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That age-old question: Which F:NV ending did you pick?

Who rolls the chips in town, baby?


  • Total voters
    89

skaraher

Cipher
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Nov 19, 2012
Messages
796
Location
People's republic of Frankistan
House ending, more like ZOG ending, enjoy a life of servitude to brains in jar. If you're nice, maybe they'll give you your own little jar and chattel of goyim slaves.

NCR ending = :kwafuckyeah:

Yes Man ending = Dumb anarcho leftist utopia, ending slides prove it only leads to niggers factions dominating the wastes and putting everyone to the machete

Only Caesar ending can bring order and prosperity to the human race.

+ Legion has gold standard and free trade.

:mrpresident::vivelafrance::mrpresident:
 
Last edited:

the_shadow

Arcane
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
1,179
I've completed all endings, but morally and pragmatically I'd side with the NCR.

Morally: NCR is far from perfect, as it's clearly based on the United States government during the Manifest Destiny era. The administration sees its expansion as necessary to bring about security and prosperity to independents/tribes, at a price that some aren't willing to pay. While they aren't as overtly aggressive as the Legion, they still use strong arm tactics and under-handed skulduggery to integrate outsiders and monopolize resources. There is a definite favouritism towards the major oligarchs (certain trading companies and ranchers) vs the little guy.

OTOH, the NCR does attempt (and usually does) bring about an increased quality of life for its citizens. They are the only ones trying to supply power and running water to the region, which is a pretty big accomplishment when you consider that no-one else had (from memory, House hadn't even bothered to get running water to Freeside), and their control that side of the Dam is tenuous at best, what with numerous towns remaining independent, and Caesar and House in the picture. And while the NCR does some pretty crappy things, they do at least *try* to adhere to some sort of human rights. They try to avoid torturing POW's, forbid slavery, show a genuine concern for the lives of their soldiers (rather than seeing them as machete fodder), and frown pretty heavily on the targeting of civilians during warfare.

Pragmatically: At the end of the day, NCR is the most robust government due to its democratic nature. The fact that the NCR doesn't stand or fall on one particular individual means it should endure more than a few generations, unlike Caesar's legion and House. Leaders are also accountable to the people, which means the idiots will (eventually) get voted out of office.
 

laclongquan

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As long as you have a snazzy dress uniform, there's no lack of idiots coming out of woodwork to defend your brutal regime. That's what Fallout New Vegas prove.

Ultimately, Legion rule is a tribal rule. It based on strong and charismatic leaders and swiftly fall into chaos the moment said leaders dead and there's a transition. Caesar's days are numbered and so chaos is coming. Anyone replace him would fall into the same trap, and chaos return every few years. I dont even mention anything deeper concerning tribal industry (hah) or the resentment of conquered tribes toward Legion.

NCR is a machine. Killing one president and the political machine will churn out others to keep order. Hate it if you like but living under it you dont have to fear chaos. bad luck in the form of bandits and monsters, yeah, but not chaos.

The robot army ending is not a good answer either, as it's same way as Legion's. Once the top die, there's going to be chaos while factions figure out who will control all. Meanwhile there's no replacement for the robot army. One by one they will succumb to the desert sands and overused and serious lack of technicians to fix. To a point in time everything will explode.

Seriously, the only good ending is NCR. Once you stop to think like a normal human instead of cocky cowboy.
 

Commissar Draco

Codexia Comrade Colonel Commissar
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Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
No Legion civilian settlement were showed in FNV but from what Cassidy and Ghoul tell you towns and communities in NM and Arizona have security, gold currency fueled wealth and lot less regulations NCR citizens and small to medium business are ''blessed'' with. While NCR is like Kwa during fifties; its not bad place to live in but even if they wont collapse from corruption, nepotism and too fast expansionism your children and grandchildren will have to live with Raider Life Matters, Ghoul-Mutant-Centuar-Trans unions bullshit and all in economy controlled by interstate cartel of big Caravans and Brahmin Barons. Heck they are All-right with public Sodomy all ready just not in red territory Mojave is. (talk to Major in NCR Post). Human rights we have now are joke... yes you have right to work if you are lucky and your job is not shipped to China or taken by illegal immigrant, pay hafty taxes and keep your mouth shut cause every criticism of status quo can land you homeless or in jail. In Polant you can't even build cuckshed on your own property without some high and might bureaucrat agreeing first. Would take Kaisar and his legion anytime over such ZOG contolled parody of democracy and Free DOOM.
 

the_shadow

Arcane
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
1,179
No Legion civilian settlement were showed in FNV but from what Cassidy and Ghoul tell you towns and communities in NM and Arizona have security, gold currency fueled wealth and lot less regulations NCR citizens and small to medium business are ''blessed'' with.

