Who is the best elder in Fallout: New Vegas?

As a passionate gamer who has played Fallout: New Vegas extensively, I firmly believe Elder Nolan McNamara of the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel is the superior elder and leader in the game. After carefully comparing McNamara to his main rival Edgar Hardin across several key attributes of leadership, McNamara comes out well ahead. His balanced governance and decision-making lead to the most positive outcomes for both the Brotherhood and people of New Vegas.

Allowing a Peace Treaty with the NCR

One of the most critical areas I analyzed was each elder candidate‘s willingness to compromise with the New California Republic (NCR). If Hardin assumes control, he will aggressively isolate the chapter further, inevitably leading to violent conflict with the NCR, as we see during the quest "For the Republic, Part 2."

However, if McNamara remains elder, he will extend an olive branch to the NCR, even allowing the possibility of a peace treaty between the former enemies. As someone who always plays as an NCR-allied courier, I greatly prefer the chance for a non-violent solution. This willingness to compromise makes McNamara a superior leader in my opinion. The table below summarizes the elders‘ starkly different approaches:

Perspective on Isolationism

Additionally, McNamara has a much more reasoned perspective on the Brotherhood‘s isolationism compared to Hardin. Through dialogue, McNamara reveals he understands the Brotherhood cannot survive completely isolated from the rest of the Mojave population. His aim is to take a balanced approach: carefully guard Brotherhood secrets but provide assistance to outsiders when possible in order to co-exist.

In contrast, Hardin employs a bunker mentality – cutting off all contact with outsiders at heavy cost. From a storyline perspective, McNamara‘s nuanced understanding of the pros and cons of isolationism demonstrates superior leadership. This table summarizes their perspectives:

Treatment of Soldiers

As someone who values human life in these post-apocalyptic games, I also assess leaders based on how they treat their soldiers. Elder McNamara repeatedly emphasizes minimizing Brotherhood casualties and does not believe in sacrificing his soldiers needlessly. This seems in line with the Brotherhood‘s overall stated mission – safeguard lives by protecting technology.

Hardin takes a more ruthless approach, willing to put soldiers in harm‘s way even when the odds seem overwhelming or unnecessary. Based on their dialogues, McNamara‘s leadership again appears far more ethical and beneficial for morale. The table summarizes how each elder views soldier sacrifice:

Aid to the Player

Finally, as a self-interested courier looking to gain power in the Mojave, I appreciate that McNamara rewards the player with power armor training in return for dealing with a Brotherhood deserter. Hardin offers no such reward.

Gaining access to Brotherhood bunkers and becoming allies with McNamara also benefits the player far more than siding with the isolationist Hardin. McNamara‘s willingness to trade knowledge and resources with the player directly improves gameplay.

Conclusion – McNamara‘s Leadership is Far Superior

In conclusion, based on his balanced governance, willingness to compromise for peace, ethical treatment of soldiers, and aid given to the player, Elder Nolan McNamara is clearly the best leader in Fallout: New Vegas. His decision-making returns the most positive outcomes for stability in the region and creates more interesting gameplay. McNamara‘s superior leadership over Hardin makes him the obvious choice for elder when weighing all major factors.

As a gamer and content creator, I believe these data-driven examples clearly showcase McNamara‘s strengths. Let me know if you have any other insights into why McNamara represents the best path forward for New Vegas!