Lone Wanderer

The Vault 101 Dweller, also known as the "Lone Wanderer", is the Player Character in Fallout 3. This person is a young inhabitant of Vault 101, born in 2258 (July 13) in the Jefferson Memorial and moved to Vault 101 shortly after birth. In 2277, 200 years after The Great War, the Lone Wanderer is now at age 16. His father has mysteriously disappeared from Vault 101 without any explanation. The young Vault Dweller, with the help of Amata, leaves the safety of the Vault to look for his or her father in the ruins of Washington, DC. After finding his father, Project Purity is put back on track, however the reunion is cut short as the Enclave demands ownership of the Project. James cannot allow this for the sake of humanity and sacrifices himself by filling the control chamber of Project Purity with intense radiation. With his dying breath, he tells his son to run and escape.

The actions of the Lone Wanderer are entirely decided by the player, with the ultimate decision made at the culmination of the game: to either sacrifice himself and follow in his fathers' selfless example or allow Sentinel Sarah Lyons to activate Project Purity and be killed by the radiation (this was revised on May 5, 2009 when Broken Steel was released), or not do anything at all at the site of Project Purity. Another option is to infect the project with the canister of modified FEV that the Lone Wanderer receives from President Eden. (Taking the virus is an inevitable event because it occurs in a main story quest, The American Dream, and the player may not leave until they have taken the virus. They may, however, choose to hand it over to Elder Lyons when they speak to him at the Citadel afterward, or to not use it later if they retain it.)

Throughout the game, if the player tunes into Galaxy News Radio, they can hear stories about the Lone Wanderer's adventures, clothing and actions throughout the Capital Wasteland. Three Dog refers to the Wanderer differently depending on what is displayed on the Karma page (eg, "Last, Best Hope of Humanity" "Harbinger of War", etc). This title depends on karma and the player's level.

If the Lone Wanderer chose to sacrifice himself, he woke up weeks later in the Citadel's infirmary. Afterward the Wanderer assisted in the destruction of the remnant of the Enclave.

Trivia
The Lone Wanderer's birthdate, 7/13/2258, may also be a Biblical reference. Micah 7:13 reads: "And the earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants, On account of the fruit of their deeds." This aptly describes the whole Fallout series.

Appearances
The Lone Wanderer only appears in Fallout 3 and its respective DLC's Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt and Broken Steel.

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