You have no real security if your homicidal overlords and their axe-crazy goons can (and often do) rape, enslave and kill their own subjects, as well as brainwash them and erase any former cultural identity. Your comment about regulation is debatable, since Caesar doesn't permit the sale/use of chems (including stim-packs) and alcohol, and he doesn't like anything high-tech being available to his subjects.
 
Self-Ejected

Harry Easter

Self-Ejected
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
819
I always go for the Wildcard-Ending, because why not? NV is about ambition and obtaining them and compared to the other factions my reign will be at least something new, compared to the Legion and the NCR. I am also not frozen in time like Mister house, not as corrupt as the current president of the republic and not crazy and tumourplagued like Caesar. Caesars Legion is the worst option for the Mojave, because the old man is already dead. If I don't kill him, his sickness will do it and than the Legion falls apart and the NCR has won. The Legion is a one-man-show, it is doomed from the start. The same with mister Mr. House: one malfunction in his 200 years old machinery and he will join Caesar in hell.

As for the NCR: a loss could actually be the best that could happen to them on a societal level, because it could damage the influence of the military and president kimball will surely not be re-elected after the second hoover dam- debacle and there will be some changes. For the better? I don't know, but at least some things will change again.

And the independent could work, as we see in another example, when the Khans and the followers build their own society. It would also fit the games theme of letting go of nostalgia and leaving the old behind (which especially Caesars Legion represents).
 

Folklore

Barely Literate
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Messages
1
I've done playthroughs for each factions. Out of all of them, though, Wild Card is almost certainly my favourite. Primarily because I think it's the most fitting out of all of them. From roleplaying, gameplay and thematic perspectives.

In terms of roleplaying, as an arc for the Courier it's fitting that they end up assuming the role of Benny, their would-be killer and personal antagonist. Similarly, it's the most directly opposing position to Ulysses (the player's rival) as Ulysses is all about flags, nations and holding an identity, then you come along with nothing but the number 21 printed on your jumpsuit and an allegiance to only yourself and the Mojave. You're his ideological antithesis. Also, the Courier acting as an unexpected, wandering figure getting tangled up in the factions of a conflict and eventually coming out on top themselves is a classic Western trope.

In terms of gameplay, Wild Card offers the most choice and concequence/freedom. You can handle the factions in pretty much anyway you please, and you can do it at your own pace and order. To me the Wild Card questline seems to represent everything New Vegas has to offer.

In terms of thematics, Wild Card is also the most fitting. The prevalent theme of New Vegas, that runs throughout the main game, the DLC and even the prequel comic is the theme of "Letting Go." Well, each faction is itself somehow taken from the Old World. The New California Republic is the Old World system of democracy and the rule of law, a system that ended up leading to the demise of the world that came before, and is already acting as a drain on the NCR as a nation. The Legion is directly inspired by Old World history and myth. Mr House is literally from the Old World and wishes to make New Vegas into his little snowglobe of pre-war glory, obsessed with the past. Wild Card is the only option out of the four that represents a way out, a "New World" option. Something fitting for the Wasteland that the Earth has become. Then there's the whole "21" and gambling theme that Wild Card has going on.

So, that's why Wild Card is my choice. Not really for personal political reasons, but rather what I think the best direction of the narrative is.
 

Beastro

Arcane
Joined
May 11, 2015
Messages
8,089
NCR.

Wild Card is stupid, essentially for those who either don't care or kick the can down the road. You throw your hands up and walk away one way or another.

House is assuming he is what he says he is, instead of a madman with akin to the model plane maker in Flight of the Phoenix. His plan to leave Earth behind to eventually seek a new planet to settle his choice slice of Mankind is one indication of that. All you have is his promise when he's ultimately the only one in control.

