A staple of western RPGs is the dedication to nearly limitless choices. Foreign RPGs tend to be more linear, leaving freedom to character progression, but franchises like Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age actually let gamers impact the plot. Almost every objective can be solved through multiple means, sometimes effecting the world in unforeseen circumstances. Of course, this is only when the idea is completed flawlessly. Often times, decisions turn out to be insignificant and the game only creates an illusion of choice. The Fallout franchise was birthed by Interplay Entertainment in 1997. The studio released one sequel and several spinoffs before handing over the reigns to Bethesda in the mid-2000s. The legendary studio took the franchise to soaring new heights and exposing it to a new generation of fans. Most veterans of Wasteland were pleased with Bethesda’s work, but some did not take kindly to the transformation into a first-person RPG.
Like most of its peers, Fallout offers a plethora of choices to brave Wasteland dwellers. Also like its kin, these choices don’t always amount to something special. The next 25 entries will showcase decisions on both sides of the spectrum, from the most important to the ones that don’t matter in the slightest.
So, ration all the stimpaks you can because here are 14 Weird Choices In Fallout That Didn’t Even Matter (And 11 That Did).
Didn’t Matter: Gender Choice In Fallout 4
Fallout 4 was an even bigger departure from the series’ roots than its predecessor was, being more of a dungeon crawler than a narrative-based RPG. One part that immediately rubbed some fans the wrong way was the intro’s focus on the male character, even if players make the Sole Survivor a woman.
The opening cutscene plays out and is narrated by one of the two potential player characters. It’s only possible to choose the main character’s gender once the cinematic plays out and if they decide on a woman, the character is the spouse of the man narrating the introduction.
Mattered: Megaton’s Fate In Fallout 3
Odds are, the first town most players visited in Fallout 3 was Megaton. Shortly after entering the settlement, they are offered a quest to eliminate it from existence, but doing so too early will permanently lock a few special events due to the people involved being vaporized.
It’s also possible to report the quest giver and gain the trust of Megaton’s residents. Doing so will award the player a house and adversely, blowing the whole place to bits earns a room in the luxurious Tenpenny Tower. Funnily enough, the always charming Moira Brown miraculously survives the nuclear event, albeit as a ghoul.
Didn’t Matter: Clearing Out Areas In Fallout 4
One likes to see their actions impacting the world on a micro-level as well as macro. When causing chaos on a raider settlement and looting all their goods, it’s satisfying to still find a ghost town well after the fact.
Most games in the series have utilized respawning enemies, but Fallout 4 turns it up several notches. Enemies reappear at a notably faster rate, breaking the illusion of a dynamic world, while loot also reappears several days after taking it. This is not to say that respawning enemies and loot is a bad thing either.
Mattered: Karma In Fallout 3
Fallout has always let players indulge in their darker side if they do not desire being a virtuous beacon of hope. In Fallout 3, going into darkness, being a saint, or residing somewhere in the middle effects several aspects of the game.
Mainly, Karma determines which companions will join the Lone Wanderer’s side. There are a couple who don’t care and a few who stick around even if the player changes their ways. Additionally, news reports from Three Dog will always reflect the player’s actions, as well as several dialogue options.
Didn’t Matter: Dealing With Contreras In New Vegas
One of the best things about player choice is pondering the different possible rewards that people bestow based on certain decisions. This illusion is shattered once players discover that the same prize is given regardless of their choice. Fallout quests usually have several different rewards based on how objectives are approached, but there are exceptions.
Fallout: New Vegas has a mission called “Dealing with Contreras” that ends with a binary choice, but both options give the same weapon. There is an additional way of completing the quest that does not gift the weapon, but also has no replacement, which makes it feel like a penalty more than a third option.
Mattered: Playing With Low Intelligence
This one mainly deals with the first two titles, but it also has an effect in New Vegas. Stats are more than just battlefield prowess and the occasional extra dialogue option. Playing with an extremely low intelligence stat will effect almost every facet of Fallout and its sequel.
Most NPCs will be impossible to understand and will eventually refuse to communicate with the player. Most side quests are also blocked off, but it is possible to complete the game, usually only by experienced players already well-versed in the game.
Didn’t Matter: Dialogue Choices In Fallout 4
One of the big game-changing additions to Fallout 4 was a fully voice-acted main character. As a result, speech options are not presented with the full text, but the response’s general tone, so players don’t know what the Lone Survivor will say before they speak.
Perhaps as a side effect, many of the conversation trees lead to the same conclusions. Quest givers always give out the quest, and objectives are usually resolved in the same way. As a Fallout title, this detail bothered some fans who were accustomed to branching paths and radically different outcomes.
Mattered: Siding With A Faction In New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas’s grand journey culminates with a climactic battle at the hotly contested Hoover Dam. Everybody in the Mojave Wasteland wants a piece of this historic architectural marvel, and the Courier decides who ultimately wins.
Throughout the campaign, various choices affect which factions will want to deal with the player or hunt them down. When the final battle commences, the Courier’s decision and assistance will enable one faction to control the entire Mojave Desert. A lot rides on this choice, and the ending plays out drastically different based on the decision.
Didn’t Matter: Fallout 3’s Ending
When Fallout 3 was first released, it stirred a small controversy for being devoid of post-game content. In fact, it was impossible to continue the game afterwards in any way. If players wanted to complete additional quests and explore further, they had to reload their saved content. It made the final (and arguably most important) decision feel irrelevant.
