With the release ofFallout London’sgameplay trailer, players got an extensive look into what theFallout 4mod would bring to the table. This included new factions, new NPCs, and, of course, a new protagonist.
Fallout London’sWayfarer sets themself apart from the other protagonists in the officialFalloutseries with a distinct origin story. Not to mention, the setting provides a novel environment much different from what mainlineFalloutfans are used to. These factors and more contribute to the creation of a uniqueFallout Londonprotagonist, adding to theFallout 4mod’s already innovative premise.
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The Setting of Fallout London
According to theFallout Londonmod’s official website, the player will be exploring post-apocalyptic London in the year 2237. This places the events ofFallout Londonbetween the gamesFalloutandFallout 2. With the mod, players will see firsthand the consequences ofFallout’sResource War and how it’s affected the different classes of British society. This entails meeting and perhaps working with post-war factions, then inevitably butting heads with rival organizations.
Players will also get to explore war-torn London to see how the war has ravaged the region’s most iconic landmarks. Trailers have shown structures like Tower Bridge, the Palace of Westminster, and even Big Ben. Of course, this element of exploration is to be expected inany player’sFalloutexperience, but the protagonist is a bit more unique.
What the Community Knows About Fallout London’s Wayfarer
With the release ofFallout London’sgameplay trailer, the community can glean some information about theFallout 4mod’s protagonist, who is referred to in-game as the “Wayfarer.” The Wayfarer first wakes up in a large containment chamber filled with an unknown fluid and positioned in a large laboratory. Two mysterious scientists stand before the chamber, talking to each other about the state of the “subject.” Their comments prompt the player to create their character and set their stats, then a third mysterious figure joins the conversation.
The ensuing conversation reveals that the scientists are undergoing some sort of research project and that the Wayfarer is their best subject so far. Currently, they’re in phase one of the process, but before they can proceed to the next, unnamed enemies storm in, killing the scientists and freeing the Wayfarer from the containment chamber.
The Wayfarer then flees from the facility, giving the player control of their movements. Zooming out to a third-person perspective reveals that the Wayfarer is wearing clothing similar to Vault-Tec’s suits. Whether there is a connection there is unknown, but Team FOLON has made it clear thatFallout Londonwill feature all-new factions. Thus, it’s unlikely that the protagonist’s capture was caused by Vault-Tec of the mainFalloutgames.
In reality, the Wayfarer was under the control of Angel, a mysterious faction intheFallout Londonmod— the most elusive one, in fact. The nature of the group’s experiments is unknown, and the same goes for its goals and motivations. Additionally, their leader, Mr. Smythe, is shaping up to be an interesting character. His appearance in the gameplay trailer raises more questions than answers, as he comments that the Wayfarer’s identity means nothing before immediately giving them “a sporting chance” to escape. Finally, he leaves the Wayfarer with the parting words, “Stay safe, and remember, mind the gap.”
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How the Wayfarer Compares to Other Fallout Protagonists
What sets the Wayfarerapart from otherFalloutprotagonistsis the fact that players know so little about their history. Based on what was shown in theFallout Londongameplay trailer, all the community knows is that the Wayfarer was, at one point, taken in by Angel as a research subject. They also happen to be the research team’s best lab rat — whatever that means.
Granted, this may change once Team FOLON releases more information, but for now, players are in the dark. Alternatively, theFallout Londonteam could purposefully leave the Wayfarer’s early history blank. This would allow players to create their own backstories, making way for plenty of role-playing opportunities. If this were the case, then the Wayfarer would be most comparable tothe Courier ofFallout: New Vegas, whose history is largely (though not entirely) up to the player’s imagination.
However, if Team FOLON decides to give the Wayfarer a more fleshed-out backstory, then they might end up more likeNate and Nora fromFallout 4. With these types of protagonists, players have less freedom to role-play, but there’s more potential to craft a narrative specific to the protagonist. For instance, if it turns out that the Wayfarer is a descendant of the Queen, then it makes it easier to create stories and quests that involve the Gentry.
Anything in between will most likely be similar to the Lone Wanderer. The Lone Wanderer’s backstory isn’t as fleshed-out as the Sole Survivor’s and not as open-ended as the Courier’s. This somewhat balances role-playing potential and the specificity of the narrative. It’s hard to say which route would work with the Wayfarer, but many players prefer the Courier’s blank slate becauseFalloutis a role-playing game, after all. Then again, the direction still largely depends on Team FOLON’s vision.
Putting that aside, then, it’s worth mentioning that the Wayfarer is not a vault dweller. Many of theFalloutprotagonists are vault dwellers, so this is a welcome change. No doubt thanks to the new setting,Fallout Londonhas its own set of local factions, so there are no vaults and no classic Vault-Tec experiments. It seems the Wayfarer will be dealing with very different organizations, then — most notably, Angel.
Given the completely new environment, the Wayfarer is once again set apart from the rest of theFalloutprotagonists for being the only character to explore a region outside the United States. This is what makesFallout Londonso special, and it also proves that aFallouttitle set outside of America is a viable option for the series. Hopefully, the Wayfarer manages to highlight the unique premise of thisambitiousFallout 4mod.
Fallout 4is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
