Fallout is well known for its rich universe, the many factions that wander the wasteland looking for a fight, and its incredible aesthetic. And yet, there are some parts of the Fallout canon that have been forced to stay in the vault forever.
Given the scope and size of the more recent Fallout games, it’s perhaps no surprise that a lot of content has been cut from the games. What may come as a surprise, however, is that this cut content even includes whole questlines offering a different view of the games’ worlds. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best storylines that have been axed from Fallout!
10 20 Leagues Under The Sea
This quest, cut from Fallout 4, sounds absolutely incredible. The title comes from the famous Jules Verne novel named 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea that features submarines, giant squids, and more. As the name implies, it would have seen the player dive beneath the irradiated waters into an underwater vault.
It seems likely that this quest was related to the game’s cut harpoon gun weapon which would have made for an interesting weapon to fight mutants with. While it’s not a surprise that such a big quest was cut given Fallout 4’s interesting development, it’s a shame nevertheless.
9 Off The Grid
Another quest cut from Fallout 4, this venture seems like it revolved around Diamond City losing power. If this is the case, it’s likely that the player would have been tasked with getting the lights back on.
It probably would have been a similar quest to “That Lucky Old Sun” in Fallout: New Vegas. This quest saw players exploring the HELIOS One power plant and sticks out as a quest that many players missed.
8 Welcome To Fabulous New Vegas
The intro to New Vegas is one of the most well-known intros in video games. The Courier, barely conscious, witnesses Benny’s monologue before getting put into a ditch; “the game was rigged from the start,” yadda yadda. Yet it might not always have been like this.
The cut quest “Welcome To Fabulous New Vegas” only has one objective: kill the raiders. This means that it likely took place in Goodsprings, too, like when the Powder Gangers attack. However, Jessup of the Great Khans is with Benny when he attacks you. Maybe the Great Khans weren’t always as sympathetic as they seemed?
7 Infiltration
Going to Rivet City in Fallout 3 was an event in itself. Despite its importance to the plot, it appears as though it may have once been even more important. “Infiltration” would have been one of the craziest quests in the game.
It saw the player tasked with infiltrating Rivet City via an underwater hatch. They would then have to steal a mysterious energy source before returning it to The Citadel. What’s more, this quest was apparently going to be part of the main questline!
6 Meat Of Champions
Cannibalism is not too uncommon in the world of Fallout. When the only other main food options that appear to be common are pre-war canned food and two-headed irradiated cattle, perhaps human burgers are the more appealing option.
“Meat of Champions” is a perk that you can unlock in New Vegas by consuming various NPCs. It seems as though this quest was somehow related to that. Perhaps the devs thought that tasking the player with eating the sweetest meat was a step too far even for a Fallout game.
5 Exploring Vault 74
More cut content from New Vegas, this quest would have served as a tutorial of sorts for using the G.E.C.K. or mod creation suite that has created so many awesome Fallout mods. What makes it even more interesting is that this mod is actually something of a holdover from Fallout 3.
Vault 74 was originally cut from Fallout 3 yet is still accessible in New Vegas if you use the console commands. Despite offering a whole new vault to explore, the quest is very barebones. It only has one objective and is simply to explore the overseer’s office.
4 The Search For The Glow
While very little is known about this quest from the original Fallout, we do know that it would have involved The Burrows – a cut area that sounds absolutely incredible. The area would have been part of New California and featured a small community…of raccoons.
The Burrows would have been an area absolutely filled with FEV-infected raccoons known as the S’Lanter. Sadly, the developers decided that this addition didn’t mesh with the tone of the rest of the game. Fans were denied an early glimpse of what happened to Rocket Raccoon after the bombs dropped! Sad.
3 Bright And Shiny
Part of the Legion’s questline, this cut quest from New Vegas is very similar to “Render Unto Caesar”. The Courier is still tasked with destroying Securitron robots, but the cut content suggests a very different path for the player and Caeser.
Unlike in “Render Unto Caesar”, we wouldn’t have been able to trick Caesar into thinking that the robots had been destroyed when they hadn’t. Perhaps in this version of the game, Caesar was to be a more canny figure. Alas, players will never get to find out.
2 Find Children Spy In The Followers
At some point in the original Fallout game, the Followers Of The Apocalypse were to be infiltrated by the Children Of The Cathedral – a religious cult that finds followers amid the radioactive wasteland. The player would then have had to play detective, attempting to root out the traitor in their midst.
The quest was cut and would also have given the Followers a bad ending, no matter what other choices the player makes along the way. While it may have been better from a game development point of view, being able to play detective would have been an awesome addition to the game.
1 Jailhouse Rock
While there’s no agreement about what would have happened in this quest cut from New Vegas, it would almost certainly have involved the Powder Gangers and the NCR Correctional Facility.
A named NPC was made for this quest, too; Les Fretwell can be found behind the NCR Embassy complete with dialogue for himself and two of his henchmen. Recording dialogue means that this quest must have been cut later on in development. Perhaps fans will find out why someday.
NEXT: Ranking Every Fallout Game From Worst To Best
