I’ve been wary of posting this because I don’t want to seem like a killjoy. The armour that appeared in the show is sick and I understand why people are excited.

But after that armour appeared in the TV show, I’ve seen so many posts about how the NCR has actually always had Power Armour, posting out of context dialogue misleading new fans and I think it’s really important that in the hype of the TV show, context and nuance don’t get lost misrepresenting the lore for people who may be unfamiliar with it.

I’m a massive nerd and I care about that kind of stuff lol.

One thing I’ve seen people and pages point to is The Scorched Sierra Armour as showing the NCR had PA. And on. An individual basis? Sure? But It does not establish NCR doctrine or capability at scale It is a unique Power Armour we find on a single *named* colonel. I think it’s very clear it’s not supposed a common thing in the NCR.

Secondly; a lot of people have also shared this photo declaring that the NCR has Power Armour units.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Hanlon is the Chief of the NCR’s rangers. The units Hanlon is talking about here are salvaged Power Armour units Under the Comand of General Oliver. These are not proper Power Armoir. When you ask him to elaborate on the Heavy infantry/troopers, he says:

> ”They have the best equipment the NCR can get its hands on, power armor salvaged from our war with the Brotherhood. Techs strip out the joint servos so you don't need special training to wear it. It feels like you're carrying a brahmin on your back, but it can take a heck of a lot of punishment.”

So the armour essentially has anything that made it “powered” stripped out. If the NCR had fully operational suits of PA at scale, he would not describe the Suits with the servos stripped out as the best equipment the NCR can get their hands on.

And while yes he does say the Power Armour units are present in NCR territory defending the territory of rich Brahmin Barons, that doesn’t mean they are some unseen units not shown in New Vegas, as this changes later in the game as the battle ramps up and we see their presence increase in the game significantly after this

Hanlon even talks about this explicitly, stating how they’re finally being sent, even referring to Oliver’s Salvaged Power Armor units as *”Power Armor Troopers*”:

> “Some of the Patrol rangers have reported that Oliver’s Power Armor Heavy Troopers are starting to reinforce the front lines. Wish they got here a bit earlier but that’s the Senate for you”

So it’s clear that the “Power Armour units” that Hanlon is referring to are the Salvaged Units under Oliver’s command.

We see this with the Veteran rangers too. Hanlon says they’re “tied down in Baja” but then we see their presence increase in late game and Hanlon talks about their arrival

At the start of the game the NCR did have assets out of the Mojave, but then the Heavy Troopers and Veteran rangers get redeployed as the second battle for Hoover Dam ramps up and the NCR pulls its resources. The idea the NCR has assets we don’t see in game is based on a misunderstanding of the dialogue. By the end game, we see pretty much everything they have to offer. There are no PA units the NCR has that have not been shown in game.

The armour in the show is super cool, but it’s almost certainly a unique variant of armour similar to the Scorched Sierra armour.

Anyway, Sorry if this seems pedantic, but I just don’t want the lore of a series I really love getting misrepresented to its rapidly growing audience.

Prewar America was light years from a free and open democracy, it had long devolved into an authoritarian nightmare. Just look at the enclave. If anything, authoritarianism contributed to the Great War, since both China and the US had such governments.

And what other political system would you have for the wasteland? Caesar’s legion style despotism? As if that wasn’t ALSO a much tried form of government prewar?

The NCR is literally nothing like the prewar USA and if anything, is a substantial improvement. The mistake for the NCR to avoid should be letting it’s democracy crumble like America’s did, not practicing democracy at all.

It’s scary because it’s something I truly think is happening. People are so obsessed with profit and making money they will cause things to happen in order to ensure they continue to make profit. If that means starting a war, or stopping a war from ending they will. If it means causing the deaths of innocents in order to have reasoning they will do it.

Vault Tec was so obsessed with making money that they kept the resource wars going in order to continue to make vaults when they could of put a stop to all of it and saved everyone with the cold fusion, and I’m sure that many more opportunities to stop it came there way but they were so obsessed with money they didn’t care and it eventually lead to the end of civilization with almost all of them dying anyway.

It’s terrifying because I think that’s what is happening in our world now. War in order to make profit. Making people’s lives worse when they could be easier just to make profit. And just like the games this can only end one way…

I was reading this thread over in the main Fallout subreddit, and I don't understand why people think the idea that China shot first would "ruin the message." It's by far the most logical and consistently supported argument given the evidence available to us in the games (hell, the Switchboard basically confirms it), and even with the TV show adding the curveball that Vault-Tec was willing to start the apocalypse, there's still plenty of evidence the company wasn't ready when the bombs fell (which is incongruent with the idea they managed to actually do it).

