There are over 175 years between the events of Fallout 76 and Fallout 3. Fallout 76 begins in 2102, in which the former sees the inhabitants of Vault 76 enter the Appalachia wasteland of West Virginia to rebuild society on Reclamation Day. As for Fallout 3, a father and son from Vault 101 venture out into the Capitol Wasteland in 2277 and experience the horrors of the Capitol Wasteland.
With almost 2 centuries passed between the two games, there's bound to be a heap of important lore within that timeframe. Below, we've listed some important chronological events that took place between Fallout 76 and Fallout 3 so that when you cross into the Capitol Wasteland, you're aware of the history you're treading.
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These historic events in the Fallout universe will be in chronological order from 2102 to 2277, and the reason for their importance will be stated below.
2103 — The Master Begins Creating Super Mutants
The Threat of a New Society Lingers Over the Wasteland, and The Unity Begins
By 2102, Richard Grey joins an expedition to uncover the source of mutant attacks, only to find himself a victim of mutation through FEV. Something stirs in Grey, and his increased intelligence caused by the mutation alters him forever as he begins to experiment on himself and animals to become smarter and further mutated until he becomes the Master. With grand ambitions to create Unity, the Master begins his plans to transform humans into Super Mutants.
In secret, the Master would begin kidnapping and transforming humans into an army of Super Mutants for over 30 years, to varying degrees of success. By 2137, the Master's success rate had hit 15-20%, which was seen as the perfect sign he needed to grow the Super Mutant army into the Unity that would birth a new society of superior monsters to enter the wasteland.
2162 — The Vault Dweller Becomes a Hero and Destroys the Master
The Threat of a Super Mutant Society Collapses, But the Vault Dweller Becomes an Outcast
The first protagonist of Fallout, simply known as the Vault Dweller, would be sent out of Vault 13 by the Overseer to search for a Water-Purification Chip that the Vault relied on for fresh water. Sent out into the wasteland, the Vault Dweller would become integrated in an unfamiliar and dangerous society, where they would eventually confront the Master and his Super Mutant army.
The Vault Dweller managed to defeat the Master, destroying him and his twisted experiments that would eventually collapse with the impending arrival of a Super Mutant society known as the Unity. With the Unity culled and the Master defeated, the Vault Dweller could conclude their mission with the Water Chip, only to be told by the Overseer that they're a hero, and they have to leave. Exiled from Vault 13, the Vault Dweller helped found the town of Arroyo, and birthed a new society.
2186 — The New California Republic is Born
The Future Foundation of a Republic Shows the First Signs of a New and Just Society
Survivors of Vault 15 emerged from their Vault in 2097 and started a bastion of civilization known as Shady Sands. Over the years, Shady Sands expanded, and many saw the potential in a new society with Shady Sands as the capital. As such, a trial council was formed to draft the constitution, and with it, the New California Republic (NCR) would be born into the world, and New California would become the first state to govern itself.
By 2189, the NCR had voted into existence the five federation states of Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, the Hub, and Dayglow. The NCR became a staple of society and the model to which other societies would base themselves. With an outstanding population that continued to grow, and an expansion with better technology for all, the NCR's attempt at a new world would become vital to the prosperity of humanity and ghouls.
2227 - Shaun is Kidnapped, and Vault 111's Cryo Pods Malfunction
Kellogg and the Institute Rouse the Quest of the Sole Survivor, Who Sleeps for Another 60 Years
Vault 111 in the Sanctuary Hills residence of the Commonwealth was designed to house Pre-War occupants who would be cryogenically frozen indefinitely for Vault-Tec to test the effects of long-term exposure to cryostasis. However, this indefinite status was interrupted after the Institute found Vault 111 and kidnapped the infant child, Shaun, for his Pre-War DNA that would aid in the development of Synths.
Shaun's kidnapping from the Institute was led by Kellogg, a scarred man who helped to unfreeze the occupants, kill the spouse who was protecting Shaun in cryo sleep, and re-freeze the Sole Survivor's spouse and them alone in case their DNA would be needed later. The eventual malfunction of Vault 111 would be the catalyst for a Commonwealth forever changed by the Sole Survivor's eventual intervention in 2287.
2229 — The First Indistinguishable Synth is Revealed to Humanity After a Massacre in Diamond City
The Commonwealth Develops Immense Paranoia About Synths and the Institute
The Institute had remained in secrecy for over 100 years, founded in 2110 as a bastion for human survivors to learn of the dying world above. The Institute had immense technology, where they could teleport, create synthetic beings, and live a life of science for a refined mankind. One of the Institute's obsessions was the development of Synths, which were robots that believed themselves human in flesh and mind, and fit perfectly within society.
