Raiders Raiders , sometimes referred to as bandits , are any group of wastelanders who pillage , plunder , murder , or otherwise ruin the day of anyone unfortunate enough to not be one of them . Raiders tend to organize into loose confederations of gangs in the post - apocalyptic wasteland and are a constant problem . Raiders typically prey upon travelers and very small towns , leaving more populous or larger areas alone . Numerous raider groups can be found across the wasteland . Most are composed of only a few people scraping out a living by preying on other inhabitants of the wastes , typically without any real driving purpose ( besides for the thrills ) . Others , however , such as the Khans and the 80s , form their own tribal customs through raiding for survival rather than for thrills . Core Region . 2160s . Beside a great number of raider gangs encountered throughout New California , there are three distinct raider groups referenced by the first " Fallout " : Jackals , Vipers , and Khans , although only the last one appears in the actual game . All three groups originated from Vault 15 . 2240s . There are numerous different groups of raiders in " Fallout 2 " , which are still a common sight in the wasteland , but only a few groups played quite a major role . 2281 . By the events of " " there is little information on raider life in New California . It is mentioned by many characters , such as Rose of Sharon Cassidy and Dale Barton that it is much more dangerous when traveling in California than territories controlled by Caesar , indicating that raiders may still have a presence on the west coast . Midwest . There are many raider gangs throughout the territory of Chicago . The majority of these raiders are well organized , because of a need to become one faction : the presence of Brotherhood of Steel , super mutants and Calculator ' s robots . They are cruel , sadistic people who are usually found near the eastern part of the region , far from super mutants and robots . There are several notable groups present . Texas . In Texas , only one known gang of raiders exists , but it is very large and powerful , being de facto rulers of the land . However , they have become but puppets to Attis , who use them to capture slaves for him . Their base is an old mill located in the town of Carbon , which is completely under their control aided by the who keeps them happy . The gang is unique because of its matriarchal rule , with female lieutenants and the main leader known as , Raider Matron . The gang wears a yellow emblem on their clothes to differentiate themselves from outsiders . Aside from normal weapons , the Carbon Raiders are well known for using killer dog s and special flamethrower weaponry . They have the ability to brew alcohol on radioactive subsistences . Capital Wasteland . The raiders of Capital Wasteland are mostly hostile , lawless , chem - addled ruffians who roam the wastes of the Washington , D . C . area . They have little in common with the raider clans of the West Coast , except for the Fiends of the Mojave Wasteland . They are encountered in smaller groups and are armed with a fairly wide range of weaponry . They can occasionally be found hunting with guard dogs as well . All raiders wear some form of raider armor ( though not at raider brothels in places like Evergreen Mills ) and have dirty skin . The raiders of the Capital Wasteland have no central leader , leaders being at the level of individual gangs . However , in The Pitt , Ashur has a whole league of raiders under his rule . Raiders have no alliances with other factions and will attack everyone but other raiders or slavers . They appear to be quite cruel , as places they inhabit are usually filled with the mutilated bodies of other raiders and wastelander s , implying that they torture captured enemies and occasionally their own . The largest known band of raiders has set up a crude city in Evergreen Mills . This well - defended canyon gives them a base of operations . Rumor has it that they trade with slavers , selling their captives for cash . Mojave Wasteland . The Joshua Tree - speckled mountains provide a surprising amount of cover , especially the rock - strewn washes that run east - west just south of Nelson . This is the perfect location for packs of anarchic hunters , grifters , and psychotics to wait for an opportunity to steal , kidnap , or kill . These loosely - knit Raider gangs revel in chaos and anarchy . The Jackals are no more than a handful of scarred and tattooed reprobates , scraping out a living by preying on anything weaker than them . The ( slightly ) more organized Viper Gang consist of a slightly more skilled collection of ne ' er - do - wells , dug in close to major roads to rob and plunder travellers and Merchant Caravans . Further north , are two much more pitiful gangs , who have lost their brethren ( both in violence , or by recruitment ) to the Fiends ; the stinking Greaser Gang who terrorize the North Vegas sewers , and the Scorpion Gang , who fight intermittent skirmishes with Westside residents . There are also two other major raider groups : the Fiends and the drug - making and trafficking Great Khans . All these raiders have little driving purpose or goal , other than to live to see tomorrow and raise as much hell as possible today . The Commonwealth . In the Commonwealth raiders are more organized than before . Raiders are now more technologically advanced and can utilize machine gun turrets and automatic spotlights - some raider leaders have even re - purposed power armor for themselves . However , raiders in the Commonwealth do not have a centralized organization , and are split into several groups . According to terminals and dialogue , some of these groups antagonizes each other , while some stay out of each other ' s way . For example , Red Tourette ' s group have constant skirmishes against Tower Tom ' s crew . These raiding groups rarely have set names and are mostly referred to by their leaders , with some exceptions like the Forged ( the Forged themselves aren ' t originally from the Commonwealth , thus why they might be different ) and the L & L Gang , a loose alliance of raider gangs . Raiders seem to follow an unspoken chain of command , though not as structured as the Gunners . In " Fallout 4 " , raiders can be heard conversing with each other , sometimes telling stories or joking with each other . The members also seem to have close bonds with one another as they often get enraged when some of their comrades are killed . Notes and terminals also shows that raiders care more about each other ( e . g . Intervention note ) though they still possess the same bloodthirstiness that raiders have in " Fallout 3 " . Raiders , like many factions , do not treat synths and the Railroad favorably . Most notable is the L & L gang , who have reputation to be violent towards synths . This is evidenced by the mass - graves of Railroad Operatives in Kendall Hospital , an ex - Railroad safehouse now controlled by raiders . Raiders are less aggressive according to the lore - they prefer to extort and negotiate with settlers than killing them outright ( though this is not shown in - game ) . Raiders earn protection money from Bunker Hill caravans and spends money in places like Combat Zone , a raider - only bar , showhouse and wrestling ring . Appearances . Raiders appear in all " Fallout " games and are mentioned in the " Fallout Bible " .