After the smash-hit success of the Amazon Prime show, Fallout’s future is looking as bright as a nuclear blast. With Fallout 4 now a decade in the rearview, fans are starting to ask some very pointed questions about the next game in the mainline series. Obviously, the location of the next Fallout game is the biggest topic of conversation, but the success of the streaming show has proven that new exciting story angles are still possible in the universe.
The story of Fallout 4 has been discussed at length in the years since its release, particularly where the factions are concerned and their impact (or lack thereof) on the story. Whether it’s the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, or something as simple as the Minutemen, it's clear there’s a high demand for more influence from the Wasteland’s many disparate factions in the next game. And Bethesda may be able to look to one of its main competitors for inspiration, because the main story of Avowed has one of the best possible set-ups for a new Fallout game.
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Avowed's Character Backgrounds Would Make for an Excellent Feature in Fallout 5
Picking a Character's Background Would Improve Roleplay and Subsequent Playthroughs
Avowed’s player character begins the game with one of several predetermined backgrounds that informs the start of the game’s story and the overall path the character can take as the game progresses. Fallout 5 could learn from this, by allowing similar options during character creation. Letting players decide a Wasteland faction and background for the next main Fallout protagonist. Maybe they are a Brotherhood of Steel Initiate scouting out new territory. Or perhaps they are a member of the NCR scouting out new uncharted territory in the Mojave. Or maybe they’re just a humble Vault Dweller on a mission to retrieve an item (or person) of great import, mirroring Lucy’s story from the show.
This premise worked well in Avowed, but would be even better in a potential Fallout 5. The Wastelands of the Fallout universe are expansive, vast, and mostly unpopulated, save for a few major areas of centrality, like the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave, the Commonwealth, etc. There’s a ton of fertile ground here for storytelling for both the world itself and returning factions, as well as some new players populating the irradiated expanse.
Factions That Could Make a Return Appearance in Fallout 5
- Brotherhood of Steel
- Enclave
- Caesar’s Legion
- NCR
- The Railroad
- The Gunners
- Vault Tec
Avowed's Character Backgrounds Can Help Improve the Next Fallout's Story
One of the major issues with the story of Fallout 4 was how locked in the Sole Survivor’s origin story was; Nate was a war veteran and Nora was a lawyer. Previous Fallout entries let the main character be much more of a blank slate, encouraging players to create their own backstories and motivations for the type of character they’re running.
Starting the game already allied to a certain faction can get any playthrough off to a running start to be completely different than the last. A Brotherhood initiate hunting for new technology is going to play and feel very different from an Institute scientist scouting out new areas for synth experiments. Instead of the player character being locked in to specific origin stories, picking from multiple options can dramatically change the entire feel of a campaign.
Another upside to starting Fallout 5 already allied with a faction of the players’ choosing is that it’s a fast track to starting the quests for those particular factions. Rather than actively seeking out and being recruited by different groups, starting alongside one team can expedite the process of progressing through the ranks of a given group. For example, if a player is committed to a full Brotherhood of Steel run, building it into the character’s background from the get-go expedites the process of earning their favor. No need to worry about going to join the Brotherhood to get the run started properly. Just hit start and get right into the missions.
Fallout 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 89%
