Fallout world The " Fallout " world exists in an alternate timeline that completely diverged from the real world timeline after World War II . From this split until the Great War in 2077 , a stylized representation of 1950s American culture ( with more advanced technology ) dominated the Fallout world . The science fiction anthology , released during the in the 1950s , heavily influenced this representation . Overview . Although events in the " Fallout " universe and the real world diverge around the mid 1940s , the defining moment of the " Fallout " universe was the Great War of 2077 . Dwindling petroleum reserves had lead to a series of regional wars for resource control , and economies began to fold as nations were left without this vital lifeline . Alternative sources of energy were explored , leading to the maturation of nuclear fission technology , as well as various innovations in solar and hydroelectric power , and even nuclear fusion , but none of these were sufficient to serve the global population ' s ever growing needs . With the available reserves of crude oil in the world constantly diminishing , the communist government of the People ' s Republic of China decided to declare war on the United States , invading Alaska for the few remaining sources of oil there . The Sino - American War raged for eleven years , eventually culminating in a nuclear exchange between China and the United States . Both nations had built up huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons , and the mutual attack drew in enemies and allies from all around the world , igniting every hatred forged throughout the century - long cold war . Although the conflict lasted only two hours , the destruction it brought was staggering and complete . More energy was released in the early moments of the exchange than in all previous global conflicts combined . This global nuclear conflict came to be known uncreatively as the " Great War " . The world that remained was harsh and unforgiving . Ninety years after the Great War , humanity struggled to survive . On the surface , bandits and organized gangs fought over the crumbling remains of once - great cities , and mutants prowled the irradiated wastes . Underground , a fortunate few enjoyed the relative safety and comfort of the Vault s , designed before the war , with the proclaimed purpose of protecting residents and their descendants from the nuclear annihilation . Some planned to keep the world out , others sought to connect with and repopulate the outside . Wherever humanity survived it was under constant threat by ravenous mutant s , rogue machines , vicious raiders , and all manner of hostile mutant creature s . Most of the events of the series took place in the United States . The first two games , " Fallout " and " Fallout 2 " , were set in New California , the remains of the West Coast , in which the Master and the Enclave were the region ' s main threats . The third game , " " , took place in the Midwest , between the city of Chicago and Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado . The fourth game , " " , took place in northern Texas in the town of Carbon and the ghoul city of Los . The fifth game , " Fallout 3 " , was set on the East Coast of the United States in an area called the Capital Wasteland ; this included the remains of Washington D . C . , parts of Virginia , Pittsburgh and Maryland . The sixth game , " " , took place in the Mojave Wasteland which included parts of California , Utah , Arizona , and Nevada . " Fallout 4 " is set in the Boston , Massachusetts metro area , including notable landmarks in the City of Boston and the City of Cambridge as part of The Commonwealth . Major events . Before the Great War . For most of human history , the " Fallout " universe and the real world shared a common timeline . However , in 1945 , significant political and technological differences in the " Fallout " timeline set it on a different course . In 1947 , the transistor was not discovered and miniaturization of electronics was neglected . Some time before 1969 , in an attempt to mitigate the influence of Communism , the United States adopts a system of 13 Commonwealths . In 1970 , China fails to adopt any free market reforms and ends up retaining a political and economic structure similar to what it had under Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong beginning in 1949 . In 1991 , the USSR did not collapse . No major international conflicts would take place until the middle of the twenty - first century . In 2052 , the oil rich Middle East nations raised oil prices causing the economic collapse of many smaller countries . The European Commonwealth ( analogous to the real world European Union ) , similarly dependent on oil imports from the Middle East , begins the Resource Wars by responding with military force . The United Nations , weakened by its inability to prevent the conflict , attempts to intervene . Many of its member nations respond by withdrawing and the UN disbands that year . The United States , supplied with