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This ‘Fallout’ Video Game Weapon Reveal Hints at a Totally New Location for Season 3
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Fallout.Fallout Season 2 ends on a high note and with the promise of new locations in its future, as the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) turns his eyes to Colorado. But the finale, “The Strip,” also hints at a famous location from the games in its post-credits scene. As Elder Cleric Quintus (Michael Cristofer) decides to become “the Destroyer” after failing to unite the Brotherhood of Steel, he opens the blueprints for a giant robot called Liberty Prime Alpha. That’s one of the coolest machines in the franchise, but Liberty Prime is located on the other side of the country, where Washington DC once stood. So, could Season 3 be headed to DC, too?
Liberty Prime Is One Of The Brotherhood Of Steel’s Main Weapons In ‘Fallout 3’
While Season 2 was mostly based on Fallout: New Vegas, the finale’s nod to Liberty Prime hints at Fallout 3 probably being one of the main inspirations for a third season. That’s when Liberty Prime first shows up, when the Brotherhood of Steel faces a new faction called the Institute for control over the Capital Wasteland. The giant robot is 40 feet high, heavily armored, and carries one of the deadliest arsenals in the franchise, including nukes, which it throws around like grenades — not exactly the kind of tech you’d want to go up against.
Like many of Fallout‘s most dangerous creatures and machines, Liberty Prime was created before the Great War by the US government. It was supposed to be their main weapon against the Chinese on the Alaskan Front, but it was never deployed, since they could never figure out how to power it, as it required huge amounts of energy. The machine was developed in partnership with many private companies, including RobCo, owned by Robert House (Justin Theroux). Until the time came to use it, Liberty Prime was kept in the Pentagon for 200 years.
It’s important to point out, however, that Quintus’ blueprints are for Liberty Prime Alpha, which has never been mentioned in the Fallout games before the Season 2 finale. If it turns out to be an entirely separate model, then it isn’t unlikely that it remains hidden in DC. Its layout is apparently similar to the original Liberty Prime, but it wouldn’t carry the Alpha suffix for nothing, so it’s safe to assume that it is an improved version. Whether it’s more heavily armed or one with a fixed energy source remains to be seen, but if Quintus wants to put an end to the Brotherhood civil war, deploying such a weapon is definitely the way to go.
Capital Wasteland Is a Unique Location In The ‘Fallout’ Universe
If Quintus decides to take the Knights of San Fernando all the way to Capital Wasteland to search for Liberty Prime Alpha, they should be ready for a completely different environment than the Mojave and California. This territory encompasses parts of what used to be Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and, of course, Washington DC, as well as most of the Potomac Basin, and, shortly before the bombs were dropped, was heavily fortified to resist the blast. Most of it was also automated, so a few structures remain operational even centuries after the war. Ruined, but operational.
Capital Wasteland is also where Fallout 3 takes place, with the player (an individual referred to as the Lone Wanderer) being caught in a conflict between the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave. The main plot revolves around Project Purity, an attempt to purify the waters in the Potomac to provide the region with clean, drinkable water for the first time in centuries. Like in the best Fallout games, the ending is up to the player. There are multiple possibilities, which include choosing one of the factions and deciding whether Project Purity should be started or not. All this takes place 19 years before the beginning of the Fallout series.
The Original Liberty Prime Is Eventually Reassembled In Boston In ‘Fallout 4’
The Brotherhood of Steel civil war revolves around each chapter having more autonomy, or the Commonwealth having a stronger central control over the whole thing. The Commonwealth is the Brotherhood’s “main branch,” located in a territory of the same name in what used to be Massachusetts. This is important, because, if Liberty Prime Alpha is somehow connected to the original Liberty Prime, then that’s where it could be located, as well, since the latter is also featured in Fallout 4, set in the Commonwealth 10 years after Fallout 3, so Season 3 could also be headed to Boston.
Instead of the Enclave, the main antagonists in Fallout 4 are the Institute, a faction based on what remains of MIT that developed synths, androids that could easily pass for humans. They are similar to the Enclave, in the sense that they believe the surface and everyone who lives there is “impure,” hiding underground and using the synths to cleanse humanity and scavenge for them. To fight them, the Brotherhood reassembles the original Liberty Prime. Boston is the giant robot’s last known location, so it could play an important role in the Brotherhood civil war.
With Quintus now hellbent on becoming “the destroyer,” he will have to topple the Commonwealth if he really wants to control the whole Brotherhood, and this will inevitably lead him and the Knights of San Fernando across the country toward the East Coast. The big question now is how Liberty Prime Alpha connects to the original Liberty Prime, determining whether they’re headed to Capital Wasteland, or Boston. Either way, it will be fun to see locations from the games in the series again.
Fallout is available to stream on Prime Video.