked to place the modified FEV in Project Purity.
Satellite Relay Station
Satellite Relay Station
The satellite relay station
After the loss of Raven Rock, the Satellite Relay Station was the Enclave's main communications installation. The facility was used primarily to coordinate the remainder of Enclave forces following the devastating defeat at the Purifier. During an offensive by the Brotherhood of Steel led by Liberty Prime, the defending forces of the Station contacted the mobile base crawler to call down an orbital strike on the robot's position. Liberty Prime is destroyed, but shortly afterward the Station is lost to the Brotherhood.
Adams Air Force Base
Mobile Base Crawler
The Enclave's mobile base crawler
Adams Air Force Base was the new headquarters of the Enclave after the abandonment of Raven Rock. Located just outside the Capital Wasteland and accessible through the presidential metro, the base facilities housed some of the Enclave's VB-02 Vertibirds and was defended by squads of soldiers and artillery emplacements. The heart of Enclave operations in the area was the mobile base crawler, which featured a satellite communications dish capable of calling down an orbital strike from an unknown orbital weapons platform. Control of Adams AFB was eventually taken from the Enclave by the Lone Wanderer, who either handed it to the Brotherhood or used its weapons to destroy the Citadel.
Overview
The Enclave takes pride in being the last known concentrated bastion of pure, unmutated humanity, aside from the unopened Vaults, and being the most technologically advanced faction in the wasteland. Because of the effects of radiation and the Forced Evolutionary Virus on the people of the Wasteland, most members of the Enclave generally do not consider them to be human any more because of these hazards. They, as well as other mutated creatures, like the various generations of super mutants and ghouls, are considered to be abominations that are, at best, to be used as conscripted assets or slaves, and at worst, eradicated so that "true humanity" could take its place as the "real" nation of America.
The government is headed by a President, and, according to the speeches made on Enclave Radio, there is some form of Congress.[5] The Enclave's scientists continue to do research on armor (e.g. the advanced power armor) and weapons after the War and thus are better equipped than the Brotherhood of Steel, who only have U.S. Military standard issue left over from when the Great War broke out. The Enclave had managed to gain access to one of the last known supplies of fossil fuel in the post-nuclear world.
Background
Main article: History of the Enclave
Origins
USA Flag Pre-War
The Star-Spangled Banner
One of the few old world organizations to survive the Great War, the Enclave finds its roots in various branches of the pre-War American government. Its founding members embraced the inevitability of nuclear war. They believed that the common man of the nation could not survive it. With most believing that as long as the 'important people' of the United States survived, they could regroup quickly when worse came to worst and wipe out communism once and for all.
Though not technically a part of the Enclave, many powerful corporations lobbied for the benefits that they hoped would result from government-sanctioned war contracts. Based in many of the Enclave's research facilities, most were protected or grazed during the nuclear firestorm of 2077.
In 2073, as the global race to exploit the handful of remaining natural resources reached its most fevered peak, the United States managed to stake a claim on the entire world's last known supply of crude oil, buried thousands of feet beneath the Pacific Ocean. Poseidon Oil, which in the years leading to the war became the world's leading monopoly on remaining oil reserves, was contracted to build an oil rig and extract the precious oil.
Finally, early in the fateful year of 2077, with the planet ultimately headed directly for nuclear devastation, the President of the United States and various other members of the continuity of government fell back to multiple fortified areas around the world. The Poseidon Oil Rig in the Pacific Ocean was chosen as their main hidden fortress with which the United States could continue to exist and wage war on China, with the eventual goal of retaking the continental United States and wiping out communism forever. Other members of the Enclave retreated to remote locations in other parts of the world, but when the bombs began to fly, they lost communications with the main group.[7]
As the world burnt in nuclear hellfire and the United States with it, its President, and the Enclave, remnants of the pre-War American government,assumed positions and established themselves as its continuation...
The Vault Experiment
A poster advertising the Vault program.
Falloutvaultsecure
The Vaults were funded by the U.S. government and, accordingly, the government had control over them. Ostensibly, they were intended to allow a selection of privileged United States citizens to survive the Great War. Secretly, however, a large part of the Vault Project had a far more sinister goal.
Gametitle-VB The following is based on Van Buren and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
The U.S. government's real plan to survive a nuclear war was simply to find another planet to live on after blowing up Earth. A spacecraft designed to ferry the human race to another planet was either under construction or ready to go before the War. The plan was for the government to flee to the oil rig, and then leave in a spaceship for another planet.
Any voyage to space or recolonization of Earth would have been very difficult and fraught with unforeseeable complications. Thus, many of the Vaults were designed to have some sort of critical flaw in order to test how an average American would be able to deal with various circumstances. Vault 12 in Bakersfield had a faulty Vault door that wouldn't close all the way, allowing dangerous radiation to leak in, leading to the creation of California's ghoul population. Vault 15 was built normally (the rock slide that buried its control center was accidental), but was populated with a diverse mix of races and people to see what sort of tensions arise when varied backgrounds are packed into a small environment. Vault 13 was intended to stay shut for a full 200 years to test the effects of long term isolation. Vault 101 was to be sealed permanently to study the evolution of small communities in complete isolation from the rest of the world. The types and purposes of the experiments go on.
Eventually, due to either a change of plans by the Enclave's leadership or the spacecraft being destroyed, the Enclave abandoned their initial goal of settling on another planet, and decided to resettle the one they already had, although the Vault monitoring and research continued as the Societal Preservation Program. In order to monitor the populations being experimented upon, the Enclave's oil rig possessed a great deal of equipment that allowed them to observe and control the Vaults. For example, the Enclave sent the all clear signal to Vault 8 shortly after the War, prompting them to leave their Vault and build their city. These monitoring tools also let the Enclave see that the population of Vault 13 was largely intact, although this wouldn't become important until much later.
Rise to Power
FO02 NPC Richardson B
Dick Richardson, President of the United States in 2242.
The seal on the Poseidon Oil Rig's entry level floor.
For a long time after the Great War, the Enclave sat quietly in its oil rig, consolidating its forces and working on gaining a technological edge over anyone on the mainland. Eventually, when they felt it would be safe, they decided it was time to move out and start working towards the rebirth of America. Using their vertibirds, the Enclave sent out scouting parties all over California, the closest state to the oil rig.
The Enclave scouting parties arrived in California after the Master's defeat, and so saw super mutants and ghouls inhabiting the land. When this was reported to the higher ups at the Enclave, it was decided that all the mutants would have to go. It occurred to the Enclave that those who had lived out in the open on the mainland for over a hundred years since the end of the war must have been contaminated or compromised somehow by radiation...or worse. These mutants too, then, would have to be destroyed before "true" humanity (as defined by the Enclave's leadership), could once again lay claim to the mainland.
Reconnaissance and exploration of California continued, looking for a way of carrying out their genocidal ambitions without destroying the world all over again with nuclear weapons. Eventually, Enclave troops stumbled across the old abandoned Military Base, where research on the Forced Evolutionary Virus had been done before the Great War. The FEV was what had created the super mutants, the biggest threat of all to the Enclave.
The Enclave excavated the military base, largely using slave labor gathered from the nearby mining town of Redding, eventually finding the vats deep inside the lower levels of the base. Though they had been buried in rock and forgotten for decades, the vats still contained that old familiar green bubbling gunk, the Forced Evolutionary Virus. The Enclave gathered samples to be sent back to the oil rig for further analysis. Before long, though, the slave miners, some being fully exposed to raw FEV, others likely falling into the vats accidentally, began to mutate into a second generation of super mutants. The mutant slaves soon overthrew their guards. Seizing their weapons, hardware left behind by the first mutant army or anything lying around, the super mutants stormed the upper levels and quickly overran the troops in the base. Panicked and retreating, the Enclave troopers on the upper levels fled the base and used explosives to seal the entrance, trapping the second generation mutants inside the base.
The Project
Even though things went badly at Mariposa, the Enclave still had the samples of FEV they needed. Back at the oil rig, the United States Chemical Corps began work on the serum immediately. They found that it would be possible to make from FEV an incredibly potent and lethal toxin that only affected mutants. But, in order for research to progress, they would need test subjects. They needed two test groups: one of clean, pure humans and another composed of the "mutants" that lived all over the mainland, suffering radiation and FEV exposure for decades that, to the Enclave, made them unclean. This unclean sample was easily obtained by kidnapping the entire tribal population of Arroyo.
The clean group would be more difficult to obtain though. The Enclave wouldn't allow the Chemical Corps to use people living on the oil rig so they had to look elsewhere. Thus, they traveled in force to Vault 13 and sent a command to the Vault's computers to open the Vault door. After taking care of some mild resistance, the Enclave troops rounded up the residents of Vault 13 and shipped them off to the oil rig in Vertibirds to take part in the Chemical Corps' FEV experiments.
Fall and Aftermath
Just as the Enclave was preparing to launch the poison into the jet stream to kill off the entire known population of the mainland, a tribal known as the Chosen One arrived at the oil rig on the Poseidon oil tanker that had sat in the San Francisco bay for many years. The Chosen One freed the survivors of both the Vault 13 population as well as the Arroyo tribals and started a self-destruct sequence in the oil rig that destroyed the entirety of the Enclave's headquarters, saving the world from horrible death at the hands of the modified FEV.[13][14]
Although the Enclave survived the destruction of their oil rig, all traces of President Richardson were erased from history. Weakened and cut off from much of their leadership, eventually the remainder of Enclave personnel stationed in the Core Region that did not retreat prior were finally shattered by the combined might of the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic. But beforehand, Autumn Senior led the majority of surviving Enclave personnel east, such as to the ruins of Washington D.C. at Raven Rock, to re-establish the Enclave as the dominant power in their nation's former capital.
Those who remained (why Autumn Senior and his subordinates left so few of the remnant personnel behind in the Core Region to begin with remains an unsolved mystery) were hunted by the Brotherhood and the NCR, while some tried to integrate themselves into the NCR and met temporarily minimal success,[16] from time to time stories will crop up of an elderly Enclave veteran that was caught integrating being executed or arrested.
Return
ZAX-JohnHenryEden
John Henry Eden, President of the Enclave in 2277.
In D.C., the ZAX mainframe installed in Raven Rock to ensure continuity of government continued to function until the destruction of the oil rig. When President Richardson was vaporized, ZAX created a persona, John Henry Eden to claim the post and assume authority over the remaining California Enclave forces, in addition to resuming construction of military ordnance to provide for the resource-stricken subordinates. Augustus Autumn was chosen as the commanding officer of the armed forces (eventually succeeding his father). A series of eyebots were sent to roam the Wasteland, spreading hope and patriotism. Eden could spout his pro-government rhetoric, and promise a return of the pre-War America of legend: a land of white picket fences, baseball, apple pie, and good, old-fashioned American global supremacy.
President Eden’s secretive plan all along had been to rule over an America of the "pure", free from any mutation, just as his predecessor had planned before him. He has learned of a ridiculously ambitious scientific experiment known as Project Purity, and knew the time to strike had come: the Enclave's armed forces would "reclaim" the Jefferson Memorial. By controlling the purified water supply, Eden would control the Capital Wasteland, and the rest of the country eventually. What better way than to administer a Modified FEV virus, which kills anyone infected or irradiated with any form of mutation—than through a deceptively clean water supply?
Enclave propaganda found in the Capital Wasteland.
East Coast Enclave troopers.
When Project Purity was restarted in 2277, the Enclave acted at once. Troops under Autumn occupied the Purifier, and established a presence in the wastes, which was resisted by the Brotherhood of Steel. After retrieving a Garden of Eden Creation Kit from Vault 87, Eden attempted to recruit the individual known as the Lone Wanderer to work as a double agent, participating in the Brotherhood's attempted reclamation of Project Purity but infecting the water supply with the modified FEV at the last moment. Eden was opposed by Colonel Autumn, who wanted to make a bid to lead the populace by completing and activating the purifier, thus providing the Enclave with a strong bargaining chip in unifying the wastes under their flag. When the Brotherhood took the Jefferson Memorial, Autumn was defeated by the Lone Wanderer, but it is not known whether he survived. The Lone Wanderer stood poised to finally realize the Enclave's goal of purifying the wasteland, but it is unknown to history whether or not they took that action.
The definitive fate of the Enclave as a whole after these unclear events, remain a mystery.
Enclave Sigma
After the destruction of Raven Rock, the Enclave performed a combination of tactical retreat and all-out flight, and their grip on the Capital Wasteland loosened significantly. Now contending with overwhelmed soldiers, ragged Enclave camps dot the Wasteland with little communication to and from the others. With the conventional Enclave military experiencing a lack of new recruits and the high command remaining silent, the Enclave would seem to be a doomed force.
However, a small influx of specially trained fighters is seeking to fill the manpower losses caused by the Brotherhood of Steel advances. Previously posted to remote and classified locations outside of the Capital Wasteland, only the most elite of Enclave personnel having training in multiple forms of combat can earn the right to belong to Sigma. Squad sigma operates in six-soldier units, which utilize heavy incinerators and are led by a soldier clad in Hellfire Armor. Furthermore, Squad Sigma members are experienced fighters, each member being a hardened veteran of numerous successful combat operations. Sigma Squads are posted around locations deemed by Enclave high command as imperative to the salvation of the cause.
Western Remnants
Though they were a powerful force in the west decades ago, the Enclave has not been seen or heard from in the Mojave Wasteland for years. Members who were not hunted down are believed to have traveled east - or successfully integrated into the NCR.
