Get out your fireworks and your streamers because a new Fallout game is on the way... or what we really should say is get out your Daedric Swords and your Fat Mans, because it’s time to put Fallout and The Elder Scrolls against each other. These two RPG titans have not only dominated their respective genres, but they’ve dominated gaming as a whole creating a new culture revolved around these two Bethesda games.

Arrow to the knee jokes, Preston Garvey settlement jokes, Nuka-Cola, and Fus-Ro-Dah memes have dominated the gaming landscape, making all gamers aware of these massively popular games. While the two games share a lot in common, and I mean a lot, as some Elder Scrolls diehard fans label the Fallout series as Skyrim with guns, these two franchises hold a ton of differences.

Whether it be the immersive lore, that is so detailed and so distinct for each franchise, or even the worlds that have been fine tuned and masterfully crafted that it would take lifetimes to discover ever detail. I could go on about each game for hours as I’ve sunk too many hours into each that I’m proud to admit. And I’m sure most of you are guilty for doing the same, because let’s face it, these games are freaking addicting.

So while I love both of these franchises, I’ve always leaned towards Fallout as I grew up with the game and it definitely holds a special place in my heart. But as I hear Elder Scrolls fans sharpen their pitchforks ready to storm down my door, let me say that this battle between the two is truly painful, especially when picking your favorite. Well today we’re leaving it up to fan comics, and memes to pit these two together, and hopefully decide a winner.

25 Bethesda Doesn't Like The Elder Scrolls, Apparently

via: tumblr.com

As Fallout fans, myself included rejoiced that a new Fallout game is on the way so soon after Fallout 4 was released, I really do feel for Elder Scrolls fans. But we’ll get back to them later. For now, OH MY GOD! Fallout 76 hype! Sorry, Elder Scrolls fans, I know you’re patiently waiting for Bethesda to show franchise some love. But I can’t believe this game literally came out of the blue to gobsmack fans in the face.

Initially, it looked as if the new Fallout game would be a remaster of Fallout 3 or New Vegas, and honestly I wasn’t complaining as those games are phenomenal, and a graphics uplift wouldn’t hurt. But no fans, and I mean no fans, predicted that a new installment was on the way—one fan doubted it so hard that he promised to chug a whole bottle of hot sauce if a new game was on the way. Poor guy, but hey, I’m sure his eroded taste buds will feel a whole lot better when he’s playing Fallout 76.

We all won the day Bethesda graciously announced this game for us, well, except maybe for the hardcore fans of The Elder Scrolls and Skyrim. Sorry guys, but the next Elder Scroll game might be even further away than Half Life 3. Hey, but at least you’ll probably be able to play Skyrim on your microwave after E3 2018 is said and done.

24 More Duct Tape Oughta Do It

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Now here’s the first instance where we can finally break down the gameplay mechanics behind each game, and get a feel for their differences. Now, while the crafting system in Fallout 4, might just be a glorified reskin of the crafting system in Skyrim, the actual crafting materials are night and day as you can see here.

When you’re marching around Skyrim, you’re always on the lookout for rare crafting materials, such as Ebony ingots, Dwarven ore, and tons of leather for leather strips. You already know where I’m going with this, because in Fallout, the materials are a wee bit different.

Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say they were radically different, as you’re searching abandoned buildings and pre-war safes looking for cans, circuit boards, and especially duct tape. So it really makes you wonder what the end product of your crafting would look like in Fallout vs. Skyrim because I’m more or less imagining a picture that this comic is trying to illustrate.

In Fallout, you probably just have some mangled piece of junk just waiting to blow up in your face and reestablish your failures. But you know, what I do like about Fallout’s crafting system over Skyrim's is that you feel you have much more room for creativity, as shown in by the character in this comic strapping a Nuka-Cola to his weapon for when he needs a little hydration.

