Misjudged Morality: The Fallout Characters With Surprising Karma Scores
Uncovering Fallout's Karma System Inaccuracies: Examining characters like Dixon, James Hsu, and Roy Phillips, we delve into the flawed classifications of morality in the Fallout series
Highlights
The morality of certain NPCs can be deceiving within Fallout's karma system. Despite engaging in evil actions, characters such as Dixon in Fallout: New Vegas maintain a Neutral karma status.
Colonel James Hsu, featured in Fallout: New Vegas, is an admirable and well-liked character. However, it is perplexing that he possesses Neutral karma instead of Good karma, given his commendable actions and unwavering moral stance.
Interestingly, Roy Phillips from Fallout 3 is designated as having Good karma despite engaging in acts of mass murder. His heinous actions undoubtedly warrant a classification of Very Evil karma.
The karma system in Fallout effectively tracks player actions, but it is not flawless in its depiction of wasteland NPCs. While some characters have a karma rating that aligns with their true morality, there are instances where the system falls short and paints a misleading picture. These surprises can easily be revealed through simple conversations, exposing the true nature of these characters. This classic role-playing feature in Fallout operates on a straightforward principle: performing moral, kind, or heroic acts will garner good karma, while evil, cruel, and dishonest actions lead to evil karma. Certain game features are accessible only to players with specific karma levels, such as Fallout 3's companions tailored to different karma types. NPCs also possess fixed karma ratings that determine their moral standing and impact on the player's karma.
Fallout: New Vegas: Dixon's Karma Should Be South of Neutral
In the desolate wastelands of Fallout's universe, the main characters will often come across individuals who are mostly Neutral in nature. Generally, those with Neutral karma are considered average, neither inclined to perform heroic deeds nor prone to acts of cruelty. Essentially, they are individuals one might encounter in everyday life. However, Dixon, a character in Fallout: New Vegas, deviates significantly from this stereotype.
Dixon, a resident of Freeside, is a drug dealer who exhibits a moral compass no better than that of New Vegas' notorious raider gangs. He intentionally sells addictive and substandard products, deriving amusement from the addiction his customers develop. In fact, one of the game's objectives is to confront Dixon about his actions, but he dismisses the concerns. Surprisingly, despite his callousness, the game mistakenly attributes him with Neutral karma.
James Hsu in Fallout: New Vegas Deserves Better Than Neutral Karma
: Dixon's utter lack of redeeming qualities is evident throughout Fallout: New Vegas' cut content as well as in his minor role. His smug demeanor and delight in ruining lives clearly establish him as an unequivocally evil character, despite any claims made by his assigned karma label. Merely encountering Dixon once is sufficient to unveil his true colors.
In the vast Mojave Wasteland, Fallout: New Vegas' faction, the New California Republic (NCR), presents a superior alternative to Caesars' Legion. Nonetheless, the NCR's imperfections persist, owing to numerous flawed high-ranking officials, including their president. Within this flawed group, Colonel James Hsu stands out as a composed and level-headed presence, possessing leadership skills that can rival those of leaders from other factions. Curiously, his in-game karma appears to dissent, contradicting his admirable qualities.
When Boone, one of the most esteemed companions in Fallout: New Vegas, speaks highly of someone, it serves as a strong endorsement. When interacting with Hsu, players find him to be much more amiable compared to other significant figures within the NCR. Hsu demonstrates responsibility, reasonableness, and professionalism, setting him apart from the rest of the NCR leadership. However, despite being the most well-liked member of his faction, his karma remains stagnant at Neutral.
The fact that James Hsu lacks a Good karma rating seems perplexing. Engaging in combat against Caesars' Legion in Fallout: New Vegas is undoubtedly a commendable act, and Hsu does not display any signs of corruption. Considering his actions and the company he keeps, Colonel Hsu appears deserving of a higher karma rating, surpassing even the morally questionable Colonel Moore.
Fallout 3's Roy Phillips is the Opposite of a Good Person
The Fallout karma system's biggest flaw can be seen in a dark quest within Fallout 3. Despite Tenpenny Tower's visually appealing facade, its owner, Alistair Tenpenny, is undeniably despicable. In contrast, Roy Phillips, his adversary in the quest, is categorized as having Good karma. However, this characterization of Roy couldn't be more inaccurate, as he is just as wicked as Tenpenny.
Roy and his companions are denied entry into Tenpenny Tower due to their ghoul status. Given the Fallout universe's history with Ghouls, one may instinctively sympathize with Roy. However, Roy himself is exceedingly unpleasant, and aligning with him leads to dire consequences. Should he gain access to the tower, Roy will unleash a swarm of feral ghouls to slaughter all the residents, exhibiting no remorse whatsoever. Astonishingly, even after committing such atrocities, he still retains the classification of Good karma.
Roy's Good karma is perplexing in the game as his extreme hatred for humans makes him indistinguishable from those who contributed to the destruction of Fallout's world. This fact would likely not bother him. Despite his in-game actions, such as killing residents of the tower and supporting the destruction of Megaton, he should be classified as Very Evil karma, just like his adversary Tenpenny. However, he would probably find it amusing that players lose karma if they choose to fight against him.
Although players can generally keep track of their own character's karma, there are instances where the in-game karma designation disagrees, even when a character's alignment is evident. Admittedly, the impact of karma on the game is minimal compared to other notable elements like Fallout's iconic power armor. Nonetheless, it is understandable to wish that the karma system in Fallout games did not contain noticeable judgment errors.
