How to prepare for Fallout Season 2

This article contains spoilers for Fall-out Season 1

Fall-out Season 2 is right around the corner, and after Amazon's successful adaptation of the beloved franchise in 2024, it's no surprise that some fans want to do some prep work. Adaptations that tie into in-game lore are rare, while canonizing the show was a considerable risk, but Season 1 managed to (more or less) honor the history of the franchise and carve out its own place in it. Fall-out Season 2 picks up the pace by attempting the same success, while this time getting closer to the beloved New Vegas title.

Fall-out Season 2 has its work cut out for it, but so do the fans. After all, it's the wizards and the cannon cops who have to tie together all the potential reveals Season 2 has in store. Fortunately, there's no better time to dive back into the irradiated world Fall-out than now, and there are plenty of great ways for fans to go about it.

Fallout Season 2 can be seen on Amazon Prime Video
The first episode premieres on December 17, with new episodes every Wednesday

Watch Fallout Season 1 again

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It may seem redundant to conjure this up first, but watching the first season of the Fall-out is practically essential for anyone who wants to stay sharp on the cannon as it stands. The show packed an incredible number of lore bombs into only eight episodes, so there's a generous sprinkling of tidbits scattered throughout that will likely pay off in some form. Both Vault-Tec's relationship with Mr. House and the seemingly fractured state of the NCR are parts of Season 1 that probably deserve a second look ahead of next season.

Special narrative attention should be paid to the backstory of The Ghoul and his pre-war flashbacks, as these moments were crucial to understanding how the characters and the world at large ended up so broken. The show's approach to more relevant lore also deserves attention, particularly the destruction of Shady Sands and the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel's westward expedition. These massive lore changes establish a rich tapestry of unknowns that Fall-out Season 2 will most likely be extended.

Replay Fallout New Vegas (again)

fallout-new-vegas-key-art — fallout new vegas key art

Considering it's widely considered to be the best entry in the series and one of the best games, period, this is phenomenal news for new and old fans alike who New Vegas will be relevant to Season 2's arc. It will do more than enough to provide a suitable context to what's to come in Season 2 of Fall-outbut Obsidian Entertainment's masterpiece is just that: a masterpiece. It offers some of the most morally complex factional conflicts in gaming history, and while those elements may translate beautifully to the show's format, fans should make sure they've experienced its grandeur firsthand, just in case.

Choose a faction (and defend it forever)

This is where things get personal: Choosing a faction allegiance before Season 2 is released will be important. Mr. House's autocratic vision of progress, the NCR's bureaucratically bloated democracy, and the brutal order of Caesar's Legion all offer and mean different things in the wasteland, and the beauty of New Vegas is each faction presents compelling arguments for its worldview, even when its methods are questionable. Understanding these warring philosophies and their flaws will greatly enhance the viewing experience.

Whichever faction you choose, just be prepared to defend it passionately, as Fall-out social life for these debates. Season 2 is sure to reignite discussions about which path best serves the people of the Mojave, so it's best to get an opinion ahead of time. Just remember that everyone thinks they're doing the right thing in the apocalypse, even when they're objectively making things worse, like Caesar's Legion.

Add way too many mods

To be clear, playing New Vegas probably means modifying it into oblivion anyway. Modders have essentially kept New Vegas lived for over a decade, with borderline necessary bug fixes, animation overhauls, and even full-sized DLC-style mods that offer something completely new (or completely too difficult). It doesn't matter if players are looking for new weapons, quest lines, or even the ability to turn every Deathclaw into Randy Savage; just know, there is a mod for it. It's probably best to keep it lore friendly if you're trying to prepare for the show.

Play Fallout 76's Burning Springs Update

Fallout 76 recently launched its Burning feathers update, and it's actually worth checking out for fans of the show and the franchise alike. Bethesda's live service entry has come an astonishingly long way since launch, as it's now a truly enjoyable experience with solid content updates on offer. Fall-out Season 1 directly affected the map of Burning Springs, for one. Burning feathers expands Appalachia's already impressive map into Ohio, with new mysteries to uncover, bandits to take out and bounties to collect alongside The Ghoul, voiced by Walton Goggins himself.

For the closing staff: See about Home Alone

This next one might seem like an odd proposition, but with Macaulay Culkin seemingly in the mix Fall-out Season 2 as a member of Caesar's Legion, this is more about the potential for some watchable laughs. Watching the cherubic Kevin McCallister from Alone at home potentially turning into a hardened member of a brutal, ancient Roman-inspired slave army represents one of the most delightfully absurd and compelling casting choices imaginable. The tonal whiplash is worth the price of admission alone, though it's also fitting given how close Season 2's release is to the holidays.

With Fall-out Season 2 Releases December 17th, Wasteland Calls Again. Preparation is half the fun with shows like this, so rewatch the first season or dive back in New Vegas. The franchise has always rewarded fans who pay attention to the details, and if Season 2 delivers on its promise of more of what made the first season such a hit, fans who have had their fill will have a lot to look forward to.