23 Like Learning A Foreign Language

via: pics.me.me

While this comic might be hilarious in the sense that we get to see Gandalf with an AK, which I never knew I wanted to see until now, I think the real victory this meme accomplishes is its hard, honest truth. Like I said, and what many know, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls have a ton of similarities to each other, but their differences make them really hard to transition back into the other.

For instance, Skyrim and all the other Elder Scrolls games lean heavy on melee-based gameplay, with most players choosing to tackle their adventures with swords, axes, and daggers. Even if you choose to use ranged weaponry you’re stuck using bows and arrows; basically, what I’m trying to say is it’s nothing like it is in Fallout.

The only time I choose to use a melee weapon in Fallout is when I’m feeling bored, or overpowered and want to go have a bit of fun hacking and slashing my way through the game with rippers or baseball bats. You just don’t pick a melee weapon over one of your trustee rifles without wanting to have a good time getting up close and personal with your enemies. So try playing Skyrim for a while, a week will probably do, and then head on back to Fallout and enjoy the frustration.

22 That’s Seriously Gotta Hurt

via: noobist.com

Well here we are, I was trying to play a game to see how long we could avoid arrow to the knee jokes in a list that featured Skyrim, and looks like we only made it four entries down; I’m disappointed in myself on this one. When Skyrim dropped, there was no place on the internet where you could hide from this meme. This meme was like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, if Nicholson was the meme and you were the petrified lady hiding on the other side because you weren’t going to escape this thing, this meme was going to find you, and get you, eventually.

The funny thing is, when I was playing the game I thought it was just a funny saying everyone was making up that was somehow associated with the game (wasn’t the brightest back in my day). I thought there was no way that a character in this game would say that outrageous line of dialogue, then one day I passed by a guard in Whiterun and the infamous words were finally spoken.

So, though I’m sure everyone rolls their eyes whenever this meme is even hinted at, I gotta say that I like the way it’s used here. As I’m sure a nuke to the knee would need some serious aspirin, and I can only feel for the ghoul that endured it all.

21 New Elder Scrolls Game Eventually... Right?

And we’re back to making fun of the fact that Bethesda continues to neglect The Elder Scrolls franchise in favor of Fallout. But honestly, at this point it’s getting kind of sad, and it almost makes us think if they even remember that they own this massively popular game franchise. Instead of getting a new Elder Scrolls game, fans have been treated with The Elder Scrolls Online, which if we’re being honest was terrible at release and only got good in recent years.

And Bethesda has rewarded Elder Scroll fans with Skyrim, again, and again and again.

It’s getting a little sad at this point that a new Elder Scrolls game hasn’t even been hinted at this point, making the situation look pretty bleak for fans. Honestly, if a new game isn’t announced at E3, then I’m honestly worried about riots in the streets because we’ve waited long enough.

Oh, and you can especially expect riots if a new game isn’t announced and Bethesda announces they’re releasing Skyrim for another console. If Skyrim goes to the 3DS or iPads or something like that, then I’ve just about lost all hope in this franchise. While the world might love Skyrim, I think we’ve had enough of it at this point, and we all really just want a new game. Make it happen, Bethesda.

20 Bethesda Really Likes Mel Gibson

Boy, do I really love me some Mel Gibson. Well, I guess before he fell off, but that’s a different story for a different day. Let’s talk about classic Gibson: Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, those were the good ol’ days, and the days were it seemed that Gibson could do no wrong. Well, it seems that Bethesda might be fans of Gibson too, because it sure does seem like a lot of inspiration is drawn from Gibson’s roles, especially his role in Mad Max.

Technically speaking, I guess I should say Interplay Studios takes a lot of inspiration from Gibson, as they’re responsible for creating the Fallout series. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I do have to say that it really does make you wonder how much was taken from the Mad Max series.

There have been easter eggs over the years alluded to the series, such as being able to get a dog companion after you equip a leather jacket, one that seems to look strangely similar to the one that Max wears. And in Fallout 2, there’s a city called Broken Hills and the economy of the town revolves around mining—Broken Hill also happens to be where most of the Mad Max films were shot. So, we’re on to you Bethesda, or Interplay, or whoever.

