The Fallout franchise happens to be one of my most favorite series of all time. I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps it is because of the sense of despair that has yet to be captured in another game series. It's a world filled to the brim with darkness, with mysteries and unending torture. Really, Fallout is humanity. It's the darkness brewing inside of our society. Once the world ends, who is there to govern our actions? The answer: No one. Raiders form uneasy relationships, slaughtering the weak and helpless. Synths follow their code to the letter (or number) and assassinate red-blooded people in the streets. It's dark. And yet, this is the truth of the world.

In Fallout, the game's writers and developers have crafted an experience unlike any other. They've managed to shovel in so many hidden facts and secrets that it's tough to say any single player has discovered them all. Well, maybe one player has, but we'll get to him later. This franchise is bursting with opportunity. You just need to be brave enough to search for it.

The following dark truths were gathered with immense love for this post-apocalyptic world. Some may seem obvious to the keen player with countless hours in the game. Some you may have glossed over during your time. All of them are astounding, though. Take a moment to discover these 20 dark truths about Fallout that you really don’t want to know. You can’t run from them, though.

20 The Synthetic Truth

Sometime during your adventures in Fallout 4, you’ll stumble across a paper note. It is one of the countless published articles from Publick Occurrences. The Synthetic Truth. You can find the note by speaking with either Piper Wright or Nat Wright in Diamond City. Alternatively, you may stumble across the note inside a wooden box on a newsstand in Cambridge.

The article delves into the synth problem plaguing the Commonwealth. We all know some of those around us are no longer people. They’re not flesh and blood. According to the report, the problem may be bigger than previously imagined. The synths may very well have taken everything the settlers know to be normal and human and adapted it as their own. What’s real anymore?

19 The Sad Tale Of Gary

In the Capital Wasteland, Vault 108 sits quietly. It is located just south of Canterbury Commons and northeast of the infamous Corvega Factory. Like most vaults in post-apocalyptic America, Vault 108 was an experienced. A failed one, at that. The first overseer, Brody Jones, was said to have a rare form of cancer. It was expected to take his life within just 40 months of the experiment’s start date. He perished. His reign as overseer was unassigned.

For some reason, Gary was cloned within the vault. Each new clone immediately became hostile to human-beings and other creatures. Furthermore, the vault itself was stocked with more weaponry than normal, but zero entertainment. The clones were to sit in the darkness, their hatred for the world building up.

18 Watch Out For The Monkeys

At one point or another, you’ve come across these. We’ve all come across the cymbal-banging monkeys of Fallout 4. They’re a rudimentary alarm system used to alert raiders of a presence other than their own. When a monkey sounds, it’s dinner time. While alarm systems are no stranger to the world, these monkeys are positively terrifying.

There is a dark connotation behind each monkey, too. If you’ve ever noticed, while in-game, there are usually body parts surrounding the area. Someone feasts on those who are caught. Cannibalism is certainly prevalent in the wasteland. Still, it’s a mystery. Why these monkeys? Who thought they were a clever idea? They’re somewhat effective, you should give them that. We’ll let this mystery fall by the wayside. Glowing-eyed monkeys are terrifying.

17 This Is All Very Extraterrestrial

Aliens in Fallout, known as Zetans by the pre-war conspiracy theorists, are yellowish-green humanoids from an unknown world. The only thing we know is they’re able to travel through space, abduct other species, and conduct invasive experiments. In the world of Fallout, we’re obviously set in an alternative universe. However, this universe is somewhat based on reality. Aliens, not so much.

Who are they? Where did they come from? During the 1960s, the USSA space capsule Clarabella 7 went missing, along with its pilot, Colonel Hartigan. The government then discovered proof of the Zetans. Today, it is believed the Zetans’ influence helped start the Great War, as found on Mothership Zeta. One subject–kidnapped by the Zetans–had nuclear launch codes. The possibility that this alien race launched nukes on Earth and started the war to end all life is a very real possibility. In fact, it’s more than likely.

16 Watch Out For The Beast

Fallout 4 is loaded to the brim with references from pop culture and the real world. One such Easter egg is that of Jaws. At some point, you’ll come across a vessel stranded in the water. It’s deserted, like most structures in the game. Upon boarding, you’ll notice the bones of a sailor and a mutated fish with gnarly teeth. This is Jaws and Quint (Robert Shaw).

The truth here is that this is supposed to be a reimagining of the real world. It’s post-apocalyptic, and yet still influenced by reality. There’s not just a chance of Jaws, it’s all but implied. This mysterious sailor fought with a killer sea creature to the very end. He died protecting his boat.

15 A Veritable Torture Chamber

You’ve stumbled across the Milton Parking Garage, right? It’s located near Milton General Hospital. If you’ve entered the dungeon, then you’ve witnessed the worst humanity has to offer. Of course, we know raiders slaughter passerby, and Super Mutants eat people. This is next level depravity, though.

