Caesar

, pronounced kai-zar or see-zer, is a former Follower of the Apocalypse and the charismatic and one of the cunning leaders of the Caesar's Legion.

Background
Caesar is the undisputed leader of the Legion. In the past, he used to be a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse specializing in anthropology and linguistics. He, along with another companion, was sent east to study tribal languages. He was instructed to meet with a Mormon missionary named Joshua Graham who was a tribal specialist.

They were later captured by the Blackfoot tribe for ransom. However, against the wishes of his companions, Caesar chose to use his knowledge to train the Blackfoot tribe instead in the art of warfare after witnessing their lack of knowledge first hand. By showing them how to clean their guns, operate with small group tactics, and strike at their weakest enemies first, he quickly impressed them enough to the point where he was made their leader.

He also introduced the concept of total war to the tribes around them. The Blackfoot tribe was severely harassed by its more powerful neighbors, however after Caesar's initial training, they attacked the weakest of their foes first to divide and conquer them. They won their battle and enslaved many of the able-bodied survivors but Caesar had the rest, including women and children, killed. When they confronted the next tribe, they brought an emissary back to view the carnage. Caesar knew that though the tribes had always fought each other via occasional skirmishes, he considered them to only be "playing at war". The concept of total war was an entirely new, and terrifying, facet to his strategy that they had never confronted before and would form the core of the Legion's tactics and outlook.

His other companion was sent back to the Followers to inform them of what he was doing and with Joshua Graham, formed the Legion out of the following tribes that had either been conquered or had chosen to capitulate to avoid total destruction. Caesar chose the concept of the Roman Empire to model the Legion after because of its parallels to what he considered the status-quo of the post-apocalyptic world. Ideologically, the Roman Empire was also appealing to him for its ability to assimilate those it conquered, the destruction of such "tribal" identities a key goal to the Legion's long-term strategy of unification.

He had also seen his campaign as similar to that of his namesake, Julius Caesar, who conquered the vast region of Gaul in Europe more than two thousand years earlier. By conquering New Vegas and driving back the NCR, Caesar felt that he would finally be able to elevate the Legion into a legitimate "empire" by giving it its own "Rome".

Caesar is also referred to as the "Conqueror of the 86 Tribes" and whose Legion had never met any serious defeat until their confrontation with the NCR at the First Battle of Hoover Dam.

Though they had confronted the NCR before and had actually succeeded in destroying one of their major fortifications, Fort Aradesh, his forces (under Legate Graham) were devastated at Hoover Dam and would take several years to recover. Since that time, most of Caesar's forces have moved east of Texas, past the legendary cyclones that rage for most of the months of the year.

He regards the NCR as only an extension of the corruption that existed during the Old World. It exists as the antithesis to the Legion and as a catalyst for change that only a confrontation with it can bring. In his view, the NCR does not have a long-term solution to the problems of the Wasteland.

Appearances
Caesar appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Metzger, the leader of the Slavers Guild from the Den, was initially named Caesar.

Cezar Цезарь

Strategy
While it is not necessary for any quest, nor does it affect the game (apart from a few dialogue responses), it is possible to kill Caesar. One method is listed above. Another method of killing him involves simple brute force. In the tents in front of his tent, there are unlocked footlockers. Stealing a pistol from the footlockers is child's play during the daytime as no one is in the tents. After that, there are two choices. You can try your luck and go straight for Caesar, but be massacred by his guard. Killing the guards at the gate, however, will enable you to get your weapons back (they are in crates beside the gate). You should easily be able to fight your way to his tent, gaining several thousand caps in loot