In the year 2281 on the west coast, a few elderly Enclave survivors make an existence on the fringes of, or near the borders of NCR territories, keeping their heads down for fear of persecution. Many left for the Mojave Wasteland, where the NCR's grip was significantly weaker due to the presence of Caesar's Legion. Enclave Remnants may have supported the Courier at the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, either desperate for a final shot at glory and to exact revenge on the NCR, or assist them against the Legion. Whether they joined the Courier, and/or the outcome of the battle, remains unknownEnclave scientists and engineers stationed at Adams Air Force Base sent a reinforced combat-model eyebot, ED-E, to Navarro to be serviced and repaired there, seemingly uninformed of the assault on the outpost.
ED-E's programming contained a message saying that any repairs needed on the way were to be made by Chicago Enclave personnel, indicating that there are Enclave outposts there. [21] The Illinois license plate bolted to ED-E's side is just one more fact that supports the idea that other Enclave outposts or holdings still exist elsewhere within North American Wastelands.
The Oil Rig
West Coast
The Poseidon Energy oil rig, dubbed in Enclave records as Control Station ENCLAVE, lying just beyond the coast of California served as the base for the post-Great War United States government. They were relocated to the rig as the bombs began to fall and it served as their main headquarters until its sabotage by a tribal from Arroyo known as the "Chosen One".
Navarro
Navarro was an old oil refinery that served mainly as a refueling stop for Enclave Vertibirds carrying out missions in or around California as well as a general go-to base of operations outside of the Oil Rig. The Navarro perimeter is patrolled by Enclave Control Company light teams, that operate independent from Navarro's base commanding officer.
Mariposa Military Base
Mariposa was a pre-War U.S. military base where the vast majority of the Forced Evolutionary Virus research was being done. After the war, it was taken over by the Master who used it to create an army of super mutants. After the Master's defeat and the base's destruction at the hands of the Vault Dweller, it was excavated by the Enclave, but abandoned when their newly mutated slaves rebelled against them.
East Coast
Raven Rock
Raven Rock was the Enclave's main base of operation in 2277. The Lone Wanderer is captured and taken to Raven Rock and held in an interrogation room by Colonel Augustus Autumn. President Eden asks for the Lone Wanderer to be released so that the Lone Wanderer can be spoken to privately. Upon reaching President Eden, the Lone Wanderer is asked to place the modified FEV in Project Purity.
Satellite Relay Station
Satellite Relay Station
The satellite relay station
After the loss of Raven Rock, the Satellite Relay Station was the Enclave's main communications installation. The facility was used primarily to coordinate the remainder of Enclave forces following the devastating defeat at the Purifier. During an offensive by the Brotherhood of Steel led by Liberty Prime, the defending forces of the Station contacted the mobile base crawler to call down an orbital strike on the robot's position. Liberty Prime is destroyed, but shortly afterward the Station is lost to the Brotherhood.
Adams Air Force Base
Mobile Base Crawler
The Enclave's mobile base crawler
Adams Air Force Base was the new headquarters of the Enclave after the abandonment of Raven Rock. Located just outside the Capital Wasteland and accessible through the presidential metro, the base facilities housed some of the Enclave's VB-02 Vertibirds and was defended by squads of soldiers and artillery emplacements. The heart of Enclave operations in the area was the mobile base crawler, which featured a satellite communications dish capable of calling down an orbital strike from an unknown orbital weapons platform. Control of Adams AFB was eventually taken from the Enclave by the Lone Wanderer, who either handed it to the Brotherhood or used its weapons to destroy the Citadel.
The Family
The Family is a gang of self-proclaimed vampires that live in Meresti Metro station, east of the settlement of Arefu.
The Family is a gang of cannibals who have banded together thanks to the efforts of Vance, their leader. Living under the ruins of Meresti trainyard, the group keeps out of public view, staying away from larger towns and settlements and only surfacing to feed. Realizing that the cannibal is both feared and hated even in the lawless wasteland, Vance has decided to teach his people the way of the vampire as he interprets it from classic literature. He's convinced most of the Family that they are indeed true vampires, teaching them to drink the blood of their prey and not to feed upon their flesh. Vance believes this gives them a sense of belonging and purpose in a world that doesn't understand their unusual trait. Although the Family may truly believe that they are like the vampires in traditional works of fiction, they retain no abilities or powers that distinguish them from any other cannibal in the Capital Wasteland
The Family is a gang of cannibals who have banded together thanks to the efforts of Vance, their leader. Living under the ruins of Meresti trainyard, the group keeps out of public view, staying away from larger towns and settlements and only surfacing to feed. Realizing that the cannibal is both feared and hated even in the lawless wasteland, Vance has decided to teach his people the way of the vampire as he interprets it from classic literature. He's convinced most of the Family that they are indeed true vampires, teaching them to drink the blood of their prey and not to feed upon their flesh. Vance believes this gives them a sense of belonging and purpose in a world that doesn't understand their unusual trait. Although the Family may truly believe that they are like the vampires in traditional works of fiction, they retain no abilities or powers that distinguish them from any other cannibal in the Capital Wasteland
The Institute
The Institute is a mysterious organization within the Commonwealth. It is known to possess advanced technology, including the ability to produce androids of high enough quality to pass as humans.The Institute existed long before the Great War, but was originally known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It is known that Robert House attended the Institute in his youth.[1] After the Great War, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology survived, but became known to the people of the wasteland as a secretive organization known only as the Institute. Allegedly, it is currently located within the Commonwealth, the name now given in the post-atomic world to what was once the American state of Massachusetts. Little is known about the Institute aside from rumors circulating around the scientists working in the sealed environment. The Institute possesses highly advanced technology and technological skills, resulting in the creation of true artificial intelligence (AI), and are capable of creating androids.
Littlehorn & Associates
Almost nothing is known about the mysterious Littlehorn & Associates. They occasionally employ individuals who they feel suit their ends, although neither Daniel Littlehorn nor his glass-eyed associates will divulge anything about what those ends actually are.
Headed by Daniel Littlehorn, the firm is the Regulators' counterpart and located in a large shed at the entrance to Scrapyard. If the Lone Wanderer has the Contract Killer perk, the firm will be the buyer for ears obtained by killing characters with good Karma. If you maintain or achieve a very evil level of Karma upon turning in your ear(s) to him, you will get a bonus.
Littlehorn & Associates runs low key throughout the Capital Wasteland, as Daniel Littlehorn tells the Lone Wanderer that his employees are all over, just the Lone Wanderer probably never noticed it. It is not revealed why Littlehorn wants ears from "good people" other than him mentioning something about maintaining a certain balance in the Wastes. Daniel Littlehorn and the rest of Littlehorn & Associates see it best to give as little as possible personal or even business related information to make everything go smoother.
Headed by Daniel Littlehorn, the firm is the Regulators' counterpart and located in a large shed at the entrance to Scrapyard. If the Lone Wanderer has the Contract Killer perk, the firm will be the buyer for ears obtained by killing characters with good Karma. If you maintain or achieve a very evil level of Karma upon turning in your ear(s) to him, you will get a bonus.
Littlehorn & Associates runs low key throughout the Capital Wasteland, as Daniel Littlehorn tells the Lone Wanderer that his employees are all over, just the Lone Wanderer probably never noticed it. It is not revealed why Littlehorn wants ears from "good people" other than him mentioning something about maintaining a certain balance in the Wastes. Daniel Littlehorn and the rest of Littlehorn & Associates see it best to give as little as possible personal or even business related information to make everything go smoother.
Raiders
Raiders are any group of wastelanders who pillage, plunder, murder, or otherwise ruin the day of anyone unfortunate enough to not be one of them. Raiders tend to organize into loose confederations of gangs in the post-apocalyptic wasteland and are a constant problem. Raiders typically prey upon travelers and very small towns, leaving more populous or larger areas alone.
Numerous raider groups can be found across the wasteland. Most are composed of only a few people scraping out a living by preying on other inhabitants of the wastes, typically without any real driving purpose (besides for the thrills). Others, however, such as the Khans and the 80s, form their own tribal customs through raiding for survival rather than for thrills.
2160s
Beside a great number of raider gangs encountered throughout the Core Region, there are three distinct raider groups referenced by the first Fallout: Jackals, Vipers, and Khans, although only the latter appear in the actual game. All three groups originated from Vault 15.
The Jackals: The first clan, the Jackals, are a typical group of crazies. They have no morals, and only one goal: survival. They use group tactics to overpower their enemies. They are craven cowards, though, and will not attack unless they know they can win. They band together in their hideaway and fight over the spoils.
The Vipers: The second clan, the Vipers, are mysterious followers of an ancient religion (or so they claim). They usually only come out at night to hunt for food or to conduct raids. They are very ruthless in combat. They prefer stealth to strength. They usually carry bone knives dipped in Pit Viper venom. This poison, when in the blood stream, paralyzes the victim. Most victims captured in this way are taken back to their hideout.
The Khans: The last group, the Khans, are probably the most dangerous. They live the lifestyles of Mongol warriors, raiding towns, burning what they cannot take and capturing the survivors for use as slaves. They usually travel in small scouting bands, but sometimes they roam as full war parties. The Khans above all else respect strength. They are eager in combat to prove their worthiness to the clan by engaging in hand to hand combat with fists or clubs. The Khans carry very few firearms. Anyone showing superior strength is worthy of their respect.
2240s
There are numerous different groups of raiders in Fallout 2, which are still a common sight in the wasteland, but only a few groups played quite a major role.
Bishop's mercenaries: Operating out of a cave north of Broken Hills, protected by raised plates, falling traps and barbed wire-walls with locked and trapped doors. They were not true raiders, but mercenaries hired by the Bishop family of New Reno with arms supplied by the New California Republic. They merely posed as raiders to pressure Vault City to accept annexation by the NCR. They reside in the Mercenary Raiders cave
The New Khans: Reappearing in the second game, they are led by the only survivor of the original group. They are hiding out inside the secretive corridors of the ruined Vault 15, protected by squatters. Their leader Darion is paranoid and ridden with survivors guilt about being the sole survivor of the original Khans who were wiped out by the Vault Dweller. As a result they carry out many attacks on caravans and towns and, under Darion's orders, are extra fierce against the NCR.
Yakuza - Japanese-style raider gangs could be encountered during travels, armed with traditional swords.
2281
By the events of Fallout: New Vegas there is little information on raider life in the Core Region. It is mentioned by many characters, such as Rose of Sharon Cassidy and Dale Barton that it is much more dangerous when traveling in California than territories controlled by Caesar. So that is indicating that raiders may still make a presence on the west coast.
Midwest
Mini-FOT Logo The following is based on Fallout Tactics and some details might contradict canon.
There are many raider gangs throughout the territory of Chicago. The majority of these raiders are well organized, because of a need to become one faction: the presence of Brotherhood of Steel, super mutants and Calculator's robots. They are cruel, sadistic people who are usually found near the eastern part of the region, far from super mutants and robots. There are several notable groups present.
The Main Faction: The faction was formed after four major raider leaders of the region (Luke Daniels, Bo Duffy, Daisy-May Gomer, and Jesse Gomer) forged an alliance to become stronger in order to fight their overpowering enemies. Their main base where the leaders hold their meetings is Rock Falls.
Gang of Devil's Graveyard: Powerful gang of raiders led by a man known as Gargantua. Their base is a place called Devil's Graveyard.
Gang of Macomb: A gang which was formed to assault strangers around Macomb, a town suffering because of famine. These raiders are looking for food and use roofs as cover.
Ghoul-haters: This group is actually an extremist party, dedicated to extermination of ghouls. They took over Springfield because the mayor claimed that ghouls are equal to normal, smoothskin people.
Mini-FOT Logo End of information based on Fallout Tactics.
Texas
FOBoSLogo The following is based on Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
In Texas, only one known gang of raiders exists, but it is very large and powerful, being de facto rulers of the land. However, they have become but puppets to Attis, who use them to capture slaves for him. Their base is an old mill located in the town of Carbon, which is completely under their control aided by the Mayor who keeps them happy. The gang is unique because of its matriarchal rule, with female lieutenants and the main leader known as Jane, Raider Matron. The gang wears a yellow emblem on their clothes to differentiate themselves from outsiders. Aside from normal weapons, the Carbon Raiders are well known for using killer dogs and special flamethrower weaponry. They have the ability to brew alcohol on radioactive subsistences.
FOBoSLogo End of information based on Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
Capital Wasteland
Raider
The typical Capital Wasteland raider
The raiders of Capital Wasteland are mostly hostile, lawless, chem-addled ruffians who roam the wastes of the Washington, D.C. area. They have little in common with the raider clans of the West Coast, except for the Fiends of the Mojave Wasteland. They are encountered in smaller groups and are armed with a fairly wide range of weaponry. They can occasionally be found hunting with guard dogs as well. All raiders wear some form of raider armor (though not at raider brothels in places like Evergreen Mills) and have dirty skin. The raiders of the Capital Wasteland have no central leader, leaders being at the level of individual gangs. However, in The Pitt, Ashur has a whole bunch of raiders under his rule.
Raiders have no alliances with other factions and will attack everyone but other raiders or slavers. They appear to be quite cruel, as places they inhabit are usually filled with the mutilated bodies of other raiders and wastelanders, implying that they torture captured enemies and occasionally their own.
The largest known band of raiders has set up a crude city in Evergreen Mills. This well-defended canyon gives them a base of operations. Rumor has it that they trade with slavers, selling their captives for cash.
Mojave Wasteland
The Joshua Tree-speckled mountains provide a surprising amount of cover, especially the rock-strewn washes that run east-west just south of Nelson. This is the perfect location for packs of anarchic hunters, grifters, and psychotics to wait for an opportunity to steal, kidnap, or kill. These loosely-knit Raider gangs revel in chaos and anarchy. The Jackals are no more than a handful of scarred and tattooed reprobates, scraping out a living by preying on anything weaker than them. The (slightly) more organized Viper Gang consist of a slightly more skilled collection of ne'er-do-wells, dug in close to major roads to rob and plunder travellers and Merchant Caravans. Further north, are two much more pitiful gangs, who have lost their brethren (both in violence, or by recruitment) to the Fiends; the stinking Greaser Gang who terrorize the North Vegas Sewers, and the Scorpion Gang, who fight intermittent skirmishes with Westside residents. There are also two other major raider groups: the Fiends and the drug-making and trafficking Great Khans. All these Raiders have little driving purpose or goal, other than to live to see tomorrow and raise as much hell as possible today
Numerous raider groups can be found across the wasteland. Most are composed of only a few people scraping out a living by preying on other inhabitants of the wastes, typically without any real driving purpose (besides for the thrills). Others, however, such as the Khans and the 80s, form their own tribal customs through raiding for survival rather than for thrills.
