The Brotherhood of Steel: The Undisputed Apex Faction of the Fallout Series
As an avid Fallout enthusiast with over 800 hours played across Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4, I feel confident declaring that the formidable Brotherhood of Steel stands atop the hierarchy of factions in the Fallout universe.
Unrivaled Arsenal and Technology
The advanced energy weapons, intimidating power armor variants, vertibird gunships and other devastating instruments of warfare at the Brotherhood of Steel‘s disposal are unparalleled.
As a quick comparison among the major Fallout factions:
| Faction | Signature Weapons and Technology |
|---|---|
| Brotherhood | Laser/plasma weapons, power armor (T-45, T-51, T-60), vertibirds, Prydwen zeppelin, Liberty Prime |
| NCR | Conventional ballistic weapons, some power armor pieces scavenged from Brotherhood, no air power or robots |
| Caesar‘s Legion | Melee weapons, firearms, salvaged equipment from defeated enemies – no high tech |
| The Institute | Advanced but secretive technologies kept underground, teleportation, synths, lacking in heavy ordinance |
Clearly, the Brotherhood maintains an immense technological and firepower advantage over other wasteland powers.
Now, let‘s delve deeper into the instruments that enable the imposition of Brotherhood supremacy. The T-60 power armor modeled on the player character below demonstrates the significant protection and strength augmentation it provides – allowing a soldier to rip 50 cal machine guns off turrets!
The imposing Prydwen blimp, serving as a mobile fortress and base of operations, permits power projection across the Commonwealth. Vertibirds then facilitate tactical troop deployments from the Prydwen.
And we cannot forget Liberty Prime – the towering robot brute who lays waste to full armies with his laser eye beams and nuclear footballs! He is instrumental to eventual Brotherhood victory over The Institute across various story endings.
Organization and Ideology – Catalysts for Conquest
Beyond technology, the Brotherhood exhibits fanatical organization and adherence to ideology that fuels ruthless expansion.
Elder Maxson‘s reforms have forged the East Coast Brotherhood into a structured, quasi-religious military order focused on acquiring advanced tech across the Wasteland without regard for the hardships inflicted locally.
Whereas Elders like Lyons were content guarding pre-War technology sites like The Pitt, Maxson mandates his soldiers to venture out, confiscate powerful weapons/tools from civilians, and eliminate abominations like Super Mutants and synths.
The Brotherhood operates on a strict chain of command, and displays willingness to quickly reinforce local Chapters with troops from the Capital Wasteland to facilitate conquests.
For instance, Prydwen arrival at Boston Airport sees heavy Vertibird activity and Liberty Prime restoration – signaling a massive influx of personnel and equipment. Soon, the Brotherhood grinds the synth-producing Institute to dust beneath Liberty Prime‘s bulk.
For the People or For Their Own Gain?
An argument can occasionally be made about the Brotherhood evolving into detached tyrants drunk on technology, losing sight of the wellbeing of average Wasteland citizens.
And this may be true to some extent – it seems the Brotherhood seizes advanced technologies from Wastelanders to centrally hoard them, rather than uplift communities. Also, Lyons‘ Brotherhood of Steel displayed more benevolence by aiding the people of D.C. against Super Mutants.
Yet ideologically, the Brotherhood still largely fights to prevent technological abuses that could once again doom humanity. Consistently across the series, Brotherhood troops sacrifice life and limb fighting foes like the Enclave, Master‘s Army and Institute for the sake of mankind‘s future. That earns some positive credit in my book!
Conclusion: The Prydwen Casts the Longest Shadow
While factions like House‘s New Vegas and Caesar‘s Legion command fearsome reputations back West, the full military might of the Brotherhood Air Fleet gives them more overall power projection capability.
The NCR bears mention too as a juggernaut based on numbers, but they lag behind in critical technologies to sustain televised combat operations.
So whether soaring high in the Prydwen or marching across the Commonwealth clad head-to-toe in T-60 power armor suits, the Brotherhood of Steel presents the most intimidating fighting force they Wasteland has ever seen.
I welcome debate on whether figures like Colonel Autumn, Mr. House or Lanius could potentially unseat the Brotherhood‘s dominance! But until such time, Ad Victoriam!