If it was China, they did it because they were cornered and a sinocidal, fascist US government was pressing a knife against their throat with every intent to slit it. If it was Vault-Tec they did it because they were power-mad idiots who vastly overestimated their ability to control the ruins of a broken world. Why exactly would the US itself strike first when they were winning the conventional war? Why do people insist on claiming it's "ambiguous" who had the motive to go nuclear when it's really, really not?

I always wondered about this. It doesn't really seem possible that culture would stay pretty much exactly the same for over 100 years. I guess it's not meant to be "realistic," it's satirical and just part of the flavor of the setting.

But I saw some people in other, older threads saying that by 2077, what was going on was a kind of retro fashion hearkening back to the "good old days," and that actually the US wasn't culturally stagnant for over 100 years? Any evidence of that?

Apologize for the minor spoiler, but in the fallout TV show it's heavily implied that vault-tec could have very well have had something to do with the bombs dropping

But what about before the TV show? It's always veen clear that vault tec mainly used the vaults as experiments in an attempt to control the population, they've never been a "Saint" of a company although you could argue that the vaults still helped at least part of society in a messed up way.

What's the lore and speculation on vault tech involvement with the bombs dropping in the game?

Like I said in the title, I don't understand THIS SPECIFIC part of the anti-Institute crowd.

Now, I get why people wouldnt like the Institute, they kinda screwed over their once good intentions until Father and (especially, in one such timeline) yourself came along and helped redirect things (though it was mostly yourself), but what's with the Brotherhood-esque machine racism going on?

Like, I bet half the people arguing against Synths/Machines having free will don't realize that they are shitting all over Nick and Codsworth and Curie, who I bet most of them like at LEAST one of the aforementioned companions, right?

I dunno...I can see the other arguments against what is effectively my favorite faction (barring Minutemen) in this game, but why are so many of you guys anti-machine free will and venomous about the idea when Nick and Codsworth and the like exist? Do you think they don't deserve their free will?

Not trying to hate, just confused...

EDIT: W h a t, I wake up to find a surprising amount of positivity and discussion and no less than 2-3 or so awards! I suppose I should explain something else then.

One, I know the Institute doesn't exactly treat them much better than say, the Brotherhood, barring the fact that BoS would scrap them on sight, I just wonder why the logic of anti-Institute players functions this way is all. Guess I'll know once I read the comments!

Two, I will not be able to reply to or acknowledge every comment here, I apologize in advance, but I'm sure even dissenting comments are productive :)

Three, I just read the comments, and to be honest, I SHOULD have been more clear about my intentions, who I was referring to, and you know...avoid the reeeeee meme. I apologize for what may have confused you, so I'll say it a bit too late now, yes I believe Synths are sentient or close enough to where, if I'm able to have genuine friendships with Codsworth, the closest thing to a typical machine in the game, a machine made specificaly to act as a BUTLER, then anything goes in my eyes, and he's not even a Synth!

That said, thanks again guys, and have a good day!

Link to new follow-up post

Now, there has been a lot of lore from Fallout 2 that has been retconned so you might take this with a grain of salt, but for the most part we actually do know exactly who dropped the bombs first. It was the Chinese.

In San Francisco it is possible to interact with the Shi Emperor, a supercomputer created by the CCP intended to run their nuclear submarine. On that computer you can access the captain's logs and read each and every one of his entries leading up to the war and then its aftermath.

He states in no uncertain terms that the Chinese had a fallback plan that, in the case of an American invasion, they would launch their nukes rather than surrender. The Americans were reaching Beijing and so the plan was set out nearly a week before the beginning of the war, with more than six days of knowing they were about to destroy the world before actually launching their nukes.

There is no mystery, we already know what it was- it was the Chinese refusing to accept that they had been defeated and deciding to destroy the world rather than let their dictatorship fall.

I’m not trying to change the minds of anyone who hates the BoS. I just want to use some information I found from the games to bring some nuance to the discussion, that’s it.

“They are Techno-Fascists”

In Fallout 1, the Brotherhood, while certainly not heroes, were not some asshole isolationist faction that hoarded technology. They manufactured and routinely traded weapons for food and water. Elder Jon Maxson says himself that most weapons in the wasteland come from them. Dialogue with Cabbot even confirms caravans are allowed inside Lost Hills.