2160s
Beside a great number of raider gangs encountered throughout the Core Region, there are three distinct raider groups referenced by the first Fallout: Jackals, Vipers, and Khans, although only the latter appear in the actual game. All three groups originated from Vault 15.
The Jackals: The first clan, the Jackals, are a typical group of crazies. They have no morals, and only one goal: survival. They use group tactics to overpower their enemies. They are craven cowards, though, and will not attack unless they know they can win. They band together in their hideaway and fight over the spoils.
The Vipers: The second clan, the Vipers, are mysterious followers of an ancient religion (or so they claim). They usually only come out at night to hunt for food or to conduct raids. They are very ruthless in combat. They prefer stealth to strength. They usually carry bone knives dipped in Pit Viper venom. This poison, when in the blood stream, paralyzes the victim. Most victims captured in this way are taken back to their hideout.
The Khans: The last group, the Khans, are probably the most dangerous. They live the lifestyles of Mongol warriors, raiding towns, burning what they cannot take and capturing the survivors for use as slaves. They usually travel in small scouting bands, but sometimes they roam as full war parties. The Khans above all else respect strength. They are eager in combat to prove their worthiness to the clan by engaging in hand to hand combat with fists or clubs. The Khans carry very few firearms. Anyone showing superior strength is worthy of their respect.
2240s
There are numerous different groups of raiders in Fallout 2, which are still a common sight in the wasteland, but only a few groups played quite a major role.
Bishop's mercenaries: Operating out of a cave north of Broken Hills, protected by raised plates, falling traps and barbed wire-walls with locked and trapped doors. They were not true raiders, but mercenaries hired by the Bishop family of New Reno with arms supplied by the New California Republic. They merely posed as raiders to pressure Vault City to accept annexation by the NCR. They reside in the Mercenary Raiders cave
The New Khans: Reappearing in the second game, they are led by the only survivor of the original group. They are hiding out inside the secretive corridors of the ruined Vault 15, protected by squatters. Their leader Darion is paranoid and ridden with survivors guilt about being the sole survivor of the original Khans who were wiped out by the Vault Dweller. As a result they carry out many attacks on caravans and towns and, under Darion's orders, are extra fierce against the NCR.
Yakuza - Japanese-style raider gangs could be encountered during travels, armed with traditional swords.
2281
By the events of Fallout: New Vegas there is little information on raider life in the Core Region. It is mentioned by many characters, such as Rose of Sharon Cassidy and Dale Barton that it is much more dangerous when traveling in California than territories controlled by Caesar. So that is indicating that raiders may still make a presence on the west coast.
Midwest
Mini-FOT Logo The following is based on Fallout Tactics and some details might contradict canon.
There are many raider gangs throughout the territory of Chicago. The majority of these raiders are well organized, because of a need to become one faction: the presence of Brotherhood of Steel, super mutants and Calculator's robots. They are cruel, sadistic people who are usually found near the eastern part of the region, far from super mutants and robots. There are several notable groups present.
The Main Faction: The faction was formed after four major raider leaders of the region (Luke Daniels, Bo Duffy, Daisy-May Gomer, and Jesse Gomer) forged an alliance to become stronger in order to fight their overpowering enemies. Their main base where the leaders hold their meetings is Rock Falls.
Gang of Devil's Graveyard: Powerful gang of raiders led by a man known as Gargantua. Their base is a place called Devil's Graveyard.
Gang of Macomb: A gang which was formed to assault strangers around Macomb, a town suffering because of famine. These raiders are looking for food and use roofs as cover.
Ghoul-haters: This group is actually an extremist party, dedicated to extermination of ghouls. They took over Springfield because the mayor claimed that ghouls are equal to normal, smoothskin people.
Mini-FOT Logo End of information based on Fallout Tactics.
Texas
FOBoSLogo The following is based on Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
In Texas, only one known gang of raiders exists, but it is very large and powerful, being de facto rulers of the land. However, they have become but puppets to Attis, who use them to capture slaves for him. Their base is an old mill located in the town of Carbon, which is completely under their control aided by the Mayor who keeps them happy. The gang is unique because of its matriarchal rule, with female lieutenants and the main leader known as Jane, Raider Matron. The gang wears a yellow emblem on their clothes to differentiate themselves from outsiders. Aside from normal weapons, the Carbon Raiders are well known for using killer dogs and special flamethrower weaponry. They have the ability to brew alcohol on radioactive subsistences.
FOBoSLogo End of information based on Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
Capital Wasteland
Raider
The typical Capital Wasteland raider
The raiders of Capital Wasteland are mostly hostile, lawless, chem-addled ruffians who roam the wastes of the Washington, D.C. area. They have little in common with the raider clans of the West Coast, except for the Fiends of the Mojave Wasteland. They are encountered in smaller groups and are armed with a fairly wide range of weaponry. They can occasionally be found hunting with guard dogs as well. All raiders wear some form of raider armor (though not at raider brothels in places like Evergreen Mills) and have dirty skin. The raiders of the Capital Wasteland have no central leader, leaders being at the level of individual gangs. However, in The Pitt, Ashur has a whole bunch of raiders under his rule.
Raiders have no alliances with other factions and will attack everyone but other raiders or slavers. They appear to be quite cruel, as places they inhabit are usually filled with the mutilated bodies of other raiders and wastelanders, implying that they torture captured enemies and occasionally their own.
The largest known band of raiders has set up a crude city in Evergreen Mills. This well-defended canyon gives them a base of operations. Rumor has it that they trade with slavers, selling their captives for cash.
Mojave Wasteland
The Joshua Tree-speckled mountains provide a surprising amount of cover, especially the rock-strewn washes that run east-west just south of Nelson. This is the perfect location for packs of anarchic hunters, grifters, and psychotics to wait for an opportunity to steal, kidnap, or kill. These loosely-knit Raider gangs revel in chaos and anarchy. The Jackals are no more than a handful of scarred and tattooed reprobates, scraping out a living by preying on anything weaker than them. The (slightly) more organized Viper Gang consist of a slightly more skilled collection of ne'er-do-wells, dug in close to major roads to rob and plunder travellers and Merchant Caravans. Further north, are two much more pitiful gangs, who have lost their brethren (both in violence, or by recruitment) to the Fiends; the stinking Greaser Gang who terrorize the North Vegas Sewers, and the Scorpion Gang, who fight intermittent skirmishes with Westside residents. There are also two other major raider groups: the Fiends and the drug-making and trafficking Great Khans. All these Raiders have little driving purpose or goal, other than to live to see tomorrow and raise as much hell as possible today
The Regulators
The Regulators are a group of vigilantes who wear cowboy-style hats and dusters in the fashion of pre-war gunslingers and outlaws.
Regulators wear Regulator dusters, and use laser weapons (laser pistols and laser rifles) although more commonly they are equipped with combat shotguns, Chinese assault rifles and combat knives. In terms of damage output, they are about equal to a Talon Company merc, although they are easier to kill because their dusters have between 2-5 DR while Talon Company mercs wear 16-26 DR armor. Regulator patrols typically operate in three man squads when searching the Wasteland for the Lone Wanderer, if they have at least evil Karma. They are no more deadly or effective than their evil counterparts, the Talon Company mercs.
Regulators wear Regulator dusters, and use laser weapons (laser pistols and laser rifles) although more commonly they are equipped with combat shotguns, Chinese assault rifles and combat knives. In terms of damage output, they are about equal to a Talon Company merc, although they are easier to kill because their dusters have between 2-5 DR while Talon Company mercs wear 16-26 DR armor. Regulator patrols typically operate in three man squads when searching the Wasteland for the Lone Wanderer, if they have at least evil Karma. They are no more deadly or effective than their evil counterparts, the Talon Company mercs.
Reilly's Rangers
While a mercenary force, Reilly's Rangers are somewhat altruistic, and operate according to a strict set of morals, like the Desert Rangers and the New California Republic Rangers. They hold little more than contempt for Talon Company, a mercenary group with no such convictions with which they have had run-ins before.
Luck seems to be a major theme with regards to Reilly's Rangers. The group's emblem prominently features a four-leaf clover, and luck is often mentioned in the various conversations you can have with the group's members (i.e. Butcher, Donovan, and Brick all credit their survival against the super mutant army at the Statesman Hotel mostly due to luck). Their unique armor, Ranger battle armor, grants a +1 stat boost to Luck
Luck seems to be a major theme with regards to Reilly's Rangers. The group's emblem prominently features a four-leaf clover, and luck is often mentioned in the various conversations you can have with the group's members (i.e. Butcher, Donovan, and Brick all credit their survival against the super mutant army at the Statesman Hotel mostly due to luck). Their unique armor, Ranger battle armor, grants a +1 stat boost to Luck
Talon Company
Talon Company is a mercenary organization active in the Capital Wasteland. Doing various jobs, from bounty hunting to fighting against the super mutant occupiers of Washington, D.C., even as far as mercenaries go, these men and women are vicious, killing anyone that doesn't wear their emblem (similar to raiders). The reason for this is simple: in 2277, they are working for an unknown third party, with simple orders: keep the Capital Wasteland a lawless, disorganized place.The Talon Company is the largest of the mercenary groups in the wasteland. They can be found almost anywhere. They put cash and loot ahead of almost anything, and will attack most groups on sight in the hopes of taking their belongings. Currently an unknown benefactor has hired the Talon Company to hunt down do-gooders. The reasons for this are unknown, but the effect is to keep the wasteland a lawless place where the guys with the biggest guns make the rules. The Talon Company frequently has the biggest guns
Slaver's
Slavery is a lucrative business in the post-War world. Although many of the larger pockets of civilization have outlawed slavery, the practice yet persists throughout the wasteland.
Slavery is a controlled business in the post-nuclear world. Nearly all the slave trade in the New California Republic is done under the auspices of the Slaver's Guild, a group of older slavers who decide prices and organize capture hunts in the wastelands. Anyone caught capturing or selling slaves in the Core Region without their blessing may be forced to undergo a series of trials until either deemed worthy to join the Guild or be killed. The Guild often controls smaller towns in which it operates, although quietly—preferring to remain behind the scenes. Guild members wear a distinctive tattoo covering most of their face, making them readily identifiable and allowing the Guild to make fast judgments when someone without "the tat" has a tribal up on the auction block.
In 2241, the head of the Slaver's Guild is Metzger, whose headquarters is in the Den.
Slavers in the Fallout games do not discriminate between people based upon their race, species, or ideology; anyone who can be easily cowed into submission, captured, and fitted with a slave collar is perfectly acceptable "meat" for them to use. Similarly, slavers themselves may be of any ethnic background.
Slavery is a controlled business in the post-nuclear world. Nearly all the slave trade in the New California Republic is done under the auspices of the Slaver's Guild, a group of older slavers who decide prices and organize capture hunts in the wastelands. Anyone caught capturing or selling slaves in the Core Region without their blessing may be forced to undergo a series of trials until either deemed worthy to join the Guild or be killed. The Guild often controls smaller towns in which it operates, although quietly—preferring to remain behind the scenes. Guild members wear a distinctive tattoo covering most of their face, making them readily identifiable and allowing the Guild to make fast judgments when someone without "the tat" has a tribal up on the auction block.
In 2241, the head of the Slaver's Guild is Metzger, whose headquarters is in the Den.
Slavers in the Fallout games do not discriminate between people based upon their race, species, or ideology; anyone who can be easily cowed into submission, captured, and fitted with a slave collar is perfectly acceptable "meat" for them to use. Similarly, slavers themselves may be of any ethnic background.
NCR
Background
Main article: History of the New California Republic
The New California Republic was born from the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 and the small walled community they founded, Shady Sands. Under the leadership of Aradesh, and with the assistance of the Vault Dweller (who saved Tandi, Aradesh's daughter and a future president of the NCR), the community prospered. Trade routes with other settlements allowed cultural exchange, and a movement to form a national entity gradually took root and won popular acceptance. In 2186, the town of Shady Sands changed its name to "New California Republic" and formed a trial council government to draft a constitution. Four more settlements joined the council, and in 2189 the NCR was voted into existence as a sprawling federation of five states: Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, The Hub, and Dayglow.
By post-apocalyptic standards, the NCR is a paragon of economic success and good ethical character: political enfranchisement, rule of law, a reasonable degree of physical security, and a standard of living better than mere subsistence are daily realities for its 700,000+ citizens.[citation needed] Currently, the NCR is in a state of transition, with rapid economic growth and a sea change in political leadership endangering its grand humanitarian ideals. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mojave, where the occupation of Hoover Dam has improved access to electricity and water, but at the cost of straining its budget and embroiling its armed forces in a morally corrosive imperialist project.
The NCR government's aim is to annex New Vegas as the republic's newest state. While it already controls Hoover Dam, its treaty with Mr. House and the three families compels it to allot 5% of the dam’s electrical and water production to local use free of charge. Adding insult to injury, the NCR is locked into protecting New Vegas from invasion by Caesar's Legion even as it receives not one cap in tax revenue from the Strip's highly lucrative resort operations. NCR citizens in the Mojave have largely come here for economic reasons, whether as paid citizen soldiers or as prospectors and fortune-seekers.[2]
Society
The majority of the NCR populace is made up of farmers, travelling merchants and poor settlers seeking protection from the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world - a luxury usually only available to the rich and powerful. In exchange for their protection, the NCR classes them as a 'citizen' and collects taxes from them which is mostly used on the military to arm, train, and supply their troops. Citizenship can be given to entire settlements and put under NCR jurisdiction if requested, however this practice is controversial in the Mojave due to rumors of the NCR supposedly bullying weaker settlements and incorporating them against their will.
