Fallout 2 Fallout 2 : A Post - Nuclear Role Playing Game is the sequel to the original " Fallout " . Released on September 30 , 1998 , it was officially developed by Black Isle Studios , which by that point had become a full - fledged design outfit . Gameplay . " Fallout 2 " s gameplay is similar to the original " Fallout " . It is a role - playing game with turn - based combat , where the player plays the game in the pseudo - isometric view . Character attributes . " Fallout 2 " uses a character creation system called SPECIAL . S . P . E . C . I . A . L is an acronym and initialism of Strength , Perception , Endurance , Charisma , Intelligence , Agility , and Luck . These are the seven basic attributes of every character in the game . They are used to determine the skills and perks of the given character . Skills . There are 18 different skills in the game . They are ranked from 0 % to 300 % . The starting values for those skills at level one are determined by the character ' s seven basic attributes , but most of those skills would fall between 0 % and 50 % . Every time a level is gained , the player will be awarded skill points to be used to improve their character ' s skills , equal to five points plus twice their Intelligence . The player may choose to " tag " three of the 18 skills ( though later a fourth skill may be tagged ) . A tagged skill will improve at twice the normal rate . Some non - player characters can also improve Skills via training . There are : Combat skills improve accuracy and ( generally ) damage with weapons which correspond to that combat skill . For example , the effectiveness of a minigun would be governed by the Big Guns skill , while the effectiveness of a 10mm pistol would be governed by the Small Guns skill . Active skills may be selected and used on the player , non - player characters , and the environment to accomplish tasks . For example , a player may use First Aid to heal themselves or allies , or use Repair to fix a generator . Active skills can also contribute to in - game dialogue . For example , someone with a high Science skill could talk to a scientist and get a better response out of them than if they had a low science skill . Passive skills also contribute to in - game dialogue , along with various other things throughout the game . However , they can ' t ever be selected and used like active skills can . Books . Books found throughout the game world can improve Small Guns , First Aid , Science , Repair , and Outdoorsman skills , up to a maximum of 91 % skill value ; using a skill book after that will do nothing to raise the skill any further . Books are scarce early in the game , and the max cap can make books less useful later on . Vault City and San Francisco are good sources of books . Tools and Lockpicks . Lockpicks can make it easier to open locks ; note however that not all doors have the code script required for all lockpick types , and the bonus may vary . Normally + 20 - 40 % , it can range from + 10 - 50 % . Some skills can also be improved while having certain items equipped . ( E . g . equipping a lock picks would improve lockpicking skills . ) Stimulants can also temporarily boost player ' s skills ; however , they often have adverse effects such as addiction and withdrawal . As Skills grow higher in rating , they begin to cost more Skill Points to increase . Traits and Perks . At character creation , the player may choose two optional traits . Traits are special character attributes , such as ' Skilled ' ( which drastically increases the player ' s skills , but adds an extra level before the player may choose each perk ) , or ' Jinxed ' ( enemies have a greater chance of critical attack failures , but so does the player ) . A Trait normally contains one beneficial effect and one detrimental effect , and are listed below the Perks section in the character sheet . Once a Trait is chosen , it is impossible to change , except by using the " Mutate " Perk which allows the player to change one Trait , but only once . " Perks " are special elements of the leveling system . Every three levels ( or every four if the player chose the " Skilled " Trait ) , the player is granted a perk of their choosing . Perks grant special effects , most of which are not obtainable via normal play in the game , such as letting the player take more actions per round . Unlike traits , most perks are purely beneficial — they are usually offset only by the infrequency of acquiring them . Changes from " Fallout " . " Fallout 2 " features a much wider array of items , weapons , and armor than " Fallout " . Most of the items from " Fallout " returned , but had alternate and upgraded forms : the minigun , for example , is now joined by the Avenger and Vindicator miniguns . Item prices were also increased at stores , making scavenging for items more important . In addition to old , upgraded weapons , several new weapons were introduced for all branches of combat , thus making no combat skill the best , and allowing the player to be powerful with any weapon . The range of enemies was also increased to a wider diversity . The end result is a much more complex combat environment . Skills start off at a lower rate than the first game , and the various skills are also more important . Previously , skills like Unarmed , Doctor , and Traps were used sparingly , but now , all skills are useful to a degree . The maximum level of a skill was increased from 200 % to 300 % . Another notable change is that a skill , after reaching 100 % , requires more than one skill point to increase , up to six skill points per 1 % ( 2 % if the skill is tagged ) increase after 200 % . The Unarmed skill in particular was made much more sophisticated by adding different types of Punches and Kicks depending on the player ' s Attributes and skill level . Several new Perks were added while most others were retained , allowing a greater degree of customization . The Friendly Foe perk in " Fallout " is now a default feature in " Fallout 2 " . Karma is accompanied by Reputation , and while Karma affects the player as a whole , Reputation affects how the player is received in a single town . While Karma is achieved by doing good things and killing villainous characters , Reputation grows based on how the player helps the city , usually by completing sub quests . By nature , Reputation and Karma tend to grow parallel to each other . As in " Fallout " , good and evil characters react differently to players with different Karma . Also , the player can acquire certain titles ( Gigolo , Made Man , Slaver ) based on their actions that also affect the game and how others react to them . Recruitable non - player characters were very simplistic in the first game , and the only control the player had over them was to designate a specific weapon for the non - player character to use and how far away they should stand . In " Fallout 2 " , team non - player