One of the key themes that is important to the Fallout franchise is exploration. The Vault Dweller, coming out of his hole in the ground like Punxsutawney Phil, eyes his surroundings, raising questions such as “Didn’t that house used to have four walls?” and “Does that Super Mutant know where the gas station is?”. Looking at his map, the only clues to the next destination on his journey are distance and a direction. With the wide open road looming before him, the Vault Dweller marches onward, hoping the next abandoned grocery store isn’t booby-trapped too badly. In all of your adventures in the Wasteland, what is your favorite Fallout Location?
It had to have been a fun day in the Bethesda brainstorming sessions, coming up with locations to litter the landscape with. You have well known locations of Washington D.C., Las Vegas, and Boston mixed with the chaos factor of the apocalypse thrown in, such as monsters, raiders, and two-headed cows. The other important key is the fact that you are in an alternate reality, where the wholesome aesthetic of the 1950’s didn’t go away, future technologies like robots and lasers are truly commonplace, and electricity is still a thing, despite the fact no substation seems to be operating.
As much fun as finding a RobCo robot showcase can be, you also have to fill the landscape as much as you can, meaning you find a whole lot of abandoned shacks. You’ve been wandering through this withered forest for fifteen minutes, barely surviving a Yao Guai attack, in desperate need of aid. Then, all you find is a makeshift outhouse that has a comic book inside it. Enjoy.
One of my personal favorites is from the first console entry, Fallout 3. The first major city you come across is the shantytown known as Megaton. This charming little suburb has all the necessities, including food stands, general stores, and a giant undetonated nuclear bomb in the direct center of town–and I thought my anxiety was bad! Plus, an honorable mention to the entire Fallout 4 DLC, “Nuka World”, an entire theme park dedicated to the surviving soft drink. I love the fact that it hits all of the tropes for amusement parks, like the robotic mascots, separate lands dedicated to their own themes, and cheesy tourist traps outside of the main park.
What do you think? What is your favorite Fallout location you’ve discovered? Let us know on the Boss Rush Discord (QR code below).
Featured Image courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios.
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