Season 2 of Fallout doesn’t waste time hinting at its next major threat. Near the end of episode 2, “The Golden Rule,” Lucy MacLean stumbles across a woman branded with a red “X. ”
It’s the symbol every wasteland wanderer knows to fear. Because it’s the mark of Caesar’s Legion, a faction as brutal as it is disciplined.
After getting attacked by Radscorpions, Lucy abandons The Ghoul to take the woman back home. She wanders into their camp, where she’s surrounded by men dressed like Roman soldiers. The episode ends before Lucy can realize she’s being confronted by one of the most dangerous factions in Fallout history.
What is Caesar’s Legion?
In the world of Fallout, Caesar’s Legion is a war machine. Founded in 2247 by Edward Sallow, a New California Republic (NCR) citizen and his lieutenant Joshua Graham.
The Legion built itself on ancient Roman ideals. Sallow took the name Caesar (pronounced “Kai-zar”) after discovering accounts of Roman conquest in an old world history book.
By the time of Fallout: New Vegas, the Legion had conquered more than eighty tribes east of the Colorado River. Each absorbed culture lost its name, its identity reshaped to serve Caesar’s hierarchy.
The Legion is split into four classes. There’s the ruling elite (selected by Caesar from top officers). The military (conquered tribesmen trained from youth), civilians (loyal settlements rewarded with protection and slaves), and slaves (resisters marked with red ‘X’ for labor).
The Legion has a strict anti-technology, anti-medicine stance and a misogynistic culture. The only purpose women have to the Legion is to be their slaves. Soldiers are expected to serve until their death (preferably in battle). Punishment ranges from crucifixion to decimation.
A Weakened Threat but Still Dangerous
The Fallout show picks up 15 years after the events of New Vegas. Caesar’s Legion still exists but is past its prime. What remains are fractured cells clinging to the old doctrine while stretched thin across the desert.
It remains unclear whether the show will revive the NCR-Legion war that defined New Vegas. The writers have made it clear they’re trying to avoid canonizing the endings from the Fallout games, including the multiple endings in New Vegas.
While the outcome of that conflict is left vague, the Legion’s arrival makes it clear that the Mojave’s power struggles are unresolved.
Ideology Versus Humanity
The next episode will probably explore how Caesar’s Legion conflicts with Lucy’s worldview.
Lucy has spent most of her life inside a Vault, shielded from the world’s cruelty. Her optimism and willingness to help others are one of her defining traits. Those traits also put her in serious trouble.
The Legion views women as things that should be enslaved. Everything about Lucy is a direct violation of everything the Legion stands for.
I wouldn’t be surprised if her encounter with Caesar’s Legion is what finally hardens Lucy. She’ll be forced to realize that The Ghoul has a point. That in order to survive in a ruthless, post-apocalyptic wasteland, you have to be just as cruel to your environment. She’ll have to make tough choices, and show little to no mercy to her adversaries.
Lucy’s compassion could be her greatest weapon, or it could be the thing that breaks her. In true Fallout fashion, the Mojave Wasteland doesn’t offer an easy answer.
