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Legate Lanius

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“We shall see how brave you are when nailed to the walls of Hoover Dam, your body facing west so you may watch your world die.”

Legate Lanius is the military commander of Caesar's Legion. Referred to as the Monster of the East or Terror of the East, he replaced Joshua Graham in this role after the Legion's defeat during the First Battle of Hoover Dam.[1][2] Lanius subsequently led a campaign of expansion to the East, but is recalled by Caesar to assist in the Second Battle of Hoover Dam.

Background[edit]

Caesar states that Lanius was the most formidable warrior of the Hidebarks, an Arizona tribe, whose battlefield prowess enabled him to attack Legion patrols.[3] When the Legion encircled the Hidebarks' main camp, their chief surrendered to avoid annihilation.[3] Enraged, Lanius slaughtered fifteen of his own warriors before being subdued.[3] Recognizing his potential, Caesar had him treated and, upon his recovery, offered him an iron-forged helmet if he pledged loyalty. Lanius accepted, on the condition that he be allowed to execute all surviving males of his tribe, sparing only the young boys for indoctrination.[3] He states that Caesar, the son of Mars, granted him the name Lanius which means "butcher" in Latin.[4]

Caesar states that Lanius is only loyal to Caesar himself, with no love for the Legion.[5] His lack of loyalty to the greater organization is considered an asset, as he doesn't care about battlefield losses and only seeks victory over the enemy at any cost.[5] Caesar relies on Lanius to implement punitive measures against under performing Legates and Centurions, including decimatio, the execution of the commanding officer in front of his troops, then having every tenth Legionary in the disgraced unit beaten to death by his peers.[6]

Campaign in the East[edit]

Before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, Lanius oversaw the conquest of Colorado. In Denver, he defeated the Hangdogs by burning their sacred hounds. The campaign lasted several years, straining Legion supplies and forcing Lanius to be more cautious about overextending his forces.[7][8]

His final campaign before Hoover Dam took place in Utah, where he assimilated 14 tribes and exterminated five others, bringing the total to 19.[9][10] His advance toward New California Republic territory was mentioned as a dire threat to the forces stationed at the Hoover Dam. Legion members such as Lucius believe that the First Battle of Hoover Dam would have been a success if Lanius was in command.[11] Antony states that Lanius is called the Monster of the East because "he never, ever shows mercy."[12]

Lanius regards war as the only path forward for the Legion.[13][14] He has little regard for diplomacy or winning through subterfuge, and dislikes the methods employed by Vulpes Inculta.[15][16] He also disapproves of the Omertas' planned uprising as a factor in the Legion's success, believing it undermines the legitimacy of victory achieved through military strength.[17]

Second Battle of Hoover Dam[edit]

Lanius views the NCR as capable adversaries, proficient in ranged combat and formidable warriors in the Rangers.[18] Lanius believes General Oliver is less of a threat than Chief Hanlon.[18] Mr. House states that Lanius is renowned as brutal but is not a subtle tactician, and believes he will rely on a determined frontal assault from the east.[19] Vulpes Inculta states that Lanius is "unsubtle but not dim" and "thinks nothing of suffering losses, so long as the enemy suffers more."[20] Lanius plans to use the dam's interior tunnels to attack the NCR from both sides, cutting off a retreat.[21]

When speaking to the Courier, Lanius may harbor doubts about the broader campaign.[22] His experiences in the conquest of Colorado, particularly the challenges faced in Denver, lead him to view holding west as more of a liability than an opportunity.[22] The NCR's struggles to maintain control over its vast territories and adequately provide for its people reinforce this belief.[23] Though he is prepared to advance westward on Caesar's command, he is equally prepared to withdraw to avoid losing upcoming battles.[24]

Interactions Overview[edit]

Interactions
FO76 ui icon quest.png
This character is involved in quests.

Quests[edit]

  • Veni, Vidi, Vici: Legate Lanius will be the one who gives the final order to the Courier, and also the one who congratulates them after the battle.
  • No Gods, No Masters, All or Nothing, Eureka!: At the battle of Hoover Dam, Lanius can be convinced into retreating with Barter and Speech checks, respectively 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100.
  • If the Speech or Barter checks cannot be passed, or the wrong dialogue is selected, he will prepare to engage combat, and unique good or evil Karma dialogue options will become available.[25][26]

Final Battle[edit]

  • When Lanius' health drops below 60%, he will use his healing powder, causing him to regenerate 8 hit points every second for 27 seconds. He has 5 doses of healing powder.
  • When Lanius' health drops below 40%, he will run off and hide to regenerate health. While doing this, he temporarily ceases hostility, causing allies to stop targeting him. This also causes all his limbs to be restored to 100% condition. After several seconds, he will run to his original starting position and then resume his attack.

