What location would you like to see in the next Fallout game ?
- Denver
- Detroit
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Chicago
- Anchorage (Alaska)
- Miami
- New Orleans
- Texas
- Atlanta
- London (United Kingdom)
- Seattle
- Other
0 voters
I don’t know if there are many fans of Fallout and its lore on this forum but here are some of my thoughts on some of these locations. I would probably choose Denver (New Vegas sequel), London (spin-off) and Los Angeles or Chicago (Fallout 5).
DENVER aka the Dog Town (or Cursed City ), Colorado
If Bethesda wants to make Fallout: New Vegas II (sort of, you wouldn’t need to play the first game and this wouldn’t be named as a sequel), I think that would be the best place, in 2281 the exact moment the news of Caesar’s death and Legion’s defeat at Hoover Dam start spreading. Leading to a full-blown Roman Empire crisis.
I would imagine something like the Gladiator movie to happen : Caesar has no known heir after he ordered Malpais Legate/ Joshua Graham (co-founder of the Legion) to be executed (he still survived) after the humiliating defeat of the 1st battle of Hoover Dam.
Legate Lanius (Monster of the East and military Commander of the Legion, far more ruthless than Caesar was) says he has been designated as the new leader by Caesar before his death but Vulpes Inculta (Commander of the Frumentarii in FNV) also proclaims himself as Son of Mars and God of War. Especially since Lanius is weakened by the defeat at the 2nd battle of Hoover Dam.
Meanwhile Lucius (Commander of the Praetorian Guard in FNV, way more faithful to the Legion’s principle of establishing an united empire and the Pax Romana than Lanius who sees war as the crucible of civilization) also decides to challenge these claims.
KOTOR 2 vibes with the Sith Triumvirate (Sion / Traya / Nihilus).
The Legion enters a state of civil war with a bloody fight for Caesar’s throne while the Hangdogs would seize the opportunity to overthrow the Legion in the Denver area (as they were forcefully annexed by Caesar).
It was also mentionned during New Vegas by Lanius that Denver " nearly broke the Legion " as it suffered immenses losses here. The city remains dominated by feral dog packs and pre-War police cyberdogs in the streets (mastered by the Hangdogs).
Colorado has a varied geography and offers some interesting locations lorewise with the Cheyenne Mountain Complex (home of the NORAD, US Strategic Command and Air Force Space Command), Vault 0 (non-canon), the Garden of the Gods, forests/mountains/deserts and Colorado Springs on the south of Denver.
It also has the Rocky Flats Plant which was one of the world’s most fearsome and filthy nuclear bomb factories (and which would still be active in 2077 in the Fallout universe, so that area would be the new Glowing Sea).
You can also reuse some of Van Buren’s ideas regarding the city of Boulder (the Boulder Dome and the New Plague).
The Legion has no control over the territories beyond Denver so you could easily imagine some new factions strong enough to oppose the Legion and taking advantage of their turmoil, like some remnants of the US Air Force or whatever. It’s likely the Legion is facing the Midwest Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel on the east of Denver but the north side remains without information.
Detroit, Michigan
In our reality, Detroit has gone through a major economic and demographic decline in recent decades.
In the Fallout timeline, I would imagine that Detroit would have been the most successful and richest city of the US and remained the heart of Chryslus Motors Corporation and the American automotive industry all the way until 2077 (well, almost…). Same for the military industry with Power Armors and tanks factories.
However, it’s known that during the final months before the Great War, things were turning pretty bad for the US economy (as hinted in the Fallout 4 live-action opening). As seen in Fallout 76 with the Automation Riots, the robots replacing the workers didn’t go well either. Lorewise, I would imagine the city in 2077 to suffer riots, lootings and civil unrests from the poor against the rich. Leading the city to become a battlefield and forcing the President to impose martial law and send the National Guard (before losing control ultimately).
