10 Unexpected Ways Fallout TV Show Added to the Franchise’s Lore

10. Ghouls Need a Mysterious Chem to Stay Human

Previously, we thought that any ghoul would one day go feral as their brain rots to a certain degree. But according to the Fallout TV show, a miraculous chem is capable of keeping the brain rot at bay, allowing these poor souls to keep their humanity longer and avoid the grim faint of being turned into glorified attack zombies.

9. Gulpers Used to Be Humans, Not Salamanders

Terrifying Gulpers have the looks of someone’s sick idea of a giant killer axolotl. Before the TV show, we thought they were mutated salamanders, and it was even stated in the games; not, thanks to the Vault 4’s revelations, we know that they had a much darker origin: Gulpers were humans who were turned into these monsters.

8. Pip-Boys Are More Advanced Than We Thought

We already knew that Pip-Boys allowed their wearers to track their health, radiation levels, access the map, store information, listen to radio, etc. But the series revealed just how advanced these devices truly are. Apparently, Pip-Boys can also connect to wireless devices and make use of (again, wireless) trackers, among other things.

7. The Enclave Is Still Alive and Kicking

Believed to be finally destroyed in Fallout 3, the Enclave has always been the most vile and corrupt faction in the Wasteland. As the TV show revealed, they are still around and feeling pretty well: the Enclave has research facilities, armed guards, and keeps conducting its inhumane experiments. Oh, what a joy those guys are.

6. The NCR Has Been Destroyed

On the other hand, the NCR has seemingly fallen. One of the biggest power players of the Wasteland, the New California Republic bit the dust: its capital was destroyed and its army defeated. Whatever happened to the NCR, it’s likely more than just Hank MacLean — our best guess is that it was somehow tied to New Vegas’ fall.

5. Vault Boy’s Thumbs-Up Has a Dark Meaning

Vault Boy, Vault-Tec’s proud symbol, typically poses with a thumbs-up and a wide smile. Thanks to getting to meet the Vault Boy, Cooper Howard, we know the truth behind this seemingly positive gesture: it was used by the Army to learn whether they had a chance of surviving a nuclear blast or not, hence why Cooper hated it.

4. Vault-Tec Wasn’t Solely Behind Vault Experiments

The corporate meeting scene revealed many an ugly truths about Vault-Tec, its partners, and the nature of the apocalyptic events. One of the revelations was that Vault-Tec wasn’t solely conducting experiments on humans in their Vaults: other corporations, as well as big investors, also got to carry out their Vault experiments.

3. Vaults Were Supposed to Define New Humanity

As sinister and unhinged as they were, there was a reason — albeit a terrifying one — for the experiments that happened in the Vaults. According to Barb Howard, they were supposed to shape the future of humanity and allow the corporations to create their perfect new subordinates and consumers to populate the Earth in the future.

2. Vault-Tec Wanted to Make a Perfect Manager Race

Vault-Tec itself tried to use its experiments to create the race of perfect managers of sorts. The three interconnected Vaults from Prime Video ’s series — Vaults 31, 32, and 33 — were a breeding grounds for Vault-Tec’s junior management that were supposed to create entire dynasties of genetically and culturally great managers.

1. Vault-Tec & Co Started the Great War Themselves

Perhaps the biggest revelation of the Fallout TV show is the origin of the Great War that doomed humankind. The US and China didn’t plan on destroying the world… At least, not yet. Vault-Tec and other corporations provoked the War by dropping their own atomic bombs, causing both superpowers to blame and attack each other.