The NCR enforces strict rules upon their citizens and in their cities: crimes across the Mojave are typically punished by death.[3] Openly carrying arms, prostitution, gambling, and slavery are not permitted within NCR city limits. Persons found under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be arrested.[4] Despite government playing a large part in the daily lives of citizen, the NCR is not authoritarian and is generally liberal towards people who commit minor crimes.
Policing (both civilian and military) in the fringes of NCR territory and outside of it is usually of poor quality however - this is evident as off-duty NCR troopers that seek entertainment on The Strip can be witnessed drunk and hint to have been gambling or using prostitutes. A notable trait of the New California Republic, often to the annoyance of its citizens, is the government's tendency to be overly bureaucratic and giving power to those of an important background rather than by ability. As a lot of the power is invested in particular individuals in the cities back west, citizens at the frontier regions often feel like they are not listened to and are forgotten about.
FO02 NPC Tandi
Tandi, president of NCR in 2241.
The NCR is a democratic federation, modeling itself on the government of pre-War United States. The government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative branch is the Congress, staffed by representatives elected by their states and senators, forming two houses: House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congressmen use a variety of titles: "Councilor," "Counselor," "Councilman," "Representative," and "Senator." In particular, the Hub (in its own obstinate way) prefers to call their representatives "Governors." The executive branch is the Republic council, headed by the President and Vice-President. The President and Vice-President are elected by NCR citizens, with advice from the Congress. Last, the judicial branch comprises courts and judges ruling in accordance with NCR's adapted version of American common law.
Aradesh, first NCR president (2189-2196)
In theory, this is a sound and well-balanced system, but in practice every state tries to assert its independence and work toward furthering its own agenda. There is a great amount of friction between the states of Hub and Shady Sands, usually related to trade rights and caravan routes, while New Reno remains dominated by various criminal interests. Significant pressure is exerted upon the political and economic direction of the NCR by a variety of private interests: in particular, the brahmin barons whose wealth gives them great influence at the ballot box and whose needs are often placed first by officials seeking support in their political ambitions. With the armed forces, the Gun Runners gain special dispensation and influence as they are the primary contributor to NCR's weapon arsenal. Elsewhere, monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and similar trading families dominate the trade routes and use their wealth to gain influence with the NCR government and extort large amounts of money. Smaller competitors who are unable to compete with both the larger competition as well as the high taxes are inevitably muscled out.
The president is the biggest factor in deciding the course the Republic should take. For example, under Tandi (who served over ten terms as President; something Caesar mocks as indicative of monarchy rather than democracy), the NCR grew substantially, focusing its efforts upon rebuilding the pre-War infrastructure and restarting technological development. Conversely, while under Aaron Kimball, the NCR has become more imperialistic and expansive, overextending itself on multiple fronts in the process.
There is little to no sexism in the NCR (unlike many other factions in the wastes), most likely due to the community's origins in Vault 15 and Tandi's extended presidency. The republic has also shown little discrimination against ghouls and mutants, though many political analysts argue that this is because NCR has had limited contact with them (the NCR did have little contact with Necropolis or the Master's Army). Some of their Veteran Rangers are ghouls, however, and they accept ghouls into their army. In any event, some politicians use lingering anti-mutant sentiments to boost their popularity among voters.
There is a clear separation of church and state within the NCR. In particular, the NCR has resisted any attempts to canonize the Vault Dweller within its city limits (the statue outside the Hall of Congress being the only exception). Both Aradesh and Tandi found that politics and religion don't mix, a realization that was cemented when they gained more exposure to the people of the Hub and received visits from a few well-spoken members of the Followers of the Apocalypse. As long as there is no interaction between church and government, the NCR (past and present) allows any non-radical religious groups within their borders. Accordingly, the NCR are very tolerant of religion as long as its various assemblies don't participate in human sacrifice or indulge in dipping people into vats of Forced Evolutionary Virus, such as the Legion and the Master's Army.
Military
Main article: New California Republic Army
The NCR's military is composed of several Divisions, including special cavalry and mechanized units. In addition, many of their major cities are protected and patrolled by heavily armed police officers. One of their Special Forces units consists of the New California Rangers, a select group that is pledged to protect the people of the Wastes much like the Texas Rangers of old. The Rangers are said to have numerous safehouses throughout the wastes, and they use these to strike at slavers outside of NCR territory (usually in the North). As expected, the two groups hate each other with a passion. NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories, responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic. Ghouls, super mutants, and humans were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces. The NCR gained access to a limited number of Vertibirds from their battle with the Enclave over Navarro, along with the Brotherhood of Steel.
Although diverse, the NCR military is mostly composed of their regular troopers who are characterized by their tan uniform, wide-brimmed helmet, goggles and armed with a standard service rifle. These soldiers are the image often associated with the NCR and are commonly seen in both pro and anti NCR propaganda.
Relations with the outsideEdit
Many people in the western wastelands have mixed feelings about the NCR. Some people strongly support the Republic's goals of spreading democracy and the rule of law, and others vehemently oppose their methods of "controlling" everything they come into contact with. With wastelanders who were used to having no more than a mayor or sheriff now suddenly being part of a complex political structure and having to pay taxes, some view it as a loss of the frontier lifestyles that once defined them. As the NCR's power and territory grew, it made progressively stronger enemies who would test the resolve of the Republic.
Under President Tandi, the NCR made slow but sustainable territorial expansion, allowing towns and other small communities, who were impressed by the principles of the NCR, to join of their own volition. While defending their borders from hostile raiders like the once legendary Vipers and Jackals, who would be ravaged by the NCR's military until they became broken shadows of their former glory. Eventually taming Southern California, these achievements would garner such respect for President Tandi that the people would come to adore her, and tribals outside the NCR's borders would refer to her as the "Great Mother".
Viewing the NCR's growth and success as a threat to their already stagnating power and influence, the Brotherhood of Steel would launch a military campaign with the goal of pacifying the NCR and reclaiming technology that they felt the NCR was not fully capable of understanding. After narrowly avoiding defeat in the early days of the war, the NCR would ultimately prevail and force the Brotherhood into retreat and hiding. The NCR had pushed back their strongest opponent yet, but at a cost. With the destruction of their gold reserves in the early days of the war, the Republic could not continue to fund their costly war with the Brotherhood for long, unless more revenue was acquired.
After the death of President Tandi, her successors would gradually change the direction of the NCR. Rapidly expanding the Republic's borders in every direction in a more imperialistic fashion, they sacrificed some of the NCR's principles and moral highground in the process. Now led by President Aaron Kimball, the NCR's expansion has led it to the Mojave Wasteland, where it would encounter the impressive city of New Vegas, and the even more promising Hoover Dam. However it would also encounter its greatest enemy to date, Caesar's Legion, across the Colorado River. Seeking to annex New Vegas and drooling over the prospects of the money that would flow back towards the Republic in taxes, they sent their army east.
The NCR initially had great success in the Mojave Wasteland, setting up several bases and even an embassy on The Strip. The front line of the new conflict between the NCR and Caesar's Legion moved towards the Colorado River. The Legion attacked the NCR with its full strength during the First Battle of Hoover Dam. The NCR was forced to retreat, but lured the Legion into a trap at Boulder City and was able to retake the Dam. After their defeat, the Legion regularly conducted raids on the west side of the Colorado, even creating permanent bases at Cottonwood Cove and sacking towns like Nipton and Nelson with little response from the NCR.
Known wars and military conflicts which the NCR was involved:
NCR-Enclave War
NCR-Brotherhood War
NCR-Great Khan War
NCR-Legion War
NCR-Raiders War
Technology
The NCR has access to a lot of pre-War technology. Standard NCR soldiers have service rifles along with standard pre-War and self-made combat armor. The NCR possesses Salvaged power armor acquired from engagements with the Brotherhood, but lack the training to use it. Instead, the servos in the joints are stripped out and an air-conditioning unit is installed in place of the power core, turning it into extremely heavy, but effective, armor. However, the NCR special forces, the NCR Ranger Veterans, use pre-War riot gear and armor. The weapons used by the Rangers include: anti-materiel rifle, Ranger Sequoia, hunting revolver, and brush gun, among others.
As for civilian technology, they appear to have knowledge of irrigation (as apparent in the NCR Sharecropper Farms). They can also maintain some pre-War transportation, such as the monorail at Camp McCarran. The NCR were also working on an extensive railroad network in the New Vegas area into New California. The network used in the Mojave was used for transporting limestone from Quarry Junction to Boulder City; these efforts were halted by the Powder gangers revolt and the unsuccessful efforts to curb deathclaw population growth.
Currency
The NCR created its own currency in the form of gold coins around the turn of the 22nd century. Bottle caps were useless at this time due to the gold reserves of the NCR. This changed when the Brotherhood of Steel destroyed the gold reserves in 2281. The NCR dollar devalued and the conversion rate lowered to 2.5 NCR dollars to one cap.
Main article: History of the New California Republic
The New California Republic was born from the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 and the small walled community they founded, Shady Sands. Under the leadership of Aradesh, and with the assistance of the Vault Dweller (who saved Tandi, Aradesh's daughter and a future president of the NCR), the community prospered. Trade routes with other settlements allowed cultural exchange, and a movement to form a national entity gradually took root and won popular acceptance. In 2186, the town of Shady Sands changed its name to "New California Republic" and formed a trial council government to draft a constitution. Four more settlements joined the council, and in 2189 the NCR was voted into existence as a sprawling federation of five states: Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, The Hub, and Dayglow.
By post-apocalyptic standards, the NCR is a paragon of economic success and good ethical character: political enfranchisement, rule of law, a reasonable degree of physical security, and a standard of living better than mere subsistence are daily realities for its 700,000+ citizens.[citation needed] Currently, the NCR is in a state of transition, with rapid economic growth and a sea change in political leadership endangering its grand humanitarian ideals. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mojave, where the occupation of Hoover Dam has improved access to electricity and water, but at the cost of straining its budget and embroiling its armed forces in a morally corrosive imperialist project.
The NCR government's aim is to annex New Vegas as the republic's newest state. While it already controls Hoover Dam, its treaty with Mr. House and the three families compels it to allot 5% of the dam’s electrical and water production to local use free of charge. Adding insult to injury, the NCR is locked into protecting New Vegas from invasion by Caesar's Legion even as it receives not one cap in tax revenue from the Strip's highly lucrative resort operations. NCR citizens in the Mojave have largely come here for economic reasons, whether as paid citizen soldiers or as prospectors and fortune-seekers.[2]
Society
The majority of the NCR populace is made up of farmers, travelling merchants and poor settlers seeking protection from the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world - a luxury usually only available to the rich and powerful. In exchange for their protection, the NCR classes them as a 'citizen' and collects taxes from them which is mostly used on the military to arm, train, and supply their troops. Citizenship can be given to entire settlements and put under NCR jurisdiction if requested, however this practice is controversial in the Mojave due to rumors of the NCR supposedly bullying weaker settlements and incorporating them against their will.
The NCR enforces strict rules upon their citizens and in their cities: crimes across the Mojave are typically punished by death.[3] Openly carrying arms, prostitution, gambling, and slavery are not permitted within NCR city limits. Persons found under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be arrested.[4] Despite government playing a large part in the daily lives of citizen, the NCR is not authoritarian and is generally liberal towards people who commit minor crimes.
Policing (both civilian and military) in the fringes of NCR territory and outside of it is usually of poor quality however - this is evident as off-duty NCR troopers that seek entertainment on The Strip can be witnessed drunk and hint to have been gambling or using prostitutes. A notable trait of the New California Republic, often to the annoyance of its citizens, is the government's tendency to be overly bureaucratic and giving power to those of an important background rather than by ability. As a lot of the power is invested in particular individuals in the cities back west, citizens at the frontier regions often feel like they are not listened to and are forgotten about.
FO02 NPC Tandi
Tandi, president of NCR in 2241.
The NCR is a democratic federation, modeling itself on the government of pre-War United States. The government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative branch is the Congress, staffed by representatives elected by their states and senators, forming two houses: House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congressmen use a variety of titles: "Councilor," "Counselor," "Councilman," "Representative," and "Senator." In particular, the Hub (in its own obstinate way) prefers to call their representatives "Governors." The executive branch is the Republic council, headed by the President and Vice-President. The President and Vice-President are elected by NCR citizens, with advice from the Congress. Last, the judicial branch comprises courts and judges ruling in accordance with NCR's adapted version of American common law.
Aradesh, first NCR president (2189-2196)
In theory, this is a sound and well-balanced system, but in practice every state tries to assert its independence and work toward furthering its own agenda. There is a great amount of friction between the states of Hub and Shady Sands, usually related to trade rights and caravan routes, while New Reno remains dominated by various criminal interests. Significant pressure is exerted upon the political and economic direction of the NCR by a variety of private interests: in particular, the brahmin barons whose wealth gives them great influence at the ballot box and whose needs are often placed first by officials seeking support in their political ambitions. With the armed forces, the Gun Runners gain special dispensation and influence as they are the primary contributor to NCR's weapon arsenal. Elsewhere, monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and similar trading families dominate the trade routes and use their wealth to gain influence with the NCR government and extort large amounts of money. Smaller competitors who are unable to compete with both the larger competition as well as the high taxes are inevitably muscled out.