That was, until 2229, when a Gen 3 Synth malfunctioned while at Diamond City and massacred the innocent people there. Taken out by Diamond City's security, the innards of the Synth were revealed, and the boogeymen of the Commonwealth would burn paranoia into humans for decades to come regarding the Institute and what they had planned for humanity.
2244 — The Chosen One Kills the President of the United States and Stops the Enclave
The Enclave's Desire for Genocide Against All Non-Enclave Purists is Halted
The Vault Dweller, who was exiled from Vault 13 and helped bring society to Arroyo, had a grandchild who would later in life be known as the Chosen One. Trained from birth to be the tribe's champion, the Chosen One would journey across the wasteland in search of a G.E.C.K., where they would eventually discover the ruthless Enclave, a Pre-War American faction hellbent on genociding anyone who wasn't "pure" from a world before the Great War.
The Chosen One would enter conflict with the Enclave, and eventually kill the President of the United States, Dick Richardson, and his finest mutant soldier, Frank Horrigan. With the leader of the Enclave and its greatest weapon destroyed, the Enclave would shatter into irrelevance and go into hiding, forced to flee its plans to genocidally wipe out the new world created Post-War.
2247 — Edward Sallow Becomes Caesar and Forms the Legion
Fascinated with the Roman Empire, Sallow Captivates the Blackfoot Tribe and Becomes Their Chief
In 2246, Edward Sallow ventured towards the Grand Canyon on an expedition that would forever change his life. Along the way, Sallow found a book on ancient Rome and its history, and within 2 weeks, Sallow's entire philosophy had altered, and his inspiration to form a new Legion would take shape.
When Sallow and his allies were later kidnapped by a weak tripe known as the Blackfoot, Sallow used his knowledge to teach and manipulate them into becoming a strong faction to fear. Now named their war chief, Sallow dubbed himself Caesar, birthing the Legion, and beginning a conquest to grow their strength like that of the Roman Empire to start a nation of imperialists of totalitarian rule, starting with immense ruthlessness in the Mojave.
2271 — Hank MacLean Becomes the Overseer of Vault 33
The Man Who Would Be Responsible for Destroying Shady Sands Takes Charge
Hank MacLean was an executive assistant of Vault-Tec in the Pre-War era, and was cryogenically frozen along with other Vault-Tec employees to manage Vaults 31, 32, and 33 forever. When Hank woke in Vault 31 in 2268, he was quickly placed into Vault 33 and was elected Overseer in 2271. Hank's importance as the Overseer of Vault 33 isn't just because of his status in the Pre-War, but also because he's directly responsible for the destruction of Shady Sands.
Hank sent a nuclear bomb to the city in 2283 to ensure society would collapse again. This would send ripple effects throughout the nation that would effectively destroy the NCR, while also exposing Cold Fusion tech to the Brotherhood of Steel, and starting a new journey for his daughter, Lucy, along with the original Vault Boy, Cooper Howard, in a quest to find his own family 200+ years after the Great War.
2274 — Robert House Wakes From the Ruins of New Vegas and Begins to Rebuild
Mr. House Makes Himself Known to New Vegas to Fortify the Strip from the Impending NCR
Robert House awaited the end of the world, knowing that he alone could protect New Vegas from the Great War to come. However, a mere miscalculation by a few hours meant that the Platinum Chip that he needed for his technology and his immortality would be delayed for 200 years. With faulty tech, House managed to protect most of New Vegas until that same tech failed him, and he entered a coma.
Despite regaining consciousness in his cryo pod in 2138, Mr. House remained dormant within New Vegas until he could play his patient hand. Plans began to forge in 2274, when Securitrons alerted House to the impending arrival of the NCR. Mr. House made his presence known to the Mojave by forging the Three Families and renovating New Vegas so that the arriving NCR would be forced to strike a deal in which the House always wins.
2277 — The Courier Delivered a Package to The Divide & Unknowingly Nuked the Region
With Instructions from the NCR, the Courier Delivered an ICBM to The Divide
2277 is the same year that the Lone Wanderer of Vault 101 leaves in search of his father, but it's also the same year in which the Courier (protagonist of Fallout: New Vegas) started a domino effect that would ripple across the Mojave Wasteland for years to come. The Courier was instructed by the NCR at Navarro to deliver a mysterious package to the Divide, a pivotal location with a nation in its infancy, and a major trade line for the NCR between California and the Mojave.
The Courier was set to deliver a package to the civilization in the Divide, but unknown to the NCR, Courier, and the people at the Divide, the package was essentially a detonator that automatically activated the missile silos to launch underground warheads that destroyed the landscape. With the loss of the Divide, the NCR lost its secondary supply route, the Legion gained more footing in the war against the NCR, and Ulysses, a Courier who loved the Divide for all it could have been, would be forever changed.
Fallout Games Tier List
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