Fans will not likely see Fallout 5 for a while, but that has not stopped people from discussing possibilities for the future. Popular subjects include its plot, returning characters, locations, and Vaults. Among the ideas are having more options in character creation; not just in terms of hairstyles, body weight, and make-up, but also the ability to make mutant protagonists in a Fallout game.
Mutants are basically their own race in Fallout, and ghouls are the subject of interest when it comes to character creation. Ghouls are humanoid characters immune to radiation and have incredibly long lifespans. They look like zombies, and some are feral, but there are those that are basically human in every other sense. To be able to have a ghoul or super mutant protagonist would be an exciting direction for the next Fallout game.
What a Mutant Protagonist in Fallout Could Entail
Having a choice between humans and mutants in Fallout 5 would pull the game closer to other RPGs where race is a choice in character creation. It could create subtle differences in the title's prologue, and offer outlooks on the story. Unique dialogue choices could even be open to players depending on the race chosen. This would just not influence banter, story, and how a character looks, but can also diversify play styles with different stat boosts. For example, a ghoul or mutant would get a charisma debuff while having immunity to radiation.
In terms of a backstory for these races to share, there is an easy solution. Vaults typically are where Fallout protagonists come from, and Vaults are known for their unethical experiments on the populace within. One Vault could simply have experimented on its inhabitants with radiation, causing some to turn into ghouls or super mutants. Humans can still be an option in this case as the Vault experiments would presumably have human control subjects.
Picking a race could also influence how characters grow with perks. There could be different perks between humans, ghouls, and super mutants. For example, ghouls can get perks that give them discounts with certain traders, and super mutants may easily pacify other hostile super mutants.
Hurdles The Fallout Development Team Could Face
One likely reason that previous Fallout games have not had race options is that having more options means coming up with more dialogue and mission branches. It also poses a challenge when it comes to gear. Since super mutants are so large, wearable gear will basically have to have different tracks. However, the ability to outfit Strong in Fallout 4 shows that the development team can make decent super mutant gear. In fact, Bethesda could go in the direction of making gear just for super mutant protagonists and race-lock certain equipment.
Another challenge would be the character creator itself, particularly making ghouls and super mutants with as many diverse choices as creating a human character. However, this would likely be a fun kind of challenge, as super mutants and ghouls have a lot of traits that humans do not. Super mutants can have different shades of green skin, unique scars, and more muscles, while ghouls can have a unique set of hair styles, skin degradation, and zombie-like eyes. Another idea is that players could create a human, and then use a slider to ghoulify or their character.
If diverse races were introduced in Fallout 5, this would also influence the rest of the game in terms of balancing challenge. Playing a ghoul in Fallout 4 would be too easy for the Glowing Sea region, for example, and this would also influence how faction perspectives are balanced given ghoul or super mutant characters may have far less reason to help the Brotherhood of Steel.
The Pros of Mutant Characters in Fallout
Playing a ghoul or super mutant is a popular idea, so much so that fans have created mods to do just that. One such mod is called "Ghoulified," creating an alternative start to Fallout 4 where the protagonist does not go to Vault 111, and instead becomes a ghoul due to radioactive bombs. Instead of leaving the Vault, they wake up in a cave near Sanctuary Hills. There is also the "Revamped Playable Ghoul Mod," which lets players make a ghoul character with custom hair, eyes, and armor.
Having different choies for races is also a way Fallout can return to its strong RPG roots. While modern Fallout games are good, and beloved by many, some fans feel they are losing RPG traits over time. A big sign of this loss is in Fallout 4, where players are limited to just a dialogue wheel with options that usually had a short range of good, bad, and sarcastic. Some players also felt the game was more of a first-person shooter than an RPG due to a lack of problem-solving choices outside of combat.
Race choices would force some of these problems to change from the get-go. The dialogue wheel made it so all conversations could be voice acted. A ghoul, super mutant, and human would not have the same voice, and thus the game would likely go back to its more diverse style of unvoiced dialogue choices. Having different perks, buffs, and debuffs based on race would also naturally sprinkle more ways to problem-solve during quests.
While adding super mutant and ghoul character creators may seem like a pipe dream, the idea is not impossible. After all, Fallout 4's settlement customization was a big step forward for the franchise. Bethesda is always looking for ways to freshen the series, and new races would definitely be a way to accomplish that.
Fallout 4 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.