Legate Lanius

"We shall see how brave you are when nailed to the walls of Hoover Dam, your body facing west so you may watch your world die."

Lanius is Caesar's Legate, living in Legate's Camp in 2281. He is the final boss of Fallout: New Vegas in all but one of the endings.

Biography
Asking Caesar about the Legate reveals that Lanius was a member of a tribe hostile to Caesar's Legion. Lanius was the bloodthirsty champion of that tribe, sometimes ambushing whole groups of Legionaries by himself. When Caesar's Legion tracked down his tribe, they knew that they wouldn't be able to win so they chose to surrender. This act drove Lanius into a blood frenzy; killing the Chieftain and 15 others of his own tribe single handedly before he was brought down. When Lanius woke up most of his face was torn off and Caesar was standing beside him. He offered Lanius a place in the Legion and a mask forged especially for him. Lanius accepted.

Interestingly, there seems to be several spoken versions of Lanius origins, and he himself appears to be surrounded by myths. Lucius mentions that Lanius was already a Legionnaire by the age of 12, which doesn't fit well with Caesar's story about him. Also, Lanius is said to be a brutal savage, and hate the Legion, only leading it because of his respect for Caesar. In-game, however, he is much smarter and noble than a savage could be, and seemingly has no grudge against the Legion itself. These opposing accounts of Lanius show how even those closest to him know very little of his actual nature and background.

Legate Lanius is very dedicated to the worship of Mars, the Roman god of war. His life is war and he lives only for battle. There are clues that Lanius may have become some sort of boogeyman for NCR (with Caesar reinforcing). The NCR military also have previously encountered and even photographed him, as Lanius is appearing on one of their anti-Legion posters.

During the Legion's New Vegas campaign, Legate Lanius resides in his tent in Legate's Camp. Inside the tent is his planning table, and a small mountain of corpses of NCR troopers. In the end, Lanius' fate depends on the actions of the Courier.

If the player sides with the Legion and allows Caesar to die of his brain tumor, Lanius will become the new Caesar. He is far more brutal than Caesar, and handles several things differently than Caesar would if victorious. For example, he would have Arcade Gannon crucified rather than keeping him on-hand as a doctor, slaughtering many upon arrival at the gates of Vegas, having Chief Hanlon crucified with the other NCR Rangers rather than granting him a swift death out of respect, exterminating the Followers of the Apocalypse rather than giving them safe passage out of the Mojave Wasteland, and pursuing the Enclave remnants rather than recognizing it as a lost cause.

Quests
If siding with Legion, Legate Lanius will be the one who gives the final order to the Courier, and also the one who congratulates the courier after the battle. In all other cases, Lanius is the final opponent.

At the battle of Hoover Dam, if against the Legion, Lanius can be convinced into surrendering with numerous Barter and Speech checks, respectively 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100. The Speech route will convince him that the vast territory of the NCR is its weakness and that the Legion will not be able to claim and hold it without highly weakening their presence at the East. The Barter route will convince him that the West is not self-sufficient and too dependant on the NCR and its supply caravans, so it would be difficult to maintain. If a Speech or Barter check is failed during the conversation, it is also possible to take a different speech angle to bluff and convince him to flee, suggesting that this fight was too easy because a trap lies in wait for him, and that you are only telling him this because it would be dishonorable to defeat a foe in such a way.

Appearances
Lanius appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the Scenes

 * "Lanius" is Latin for "butcher." "Legates" ('legatus/legati' in Latin) were generals in the Roman Empire, equivalent of the modern general officer.

Bugs

 * While fighting Lanius, if you have the Mysterious Stranger perk, he may appear and knock Lanius into the air. Lanius will then appear to float several feet above the ground, unarmed.  After awhile the game will show him as friendly.  This can be an easy way for players to beat him if they are low on health or low on level.