19 Fallout Chest Seeing Powers Activate!

As a kid, you might’ve wanted be like Superman, flying through the sky, saving Lois Lane, and pummelling bad guys. Or maybe you were more of a Batman admirer, kung-fu fighting baddies and outsmarting them while living the life of a playboy philanthropist. But what I can say is that zero of you out there wished to have super powers like the ones up above. But that doesn’t stop them from being powers.

To be honest, I never really thought of these abilities as powers, but in a way they really are. Being able to look at chests and know exactly what’s inside is a pretty underrated ability to have. Granted, you won’t be able to break into those chests, as locks are a little more complicated than being able to be broken into with a bobby pin or a shiv from Skyrim. But still, imagine being able to see how much money is in a bank safe, or finally gaining the opportunity to find out what your dad stores in that old safe in his closet.

Maybe I’m just gushing over something super lame, and the rest of you are asking yourselves what I’m on. Either way, I don’t know if you have some x-ray vision in Skyrim and Fallout or if you were granted some really mediocre powers; guess we’ll never know for sure.

18 Thumbs Up For Fallout And Skyrim

via: tumblr.com

Hey, sometimes you need to take a break from all the fighting and come together for a siesta. Here we get some pretty good wallpaper that features a ton of the main characters from Skyrim thumbing up with the vault boy in the background. Now, this is definitely far, far from what I would expect a crossover game to look like, but this does get me wondering if Bethesda would ever go down that road.

Sure, it’s far fetched, but you gotta ask yourself what's better than owning two of the biggest RPGs on the market? It’s putting those two games together and making something truly amazing. Now, I don’t have the kinks out yet as to how this is going to go down, but since The Elder Scrolls games are set way in the past and Fallout is set way in the future, I think, I think... nope, lost my train of thought.

But I’m sure I’m on to something here, just not sure what it is yet. Still, I could definitely see these games making some kind of crossover in our lifetimes, it’s just too juicy of an opportunity to pass up. Like maybe one quest in Fallout you find a time machine in a vault and get transported to Tamriel. Or maybe the Dragonborn finds a witch that sends him far into the future. The idea is there, Bethesda just has to grab it.

17 A Blast From The Past, Fallout 4 Being Announced

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It did seem like for a time that Bethesda was starting to lose their way. Since the studio is so hush hush, it’s tough to know their direction on games and they start to incite worry on their fanbase as they wait for the next line of games. It’s basically how Elder Scrolls fans feel right now, but for a long time it was Fallout fans who were feeling the anxiety of waiting for a new game.

We all knew Fallout 4 was around the corner, but we still worried for Bethesda’s future anyways.

Bethesda was on a downward spiral, releasing a broken Elder Scrolls Online game, and showing no end in sight for when the new installments of Fallout and Elder Scrolls would release. But just as we all were ready to give up, Bethesda revealed their prestige, giving us Fallout 4. Granted, Fallout 4 wasn’t the end all be all for Fallout games, as it might be on the bottom half when it comes to ranking the series. But boy, were we all hyped when that trailer dropped. Just look at The Rock's face up there and multiply that by a gazillion. That’s the level of hype we were all at.

16 Food Gets A Bit Weird After A Nuclear Apocalypse

via: media.dorkly.com

As I write this article, and hear the noises of my stomach moaning, I can only hope that I can jump into the panel with the Dragonborn and join him in his tasty looking feast. But I don’t think any kind of hunger can incite me to eat any of the food in the Fallout series.

I think even Tom Hanks in Cast Away would have to turn down the food in the wasteland.

