10 Biggest Fallout Plot Twists Of All Time

10 The Truth Behind Appalachia — Fallout 76

Fallout doesn't like to stay in one place, not for long. The RPG has taken players across the United States from the West Coast to New England. When Fallout 76 was first announced, fans were eager to see how the Appalachian region would play into the franchise's lore, but nobody expected the territory to have such a bleak background.

As you follow the main quest in Fallout 76, you learn Appalachia fared better than most areas after the nuclear war ravaged America. The area wasn't ruined by the attack; it was destroyed from within. Despite coming close to curing the war's Scorched plague and rebuilding society, infighting brought Appalachia to its knees.

9 The Cannibal Cabal — Fallout 3

Fallout 3 almost fooled fans with its introduction of Andale. You know, until the town's cannibal shtick came to light. The game isn't too precious about the quaint '50s town as players stumble upon it in the Capital Wastelands. However, a bit of digging reveals the town's dark secret that involves everything from incest to murder.

Andale, which is populated by two families, is a secret death trap for wasteland wanderers. The families lure in visitors with the town's pristine image before kidnapping them, locking them in a basement before ultimately slaughtering them as prey. The residents of Andale, who are all inbred by now, then eat the butchered visitors like nothing is out of sorts.

8 The True Identity of President Eden — Fallout 3

As you begin Fallout 3, it is impossible to overlook the icon that is President John Henry Eden. The leader of the Enclave is talked about at length, and you'll get good or bad stories depending on who you ask. The game sets up players for a grand meeting with the president, but nobody expected the so-called president to be a supercomputer.

Yes, that is right. President Eden is revealed to be a pre-war computer in Fallout 3. Armed with advanced AI, the computer was originally used to monitor Raven Rock in the event of a national emergency, but its AI grew self-aware as the years went on. After studying the history of U.S. presidents, the computer's AI went on to develop the personality of President Eden to lead the Enclave, and the majority of the army knows nothing about their president's true origins.

7 The Horror of Vault 11 — Fallout: New Vegas

It goes without saying, but Fallout's Vaults are the actual worst. The havens are convoluted death traps at worst and social experiments at best. Throughout the franchise, Fallout has tested its limits with a number of gnarly Vaults, so you know it is bad when fans unanimously fear Vault 11 the most.

Introduced in Fallout: New Vegas, Vault 11 is the worst kind of test. The vault was created to enact a social experiment, one that tests the principle of sacrificing one for the good of the many. Since Vault 11 got underway, residents were told one person had to be sacrificed lest everyone lose their life support. The damning choice prompted the vault dwellers to create voting blocs to select sacrifices as tensions rose. And ultimately, Fallout reveals the sacrifice was never real in the first place. All the residents had to do was refuse to kill one of their own, and the inhabitants would have been set free.

6 The Tenpenny Tower Massacre — Fallout 3

As much as we love a simple ending, Fallout knows war and strife rarely end smoothly. This truth is made clear to players in Fallout 3 once they stumble across Tenpenny Tower, a luxury apartment building filled with opulent decor. However, amongst the building's plush furnishings, a war of prejudice is about to blow.

Players find Tenpenny Tower at odds as a group of wealthy ghouls want to move into the abode. The humans who live in the tower aren't eager to welcome such riffraff, but you can resolve the standoff between the two parties. Players can then leave the tower with everyone alive, but if they return at a later date, that is no longer the case. The ghouls killed all the human residents once players left as they no longer wanted to share their space, proving even the most ideal endings can sour in an instant.

5 The Master's Final Stand — Fallout

In 1997, the first Fallout game set the bar for plot twists with its blistering ending. The game allows players to face off against The Master at last as the antagonist reveals his grand plan. The villain wants to evolve humanity forcefully with the Super Mutant virus. But if you have a bit of evidence on hand, you can upend the high-tech villain with a single revelation.

After all, Fallout provides players with evidence that Super Mutants are sterile, meaning the race cannot reproduce. Turning all of humanity into Super Mutants would effectively send The Master's 'perfect' race into extinction, and that realization prompts him to self-destruct without players firing a single shot.

4 The Hypocrisy of Far Harbor — Fallout 4

During the Far Harbor quest in Fallout 4, players are given the shock of their life from the friend they least expected. The game allows fans to explore the area and learn more about DiMA, the leader of the Acadia synth sanctuary. DiMA is a devout pacifist throughout Fallout 4 and isn't afraid to pass judgment down to those they deem wicked, and that makes the plot twist in Far Harbor all the worse.

After all, the storyline ends with the reveal that DiMA is a cold-blooded killer. The synth killed the original leader of Far Harbor and quietly replaced them with a synth double who is loyal to DiMA. To cope with murdering someone, DiMA went on to wipe their own memory for the sake of their conscience, hiding his manipulation from everyone, including himself.

3 Shaun's Ultimate Fate — Fallout 4

Fallout never misses the chance to tug on our heartstrings. If there is a perfectly good family to destroy, the franchise isn't afraid to pick up a hammer, and Fallout 4 proved that with ease. After all, the game follows players as they scour the wasteland for their missing son, Shaun. And while fans knew the boy's ending wouldn't be a happy one, nobody expected it to go so wrong.

After all, Fallout 4 ends with the reveal that Shaun was stolen from players in 2227, and it has been 60 years since that fateful exchange. While our main character was asleep in cryogenic stasis, Shaun was in the real world being raised by the Institute. Shaun went on to rank through the organization quickly, becoming a key leader within the Institute. So, by the time players get to reunite the lost boy with their family, Shaun is an old man best known by the name Father.

2 Paladin Danse's Biggest Secret — Fallout 4

Fallout is always game for a mid-story shocker. The franchise thrives on the kind of chaos identity dupes bring, and Fallout 4 used that to its advantage with the one character nobody suspected. After all, the game confirms Paladin Danse is a synth without any warning, and the truth leaves players with a major dilemma.

During the Blind Betrayal quest line, Fallout 4 provides players with evidence that Paladin Danse is a synth. It turns out the character was created by the Institute but escaped, going on to form his own person and joining the Brotherhood of Steel on his own volition. The startling revelation sends shock waves through the organization as Paladin Danse's execution is ordered, leaving the conflicted soldier with one hell of an identity crisis. And as players watch the insanity unfold, they can choose to put Danse out of his misery or help him come to terms with his past.

1 The Vaults' True Purpose — Fallout 2

The biggest plot twist behind Fallout is one so massive, it is hard to wrap our heads around. By now, the truth seems obvious, but the release of Fallout 2 shocked the franchise to its core with a single confirmation: The Vaults were never meant to save humanity.

By now, almost everyone knows the Vaults in Fallout aren't what they seem. The public was led to believe the Vaults were safe havens for humanity in the event of a nuclear war, but they are anything but. Fallout 2 confirmed the Vaults were quietly funded by the Enclave, and their purpose was to experiment on survivors. From social experiments to outright torture, the Enclave crafted different scenarios for each Vault to enact on its dwellers. Out of the 177 Vaults created, less than 20 were set aside for control groups, and Fallout 2 set in motion the exploration of these horrifying refuges.