Amazon Prime Fall-out the show has been one of the most successful video game adaptations for television in recent years. The series has received much praise from fans and critics alike, with the show receiving 16 Emmy nominations at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards and winning an Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision. With Fall-out show taking place in the same universe as the games and Season 2 already confirmed to be in production, Bethesda Game Studios should consider incorporating some elements of the show into the eventual Fallout 5 game. One way Bethesda could do this is by replacing the mysterious stranger with the Ghoul from the show.
Fallout Mysterious Stranger Explained
Across the wastelands of post-apocalyptic California, Nevada, Virginia, Washington DC, and New England, vault dwellers and ordinary survivors alike can randomly find help from a mysterious stranger in times of crisis. Back in Fallout 1 and 2this person can appear as either a man or a woman decked out in skimpy leather armor and can be equipped with rifles, shotguns, and even laser rifles, depending on the player's level. If both the mysterious stranger and the player survive their combat encounter, the player can talk to the stranger, but they will only respond in short phrases such as “I'll help you” or “I don't talk much”.
When Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas was released, the Mysterious Stranger had changed dramatically. Instead of being either a man or a woman in leather armor, the Stranger is now consistently a white man wearing a trench coat with a fedora. They will also consistently use a revolver which will mysteriously cause a short western guitar riff to occur when he engages in combat. Unlike theirs Fallout 1 and 2 Opponents, the Bethesda-era Stranger will not engage in dialogue with the player. IN Fallout 3 and New VegasMysterious Stranger can only appear after using VATS when the Mysterious Stranger perk is selected.
The Mysterious Stranger of Fallout 4 and 76
The alien's appearance remains relatively the same from Fallout 3 and New Vegas in Fallout 4but he now has a mustache on his face. Instead of playing guitar during his performances, a short piano riff played. Private detective and old Synth Nick Valentine will also react to the Stranger's appearance if the player has him as a companion on their travels. Players can find a case file on Stranger in Valentine's Detective Agency. IN Fallout 76The Stranger will rarely appear for players who have the Mysterious Stranger perk but no longer have a mustache.
The Mysterious Stranger also appears in
Fallout Shelter
but only gives players extra caps if seen in vaults instead of helping in battle.
The Ghouls' Potential as The Mysterious Stranger in Fallout 5
While the setting and time period of Fallout 5 are still unknown, there is still a lot of potential for the Ghoul, also known as Cooper Howard, to appear as the mysterious stranger in Fallout 5. While Fall-out the performance takes place after Fallout 4, Fallout 5 could take place before the performance or even at the same time as Fallout 4 but to the west near the New California Republic. This could allow the Ghoul to take the place of the mysterious stranger without having to worry about story conflicts with events seen in the show.
The ghoul is already acting similar to the Mysterious Stranger as both wear trench coats and wield revolvers expertly. In Valentine's case file on the Stranger, the synth assumed the Stranger might be a ghoul due to his widespread appearance over the decades, so having Howard be the Stranger might confirm that suspicion and explain how the Stranger emerged from Fallout 76 to 4. If the Ghoul replaces the Mysterious Stranger, he can still be called the Mysterious Stranger to players who haven't seen Fall-out show and could have Walton Goggins return to voice a few lines as he appears to help players.
