Exclusive to Fallout: New Vegas, Caeser’s Legion offers a unique blend of brutal violence and ancient philosophy that no Fallout faction can match. Ruthless domination is a core part of their identity, something that was spearheaded by their leader.
Beyond the Legion’s combat prowess, Caeser remains one of the best villains in the Fallout franchise. His twisted analysis of Pre-War history and uncompromising methods is one of many reasons why New Vegas is such a beloved game. For those not familiar with the Legion, here are ten facts that show why so many Fallout fans love this faction.
10 Caeser’s Origins
Caeser’s real name is Edward Sallow. He was born just outside of Boneyard in NCR territory. Thanks to his mother’s connection with the Followers of the Apocalypse, Edward had access to a plethora of Pre-War books. He was particularly fascinated with ancient Rome.
Unlike his peers, Edward was driven by action. He believed the Follower’s exclusive focus on learning was their largest weakness. When he was sent onto an expedition with Joshua Graham, they were intercepted by the Blackfoot tribe. Instead of fighting their way out, Caeser used them as an opportunity to teach the tribe how to dominate their opposition. Seeing Edward as a war chief, they religiously took his orders. This became the foundation of Caeser’s Legion, amassing 87 tribes under the name of Caeser—Edward Sallow’s new name.
9 Cult of Mars
Some New Vegas fans might have noticed the reverence Caeser’s Legion has for Caeser, treating him as if he was otherworldly. That is no coincidence; Caeser indoctrinated his people to think he is the son of Mars.
This religion is named the Cult of Mars, founded on the belief that Caeser was born to conquer the wasteland. To make sure Caeser’s conquest would be all but assured, Mars cleansed the world in flame to give him a clean slate. Disobeying Caeser would be disrespecting Mars himself. Since the Legion are mostly tribe members with little education, they take this story as gospel. Anyone who questions the Cult of Mars is either crucified or executed.
8 Lanius Doesn’t Have A Scar
Multiple myths surround the Legion’s Legate Lanius. Caesar will tell the Courier that he single-handedly killed multiple Legion patrols before he was recruited to their cause. When his tribe surrendered, Lanius supposedly killed fifteen of his fellow tribesmen. This resulted in irreparable scarring on his face.
Interestingly, Lanius doesn’t have any scars in-game. If you kill him and take his helmet, Lanius can be seen with a healthy face with no scarring. Did Caesar lie about Lanius’ origins, or did Obsidian not have enough time to give him a unique model? Considering his backstory seems to differ from person to person, it’s likely intentional.
7 Hegelian Dialectics
When the Courier talks to Caesar for the first time, he will lay out the Legion’s ultimate goal. The fundamental goal for the Legion is to conquer the wasteland through the use of Hegelian Dialectics.
In essence, this concept revolves around the development of an idea through conflict. A thesis is constructed to solve some issue, giving way for a response: the antithesis. When the thesis and antithesis conflict, their best prospects are synthesized into something stronger than either idea. This isn’t an idea Obsidian made up: it’s a real concept devised by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and popularized by Heinrich Moritz Chalybäus in the mid-19th century.
For Caesar, the thesis was the NCR. The Legion was the antithesis. Caesar hoped that their victory over Hoover Dam would morph the wasteland into something far greater than the NCR could hope to achieve. This endpoint, controlling the wasteland, would be the synthesis of the conflict or “argument.”
6 Military Branches
Skill is the backbone of the Legion’s ranks. Unlike the NCR, a Legion soldier’s status reflects their combat capabilities rather than how long they’ve served.
The Legion’s military is organized as follows:
5 Combat Tactics
Unique to the Legion, the weaker units are used as cannon fodder during combat. Inexperienced Legionaries are thrown to the frontlines to cull out the weak and fatigue the enemy. More experienced Legion members stick further back, using firearms and thrown weapons to kill enemies from a distance. Of course, all members of the Legion are experts with melee weapons. The Legion never uses robots since they remove the aspect of self-sacrifice the Legion runs off of.
4 Safest Areas In The Wasteland
Despite the barbaric actions that Caeser’s Legion employs on others, their territory contains the wasteland’s safest towns. Areas controlled by the Legion have ample food, water, electricity, and the lowest crime rates that cultivate a safe trading environment. The only requirement is for each town to follow the Legion’s demands without question. Failure to do so results in crucifixions and other lethal consequences. However, most towns don’t mind this since the wasteland was chaotic well before the Legion took them over.
3 Ulysses Was A Frumentarii
Ulysses speaks in cryptic sentences and abstract metaphors throughout New Vegas’ DLC. Most see him as a Pre-War obsessed maniac, yet he has good reason for his obsession over the Courier.
Before Ulysses made contact with the White Legs in New Cannan, he was a Frumentarii scout for Caesar. After the Legion betrayed his tribe, Ulysses used his survival and scouting skills to become a valued member of the Legion. During his expeditions, he eventually came across the Divide, a place of solace and Pre-War iconography. The Courier accidentally intervened by delivering nuclear launch codes through the zone. This caused the Divide to become glassed, resulting in the landscape seen in the Lonesome Road DLC.
Upon self-reflection during his time with the White Legs, Ulysses realized that one man could change everything if they so wished. Caesar and the Courier were great examples of that. This pushed him over the edge, causing him to disassociate himself with the Legion and hunt down the Courier.
2 Social Customs And Roles
A quick visit to The Fort will reveal a clear social hierarchy that enforces patriarchy and min-maxed social roles more than anything else. Women are never trained as warriors, instead used as caregivers and breeders. Same-sex relationships are outlawed as well, again to force as much breeding as possible. According to Joshua Sawyer, Caesar did this to offset the Legion’s absurdly high mortality rates.
To Caesar, every man, woman, and child is but a pawn in his scheme. All are treated no better and no less than that. Mutants and other radiated inhabitants are outlawed from being a Legion member, likely due to their age. If you can’t brainwash someone, they’re useless to Caesar.
1 Cut Content
Tragically, Caeser’s Legion saw most of their content cut. There were plans to let players visit towns further east that were owned by the Legion. Some quests were also removed, one of which involved invading Novac with the Legion battalion stationed at Nelson. The Legion was one of many factions that were affected by cut content.