Caesar's Legion is arbitrary and prone to collapse violently in the near future. It'll be a glimmer of civilization before returning to the barbarity. Caesar without cancer might have a chance, but I think his ego over inflates his degree of real influence, that the Legion will civil when their society revels in savagery. People like to overrate the influence of leaders and ignore the literal will of the people, not the nice, sensible way people like to think of, but the lynch mob demanding their will be done and if a leader ignores them they'll find another one, often violently.

NCR at least has the rule of law and last sliver of Western Civilization left.

I do find many comments here funny about it expanding and collapsing. All nations fall, what's as important as what a nation does is what they leave behind, especially in a world like Fallouts. NCR will fall, but it'll leave behind fragments of similar nations seeking to grow and build in a sane, evolutionary way, not a revolutionary one as every Fallout antagonist has pushed. That theme may or may not be intended, but does highlight how much the NCR is a faction, even inl NV, like the BoS, they do not seek to turn world upside down overnight while those that threatened the world seek to "fix" the mistakes of the past in various, radical methods (ignoring the issue that they cannot fix the human condition, Ron Perlman's opening phrase isn't touched upon in game much, but it underlines the fundamental driving force, past, present and future) largely driven by one individual, the only exception being the Enclave, though that depends on the difference between their leadership and their common people).

IMO, the only problem with the NCR is that it's entirely too much of a carbon copy of the US, that it went from a tribal backwater village to an anachronism in a matter of generation, not a cargo cult civilization of tribals poorly imitating the US their a mirror darkly and mythologizing a lot of it more like the Chosen Ones village was like.

I also think a lot of the problem with many posters comments here is that they hold the same ultimately progressive, positivist position as those in-game that try to "fix" things, you cannot and you never will, there'll never be an optimal solution that'll prevent Mankind from repeating the same mistakes, and by seeking that goal, you are unwittingly playing into the cycle while only making it worse. The NCR is the one faction that has never sought that end, they simply want to do what they want and if the future goes badly, they'll fade away like everyone else, like every culture has thought like including ours, despite our neuritic worrying otherwise.
 

laclongquan

Arcane
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Searching for my kidnapped sister
Legion fanbois generally are history illiterate or intentionally blind. Its system draw on Roman models and inherit many of the same weakness.

Roman/Legion territories are basically conquered lands, with conquered tribes, and slaves, with no culture integration policy other than "at sword point". Roman collapse (and therefore Legion) is in large part due to a heavy demand on occupation troops to keep the restive citizens in checks and the slave revolts. Their industry is laughable and therefore can not support the military needs. Their implode is inevitable.

Their political system rely on a strongman's mentality. As in the charismatic leaders holding everyone together, with no concrete laws to survive their strongman's demise. As such, the weakness is that once the previous leaders die/depose, the rest fight it out for the strongest and thus weakened the system. After two or three civil war like that the whole house of card collapse. See Roman history for the illustration.
 

Beastro

Arcane
Joined
May 11, 2015
Messages
8,089
Their industry is laughable and therefore can not support the military needs. Their implode is inevitable.

I've wondered how much of Caesar's talk about not relying on technology and keeping weapons simple was more an admission of lack of tech they couldn't get/use than a genuine, knowledgeable rule for his society.

That also ties into the unforeseen effects of the state he set in motion, instead of the synthesis that he desired, the Legion would most likely take his rules like that and enforce them literal, reducing the conquered NCR back into the patchwork of ignorant tribes.
 

laclongquan

Arcane
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Note a detail: their armor.

NCR armor, from the look of it, is entirely newly made, not artifact from the Great War. Their industry is up and running.
Legion armor, aside from a fewleather details and thehelmet, is American football style. Preference and style aside, that should suggest that they got a cache, like a buried warehouse, full of the bloody stuffs. Not 100% hand made. Ie their industry is not up to snuff.
 

Commissar Draco

Codexia Comrade Colonel Commissar
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Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
Legion fanbois generally are history illiterate or intentionally blind. Its system draw on Roman models and inherit many of the same weakness.

Roman/Legion territories are basically conquered lands, with conquered tribes, and slaves, with no culture integration policy other than "at sword point". Roman collapse (and therefore Legion) is in large part due to a heavy demand on occupation troops to keep the restive citizens in checks and the slave revolts. Their industry is laughable and therefore can not support the military needs. Their implode is inevitable.

