Fallout 5 is likely years away, but there is still plenty of excitement surrounding the promise of another wasteland adventure. Over the years, Bethesda has brought players plenty of unique settings with their own compelling factions, and Fallout 5 is bound to continue this tradition.
The wait for Fallout 5 may be a long one, but as that wait continues, the fifth mainline entry in the post-nuclear franchise is fertile soil for speculation. There are still plenty of regions of America that Bethesda could choose to explore, and any fresh setting is bound to have its own unique choice of factions. Factions play an important role in making the wastelands feel more lifelike. Right now, there's no way to know which faction types are to be expected, but Fallout 5 should continue the tradition of featuring a cannibal group.
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Fallout 5 Should Sink Its Teeth Into Another Cannibal Faction Type
Fallout's Cannibal Factions
- The Family - Fallout 3
- White Glove Society - Fallout: New Vegas
- The Gourmands - Fallout 76
Cannibalism is a common trope featured in post-apocalyptic stories, but these three Fallout entries have a little bit more fun with the gruesome concept. All three groups are vastly different, which makes them that much more interesting. The Family is a small and scrappy commune, while the White Glove Society is an elitist organization that sees human flesh as a fancy delicacy. In Fallout 76, the Gourmands are a group of Raiders that have gained a reputation for being strange because of their test of humans.
Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 feature cannibalism, but not with a full-blown faction. Fallout 4's Far Harbor DLC introduces the Trappers, but a cannibal faction is missing from the base game.
Fallout's Take On Cannibalism Helps Highlight the Horrors of the Wasteland
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that is ultimately what leads these groups to cannibalism. Fallout 5 is likely to continue this trend, but how exactly this will be done is the biggest mystery. Fallout is filled with wild factions, but the various cannibal groups remain some of the most chilling.
Fallout 5 could play around with a variety of possibilities. A group that only specifically eats Ghouls or even has a taste for a rival faction could be an interesting twist. The setting of Fallout 5 will also likely inform what kind of cannibalism takes place in such a group. A new cannibal faction can even practice endocannibalism, a type of cannibalism where a community only eats the bodies of their deceased members. As harrowing a subject as cannibalism is, it's also an incredibly fascinating concept that opens up several possible storytelling doors for Fallout 5.
The White Glove Society is torn between continuing its cannibalistic founding principles or leaving that world behind. Mortimer, a member of the organization, is working to restore the group's cannibalistic focus, claiming, "For our society to be truly elite, we must dine on the most delicious, the most exclusive food known to us ."
The Road to Fallout 5 May Be a Long One
- The Elder Scrolls 6 is next on Bethesda's list.
- TES6 was announced in 2018, but there has yet to be any new information.
The Elder Scrolls 6's long production cycle is likely a sign that Fallout 5 is far off in the distance. While the wait is grueling, Fallout 76's ongoing updates and Amazon's live-action Fallout series at least offer extra content for the time being.
There may be no way to know what the future of Fallout holds at the moment, but when announced, one of the biggest questions will be about factions. The factions of Fallout help tell the story, and it will be interesting to see if another cannibalistic group gets thrown into the mix.
Fallout 76
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 54 /100 Critics Rec: 9%
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