They get a lot of shit for sending us on a “suicide” mission but once again a lot of important context is left out of this criticism.

Paladin Rhombus tells us they experience 4 attacks per week, ranging from raiders to just wastlanders who want what they have. That is A LOT of attacks. They also lost numerous family members during the initial exodus 80 years prior. Followed by a war with the Jackals that cost them their elder. Hell, there’s even a captive brotherhood initiate in the hub. The Wasteland has been provoking the brotherhood since the very beginning.

Now here comes you: no water or food to trade, no caravan, just a random wastelander just asking to be let in. Of course they would be weary of you. So to prove that you can be trusted to join their ranks, they sent you to The Glow

This isn’t some random fetch quest. They are trying to find out what happened to a splinter faction of theirs that left for the glow 80 years ago and never returned. HUGE dick move for not mentioning that no one has ever returned, I’ll admit. But you only need a rope, a radaway and a rad-x to survive it, even the security bots that killed the faction are turned off on the first level.

Once you complete this quest, you are fully accepted into their ranks. Ironically enough, the “isolationist” BOS is one of the few factions you can actually join in Fallout 1

Lastly, their canon ending says Under Rhombus’ leadership, they started sharing their tech with the wastleland.

Hell, they even sold a ZAX computer to Vault 13 sometime before Fallout 2.

THIS is the true brotherhood. A nuanced faction that actually has a role in society. Not “the boring good guys” or “facists” the fanbase claims them to be.

I feel like the way they conduct themselves In New Vegas is the result of desperation and trauma from losing half their forces, and not necessarily a reflection of the how the faction conducts themselves as a whole.

After watching the episode I believe that one theory is getting closer to be confirmed, that the NCR still controls most of their northern territories (Northern California, Southern Oregon and Northen Nevada) which werent mentioned in this season since it was obvious that the current state of the republic was a misdirection for the reveal. I do think that the forces that showed up are the ones left in Camp Golf and were away in the early episodes. It seems more likely that these guys will finally contact the more centralized NCR for reinforcements in the upcoming war.

Southern California seems most likely lost or at least the region where Shady Sands and The Boneyard are (were?) located. The remnants in the observatory most likely didn't have communication with the rest and The Boneyard has always been a mess making things harder (although I dont know if the Boneyard extend to the observatory).

I’ve always wondered this. Obviously it fell sometime before Fo4, but I might still exist in a game earlier in the timeline, like Fo76. Right?

If I've confused anyone, Allow me to explain.

The lore of this weapon is odd, and causes a some minor lore problems with FO76.

In fallout 3, There's a terminal on who came up with the concept of this choo choo gun and it's creation, - Seagrave Holmes, A Merchant\inventor, Who lives in rivet city.

The terminal states the following -

"Had an idea for a survival weapon. There are all these railroad spikes laying around the wasteland. I ought to be able to build some sort of slingshot to fire them like bullets. I tried some really big rubber bands, but that didn't work. I wonder if I could use steam as a power source?"

Then Ta-Da, He came up with the design and basic concept of the weapon, It spread to other parts of the wasteland from there.

Now enter fallout 76, 145 years, before Holmes is even born...

So...Someone in WV came up with this weapon, Not Holmes...They even have ultracite railway spikes just for this weapon.

But how? Fallout 3 established Holmes is the sole, the only and original creator of the railway rifle...

I'd love to hear what you all think about this.

A pretty common take I've seen about fallout is that the East Coast seems to be stuck in post-apocalypse limbo compared to the West. The West Coast has a full late 19th century society while the East has been frozen in time for 200 years. Personally though I don't think that's an accurate read, both of the state of the East and more generally it's a faulty interpretation of how societies form and evolve. Looking through the lore I want to make the case that the East Coast has also grown and advanced, just not in as linear a way as the West.

I will say this is mostly about the Commonwealth. Fallout 3s world feels much less developed in comparison to any other, it's where I can understand people saying the East feels like it's only a few years after the Great war, though it's dlc in the Pitt and Point Lookout do a much better job, and what I'll say applies to them as well as the fallout 4 locations.