Their political system rely on a strongman's mentality. As in the charismatic leaders holding everyone together, with no concrete laws to survive their strongman's demise. As such, the weakness is that once the previous leaders die/depose, the rest fight it out for the strongest and thus weakened the system. After two or three civil war like that the whole house of card collapse. See Roman history for the illustration.

:whatho:

Rome collapsed after external invasions caused by repeated large scale population movement not internal rebellion; in fact it was so popular among the conquered people that the half of Europe speaks Romance languages and rules stopped calling themselves Caesars, Tzars or Kaizers only in XX century when they ape Kwans and call themselves Presidents... Which is turn another Roman Tittle of Governors. As to lack of infrastructure from where you take it? There are no information in game pointing out that Santa Fe or Tucson were raized by Legion. With the capture of Nev Vegas Kaizar has his New Rome and Capital of Empire and can settle Legion Officers which are not stupid men as interrogation of Centurion showed into new landed aristocracy. Only risk of collapse is when you allow him to die of tumor and give power into hand of Legate Lanius whose is caricature of III/IV century Soldiers Emperors. Yes much better result is to give power to copy of Kwan Democracy which almost destroyed world, undead abomination or leave it to anarchy and chaos. :M
 

WhiteGuts

Arcane
Joined
May 3, 2013
Messages
2,382
No Gods No Masters.

I like imagining what happens in the aftermath of the Hoover Dam battle. Does NV actually become an utopia, or does it fall back into the same Old World patterns ? Does the Courier retain his sanity after becoming the most powerful man in the West Coast or does he try to follow House's footsteps ?

All good and interesting questions imo.
 

Lemming42

Arcane
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Messages
6,153
Location
The Satellite Of Love
Wild Card is the most satisfying from a symbolic and thematic perspective, but there's no convincingly good reason to choose anything other than the NCR if you're taking the story and setting seriously.

Very few people legitimately support the Legion and I can see why some people might pick the Wild Card ending, but I'll never ever understand why anybody would ever genuinely choose Mr House. He's a total fucking idiot, even if he is voiced by Odo from DS9.

EDIT: Unless you've got some headcanon where you screw him over post-game.
 

WhiteGuts

Arcane
Joined
May 3, 2013
Messages
2,382
There are plenty of reasons to go with House actually. He's basically the only one to guarantee you some kind of order in Vegas. NCR/Legion postions in their respective endings are implied to be kinda temporary. Same uncertainty for Wild Card, it's all depending on the Courier not turning out to be a psycho once he's in the driving seat.

It's more of a "the evil you know" type of situation. You know what House is about and you know what he can and cannot do. If I was a Vegas citizen, I'd definitely favor him.

There are actually five endings.

Blow up the dam so no one benefits. The nihilistic ending.

There's also the (bad) ending where the Cloud spreads through the Mojave, as Elijah wished.
 
Last edited:
Self-Ejected

an Administrator

Self-Ejected
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Where expecting basics is considered perfectionism
I did all of them.

The wild card is generally stupid and leads to chaos for most Couriers.

NCR ending just makes things worse for NCR itself! Incompetent general Oliver and the warhawk president Kimball get praised, they will decide to expand more and they will fail badly coz Courier is not there to save their asses.

Legion: Caesar dies, Lanius takes over, Spartacuses will rise and they will eventually collapse. p. unstable

Mr.House: An immortal jewlord mastermind is the humanity's only hope to survival.
He promises to send people to space and also orders to kill BoS which leads to very very good loot.
 

laclongquan

Arcane
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
1,870,152
Location
Searching for my kidnapped sister
Legion fanbois generally are history illiterate or intentionally blind. Its system draw on Roman models and inherit many of the same weakness.

Roman/Legion territories are basically conquered lands, with conquered tribes, and slaves, with no culture integration policy other than "at sword point". Roman collapse (and therefore Legion) is in large part due to a heavy demand on occupation troops to keep the restive citizens in checks and the slave revolts. Their industry is laughable and therefore can not support the military needs. Their implode is inevitable.

Their political system rely on a strongman's mentality. As in the charismatic leaders holding everyone together, with no concrete laws to survive their strongman's demise. As such, the weakness is that once the previous leaders die/depose, the rest fight it out for the strongest and thus weakened the system. After two or three civil war like that the whole house of card collapse. See Roman history for the illustration.

