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Ghouls are humans mutated by radiation and going through the process of Ghoulification, causing changes to their appearance, giving them radiation resistance, and increasing their lifespan.

Background

Ghouls are humans that have been exposed to radiation, causing several changes to their appearance and extending their lifespans.[1][2] Further radiation exposure heals ghouls, and does not impact them negatively.[3]

By Game

Image Name Description Games
Fo1 ghoul manager.png Ghoul Exposed to radiation, ghouls have changed physically and have extended lifespans.[4] Ghouls require water to survive, asking the Vault Dweller not to steal their water chip.[5] They are described as being organized by the Children of the Cathedral.[6]

Ghouls have established the community of Necropolis, named after the "City of Death."[7] The settlement may be attacked by super mutants, and a ghoul refugee shares with the Vault Dweller that they were butchered with guns and bombs.[8]

FO1
Fo2 Wooz.png Ghoul Ghouls are humans that have been exposed to radiation, causing several changes to their appearance and extending their lifespans.[9][10] Caught outside of a vault during the Great War, their physical characteristics have changed since before the bombs fell.[Pub 1] Characteristics include "splotchy skin" that is "ready to slough off," and appears burned by radiation.[11][12]

Coffin Willie tells the Chosen One that he doesn't have a nose, otherwise he would have "choked on my own stink" while buried alive by the humans in Reno.[13] Ghouls such as Gordon and Wooz still have hair.[14][15] Eric's body exudes fly nutrients, made worse when he sweats, and Festus is described as smelling "like an infected wound."[16][17]

FO2
Superior ghoul armor render.jpg Ghoul Ghouls are immune to radiation, with extended lifespans. There are numerous ghouls in the Midwest, including a nuclear weapon-worshiping cult in Kansas City. Both Quincy and Springfield also have at least some ghoul occupants.

Ghouls in Fallout Tactics are usually found in random encounters and are mostly hostile. Due to their physical weakness, they are only able to use a number of light weapons such as axe handles, broken bottles, hunting rifles, shotguns and grenades. They get a bonus to Poison Resistance.

FOT
FOBOS Ghoul.jpg Ghoul Ghouls are the result of humans being exposed to radiation. They have longer lifespans and are healed when close to radioactive materials.[Pub 2][Pub 3] The player can choose to play as a ghoul named Cain. If playing as Cain, some characters will comment on his status as a ghoul. FOBOS
Underworlders.jpg Ghoul Ghouls are humans that have been exposed to radiation, causing several changes to their appearance and extending their lifespans.[1][18] Further radiation exposure heals ghouls, and does not impact them negatively.[19]

Ghouls in the Capital Wasteland are willing to describe the process, beginning with skin drying and flaking off.[1] Carol explained that it "took months, maybe a year" for the process to occur, and that some went crazy, and others accepted it.[1] Individuals such as Desmond Lockheart wished to extend their lifespan, intentionally exposing themselves to radiation in an attempt to become a ghoul.[Pub 4]

FO3
Jason Bright.jpg Ghoul Under construction, check back soon! FNV
Zao.jpg Ghoul Under construction, check back soon! FO4
FO76 Bethy Mangano.png Ghoul Under construction, check back soon! FO76