A potential faction could be the Rust Devils (that appeared in Fallout 4 add-on Automatron), a raider gang that differentiate from others by their extensive use of robots, being the most technologically advanced raider gang.
Of course, such an important city would have been a prime target for China and would have been nuked into oblivion.
Detroit offers some good opportunitues for developping the lore of the Resources Wars and the annexation of Canada (as Windsor and former Canada territory are accross the river).
Basically the story of two worlds colliding and how the most prosperous city of the United States and the American Dream imploded and collapsed during the final months of the Great War.
But I believe the area is quite flat (boring ?).
Los Angeles aka the Boneyard, California
Original plans from Obsidian for the sequel of Fallout: New Vegas. At the time, they teased that " it could be almost a Walking Dead meets Fallout-like thing because of all the radiation ".
The city is also home to the National Headquarters of Vault-Tec Corp. All of the other Vault Tec regional headquarters in the games only have ruins and corpses and we don’t know much about Vault-Tec post-war actually.
I would love a proper independant Vault-Tec faction, emerging from the bunker beneath of the Vault-Tec HQ.
The Master took control of the demonstration Vault in LA and some Vault-Tec VIPs were moved to the Poseidon Oil Rig with the Enclave but it’s very likely there was a fully functionnal secret control Vault beneath the national HQ for all of the people still working there and the other higher-ups of the company as Vault-Tec must had contigency plans for themselves.
Especially since the Secret Vault in Texas for Vault-Tec high-ranking personnel is non-canon (Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel).
Chicago, Illinois
I would imagine the city to have a look closer to Fallout 3’s D.C. than Fallout 4’s Boston. Something gothic/art-deco and grim. A feeling of desolation and death like in FO3, with radioactive snowstorms.
Chicago has most of the classic factions: the Enclave, the Brotherhood of Steel, the Super Mutants… With some new ideas, they could add another faction to make it fresh or something. Or maybe the Brotherhood of Steel splitting in two, which would weaken them a lot. And a revitalized Enclave in their mission to rebuild America and its governement. We know there is an Enclave outpost and the Enclave could be used more. But this should not be Fallout 3 again.
Some interesting locations : the Willis Tower, testament to America’s power, the Great Lakes, the Chicago Pile-1 from Manhattan Project built under the University of Chicag, Argonne National Laboratoy which was used for nuclear research… Why not some kind of new nuclear arms race between the Enclave and the BoS.
Anchorage, Alaska
Would fit a smaller episode. A literal wasteland in the snow with Anchorage as a huge high-tech city/fortress laying in ruins in the mountains, huge radioactive areas and strategic military installations. With mutant polar bears, mooses and other creatures that live in the Arctic
Anchorage could portray the Great War on the ground and the Chinese occupation of the city. With 2 distinct art styles clashing as China took Anchorage in 2066 before losing it in January 2077.
There could be secret cells in the city (somehow like in Fallout 4 and the Chinese submarine) and remnants of the US military that managed to survive the apocalypse and that are still fighting in the wasteland like if the war never ended (The Last Ship TV series).
Maybe an Enclave outpost or some kind of presence from the Soviet Union in the north with their own advanced Power Armors or some Kirov nuclear-powered cruiser trapped in the ice, acting neutral (at first) to both belligerents.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Lots of cultures to draw inspiration from, like a Mardi Gras faction.
It would certainly have irradiated bayous and the Mire region in Fallout 76 gave a glimpse of how creepy that could be, especially at night.
I would imagine that some parts of New Orleans would be flooded. The French Quarter (or Vieux Carré), with its balconies and galleries, would be preserved as it’s above sea level and could be renammed the New Paris. Actually, you could add some underwater areas.
Fallout 4 has a cut quest involving an underwater Vault, so you could reuse that idea as it was a very cool concept (Bioshock-like). There is no incentive to built it underwater as it’s way more difficult and expensive than a vault under solid ground. So that mean it would be done for other reasons (like hidding a treasure, a mansion for a crazy billionaire or some Vault-Tec’s experiment to see how long people accept to live underwater with no chance of ever returning to the surface).
