The 10 Most Powerful Factions In Fallout's Wasteland (2024)

Whether you're talking about the world we live in or the fictitious hellscape that is Fallout's post-apocalyptic America, there's one thing you can bet will always be present in both, and that's power struggles. It's a tale as old as time, and the reason for it all is presented best by Maximus in the recent Fallout TV adaption. Everyone wants to save the world; they just disagree on how.

So, in true tribal fashion, the post-war America presented in the Fallout series is divided by different major factions, and while they all serve as a threat to you, a lone vault dweller, there are definitely some factions that are bigger and stronger than others. So, with that in mind, we're going to rank the strongest factions in the Fallout universe and decide once and for all who has the highest grip on complete control of the Wasteland.

10 The Khans

Just Glorified Raiders

We begin with a faction that has been around in Fallout for the longest time and, in the early days, had serious numbers in its ranks. The Khans, New Khans, or Great Khans, depending on what iteration of Fallout you encounter them within, are a series of tribalists that essentially act as the most organized and successful raider groups within the Wasteland.

At their best, they were a scourge on the community of Shady Sands, and at their worst, they were a bunch of washed-up raiders who used the generosity of the Followers of the Apocalypse to start running a drug racket.

Due to their dwindling numbers after abandoning New California and the fact that they play second fiddle to Caesar's Legion, they just about sneak onto this list and no more. However, due to their extended history and their serving as a thorn in the side of The Vault Dweller, The Chosen One, and The Courier, I feel they deserve a mention at the very least.

9 The Railroad

The Plucky Little Underdog

While the Railroad can't compete in terms of numbers, firepower, or tech when compared to just about anyone else on this list, you have to hand it to them. If we are talking about effectiveness per member, the Railroad is excellent at surviving and getting the job done despite being little more than a handful of field operatives working out of a basem*nt.

The Railroad benefits from being more of an ideology than a group, meaning that even if the group is destroyed, like a Hydra, another head will grow back and reform.

You witness one of these reformations in Fallout 4 under the control of Desdemona, and through some scrappy tactics, espionage, and counterintelligence, they serve as a thorn in the side of the Institute, which is no meager feat, I tell you. As Medgar Evers once said, 'You can't kill an idea'. This, in a nutshell, is why The Railroad is a stronger Fallout Faction than it initially appears.

8 The Boomers

The Sky's The Limit

When it comes to the Boomers, their strength is down to two key factors: firepower, and location. The former residents of Vault 34 were smart enough to take control of the Nellis Air Force Base within the Mojave, and to keep themselves safe from the threats of the Wasteland; they quickly established defenses that would deter even the most motivated Raider. Their base is kitted out with Howitzers, meaning they can turn you into a fine pink mist before you even come within 50 feet of their gates.

Then, after a visit from The Courier, the Boomers eventually achieve their dream of recovering a B-52 Bomber from Lake Mead, and this leads to this faction becoming one of the very few within the game that have access to aerial combat, making them a wonderful ally at the battle of Hoover Dam, and in turn, making them a force to be reckoned with in general.

Their isolation from the rest of the Wasteland and their crippling paranoia do limit them from expanding and achieving their true potential, but they are a powerful faction nonetheless.

7 The Outcasts

The Capital Wasteland's Old-School Brotherhood Contingent

Those who have played Fallout 3 will be most familiar with the Outcasts. This group is a bunch of Brotherhood of Steel members who disagreed with the ideology and leadership of Elder Lyons, and defected from the group to form their own offshoot of the Brotherhood that would aim to uphold the principles of the Lost Hills branch of The Brotherhood on the West Coast.

They set up their base of operations in Fort Independence, and that's where you'll find them in the Capital Wasteland if you want to pay them a visit.

The logic behind this one is, even with their rather scant membership when compared to their parent faction, even a fraction of the Brotherhood of Steel is a group you don't want to mess with. They are as organized as any branch of the Brotherhood, they still have Power Armor, tech, and weapons aplenty.

And, even in terms of numbers, when Elder Maxson convinced them to rejoin the Brotherhood, this allowed the Brotherhood to take the Prydywn to Boston while retaining control of The Citadel, so maybe their numbers weren't so meager after all.

6 Caesar's Legion

Pax Per Bellum

Much like trying to open a stubborn jar of pickles, sometimes brute force is the best way to get the job done, which is an ideal epitomized by the Legion, a massive group of legionaries who have adopted the teachings of the Roman Empire, and work under the framework of a Totalitarian Dictatorship fronted by Caesar, hence the name, Caesar's Legion.

This group does not have access to the same resources or technological advances that other factions have at their disposal. However, what they lack in tech, they make up for in sheer numbers and advanced military tactics.

There is a ruthlessness even within their own ranks that assures only the strongest survive within the Legion, so when you encounter a Legionary, you can bet your bottom dollar on them being a skilled assassin willing to give their life for the cause.

Their Total War approach has allowed them to control huge portions of Eastern Nevada, and when you consider the power of the NCR and how effectively the Legion has pushed them back, you have to hand it to them. Their organization and focus on brutality has served them well.

Ultimately, they don't rank higher than some others on this list purely because their reluctance to embrace new-world technology will eventually see them fall to a faction with resources capable of making short work of their Legionaries. It's a classic case of 'gun beats spear', but even still, their discipline, and strength in numbers are impressive.

5 The Enclave

The Epitome of Evil

The position of the Enclave on this list really depends on if you're looking at the Enclave when they were in their pomp, or if you're looking at the faction as a whole. Because ultimately, we know what became of the Enclave in the end. I'm looking at their faction holistically, hence why they sit in the middle of the pack here, but even from that viewpoint, you have to give the Enclave credit; when they were at their best, they were a near-unstoppable force within The Wasteland.

