The Mojave Wasteland of Fallout: New Vegas is a dangerous place. The Courier has to fight against all sorts of enemies to stay alive, from radscorpions to cazadores, and, of course, raiders. The wasteland is brimming with raiders. However, what sets Fallout: New Vegas’ raiders apart from the other titles in the franchise is the variety of raider gangs. Plus, there’s more to these bands of outlaws than meets the eye, making for a more interesting game world.
The main raider gangs in Fallout: New Vegas are the Fiends, the Great Khans, the Powder Gangers, and the Vipers. There are other, smaller raider gangs in the Mojave Wasteland, but these four are the most prominent in the game. Looking back at their quirks and characteristics showcases why having different raider gangs makes the game world more interesting.
Fiends of Fallout: New Vegas
The Fiends of the Mojave Wasteland are a band of chem-addicted savages. Led by a man named Motor-Runner, they infiltrated Vault 3 before the events of the game and killed all the vault inhabitants. They’ve made it their home since, with small groups setting out to expand their territory southwest of New Vegas. Other raider leaders include Violet, Cook-Cook, and Driver Nephi, whom the Courier can find and eliminate in their travels. This then has a significant effect on Fallout: New Vegas’ ending.
Tensions are high between the Fiends and Fallout: New Vegas’ NCR, but the latter can’t seem to get rid of the raider gang, especially since Vault 3 has secured a large portion of them. Surprisingly, even the Omertas have had some trouble with them because the Fiends have stolen their gun shipments a couple of times.
That said, the Fiends have a working relationship with other factions in Fallout: New Vegas. They have a regular trade agreement with the Great Khans, who supply them with chems. Meanwhile, Caesar’s Legion provides them with information on NCR movements. Both are pleased that the Fiends are so eager to cause trouble for the NCR, though they’d rather not deal with the raider gang too often.
The Great Khans of Fallout: New Vegas
The Great Khans are the newest incarnation of the original group of Khans and subsequent New Khans. This band of raiders has been around as early as Fallout and Fallout 2. However, the Great Khans of Fallout: New Vegas aren’t as strong as they used to be, given their past confrontations with the NCR. In the events of the game, they’re no longer active in raiding other settlements, instead choosing to trade with the likes of the Fiends.
Admittedly, “raider gang” doesn’t quite fit when describing the Great Khans. They’re more of a “raider tribe” given their ritualistic practices. Their initiation, for example, requires an initiate (or a young Khan coming of age) to be beaten up by other tribe members for a full minute, and the initiate isn’t allowed to cry for mercy. This culture is what makes the members of the Great Khans so battle-hardened. Despite such practices, the raider tribe isn’t immediately hostile toward outsiders, including the player.
Currently led by Papa Khan, the group has entered a somewhat unsteady allegiance with Caesar’s Legion of Fallout: New Vegas, which promises them land, wealth, and a chance to seek revenge against the NCR. In reality, however, the Legion has no intention of keeping them around for long, and the Courier can let Papa Khan know about this, resulting in the end of that alliance.
The Powder Gangers of Fallout: New Vegas
The Powder Gangers are a group of ex-convicts turned raiders in Fallout: New Vegas’ Mojave Wasteland. Since their escape from the NCR Correctional Facility, the group has fragmented, each ruled by different leaders. A Powder Ganger named Eddie became the leader of the raiders still holed up in the correctional facility. Meanwhile, the rest of the Powder Gangers left, with some heading to Vault 19 and even smaller groups making camp in small, abandoned settlements of the Mojave Wasteland.
Due to their violent nature, both the NCR and Caesar’s Legion dislike the Powder Gangers. Even Fallout’s renowned Brotherhood of Steel holds disdain for their antics. However, some Powder Gangers trade with the people in Nipton, at least before it was burned down. The members of Vault 19, on the other hand, want to join the Great Khans.
The Viper Gang of Fallout: New Vegas
The Vipers are yet another “raider tribe” with a long history, beginning with how they emerged from Vault 15 of Fallout: New Vegas. The tribe was born from a cult-like group led by a man called Jonathan Faust. During the group’s travels, Faust fell into a pit of vipers and somehow lived to tell the tale, much to his companions’ surprise. Faust then unleashed two pit vipers on his companions, with hundreds dying and only a fraction of the original group remaining. This group welcomed the hallucinatory effects of the mutated venom and became the Vipers.
In the events of Fallout: New Vegas, however, the Vipers are merely a shell of their former self. The remaining members were being killed off by the NCR, so the group retreated to the mountains of the Mojave and resigned themselves to ambushing passing caravans. Like the Great Khans, the Vipers also have ritualistic practices involving pit vipers and their venom, but this isn’t showcased in Fallout: New Vegas.
Smaller Raider Gangs in Fallout: New Vegas
The Jackals are a group of raiders that have been around as early as the 2100s. They’re most known for being cannibals, but in the timeline of Fallout: New Vegas, they’re not as prominent anymore. Despite this, information on Interplay’s Van Buren (which would have been its version of Fallout 3) hints that the Jackals would have had a more complex backstory there.
Next, the Greasers are a group of raiders that have taken up residence in the sewers of Westside. Led by a man named Greasy Johnny, these raiders don’t serve any other purpose apart from being secondary antagonists in the quest “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
Lastly, there’s the Scorpion Gang. Another small group holed up in the Monte Carlo Suites. Led by a woman named Yvette, these raiders are yet another secondary antagonist, this time to the Fallout: New Vegas quest “The White Wash.” There’s another named Scorpion member – Roller – but he doesn’t have any special interactions with the player. Perhaps the developer had intended something more in-depth for this group but was unable to follow through.
Fallout: New Vegas is available now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.