What you need to know
- Fans of the Fallout TV show have spotted markings on the side of the Brotherhood of Steel’s airship that seemingly identify it as the Prydwen, the same vessel the Brotherhood in Fallout 4 used. It was previously named the Caswennan in a Vanity Fair exclusive.
- If this is the Prydwen, it would make one of two Fallout 4 endings canon since the show takes place nine years after Fallout 4. The other two endings involve destroying the Prydwen.
- One possible canon ending is that the Brotherhood took control of the Commonwealth. Another is that the Minutemen defeated the Institute and remained on good terms with the Brotherhood.
- It’s possible the inclusion of these markings on the ship was an error or that the Brotherhood refers to its airships as Prydwen-class craft, though there’s no way to know for sure until Bethesda comments on the matter.
While the story that unfolds in Amazon’s popular new Fallout TV show has been confirmed as canon in the Fallout universe, it doesn’t have any obvious direct connections to games that took place before it like Fallout: New Vegas or Fallout 4. Upon scrutinizing the show closely, though, some eagle-eyed fans have spotted a detail that may confirm that one of two Fallout 4 endings is canon.
That detail is a series of markings on the side of the Brotherhood of Steel’s airship that seemingly identify it as the Prydwen, the flagship used by the Brotherhood troops on the east coast of the US that travel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Fallout 4. Though a caption about the sister ship in a Vanity Fair exclusive stated that the vessel is called the Caswennan — notably, in Arthurian legend, both names are used for King Arthur’s ship interchangeably — this lettering suggests it’s actually the same craft.
Since the Fallout TV show takes place nine years after Fallout 4 in 2296, this means two of the game’s four major endings could be canon if this is indeed the Prydwen. The other two — endings where you side with either the Railroad or the Institute and eventually help these groups destroy the Brotherhood and the Prydwen in the Commonwealth — would be impossible.
The first possible ending is the Brotherhood one, in which you join the Brotherhood of Steel, eradicate both the Railroad and the Institute, and help the faction take control of the Commonwealth for the foreseeable future. Though this outcome is certainly plausible, it’s not the one I would expect Bethesda to canonize, as it forces you to wipe out the Railroad faction the studio may wish to explore further in future titles.
The second conclusion that could be canon, and the one that I suspect is, is the Minutemen ending. It involves becoming the General of the Minutemen civilian defense militia and leading the group to victory against the Institute, and as long as you don’t attack the Railroad or the Brotherhood, they’ll remain neutral.
The possibility of both endings is supported by an Elder of the faction noting that the west coast Brotherhood has received reinforcements from the Commonwealth in the first episode of the show. This could have referred to survivors from a conflict the Brotherhood lost there, but if this airship is the Prydwen, it would mean the east coast Brotherhood either sent troops to aid their comrades or chose to travel to California after the Minutemen achieved victory.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that the markings on the vessel are erroneous, or that the Brotherhood now calls all of these craft Prydwen-class airships. Ultimately, though, there’s no way to know for sure if this is the Prydwen from Fallout 4 until Bethesda comments on the matter.
If you’re interested in playing through Fallout 4 and seeing how the Commonwealth branch of the Brotherhood of Steel compares to the one in the TV show, there’s never been a better time to do so thanks to the ongoing Fallout Franchise Sale and the fact every Fallout game is available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You should also check out Fallout 3 to get an idea of what the east coast Brotherhood used to be like before Fallout 4’s Arthur Maxson took control of it.
In other news, it’s been confirmed that the Fallout TV show doesn’t make Fallout: New Vegas non-canon by both a director at Bethesda and Todd Howard himself. Fans were confused by a timeline found by main character Lucy in Episode 6 that stated “The Fall of Shady Sands” — a city from the original Fallout that went on to become the capital of the New California Republic (NCR) — began in 2277, four years before the events of Fallout: New Vegas. An arrow pointing to an explosion made people think Shady Sands was nuked in that year, but the truth is this is simply when issues like economic decline began to erode the NCR’s strength, which is something that’s actually mentioned in-game as the faction tries to fight Caesar’s Legion. Whatever led to the destruction of Shady Sands happened after New Vegas’ story.