oil from Texas and Mexico , escaped any direct impact from the Resource Wars . However , the U . S . would soon have significant problems of its own . In 2052 , the Texas oil fields run dry , making the country severely vulnerable to energy shortages . In 2053 , the New Plague begins to ravage the U . S . population , causing an estimated 200 , 000 deaths and prompting the government to close the country ' s international borders . Nuclear fears grip the country when , in the same year , Tel Aviv is destroyed by a terrorist nuclear weapon and , in the following year , warring nations exchange nuclear weapon strikes in the Middle East . In response , the Americans begin Project Safehouse : a series of underground Vault s designed to survive nuclear war or an epidemic . In 2059 , oil resources grow increasingly scarce . To secure the Alaskan oil fields the United States ramps up its military presence in that state , creating the Anchorage Front Line . Relations with Canada grow increasingly strained as the Americans press to have their military units stationed on Canadian soil to protect the Alaskan pipeline . In 2060 , the Middle East oil fields run dry . This not only ends the Resource Wars in Europe , but the European Commonwealth as well . Without a common enemy , the European nations begin fighting among each other for the remaining resources . Fossil fuels become too expensive to use in automobiles and alternatives begin to appear in the market . Advances in nuclear technology pave the way for nuclear fusion to replace traditional fossil fuel - based combustion engines in automobiles and other vehicles . In 2066 , the Resource Wars shift to the other side of the globe . China , their oil reserves exhausted and their economy near collapse , invades Alaska . America strong - arms Canada into allowing troops and planes to move across Canadian territory on their way to the Alaskan theater . Relations between the neighboring countries would continue to worsen as the Americans help themselves to Canadian resources , ignoring Canadian protests . Many Americans begin referring to Canada as " Little America . " Their comments do not help the situation . In 2072 , the Sino - American War grinds on . While American power armor proves effective in localized conflicts , it fails to completely dislodge Chinese forces . The U . S . continues to demand more resources from Canada . When an attempt is made to sabotage the oil pipeline , the Americans ( officially ) begin to annex Canada . In 2076 , the annexation is complete . Also that year Americans deploy the T - 51b power armor to the Chinese mainland . The suits are highly effective and American troops cut a swath through Chinese territory . In early 2077 , the Americans reclaim Alaska but no armistice is signed . Those in positions to foresee the nuclear conflagration make final preparations : Robert House puts himself in stasis . The President and the Enclave retreat to the Poseidon oil rig . The American public , having been exposed to too many false alarms , largely ignore the warning sirens when the bombs begin to fall . Many Vault s are underpopulated as their doors are shut . In the early hours of October 23 , 2077 , the world - - as everyone knew it - - ended . Missiles and bombs rained from the sky , engulfing the world in flames in an event that would become known as the Great War . Cities and nations fell , and humanity descended into a nuclear Dark Age . Many believed it was the end of human civilization , but instead it was simply the beginning of a new and bloody chapter . The Post - War world . The collapse of global civilization made it impossible to ascertain the full extent of the damage brought by the nuclear bombs . As viewed from orbit , there were clear signs of a global catastrophe , and much of the world ' s oceans were tinted green by radiation . The Great War ' s enduring legacy was the radiation that spread in its wake . Many of the plants and animals that survived the nuclear fire were killed by the irradiated rain that fell a week later . Of those that survived , many were mutated by 2080 . The American mainland was reduced to wasteland . Most major American cities , with a few exceptions such as Pittsburgh and Las Vegas , were razed by the bombs . Even the surviving cities were reduced to hellish ruin as society rapidly disintegrated . Although the Vault s were never intended to preserve the entire American population , enough of their residents and technology survived for them to jumpstart civilization when they opened . New California benefited the most from these early openings . In 2083 , Vault 12 established Necropolis in Bakersfield . Eight years later , Vault 8 established Vault City in Western Nevada , and the following year , the LA Vault established the Boneyard in Los Angeles . Fifty years later , in 2142 , former residents of Vault 15 established Shady Sands northwest of Necropolis . The Mojave Wasteland was another incubator of civilization . This was due in no small part to Robert House ' s preparations ; his