Attributes[edit]

  • Lanius is 80% faster than a normal non-player character.
  • Lanius has 910 fatigue points.
  • Lanius cannot be disarmed or reverse pickpocketed.
  • Lanius' Blade of the East has a 15% knockdown chance.

Effects of Player's Actions[edit]

If the Courier sides with the Legion and allows Caesar to die because of his brain tumor, Lanius will become the new leader of the Legion. He is far more ruthless than Caesar, and handles several things differently than Caesar would have if victorious. For example, he would have Arcade Gannon crucified rather than keeping him on-hand as a doctor, slaughter the people of the Strip upon arrival at the gates of Vegas, have Chief Hanlon crucified with the other NCR Rangers rather than grant him a swift death out of respect, exterminate the Followers of the Apocalypse rather than give them safe passage out of the Mojave Wasteland, and pursue the Enclave remnants rather than recognize it as a lost cause.

Inventory[edit]

ApparelWeaponOther itemsOn death
Legate's Armor
Legate Helmet		Blade of the East
5x Incendiary Grenade		Leg. Healing PowderBlade of the East
Legate Helmet

Notes[edit]

  • Trying to use any exploits to reach his camp earlier in the game will not make him appear. He only appears at the end of the game. However, he can be found in the normally inaccessible Legate's War Tent.
  • In the add-on Lonesome Road, after completing the quest The End or The Apocalypse with Ulysses alive, when spoken to, he will mention Legate Lanius.
  • Lanius is the tallest human character in Fallout: New Vegas with a height modifier of 1.15.

Quotes[edit]