The president is the biggest factor in deciding the course the Republic should take. For example, under Tandi (who served over ten terms as President; something Caesar mocks as indicative of monarchy rather than democracy), the NCR grew substantially, focusing its efforts upon rebuilding the pre-War infrastructure and restarting technological development. Conversely, while under Aaron Kimball, the NCR has become more imperialistic and expansive, overextending itself on multiple fronts in the process.
There is little to no sexism in the NCR (unlike many other factions in the wastes), most likely due to the community's origins in Vault 15 and Tandi's extended presidency. The republic has also shown little discrimination against ghouls and mutants, though many political analysts argue that this is because NCR has had limited contact with them (the NCR did have little contact with Necropolis or the Master's Army). Some of their Veteran Rangers are ghouls, however, and they accept ghouls into their army. In any event, some politicians use lingering anti-mutant sentiments to boost their popularity among voters.
There is a clear separation of church and state within the NCR. In particular, the NCR has resisted any attempts to canonize the Vault Dweller within its city limits (the statue outside the Hall of Congress being the only exception). Both Aradesh and Tandi found that politics and religion don't mix, a realization that was cemented when they gained more exposure to the people of the Hub and received visits from a few well-spoken members of the Followers of the Apocalypse. As long as there is no interaction between church and government, the NCR (past and present) allows any non-radical religious groups within their borders. Accordingly, the NCR are very tolerant of religion as long as its various assemblies don't participate in human sacrifice or indulge in dipping people into vats of Forced Evolutionary Virus, such as the Legion and the Master's Army.
Military
Main article: New California Republic Army
The NCR's military is composed of several Divisions, including special cavalry and mechanized units. In addition, many of their major cities are protected and patrolled by heavily armed police officers. One of their Special Forces units consists of the New California Rangers, a select group that is pledged to protect the people of the Wastes much like the Texas Rangers of old. The Rangers are said to have numerous safehouses throughout the wastes, and they use these to strike at slavers outside of NCR territory (usually in the North). As expected, the two groups hate each other with a passion. NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories, responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic. Ghouls, super mutants, and humans were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces. The NCR gained access to a limited number of Vertibirds from their battle with the Enclave over Navarro, along with the Brotherhood of Steel.
Although diverse, the NCR military is mostly composed of their regular troopers who are characterized by their tan uniform, wide-brimmed helmet, goggles and armed with a standard service rifle. These soldiers are the image often associated with the NCR and are commonly seen in both pro and anti NCR propaganda.
Relations with the outsideEdit
Many people in the western wastelands have mixed feelings about the NCR. Some people strongly support the Republic's goals of spreading democracy and the rule of law, and others vehemently oppose their methods of "controlling" everything they come into contact with. With wastelanders who were used to having no more than a mayor or sheriff now suddenly being part of a complex political structure and having to pay taxes, some view it as a loss of the frontier lifestyles that once defined them. As the NCR's power and territory grew, it made progressively stronger enemies who would test the resolve of the Republic.
Under President Tandi, the NCR made slow but sustainable territorial expansion, allowing towns and other small communities, who were impressed by the principles of the NCR, to join of their own volition. While defending their borders from hostile raiders like the once legendary Vipers and Jackals, who would be ravaged by the NCR's military until they became broken shadows of their former glory. Eventually taming Southern California, these achievements would garner such respect for President Tandi that the people would come to adore her, and tribals outside the NCR's borders would refer to her as the "Great Mother".
Viewing the NCR's growth and success as a threat to their already stagnating power and influence, the Brotherhood of Steel would launch a military campaign with the goal of pacifying the NCR and reclaiming technology that they felt the NCR was not fully capable of understanding. After narrowly avoiding defeat in the early days of the war, the NCR would ultimately prevail and force the Brotherhood into retreat and hiding. The NCR had pushed back their strongest opponent yet, but at a cost. With the destruction of their gold reserves in the early days of the war, the Republic could not continue to fund their costly war with the Brotherhood for long, unless more revenue was acquired.
After the death of President Tandi, her successors would gradually change the direction of the NCR. Rapidly expanding the Republic's borders in every direction in a more imperialistic fashion, they sacrificed some of the NCR's principles and moral highground in the process. Now led by President Aaron Kimball, the NCR's expansion has led it to the Mojave Wasteland, where it would encounter the impressive city of New Vegas, and the even more promising Hoover Dam. However it would also encounter its greatest enemy to date, Caesar's Legion, across the Colorado River. Seeking to annex New Vegas and drooling over the prospects of the money that would flow back towards the Republic in taxes, they sent their army east.
The NCR initially had great success in the Mojave Wasteland, setting up several bases and even an embassy on The Strip. The front line of the new conflict between the NCR and Caesar's Legion moved towards the Colorado River. The Legion attacked the NCR with its full strength during the First Battle of Hoover Dam. The NCR was forced to retreat, but lured the Legion into a trap at Boulder City and was able to retake the Dam. After their defeat, the Legion regularly conducted raids on the west side of the Colorado, even creating permanent bases at Cottonwood Cove and sacking towns like Nipton and Nelson with little response from the NCR.
Known wars and military conflicts which the NCR was involved:
NCR-Enclave War
NCR-Brotherhood War
NCR-Great Khan War
NCR-Legion War
NCR-Raiders War
Technology
The NCR has access to a lot of pre-War technology. Standard NCR soldiers have service rifles along with standard pre-War and self-made combat armor. The NCR possesses Salvaged power armor acquired from engagements with the Brotherhood, but lack the training to use it. Instead, the servos in the joints are stripped out and an air-conditioning unit is installed in place of the power core, turning it into extremely heavy, but effective, armor. However, the NCR special forces, the NCR Ranger Veterans, use pre-War riot gear and armor. The weapons used by the Rangers include: anti-materiel rifle, Ranger Sequoia, hunting revolver, and brush gun, among others.
As for civilian technology, they appear to have knowledge of irrigation (as apparent in the NCR Sharecropper Farms). They can also maintain some pre-War transportation, such as the monorail at Camp McCarran. The NCR were also working on an extensive railroad network in the New Vegas area into New California. The network used in the Mojave was used for transporting limestone from Quarry Junction to Boulder City; these efforts were halted by the Powder gangers revolt and the unsuccessful efforts to curb deathclaw population growth.
Currency
The NCR created its own currency in the form of gold coins around the turn of the 22nd century. Bottle caps were useless at this time due to the gold reserves of the NCR. This changed when the Brotherhood of Steel destroyed the gold reserves in 2281. The NCR dollar devalued and the conversion rate lowered to 2.5 NCR dollars to one cap.
Caesar's Legion
Caesar's Legion is an autocratic, ultra-reactionary, totalitarian slaver society, founded in 2247 by Edward Sallow (also known as Caesar) and Joshua Graham and based on the ancient Roman Empire. Its legionaries are a well organized, culturally insular fighting force that mainly operate east of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon, in the former state of Arizona. Ever pushing east, their capital is the city of Flagstaff.
Caesar's Legion is comprised mostly of reconditioned tribes and their descendants. The Legion's symbol is a golden bull on a red field, which is derived from Julius Caesar's standard for the Tenth Twin Legion.
Background
Main article: History of Caesar's Legion
All territory east of the Colorado River is recognized as Caesar's land, an area indisputably under the control of the Legion and agents acting on Caesar's behalf.
In the year 2246, the Followers of the Apocalypse sent a group of nine members to the Arizona wastelands to study the region’s tribal languages. The group included Follower Edward Sallow, who met with the New Canaanite missionary Joshua Graham, a specialist in tribal dialects. Not long into their travels, the group was captured by the Blackfoot tribe and held for ransom.
At the time, the tribe warred against seven other tribes, and suffered from a lack of skill in warfare. Against his companion’s wishes, Sallow aided the Blackfoots to save him and his companions from their captor’s enemies, giving them knowledge in gun maintenance, small unit tactics, explosive improvisation, and military strategy. The tribals admired Sallow so much that they made him their leader. With that, Sallow took the name Caesar, and began reorganizing the tribals he commanded into the Legion.
Caesar established warfare policies in the Legion based on the concepts of divide and conquer and total war. The Legion defeated the region’s seven tribes from weakest to strongest, and completely dominated each faction’s land and people. The people conquered in campaigns were conscripted, enslaved, or killed. Caesar saw the tribes “playing at war,” and tribals viewed his tactics as foreign, as their warfare consisted of skirmishes that never escalated into major conflicts.
With the combined leadership of Caesar and Graham, declared the “Malpais Legate”, the Legion led campaigns against more tribes, forming a fanatically loyal army with their captives. Eighty-six tribes had been conquered by the year 2271, and the territory Caesar led formed the most powerful society east of the Colorado River. The Legion expanded west into the Mojave, and established Fortification Hill on the Colorado River in 2277. The advancing forces eventually made contact with the NCR near New Vegas, and began a campaign to take the region.
Under the command of the Malpais Legate, Legion forces marched against the New California Republic garrison at Hoover Dam, in an attempt to take the strategic asset and river crossing. In what became known as the First Battle of Hoover Dam, the Malpais Legate initially had the upper hand. The Legate was able to push the NCR defenders back and lead his forces over the dam. Lead elements of the NCR, including members of the 1st Recon Battalion and NCR Rangers, executed a tactical retreat west across the dam and into Boulder City, all the while using their marksmanship prowess to kill the Legion officers (primarily centurions, and decanii). The Legate, unable to adapt his strategies in combat or see the deception unfolding in front of him, chose to order his legionaries to push the rangers, not knowing the NCR had booby-trapped Boulder City, packing C4 along their line of retreat and within the city itself, and drawing the Legion into a trap. When the Legion forces entered the city, the NCR detonated the explosives and inflicted severe casualties amongst them, crippling their offensive. The NCR forces then counter-attacked, pushing back and eventually routing the Legion forces who fled east back over the dam. Caesar, angered at the failure of his Legate, made an example of him. The Praetorian guard covered the Legate in pitch, set him on fire, and cast him into the depths of the Grand Canyon. Caesar forbade mention of his name, and now he is spoken of only in hushed whispers by the lowest Legionaries and slaves; they call him the Burned Man.
By 2281, Caesar's Legion has re-established its power in the west, rebuilt its army, and has slowly encroached on the city of New Vegas. They continue to contest NCR over all of the region, destroying several NCR bases such as Ranger Station Charlie and Camp Searchlight, overrunning the NCR town of Nelson, and creating unease and terror across the region. Sometime before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the Caesar's Legion has conquered a new tribe under the command of centurion Gaius Magnus, bringing the number to 87.
Organization
Conceptart-thefort-B
A Caesar's Legion camp
The Legion is first and foremost a slave army, the sole owner of which is Caesar. As Caesar conquers the peoples of the wasteland, he strips them of their tribal identities and merges them into his forces. There is no other tribe than the Legion itself.
As a slave army, the Legion maintains a very strict hierarchy or division of roles. All able-bodied males become slave soldiers with a singular purpose: to fight for Caesar until they fall in battle. This reason for being is imprinted into each legionary during his reconditioning or, if one was born into the Legion, upbringing and training. Legionaries become unconditionally devoted to their leader, living to fight. Contrary to expectations, experience and veterancy has no bearing on one's position in the Legion. While some may receive better equipment and more dangerous tasks to fulfill, at the end of the day, all soldiers remain slaves, disposable human tools that are discarded the moment they stop fulfilling their purpose.[1]
Women are given the role of, essentially, support corps. Caesar specifically forbids women from fighting, instead using them as caretakers, healers, midwives, and breeders to support the Legion's continuous campaign of expansion. Almost all members of the Legion express condescending and downright misogynistic opinions of women and their non-combat roles. While the portrayal of female slaves in Fallout: New Vegas follows standard stereotypes, it is important to reiterate that both females and males in the Legion are fully subjugated by Caesar - though women have the distinction of being considered 'sub-human' instead of merely slaves, due to the Legion's perception of their gender.
The Legion is structured after the army of the Roman Empire. The largest unit of organization in Caesar's Legion is the "Cohort", numbering about 480 infantrymen. Cohorts are further divided into "Centuriae", which, contrary to their name, number about 80 men (accurate to the ancient Roman army as a Centuriae consisted of 80 professional soldiers and 20 noncombatants). Each Centuriae is divided into ten "tent groups" ("Contubernia"), making this the squad level of organization. Raiding parties also form in this size (about eight men) and are led by a decanus (squad leader).
Those living under the Legion's control are considered subjects, not members of the Legion proper. Lands under Caesar's protection enjoy stability and security far greater than lands outside its sphere of influence. Traders that have to cross NCR's territories with a guard contingent can safely travel on Legion trade routes alone, without any fear or danger of being attacked by raiders or other criminals. [2] Caesar is considered a harsh, but benevolent lord by those who reside inside his domain but have not been enslaved into his army[3].
Ideology
The weakened state of humankind following the atomic blasts offers an opportunity to unite the world under one flag. By using brutal and militaristic tactics, the Legion seeks to exploit that weakness and establish one society united under Caesar. Caesar claims that the atomic bombs were sent by the God of War, Mars, for just this purpose.
The ultimate goal of the Legion is to unite humanity. They see democratic societies as tools that the rich and powerful use to keep the majority of humanity in a state of constant irresponsibility and ignorance. By keeping the people addicted to consumerism, they could effectively drain citizens of their wealth while rendering them ineffective. This not only partially explains the Legion's disdain of alcohol and chemical stimulants, as well as pointless luxuries, it also explains why they see the majority of people as "animals", and are so quick to use violence against them. To them, "animals" are any creatures that live only to survive. Humanity, in their eyes, is defined instead by the ability to override the fear of death and the base instinct to survive. Those who are able to face death head-on can more easily sacrifice themselves in pursuit of a greater societal and ideological goal.