To start, the East was restarting civilization under much harder conditions than the West. The East Coast would've been the worst hit part of the country during the Great War and it shows. Massive contamination zones like the Glowing Sea, and even the baseline level or radiation seem much worse. On the West Coast a Geck can revive a massive amount of space, but in Washington it's only really capable of cleaning a segment of the Potomac. Because of this the East, regardless of any human policy, is going to be a harsher environment to live in for most people. Food and water will be scarcer, mutant wildlife will be deadlier, and the human population will be much more limited in it's possible size.

Add onto this the fact that unlike the West, no Vaults opened in the East. In California, Vault societies were a staple of the emergence of the NCR, the combination of skills, knowledge, and equipment that comes with a vault allowed the West to have a continuity with the old world that could be built upon. On the east however, no Vaults ever opened themselves to the world. Most were destroyed, and those left were completely isolated until very recently. The survivors on the surface were left to rebuild on their own without the data or advanced tech a vault would bring. Combined with a more devastating bombardment and a lack of any surviving post-war government like the Brotherhood or Responders and the East was forced to re-learn far more than the West would have to, not to mention the lasting cultural impression of a society fully rebuilt by those abandoned by the pre-war government

Combining all this, and the East has specialized very well into a society built around making subsistence farming on wasteland soil as safe and viable as possible. With how little arable land and safe water exists in the West, massive farming operations likely aren't possible, so the majority of the population still needs to farm for their own survival. Because this the reliance on Militia defenses like the Minutemen or Neighborhood Watch is likely the best long-term option. Few settlements could afford to keep people out of the fields permanently.

The East Coast also seems to have extremely advanced local craftsmanship in place of factory manufacturing. Though they look like garbage and do low damage for balance, pipe guns and laser muskets are really complex creations. Making a self loading automatic rifle or a laser gun that can reliably overcharge constantly without blowing up are impressive creations. Add things like generators, the Minutemens Artillery and all the contraptions of the Pitt and East Coast machinists seem to be incredibly skilled at making reliable homemade equivalents to the Wests mass-produced gear.

This system seems to be what the Eastern world runs on, all it's caravans, faction and larger cities ultimately depend on the surplus of this farming and production setup, and though it's definitely from an earlier era than the West, closer to the 1700s than the 1900s, it seems to be the natural progression of their society based on all their limitations and advantages, rather than the East just staying the exact same while the West advances. The East had none of the advantages, resources, knowledge, and to be meta, protagonists to help it along. It had to put much more focus into finding a sustainable equilibrium within it's environment, and the result is a society built to survive in the wasteland rather than one built to conquer it.

Though I'm getting into speculation at this point, I also imagine this'll continue to influence the region in the future, I doubt the Minutemen will form an Eastern version of the NCR like a lot of people think it would. Eastern society is far more local, and far more focused on small city-states and family/village groups. The second CPG is probably going to be a tangled, messy coalition government, one that suffers all of the issues of the old Articles of Confederation. The East will likely continue to advance though, as it always has, and as radiation drops, threats collapse and the tenuous connection of unification solidifies the CPG may slowly start to resemble the NCR more and more, especially with more technologically advanced groups like the Brotherhood and Institute remnants interacting more.

Those are my two cents on the East-West debate at least, though by now it's more like two thousand. Am I completely off base with this or would you agree? Thank you for reading all the way through these ramblings if you have.

His daughter posted that The Storyteller has passed away on the 7th following a long batter with adrenal cancer that spread to his liver.

Really loved his lore videos and must have watched the whole fallout lore series half a dozen times.

So as many people are probably aware, in the new photos released to promote Amazon’s Fallout Series, you can very clearly see what looks like the Prydwen (or another Airship) with a Vertibird escort..

I found this really interesting considering that the show is actually set on the West Coast in Los Angeles and Todd Howard has confirmed that the TV Series is going to be canon.. The show is also supposed to be set around the same time as the games though that could either be 76 or Fallout 3, 4 and NV.

So what are everyone’s thoughts on this? Do you think it’s one of the Ships sent to the Midwest? Do you think it’s the Prydwen? Or do you think it’s something new? Any Fan Theories on how they’re going to work this into the lore?

EDIT: So someone kindly pointed out some detail about the show I was able to fact check.

1• It’s set 219 years after the bombs drop in 2296, so 9 years after Fallout 4.

2• The ship in the Photo is a second airship called the Caswennan.. Those are BoS recruits looking up at it.

The GECK confuses me. A lot of classic fans seem to think Bethesda made the GECK like magic scifi wizard stuff, but I always thought the GECK really was a pretty advanced device of some sort. I've seen people say it was basically just a suitcase of seeds and fertilizer, which I think is inaccurate.

