 | For an overview of the topic, see Endings. |
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“So ends the story of the Lone Wanderer, who stepped through the great door of Vault 101 and into the annals of legend. But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes.
”— Narrator, FO3 ending
This page details the endings to Fallout 3.
Background[edit]
Just like the intro, the ending of Fallout 3 is narrated by Ron Perlman. The first and final parts are the same for each player, the 3 middle parts depend on their choices, Part 4 may not be played if having entered the wrong code when trying to activate the purifier (the purifier will be destroyed in an explosion that way).
Ending[edit]
Part 1:
- Video segment 1 - Will always be included.
Part 2:
- Video segments 8, 17, 18 - Based on Lone Wanderer's Karma. (One of them will always be included.)
- Video segments 2 to 7 - Based on whether the Wanderer completed a specific side quest. However, only one of them will appear.
Part 3:
- Video segments 9, 10, 11 - These segments are based on end-game decision in the control room. (One of them will always be included.) #9 is slightly altered by Broken Steel.
- Video segments 27 to 29 - Same as video segment #10 (Sacrifice Another), but showing RL-3, Charon, or Fawkes instead of Sarah Lyons. These are added by Broken Steel.
Part 4:
- Video segments 12, 13, 14 - Based on end-game decision on FEV. (One of them will be included if Project Purity was not blown up.)
Part 5:
- Video segments 15 and 16 - These two segments have identical voice overs. Based on the Lone Wanderer's gender. (One of them will always be included.)
- Video segments 19 to 26 - These segments show the same scene, differ only on player character's race and gender.
Sections[edit]
Video segments[edit]
There are 26 (29 with Broken Steel installed) independent video segments for the Fallout 3 ending. They can be viewed on the PC version using external software such as "RAD Video Tools". In order to be shown, some segments require certain in-game conditions to be met, with some segments being mutually exclusive.
| # | Voice-over narration | Scenes | In-game Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | And so it was that the Lone Wanderer ventured forth from Vault 101 intent on discovering the fate of a father who had once sacrificed the future of humanity for that of his only child. |
Video appears generic, therefore should almost always appear. | |
| 2 | None |
Head of State completed by helping the escaped slaves. | |
| 3 | None |
Agatha's Song completed by bringing the violin to her. | |
| 4 | None |
Good Karma | |
| 5 | None |
The Power of the Atom completed by detonating the bomb in Megaton. | |
| 6 | None |
(Very) Evil Karma, atomic bomb not detonated, Oasis completed by burning Harold, (Flamer, Shishkebab.) | |
| 7 | None |
Seems to be triggered if anyone in Rivet City is killed, or Flak was enslaved as part of the Strictly Business quest. However, enslaving Flak will not always get this ending; can also just need evil Karma. | |
| 8 | The Capital Wasteland proved a cruel and inhospitable place. |
Neutral Karma | |
| 9 | But it was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer learned the true meaning of that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. Stepping into the irradiated control chamber of Project Purity, the child followed the example of the father, sacrificing life itself for the greater good of mankind. |
Entered the Control Chamber at the end and activated the Purifier. Occasionally, ending 11 with the destroyed Purifier may be obtained instead, even if the Purifier is activated, by taking too long to do so and therefore triggered that ending.
In Broken Steel, this segment is replaced with its own version. This version is the exact same, but with scene 4 cut out of it for obvious reasons. | |
| 10 | It was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer was faced with that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. But the child refused to follow the father's selfless example - instead, allowing a true hero to venture into irradiated control chamber of project purity and sacrifice her own life for the greater good of mankind. |
Sarah Lyons was sent into the Control Chamber at the end. | |
| 11 | It was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer was faced with that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. But the child refused to follow the father's selfless example. |
The Water Purifier was allowed to explode. Sometimes, this ending will be gotten even if the Purifier is activated and taking too long to enter it. | |
| 12 | Thankfully, when selected by the sinister president to be his instrument of annihilation, the Wanderer refused. Humanity with all its flaws was deemed worthy of preservation. The waters of life flowed at last – free and pure, for any and all. The Capital Wasteland at long last was saved. |
FEV not added at the end and Raven Rock not destroyed. | |
| 13 | Thankfully, when selected by the sinister president to be his instrument of annihilation, the Wanderer refused. Humanity, with all its flaws, was deemed worthy of preservation. The waters of life flowed at last – free and pure, for any and all. The Capital Wasteland, at long last, was saved. |
FEV not added at the end and destroyed Raven Rock. | |
| 14 | Sadly, when selected by the sinister president to be his instrument of annihilation, the Wanderer agreed. Humanity will be preserved, but only in its purest form. The waters of life flowed at last, but the virus contained within soon eradicated all those deemed unworthy of salvation. The Capital Wasteland, despite its progress, became a graveyard. |
The FEV was added at the end. | |
| 15 | So ends the story of the Lone Wanderer, who stepped through the great door of Vault 101 and into the annals of legend. But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes. |
Occurs with male character even if these locations are never visited and Dogmeat is never encountered. | |
| 16 | So ends the story of the Lone Wanderer, who stepped through the great door of Vault 101 and into the annals of legend. But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes. |
Occurs with female character even if these locations are never visited and Dogmeat is never encountered. | |
| 17 | The Capital Wasteland proved a cruel inhospitable place, but the Lone Wanderer refused to surrender to the vices that had claimed so many others. The values passed on from father to child – selflessness, compassion, honor – guided this noble soul through countless trials and triumphs. |
Good Karma | |
| 18 | The Capital Wasteland proved a cruel inhospitable place, and the Lone Wanderer ultimately surrendered to the vices that had claimed so many others – selfishness, greed, cruelty. These were the values that guided a lost soul through countless trials and triumphs. |
Bad Karma | |
| 19-26 | None |
8 videos for each of the 8 combination of race and gender chosen. | |
| 27 | It was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer was faced with that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. But the child refused to follow the father's selfless example - instead, allowing a true hero to venture into irradiated control chamber of project purity. |
Sergeant RL-3 was sent into the control room. Can only be done with Broken Steel installed. | |
| 28 | It was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer was faced with that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. But the child refused to follow the father's selfless example - instead, allowing a true hero to venture into irradiated control chamber of project purity. |
Charon was sent into the control room. Same as above. | |
| 29 | It was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer was faced with that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. But the child refused to follow the father's selfless example - instead, allowing a true hero to venture into irradiated control chamber of project purity. |
Fawkes was sent into the control room. Same as above. |
