Summary
Well known for its varied, multiple endings, theFalloutfranchise by Bethesda has a whole lot of charm and an enduring popularity. Players love the games' various factions such as the Brotherhood of Steel or the New California Republic, while its expansive and quirky cast of characters has something for everyone.
Although there’s a lot of variation in how each game can end, the main quests usually have a more defined set of endings. Some of the endings feature truly spectacular set pieces with real excitement. Here’s a look at some of the best finales in theFalloutfranchise.
Fallout 76is Bethesda’s attempt at an online, live-serviceFalloutgame similar toThe Elder Scrollsfranchise’sElder Scrolls Online.As such, the game doesn’t really “end.” Instead, its various parts each have their own ending while the game world and its stories continue afterward.
The stories introduced so far have endings, such as the Scorched storyline or the events ofSteel Reignand the variousexpeditions to Atlantic Cityor The Pitt. ButFallout 76remains an open-ended, ongoing live-service game, so doesn’t technically have a “definitive” ending yet.
The firstFalloutgame has a good set of ending slides, each one detailing different choices made by the player throughout the game. But the game’s actual ending to its main quest has some oddities - the player character, returning to the Vault triumphant as a savior of their people, gets a perfunctory “Thank you” from the Vault Overseer followed by a permanent exile from the Vault.
Unless the player happened to select the “Bloody Mess” trait at the very beginning of the game. Then the player instead shoots the Overseer and leaves on their own terms. An interesting look at life in the Wasteland, but perhaps a little disappointing for players expecting a victorious return home.
As a turn-based, isometric CRPG,Falloutplayed very differently from later entries in the franchise. Against that backdrop, its ending sequence is much less impressive and much less exciting than the more action-oriented 3DFalloutgames.
Like its predecessor,Fallout 2is anisometric, turn-basedCRPG that played differently from all the later entries in the franchise. But the ending toFallout 2’s story is very satisfying as it draws together a lot of disparate choices and binds them into the overarching narrative of a world recovering from a nuclear apocalypse to build something new. InFallout 2are the origins of the NCR’s rise to power, and the successful use of the Garden of Eden Creation Kit brings new life back to the Wasteland.
In that way, the ending toFallout 2very successfully shows off the themes of the game and gives it a hopeful end, while setting up key concepts and organizations for the future entries in the series.
The protagonist ofFallout 3sets out from Vault 101 on a quest to find their father. Of course, many players get sidetracked along the way by the various side quests and stories scattered around the Capital Wasteland. But the ending toFallout 3ties up the story very well, entwining the player character’s quest to find James with that of twoFalloutmainstay factions, the Brotherhood of Steel and theEnclave.
The East Coast Brotherhood of Steel led by Elder Lyons sought to complete James’s research and provide clean water to the DC Wasteland, whereas the Enclave instead wanted to release a toxin that would kill any mutated humans - a vast proportion of the post-war population - who came into contact with it.
The end sequence ofFallout 3is very exciting, featuring the gigantic Communist-fighting robot Liberty Prime and an assault on the water purification plant. This is very fun to play and ties up the plot nicely, giving the player important choices to make and neatly tying it to the player’s personal quest.
Fallout 4was a much more streamlined experience than previous entries in the franchise, but the ending to its main quest was certainly a spectacle.Depending on player choicesduring the game and during the end sequence, the ending toFallout 4variously could include a daring infiltration of the Institute followed by a massive nuclear explosion; the complete destruction of the Railroad and Brotherhood of Steel by the Institute; or a victory for the Minutemen and their ancient artillery.
In terms of the story beats, the ending toFallout 4works well. In any of the ending scenarios, the player character is reunited with Shaun, the son who was stolen and has made a decision based on everything they’ve seen about how the future of the Commonwealth should play out - whether that was to honor their son’s dying wishes or to kill him themselves as an act of mercy to the world.
InFallout: New Vegasthe stakes were high: the choice was ultimately between the order and civilization brought by the NCR versus the chaotic slaving society ofCaesar’s Legion. The gamedoes a great job of showing the player exactly what their choices mean for New Vegas, the Mojave, and even the wider post-American West. Depending on player choices, the Courier works with the various factions to shore up their positions in the Mojave Wasteland to position them for the upcoming conflict.
The end sequence forFallout: New Vegasis an excellent culmination of everything from the rest of the game, featuring an epic set-piece battle at the iconic and strategically important Hoover Dam. Depending on player choice, the battle can feature swarms of robots, faux Roman legions, and NCR troops in what is a satisfying conclusion to the story ofFallout: New Vegas.
But the fun doesn’t stop there as the ending slides show that the battle reached other locations in the Mojave too, with outcomes that varied heavily depending on the player’s involvement in events.Fallout: New Vegashad probably the most granular ending, with hundreds of combinations of events based on quest completion.