Behind the Scenes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Courier: "Who is Legate Lanius?"
    Ulysses: "Lanius... the "Butcher." Monster, Terror of the East. Not even his slaves have seen his face - struck them blind so they can't. Wears a mask, don't even know if it's the same man. He put Colorado to the sword, broke the Hangdogs by throwing their hounds upon the flames, so they might burn forever in the afterlife."
    (Ulysses/Dialogue)
  2. ↑ Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "Legate Lanius, the Monster of the East, is the military commander of all Caesar's forces in the field. He is legendary for his devotion to Caesar and for his ability to sense weakness in any army."
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Courier: "I've heard rumors of your Legate, Lanius. What's his story?"
    Caesar: "Lanius is the greatest of my battlefield commanders. Some might call him a great man, but I'm not sure he qualifies. Once, he was the greatest warrior of the Hidebarks, a tribe of the Arizona. Maniacal in battle. Sometimes he'd ambush Legion patrols by himself. When, after several months we found and surrounded the Hidebarks' camp, their Chieftain raised a banner of surrender. The warrior who was not yet Lanius went insane with rage. He struck down his Chieftain and attacked his own tribe."
    Courier: "What happened when Lanius attacked his own tribe?"
    Caesar: "He killed fifteen before they brought him down. He didn't die, obviously. I had him tended to. He was maimed, most of face torn off. It was days before he regained consciousness. When he did, I went to his bedside and showed him the helmet I'd had forged to cover his face. I said he could have it if he'd fight for me. He accepted... on condition that he be allowed to kill the surviving males of his tribe. I said, make it the adult males and you have a deal."
    (Caesar/Dialogue)
  4. ↑ Courier: "You're the Legate, I'm guessing?"
    Lanius: "I am the commander of this army. The Son of Mars has granted me the name Lanius. And the time to serve him has come once more."
    Courier: "What does Lanius mean?"
    Lanius: "The word means 'butcher' in Latin. I was granted the name after proving myself in several battles. Perhaps after today's battle, you too will earn yourself a new name."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Courier: "He sounds more like a savage than a general."
    Caesar: "Lanius is savage. Savagely loyal, too, but only to me - he has no love for my Legion. But this has its uses. He has no attachment to his men, no compunction about battlefield losses. All he cares about is destroying the enemy."
    (Caesar/Dialogue)
  6. ↑ Courier: "When another legatus or a Centurion fails to achieve results, I send Lanius to make things right. His first step is to beat the failed commander to death in front of his assembled troops. Then he orders the ritual of decimatio."
    (Caesar/Dialogue)
  7. ↑ Courier: "As Legate, do you really believe that, or are you taking a chance?"
    Lanius: "Hnh. Long ago... when taking Denver, I had to face such a challenge. Many died, over many years to claim the city as ours. It was the lines of food and water that nearly broke the Legion's strength... and the lack of tribals near that cursed city. What I felt in that struggle, I felt as I saw the map of the West. The West is a trap. The bear has already been caught in it, and it is dying."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  8. ↑ Courier: "Why do they call Lanius the Monster of the East?"
    Chief Hanlon: "Oh, the usual reasons. People say he's enormous, carries a big sword, chops peoples' heads off. That's not what makes him a good commander, though. Folks say he came from a heck of a tough tribe, took Caesar a long time to conquer. It was thanks to Lanius. But once Caesar broke him, he was born again. He'll go anywhere and do anything to win. Legion says he can smell weakness. Once he finds out where an army's vulnerable, he'll go to it like a dog for the throat."
    (Chief Hanlon/Dialogue)
  9. ↑ Courier: "Any idea on how to beat him?"
    Ulysses: "Nineteen tribes could not do it. All the lights in Vegas cannot."
    (Ulysses/Dialogue)
  10. ↑ Courier: "Who is this Legatus you mention?"
    Gabban: "Legatus Lanius, Monster of the East! Quite a man, if man he be. Caesar prides himself on selecting the right tool to overcome each new obstacle. In Lanius, he found his hammer. He's never been defeated in battle. 14 tribes have laid down arms at his boots. Another five, rendered extinct. His latest campaign in the wilds of the Utah has concluded, and he is en route. When he arrives, your doom arrives with him."
    (Gabban/Dialogue)
  11. ↑ Courier: "Is there anything you can tell me about the Legate?"
    Lucius: "He's the best warrior in the Legion. A full Legionary by the time he was 12, he's never lost a battle. Had the Legate been in command during the Battle of Hoover Dam, the Legion would've won. I have no doubt about that."
    (Lucius' dialogue)
  12. ↑ Courier: "What can you tell me about Legate Lanius?"
    Antony: "It took years for Caesar to conquer Lanius' tribe, and Caesar showed mercy to the survivors, allowing them to join the Legion. Had the positions been reversed, Caesar would be dead. Lanius is called the Monster of the East because he never, ever shows mercy."
    (Antony's dialogue)
  13. ↑ Courier: "Where you see death, I see change - and I see it as a strength."
    Lanius: "[SUCCEEDED] Hnh. My coming would have saved you, set your people free in ways they cannot see. War would have tested them. Broken the weak with its violence, yet allowing the strong to arise. Violence gave you that strength, awakened you - I can see it upon your face, where two bullets left their mark."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  14. ↑ Courier: "You don't think Lanius can lead the Legion?"
    Joshua Graham: "I think only Caesar can lead the Legion. I've never met anyone who could take his place. I couldn't. I never had a mind for logistics. I don't know Lanius, but from what I've heard, he has no interest in leading anyone unless it's in battle. No. The Legion dies with Caesar. What follows now are just the last steps of a man who does not yet realize that he's walking dead."
    (Joshua Graham/Dialogue)