:whatho:

Rome collapsed after external invasions caused by repeated large scale population movement not internal rebellion; in fact it was so popular among the conquered people that the half of Europe speaks Romance languages and rules stopped calling themselves Caesars, Tzars or Kaizers only in XX century when they ape Kwans and call themselves Presidents... Which is turn another Roman Tittle of Governors. As to lack of infrastructure from where you take it? There are no information in game pointing out that Santa Fe or Tucson were raized by Legion. With the capture of Nev Vegas Kaizar has his New Rome and Capital of Empire and can settle Legion Officers which are not stupid men as interrogation of Centurion showed into new landed aristocracy. Only risk of collapse is when you allow him to die of tumor and give power into hand of Legate Lanius whose is caricature of III/IV century Soldiers Emperors. Yes much better result is to give power to copy of Kwan Democracy which almost destroyed world, undead abomination or leave it to anarchy and chaos. :M
A straight copypasta from
History.com said:
"Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor

Even as Rome was under attack from outside forces, it was also crumbling from within thanks to a severe financial crisis. Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of the wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms. At the same time, the empire was rocked by a labor deficit. Rome’s economy depended on slaves to till its fields and work as craftsmen, and its military might had traditionally provided a fresh influx of conquered peoples to put to work. But when expansion ground to a halt in the second century, Rome’s supply of slaves and other war treasures began to dry up. A further blow came in the fifth century, when the Vandals claimed North Africa and began disrupting the empire’s trade by prowling the Mediterranean as pirates. With its economy faltering and its commercial and agricultural production in decline, the Empire began to lose its grip on Europe."

I have mentioned
- The lack of cottage industry: check
- The various conquered tribes: check
- Legion meet NCR at Hoover Dam meaning they can not expand westward anymore -> lack of new influx of slave labor: check. Colorado River and Lake Mead prevent the northward advance: check.
- They have not made any effort at all in making railroad, meaning overland travel will raise the cost of commerce immensely within their own territory. Meanwhile NCR has already linked West Coast with Hoover Dam's neighborhood (the correctional facility is for housing railroad gangs).
- Strongman mentality and polity: check. see Alexander Macedonia's end of regime period for reference.
 

Neki

Scholar
Joined
Jul 30, 2016
Messages
145
I always thought yes man betray you after his ending

But for the moment is the best ending for the mojave.
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
11,901
It's left ambiguous, as Yes Man makes a comment about temporarily shutting down in order to implement a change in his programming that will make him more assertive, without any explanation as to what that entails. However, any technologically savvy Courier should be able to reassert control over Yes Man, anyway, while the programming update is in progress.

The Mr. House option, which is arguably the best outcome in the base game, is greatly undermined by two of the DLC, Dead Money and Old World Blues. These two DLC introduce fantastic technologies, far in advance of anything available to the existing factions, and place those technologies under the control of a successful Courier. Vending machines that materialize new goods, holographic armies, superior armor and weaponry, artificial intelligences, a Think Tank of immortal Old World scientists, more powerful robots, creature splicing, force fields, cybernetic surgery ... the need for Mr. House is removed as the Courier can introduce a technological revolution without him.
 

laclongquan

Arcane
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Searching for my kidnapped sister
Honest Heart's Zion park is hardly providing anything.
Dead Money's Casino is not the place to provide lots of stuffs, considering it has a guardian. The ability to change vending machines into providing more goods is great enough, I agree.
Moving between Old World Blue and OC is teleportation, so again, it put limit on what he can move. Mostly small stuffs he can fit in inventory, and a few technology.
The desert of Lonesome Mile is same.
What Mr House possess is the army of robots. Perhaps Courier can get some tech from those place to provide upgrade or repair to that army.
 
Self-Ejected

Ludo Lense

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Messages
936
I went with the Yes Man ending from a meta perspective since finding the robot felt like more of a success than being told by the other factions to join them. That being said its quite a bit of wish fulfillment in a "If I was the leader of the world everything would be better" sort of way.

The Legion relies solely on Caesar's charisma to keep a multitude of tribes together and if people like Legate Lanius succeed him I don't really see a bright future for the Legion. Also slavery doesn't exactly appeal to me. Shocking I know.

Trusting Mr.House to be a benevolent Big Brother wasn't something I was too keen on given his rather ruthless human impulses to crush all opposition.

That leaves NCR by virtue of being only ending where power isn't centered on an individual. It's realistically what I would pick if given the choice again.
 

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