Inside Milton Parking Garage, you’ll lay witness to an obscene maze. The maze is home to numerous traps, including grenade bouquets. Inside, you’ll also find the mutilated remains of wastelanders. There is no one living inside, though. All in all, you’ll find trip wires, grenades, clapping monkeys, turrets, shotgun traps, Tesla arcs, door triggers, makeshift bombs, and a flamethrower. This maze was designed not just to kill but to maim and injure. To cause torture and pain. It is the worst of mankind.

14 An Early Retirement

There’s something sad about living out your last days in a retirement home. You’re away from family, in an environment that is foreign, clinical, and depressing. Few old people manage to withstand the crushing weight of retirement communities. They don’t last long. In Fallout, the end of the world struck before their own timely end. The Sandy Coves Convalescent Home is one such retirement facility.

Found near Salem, you’ll immediately notice the torn corpses of each resident lying prostrate. Some are near their cat bowls, others by their favorite models, and some died doing what they love. It’s depressing, but it’s the truth of the world. When the nukes fell, no one could escape. They died where they stood. This is not a serene environment, though. In the new world, this once peaceful locale has turned into a war zone.

13 Putting Aside Old Rivalries

Nukes destroyed the world. As you may know, the Great War was fought primarily between America and the Chinese. It’s no secret they’re lifelong enemies in the game world. So, when you stumble upon the Yangtze, you may be obliged to finish the job. This is, after all, a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine designed to dole out punishment to the Americans. Before the Great War, the Yangtze was on patrol along the Atlantic coast with a payload of six nuclear SLBMs, tactical nuclear missiles, and torpedoes. They were armed for war.

Now, in the modern day, you’re tasked with helping those who brought the end of the world. The truth of the matter is, old rivalries mean nothing when everyone is struggling to survive. It’s a bleak world, after all.

12 Underwater Secrets

Since its release, players have spent countless hours exploring the world of Fallout 4. We all want to discover the mysteries of the game world. If you haven’t noticed, a substantial portion of the game map is water, specifically to the East–the Atlantic Ocean. What’s down there?

It’s meant to be explored. The game has a harpoon gun. It has a perk known as “Aqua Boy,” which allows the player to breathe underwater without taking damage. Lavon Smith did the work for us. He spent over 30 hours traversing the underwater portion of Fallout 4. Deep in the black, dead bodies, sunken ships, vehicles, and more lay in wait to be found. It’s like an entirely new world down there. We sometimes forget this is the end times.

11 These Ghosts Are A Shell Of Their Former Beings

Found in Fallout: New Vegas – Dead Money, the Ghost People were once like you or I. They were average human beings with aspirations and families. Unfortunately, these creatures were changed forever by corrosive toxins unique to the Sierra Madre. The smog, localized in specific regions, is absorbed continuously by the Ghost People, transforming them into rampaging beasts without mercy or emotion. They were us.

They’ve gone insane, though. Their name stems from their inclination to attack the holographic “ghosts” of the casino. They’ll attack you all the same, though. The Ghost People do not speak, they do not sleep, nor do they eat. They just attack. Could the same toxin turn anyone into a roaming beast? The very same material could be further weaponized.

It's said that the hazmat suits these guys wear were given to them by Big MT... who are also responsible for the gas leak. This experiment within an experiment seems cruel.

10 Exercising Their Right To Religion

The Apostles of the Holy Light are a twisted group. They practice their “religion” in the ruins of Springvale, and are led by Mother Curie III. Their belief system states the next form of evolution for human beings are ghouls. The apostles believe we “should not resist the idea” of turning into a ghoul–a creature that is neither human nor monster. Something in between.

To further their transformation, the Apostles of the Holy Light make use of radiation traps to transform themselves into ghouls. To their benefit, they are against blowing up the bomb at the center of Megaton, unlike the church there. It’s your choice whether to mercilessly slaughter this cult or let them continue their chosen path. Either way, their minds have become twisted by radiation and the apocalypse.

9 The Marked Men's Origins

At their core, the Marked Men are not unique. They’re ghouls fighting for their own cause in the wasteland. Their origins, however; now, there is a story worth exploring further. You see, the Marked Men were the remnants of both the New California Republic and Caesar’s Legion stationed at the Divide. The Courier, completely unintentionally, brought an ICBM detonator to the Divide, causing a nuclear warhead underground to detonate. The results were yet another man-made disaster, but one with extreme changes for those stations there.

In the devastation, their skin was flayed, leaving just skeletal muscle exposed to the world. The ghoulification process took hold of them at the very same time. Their injuries would have killed the average ghoul, and yet they strive. They fight. This is what humanity does to those in the way.

8 We All Glow Down Here

“They required me to go on a quest before they would let me in. Thinking it would be a short and easy quest, I agreed and set off for the place they called the Glow. The horror of atomic war was never so obvious to me until then.” –Vault Dweller.

At its core, Fallout is a story of the lost humanity of mankind. It’s a tale of horror and depravity–one that displays the worst of humanity on a pedestal. The Glow, or Great Glow as it is colloquially known, was founded back in 2002. It was the primary research installation for West Tek. Inside, advanced weaponry and biomedical science experiments ran rampant. The tests were designed to kill human beings, nothing more, nothing less.