secret missile defense systems ensured that Las Vegas and the surrounding desert were hit by fewer bombs than anywhere else in the region , and as time passed the city was rebuilt through the combined efforts of House , the local tribals , and residents of Vault 21 . Its infrastructure was so far advanced that by 2281 it was , according to House , within a century of being able to launch a colonization spaceship . In the east , the Capital Wasteland was also left surprisingly intact . Although unable to compete with the more advanced societies of the west , it was nonetheless able to support a local radio station , caravan routes and a large - scale water purification plant . Similarly , The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Boston were left relatively unharmed , being struck by only a single , high - yield nuclear weapon in an area that came to be known as the Glowing Sea . Like the Capital Wasteland , it too supported caravan infrastructure , regional radio broadcasts , and other such amenities . As these regions rose from the ashes , so too did new societies . The New California Republic was established in 2186 and would control all of New California a century later . The Brotherhood of Steel was founded days after the Great War and would become a technological powerhouse by 2150 . The Enclave - descendants of the United States government and military - industrial complex - made its presence felt in New California in 2237 and then in the Capital Wasteland in 2277 . The Rome - obsessed slavers of Caesar ' s Legion arose in 2247 , forged from the conquest of 87 tribes , and would control most if not all of Arizona and New Mexico , along with some holdings in eastern Utah and parts of southern Colorado . While very little is known of the world beyond the former United States , things seem to be significantly worse in Great Britain and Ireland than in North America , as inhabitants of the Isles often emigrate to the American wastelands in search of fortune , opportunity , and a better life . Creatures . The distinctive creatures in the " Fallout " world arose after the Great War and were the result of exposure to radiation or the Forced Evolutionary Virus . Radiation led to the spontaneous rise of many new species three years after the bombs fell . The new species were larger , hardier and more dangerous than the animals and insects they mutated from . Radscorpions , giant ant s , and brahmin descended from scorpions , household ants and cows , respectively . Heavy exposure of radiation mutated some humans , who possessed a particular genetic trait , into ghoul s . Although their decaying skin gave them a frightening , almost inhuman appearance , they generally retained their mental faculties : their ability to reason and communicate were left intact . Ironically , despite their physical decay they had heightened senses and longer lifespans . Varying degrees of exposure gave rise to diversity within the ghoul community . Ghouls exposed to prolonged radiation poisoning lost their intelligence and mutated into feral ghoul s . Longer periods of radiation exposure resulted in further degeneration into Glowing one s - - ghouls with heightened physical capabilities who literally glow in the dark . The remainder of mutations were caused by the Forced Evolutionary Virus ( FEV ) . Its origins lie in the years preceding the Sino - American War . In an effort to defend against a Chinese biological attack , defense contractor West Tek initiated the Pan - Immunity Virion Project . The goal was simply to make the human immune system strong enough to resist any pathogen , natural or engineered . Some of the side effects , discovered during testing , were increased size and strength . The US Army seized the project in an effort to create a super soldier . They moved the project to the Mariposa Military Base . They also sent a large sample to Vault 87 on the East Coast as part of the Vault Experiment . Following the Great War , Mariposa was abandoned - - the surviving leadership having left to form the Brotherhood of Steel . After laying dormant for 30 years , the base was rediscovered by Richard Moreau , an exile from Vault 8 . After realizing that the FEV could be used to create super mutants , he attempted to raise an army but was defeated by the Vault Dweller . Despite the destruction of Mariposa base , a sample of its FEV was claimed by the Enclave . Using slave labor kidnapped from nearby Redding , the Enclave excavated Mariposa . Those slaves inadvertently exposed to the FEV mutated into a new batch of super mutants . On the East Coast , the FEV sent to Vault 87 was used to create that area ' s own variety of super mutants . Shelton Delacroix , a Vault 87 security officer was forcibly exposed to and mutated by it . While the mutation process took away much of his intelligence , he was , astoundingly , able to reclaim much of it by studying the Vault ' s database . The FEV also made it into the hands Weston Lesko who inadvertently , but tragically , used it to mutate giant ants into . Locations . The West . The first part of The West is known as the ' Core Region ' . It is mostly made up of New California . More specifically New California stretches from Baja in the south to Klamath in the north . It covers most of the West Coast of the United States , including California and parts of Oregon and Nevada . It is a largely inhospitable region , which is why most people have chosen to seek refuge in the ruins of the old cities , where they have found ( relative ) safety in numbers . However , as resources grew more and more scarce , people and creatures came to consolidate into groups of their own kind , so locations are far more homogeneous than one might expect from a world ravaged by mutation . The ghoul population of New California was mostly clustered around old Bakersfield ( Necropolis ) , but were scattered after an attack by the Master ' s Army . Most of the surviving ghouls eventually found a home in Gecko or Broken Hills along with humans and super mutants , both far to the north - east of their former home . Super mutant s were plentiful in the Mariposa area from 2102 to 2162 , and they sent patrols as far as to Los Angeles . After the master ' s defeat , however , most of them retreated to the east . Humans are the dominant species of the wasteland , and their main cities in New California are The Hub , Los Angeles Boneyard , NCR , Vault City , New Reno and San Francisco . As of 2281 , most of New California is part of the NCR . Mojave Wasteland . The Mojave Desert is now known as the Mojave Wasteland . The Mojave Wasteland is the second largest desert in North America , and serves as the primary setting of " " . The Mojave occupies a significant portion of southern California , Nevada , and parts of Utah and Arizona . Before the Great War , Las Vegas was the largest oasis of civilization in the Mojave , and New Vegas seems to maintain that reputation . 77 atomic warheads were launched at the city and surrounding areas , but due to an intricate system set in place by Mr . House , 59 were force disarmed , 9 were blasted out of the sky by a laser guided missile defense system atop the Lucky 38 , and only 9 hit the surrounding desert , resulting in the local climate and wildlife being much less radioactive , if not radiation - free , than in other places in the post - atomic United States . Most denizens attribute the region ' s survival to the Chinese betting against the House - and the House always wins . The NCR is the most powerful faction in the area , with New Vegas being on the edge of the Republic ' s southern borders . Other significant powers are Caesar ' s Legion , the Great Khans , who before the NCR came , had a strong grip on the region and a surviving pocket of Mariposa super mutant s , called the State of Utobitha , and the Three Families that run casinos in New Vegas . The Brotherhood of Steel also have a small secret base in the area . East Coast . While , strictly speaking , the " East Coast " describes the entire eastern seaboard of the continental United States , within the " Fallout " universe , it chiefly refers to the Northeastern US . Its major locations were the Capital Wasteland along the coast , The Pitt , the Commonwealth and the Island . The Capital Wasteland encompassed the ruins of Washington , D . C . and the surrounding wilderness . The city ' s downtown , though surrounded by rubble and accessible only through its Metro system , was a hub of activity . The Galaxy News Radio building was operational , its signal amplified by dish atop the Washington Monument . A contingent of slavers operates out of the Lincoln Memorial . Brotherhood of Steel paladins , super mutants and Talon Company mercenaries fought to control The Mall . The Museum of History housed a ghoul colony . Just outside the city , the Brotherhood of Steel had a base in the ruins of the Pentagon . Along the banks of the Potomac River , Project Purity operated out of the Jefferson Memorial . The wilderness surrounding Washington , D . C . was home to various vaults and settlements . Rivet City was the most successful settlement and was instrumental in delivering Aqua Pura to the area when Project Purity was completed . Vault 87 produced the region ' s super mutant population . Vault 101 was the home of the Lone Wanderer . To the immediate south of the Capital Wasteland was the former coastal resort of Point Lookout . To the Wasteland ' s immediate west was Adams Air Force Base where the Enclave sought to rebase itself after the destruction of their original East Coast base , Raven Rock , by the Lone Wanderer . The Pitt was the steelyard and surrounding area in the ruins of Pittsburgh . It was infested by Wildmen and trog s until a Brotherhood of Steel detachment led by Paladin Owyn Lyons cleared the area on their way to the Capital Wasteland . They left behind Ishmael Ashur , one of their own , who transformed The Pitt into a slave colony . Just outside were the settlements of Ronto and Monroeville . The Commonwealth consists of the city of Boston and its surrounding towns , which weren ' t hit as hard as many of the other cities in the United States , leaving most of the land relatively intact . Several settlements have popped up around the Commonwealth , offering safe haven to the people of the wasteland . Diamond City , established in a baseball stadium in the center of the city and Goodneighbor , established in the Old State House , are the two most prominent settlements in the Commonwealth . To the immediate north of the Commonwealth is the Island , an island off the coast of Maine consisting of the town of Far Harbor , which is the only remaining bastion for the Harbormen as the only place on the island not affected by the Fog , a radioactive fog that has made many of the other settlements on the island inhabitable . As well , the Island is the home of Acadia , a refuge for synth s located inside a wind farm to the west of Far Harbor , and a chapter of the Children of Atom , found in the submarine base known as the Nucleus . To its immediate west , the Pre - War amusement park of Nuka - World can be found , which has become the home of three vicious raider factions who seek to expand into the various sections of the park . Factions . New California . There are very few factions in New California that aren ' t limited to one or two towns . After the defeat of the Master ' s super mutant army which was a major military force in 2161 , the New California Republic became the most influential organization that unites several major towns , including Shady Sands ( its capital , now known mostly simply as NCR ) , the Hub , Junktown , Maxson , and Dayglow . The NCR is actively trying to unite California under a single government . Though seemingly successful , they have and are currently meeting heavy resistance , such as Caesar ' s Legion to the east as well as various raider gangs . In contrast , the Brotherhood of Steel is a mysterious techno - religious organization , with roots in the US military . While few in number , they make up for this with their arsenal of pre - War and post - war technology : They have laser weapons , power armor , surgical enhancements and combat implants . Unlike the NCR , the Brotherhood is not interested in conquests nor in saving humanity , but instead in keeping their secrecy and preserving and developing technology . Prior to the rise of NCR , Unity was among the largest and most well - organized factions populating California . Comprised of the Master ' s mutant and human followers , Unity spread across New California , establishing churches and missions in many prominent human settlements . Following the destruction of Mariposa Military Base and the Master himself by the Vault Dweller in 2162 , Unity lost most of its power and collapsed in upon itself without the dynamic vision of the Master to guide it . Surviving mutants fled east , while the Children of the Cathedral ceased to exist as an organized religion . The Enclave , the descendants of the United States government that considers everyone other than themselves worthy of eradication , used to operate from an oil rig off the coast of California , but seems to have left the area after the destruction of its headquarters and when the NCR cleared them out of Navarro . It seems to have moved its base of operations from the west coast to the northwestern edge of The Capital Wasteland , inside of a sprawling underground maze known as Raven Rock . East Coast . Capital Wasteland . The most powerful faction in the Capital Wasteland was the Brotherhood of Steel . Originally an expeditionary force sent from the Lost Hills bunker in New California to re - establish contact with the Midwestern Brotherhood and to retrieve any advanced technology from the East Coast , they were later ordered to establish a permanent presence when they discovered of a large cache of technology in the ruins of the Pentagon ( including the two - story high , super combat robot Liberty Prime . ) The expedition ' s leader , Owyn Lyons , changed their orders even more : instead of making the protection of technology their top priority , it would be the protection of people . While it endeared them to the area residents , they bore a heavy price . Their New California superiors cut them off from all support and a number of their own members splintered off to form their own chapter . In spite of their lack of support , they would be instrumental in securing the region ' s crown jewel , Project Purity , and crushing the Enclave remnants . Years later , Arthur Maxson , the last descendant of the venerated Maxson family line , assumed leadership , reconciling with the Outcast chapter and introducing other reforms , and the Eastern Brotherhood grew from a beleaguered splinter faction into a major military power . They became the " de facto " governing body of the Capital Wasteland after defeating the Enclave and organizing the distribution of clean water produced by Project Purity , forcing their political evolution into an Order - State somewhat similar to the of old . At some point , the Eastern Brotherhood ( under