Caesar greatly dislikes democratic societies, especially the NCR, because of their glorification of the wealthy over the worthy. In addition, Caesar greatly dislikes sectionalism and consumerism, mainly because he believes they convert humans into "animals", or simple beings that live only for the sake of surviving. Caesar believes that it is his opportunity and destiny to unite all humankind under one banner, ushering in an age where each human is judged by their merit, and the subsequently given power according to that perceived virtue. This way of thinking exemplifies the differences between the NCR and Caesar's Legion. The NCR believe that basic democratic mercantilism will eventually bring peace to the wastes. While the greedy may rule now, when peace and stability inevitably arrive, the populace eventually will acquire greater power through reform. Caesar, however, sees that as a curse, not a blessing. In his mind, it will allow humans/"animals" to be preyed upon by the greedy. While the NCR uses their significant wealth to fund research to improve the average life expectancy of citizens, the Legion believes that longer lives come at the cost of other humans, resources, and purpose; people who blindly try to extend their lives should instead attempt to live without the fear of death hanging over them. This is why the Legion refuses to use medical sciences, except in rare cases. Given how little common ground exists between the ideologies of the NCR and the Legion, these factions will undoubtedly contest each other until one is defeated.
Language
Most members of the Legion pronounce Caesar's name /ˈkaisar/. Wastelanders and members of NCR, as well as older Legion members use the Anglicized pronunciation /ˈsiːzər/. Legion members are fastidious about classical Latin pronunciations, such as pronouncing the traditional Roman greeting "ave" (hail) [ˈaweː]. Soldiers are called "legionaries" (not legionnaires, which is a modern phrase and applied to the Légion étrangère). Those who are liked by the Legion will be called "amicus", Latin for comrade/friend.
Currency
This section is transcluded from Legion currency. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.
Caesar's Legion uses two old forms of currency which were also used in Roman times. They are minted by the Legion in the form of silver and gold coins, each coin bearing the profile of Caesar. Despite Caesar's poor relations with the other factions in New Vegas, Legion currency is still accepted as payment in the Mojave Wasteland, owing to the high level of trade with the Legion and the safety of its territory for caravans. The exchange rate is 4 bottle caps to 1 Denarius, and 100 bottle caps to 1 Aureus.
FNV Legion silver coin
The Denarius (silver), which bears an image of a younger Caesar on the obverse and Caesar, Joshua Graham and Calhoun on the reverse. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Caesar Dictator" meaning "Dictator Caesar" or "Absolute Ruler Caesar" on the front and "Magnum Chasma" meaning "Great Abyss" or "Great Fissure" on the back, referring to the Grand Canyon. The symbolism is simple - the denarius commemorates young Caesar's journey to the Canyon and his first victories as a dictator of the tribes.
FNV Legion golden coin
The Aureus (gold), which bears the portrait of the older Caesar on one side and the symbol of the 10th Legion (the bull) on the other. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Aeternit Imperi" meaning "For the eternity of the empire" on the front and "Pax Per Bellum" meaning "Peace through War" on the back.
Religion
The Legion follows the Cult of Mars, created by Caesar in 2250 after claiming he was the Son of Mars. Members of the Legion believe that the war god cleansed the Earth with fire so that Caesar could conquer the Earth and save it from chaos. Most members of the Legion are oblivious to their society's basis in Ancient Roman culture, and believe that their customs were dictated to Caesar by Mars himself.
Structure
Legion Massive Black 1
The Legion society is largely hierarchical. Anyone outside its ranks is considered to be Dissolute (lacking in morals), while those that are both outside of it and hostile (usually the NCR and its subjects) are called Profligates (slightly more dissolute). Freshly caught humans are called Captures and are considered the lowest of the low. Their only right is to be tested as a slave. If they do not meet the requirements, they are immediately disposed of.
Slaves are one step above Captures and consist of captured humans unfit for combat duty as a Legionary. They are expected to adhere to the virtues of a slave (Honestas, Industria, Prudentia - honesty, industry, and prudence) and follow their master's orders without questions. They are given a new name and wear rags with a light red X painted over the chest. During the Capture stage, slaves seem to be forced to wear slave collars. Later, when they have been "broken in" and transported deeper into Legion territory, the collars are removed as seen with the slaves at Fortification Hill. Children of slaves are taken from their parents after birth and placed in the care of priestesses, who raise them in keeping with Caesar's doctrine. Physically fit males are chosen to serve as Legionaries.
Legionaries are the main fighting force of the Legion and form the bulk of its society. Composed of capable men conscripted into service, Legionaries are expected to demonstrate the apex of Roman values. Advancement in rank is purely merit based - if a Legionary proves himself in combat, he will be promoted. If he doesn't, he will be lucky to escape with his life.
Military
Main article: Caesar's Legion military hierarchy
Caesarslegionmember
A veteran legionary
The entire Legion military army is led by a Legate, who answers only to the Caesar. In addition to this, the Legion's forces have two special branches, the frumentarii, who are tasked with infiltration and subterfuge, and the Praetorians, whose sole role is safeguarding the Caesar. A few are also assigned to protect the Legate. According to Ranger Andy, the Legion also uses child soldiers.
Unlike the NCR Army, Legionaries are not organized by rank but by direct combat experience. The most inexperienced of them, recruits (equivalent to pre-Marian Hastati or post-Marian auxiliary skirmishers), wear the simplest of garments and are usually marched in the front line. Survivors of multiple skirmishes can expect to be recognized as prime legionaries and considered for decanus status, or may simply be marched in the middle of the ranks (equivalent to the pre-Marian Principes).
The most experienced of Legionaries, veterans (equivalent to pre-Marian Triarii), make up the rear guard and join battle only if recruits and prime legionaries fail to meet their objectives. This practice is not a matter of rewarding elite soldiers for their service. Instead allowing the Legion to hold the best warriors in reserve, the practice forces an enemy weakened by previous waves to engage the fiercest Legionaries.
The main commanders, centurions and the Legate, are also the deadliest members of the Legion. Unlike their counterparts in the NCR or any other organization, each has reached their rank through their battlefield accomplishments, and their armor reflects that fact - it is made up of trophies taken from defeated enemies. However, they rarely enter the battlefield, as they are few in number and possess valuable leadership skills. The loss of a centurion will likely result in a dramatic loss of unit cohesion.
A special post in the Legion military is the Vexillarius (standard-bearer). The standard-bearers carry the sign of the Legion into battle and act as rally points for Legionaries.
Legion Massive Black 7
The discipline of legionaries is absolute. In combat, they obey every order without question and if needed, will gladly sacrifice their lives. The reason for this is simple: punishment for failure is severe. Legionaries that fail will be lucky if they escape with their lives. Those that fail will often be crucified or hacked to pieces by Praetorians in front of Caesar. It is also possible that the Legate will invoke decimation, where every tenth legionary will be beaten to death by his comrades as punishment. Life expectancy in the Legion army is low - any Legionary who can survive extended service is a formidable opponent.
While this disciplined style of warfare is extremely effective, it does create a few very exploitable weaknesses. Soldiers in the legion are trained to obey their superiors in all situations; this often makes the Legion troops, especially recruits, slow to adapt to changing battlefield situations. If the officers and veterans are eliminated, the chain of command will be in severe danger of collapsing. With recruits unable to control the situation, the leaderless army will become disoriented and confused, ultimately rendering it easily routed or wiped out. Under the command of Chief Hanlon, the NCR demonstrated and exploited these weaknesses to great effect during The First Battle of Hoover Dam.
The Legion excels at melee combat, as evidenced by their choice of weaponry - primarily, the machete, which cripples limbs. They are not averse, tactically speaking, to using firearms, but will not provide them to the lower ranked troops. They usually have to scavenge firearms, and the ones used by the Recruits are rather low quality and include .357 magnum revolvers, varmint rifles, and single shotguns. A ranked Decanus is most often armed with a submachine gun of some sort. On a whole, Prime and Veteran Legionaries prefer slower, more reliable firearms, like cowboy repeaters, .44 magnum revolvers, and hunting rifles. The most high tech Legion soldiers are the Centurions, who use anti-materiel rifles and marksman carbines. Legion soldiers on average have more health than NCR troopers, but are less durable due to having worse armor. The Legion makes extensive use of hit and run tactics. Legion raids typically involve sending an overwhelming force to suddenly attack a town, killing everyone (sometimes taking slaves) and leaving before the enemy can respond. As Lanius states, their forces are much better suited at taking positions than holding them due to their up close style of fighting. While Legion raids are often very successful, it is worth noting that the number of positions the Legion actually controls over a period of time in the Mojave is very small compared to the NCR.
Relations with the outside
Legion Massive Black 3
As a single-minded, monolithic empire, the Legion's aim is to dominate the known world and unite it under its banner. In 2281, it is locked in conflict with the New California Republic at the Colorado River. Tribes that weren't pressed into it are also openly hostile to the Legion, fearing that they too will become victims of its campaign of conquest, as even with guarantees of safety and independence, Caesar has gone against his word and assimilated tribes he previously promised he'd leave alone. This causes even ruthless organizations like the Van Graffs to oppose the Legion in addition to organizations like the Desert Rangers. However while many civilized groups dislike the Legion's ways, they have great success in assimilating tribal groups. Tribals and their general respect for power over anything else typically side with the Legion over the NCR. The White Legs are firm allies of the Legion, and are used as proxies for the Legion in the War for Zion.
In 2281, after suffering an incredibly devastating defeat at Hoover Dam, the Legion has resorted to finding ways to gain the allegiance of local factions so that they can sow the seeds of their enemy's demise closer to home. They have allied with the Great Khans and Omertas and plan to use them to aid their plans in the Mojave before assimilating or exterminating them.
Dale Barton often prefers to trade in Legion territories, saying that he finds it cheaper as he rarely has to hire protection or pay extortionate taxes, due to the effectiveness of Legion suppression of raiders and wasteland creatures. Even Rose of Sharon Cassidy has admitted to admiring Legion-controlled areas, as they attract traders, merchants, and wastelander communities in general to their high level of safety, especially when compared to NCR territories and uncontrolled regions. However, the Legion as a whole is unpopular in the Mojave due to their brutality.
According to Ulysses, Caesar commanded Legion couriers not to kill another courier (be they Legion or not), because many couriers in fact were frumentarii.
Technology
Caesar firmly believes that reliance on technology weakens humans, and was responsible for the Great War. As such, his Legion is mostly a low-tech organization, relying on numbers, physical fitness and discipline to achieve their objectives. A typical legionary will wear armor mimicking the Roman lorica hamata or lorica segmentata, usually created from pre-War sports gear (mostly if not exclusively football gear) armored with metal plates, including the helmet, worn over a tunic. In combat, they use either simple firearms (typically revolvers or lever-action rifles), power fists, or melee weapons in the form of machetes and throwing spears, crafted from scavenged materials that mimic the ancient Roman short sword (gladius) and javelin (pilum).
However, it is incorrect to treat their technology as primitive. As simple as regular combat gear is, the Legion is capable of erecting large fortifications out of scrap (e.g. Fortification Hill encampment) and mass producing standardized weapons and armor for its footmen. In fact, the armor and weapons of higher ranking soldiers compares favorably to the NCR. In major battles, centurions will use rather advanced weaponry such as anti-materiel rifles, Marksman carbines, and super sledges. The personal guards of Caesar themselves are equipped with high tech ballistic fists to complement their martial prowess.
While no Legion member wields energy weapons, they show interest in purchasing them from the Van Graffs. The Legion is also never shown using power armor, though pieces of what appears to be T-45d power armor are used in centurion armor. Oddly enough, the Legion has huge amounts of Stealth Boys. These Stealth Boys are never seen used by legion soldiers in the Mojave, but are used by the legion at Dry Wells and the legion Marked men at the Divide. A high reputation with the legion will lead to a steady cache of Stealth Boys for the Courier.
The only mentioned opposition to military technology is combat robots. Caesar dislikes the thought of having robots win a war fought by men. Because of this he tells the Courier to destroy Mr. House's Securitron army, even if the Courier offers to use the technology to destroy the NCR. He has no problem with Lucius trying to repair a howitzer, for the purposes of suppressing 1st Recon and NCR Veteran Ranger snipers. They occupy the HELIOS One station if the player decides to activate Archimedes I, Fantastic joins the Legion as the overseer of the power plant with the comment "Hey man, when in Rome." The Legion appears to use radios as shown at Cottonwood Cove HQ but overall opts for devices that use no power. The Legion does not need or truly desire power sources like the NCR, but at no point oppose its usage as they do with chems, alcohol and combat robots. The Legion is overall a very Neo-Luddite organization hoping to return to the days of the Roman Empire, and this idea conflicts with using "old world" technology. While the Legion uses technology when appropriate, there is no interest in the pursuit of technology in any aspect like there is with most other major factions in the wasteland.
Caesar's Legion is comprised mostly of reconditioned tribes and their descendants. The Legion's symbol is a golden bull on a red field, which is derived from Julius Caesar's standard for the Tenth Twin Legion.
Background
Main article: History of Caesar's Legion
All territory east of the Colorado River is recognized as Caesar's land, an area indisputably under the control of the Legion and agents acting on Caesar's behalf.
In the year 2246, the Followers of the Apocalypse sent a group of nine members to the Arizona wastelands to study the region’s tribal languages. The group included Follower Edward Sallow, who met with the New Canaanite missionary Joshua Graham, a specialist in tribal dialects. Not long into their travels, the group was captured by the Blackfoot tribe and held for ransom.
At the time, the tribe warred against seven other tribes, and suffered from a lack of skill in warfare. Against his companion’s wishes, Sallow aided the Blackfoots to save him and his companions from their captor’s enemies, giving them knowledge in gun maintenance, small unit tactics, explosive improvisation, and military strategy. The tribals admired Sallow so much that they made him their leader. With that, Sallow took the name Caesar, and began reorganizing the tribals he commanded into the Legion.
