So there is NO Enclave at all, and their counterparts, BoS are hidding in some [censored] bunker - that's all they doing in FNV. Two major factions from Fallout are gone, or replaced by some thugs, bandits, and weapon dealers, and all story ending in fight about 1 Hoover Dam??? Wow, that's impressive. So next Fallout will be builded up around drug smuggling, playing Black Jack in some casinos and washing dirty money for some drug lord? Masters Army, Enclave and BoS was since forever most important factions in Fallout, major powers in post - nuclear world:)) And now they all gone. Just...why? (whinning) )

You do realize that the BoS were a relatively minor (and optional to meet) faction in the first Fallout, and that they were barely present at all in Fallout 2, don't you?

Bethesda's portrayal of them (the Lyon's Pride division, at least) being this giant, extremely organized faction pretty much missed the mark completely (unless you take Fallout: Tactics into heavy consideration.)

EDIT: And as far as the Enclave goes, they were -supposed- to be obliterated at the end of Fallout 2, but Bethesda decided to resurrect them in 3 because I guess they weren't clever enough to create their own "big bad guy."

I think it's great. BoS and the Enclave can't be everywhere and be the two most powerful factions all the time. That would be boring. This feels more realistic.

The Enclave are mostly non-existant because they've basically been wiped out on both the East and West coast. They suffered a huge loss after the ending of Fallout 2 and an almost equally as big loss after the ending of Fallout 3 with (or maybe even without) Broken Steel.

As for the Brotherhood of Steel, it's because the main brotherhood is probably just starting to expand eastward from California, so they're numbers aren't as great meaning they're not as important this time around. Or at least that's my theory.

That, and yeah. The really weren't as big in the past Fallouts as most other players, or Fallout 3, portrays them to be.

The BOS were never one of the big movers and shakers, and I think their position in NV is more true to their FO1 and 2 roots than FO3 and Tactics. They're at war with a very big and powerful foe who cant quite match them in technology, but can overpower them in logistics and numbers.

As for the Enclave, their position in their game is exactly right. A few refugees just trying to survive in the new reality.

My advice to the OP is to play the original games before critiquing NV.

Remember it's about 2400 miles (taking a relatively straight road route) from DC to Vegas, so even if the BoS was a grand as FO3 made them appear it's not exactly a hop skip and a jump away. The BoS on FO3 are far superior to the other games. They are also a relatively small group, FO3 gave you the opposite idea though. So there is very much a possibility that there could be numerous places of value with little (NV's case) or no BoS or Enclave.

Who knows maybe in a later game we will have either BoS or Enclave pushing to take NV and you have to decide whom to side with and your choices from NV could play a part. Oh, me and my lofty pipe dreams.

The West is different from the East. In the East, the BOS is thriving, while in the West the BOS is quickly dying. In the East, the Enclave were recently wiped out (at least in the D.C. area), and in the West they've been wiped out for some time. They are two very different areas with very different factions, even if those factions share the same name.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a big BOS presence in Fallout 4, but if any more games come from Obsidian, and they're set in the West, you can be pretty sure the BOS wont be in them aside from remnants, and definitely not the Enclave.

If you say that the Enclave are not in the game, then you need to play it more.

Also, in Fallout 1, the Brotherhood played a very small role. Just as small as a role as the Brotherhood in New Vegas. Hell, there's more content for the BOS in New Vegas than in Fallout 1.

I love that he calls himself Van Buren but he clearly has no idea what actually happened in Van Buren.

Hilarious.

Van Buren is considered semi-canon and clearly Obsidian (given than a good few of their team were originally Black Isle Studios) took VB into account when creating the storyline for New Vegas. The whole NCR-BoS conflict for example.
In VB there was a war between the NCR and BoS which the BoS to all intents and purposes lost and were largely marginalised in the east by the emerging Republic. The only real bastions of the BoS that have an significance now is The Midwestern BoS in Chicago and the Western BoS in Washington DC.

I think its great. The whole Democratic NCR fighting the good fight against the Autocratic Ceasar. Brilliant. Even better is the fact that they portray how many of the "little guys" are pushed aside and/or stepped on by both powers during the conflict. Great great.

Just to play devil's advocate to all the people flaming the poor kid, there's room in the canon for both the east and west coast chapters of the Brotherhood. I wouldn't be surprised if Bethesda put #4 in the east and give those (L)awful good cartoon cut-outs pride of place in the plot again since they're clearly in a better position than the west coast version. The Enclave on the other hand? Nah, their days have been and gone.

And for me it was all explained very well in FO3 - the strategies that Elder Lyons put in place have helped them grow in the East. It will certainly be interesting to see what the future of the East Coast BoS holds in store for them.

At the same time, it makes no sense to make them a major faction in NV.

You've got your directions mixed up there.
NCR is in the West. DC is Eastern.

The power armored (well in F3 at any rate) fools of the Enclave and BOS are to obsessed with the past, be it past societies or past technology. They will die out, and the future belongs to those who are willing to ignore the mistakes of the past and build a new world.

The future belongs to groups like the NCR and The Pitt, because they're not as given to nostalgia.

Nevada is kind of far from DC, which is where the BoS are mainly occupied, factions don't spread that easily in the Fallout universe, the NCR originated in California and is only as far out as Nevada as a major force. What makes you think that the BoS would be able to get so far?

Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.

East Coast BOS is one of those groups IMO. They may still have the "take tech away from the local yokels", but at least they're using it for the betterment of others besides the BoS instead of squirreling it away forever like the Outcasts and West BoS.

And the last scion of the Maxson lineage is over there, getting imprinted upon by Lyons. So goes Maxson, so goes the Brotherhood.

Erm... the BOS started in California too. They, along with the Enclave, traveled to the East in the long time between Fallout 2 and 3, which is how they were in Fallout 3. But they didn't ALL go to the East. The BOS in New Vegas are the original BOS, and are in roughly the same area as where they originally started.

The only reason Lyons' BOS was as big as it was is because they took in recruits. The reason they weren't recruiting when YOU showed up is because they had already recruited too many, and spread themselves too thin in the gear department. I mean, they had absolutely no T-51b and has lost most of their energy weapons and big guns to the Outcasts (most of the original contingent). The majority of their soldiers were armed with 5.56 Assault Rifles.

I would say that 80% of the BOS in Fallout 3 were recruited locals.
And I guess you're right, this does take Tactics into heavy consideration, because it's pretty much what the Midwest BOS did too, though they weren't as "white knight" as Lyons' group.

Yes, what he said.

To the OP your a kid who knows nothing about F1 or F2. You played F03, which as the poster said was a load of crap, and now you think your some fallout expert. Get real, damn kids like you are going to ruin the franchise.

Is this guy for real?? lol

I think he is. Unfortunately.

The dude had a honest question, there is no need to flame him. And it was a question I asked myself.

This game seems to be the death throes of the west coast brotherhood, which in my opinion is a sad thing.

They were optional in Fallout one, and two. Yes. But so were... most all factions. And the brotherhood in fallout one wasn't -really- that optional, multiple quest lines lead you there and you got power armor from them. Either way they are the only faction to be in all of the fallout games, including that bad one on xbox. (Which I bought, unfortunately.)

This means they are the longest living group out after the nuclear war.

I actually expected the next fallout game on the west coast to be NCR vs. The brotherhood. Democracy fighting it out with people who feel the need to keep tech from others. But that is neither here, nor there.
I assume the brotherhood is now 'east coast' based more then anything, due to bethesda making it so in fallout 3.

As for the Enclave... well, someone already said this. They were meant to die at the end of fallout 2, or at least be so weak they just kind of get ground down. So I can not speak there.