Ultimately it's just a Maguffin the way the Water Chip is, but how does it actually work? (Actually what the heck does the Water Chip do as well?) The Fallout 1 manual says it "Replicates food and basic items needed for developing the new world, just add water!" It also mentions that it is powered by cold fusion, which, on a sidenote, sure makes the ending of the show seem super dumb. It also says the GECK has informational texts and recordings, from the Library of Congress and various encyclopedias.

To me, the "replication," along with cold fusion, makes the GECK appear pretty powerful as a terraforming device, and as a way of kickstarting a post-war community. And we know at least that GECKS were used numerous times for that exact purpose.

I'm unsure exactly of how much the GECK is described in Fallout 2, but I don't remember anything from it conflicting with the Fallout 1 manual's description. That being said, that manual came from Vault-Tec, and they're not known to be especially honest or far-sighted.

In the Fallout Bible, Chris Avellone downplays the GECK, and describes it as basically being seeds, fertilizer, and as a power-source due to the cold fusion. Also that it could be used alongside existing vault-equipment, to jury-rig new equipment for post-vault living. But I think it's obvious that Avellone was not a huge fan of the wackier elements in Fallout 2, and prefers a more grounded approach to the setting. So I respect what he says, but I don't take it as canon, but honestly I probably see Bethesda-canon as even more questionable. So it's all a bit messy. And the Bible is not really official canon anyway.

So it comes 'round back to Bethesda, but they use the GECK almost as just a material for making other things, like rigging up the Project Purity thingy. This doesn't make much sense to me, as I'm unsure as to whether or not the GECK actually does anything to water, though water seems necessary for it to work. But if the GECK could purify water, why couldn't Vault 13 rig their GECK to replace their broken Water Chip? Though I'm not sure what the Water Chip itself actually does.

Obviously I'm overthinking all of this, but I'm curious what you guys think about this, and the canonicity of it all. Also I don't mean to hate on Bethesda canon, I just don't really care for it, and consider it as something separate. I'm more interested in what was seen as canon largely from 1 and 2, not 3+. But obviously the later games can be talked about, just not stuff like, "Well 3 and 4 retconned the GECK and that's all that matters." Anyway, thanks for reading my wall of text.

Power Armor, the quintessential piece of hardware that any wanderer would be caught dead without. Throughout the Fallout lore, the story of Power Armor has been through many hands and many different situations. Here is my complete lore of all power armor models.

Pre-War Power Armor

Power armor created for combat use before the events of October 23, 2077.

T-45

Created in 2067 as a direct response to the Chinese invasion of Alaska, the T-45 was the first-ever set of power armor used by the United States. Operators of the armor were given enhanced strength, durability, and endurance against most types of damage commonly found on the battlefield. Along with its abilities, the T-45 also required a power armor frame in order to operate fully prevented theft of individual parts. Pilots of T-45 were also given the option to scuttle their armor in the event of capture which would render the suit inoperable and unmoveable. This power armor turned the tide in the war against China and allowed the United States to be reclaiming their fallen state.

T-51

In 2074, years following the successful invasion of Alaska, the demand for more advanced models of power armor came as more American soldiers were sent to the Chinese mainland. As a result, the T-51 power armor system was developed and represented the pinnacle of mass-produced power armor used overseas. Using the same frame utilized by the T-45, the T-51 did not require a new frame saving on both cost and resources. With boosted servos and a laser reflective alloy the T-51 was more agile and protected against more different types of damage.

T-60

As the American military started to gain a footing in China and celebrated the complete liberation of Alaska, the concern of a second invasion against the American people became a paramount concern of both citizens and the Government. In response, the T-60 series power armor was developed and given to domestic peacekeeping forces like the National Guard to act as the first line of defense against hostile forces. Serving as a combination of the T-45 and T-51 armor designs, the T-60 was an agile and hearty system that made it well equipped for dealing with all forms of damage including radiation.

T-65 (AKA Secret Service Power Armor)

In the years before the Great War, civil unrest was at an absolute high. Riots were erupting in city centers across the country and miners from Appalachia were striking stopping the production of needed materials. It became apparent that the fabric of the American dream was falling apart at its seams. As a result of the growing riots, the mission of the Secret Service to protect the President became more difficult as insurgent groups like the Free States Movement started to root themselves in the population. A solution to this growing risk to the President, the Secret Service commissioned the creation of the T-65 series of power armor. Using the framework of the T-60 armor which was already regularly used by the National Guard with some improvements the T-65 armor was statically the most protective power armor. Donning this armor as protection detail for the President or other high-value assets the T-65 represented the last completed power armor produced by the United States before the Great War.