Behind the scenes

  • Developers shared their inspirations for creating ghouls, including those mutated by FEV and radiation, and radiation alone.[Dev 1][Dev 2]
  • According to Kal-El Bogdanove, ghouls who have recently mutated have less raspy voices.[Dev 3]
  • Born ghouls were planned for inclusion in Van Buren.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lone Wanderer: "So, how did you end up as a Ghoul?"
    Carol: "I don't know how it happens. Doctor Barrows says it was radiation. All I know is that people kept showing up here in the museum. After things calmed down above ground, we tried to live down here as best we could. After a while, things got strange. My skin started to get dry and flake off. Everyone's did. It took a while, months, maybe a year. But sooner or later, everyone ended up like this. Some of them went crazy. Some of us just accepted it. After a while, other Ghouls would find their way in here and Underworld just sort of grew. No one bothered us down here, and we were happy enough to leave them alone. And once my Greta showed up, it was a good enough life for me."
    (Carol's dialogue)
  2. ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Gah! Fuck! What are you?"
    Gob: "I guess they don't have a lot of Ghouls in the Vault. Haven't you ever seen a Ghoul before?"
    Lone Wanderer: "No. What's a ghoul?"
    Gob: "Well, not all of us got the chance to hole up in a nice cushy Vault when the bombs fell. A bunch of us got stuck out here in the world, and got a full on blast of heat and radiation -- turned us into a pack of walking corpses. Near as I can tell, we age slower than you. A lot slower. There are even a few Ghouls that were alive during the war. Of course, with a face like ground Brahmin meat, you can imagine that folks don't take too kindly to us."
    (Gob's dialogue)
  3. ↑ Fallout 3 loading screen: "Ghouls, both "normal" and Feral, are not only immune to radiation...they are healed by it."
  4. ↑ Typhon: "{101}{}{You see Typhon, son of Set.}"
    The Chosen One: "{150}{}{Who are you?}"
    Typhon: "{155}{}{I'm Typhon. Y'ever hear of Set? He used to run the old-time town of Necropolis. I'm his son. Got born before the radiation hit us, so I grew up mutated. Ain't never been any other way for me.}"
    (Typhon's dialogue)
  5. ↑ Ghoul leader: "{132}{}{You aren't thinking of taking the Water Chip from us are you?}"
    Vault Dweller: "{135}{}{Why?}"
    Ghoul leader: "{136}{}{If you take the Water Chip from us, then we will all die. With our water pump broken we need it to survive.}"
    (LEADER.MSG)
  6. ↑ Children of the Cathedral guard's dialogue: "I dunno. I can tell you one thing, whatever you can say about the religion, they're not amateurs. They came in and organized this place like clockwork. This isn't just another band of mindless zombies."
  7. ↑ Vault Dweller: "{1012}{}{Necropolis}"
    Tycho: "{1112}{}{The City of Death is well named. It lies in what used to be the little town of Bakersfield. Now, though, it's home to ghouls and worse.}"
    (Tycho's dialogue)
  8. ↑ Ghoul refugee: "The super mutants attacked. We were slaughtered. They had guns and bombs, even some steam trucks. They killed my friends. The mutants just butchered us."
    (GHREFUGE.MSG)
  9. ↑ Chosen One: "You can heal people?"
    Lenny: "Well, b’before the W’war I w’was a doctor."
    The Chosen One: "Before the war? But that must have been almost 160 years ago."
    Lenny: "That's t’true. B’but the radiation seems to have g’given us g’ghouls a longer life-span. ‘Course, it took almost eveything else away."
    (GCLENNY.MSG)
  10. ↑ Chosen One: "{115}{}{Tell me about this place.}"
    Wooz: "{160}{}{Not much to tell, really. Just a bunch of ghouls clinging tenaciously to the ass-end of life.}"
    Chosen One: "{161}{}{No, I meant tell me about this bar.}"
    Wooz: "{440}{}{Well, the Harp’s named after a favorite hangout that I used to have before the war. I guess it’s just a reminder of times past. Sort of a joke on the only way we’re going to get a better deal, too.}"
    Chosen One: "{441}{}{Before the war? But that was a long time ago.}"
    Wooz: "{460}{}{It sure was a long time ago. How do you think ghouls are made? You think some of us just got up one fine day and said to ourselves: "Gee, I wonder what it’d be like to have my flesh rotting off my fucking body?"}"
    Chosen One: "{461}{}{Well, no, I didn’t. Say, how do you make a ghoul?}"
    Wooz: "490}{}{With silver-bells and cockleshells and… Boy, you are dumb, aren’t you? Severe radiation. That’s how. How do you think? You know, many bombs go boom, flash of light and heat, flesh burns off, but you don’t-quite-die-type severe radiation?}"
    Chosen One: "{491}{}{Uh well, I mean…}"
    Wooz: "{500}{}{Well, I didn’t think so. Fuck you very much for bringing back all those intensely painful memories. Asshole. We’re a town of fucking leftovers -— slightly overcooked leftovers.}"
    (Wooz's dialogue)