Caesar established warfare policies in the Legion based on the concepts of divide and conquer and total war. The Legion defeated the region’s seven tribes from weakest to strongest, and completely dominated each faction’s land and people. The people conquered in campaigns were conscripted, enslaved, or killed. Caesar saw the tribes “playing at war,” and tribals viewed his tactics as foreign, as their warfare consisted of skirmishes that never escalated into major conflicts.
With the combined leadership of Caesar and Graham, declared the “Malpais Legate”, the Legion led campaigns against more tribes, forming a fanatically loyal army with their captives. Eighty-six tribes had been conquered by the year 2271, and the territory Caesar led formed the most powerful society east of the Colorado River. The Legion expanded west into the Mojave, and established Fortification Hill on the Colorado River in 2277. The advancing forces eventually made contact with the NCR near New Vegas, and began a campaign to take the region.
Under the command of the Malpais Legate, Legion forces marched against the New California Republic garrison at Hoover Dam, in an attempt to take the strategic asset and river crossing. In what became known as the First Battle of Hoover Dam, the Malpais Legate initially had the upper hand. The Legate was able to push the NCR defenders back and lead his forces over the dam. Lead elements of the NCR, including members of the 1st Recon Battalion and NCR Rangers, executed a tactical retreat west across the dam and into Boulder City, all the while using their marksmanship prowess to kill the Legion officers (primarily centurions, and decanii). The Legate, unable to adapt his strategies in combat or see the deception unfolding in front of him, chose to order his legionaries to push the rangers, not knowing the NCR had booby-trapped Boulder City, packing C4 along their line of retreat and within the city itself, and drawing the Legion into a trap. When the Legion forces entered the city, the NCR detonated the explosives and inflicted severe casualties amongst them, crippling their offensive. The NCR forces then counter-attacked, pushing back and eventually routing the Legion forces who fled east back over the dam. Caesar, angered at the failure of his Legate, made an example of him. The Praetorian guard covered the Legate in pitch, set him on fire, and cast him into the depths of the Grand Canyon. Caesar forbade mention of his name, and now he is spoken of only in hushed whispers by the lowest Legionaries and slaves; they call him the Burned Man.
By 2281, Caesar's Legion has re-established its power in the west, rebuilt its army, and has slowly encroached on the city of New Vegas. They continue to contest NCR over all of the region, destroying several NCR bases such as Ranger Station Charlie and Camp Searchlight, overrunning the NCR town of Nelson, and creating unease and terror across the region. Sometime before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the Caesar's Legion has conquered a new tribe under the command of centurion Gaius Magnus, bringing the number to 87.
Organization
Conceptart-thefort-B
A Caesar's Legion camp
The Legion is first and foremost a slave army, the sole owner of which is Caesar. As Caesar conquers the peoples of the wasteland, he strips them of their tribal identities and merges them into his forces. There is no other tribe than the Legion itself.
As a slave army, the Legion maintains a very strict hierarchy or division of roles. All able-bodied males become slave soldiers with a singular purpose: to fight for Caesar until they fall in battle. This reason for being is imprinted into each legionary during his reconditioning or, if one was born into the Legion, upbringing and training. Legionaries become unconditionally devoted to their leader, living to fight. Contrary to expectations, experience and veterancy has no bearing on one's position in the Legion. While some may receive better equipment and more dangerous tasks to fulfill, at the end of the day, all soldiers remain slaves, disposable human tools that are discarded the moment they stop fulfilling their purpose.[1]
Women are given the role of, essentially, support corps. Caesar specifically forbids women from fighting, instead using them as caretakers, healers, midwives, and breeders to support the Legion's continuous campaign of expansion. Almost all members of the Legion express condescending and downright misogynistic opinions of women and their non-combat roles. While the portrayal of female slaves in Fallout: New Vegas follows standard stereotypes, it is important to reiterate that both females and males in the Legion are fully subjugated by Caesar - though women have the distinction of being considered 'sub-human' instead of merely slaves, due to the Legion's perception of their gender.
The Legion is structured after the army of the Roman Empire. The largest unit of organization in Caesar's Legion is the "Cohort", numbering about 480 infantrymen. Cohorts are further divided into "Centuriae", which, contrary to their name, number about 80 men (accurate to the ancient Roman army as a Centuriae consisted of 80 professional soldiers and 20 noncombatants). Each Centuriae is divided into ten "tent groups" ("Contubernia"), making this the squad level of organization. Raiding parties also form in this size (about eight men) and are led by a decanus (squad leader).
Those living under the Legion's control are considered subjects, not members of the Legion proper. Lands under Caesar's protection enjoy stability and security far greater than lands outside its sphere of influence. Traders that have to cross NCR's territories with a guard contingent can safely travel on Legion trade routes alone, without any fear or danger of being attacked by raiders or other criminals. [2] Caesar is considered a harsh, but benevolent lord by those who reside inside his domain but have not been enslaved into his army[3].
Ideology
The weakened state of humankind following the atomic blasts offers an opportunity to unite the world under one flag. By using brutal and militaristic tactics, the Legion seeks to exploit that weakness and establish one society united under Caesar. Caesar claims that the atomic bombs were sent by the God of War, Mars, for just this purpose.
The ultimate goal of the Legion is to unite humanity. They see democratic societies as tools that the rich and powerful use to keep the majority of humanity in a state of constant irresponsibility and ignorance. By keeping the people addicted to consumerism, they could effectively drain citizens of their wealth while rendering them ineffective. This not only partially explains the Legion's disdain of alcohol and chemical stimulants, as well as pointless luxuries, it also explains why they see the majority of people as "animals", and are so quick to use violence against them. To them, "animals" are any creatures that live only to survive. Humanity, in their eyes, is defined instead by the ability to override the fear of death and the base instinct to survive. Those who are able to face death head-on can more easily sacrifice themselves in pursuit of a greater societal and ideological goal.
Caesar greatly dislikes democratic societies, especially the NCR, because of their glorification of the wealthy over the worthy. In addition, Caesar greatly dislikes sectionalism and consumerism, mainly because he believes they convert humans into "animals", or simple beings that live only for the sake of surviving. Caesar believes that it is his opportunity and destiny to unite all humankind under one banner, ushering in an age where each human is judged by their merit, and the subsequently given power according to that perceived virtue. This way of thinking exemplifies the differences between the NCR and Caesar's Legion. The NCR believe that basic democratic mercantilism will eventually bring peace to the wastes. While the greedy may rule now, when peace and stability inevitably arrive, the populace eventually will acquire greater power through reform. Caesar, however, sees that as a curse, not a blessing. In his mind, it will allow humans/"animals" to be preyed upon by the greedy. While the NCR uses their significant wealth to fund research to improve the average life expectancy of citizens, the Legion believes that longer lives come at the cost of other humans, resources, and purpose; people who blindly try to extend their lives should instead attempt to live without the fear of death hanging over them. This is why the Legion refuses to use medical sciences, except in rare cases. Given how little common ground exists between the ideologies of the NCR and the Legion, these factions will undoubtedly contest each other until one is defeated.
Language
Most members of the Legion pronounce Caesar's name /ˈkaisar/. Wastelanders and members of NCR, as well as older Legion members use the Anglicized pronunciation /ˈsiːzər/. Legion members are fastidious about classical Latin pronunciations, such as pronouncing the traditional Roman greeting "ave" (hail) [ˈaweː]. Soldiers are called "legionaries" (not legionnaires, which is a modern phrase and applied to the Légion étrangère). Those who are liked by the Legion will be called "amicus", Latin for comrade/friend.
Currency
This section is transcluded from Legion currency. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.
Caesar's Legion uses two old forms of currency which were also used in Roman times. They are minted by the Legion in the form of silver and gold coins, each coin bearing the profile of Caesar. Despite Caesar's poor relations with the other factions in New Vegas, Legion currency is still accepted as payment in the Mojave Wasteland, owing to the high level of trade with the Legion and the safety of its territory for caravans. The exchange rate is 4 bottle caps to 1 Denarius, and 100 bottle caps to 1 Aureus.
FNV Legion silver coin
The Denarius (silver), which bears an image of a younger Caesar on the obverse and Caesar, Joshua Graham and Calhoun on the reverse. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Caesar Dictator" meaning "Dictator Caesar" or "Absolute Ruler Caesar" on the front and "Magnum Chasma" meaning "Great Abyss" or "Great Fissure" on the back, referring to the Grand Canyon. The symbolism is simple - the denarius commemorates young Caesar's journey to the Canyon and his first victories as a dictator of the tribes.
FNV Legion golden coin
The Aureus (gold), which bears the portrait of the older Caesar on one side and the symbol of the 10th Legion (the bull) on the other. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Aeternit Imperi" meaning "For the eternity of the empire" on the front and "Pax Per Bellum" meaning "Peace through War" on the back.
Religion
The Legion follows the Cult of Mars, created by Caesar in 2250 after claiming he was the Son of Mars. Members of the Legion believe that the war god cleansed the Earth with fire so that Caesar could conquer the Earth and save it from chaos. Most members of the Legion are oblivious to their society's basis in Ancient Roman culture, and believe that their customs were dictated to Caesar by Mars himself.
Structure
Legion Massive Black 1
The Legion society is largely hierarchical. Anyone outside its ranks is considered to be Dissolute (lacking in morals), while those that are both outside of it and hostile (usually the NCR and its subjects) are called Profligates (slightly more dissolute). Freshly caught humans are called Captures and are considered the lowest of the low. Their only right is to be tested as a slave. If they do not meet the requirements, they are immediately disposed of.
Slaves are one step above Captures and consist of captured humans unfit for combat duty as a Legionary. They are expected to adhere to the virtues of a slave (Honestas, Industria, Prudentia - honesty, industry, and prudence) and follow their master's orders without questions. They are given a new name and wear rags with a light red X painted over the chest. During the Capture stage, slaves seem to be forced to wear slave collars. Later, when they have been "broken in" and transported deeper into Legion territory, the collars are removed as seen with the slaves at Fortification Hill. Children of slaves are taken from their parents after birth and placed in the care of priestesses, who raise them in keeping with Caesar's doctrine. Physically fit males are chosen to serve as Legionaries.
Legionaries are the main fighting force of the Legion and form the bulk of its society. Composed of capable men conscripted into service, Legionaries are expected to demonstrate the apex of Roman values. Advancement in rank is purely merit based - if a Legionary proves himself in combat, he will be promoted. If he doesn't, he will be lucky to escape with his life.
Military
Main article: Caesar's Legion military hierarchy
Caesarslegionmember
A veteran legionary
The entire Legion military army is led by a Legate, who answers only to the Caesar. In addition to this, the Legion's forces have two special branches, the frumentarii, who are tasked with infiltration and subterfuge, and the Praetorians, whose sole role is safeguarding the Caesar. A few are also assigned to protect the Legate. According to Ranger Andy, the Legion also uses child soldiers.
Unlike the NCR Army, Legionaries are not organized by rank but by direct combat experience. The most inexperienced of them, recruits (equivalent to pre-Marian Hastati or post-Marian auxiliary skirmishers), wear the simplest of garments and are usually marched in the front line. Survivors of multiple skirmishes can expect to be recognized as prime legionaries and considered for decanus status, or may simply be marched in the middle of the ranks (equivalent to the pre-Marian Principes).
The most experienced of Legionaries, veterans (equivalent to pre-Marian Triarii), make up the rear guard and join battle only if recruits and prime legionaries fail to meet their objectives. This practice is not a matter of rewarding elite soldiers for their service. Instead allowing the Legion to hold the best warriors in reserve, the practice forces an enemy weakened by previous waves to engage the fiercest Legionaries.
The main commanders, centurions and the Legate, are also the deadliest members of the Legion. Unlike their counterparts in the NCR or any other organization, each has reached their rank through their battlefield accomplishments, and their armor reflects that fact - it is made up of trophies taken from defeated enemies. However, they rarely enter the battlefield, as they are few in number and possess valuable leadership skills. The loss of a centurion will likely result in a dramatic loss of unit cohesion.
A special post in the Legion military is the Vexillarius (standard-bearer). The standard-bearers carry the sign of the Legion into battle and act as rally points for Legionaries.
Legion Massive Black 7
The discipline of legionaries is absolute. In combat, they obey every order without question and if needed, will gladly sacrifice their lives. The reason for this is simple: punishment for failure is severe. Legionaries that fail will be lucky if they escape with their lives. Those that fail will often be crucified or hacked to pieces by Praetorians in front of Caesar. It is also possible that the Legate will invoke decimation, where every tenth legionary will be beaten to death by his comrades as punishment. Life expectancy in the Legion army is low - any Legionary who can survive extended service is a formidable opponent.
While this disciplined style of warfare is extremely effective, it does create a few very exploitable weaknesses. Soldiers in the legion are trained to obey their superiors in all situations; this often makes the Legion troops, especially recruits, slow to adapt to changing battlefield situations. If the officers and veterans are eliminated, the chain of command will be in severe danger of collapsing. With recruits unable to control the situation, the leaderless army will become disoriented and confused, ultimately rendering it easily routed or wiped out. Under the command of Chief Hanlon, the NCR demonstrated and exploited these weaknesses to great effect during The First Battle of Hoover Dam.