Since most players, well, at least me, choose to turn down food (as stimpacks provide all the health you need), one tends to forget just how disgusting the food is in that game. Even though I don’t eat in Skyrim as well, I always see the delicious cheeses, meats, and sweet rolls in the pubs scattered throughout the world. It’s almost as if when I walk through the doors of a restaurant in Skyrim that I can almost smell the deliciousness of the food present there, or maybe that’s just the real life hunger that I’m feeling right now. Either way.

The food in Fallout is truly a masterpiece in grossness—mole rats, irradiated vegetables, and decades old pre-war food are only the tip of this grotesque iceberg. So without a doubt, The Elder Scrolls wins when it comes to cooking in the kitchen.

15 Let's See Who You Really Are...

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Plot twist is that Fallout 76 is just the next way that Bethesda is going to market Skyrim. Like maybe they’ve embraced the meme that they repackage Skyrim every year at E3 and this year they’re really just playing a sinister trick on us all, making us think that a new Fallout game is dropping soon when in reality it’s just Skyrim in a Fallout box. Honestly, it’s so diabolical that I would love to see it be true just so I could watch the internet go up in flames.

Didn’t mean to come off as some internet sadist, but the only thing I love more than Fallout and Skyrim is watching fanboys tear themselves apart in forum boards. I just get my popcorn out and enjoy the madness, and boy, oh boy, would this type of thing really induce some madness. Granted, there’s no chance this could ever be possible, right?

Personally, I only have two big worries going into E3 when it comes to what Bethesda will show. One, that they’ll find some way to re-release Skyrim for some type of device and once again trying to shove this 8-year-old game down our throats.

And my other big worry is that there won’t be a new Elder Scrolls game, but I keep telling myself this just can’t be possible, it just can’t be! Please, Bethesda, for the sake of the fanboys and fangirls everywhere, don’t mess this up (but don’t worry, I’ll find entertainment out of the whole situation anyways).

14 Like Learning A Foreign Language Pt. 2

via: media.tumblr.com

Well, I guess this is less an extension of a previous entry, and more so just the roles reversed, but I just liked this meme too much to not include it on our list. And besides, like I said before, it’s an undeniably true message that I just can’t seem to stress enough. There’s a reason we’re pinning these two franchises up against each other, it’s because they’re similar enough but it’s there differences that make people take a side on each game.

It’s like putting McDonalds up against Burger King, or DC versus Marvel. Sure, their rivalry is practically the same thing, in a way, but as people, and as fans, we like to pick a side and bash the other side as frequently as possible. Oh, and the right answer to those debates up there would be McDonalds and DC, because nothing beats watching The Dark Knight while you enjoy some nugs and a Big Mac.

But let’s get back to this meme over here, and I just want to let you know that I’m still holding my ground saying that this is 1000% true. I played Skyrim on my Switch for about a month before now going back to revisit Fallout 4 in preparation for the new game. And not being able to use shouts, or call down dragons for support, felt incredibly weird, not to mention the weapon changes. Trust me, give this a try and it won’t fail.

13 The Dragonborn Vs. Some Dude

via: media.tumblr.com

Talk about a harsh truth, but honestly there are no flaws to this comic. If my memory still serves me, which trust me these days it does not, but if it does, for this instance, then I really don’t remember any Fallout game where your character is the one of prophecies and legend.

Well, except for Fallout 2, because your character is literally labeled the chosen one, but here’s a confession, I never got around to playing that installment of the series. It just sits in my Steam library, along with the other games I’ve picked up in a Steam Sale only to put 0 hours into. But I’ll save the stories of an empty wallet, and regretful spending for another day.

The Dragonborn is the one of legend, and in almost every Fallout game you’re just some dude.

I’ve only gotten half way through Oblivion, but even in that game you play the Hero of Kvatch, someone who fulfills a prophecy living up to that legendary name. In Fallout 4, you’re just some dude who got lucky enough to be frozen in a vault, in Fallout 3 you’re just some dude lucky enough to escape a vault, and in New Vegas you’re just the mailman, the freaking mailman. Fallout is pretty good at turning everyday people into heroes, and The Elder Scrolls is good at delivering epic prophecy type characters—take your pick.