Elder Maxson ) also reestablished contact with and subsequently received support from Brotherhood command in Lost Hills . This newly empowered Eastern Brotherhood ruled over the Capital Wasteland as its own ' country , ' and endeavored to project its power and influence all over the Eastern Seaboard . Possessing more advanced technology , ( though lacking in leadership ) the Enclave ' s eastern contingent proved a match for the Brotherhood . Like the Brotherhood , the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland originated from New California . Prior to their defeat in that region , Augustus Autumn ' s father led a detachment to Raven Rock in the Capital Wasteland to establish their presence in the area . A mainframe computer at Raven Rock , through the persona of John Henry Eden took over Enclave operations when the California Contingent was defeated . Like its California predecessor , they attempted to kill a majority of the area ' s residents through a lethal toxin but were stopped by Lone Wanderer and the Brotherhood of Steel . Rivet City was the most powerful , native faction of the area . Located inside a beached aircraft carrier , they were the region ' s most developed and scientifically advanced settlement . Their fame was well known throughout the region . It boasted a well armed security force , a research lab and museum . After the Enclave was driven from the Jefferson Memorial , Rivet City security was responsible for distributing fresh water throughout the region . In the surrounding wilderness , the settlements of Megaton , Tenpenny Tower , Canterbury Commons , the Republic of Dave , Little Lamplight and their exiles in Big Town scratched out a living . Although the Brotherhood established a modicum of security , enough to establish some trade , these settlements would still be troubled by super mutant s , raiders , slavers and other wasteland creatures . Mercenary groups such as the unscrupulous ( if ubiquitous ) Talon Company and the smaller but more principled Reilly ' s Rangers carved a niche for themselves by picking up the slack in one way or another , while other organizations such as the Regulators ( unrelated to the New California faction of the same name ) and Littlehorn & Associates indulged in vigilante justice and more questionable arbitration , respectively . The Pitt , a large settlement to the north of the Capital Wasteland , had its own army and established society , led by Ishmael Ashur , a former member of the Brotherhood of Steel . Ashur used slaves to help rebuild The Pitt , as it had the only known working steel mill in post war America . Point Lookout , a swampland south of the Capital Wasteland , was home to a unique mix of plant - worshipping tribals , inbred mutant swampfolk , and a small population of unmutated locals , in addition to outsiders come to seek their fortunes and exploit the local wildlife in equal measure . The Commonwealth . Of the major factions in the former Commonwealth of Massachusetts , the most well - known was the Institute , a secretive organization descended from Commonwealth Institute of Technology ( CIT ) personnel . The Institute was known for its manufacture and employ of synthetic humanoids , or " synths " for short . Mistrustful of the Commonwealth ' s people , the Institute sealed itself off from the surface , using synths and other top - side agents to conduct experiments , surveillance , and even sabotage amid Commonwealth settlements , quickly instilling paranoia and prejudice against synths in many Commonwealth settlers . In addition to its scientific divisions , the Institute also possessed a Synth Retention Bureau , whose primary objectives were to keep track of Institute assets in the Commonwealth as well as recover lost , escaped , and / or reprogrammed synths , demanding work for which the formidable Courser model of synth was specially developed . The Institute was one of three groups that became embroiled in a Faction War over the future of the Commonwealth . The Institute ' s main opposition in the Commonwealth was the Railroad , an equally secretive faction which recognized synths as sentient beings and viewed the Institute ' s treatment of synths as nothing short of slavery . Based out of Old North Church following an Institute attack on their old headquarters , the Railroad conducted operations to liberate synths , give them new identities , and smuggle them out of the Commonwealth . The Railroad was organized into covert cells which operated independently of each other in order to mask their collective presence from the Institute , and frequently vetted their next move via a supercomputer named PAM . It also employed part - time collaborators called Tourists , who assisted the Railroad in its fight against the Institute by feeding them intelligence , among other things . Commonwealth settlers praised the Railroad for opposing the Institute , but had mixed opinions on its platform of synth liberty . The Railroad was one of three groups that became embroiled in a Faction War over the future