All lose in different ways, a dam of corpses, towns of corpses, scattered across the sand. But whose, in what shares? Even the dealer doesn't know.
Forecast: A rain of blood will flood the desert and not purify it.”— The Forecaster, Fallout: New VegasThe Mojave Wasteland is a location based on the old world Mojave Desert, and the primary setting of Fallout: New Vegas.
Background
Compared to Washington D.C. the Mojave survived the Great War relatively unscathed, but not for lack of trying on the part of the Chinese. At the culmination of the Sino-American War, 77 atomic warheads were launched at the city of Las Vegas and the surrounding areas, but due to intricate defense systems set in place by wealthy businessman Mr. House, 59 were forcefully disarmed mid-flight, nine were blasted out of the sky by a laser guided missile defense system atop the Lucky 38 Hotel & Casino, and only nine hit the surrounding desert.
In the years since, the Mojave has largely been ignored by the developing post-apocalyptic civilizations: the New California Republic in the west, and Caesar's Legion to the east, thus allowing enemies of such civilizations (raiders, the Brotherhood of Steel, and super mutants, for example) to prosper there. For years, Vegas sat at its heart, decayed by almost two centuries of neglect. But when NCR advance scouts reached Hoover Dam with the intent of expanding the NCR's borders, pre-War securitrons rolled out onto the old Las Vegas Strip and rallied the three tribes occupying the city, claiming to act on behalf of Mr. House, the man who had saved the city decades prior. By the time NCR reached Vegas, the city was in full working order, and the NCR returned to Shady Sands with tales of an oasis of light in the middle of the desert. An arrangement was made whereby the NCR were given 95% of Hoover Dam's power output and McCarran International Airport as a regional headquarters, and the Strip, (and secretly Mr. House) retained its sovereignty, as well as the remaining 5% of power.
Since then, the combined armies of 86 conquered tribes arrived from the east, led by Caesar and his Malpais Legate, seeking a city to call their capital. The Legion launched a massive initial attack on the Dam and the NCR troops stationed there, but were repelled by the NCR. Most of the credit went to Chief Hanlon for how he issued a tactical retreat to Boulder City and thus lured the Legion into a trap. He then routed the surviving Legionaries back across the dam, which ultimately led to the execution of the Malpais Legate. The outcome of the battle created a delicate power balance, whereby the tensions between the three big powers in the region (the Strip, the NCR, and the Legion) are the only factor keeping one another from attempting to seize total control of the region; should one attack the other, the third would take advantage of the conflict and attack in turn.
Inhabitants
Due to the fact that few bombs hit the Mojave, rebuilding society has been easier. Buildings are more intact, which also includes pre-War factories. This has allowed businesses such as the Gun Runners and Michael Angelo's workshop to continue to run and operate. Technology is more well preserved, thanks to the lack of nuclear fallout, and items like the neon signs that dot the New Vegas Strip, the monorail within Camp McCarran, or the massive generators of the Hoover Dam, are now being repaired to proper working order.
Everyday society is equally as stable in some areas and not in others. While small time traders and traveling merchants along route 95 and the long 15 make a decent living, it is little compared to that of the larger and more organized traders and caravans with plenty of both manpower and firepower, and those that have managed to acquire pre-War technology, such as the Crimson Caravan Company. With the expansion, though, corruption and oversight is still in the air as trading monopolies abound as small time suppliers that are either bought out of by larger companies, or simply cannot keep up with the competition.
Super mutants are much rarer here than around the capital. Many super mutants however have integrated into the community of Jacobstown, while the more hostile of them live around Black Mountain. They are also considerably more intelligent than the Vault 87 super mutants.
Separating Vegas from the rest of the Mojave is a vast area of desert where many dangerous creatures such as deathclaws, ghouls, and scorpions thrive. This generally causes most unprepared and unarmed travelers to stick to NCR controlled highways or hire mercenaries to escort them.
Casinos and gambling are popular among the locals in the area, making the New Vegas Strip a popular hub of activity for merchants, caravans, NCR troopers, opportunists, and everyday people wanting to hit it big at the slots. The main casinos: The Tops, Gomorrah, and the Ultra-Luxe, are run by the three tribes that settled in New Vegas. Each has its own personal rules and customs, other than the universal rule against carrying weapons into their casinos.
Politics, as always, also play a rather large role in the society of the Mojave. The NCR is finding its war with Caesar's Legion both increasingly unpopular back in California, and expensive to fund. Caravans and merchants heading to and from the Mojave deal with exorbitant taxes and fees imposed on them by the NCR. Caesar's Legion is coming ever closer to finding out what happens when their absolute ruler, and god, finally passes away, and is facing the question of what truly unified the Legion in the first place, Caesar's ideals, or Caesar himself. The casinos on the strip have their own agendas and Mr. House has his own mysterious plans for the Mojave and more specifically, The Strip.
Notes
- The Mojave Wasteland did not receive nearly as many nuclear attacks as other parts of the America, and is gifted with many healthy, green plants as a result of the lower radiation levels. Nevada agave fruit grow in abundance, as do Banana yucca fruit. The ever-present radioactive fallout has still altered some of the native life, with glowing mushrooms a common sight. Snow is also present in the area so it appears that the pre-War climate was not significantly affected, or has at least recovered.
- As a result of the lack of nuclear damage, a large number of native and familiar species have continued to thrive in the Mojave Wasteland. Ravens and a variety of other kinds of birds are seen fairly often in the wastes, pecking through debris and vegetation for food. Likewise, there are fish present in Lake Mead and several other smaller reservoirs. Coyotes have also managed to survive in the wasteland with little to no mutation. Despite this, the Mojave wastes are still peppered with mutated species, such as bighorners, brahmin, along with night stalkers and cazadores, the last two due to experimentation at Big MT.
- Unlike the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave Wasteland has some form of a stable ecosystem. Water encountered throughout the Mojave is safe to drink and does not contain radiation (for the most part), plant life is found consistently throughout the area, and various animals are encountered on a regular basis and thrive in the mostly undisturbed lands. This is mostly due to the fact that most of the bombs of the Great War never hit Vegas land.
- As most of the local citizens left behind their homes, much of the surrounding areas have been left untouched (examples: Vault 22, H&H Tools Factory, etc.), while others have been resettled (examples: Freeside, Novac, etc.). As a general rule, either buildings have gone into complete disrepair or are being "restored" by the local population.
- According to Chief Hanlon, the state that was once Nevada is more fertile and has more water and greenery than California, as the population in California has exploded and had caused the eventual expansion to go East in search of new opportunities and land.
- There are 187 marked locations in the Mojave Wasteland without the Wild Wasteland trait. With the Wild Wasteland trait there are 188 marked locations.
- When looking at the Moon at night, the PC can see it slowly moving.
- Very distant explosions, shellfire, and gunfire can regularly be heard outdoors throughout the Mojave Wasteland if the player listens carefully, implying that Caesar's Legion and the NCR are fighting somewhere in the region, or the Boomers are firing on potential intruders. The distant "war" sounds are more likely to be heard near contested areas like Nellis Air Force Base and the Colorado River.
Appearances
The Mojave Wasteland appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
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