12 A Clash Of Two Games And Two Memes

You know, I told myself when I started this list, “Only one arrow to the knee joke, only one!” Welp, sorry I couldn’t keep my promise, but I just couldn’t leave this one by the wayside as it’s just too good. Almost all the NPCs or non-playable-characters in all Bethesda games always have something hilariously stupid to say. The obvious one being the arrow to the knee. Personally, however, I love it more when the guards say “Wait I know you...” accusing you of a crime, but it only gets funnier when they’re accusing you of some grandiose felony like ending an entire kingdom, yet they act so nonchalant about it.

You could never get tired of guards in Skyrim, there’s just a certain foolishness, and innocence that we all just can’t help but love.

The NPCs have plenty of hilarious things to say in Fallout, but if you play New Vegas then one of the most repeated sayings you’ll hear are “Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.” But hey, nothing like subverting expectations and combining two memes together. Well, that’s apparently what this artist thought, and I’m fully behind it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, time to add a mod that can make this happen in New Vegas.

11 There’s Always Something To be Hyped For

via: pics.onsizzle.com

Man, I truly do feel bad for all the Elder Scrolls fans out there because this list has been turning that franchise into a bit of a punching bag. And trust me, that was in no ways intended, I promise! Yeah, I do have a Fallout bias, but I still love the Elder Scrolls games and want a new game just as badly as the rest of you. But this franchise is just too easy of a target, especially when Bethesda is continuing to neglect this franchise.

The funny part about this meme here is that I completely forgot Bethesda started up their own card game after they so the success that Gwent and Hearthstone achieved. How is that game? Because I’ve literally, and I mean literally, have heard nothing about it since the day it was presented. I remember being like “Oh, well, that’s cool I guess” when it was announced, but heard no news since.

At this point, I feel like the game didn’t even release, and if it did, then sheesh. Still, I love the final panel of this meme because it seems like Morgan Freeman is happy about a new Fallout game but what he really wants is just a new Elder Scrolls game; poor Morgan.

10 Bethesda Showing Elder Scrolls No Love

via: media.tumblr.com

Well, I hope you didn’t think the memes were done showcasing how Bethesda only loves Fallout and mistreats The Elder Scrolls, because they aren’t. Well, at least I think they’re done after this one, but this is just another meme that just had to make the cut. Truly, I don’t know what more can be said about the abuse that Elder Scrolls fans have had to endure all these years, but this comic perfectly sums it all up.

Even in anime style, Bethesda can only show Fallout love—but you really do gotta feel for the Elder Scrolls fans, especially when they’re crying like that.

This one is exactly like how I’d feel if I was a passionate fan for the Elder Scrolls series. Bethesda has only released the game as Skyrim remasters, card games, and VR editions for the past eight years. And that might not seem too long, but in that time we’ve been through two presidents, the Wii U lived out its entire lifecycle, and we’ve unfortunately had to experience four Fast and the Furious sequels.

Yeah, it’s been a really long time, and while Bethesda probably considers the Skyrim remasters a success, people are itching, no they’re actually past itching, they’re screaming for a new game. Enough is enough Bethesda, share some of that love with the Elder Scrolls fans.

9 Shoutout To Nukazooka For Fallout Vs. Skyrim

via: YouTube

If you're looking to see the Fallout versus Elder Scrolls fight brought to life, then look no further, because the actual fight already exists. Pat yourself on the back for those of you who know what this is, because if you've seen this then you know the epicness of the battle that YouTuber Nukazooka brought when he created a video featuring a battle with Fallout vs. Skyrim.

The battle featured both characters from both franchises showing off their unique moves and battling each other to the end.