Bethesda eventually remedied this with the Broken Steel DLC expansion, but it would have been nicer to have a post-game in the original package. The cynical mind cannot help but think that they had this planned all along for the extra DLC cash.
Mattered: Playing In Hardcore Mode
Extreme difficulty modes tend to be more for marketing purposes than an actual unique way to play the game. BioShock Infinite’s 1999 mode did not feel like a retro way to play as much as a slightly harder mode. Hardcore mode in Fallout: New Vegas on the other hand, is an entirely different beast than the other difficulties.
Enemies are tougher, and modifiers force people to rethink how they play. Healing items work over time, ammunition has weight, companions can permanently lose their life, and several other alterations is no mode for the weak-willed.
Didn’t Matter: Romances In Fallout 4
Picking a romantic partner in a video game is almost as stressful an endeavor as courtship in real life. The decision will have negative and positive ramifications. Some people will be happy for the player, while others may disapprove or befriend the well-known green-eyed monster, jealousy.
In Fallout 4, these worries and considerations can be cast aside. The Sole Survivor is free to get acquainted with most companions and doing so will not restrict access to other relationships. Companions seldom cross paths, so conflicts between them rarely, if ever, occur.
Mattered: Having High Speech Stats
Words matter in Fallout. Saying the wrong thing can cause certain characters to refuse communication or even become hostile. Adversely, having the gift of gab makes characters more likely to lend a helping hand or divulge the latest gossip. The Speech skill, or lack thereof, will have changed the flow of conversations with NPCs.
Having the power of persuasion will unlock otherwise unavailable speech options, and certain quests can play out differently. More importantly, the endings can be impacted by having a particularly high Speech skill, resulting in a pacifistic solution in place of a final boss.
Didn’t Matter: Boone’s Companion Quest In New Vegas
Companion quests are not always the most compelling missions, but they are worth doing for the bonuses they award to the few characters who fight alongside the player. Craig Boone is an adept sniper who lends his skills to the Courier. After you gain his trust, it leads to a small series of missions that culminates with “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.”
The quest always ends with a gift of armor, but which armor depends on a dialogue choice. However, both pieces of defensive equipment are functionally identical and only differ in appearance.
Mattered: Gender Choice In The Early Titles
One essential difference between the Interplay and Bethesda Fallout games is the way the world reacts to characters. The recent Fallout adventures typically allow for someone to do every possible quest in a single playthrough. This is impossible in the first two iterations, as certain decisions always lock off certain parts of the game.
A prime example of this is showcasing how different the experiences in the early games are when playing as a woman or man. Each gender will elicit unique reactions from numerous NPCs, and certain romance opportunities will be restricted.
Didn’t Matter - Being Good Or Bad In Fallout 4
A staple of the franchise that remained when Bethesda initially took over was how spiteful and virtuous deeds impacted the Wasteland. With the several shake ups Fallout 4 brought to the table, one of the most significant was diminishing the importance of morality.
For the most part, quests usually have one ending. If the Sole Survivor wants to be difficult, they usually end up assisting anyway, albeit reluctantly. Fallout 4’s quests, in general, steered away from creative solutions and focused on exploring detailed environments. It’s a huge departure, but still wildly enjoyable.
Mattered - Perk Choices
Perks are a beloved aspect of the franchise. Leveling up does not simply allow for the distribution of skill points, but also enables the selection of an additional perk. These hold a slew of effects, and are outwardly beneficial or compromising to certain stats in order to benefit a specific play style.
Because of their specific nature, it goes without saying that choosing these attributes wisely is important to a successful playthrough, however, many only activate when certain conditions are met. These perks are a shining example of how each person’s experience in the Wasteland is unique.
Didn’t Matter: Curing Or Not Curing Caesar In New Vegas
Numerous decisions involve sparing people’s lives or letting the Wasteland’s elements take them to the grave. Whoever takes their place, or if nobody fills the vacancy, often makes for a different scenario afterwards. At times, both options lead to the same outcome, just with different people.
The leader of Caesar’s Legion ends up in a coma due to a brain tumor. Players can either save Caesar or sabotage the operation and send him packing to the pearly gates. While a seemingly important choice, letting him live or not has little impact on the world.
Mattered: Choosing A Faction In Fallout 4
It is easy to rip on Fallout 4 for not emphasizing player freedom, however, the game is still highly enjoyable if considered more of a dungeon crawler than a traditional Fallout title. There is still one major decision near the main quest’s end that will change the way the rest of the game plays out.
Of the four prominent factions in the Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor must swear allegiance to one. Whichever one they choose alters the ending and results in offensives against the others. Up until that point, players are free to tackle missions from any of the factions.
Didn’t Matter: Perks In Fallout 4
Prior to Fallout 4, a limited amount of perks could be utilized on any given playthrough. This forced gamers to carefully think about the effects of each one before deciding. Their effects also went beyond simple stat boosts, sometimes changing the way people played in order to get the most benefits from a particular one.
In the fourth entry, numbered stats are done away with, leaving perks as the only way to grow stronger. Each level grants one more, and while leveling up until all are obtained would take some time, it is possible to become omnipotent.
Mattered: Distribution Of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Points
Skills are not the only thing that affect a players ability in the series. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points are wholly unique to Fallout and effect everything from distribution of skill points to the rate of leveling up. While it is possible to net additional S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points during the campaign, the starting numbers, which are decided by the player, are vital to molding the character.
Poor distribution mixed with a conflicting play style will make the games, especially the early hours, particularly unreliable. Adversely, knowing where to put the points can be the key to smooth sailing through the Wasteland.