The Enclave is easily the most evil group within the Wasteland, fronted by old-world fascist government officials, focused on maintaining genetic purity, who would rather be the cause of mass genocide than give up their power and prestige from before the war. So, if you haven't connected the dots yet, they're effectively Nazis.

Their best period as a faction was during the events of Fallout 2, where they aimed to eradicate all Super Mutants with FEV Curling-13, and when this project was foiled by the Chosen One, they would retreat to Raven Rock, only to be scuppered again by the Lone Wanderer.

The Enclave may be no more, but their operations in their day were staggering. They ruled with an iron fist, using torture, chemical warfare, propaganda, and Tesla-powered armor and weaponry to seize control of the Wasteland, and while their efforts ultimately failed, they were still some of the baddest baddies in gaming history.

4 The Institute

The Bogeyman Of The Commonwealth

Often referred to as the Bogeyman of the Commonwealth, the Institute is a faction that many Wastelanders think as nothing more than a myth or the subject of a scary campfire story. But as Fallout 4 players will know, they aren't a fairy tale. They are the real deal.

This highly technologically advanced group of scientists created a utopian base under the Boston Institute of Technology, and through their isolation, they developed a means of monitoring and controlling what goes on outside their walls through the invention of synthetic humans, or Synths.

These synths effectively act as the Institute's enforcers and are routinely sent into the Commonwealth to scavenge what is needed for their latest experiments. The Institute's saving grace, and what makes them slightly more palatable when compared to the Enclave, is that they have no interest in power but only the advancement of technology. However, this often leads to bloodshed, as they are unwilling to compromise on the morality of their experiments.

Due to their incredible tech, allowing them to teleport around the Commonwealth, hide in plain sight with the use of Synths, and their band of Coursers waiting in the wings just in case anything really goes wrong, the Institute serves as a force to be reckoned with in the Wasteland.

However, they miss out on the podium spots as their lack of energy sources limits their expansion, and due to being based in one singular location, one well-planned raid could destroy them for good. Which, according to the Fallout TV show canon, is exactly what happened.

3 Mr. House

The House Always Wins

I know what you're thinking: how can one man be labeled as a faction? Well, when you become familiar with Mr. House and what he has built since the bombs fell, I reckon you'll allow me this one.

Robert House, the founder of Robco Industries, is a titan of industry who predicted the end of the world and decided to preserve his biggest asset, the Las Vegas Strip. So when the bombs fell, he was prepared for the new world, and hard-wired his consciousness into a supercomputer to ensure he would be there to oversee it.

While his plan wasn't perfect due to the loss of the Platinum Chip, he still managed to survive and use his Securitrons to enlist the support of the Omerta's, The White Gloves, and the Chairman, promising them Casinos for their support. This not only made his New Vegas Strip a new world hotspot, but ensured he could operate without fear of being attacked by any outside entity.

With New Vegas and the Lucky 38 as his stronghold and a near-infinite number of Securitrons waiting to be activated, Robert House is effectively a one-man army with enough influence and power to do anything that a major faction with thousands strong could achieve. However, the one thing holding him back is, without that Platinum Chip, he could never become the all-powerful ruler of the wastes, so really, a lot of his power relies on fate.

2 The Brotherhood of Steel

Ad Victoriam

Our runner-up is the big ol' guys in power armor, the Brotherhood of Steel. The BoS is essentially a more militant and power-hungry version of the Institute in many ways, with a focus on preserving technology and expanding their ranks and territories. When it comes to raw numbers, the Brotherhood of Steel has a few thousand members across all territories, making them a sizable outfit, but the real reason that they are so dominant within The Wasteland is their access to immensely powerful technology.

With access to Power Armor, powerful energy weaponry, a giant robot called Liberty Prime, the huge Blimp known as the Prydwyn, and so much more, they just offer more firepower per member than anyone in the Wasteland. Meaning that one BoS Paladin is more than enough to conquer a small settlement or conduct a scavenging mission.

However, the main thing stopping the BoS from becoming the ultimate powerhouse in the Wasteland is their reluctance to recruit externally and to revise their quasi-religious ideals, which often leads to in-fighting and defection.

1 The NCR (New California Republic)

Don't Tread On The Bear

While their presence in Fallout New Vegas may have given the impression that the NCR is a stretched and weak force within the Wasteland, that only tells part of the story, as the NCR is by far the biggest faction in Post-War Fallout America.

Statistics within Fallout 2 showcased that the population of NCR-run territories was in and around 700,000 people, and considering that there have been quite a few entries since, we can all but assume that they have cracked one million by the time later Fallout entries take place.

Power isn't just about firepower and military personnel. It's about influence, infrastructure and the room for growth, and the NCR has all this in spades. They have huge settlements under their government, they have an infrastructure that gives people under their watch the closest thing to a pre-war life within The Wasteland, and on top of that, they also have a strong military presence.

It may be true that one BoS paladin could take out a camp of NCR Rangers, but here's the thing. If a war were to occur, theoretically, the NCR would be able to band together one million people to fight for their cause, and no matter how lacking in training or firepower the NCR soldiers are, one million soldiers, are always going to overpower a few thousand Brotherhood members.

It's basically a more civilized and palatable 'strength in numbers' model compared to the Legion, and since the NCR has been around since the advent of Shady Sands, they had a headstart, making them the strongest faction in Fallout to date.

Fallout 4

Franchise

Fallout

Platform(s)

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Released

November 10, 2015

Developer(s)

Bethesda

Publisher(s)

Bethesda

Genre(s)

RPG, Action

Engine

Creation

ESRB

M FOR MATURE: BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE, USE OF DRUGS

How Long To Beat

27 Hours