Highlights
- Some raiders in the Fallout series have managed to become influential leaders and rebuild societies despite their brutal nature.
- Tragic backgrounds and traumatic events have shaped the motivations and actions of many raiders in the game.
- Legendary raiders like Atlas and Papa Khan have achieved legendary status due to their ruthless and powerful actions in the wasteland.
There are two types of people in Fallout lore: settlers and raiders. Settlers are those happy to live in civilization, farming, working, and contributing to society, whilst raiders are the complete opposite -- savages, murderers, and people looking to steal whatever from whoever. Despite their antagonistic and seemingly brutal nature, some specific raiders have managed to make a name for themselves within the lore of the Fallout series.
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For raiders, sadism is a way of living, a way of surviving. However, not every raider in the games has stuck to their ruthless and cruel lifestyle. The lore of Fallout dives into why these people chose to become raiders and adopt such a savage lifestyle and how they used their higher status within raiders to influence others.
9 Ishmael Ashur
Ishmael Ashur appears in Fallout 3's expansions, The Pitt, as the leader of, well, "The Pitt." Diving into the lore, the player discovers that Ishmael was once a member of The Brotherhood of Steel, possibly a paladin, explaining his stern leadership. As part of a raid by The Brotherhood of Steel, Ishmael was caught in an explosion and buried in rubble, abandoned by his fellow Brotherhood members. However, his power armor protected him, and he rose from the debris. The surrounding survivors viewed him as a god.
Due to his abandonment, Ishmael decided he could use his newfound god-like status to take leadership and rebuild the city of The Pitt. He managed to build a dedicated following and train the citizens into some of the finest soldiers in the wasteland. His changed view of The Brotherhood allowed him to revive a dead city and create a flourishing raider civilization.
8 Jared
Jared is the leader of the Corvega raider gang that occupies the Corvega Assembly Plant in Fallout 4. Jared is one of the first proper raiders the player encounters in the game, making him an example of what to expect in the future. He and his gang are notorious for huffing dosages of chems in an attempt to replicate the clairvoyance of Mama Murphy, his mother-like figure.
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When Jared was a child, Mama Murphy correctly predicted his kidnapping by raiders and the brutal monster he would become. He was fascinated by her fortune-telling and became obsessed with recreating her power. Jared is, unfortunately, a perfect example of many raiders within the Fallout lore, as there was nothing he could do to escape his fate due to his early kidnapping.
7 Bosco
Bosco - who is one of the most... um... unique-looking raiders, can be found in the Fallout 76 expansion, Steel Dawn. The leader of the Blood Eagles gang is a notoriously cruel and savage raider. His savage nature and fearsome anger are explained by the fact that he was bitten by a Torque mongrel, and ever since then, Bosco has experienced violent temper issue (the mongrel was presumably diseased).
Bosco goes even madder when his paranoia kicks into full swing. Hallucinating poisoning attempts and fictional beasts, it is later suggested that Bosco was actually the one killing his own people. His men eventually manage to bring him the head of "the beast" - a beheaded teddy bear - which he has worn on his own head ever since.
6 Nisha
Nisha is a legendary raider leader known for her brutal but cunning tactics. She can be found in Fallout 4's expansion, Nuka-World. She leads a group of raiders called The Disciples and is proficiently adept and keeping them in order, making her a very powerful figure. She has a strong hatred for other Nuka-World raiders, especially Colter, whom she despises.
Nisha's tragic background involved being taken under the wing of the raider Sledge after he maliciously murdered her parents. However, after years of training, she eventually kills Sledge in a violent act of vengeance. Her horrible childhood led Nisha to believe that the world is simply cruel and that no one deserves any kindness or good deeds.
5 Atlas
Atlas is a legendary raider figure, mentioned by everyone's favorite radio host, RedEye, in the Nuka-World expansion for Fallout 4. Atlas is perhaps the most legendary raider by definition, as his lore is only told through legends, and multiple different ones at that. No one knows what Atlas looks like, and the player can never encounter him, but his acts of raiding are marked in the many pages of Fallout lore.
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Such stories of Atlas involve him single-handedly dispatching an entire group of super mutants, even biting off the head of the leader's dog, and who could forget the story of him taking a direct hit from a nuclear bomb and simply shrugging it off. Whoever Atlas is, it's clear he's possibly the most badass raider to ever roam the wasteland.
4 Papa Khan
Papa Khan is the leader of The Great Khans raider gang found in Fallout: New Vegas. He leads his group as a tribe and often goes to war with many surrounding raider gangs who also resemble a tribe-like structure. Papa Khan can be found in the Great Khan longhouse in Red Rock Canyon, where he is often found sitting at a table, plotting his next conflict.
Papa Khan had adopted a legendary status due to his kinder nature than most other raiders. He created an alliance with the neighboring Caesar's Legion and tried to maintain peace with other factions for extended periods of time. However, to first cement his position as leader and to establish the reputation of The Great Khans, Papa Khan first had to take part in many brutal raids and conflicts to ensure no other tribes would attempt to claim their land.
3 Jericho
Jericho is a retired raider in Fallout 3 who players can recruit as their companion, although his alignment is most definitely evil! He roamed the wasteland himself at times and joined many different raider gangs on other occasions, raiding, pillaging, and looting wherever he went. Jared became obsessed with stealing as many bottlecaps as physically possible. He eventually settled down in Megaton as he got older; however, he never quite disregarded his raider lifestyle.
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Jericho maintains a legendary status as a raider simply due to surviving the lifestyle, joining the rare hall of fame for raiders who didn't perish. He can be found in the town getting drunk, causing trouble, and frequently getting into fights. Whilst an interesting character, Jared is perhaps not the best companion to have if the player is going for a good karma playthrough.
2 Eager Ernie
Eager Ernie is the leader/mob boss of The Triggermen in Fallout 4. The Triggermen are an organized crime group who wear mafia-like attire and can often be found suspiciously roaming abandoned subway networks. Ernie climbed his way up to take control of the gang, rigging races and cooking books wherever he could to gain a higher status.
Eager Ernie is cemented as a legendary raider due to his accomplishments. The Triggermen are one of the most organized gangs in the wasteland, making him both a prominent and powerful figure. His ownership of the racetracks at East City Downs earns him a high income, and he's quick to dispatch any wastelanders who dare enter the premises.
1 Rose
One of the most unique legendary raiders, Rose is the leader of the Cutthroats raider gang located in Appalachia in Fallout 76. Rose is a modified Miss Nanny robot, one of the few robot leaders to command an entire raider faction. Former Cutthroats leader David Thorpe modified the Miss Nanny unit to replicate the voice and manner of his diseased wife, Rosalynn Jeffries.
Rose is dangerous, wielding heavily modified weaponry, and has advanced movement in comparison to other units. Although potentially lethal, her threat is somewhat limited by her desire to be human. She was programmed by David to have a chem addiction like Rosalynn but is physically incapable of getting high despite her tragic attempts.