  11. ↑ Gecko citizen: "You see someone whose skin seems to have been burned with radiation. That much radiation looks as though it should have killed it, but it seems well enough."
    (GCFOLK.MSG)
  12. ↑ Refinery supervisor: "You see a weird mutant thing with splotchy skin and a ghastly smile."
    (Hcsuper.msg)
  13. ↑ Coffin Willie: "Jest pop inta Reno fer a lil' drinking n' whoring, n' damned smoothies jam me inna goddamn grave... Good thing I ain't got no nose, or I woulda choked on my own stink."
    (NcWillie.msg)
  14. ↑ Gordon: "{100}{}{You see another ghoul. He appears to be preoccupied.}"
    "{101}{}{You see Gordon of Gecko.}"
    "{102}{}{You see a very nicely dressed ghoul with his hair slicked back.}"
    (Gordon's dialogue)
  15. ↑ Wooz: "{100}{}{You see a tall ghoul with long hair.}"
    "{101}{}{You see Wooz.}"
    "{102}{}{You see an extremely tall and lanky ghoul with long hair.}"
    (GCWOOZ.MSG)
  16. ↑ Eric: "They come here because for some odd reason I exude fly nutrients. My body is rich with food for them, and this sweating just makes it worse."
    (Hceric.msg)
  17. ↑ Festus: "They come here because for some odd reason I exude fly nutrients. My body is rich with food for them, and this sweating just makes it worse."
    (GCFESTUS.MSG)
  18. ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Gah! Fuck! What are you?"
    Gob: "I guess they don't have a lot of Ghouls in the Vault. Haven't you ever seen a Ghoul before?"
    Lone Wanderer: "No. What's a ghoul?"
    Gob: "Well, not all of us got the chance to hole up in a nice cushy Vault when the bombs fell. A bunch of us got stuck out here in the world, and got a full on blast of heat and radiation -- turned us into a pack of walking corpses. Near as I can tell, we age slower than you. A lot slower. There are even a few Ghouls that were alive during the war. Of course, with a face like ground Brahmin meat, you can imagine that folks don't take too kindly to us."
    (Gob's dialogue)
  19. ↑ Fallout 3 loading screen: "Ghouls, both "normal" and Feral, are not only immune to radiation...they are healed by it."
Publications
  1. ↑ Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets: "Ghouls were once humans, but they were caught outside of a protective Vault when the bombs dropped. The same radiation that turned their flesh into parched leather has given them an incredibly long life-span. Those closest to the blast zones are still so radioactive that they continue to glow. These Glowing Ones, as they're called, have had some of their intellect burned away as well. Shunned by the people of the Wastes, most Ghouls have little to live for."
  2. ↑ Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Manual p.13: "CAIN: As a mercenary, Cain is a ghoul through and through. Stooped, skeletal and bony, Cain is a real badass, the kind of guy that upon finding your burning body would roast desert rat over you rather than put you out. When his home was razed to the ground by the mutants, Cain took it personally. In an attempt to seek vengeance upon the mutants, he sought out the Brotherhood of Steel and demanded entry. As a somewhat isolationist and anti-mutant order, the Brotherhood was reluctant to grant him admission, but Cain’s perseverance was fueled with a grim determination. He was finally given a test of Initiation, a suicide mission that should he survive would allow him to become one of the first ghouls ever to join the ranks of the Brotherhood. With less strength than Cyrus and less speed than Nadia, Cain's ability to withstand the effects of radiation is what truly sets him apart. Once he has gained the Rad-Child skill, He will actually heal himself when coming in contact with Radioactive Substances."
  3. ↑ Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Official Strategy Guide p.4: "CAIN: Cain is a Ghoul. He was once a man, but was severely disfigured by radiation poisoning. He became sickly thin, skeletal in appearance. And the changes were more than skin deep. Cain became a merciless, tough-as-nails mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. But when an army of mutants destroyed his home, the only payment Cain would seek was vengeance. He approached the Brotherhood, but they were reticent to open their ranks to a Ghoul. Behind closed doors, the Brotherhood decided to send Cain on a suicide mission for the order. They figured he would never succeed. But within Cain beats the heart of a killer, and that's just the kind of man this mission calls for."
    "Strengths: With less strength than Cyrus and less speed than Nadia, Cain's ability to withstand the effects of radiation is what truly sets him apart. Whereas the other two must avoid the toxic effects of radioactive substances,Cain will actually heal himself by coming into contact with it."
    "Weaknesses: Cain is not as strong as Cyrus, nor is he as fast as Nadia."
    "Special Skills
    Rad Child:Coming into contact with radioactive substances heals Cain when he learns this skill.
