Summary
As you traverse the wastelands ofFallout: New Vegas, you’ll come across the four most powerful factions in the Mojave: The Legion, Mr. House, the New California Republic (NCR), and yourself. Of course, you can’t be everyone’s favorite, but you can definitely play favorites.
Playing nice for as long as possible is certain to reap quite a few rewards, especially from the larger factions like the NCR. Not to mention, if you play nice, you can generally pick up more quests (which means faster leveling) and experience more of New Vegas’s story. It’s also just nice to have significantly higher access to supplies and “friends” across the Mojave.
9Enclave Remnants
To Be Honest, They’re Kind Of Pitiful
The Enclave is possibly one of the most morally bankrupt organizations in Fallout, seconded only by Vault-Tec. Although you can interact with the remains of this organization to try and convince them to side with the NCR or the Legion, you can also just do… nothing.
Although they are definitively a prominent organization, the sway they hold is almost pitiful, and a group that has fallen from greatness in more than a few respects, is completely crushed under the boot of the NCR. There’s very little reason to go out of your way to find and sort out the Enclave Remnants unless you’d like to get further into the New Vegas lore or you’d like to gain a little extra cannon fodder.
8Great Khans
They Probably Just Want To Live In Peace
The Great Khans are an interesting organization because, right off the bat, you learn that they don’t like the NCR - and the NCR doesn’t like them in turn. This isn’t like the Legion picking a fight, though, as the Great Khans are underdogs who do what they need to make sure that their tribe survives - even if it means selling chems to the Fiends or raiding other settlements.
Unlike many of the other factions, the Great Khans get caught in a bit of a tug-of-war between the NCR and the Legion. The Courier can intervene and either encourage their pursuit of the Legion - after which they will be absorbed, or encourage them to abandon Caesar altogether, so either way, if you’re going down the NCR or Independent route, they will not be much help, even in the way of supplies.
7Followers of the Apocalypse
At Least They Have Good Intentions
The one thing that you can say about the Followers of the Apocalypse is that they generally have good intentions and seek to aid the unfortunate souls around them. Unfortunately, with the organization being rather pacifistic, they won’t be of much use to the Courier; however, they are great for medical supplies and information here and there.
Plus, if you’re trying to be a good person (or at least lean further into the neutral-good side of things), then befriending the Followers of the Apocalypse will be relatively easy. If you want to feel good about yourself and want to help a small faction, then you should give your aid to the Followers of the Apocalypse.
6Boomers
Raining Hellfire On Hoover Dam
The Boomers are an odd bunch - heavily isolated, by their own hand, and idolizing weaponry and firepower. As one would expect of a group that covets its own isolation from the “Barbarians” outside, their opinions are somewhat of an echo chamber, with the members often parroting what the elders say.
Of course, there are still dreamers who chase after those from outside of their self-imposed chainlink fences. Outside of roleplay reasons, though, there’s really no good reason why you shouldn’t win the Boomers over; during that final fight for the Hoover Dam, they can and will rain explosives from above, and all at your beck and command should you wish.
5Mr. House
A Product Of His Time And Situation
Mr. House is what could be described as a necessary evil in the New Vegas Strip; he is, by no means, a great person, so saying that he wields good intentions would be a stretch at best. His influence also doesn’t extend very far beyond the New Vegas Strip and Freeside, so while they aresome of the most notorious locations in Fallout, it does mean that he won’t be much help out in the Wastelands.
Not to mention, most routes require that you kill Mr. House first, which really makes him the most disposable of the major factions. However, Mr. House is key in giving the Courier the infamy they needed, all the while pointing them in the right direction so they could achieve their ultimate goal - whatever that may be.
4The Legion
SPQR Larpers Who Take It Too Seriously
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if someone tried to bring the Roman Empire back? Well, the Legion is here to answer that question, and oh dear, are they horribly accurate in many uncomfortable ways. Perhaps the second most powerful force in the Mojave, the Legion is hard to be trifled with (unless you have a vendetta against them, which is, admittedly, very easy to obtain).
They want control of the Hoover Dam from the NCR, which will allow them to push out the NCR almost entirely from the Mojave. They can offer you supplies, powerful weapons, and ruthless support - and you may even get to be the Caesar yourself at the end, just know that you will be very evil;the subsequent consequence of your evilnessis that the majority of the Mojave will hate your guts.
3Brotherhood of Steel
Power Armor - Need We Say More?
Is the Brotherhood of Steel a major faction? Absolutely not. Are they any sort of danger to the Courier and their plans? Also no. However, they dogive you the opportunity to get a suit of Power Armor, so it becomes a lot easier to overlook some moral grayness regarding the Brotherhood’s policies when they’re willing to give you the most dangerous thing you will ever wear in the Mojave.
Of course, you probably shouldn’t tell the Brotherhood that, given that they tend to be very rigid in their moral standings. It’s possible they’re one of the most uptight groups in the entirety of Fallout.
2Independent
For The Better Or For The Worse
The Courier is an absolute menace to the Mojave - absurdly powerful with an absurd amount of connections. You started this journey just wanting to do your job, but you’ve ended it with the determination that you, and you alone, will rule the New Vegas Strip, the Hoover Dam, and, by extension, the rest of the Mojave.
Whether or not this is a wise decision is debatable at best, given that you don’t have the resources like the Legion or the NCR; however, you are infamous and have a frankly absurd amount of influence. The Courier is a powerhouse, not to be trifled with in any capacity, and with an army of Securitrons at your side, you have the opportunity to make the Mojave so much better - or so much worse.
1New California Republic (NCR)
Never Heard Of De-Escalation, But At Least They’re Strong
The NCR is possibly the largest faction in the entirety of Fallout: New Vegas. Of course, they’re rather spread out, and being so large means that there are frequent issues with supply and proper staffing, but somehow, the NCR makes it work. If they like you enough, they are more than willing to give you a plethora of supplies, information, and questions.
Unless you’re trying to be explicitly evil, you should try to stay on the good side of the NCR for as long as possible - it will make your life a lot easier, and you will be welcome throughout a much larger portion of the Mojave. The only thing that’s a little (okay, incredibly) iffy about the NCR is that they don’t seem to care about casualties; people are simply fodder or unfortunate bystanders so long as they get what they want.
