Summary
Many characters inFalloutcan often become permanent sidekicks, people the player can rely on to haul their luggage and watch their backs, but some of the most adored characters are not companions, instead serving as some of the most memorable encounters in the entire franchise. After all, not every character encounter would be able or willing to tag along with the player in the post-apocalyptic wastes.
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NPCs can offer intriguing questlines, sell and trade unique items, or even provide the player with a good laugh or memory. Whichever the case, the world ofFalloutjust wouldn’t be the same without the impact of some great characters and their brilliant stories.
10Frank Horrigan (Fallout 2)
Perhaps one of the scariest characters to have ever roamed the post-nuclear wastes, Frank Horrigan is one of the most dangerous products of the Forced Evolutionary Virus, kept alive and enhanced by drugs and stabilizing agents and the formidable power armor grafted to his skin.
With his incredible strength, Frank Horrigan was said to have ripped a Deathclaw in two with his bare hands, and he was undoubtedly a being that nobody in the wasteland wanted to cross paths with. Frank Horrigan has a likeness to that of Darth Vader, and he makesfor an incredible adversary when players eventuallyhave to try and put him down.
9Sarah Lyons (Fallout 3)
From the moment the player appears out of the metro as they move towards Galaxy News Radio, they are surrounded by Super Mutants. As players continue fighting them, The Brotherhood of Steel appears to assist the player.
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Sarah Lyons proves her bravery in the midst of battle, where she fearlessly leads the Brotherhood into the heart of the deadly group of Super Mutants. Her courage and instinct to lead make her one of the most memorable characters in the franchise, and players will be saddened to discovershe died not long after taking over leadership of the Brotherhood of Steel.
8Sunny Smiles (Fallout New Vegas)
Found in the town of Goodsprings in the game’s first mission, Sunny is likely to be the first character players speak to before they venture away to figure out who shot and left them for dead.
With her trusty sidekick, Cheyenne,Sunny teaches the player how to shoot, and offers an optional quest to hunt some nearby Geckos and prevent them from disturbing the peace.
Sunny is a headstrong character, a firm believer in morals and abiding by what is right, and she shows this as she accepts the player’s plight to protect Goodsprings from Joe Cobb and his vile Powder Gangers, and she requires no convincing.
7Moira Brown (Fallout 3)
One of the most memorable characters players will encounter at the beginning ofFallout 3, Moira is a livelyshopkeeper residing in Megaton, where she runs Craterside Supply. She is as outgoing as she is energetic, and players always feel compelled to buy something from her when popping in for a visit.
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She also has an interesting quest line in the Wasteland Survival Guide, and helping her make the book feels like the player can make a difference in the harsh Capital Wasteland. Moira can also be found in the Megaton crater as the sole ghoul survivor of the Megaton nuke explosion, where she will later move to the Underworld.
6Stockholm (Fallout 3)
While getting to Stockholm can be quite the challenge without cheats, it is possible, and players able to get up close enough to speak with him will find he is a man of few words, and he will even express surprise at the players' ability to make it up to talk to him, a likely intentional implementation from developers looking to catch eagerly investigative players off guard.
While Stockholm as a character doesn’t do too much, seeing him for the first time and questioning how to reach himadds an element of mystery to his character, and players want to have these enigmas answered by eventually reaching him.
5The Master (Fallout)
Richard Moreau, better known as The Master, was the creator and leader of the Super Mutants, where he led an ambition that sought to transform all humans into Super Mutants under the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV).
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Exposed to the FEV, The Master was hideously mutated, and his mind was soon embodied by different consciousnesses and identities, resulting in multiple, unnerving voices being heard by the player when they speak to him. The Master is perhaps the most iconic antagonist in the entirety ofFallout, and his superiority ideology, as well as his motivations for pioneering the FEV, make him a pretty tragic character.
4Stanislaus Braun (Fallout 3)
After pursuing Dad and following his alleged whereabouts to Vault 112, players enter the simulated world of Tranquility Lane. Inside the world, Stanislaus plays the simulated character of Betty, a child he embodies in the simulation. Stanislaus creepily switches back and forth between the child’s voice, and his deeper, mature, German-accented voice, catching players off guard while revealing the complexity of the man they’re facing.
Once a brilliant scientist, Stanislaus was a remnant of his former self, now a sadistic psychopath who sought to torture the residents of Vault 112 for perpetuity in the simulated Tranquility Lane. Stanislaus has no empathy for any of the other residents in the simulation, who go on about their lives as they abide by his twisted rules and values.
After years of successful mercenary work spanning over several states, Kellogg finally meets his match in the Sole Survivor, and his tragic backstory only makes his fate sadder. With the player character finally coming face to face with the man who kidnapped his son and murdered their wife/husband (dependent on which character is selected during creation) players realize that they are up against an ordinary man who faced adversity at every stage of his life.
Players empathize with Kellogg’s plight, as he is no one-dimensional villain. Instead, he has a complex and layered backstory, imbued with themes of loss and loneliness at the hands of abuse and the loss of his sister at a young age. Many fans disliked that Kellogg couldn’t be spared during the confrontation with him, as it would have been interesting to see further development of his character.
2Orris (Fallout New Vegas)
Mercenary for hire and conman Orris is a rather unique character willing to do anything for some caps.Found as part of the “GI Blues” questline in Freeside, Orris' seemingly excellent mercenary skills are a little too unbelievable.
As players pay for his guidance through a rough-going Freeside, he plans his route thoroughly and follows it to the tee, encountering some robbers who seemingly want both Orris and the player dead. He then shoots at the robbers, who all fall over, but players can investigate their corpses as is customary in the loot-filled world to figure out they’re actually pretending to be dead. Orris' scheme and his involvement with his robber friends are applaudable at best, and he makes for a character that players can only commend for his efforts.
1Marcus (Fallout 2 & Fallout New Vegas)
Once a member of The Master’s Unity, Marcus firmly disagreed with the organization’s ruthless supremacy ideology and abandoned it in search of a community of greater esteem. He created the Broken Hills settlement, a safe haven to instigate peace among other outcasted mutants.
Returning after his role in the events ofFallout 2, Marcus now lives peacefully in Jacobstown, sheriffing the town and leading other Super Mutants and Nightkin a step closer towards peace. Much like the leadership he exhibited in Broken Hills, Marcus still embodies the same values many years later, constantly striving to see the race of Super Mutants and Nightkin abandon their violent ways for good.