    Sadist:When Cain learns this skill, he receives a few health points every time he kills an enemy.
    Pyromaniac:This skill increases Cain's chances of dealing a critical hit when using fire weapons, like a flamethrower.
    Butcher:Increases Cain's chances of dealing a critical hit when using knives."
  4. ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide/Wasteland Census p.69: "Desmond the Ghoul: Facing the nuclear holocaust, global leaders and members of the intelligence community made their personal bids for survival in the new world. F.E.V., cryogenic stasis, AI consciousness, even—in Desmond's case—controlled exposure to normally lethal doses of radiation were among the wildly risky and experimental techniques pursued in the name of survival in a world without modern infrastructure."
Developer Statements
  1. ↑ Fallout Bible 5
  2. ↑ Fallout developer statements; Chris Taylor on Fallout's Background
  3. ↑ Kal-El Bogdanove on Reddit:
    BillyH666: "One nitpick I have is of the Unknown Ghoul holotape in Harper's Ferry (Safe Haven I think?). Supposed to be a ghoul but the voice is silky smooth. Doesn't seem to match up :P"
    TheYoungGriffin: "Havent gotten there yet, but maybe it's because it's still a relatively fresh ghoul. All the ones we meet in later Fallout games are hundreds of years old."
    KalElBogdanove: "Hi! Voice director for the game here. You are correct! Light texture is the result of a fresh ghoul. Thanks for playing!"
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FalloutBrahmin · Centaur · Coyote · Deathclaw · Dog · Floater · Glowing Ghoul · Iguana · Mantis · Mindless ghoul · Mole rat · Pig rat · Pugsley · Radscorpion · Rat · Super Mutant Guard · Wolf
Fallout 2Centaur · Deathclaw · Dog · Fire Gecko · Floater · Gecko · Ghoul crazy · Giant ant · Glowing One · Golden Gecko · Iguana · Little Gecko · Mantis · Mole rat · Pig rat · Radscorpion · Rat · Spore plant · Tough Fire Gecko · Tough Golden Gecko · Tough Little Gecko · Wanamingo · Wolf
Fallout TacticsBoom bug · Brahmin · Deathclaw · Dog · Giant Rat · Giant cockroach · Giant wasp · Komodo dragon · Radscorpion · Wolf
Fallout: BOSBrahmin · Deathclaw · Dog · Giant Rat · Glowing Ghoul · Radbug · Radscorpion · Small rat
Fallout 3Base gameAutomated Turret · Bloatfly · Brahmin · Centaur · Dead Ant · Deathclaw · Dog · Feral Ghoul · Feral Ghoul Roamer · Fire Ant · Fire Ant Nest Guardian · Fire Ant Soldier · Fire Ant Warrior · Fire Ant Worker · Giant Ant Queen · Giant Radscorpion · Giant Soldier Ant · Giant Worker Ant · Glowing One · Iguana · Invader Ant · Marigold Ant Queen · Mirelurk · Mirelurk Hunter · Mirelurk King · Mole Rat · Mutated Forager Ant · Nukalurk · Radroach · Radscorpion · Scavenger's Yao Guai · Super Mutant · Super Mutant Behemoth · Super Mutant Brute · Super Mutant Master · Vulture · Yao Guai
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Fallout ShelterAshes · Bandit · Death · Deathclaw · Fallout Shelter creatures · Feral ghoul · Four Score · Mole rat · Muttface · Radroach · Radscorpion
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Nuka-World creaturesAnt · Bloodworm · Brahmiluff · Cave cricket · Charred Painted Ghoul · Flying Ant Swarm · Flying Glowing Ant Swarm · Flying Soldier Ant Swarm · Forager Ant · Gatorclaw · Gazelle · Glowing Ant · Katana · Luna · Nukalurk Hunter · Overgrown Forager Ant · Overgrown Glowing Ant · Overgrown Soldier Ant · Painted Ghoul · Rad-rat · Small Forager Ant · Small Glowing Ant · Small Soldier Ant · Soldier Ant
Fallout 76Alien · Alpha Fog Crawler · Alpha Grafton Monster · Alpha Sheepsquatch · Angler · Ant · Beast of Beckley · Beaver · Bee swarm · Bloatfly · Bloodbug · Blue Devil · Brahmin · Buzzard · Cat · Cave cricket · Chicken · Creature taming · Cryptid · Deathclaw · Dog · Fallout 76 creatures · Feral ghoul · Firefly · Flatwoods Monster · Floater · Fly · Fog Crawler · Forager Ant · Fox · Frog · Glowing Ant · Glowing Honey Beast · Glowing One · Grafton Monster · Gulper · Hermit crab · Honey Beast · Honey Beast · Iguana · Mega sloth · Minos · Mirelurk · Mirelurk Hunter · Mirelurk King · Mirelurk queen · Mirelurk spawn · Mole miner · Mole rat · Mongrel · Mothman · Mutant hound · Necrotic Sheepsquatch · Nia · Noxious Sheepsquatch · Observant Radstag · Ogua · Opossum · Overgrown Forager Ant · Overgrown Glowing Ant · Overgrown Soldier Ant · Owlet · Prime Honey Beast · Prime Sheepsquatch · Pup of the Beast · Putrified Honey Beast · Rabbit · Radrat · Radroach · Radscorpion · Radstag · Radtoad · Raging Honey Beast · Scorchbeast · Scorchbeast Queen · Scorched · Scorched Ant · Scorched Honey Beast · Sheepsquatch · Sickly Radstag · Small Forager Ant · Small Glowing Ant · Small Soldier Ant · Snallygaster · Soldier Ant · Son of Fluffy · Squirrel · Stingwing · Strangler heart · The Interloper · Tick · Tiny The Chicken · Toxic Sheepsquatch · Trog · Ultracite Titan · Ultramite · Visitor · Vulture · Wendigo · Wendigo colossus · Whale · Wolf · Yao Guai
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