7 His Humanity Was Ripped Away From Him

Fawkes was a favorite companion for most players in Fallout 3. Even to his own Super Mutant kin, he is considered an outsider. You see, Fawkes regained some of his intelligence and civility, despite the horrors of his mutation.

At one point, Fawkes was an original resident of Vault 87, and was perhaps known as Shelton Delacroix, a Vault security officer. Shortly after, the vault overseer and a select number of guards began testing the FEV. Several vault dwellers were changed against their will. The rest were then forcibly mutated further–into super mutants or centaurs, or killed outright. Fawkes survived the atrocities of mankind. He survived in solitude, biding his time. Without the meddling of scientists, Fawkes may have survived a long and healthy life underground.

6 The Horrors Of Dunwich

Back in the day, when Fallout 3 first released, it consumed much of my life. I was enraptured by the end of the world, and this portrayal was the best yet. I explored every single icon on the map, apart from one. The Dunwich Building. You see, I made it into the entryway, where the dead lay at rest and the moans emanated from somewhere deep within. It was terrifying.

Before the war, the office building was owned by Dunwich Borers LLC, a company that manufactured rock drills and equipment. When the nuclear bombs exploded, those inside were affected drastically. They fell victim to radiation. Each one turned into a feral ghoul, hunting and killing those left behind. That day, each person went to work without a care in the world. They planned for a nice dinner in the evening. None made it home.

5 The Original Nightmare

The Master, also known as Richard Moreau, is a horribly mutated individual. He is nothing more than a brain attached to machinery–the piece behind the Mutant Army roaming California in 2161. His followers, those who worshipped Children of the Cathedral, sometimes referred to him the “Dark God.”

Richard Moreau was not born this way. He was transformed by the atrocities of science. Mutated by the FEV, The Master was hybridized with mutants and computers, turning him into a monstrosity. His voice is computer-generated, and his speech is composed of other people’s words. He is a monstrosity, pure and simple. And we created him. In Fallout, he is also your main objective. Destroy this creature who wields so much power; end the fear he has stricken across the wasteland.

4 The Shortest War In History

The Great War began and concluded on the very same day: Saturday, October 23, 2077. All capable nations (United States, China, and USSE) launched their nuclear warheads at a target, resulting in the end of the world. The exchange lasted just two hours. It was the shortest war in humankind. Once the final atom bomb and nuclear warhead dropped, the world fell into darkness–a total nuclear holocaust. Most of human civilization crumbled. What was once the United States birthed the wasteland.

On that day, few citizens paid heed to the air raid sirens. They assumed it was yet another drill. Many died in their homes, clutching loved ones as the first bombs fell on major cities. Those who took to their assigned vaults were subject to horrific experimentation. Despite everything, despite the bombs falling and taking countless lives, Vault-Tec continued to perform experiments on survivors.

3 It's A People-Eat-People World Out There

Fallout does not shy away from cannibalism. It’s a concept that runs rampant throughout the wasteland. Everyday people, and raiders, of course, turn to cannibalism to feed their flock when food is sparse. The simple act of eating another human being, sometimes alive, is atrocious. It's a symbol of what people can achieve when they're desperate and alone.

Since the bombs dropped, murder and cannibalism, along with inbreeding, have become commonplace. These traits have been passed down through the generations, for hundreds of years after the bombs first dropped. You, an unlucky survivor, have stumbled across the town. This is the remains of humanity at its finest; this is what Fallout is all about. The worst of the worst. Morally, the wasteland is a cesspool. And yet, these people did what they must to survive.

2 Our Little Secret

Andale was once considered the “greatest town in Virginia” by its residents. However, that very same town held an incredibly dark secret. Four families survived the nuclear holocaust, and they reside in Andale. Eventually, as food supplies began to run low, cannibalism began to run rampant. The four families banded together, feasting on unlucky passerby. ‘Our Little Secret’ is an unmarked quest in Fallout 3. If you go exploring, you might just find a secret you won’t enjoy.

You see, Andale is wrong. Its citizens have turned to the dark side. They enjoy eating flesh. Not just any flesh, human flesh. If you have the Cannibal perk, you’ll open unique dialogue options, and even acquire a ‘strange meat pie’ daily from Linda Smith. The townsfolk may even be kind to you. Or, you could exterminate the plague. Remove this beacon of cannibalism from the Capital Wasteland. Like most options in the game, the choice is yours to make.

1 Lavonicus’ Journey

Remember the individual who explored the underwater portions of Fallout 4? Well, his online handle is Lavonicus. He’s slightly more impressive than you think. Being an open-world game, Fallout benefits from exploration. Finding the stories and lore left behind by the deceased is a side quest all its own. Fallout benefits from exploration. Finding the stories and lore left behind by the deceased is a side quest all its own.

According to Todd Howard, shortly after the game released, there were “a couple of things” people had yet to discover. Lavonicus set out to change that. He documented his entire journey, spending tens of hours poring through every terminal in the game. He read every document, every story left behind from the old world. It’s safe to say Lavonicus knows all. As of right now, there are over 1,364 screenshots of in-game terminals that anyone may peruse. He even wrote down the name of every single building he entered, to ensure each was unique along his journey.