The video gained a ton of traction everywhere and netted over 15 million views overall. The battle brought our greatest fantasies to reality, with the Vault Dweller taking on the Dragonborn. Personally, I don’t know how the Vault Dweller didn’t take out the Dragonborn in the first few seconds, you know, having bullets and all, but I’ll let is slide because the quality of this vid is undeniable.

There’s even a moment where both heroes need to heal up and they begin to stuff their faces with Nuka-Cola and food to gain that health back. I wouldn’t include this on the list unless it was really worth it, so make sure to check it out here, if you want to see how this battle would play out if these two really went up against each other. (Oh, and spoiler alert! Fallout wins, so HA!)

8 The Dragonborn May Be A Bit Stronger…

via me.me

Well, it’s no secret, as we’ve already highlighted in this list, that the Dragonborn is a bit more overpowered than your characters in Fallout. That’s why I was surprised that the Vault Dweller won in the Nukazooka video, but I guess that’s just an opinion and shouldn’t be taken to heart (but you know, I’m still gonna believe it). But if there was to be a battle with no weapons, then this would without a doubt be an extremely one-sided brawl.

Even if you maxed your strength skill out in Fallout, I think your character would still be no match for the Dragonborn. Just like this comic says, the Dragonborn is a super-mutant among humans. He might not sport the pale green skin, the loud obnoxious voices, or the ginormous body frames, but he’s definitely some sort of super being. I mean, the guy can destroy enemies with his voice alone! Even Superman would have to quiver at a power like that.

Don’t get me wrong, though, your characters in Fallout definitely have more than a few abilities that make me question if they’re human. Like being able to freeze time and spot out which limb you want to shoot off, so I do believe that if these two were given all their weapons it would be one heck of a fight. One in which I’d still put my money on the Vault Dweller, despite what this meme says because, well, personal preference I guess.

7 Bug Noises: Skyrim Vs. Fallout

via: thegamerimages.com

You know I personally don’t prefer the bug noises in either game—what I want to hear are the bug noises in Animal Crossing. At least when I hear a bug in that game I know that I’m about to catch a critter that’s going to make me a pretty penny, but I digress. The bug noises in these two games is radically different and the noises themselves do a good job of putting you in a distinct mood.

When I’m playing Skyrim, Oblivion, or Morrowind the noises from the bugs put me in a relaxed state. The quaint sounds of the bugs and the birds whisks me away to a simpler time, a time when I can just immerse myself in a game and not worry about the outside world. Well, it might be the exact opposite when it comes to hearing bug noises in Fallout, because those noises freak, me, out!

Just hearing the buzzing in the back of my headphones is enough to make me tightly grab my mouse, or controller, to eliminate the terrifying creatures. It just seems that a nuclear war didn’t really do the bugs well, at least aesthetically, because if you were afraid of bugs before than I pray you never happen to see them in the wasteland. They’re big, they’re gross, and I’ll pump every last bullet into them to make sure they don’t move again, gotta be sure.

6 That Cow’s Been Milked Enough

Remaster and remake. Remake and remaster. Nobody knows these two words better than Bethesda, and when it comes to Skyrim I’m sure that’s the only word in their vocabulary. Over the course of 8 years we’ve gotten so many different versions of Skyrim that I’ve honestly lost count. That cow alone has been milked so hard that it no doubt looks like the one in the image above.

Now, the part I don’t get about this meme is throwing Fallout 3 into the mixture. Has Bethesda really milked Fallout 3 at all? To be honest, I wish that was a problem we were facing as I’d be down to play Fallout 3 in a myriad of ways. Give it to me on my Switch, give it to me in VR, heck, give it to me so I can play it on my microwave.

Alas, we haven’t gotten any of those things, so I don’t understand why the artist decided to rope Fallout 3 into this. Truly I wish this was a problem we were facing, as I think the world would be pretty happy to receive a Fallout remake. But that day hasn’t come, at least to my knowledge, so unless the artist here has a time machine and can see the future and all the Fallout 3 remakes then for now I can only agree with half of this meme.