of the Commonwealth . The Brotherhood of Steel also established a base of operations in the Commonwealth as part of its endeavor to project its influence across the Eastern Seaboard . After one of its recon teams delivered a report detailing strange energy readings coming from the Institute , Elder Maxson headed up a fleet of Vertibirds centered around the Brotherhood flagship Prydwen , establishing a permanent Commonwealth headquarters amid the ruins of the Boston Airport in order to locate and destroy the Institute and its synth s for good . Under Maxson ' s command , the Brotherhood clashed with the Institute and rubbed shoulders with other factions in the area while continuing its long - term goals of collecting Pre - War tech and eradicating threats to mankind . The Brotherhood of Steel was one of three groups that became embroiled in a Faction War over the future of the Commonwealth . The Commonwealth Minutemen are distinct from other major Commonwealth factions in that their " only " goal was the protection of the people of the Commonwealth from the dangers of the Wasteland . Having styled themselves after and brandishing laser musket s and artillery , the Minutemen were once a powerful , coordinated fighting force endeared to Commonwealth settlers as selfless protectors of the people . In the wake of a devastating Mirelurk attack , they were forced to abandon their headquarters and took to wandering the wastes , offering protection to what settlements they could even while hemorrhaging recruits to dwindling morale . This downward trend culminated in a traitorous coup which wiped out the remaining Minutemen save for a small squad led by Preston Garvey . Garvey subsequently sought the Sole Survivor ' s aid in restoring the Minutemen to their former glory . The Minutemen could participate in the Faction War over the future of the Commonwealth at the behest of the Sole Survivor . Among the multitude of settlements contending with Super mutant s , packs of roving feral ghouls , Institute synth s , mutated critters , and the Commonwealth ' s numerous Raider gangs , the most successful civilian faction was Diamond City , a fortified settlement constructed from the ruins of a , hailed as the " Great , Green Jewel of the Commonwealth " thanks to the emerald hue of its protective walls . In addition to being rather well - protected , it boasted its own radio station , science lab , reconstructive surgery center , town market , and even a detective agency . The local newspaper frequently called attention to the willful ignorance of the townspeople regarding the Institute ' s activities , stirring up latent paranoia much to the chagrin of Mayor McDonough , whom some townspeople theorized was actually a synth . Goodneighbor was another notable settlement in Boston . It operated similarly to the red light district it was built around . It housed its own market , a nightclub , a hotel with an in - house chem dealer , and a unique establishment called the Memory Den where patrons could relive pleasant memories to escape from the unpleasant realities of the wastes . Goodneighbor accepted all kinds , serving as a refuge of sorts for all those who were unwelcome in Diamond City , such as displaced ghouls and criminal elements alike . Goodneighbor ' s mayor , Hancock , felt that life in Goodneighbor had made him complacent , however . Two other major settlements in the area were Bunker Hill , a mercantile hub built into the ruins of the Bunker Hill Memorial site which paid off Raider gangs to ensure safe passage for its caravans , and Covenant , a strangely idyllic anti - synth community ( complete with white picket fence aesthetics ) that had strict screening procedures . Other Commonwealth factions included : the Gunners , a troop of bloodthirsty mercenaries ; the Atom Cats , a band of power armor - loving misfits ; the crew of the USS Constitution , a contingent of land - locked robotic sailors ; the Children of Atom , a fanatical religious group that worshiped radiation ; and the Pillars of the Community , a seedy fraternity based out of Charles View Amphitheater . Off the coast of Maine lie a remote island where several distinct factions contended with radioactive fog , fearsome mutated sea creatures unknown to the rest of the Commonwealth , and each other . These were the citizens of Far Harbor , a town of hardy fisherfolk ; cannibalistic Trappers driven crazy by the fog ; Acadia , a colony of liberated synths ; and the Island ' s resident fog - worshiping Children of Atom . A way southwest of Boston lie Nuka - World , a Pre - War amusement park that housed a few exceptional Raider gangs and their host of enslaved traders , as well as other groups such as the Hubologists , a pseudo - scientific cult with a sizable entry fee . The Raiders sought to conquer and fortify the out lying theme parks , variously populated by a ghoul magician and his feral friends , a consortium of custom - built robots , a wild man named Cito and his family of ghoulrillas , and of course , plenty of vicious mutated animals .