“Keep Walkin’, Smoothskin” – A Guide to ‘Fallout’s Ghouls
Grab your favorite sunscreen and take a look at the irradiated denizens of the Wasteland: Fallout‘s ghouls.
Welcome in, Wasteland Wanderers! The Wasteland can be a dangerous place when you first venture out of your vault. From deadly raiders and Roman slavers to irradiated creatures, a lot is standing in your way. However, the thing you really need to look out for is the Ghouls.
Whether they’re just survivors like you or feral monsters out for blood, they’re as iconic to the Fallout Wasteland as Super Mutants and Radscorpions. But who are these scarred creatures, and are they friend or foe? That entirely depends on which ones you run into.
Jump To…
What Are Ghouls?
Ghouls are what happens when a human is subjected to massive amounts of radiation over a long period of time. The intense radiation causes their skin to take on a necrotic look, giving them a zombie-like appearance. The luckiest of these retain their humanity and carry on a relatively normal life. They are usually shunned by human society, but they can maintain a mostly standard life.
The damage to their bodies also usually extends to their vocal cords, giving their voice a raspy quality. This is not always the case, especially not early in the transformation process, but it is an iconic part of near-human ghouls.
Feral Ghouls
The unlucky have their brains permanently altered by the Ghoulification process. They revert to their feral tendencies and have given rise to an almost universal hatred of Ghouls. It is believed that all ghouls will eventually devolve into “Ferals”, as they are called, but one thing that no one denies is that there’s no way back.
Whether or not that’s true, it has led to a prejudice against the Ghouls. The Ferals patrol the darker places of the world, attacking any who wander into their territory with ruthless prejudice. They fight with teeth and claws rather than weapons and are prone to cannibalism after they slay their enemies.
The most dangerous type of Ghouls is the Glowing Ones, so-called because they literally glow with green light. These ghouls have been subjected to so much radiation that they give off pale light, and the area around them is just as deadly as their attacks. The ghouls themselves are immune to the irradiated aura of the Glowing Ones, but unwary wanderers will find themselves poisoned by the mere presence of a Glowing One.
Are Ghouls Immortal?
Radiation slows Ghoul’s aging and significantly expands their life expectancy. The amount or limitations of this aren’t fully known, but we’ve seen some Ghouls who have been around long enough to remember the world before – which is at least two hundred years.
There is no known cure for their affliction, but there are ways to extend their lives using a medication called radaway.
Why Do Ghouls Lose Their Noses?
Radiation weakens and eventually disintegrates their cartilage, and noses are mostly cartilage. Some seem also to be missing most of their outer ears for the same reason, but this is a bit less prevalent.
Do All Humans Turn Into Ghouls?
In Fallout, exposure to too much radiation will kill you outright. However, being exposed to a significant but non-lethal dose of radiation will begin the Ghoul transformation process. It’s a balancing act between ‘too much’ and ‘way too much.’ And, of course, the option for ‘none’ is almost impossible.
A Few Famous Ghouls Found in Fallout the Video Game
John Hancock, the estranged younger brother of Diamond City’s mayor, runs Goodneighbor in the events of Fallout 4. He became a ghoul by choice after attempting to rescue the ghouls of Diamond City from his brother’s draconian anti-ghoul regime. He is also a drug addict, having taken to Jet after his attempts to save the ghouls failed. However, the people of Goodneighbor love him, and he is happy. He does caution his followers not to get too comfortable, but his depression never gets the best of him.
Jason Bright, one of the only known sentient Glowing Ones, is a prophet who fought in the Great War and believes he’s seen the promised land. Taking his cues from an entity he calls “the Creator,” he has foreseen a world where ghouls can live in peace, free from the tyranny of non-ghoul humans. He plans to take his flock there in reclaimed rockets. Unfortunately, a troop of Nightkin Supermutants that Bright refers to as “demons” keep stopping him.
How are the Ghouls Different in the Fallout TV Show?
2024’s Fallout TV series made a few key moves to add to the more of Fallout and make the series accessible and enjoyable for new fans coming to the story for the first time. This included a few small changes.
One such change was how the Ghouls can pause the process of becoming feral. Instead of being something that happens sometimes, the show makes becoming a feral part of the process. It’s an inevitability for everyone without intervention. To prevent themselves from going full radiation-zombie, TV-Fallout Ghouls have to take an inhalant drug that seems to stabilize their current level of Ghoul-hood. We see Cooper Howard trying to acquire and eventually finding a huge stash of this drug throughout the show.
Another addition to the lore is the ghoulification of people with drugs. The snake-oil salesman sells a wonder drug to Thaddeus, and after taking the mystery serum, his broken foot heals almost immediately. The snake oil salesman makes an offhand comment about Thaddeus not having to worry about radiation anymore, and then he later realizes he is nearly impossible to kill or permanently injure. We don’t know exactly what the serum was, but it seems to be a shortcut to making people into Ghouls.
Is the Ghoul in the Fallout TV Show a Bad Guy?
He’s not really a bad guy or a good guy. He’s an anti-hero at best. But really, it feels like Cooper is just trying to get by and find his family in a very inhospitable world.
Do you have a favorite Fallout Ghoul? What did you think of the lore changes and expansions from the TV show? How would you do in that Ghoul life? Let us know in the comments!