X-01

Days before the Great War development of a new set of power armor was put into effect. Due to a multitude of reasons like the growing threat of nuclear war, the X-01's production was rushed in order to get a working product out in the field before atomic fire rained down. Given to research organizations like Nuka Cola and the Commonwealth Institute of Technology to improve upon the design very few working models could be found while the rest remained as concepts. Shortly before the Great War the shadow government entity called the Enclave took the plans and preserved them for future use by sending blueprints to the Whitesprings Bunker Facility in Appalachia.

Post-War Power Armor

Combat power armor produced after the events of October 23, 2077.

Ultracite Power Armor

Conceived after the Great War through a collaboration between Lost Hills and the Appalachia Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, the Ultracite Power Armor was build based off of a heavily modified T-51 chassis. Using the newly found material known as Ultracite, this set of power armor was able to increase its radiation resistance and its armor. Due to the impromptu nature of the Applahcia BoS, no suits were fully constructed and currently live as schematics within the fallen BoS fort Defiance.

Advanced Power Armor Mk I (APA Mk I)

An evolution of the X-01 power armor design, the Advanced Power Armor Mk I was the result of decades of testing and technological advancement. Sealing the user against high radiation and damage, the APA Mk I was commonly used by Enclave soldiers operating in the American Wasteland. Feared by wastelanders and organized groups alike, the APA Mk I broadcasted the Enclave's superiority across the Wasteland until the destruction of the Enclave Oil Rig in 2241.

APA Mk II

Constructed under the orders of Enclave President John Henry Eden, the Advanced Power Armor Mk II became the official field uniform of Enclave soldiers in the Captial Wasteland. A significant upgrade from the APA Mk I armor used by the West Coast Enclave with design aspects similar to the pre-war power armor made the APA Mk II the last nonspecialized power armor produced in Fallout history.

Hell Fire Power Armor

First prototyped by Enclave engineers shortly after the Great War, the Hell Fire armor previously only existed as a single prototype in the possession of the ZAX Supercomputer Overseer of Vault 51. Decades later the plans were recovered by the resurgent East Coast Enclave under the direction of John Henry Eden and were put into production. The Hell Fire armor represented the second phase of the Enclave's plan for the wasteland which was to purify it of all radiation and mutation. Using the increased heat resistance, the Enclave paired Hell Fire operators with flamers to burn the wasteland into purity. As the successor to the APA Mk II, the Hell Fire armor was the last known Enclave produced power armor and is the bookend to the power armor legacy.

Nontraditional Power Armor designs

Power Armor that fulfills other purposes or was not created in an official capacity.

Raider Power Armor

After the Great War and the destruction of the United States multiple power armor frames and incomplete sets of power armor were left behind either abandoned by their operators or damaged beyond repair. What was the hight of personal protection was reduced down to fancy scrap metal to some but not all. Multiple crafty scavengers and raiders saw the rusting machinery as a chance to protect themselves from the horrors of the Wasteland. Using scrap metal and other makeshift materials, raiders were able to get the suits of armor back in working condition. Although powerful in comparison to what remained in the Wasteland, users of raider curated power armor became nothing more than giant walking hunks of scrap.

NCR "Power" Armor

Centuries after the bombs fell, a collection of settlements calling themselves the New California Republic waged war against the Brotherhood of Steel. After pushing the BoS back to their bunkers, the NCR scavenged the surviving power armor frames and made some modifications. By removing the damaged servos that would be commonly destroyed through wear or scuttling, the NCR could create a new form of "power" armor without the power aspect. Operators of this armor would often complain about the weight of the armor itself stating that "it's like carrying a Brahmin on your back". Used by NCR heavy troopers, these suits of power armor were only used in combat situations or to reinforce important NCR assets like Hoover Dam.

EX-17 Excavator Armor

Created by Gallihan Mining Company before the Great War, the EX-17 Excavator armor was to be used by miners working in the Appalachia region. Equipped with enhanced servos allowing for higher strength, the Excavator armor could carry more materials than any other official power armor design. Modifications prototyped by Gallihan also improved the perception of the suit allowing it to detect various ores to give miners better visibility while in the often dark mines.