  15. ↑ Courier: "Maybe you're willing to listen to reason."
    Lanius: "I see you fight with words, like all beneath the flag of the bear. Let us hope your skill with weapons proves greater."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  16. ↑ Courier: "What can you tell me about the Legate?"
    Vulpes Inculta: "Lanius served Caesar well, as his greatest battlefield commander. With Lanius at the head of the Legion, however, I doubt he'll have much use for my services. He prefers... direct methods."
    (Vulpes Inculta/Dialogue)
  17. ↑ Courier: "Good, because the Omertas' plan was stopped, Vegas is as strong as ever."
    Lanius: "A plan by Vulpes... treachery is a weapon that one should never rely on. I can only hope that the Omertas died when their treachery was exposed, to have the plan succeed only would have sullied the Legion. It does not matter, victory shall be ours, it shall be swift, and it will be honest, purchased with blood."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Courier: "What do you think of the NCR?"
    Lanius: "They are passable foes. Like their citizens, they prefer their war from a distance, and at that, they excel. Their leaders have on occasion shown brilliance, their rangers in particular have adapted well to our strategies. But their rangers are few, and this General Oliver we face is not their best. I regret not being able to face Hanlon, the one who led them last time."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  19. ↑ Courier: "Any speculation on Legion tactics?"
    Mr. House: "With Caesar dead, it's hard to know what to expect. The Legate, Lanius, is renowned as a brutal man, not a subtle tactician. Frontal assaults, wave attacks - these are the sort of tactics one would expect from such a man. The Legion will mount a ferocious and determined frontal assault from the east, that much is certain. Still, Caesar is a capable strategist. I'd be surprised if he hasn't found some way to infiltrate the dam, or the NCR's rear areas."
    (Mr. House/Dialogue)
  20. ↑ Courier: "What can you tell me about the Legate?"
    Vulpes Inculta: " He thinks nothing of suffering losses, so long as the enemy suffers more. Though unsubtle, he is not dim. He detects traps, and sets his own. Be glad you will not have to face his judgment... if you are true to Caesar."
    (Vulpes Inculta/Dialogue)
  21. ↑ Courier: "I'm ready. What is the plan?"
    Lanius: "In the past, the NCR has relied upon attrition, withering our numbers with ranged fire and falling back as necessary. Not this time. The dam contains tunnels to its heart, overlooked by the NCR... now occupied by the Legion. When the battle begins, the NCR will find our teeth at their throats in a dozen places. There will be no attrition, no falling back, only carnage."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Courier: "Eventually - but moving your whole army West means losing the East. You can't hold both. "
    Lanius: "The East was a hard-fought campaign. Even now, Caesar drew too much of the Legion's blood needed there for... this. Hoover Dam is but a place. I will not have it be the gravestone of the Legion - whether quickly, or as you describe, slowly... by attrition."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  23. ↑ Courier: "NCR's weakness is its size - it'll take your entire army to hold the West."
    (Legate Lanius/Dialogue)
  24. ↑ Courier: "He must have a weakness."
    Ulysses: "His strength lies in his title - and it is his weakness. He will not fight a losing battle and destroy what he represents. Put the idea of loss in him. Convince him the Bear will not be the twentieth tribe beneath his heel, it will make him pause like nothing on earth. You do not need to convince him alone. Draw upon history. The past of other Legates are not filled with victories. Remind Lanius of this."
    (Ulysses/Dialogue)
  25. ↑ Courier: "[Karma] Any man can claim bravery when he outnumbers his opponent."
    Lanius: "Hnh. I have seen little of true battle this day. And you were brave to come here to face me when all of NCR would not. I shall honor your last words and face you alone. No man will say I refused your challenge."
    (Legate Lanius' dialogue)
  26. ↑ Courier: "[Karma] Why don't you fight me yourself if you've got the spine for it, shithead."
    Lanius: "{Takes a ragged, angry breath} I shall make a cape of your skin. And your skull - it shall sit by my side, mute, watching as my armies march West. {Snarling} I shall honor your last words... and face you alone, as you request. No man will say I refused your challenge."
    (Legate Lanius' dialogue)
Developer Statements
  1. ↑ Joshua Sawyer: Chris Avellone Lanius Writing Credit, 2022 December 17
  2. ↑ Joshua Sawyer: John Gonzalez and Avellone work on Lanius, 2012 April 12
  3. ↑ Joshua Sawyer Twitch stream clip
External
  1. ↑ Fallout New Vegas Developer Interview: Jorge Salgado
v · d · e
Icon vaulttec.png Fallout: New Vegas Characters Icon vaulttec.png
Major Factions
IndependentThe Courier •  Benny •  Yes Man
Outer VegasThe King •  Julie Farkas •  Jean-Baptiste Cutting •  Gloria Van Graff •  Arcade Gannon •  Rex •  Motor-Runner •  Francine Garret •  James Garret •  Pacer
New California RepublicPresident Kimball •  Colonel Moore •  Chief Hanlon •  Col. James Hsu •  Alice McLafferty •  Ambassador Crocker •  Cass •  Craig Boone •  Manny Vargas •  General Lee Oliver
The StripMr. House •  Victor •  Swank •  Mr. New Vegas •  Marjorie •  Mortimer •  Nero •  Big Sal •  Cachino
Caesar's LegionCaesar •  Vulpes Inculta •  Lucius •  Cato Hostilius •  Aurelius of Phoenix •  Dead Sea •  Alexus •  Legate Lanius
Minor factions
Unaffiliated companionsED-E •  Lily •  Raul •  Veronica
Minor faction leadersJason Bright •  Samuel Cooke •  Jeannie May Crawford •  Judah Kreger •  Marcus •  Elder McNamara •  Papa Khan •  Pearl •  Tabitha •  Trudy
Other charactersDoc Mitchell •  Johnson Nash
Add-ons
Dead MoneyFather Elijah •  Dog and God •  Dean Domino •  Christine
Honest HeartsJoshua Graham •  Daniel •  Follows-Chalk •  Jed Masterson •  Salt-Upon-Wounds •  Waking Cloud
Old World BluesDoctor 0 •  Doctor 8 •  Doctor Borous •  Doctor Dala •  Doctor Klein •  Doctor Mobius
Lonesome RoadED-E •  Ulysses
v · d · e
Icon vaulttec.png Caesar's Legion Icon vaulttec.png
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