Fallout Season 2 Introduces a Surprising Feature Missing From the Games

Image: Prime Video

By the time the credits roll on Fallout season 2, the audience has been introduced to a sprawling tapestry of wasteland inhabitants. From the mechanical precision of Securitrons to the primal terror of deathclaws and super mutants, the series is teeming with life. Yet, it is the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) who truly overshadows his peers. His presence is so magnetic that it’s impossible not to crave a future where the next Fallout installment allows us to experience the apocalypse as a necrotic wanderer.

Before the community protests, it is worth acknowledging that playing as a ghoul isn’t a entirely foreign concept. Bethesda introduced a transformation mechanic in its March 2025 update for Fallout 76, and players could select pre-defined ghoul protagonists in Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

However, these implementations carry significant caveats. The early spin-offs don’t offer the deep character agency synonymous with the mainline series, making those avatars feel less like your own. Meanwhile, Fallout 76 permits customization but gates the experience behind the Leap of Faith quest, which requires reaching level 50. While Fallout 76 takes a step in the right direction, it doesn’t quite fulfill the desire for a foundational, ghoul-centric role-playing experience.

Image: Bethesda Softworks

The true evolution for Bethesda would be to shatter the tradition of starting as a Vault Dweller. Instead, the narrative should cast players directly into the harsh sunlight of the Wasteland, either as an established ghoul or a survivor grappling with the onset of the transformation.

Occupying the role of a ghoul would redefine how players interact with the world. Obsidian Entertainment explored a similar non-Vault origin in Fallout: New Vegas, where the Courier is already ingrained in the Mojave’s social fabric. However, a ghoul protagonist would face even steeper social hurdles. Unlike a human who might find acceptance within the Brotherhood of Steel or Caesar’s Legion, ghouls are often viewed with visceral disdain. In Fallout 4, these “undesirables” are relegated to the drifter haven of Goodneighbor due to Diamond City’s exclusionary policies. Prime Video’s Fallout further highlights this animosity; the Brotherhood considers ghouls mere abominations, with characters like Xander Harkness (Kumail Nanjiani) showing a chilling readiness to purge even ghoul children. Fallout 76 reinforces this isolation, forcing players to use disguises to avoid being attacked by prejudice-driven NPCs.

Image: Prime Video

Forcing players to navigate the world exclusively as a ghoul would require engaging with the Wasteland in an unprecedented way. While the series has featured heroic ghouls like Fallout 4’s John Hancock, they are rarely the central focus of a grand redemption arc. Exploring whether a necrotic outsider can truly be the hero of the story—and what that implies for the future of their kind—presents a fascinating narrative opportunity. It would require a nuanced storytelling touch, but the potential to move beyond Bethesda’s more “Looney Tunes” tendencies, like those seen with the Institute, is immense.

Given the immense popularity of Walton Goggins’ character and Ron Perlman’s ominous hints regarding a potential conflict between ghouls and super mutants in the show’s future, the timing is perfect. Bethesda should finally look past human protagonists and embrace something far more radical—and radioactive.

All episodes of Fallout season 2 are currently streaming on Prime Video.

Source: Polygon