You could easily come up with some creepy horror or paranormal stories.
Fallout in the South and the marshes and swamps also means interesting new mutant creatures : snakes, spiders, leeches, Gatorclaws… And Mirelurks obviously.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Fallout in the tropical islands in the 50’s island paradise aesthetic.
Considering its proximity with China, Hawaii would probably be one of the most militarized and fortified positions in the Fallout timeline (and also a primary target). Like with Japan during World War 2, American people here would live in constant fear and paranoia of being spied and invaded.
The Naval Station Pearl Harbor is also the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet and home to many bases, which could lead to some interesting stories or even its own faction (as nukes couldn’t destroy all of the Pacific Fleet).
I think Hawaii could have a very strong Enclave presence too, and why not some Japanese presence (we know nothing about the state of Japan). This could translate into the art style which could be cool.
Locations could include an active volcano on the Big Island, tropical and jungle landscapes mixed with some lava areas, some abandonned battleships and aircraft carriers graveyards, hotels and resorts…
Not to mention Hawaii has a history of folklore of monsters and legendary creatures (Nightmarchers, Mo’o, Kaupe, birds) that they can tap into (like they did with Fallout 76).
New York City, New York
New York and the Statue of Liberty are the symbol of America. The city itself offers plenty of iconic locations : Liberty Island, Time Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Broadway
I would imagine the city to look like the nuked New York in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus mixed with Fallout 3’s Washingon D.C., with a huge amount of ruins and dust from the crumbling skyscrapers and Central Park being the nest of a new specie of Deathclaws or some scary creatures. And radioactive vegetation growing and spreading in the streets beyond Central Park (like in Metro Last Light’s Red Square).
However, I think that New York could be too much work to handle for a new Fallout considering how incredibly dense, vertical and urban the city is (even destroyed). Though you could put some massive craters and flooded streets here and here to have some variety in the landscape if needed. It would need to be done right.
Miami/Orlando, Florida
I would imagine Florida to have a lot of flooded zones with Radgators and other sea creatures. With radioactive hurricanes and other weather elements. And why not pirates.
It offers some nice theme parks / space related locations : Disney, all the NASA stuff with the Kennedy Space Center, the Universal Studios Florida Theme Park, Miami beach, the Daytona 500 International Speedway A lot of nightlife, bars, resorts and dance clubs too I guess.
There is no lore for Florida in Fallout, so you are free to do what you want. With the Communist threat in Fallout being so prevalent and Cuba being very close to Florida, you could create a story around this. Like what if Cuba fared well after the Great War while Florida is still in chaos ?
But the map would need to be condensed a lot as there is some distance between Miami and Orlando.
London, United Kingdom
If Bethesda wants to try something really new, London would be the most interesting location in this case. The 60’s mixed with some left-overs of the UK 40’s could lead to something very cool in my opinion (as opposed to the 50s in the United States). Victorian style is interesting too. Lots of interesting locations.
We know nothing about England in Fallout. I would imagine the UK in Fallout to be more grim or sinister because Europe already was in a shitty and disastrous situation years before the bombs fell (Resources War, European Civil War, downfall of the European Commonwealth…). Pre-war mainland Europe was very likely in ruins. London would not be something depressing and dark like Moscow in Metro but something more scarier or more disturbing than Fallout in the US (the grim mixed with the funny / silly). With a dictatorship or the monarchy in full power pre-War to maintain order. In poor relations with both America and Soviet Union.
An isolated and paranoid society cut from the rest of the world with its own contigency plan and Vault-Tec counterpart in case of nuclear devastation.
New culture, new creatures, new corporations, new factions, new lore, unique vaults, new armors… Lots of potential.
And I loved Resistance: Fall of Man’s London.