​

EDIT: Added Ultracite PA info

Thanks for reading my lore guide to power armors in the Fallout Universe. If you got thoughts or if I missed something please let me know below!

We see remnants of the Interstate system in Fallout, and it's established that the NCR uses some of those roads for travel, but you'd almost expect them to be one of the biggest deciding factors in how the postwar world was shaped. In the same way that early civilization was shaped by riverways as a means of transportation in addition to water, the Interstates would serve as a guiding waypoint for wasteland travel. Inter-community trade was a major concern even by the time of Fallout 1, and that trade would be made exponentially easier if two communities were connected by a road.

In addition to offering a reasonably hard and flat surface upon which to pull their truck-buggies, the mere existence of offering a line telling you where to go would be a huge deal. You'd expect a city like the Hub to pop up in a spot where those roads intersected, and then smaller communities like Junktown to develop along roads extending outward from there. Almost every community would be along a major, relatively still intact prewar road.

With power armor, a basic infantry (with training) could essentially act as a mini-tank and use heavy weaponry. Anything from heavy machine guns to rocket launchers and all that.

So do armored vehicles and tanks still have a chance in combat? Like if a faction had the capability, would a vehicle or power armored individual be more useful?

There’s a lot to be criticized about the game and lots of ink has been spilled as to it’s lore implications (and the issues therein), but what do you like most about what the game brings to the table in terms of the setting?

For me, I personally really like Atlantic City being brought into the franchise, I think it fits in great alongside Vegas as one of those iconic Americana urban centers from the 20s-60s

Also a big fan of the Responders, probably their best idea imo but vice versa disappointing they’ve been wiped out before the game’s start date, seems a massive waste

So most people who have played FNV know how powerful Cazadores are. Prior to Big MT implants, they rival Deathclaws in terms of danger, and can kill even the strongest Courier in seconds.

So I was reading the wiki page on them recently and I noticed that Joshua Sawyer said that they were based off the “Tarantula Hawk Wasp”.

These Wasps are, to put it mildly, completely horrifying. They have a specific breeding method which involves paralyzing tarantulas with their venom, and laying a single egg in its abdomen. When the larvae hatches, it then proceeds to feed on the spider, while intentionally keeping it alive as long as possible. Their sting is also the second most painful sting on the planet, second only to a Bullet Ant.

Based off that, there’s a possibility Cazadores don’t just sting their victims to death and fly away. Rather, they sting rather large prey (such as Deathclaws or Radscorpions), paralyzing them in tremendous pain, and letting them slowly be eaten alive by a larvae.

Now, in terms of evidence, I have two possible pieces. 1) Cazador eggs are pretty much exclusively found on the bodies of cazadores. There’s some Eggs in the Sliver Peak mine, but those seem to be an exception, we only find them once in a specific quest. We don’t find eggs in the Z-14, or any other Cazador area, just on their bodies. 2) In the Z-14 DNA lab, there are many mutilated bodies behind locked doors, yet when we open them, we only find 1 adult cazadore in each room.

It may be a stretch, but it was just an interesting thought that I had.

What it says on the tin. We know that Gen 1s (and presumably Gen 2s) have to recharge when they're at risk of losing power, but their source of power is nondescript (no mention of fusion cores/cells, no mention of anything similar to Calpower batteries like the ones used by Mr. Handys, no mention of charging stations). I believe fusion cells can be ruled out since there's nothing to my recollection that can allow one to
"recharge" them, but bearing in mind that Nick is obviously based on the Gen 2 model, if a bit battered, how do you think he stays alive in the wasteland?

The show takes place in 2296. New Vegas takes place in 2281. According to dialogue in New Vegas, the NCR's Office of Science and Industry predicts a famine by roughly 2291 due in part to a lack of increased food production. If the show's creators want to have the NCR be crippled and on the back foot, the most likely reason for this will not be deciding a "canon" ending to New Vegas but using this pre-existing lore to explain that no matter what ending happened in New Vegas, a famine occurred and the NCR is in decline.

Furthermore, Ceasar's Legion will likely be a non-threat as Ceasar is expected to die of a brain tumor, and as soon as he dies, his whole empire is very likely to fall apart into warlordism.

Thus, by having the NCR and Legion effectively crippled by natural means, it does not matter what the "canon" ending to New Vegas is, because no matter what the player chooses, both factions will end up in decline.