The Legion excels at melee combat, as evidenced by their choice of weaponry - primarily, the machete, which cripples limbs. They are not averse, tactically speaking, to using firearms, but will not provide them to the lower ranked troops. They usually have to scavenge firearms, and the ones used by the Recruits are rather low quality and include .357 magnum revolvers, varmint rifles, and single shotguns. A ranked Decanus is most often armed with a submachine gun of some sort. On a whole, Prime and Veteran Legionaries prefer slower, more reliable firearms, like cowboy repeaters, .44 magnum revolvers, and hunting rifles. The most high tech Legion soldiers are the Centurions, who use anti-materiel rifles and marksman carbines. Legion soldiers on average have more health than NCR troopers, but are less durable due to having worse armor. The Legion makes extensive use of hit and run tactics. Legion raids typically involve sending an overwhelming force to suddenly attack a town, killing everyone (sometimes taking slaves) and leaving before the enemy can respond. As Lanius states, their forces are much better suited at taking positions than holding them due to their up close style of fighting. While Legion raids are often very successful, it is worth noting that the number of positions the Legion actually controls over a period of time in the Mojave is very small compared to the NCR.
Relations with the outside
Legion Massive Black 3
As a single-minded, monolithic empire, the Legion's aim is to dominate the known world and unite it under its banner. In 2281, it is locked in conflict with the New California Republic at the Colorado River. Tribes that weren't pressed into it are also openly hostile to the Legion, fearing that they too will become victims of its campaign of conquest, as even with guarantees of safety and independence, Caesar has gone against his word and assimilated tribes he previously promised he'd leave alone. This causes even ruthless organizations like the Van Graffs to oppose the Legion in addition to organizations like the Desert Rangers. However while many civilized groups dislike the Legion's ways, they have great success in assimilating tribal groups. Tribals and their general respect for power over anything else typically side with the Legion over the NCR. The White Legs are firm allies of the Legion, and are used as proxies for the Legion in the War for Zion.
In 2281, after suffering an incredibly devastating defeat at Hoover Dam, the Legion has resorted to finding ways to gain the allegiance of local factions so that they can sow the seeds of their enemy's demise closer to home. They have allied with the Great Khans and Omertas and plan to use them to aid their plans in the Mojave before assimilating or exterminating them.
Dale Barton often prefers to trade in Legion territories, saying that he finds it cheaper as he rarely has to hire protection or pay extortionate taxes, due to the effectiveness of Legion suppression of raiders and wasteland creatures. Even Rose of Sharon Cassidy has admitted to admiring Legion-controlled areas, as they attract traders, merchants, and wastelander communities in general to their high level of safety, especially when compared to NCR territories and uncontrolled regions. However, the Legion as a whole is unpopular in the Mojave due to their brutality.
According to Ulysses, Caesar commanded Legion couriers not to kill another courier (be they Legion or not), because many couriers in fact were frumentarii.
Technology
Caesar firmly believes that reliance on technology weakens humans, and was responsible for the Great War. As such, his Legion is mostly a low-tech organization, relying on numbers, physical fitness and discipline to achieve their objectives. A typical legionary will wear armor mimicking the Roman lorica hamata or lorica segmentata, usually created from pre-War sports gear (mostly if not exclusively football gear) armored with metal plates, including the helmet, worn over a tunic. In combat, they use either simple firearms (typically revolvers or lever-action rifles), power fists, or melee weapons in the form of machetes and throwing spears, crafted from scavenged materials that mimic the ancient Roman short sword (gladius) and javelin (pilum).
However, it is incorrect to treat their technology as primitive. As simple as regular combat gear is, the Legion is capable of erecting large fortifications out of scrap (e.g. Fortification Hill encampment) and mass producing standardized weapons and armor for its footmen. In fact, the armor and weapons of higher ranking soldiers compares favorably to the NCR. In major battles, centurions will use rather advanced weaponry such as anti-materiel rifles, Marksman carbines, and super sledges. The personal guards of Caesar themselves are equipped with high tech ballistic fists to complement their martial prowess.
While no Legion member wields energy weapons, they show interest in purchasing them from the Van Graffs. The Legion is also never shown using power armor, though pieces of what appears to be T-45d power armor are used in centurion armor. Oddly enough, the Legion has huge amounts of Stealth Boys. These Stealth Boys are never seen used by legion soldiers in the Mojave, but are used by the legion at Dry Wells and the legion Marked men at the Divide. A high reputation with the legion will lead to a steady cache of Stealth Boys for the Courier.
The only mentioned opposition to military technology is combat robots. Caesar dislikes the thought of having robots win a war fought by men. Because of this he tells the Courier to destroy Mr. House's Securitron army, even if the Courier offers to use the technology to destroy the NCR. He has no problem with Lucius trying to repair a howitzer, for the purposes of suppressing 1st Recon and NCR Veteran Ranger snipers. They occupy the HELIOS One station if the player decides to activate Archimedes I, Fantastic joins the Legion as the overseer of the power plant with the comment "Hey man, when in Rome." The Legion appears to use radios as shown at Cottonwood Cove HQ but overall opts for devices that use no power. The Legion does not need or truly desire power sources like the NCR, but at no point oppose its usage as they do with chems, alcohol and combat robots. The Legion is overall a very Neo-Luddite organization hoping to return to the days of the Roman Empire, and this idea conflicts with using "old world" technology. While the Legion uses technology when appropriate, there is no interest in the pursuit of technology in any aspect like there is with most other major factions in the wasteland.
Robert Edwin House
Robert Edwin House is the self-styled President, CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas Strip in the Mojave Wasteland in the year 2281. House is foremost responsible for the founding of RobCo Industries, the creation of Mr. New Vegas, and civilizing the New Vegas casino tribes.
Biography
Born on June 25, 2020 (261 years old) to a wealthy Nevada tool magnate, Robert Edwin House was orphaned at an early age when his parents died in a freak accident involving an auto gyro and a lightning strike. Cheated of his inheritance by his half-brother, Anthony, he nevertheless attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and later went on to found RobCo Industries in his hometown of Las Vegas at the age of just 22. It would soon become one of the most profitable corporations in the world, owing mostly to House's considerable technical genius and business acumen. He used the wealth and power to gain controlling interests in a myriad of other businesses. These included REPCONN Aerospace, the Lucky 38 Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard, and perhaps, most personally, the H&H Tool Company - the family business usurped by his greedy half-brother (although curiously, the factory on the outskirts of Vegas was still under his brother's control in 2077).
A staunch pragmatist by nature, Mr. House would regularly design and run mathematical paradigms based on global political and socio-economic conditions in an effort to predict future events. By 2065, these projections led him to the inexorable conclusion that the world would be engulfed in a nuclear war within fifteen years. Worse still, his contacts within the military informed him that seventy-seven Chinese warheads were aimed at his beloved Las Vegas. Armed with this knowledge and his projections, House went to work on a secret plan to ensure the city would survive this apocalypse and that he would live to see the world after the war. He programmed multiple mainframes with satellite links meant to disable the vast majority of the Chinese missiles while in flight, then designed an array of high powered laser cannons, which he had installed on the roof of the Lucky 38, to deal with any missile his program had missed. To preserve himself, he took equally drastic steps: his body was permanently connected to an extremely sophisticated life support device named a "hibernation chamber" [1]to take care of his physiological needs, while his brain was wired directly into his vast information network via an enormous supercomputer. Essentially, he became a one-of-a-kind humanoid brain bot, with the Lucky 38 and an army of securitrons serving as his "body".
An integral element of his plan was the platinum chip, which in reality was a combination access card and high capacity data storage device, containing a massive OS upgrade for his Securitrons and the laser defense network. The chip was to be delivered in the afternoon of October 23, 2077. Unfortunately, about 20 hours before delivery, the Great War began. The chip was lost and was rediscovered over 200 years later in Sunnyvale by some of the multiple scavengers hired by House. Forced to work with an inferior version of the OS, he has suffered numerous system crashes and was even forced into a coma by one of the failures before being able to reboot an earlier, stable version.
House regained consciousness in 2138.[2] Biding his time, he entered the world stage once again in 2274, when Securitrons under his command emerged from the Lucky 38. This action was prompted by the arrival of New California Republic scouts at Hoover Dam. In order to establish his rule, he enlisted the help of tribes living in New Vegas (later known as the Three Families) and rebuilt the city just in time to welcome the arrival of the New California Republic Army's advance forces. In exchange for help with Hoover Dam and permission to use the McCarran Airport as its headquarters, House signed the New Vegas treaty, ensuring cooperation from NCR and, for a time, protecting the Strip from annexation.
Post-war status
MR. House is the mysterious overlord of the Strip. He controls his small empire from the confines of the Lucky 38 casino, where no other living person has set foot for over two hundred years.
House lives in the Lucky 38 and is in charge of the securitrons that roam New Vegas. At some point after emerging from stasis, House won the leadership of Vault 21 in a bet, stripped it of all useful technology, and then planned to permanently seal the Vault away by filling it with cement. At the pleadings of Sarah Weintraub he left the top section of Vault 21 as it used to be, and she converted it into a hotel (all the casino equipment was already there from the vault experiment).
Mr. House is also extremely interested in the collectible snow globes found in the game, and he will pay handsomely for each. The snowglobes can be given to Jane in exchange for 2000 caps each. Snowglobes found in Sierra Madre (Dead Money), Big MT (Old World Blues), Zion National Park (Honest Hearts) and the Divide (Lonesome Road) will automatically be removed from the player's inventory and replaced with 2000 caps (except for snow globe - Sierra Madre Casino, it adds 2000 Sierra Madre chips.) Once the Courier has sold a snowglobe to Jane it is placed on display (on a mantle) in the Lucky 38 presidential suite. However, if you kill Mr. House the snow globes will stay in your inventory and Jane will disappear.
Health
Mr. House is extremely physically decrepit and can only live inside a self-contained life support unit. The Courier has the opportunity to break through his security and see his true form. However, opening his isolation chamber, even for a second, means that Mr. House will not live more than a year due to exposure to outside contaminants.
Biography
Born on June 25, 2020 (261 years old) to a wealthy Nevada tool magnate, Robert Edwin House was orphaned at an early age when his parents died in a freak accident involving an auto gyro and a lightning strike. Cheated of his inheritance by his half-brother, Anthony, he nevertheless attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and later went on to found RobCo Industries in his hometown of Las Vegas at the age of just 22. It would soon become one of the most profitable corporations in the world, owing mostly to House's considerable technical genius and business acumen. He used the wealth and power to gain controlling interests in a myriad of other businesses. These included REPCONN Aerospace, the Lucky 38 Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard, and perhaps, most personally, the H&H Tool Company - the family business usurped by his greedy half-brother (although curiously, the factory on the outskirts of Vegas was still under his brother's control in 2077).
A staunch pragmatist by nature, Mr. House would regularly design and run mathematical paradigms based on global political and socio-economic conditions in an effort to predict future events. By 2065, these projections led him to the inexorable conclusion that the world would be engulfed in a nuclear war within fifteen years. Worse still, his contacts within the military informed him that seventy-seven Chinese warheads were aimed at his beloved Las Vegas. Armed with this knowledge and his projections, House went to work on a secret plan to ensure the city would survive this apocalypse and that he would live to see the world after the war. He programmed multiple mainframes with satellite links meant to disable the vast majority of the Chinese missiles while in flight, then designed an array of high powered laser cannons, which he had installed on the roof of the Lucky 38, to deal with any missile his program had missed. To preserve himself, he took equally drastic steps: his body was permanently connected to an extremely sophisticated life support device named a "hibernation chamber" [1]to take care of his physiological needs, while his brain was wired directly into his vast information network via an enormous supercomputer. Essentially, he became a one-of-a-kind humanoid brain bot, with the Lucky 38 and an army of securitrons serving as his "body".
An integral element of his plan was the platinum chip, which in reality was a combination access card and high capacity data storage device, containing a massive OS upgrade for his Securitrons and the laser defense network. The chip was to be delivered in the afternoon of October 23, 2077. Unfortunately, about 20 hours before delivery, the Great War began. The chip was lost and was rediscovered over 200 years later in Sunnyvale by some of the multiple scavengers hired by House. Forced to work with an inferior version of the OS, he has suffered numerous system crashes and was even forced into a coma by one of the failures before being able to reboot an earlier, stable version.
House regained consciousness in 2138.[2] Biding his time, he entered the world stage once again in 2274, when Securitrons under his command emerged from the Lucky 38. This action was prompted by the arrival of New California Republic scouts at Hoover Dam. In order to establish his rule, he enlisted the help of tribes living in New Vegas (later known as the Three Families) and rebuilt the city just in time to welcome the arrival of the New California Republic Army's advance forces. In exchange for help with Hoover Dam and permission to use the McCarran Airport as its headquarters, House signed the New Vegas treaty, ensuring cooperation from NCR and, for a time, protecting the Strip from annexation.
Post-war status
MR. House is the mysterious overlord of the Strip. He controls his small empire from the confines of the Lucky 38 casino, where no other living person has set foot for over two hundred years.
House lives in the Lucky 38 and is in charge of the securitrons that roam New Vegas. At some point after emerging from stasis, House won the leadership of Vault 21 in a bet, stripped it of all useful technology, and then planned to permanently seal the Vault away by filling it with cement. At the pleadings of Sarah Weintraub he left the top section of Vault 21 as it used to be, and she converted it into a hotel (all the casino equipment was already there from the vault experiment).
Mr. House is also extremely interested in the collectible snow globes found in the game, and he will pay handsomely for each. The snowglobes can be given to Jane in exchange for 2000 caps each. Snowglobes found in Sierra Madre (Dead Money), Big MT (Old World Blues), Zion National Park (Honest Hearts) and the Divide (Lonesome Road) will automatically be removed from the player's inventory and replaced with 2000 caps (except for snow globe - Sierra Madre Casino, it adds 2000 Sierra Madre chips.) Once the Courier has sold a snowglobe to Jane it is placed on display (on a mantle) in the Lucky 38 presidential suite. However, if you kill Mr. House the snow globes will stay in your inventory and Jane will disappear.
Health
Mr. House is extremely physically decrepit and can only live inside a self-contained life support unit. The Courier has the opportunity to break through his security and see his true form. However, opening his isolation chamber, even for a second, means that Mr. House will not live more than a year due to exposure to outside contaminants.