character control became much more sophisticated , with non - player characters being able to gain levels , equip armor and be issued orders before and during combat , ranging from when to run away to when to heal themselves , as well as ordering them to holster their weapons . The non - player characters also possess distinct personalities and characteristics , similar to previous games . The recruiting process has also been made more complex , with some non - player characters refusing to join the player if he has negative Karma or before a certain quest has been completed . Finally , there is a limit to the number of non - player characters a player can recruit ( depending on the character ' s Charisma ) , as well as a larger number to recruit ( over a dozen ) . In the original " Fallout " , subquests in the towns and cities were usually solved within that city , with only a few subquests requiring the player to travel . The cities , fairly isolated except for caravans , were concerned with their own problems . In " Fallout 2 " , however , the cities have a great deal of contact with each other , and with the sole exception of Klamath , actions in one city will affect the state of another , and subquests will often require the player to go back and forth from location to location to kill enemies and deliver messages and items . The game ' s overall subject matter was generally more mature , with drugs and prostitution becoming major elements of the setting . The use of strong language remains uncensored , with an optional dialogue filter . During the course of the game , players can join the Mafia , become a porn star , get married and subsequently divorced , and prostitution is a strong recurring theme . Slavery also becomes an important subplot , and players can either side with the Slavers or join their opponents ( such as New California Rangers ) who try to stamp slavery out . Non - player characters can be bought and sold as slaves during the course of the game . Speedrunning is much more difficult than in " Fallout " . In " Fallout " , players could go straight to the Military Base , destroy it , then travel to the Cathedral and do the same . In " Fallout 2 " , the final areas cannot be accessed until a computer part from Vault 13 is found , and Vault 13 in turn cannot be found until one of two quests have been completed , thus requiring a great deal of fighting that requires a higher - level character to survive . ( Note : It is possible to bypass Vault 13 and the computer part quest with a ' Stupid ' character by using chems to lower Intelligence temporarily ) . Also , while the player can recruit allies for the final encounter , there is no way to completely avoid the final boss battle in " Fallout 2 " - - again , encouraging combat and making a speedrun difficult . In spite of these factors , the game was completed in 17 : 51 on a video posted on the Speed Demos Archive website . Plot . Setting . At the end of the original " Fallout " , the hero , the Vault Dweller , was exiled by the Vault Overseer for prolonged exposure to the outside world . Unable to return home , the Vault Dweller , with a group of willing companions , traveled far north . Eventually , they started their own tribal village called Arroyo in what we know as . Decades have passed since the original " Fallout " , and the Vault Dweller disappeared from Arroyo after writing his memoirs . In the time since the Vault Dweller ' s exile , a new government known as the New California Republic ( abbreviated NCR ) has begun to unify the southern towns and is spreading to the north . A mysterious new organization known as the Enclave has emerged with the most sophisticated technology in the wastes , even surpassing the Brotherhood of Steel . A new drug , jet , has become a burden on many towns , its addictive properties forcing many to rely on the town of New Reno to keep them supplied . Story . During 2241 , the humble village of Arroyo suffered the worst drought on record . Faced with this hardship , the village elder asked the direct descendant of the Vault Dweller , referred to as the Chosen One , to perform the quest of retrieving a Garden of Eden Creation Kit ( G . E . C . K ) for Arroyo . The GECK is a device that can create thriving communities out of the post - apocalyptic wasteland . The player , assuming the role of the Chosen One , is given nothing more than the Vault Dweller ' s jumpsuit , a RobCo Pip - Boy 2000 handheld device , a Vault 13 water flask , and some cash to start this quest . The player eventually finds Vault 13 ( the first place possible to obtain a GECK ) devoid of the majority of its former human inhabitants . The Chosen One returns to find his village captured by the Enclave , a mysterious group which is later revealed to be the remnants of the pre - War United States federal government . The player , through a variety of means , activates an ancient oil tanker and its autopilot , thus allowing him to reach the Enclave ' s main base on an offshore oil rig . It is revealed that the dwellers of Vault 13 were captured as well , to be used as test subjects for FEV ( Forced Evolutionary Virus ) , alongside Arroyo tribesmen and women . Vault 13 was supposed to be closed for 200 years as part of a Vault - Tec vault experiment ; this makes them perfect test subjects . The Enclave modified the Forced Evolutionary Virus into an airborne disease , designed to attack any living creatures with mutated DNA . With all genetic impurities removed , the Enclave ( who remain protected from radiation ) could take over . The Chosen One frees both his village ( Arroyo ) and the Vault 13 dwellers from Enclave control , and destroys the Enclave ' s oil rig . In the ending , the inhabitants of Vault 13 and Arroyo create a new prosperous community with the help of the GECK together . Characteristics . The fact that in " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " and " Fallout 3 " the player characters are raised in an isolated community works with the plot structure , allowing the character to be as ignorant about the game world as the player would be and explaining why the map the character starts with is almost completely unexplored . In " Fallout 4 " the player character is not necessarily " raised " in an isolated community , but rather thrust into a world completely different from the one they knew . Again explaining why their map is mostly unexplored . In " Fallout : New Vegas " , the player is shot in the head at the very beginning , then , before leaving the player ' s starting point , they are given the Pip - Boy 3000 . Doc Mitchell explains how he grew up in a vault , and everyone got a Pip - Boy . Because he is no longer in the vault , this does not fully explain how the map is nearly completely unexplored . Music . The game soundtrack for " Fallout 2 " was composed by Mark Morgan , who also created the soundtrack of the first " Fallout " .