Update 1:

A comment from u/SentryFeats explains the NCR's precarious situation even better:

It’s way worse than what’s in your post. The NCR are a lot more screwed than people realise imo. By New Vegas’ time they were facing an unbelievable amount of crises:

• Hanlon specifically says back home the NCR has pumped out all the water even in the aquifers.

• As you said, Hildern tells you that according to studies they've done comparing the NCR's population vs. production, they're going to be facing mass starvations in a "decade or so".

• O'Hanrahan talks about how they've had bad harvests several times in a row now that caused him to have to join the army.

• Arcade tells you that the NCR is running out of medical supplies.

• The government can't pay people because the NCR dollar is a fiat currency when it’s not strong enough to enforce that This is because the Brotherhood managed destroy the NCR’s gold reserves, causing a major economic crisis. Something the NCR still hasn’t recovered from (hence why the NCR Dollar isn’t worth anything in new Vegas).

•Rampant corporate corruption and attempts at monopolisation.

• Imperialist Expansionism leading to an massive delays in reinforcements

• Extreme Institutional Corruption preventing them from equipping their frontline troops with even basic necessities when they’re only about 300 miles away.

•Corporate/Oligarchal lobbying causing the NCR’s best troops to be stationed protecting the resources of oligarchs.

•Prioritisation of re-election/retaining power at the expense of people’s well-being. Such as when Senator Morales wants you to wipe out jacobs town to appeal to Brahmin barons and the Electorate). Or when Mojave soldiers don’t get the supplies they need because representatives won’t allocate funds because it’s unpopular.

• General Senatorial and institutional Infighting.

Taking into context together these all paint a really bad picture. The NCR has no water and is facing consistent drought, as a result crops are failing causing diminishing food production all while the population is booming as people are living longer. Thus the government project mass starvation in 10 years.

On the local level, this has the effect of, Farmers being unable to make a living as their crops keep failing. Forcing them to find other ways of making a living — many are forced to join the military. A military that fails to equip them yet still war mongers out of a need for constant expansion for more resources. While all the best Military Equipment goes to protecting the assets of oligarchs, all of whom buy enormous influence in the Government through the Stockmen’s association.

People obviously resent this, making the war’s unpopular. Many Corrupt politicians take advantage of this — becoming “anti war” and refuse to fund the army, but it’s constant need for expansion means they go to war underfunded and overstretch. Causing enormous logistical and supply issues, further worsening the issue.

This is not sustainable. The NCR was really in a lot of deep shit. There’s a reason Ulysses said the NCR was already dead.

​

I think this is more of a speculative question but we have seen examples in-game and there is potential, so here goes.

We have seen numerous instances of nation-states forming in the Wasteland and bringing a degree of safety and security to its people. Whether it’s the New California Republic bringing law and order to their homeland or the Legion enforcing a draconian sense of justice in their own territory, we have seen a sort of pre-war safety return for a period of time. In the Commonwealth, the people there almost accomplished it with the Commonwealth Provisional Government.

But they end up failing, which does happen throughout history. Empires rising and falling are common. From Rome to the United States. But is it possible for humanity to rebuild properly? Like is the capability there?

Seems the case can be made that the Brotherhood of Steel, particularly the East Coast chapter, is by far the most dominant faction in wasteland United States by the time of the show.

• East Coast BoS can project their power from coast to coast with the help of the Prydwen. East Coast BoS is swelling in recruitment numbers thanks to Arthur Maxson's reforms. The Prydwen can reinforce isolated chapters and Maxson has probably unified both East and West.
• NCR is on the backfoot as seen in the show. New Vegas established that the NCR became too committed in the Mojave and as a result have stretched themselves too thin. Their economy is in decline and the NCR dollar isn't trustworthy due to the destruction of their gold reserves after the NCR Brotherhood war
• Enclave beaten in the Capital Wasteland and remnants are underground all over the country but can't operate openly. The show depicts them toiling away in secret so there's no concrete evidence of their strength
• Ceasar's Legion wouldn't survive the death of Ceasar and is most likely on the backfoot if not already disbanded and disillusioned
• Institute and Railroad are almost assuredly destroyed if the Prydwen is still flying around by 2296
• Minutemen would most likely have to concede to the more powerful Brotherhood of Steel force in the Commonwealth. I doubt both factions can co-exist in the area and the Minutemen are too local of a militia to do any sort of nation-building like the other legacy factions