When I heard about the factions in New Vegas, I thought it seemed pretty cut out for me. I always play my first guy as an extension of me, following my morals and thoughts, more or less. The factions in Vegas seemed pretty clear cut. You've got the overbearing bullying NCR (I haven't forgotten what they did to Vault City!) trying to seize power under the guise of unity and protection, a Machiavellian Mr House, distant and pragmatic, but apparently civic-minded, and then you've got Caesar's Legion, a bunch of slaver psychos playing dress-up.


But when I finally met CL, I fully expected to hear their mindless lines about bringing order to chaos and the rule of might, but they didn't. They said they were destroying and enslaving a wretched town, punishing those who engaged in lusts of the flesh and demean themselves and their corrupt town. CL seem to have a disarming honesty and certainty in their brutal methods, so its entirely possible I could side ith them, on a good character, the same character who blasted away slavers in F3 without a thought, suddenly has the possibility of joining with them. Has anyone else felt a turnabout like this?

I got a bad vibe from the NCR from the start (traditionally dressed soldiers asserting the might of nation-states in a world that has conclusively proven how dangerous they are) but the CL seem positively disarming! I went in planning to shoot every red clad enemy I saw, but left telling them I'd do their work for them.

Have you met Caesar himself yet? He's a fascinating conversationalist.

lol that will change, I have completed a playthrough siding with the legion, I plan on killing them, I cant choose between mr house or ncr though...
Can someone use spoiler tags to tell me what heppens when each gains power ? I dont trust either.

No, I've only just reached Novac. I didn't know we got to meet anyone that high up in the ranks, but I'm looking forward to any new encounters. I didn't expect the factions to be soooo.. three dimensional. Fallout 3 this ain't.

Plus, the CL help me with enemy gangs, NCr just seem to sit in their little tents, complaining.

i dunno - the NCR seems like they mostly want to do good, but they're power hungry too. sometimes i feel bad for killing NCR guys, the lower ranking guys that just want to help.

But I talked to Caesar and he explained why he did everything, including declare himself caesar and set up a roman "cult", it's great. He's more of a rational genius than the crazy man i was expecting. He is brutal though and has no mercy and will slaughter innocents for the good of his empire (mostly to set an example). I'd probably go with them, if i didn't want New Vegas for myself, through Yes Man.

Feel sorry for them?

Look, I know they think their intentions are good, but the way they go about them is completely insane. Caesar himself is less than what I imagined, too. I, like you, thought he would have some spiel about order and being told by the Gods or some such nonsense, expecting him to be nothing more than the alpha male in a pack of wolves. He's quite an eloquent speaker, but he's still a ruthless, heartless morally corrupt idiot. In all seriousness, the way he talks and what he talks about and seeing how he goes about accomplishing his goals, he reminds me of Adolf Hitler. Hell, change the Legion to The Reich; make them wear SS uniforms instead of roman armor; and give them all MP40s and M60s and you could have them be some form of post-apocalyptic neo nazis that instead of modeling their life after Julius Caesar, they model it after Mein Kompf.

The only reason I haven't simply murdered them all yet is because they are damn strong! They can take plasma bursts to the face and just laugh. D:

Yeah, I don't much feel like killing the poor recruits in their tin helmets. Don't like the officers though.

I trust him the least, you realise he will likely


I quite like the kings tbh, shame there is no way they would ever be able to take control, but thier morals are best imo. NCR try, but the guys on top are corrupt imo, so I see them as a tool, they will enforce order, unite the land, then at the end the guys on top will be changed, so hopefully there will eventually be order. In all playthroughs order is the thing I go far, no matter what, hence my joining the enclave in 3, a blank slate makes it a much easier restart.

Actually, Caesar wasn't bluffing when he set he had brought order to his territories. Raul says Arizona was much worse before Caesar arrived and brought civilization.

The problem is that Caesar is still quite insane and the NCR still treats its citizens far better. Also, General Oliver might be a fool, but he's nothing like Legate Lanius.

By the way, it is possible for the Kings to take over in one ending by creating an independant Nrew Vegas.

0.o Ok spoiler tags the answer for me, I want that ending, but will it bring order or chaos ?

Doesn't the NCR have slaves, though? Or was that just Vault City?

The CL do remind me of General Bethlehem in The Postman a bit. They even come from the same area.

Dont know about vault city, but in NV nope. The ncr are just after power, but at the same time bringing democracy. Its just which one you see as the best, the legion has more order but no democracy, ncr have less control but more democracy. Thats not the ending, but thats the way it looks. Personally while the legion brings order, it isnt civilised enough, people listen but listen to the radio and you will hear why, much better with NCR imo.

CL are great if you are into slaves and subjugating women.

My current plan is to take over houses operation, force the NCR into doing a deal then bomb CL back to the stone-age but I'll see what happens along the way. Maybe I should leave Vegas in the hands of The King.

As soon as I talked to Vulpes in Nipton I knew I'd side with them. I just like how everyone was like at least NCR doesn't have slaves and IMO slave labor is worse.

Sounds like a plan :hubbahubba:



Is there a major difference between a slaver that kidnaps people and puts them to work, and a politician who sends an army to use extortion, economic pressure and blackmail to control the use of labor and resources?

An interesting point but CL isn't this. There is a conversation with one of them were he describes his technique for fitting slave collar that leaves them just a little too tight so that the skin bulges above and below, so the slave can never get used to it, so that every time they swallow or turn their head they are reminded they are owned. It is made very clear to you that anyone who isn't a soldier is beneath contempt and if you approach as a female courier you get reminded that a women's purpose is to provide the next generation of soldiers and nothing more.

But hey don't get me wrong I'll be siding with them on my second play but that will be the evil character.

Uhm, yes. You have the option to leave the country or not join the military or simply vote for someone else. Slavers are not so openminded...

It's the Three Dimensional Aspect to the factions that I love the most about New Vegas. There is no clear cut Black and White, everything and everyone are murky shades of gray. My present play thru, I plan to side with the NCR (Nostalgia of Shady Sands and President Tandi), but although I've witnessed a lot of good come from the NCR, there's also that hard edged side. I can't disagree with the NPC who remarks the only reason the NCR is in Mojave is for the resources of Hoover Dam. Without it, they'd have left Mojave to be ground under Caesar's boot a long time ago.

As for the Legion itself...they do make very convincing arguments. Their methodology is brutal, but I can't really disagree with the motive.

Mr. House doesn't ring true. It's nice he's up front about his desires and designs, but I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop in his regard. Something about him rings false.


Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd leave it up to the Followers of the Apocalypse. They're the most consistent in motivations and goals between members, where as many other factions (The Legion, The Kings) are all dependent of the charisma of a head leader. That charisma fails, and you run the risk of the entire thing collapsing.




Talking with NCR Commanders and Troopers reveal the majority of NCR forces in Mojave are Draftees.

I'm having a hard time siding with any of them, least of all the legion, Ceaser spouts morality while lacking morality himself, tying people to poles and leaving them to die a slow miserable death is just the actions of a sick minded person, as for the other factions, I'll just simply say they all bloody irritate me.

Yeah, I had him removed. Just couldn't shake the feeling of being a mere tool to him, to be used and then discarded. Not sure whether I'll side with the Legion or try and grab everything for myself. Ruling New Vegas all by myself does sound tempting indeed... B)