Most titles in the Fallout franchise feature a vault resident turned wasteland explorer as their protagonist. This began with the very first game and persists up until Fallout 76. However, two outliers in the mainline series break from this tradition, namely Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas.
Now, vault resident protagonists work well for the series. Their lack of experience living in the post-apocalyptic wasteland adds to the player’s unfamiliarity with the new environment. That said, the Chosen One of Fallout 2 and the Courier of Fallout: New Vegas prove that the alternative route works just as effectively. Though they’re different from their vault resident counterparts, they also open plenty of possibilities for upcoming Fallout titles.
The Chosen One of Fallout 2
The Chosen One is a tribe member residing in the settlement of Arroyo. Their village was established by the Vault Dweller of Fallout, who also happens to be the Chosen One’s grandparent. Given the protagonist’s lineage, they were trained to become Arroyo’s champion.
Their training then culminated with the Chosen One entering the Temple of Trials — a structure infested with Fallout enemies and traps. This was meant to test the protagonist’s skills. After completing the trials, they were sent out to the greater wasteland to find a Garden of Eden Creation Kit (or a G.E.C.K.), which would help Arroyo thrive. All this suggests that the Chosen One is a skilled individual, likely stronger or smarter than the average wastelander and well-accustomed to the post-apocalyptic landscape.
The Courier of Fallout: New Vegas
As for the Courier of Fallout: New Vegas, they’re a seasoned traveler, owing to their profession as a messenger. They’ve traveled to many places in New California and lived to tell of it. It doesn’t end there, though. The Courier also appears to have quite the colorful past as certain snippets of dialogue reveal their past professions. In one line, the Courier claims that they’ve taken bounty hunter contracts, and in another, they reveal that they used to be a con artist.
The Courier’s experience arguably makes them a more believable protagonist for Fallout: New Vegas. This is primarily because they already possess the survivability skills and know-how to do what they need to do. After they’re shot in the head (twice) while on a delivery job, they’re nursed back to health and then sent on their way to find the platinum chip that was stolen from them. This lands the Courier in the middle of the geopolitical conflict surrounding New Vegas, in which they play a major role.
The Case for a Wastelander Protagonist in Fallout
The Chosen One and the Courier are essentially the wastelander protagonists of the Fallout series. They weren’t raised in vaults and have grown accustomed to the post-apocalyptic world to some degree. Further, their respective titles show that there’s value in playing as this type of protagonist. While it deviates from the more common vault resident protagonist route, it presents more potential for building the character’s background.
First, a wastelander protagonist can provide more options for character creation. Since they weren’t raised in the safety of a vault, then they don’t necessarily have to be a radiation-free human protagonist. Players could choose to be a human, a ghoul, or even a super mutant (which was actually planned for Interplay’s version of Fallout 3). They could even play as a humanoid robot, similar to the synths in Fallout 4.
This added choice could then affect the player’s experience in the wasteland. Most notably, it could change how NPCs and whole settlements act towards them. Humans, synths, and, in some cases, even ghouls would be allowed access into non-hostile settlements. Super mutants in Fallout, on the other hand, would have a harder time convincing human wastelanders that they meant no harm. However, they’d be able to waltz into super mutant settlements that would otherwise be danger zones to the other types of protagonists.
Aside from the additional options in the Fallout character creation screen, a wastelander protagonist also presents more potential for character building and roleplaying. This can be seen in the Courier of Fallout: New Vegas. Throughout the player’s experience in the Mojave Wasteland, the protagonist can talk to NPCs that prompt them to reveal tidbits of their backstory, like how they used to work as a bounty hunter, as a con artist, or that time they almost impregnated a woman from Montana (for the male Courier). These build on the protagonist’s past experiences in the wasteland, while also leaving room for the player to build their own backstory.
Granted, this type of character building is also possible for vault resident protagonists. With Fallout 3’s Lone Wanderer, for example, there are many NPCs who talk about the character’s childhood and their relationship with their parents. However, there simply isn’t as much potential, given how constricting the vault environment is. There isn’t much to do and not as many other characters to interact with, which is why wastelander protagonists generally have more room to expand their character background.
A Potential Drawback of the Wastelander Protagonist
Perhaps one major drawback to having a wastelander protagonist is that they don’t really have the sense of discovery that would often accompany a vault resident protagonist. The Vault Dweller (of both Fallout and Fallout 76), the Lone Wanderer, and the Sole Survivor were all shielded, so to speak, from the dangers of Fallout’s post-war world. Thus, when they first step out into the wasteland, it’s almost like entering an alien world. The sense of wonder (or dread) that they carry with them matches that of the first-time player, and this is lost with a rugged and experienced wastelander protagonist.
Still, it seems like a worthy tradeoff when considering the potential that comes with the wastelander protagonist. As such, Bethesda should definitely consider giving the Fallout fans another Chosen One or another Courier. It opens up plenty of narrative and roleplaying possibilities that are sure to enhance the Fallout experience.
Fallout: New Vegas is available now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
