Grand Canyon

Lore & Background

In the Wasteland canon, the Grand Canyon is a remote and largely uninhabited region, its immense chasm a silent testament to the world that was. No major factions or settlements are known to control the area, and it remains a dangerous, untamed wilderness where remnants of the old world and mutated creatures roam. The Hoover Dam, while a significant landmark in the real world, does not serve as a garrison or outpost of civilization in the Wasteland series.

In Their Own Story

The Fallen Earth story begins in the 21st century, when the first in a series of natural disasters hits the United States. As Americans struggle to recover, an investment tycoon named Brenhauer buys a controlling stake in a mega-corporation named GlobalTech. By 2051, he moves his headquarters to the Grand Canyon Province, where GlobalTech eventually creates a self-sufficient economic and military mini-state. Meanwhile, in India and Pakistan, the Shiva virus, named for the dance-like convulsions that it caused in its victims, appears among the human populace. As the infection starts to spread, countries accuse each other of engineering the virus. Political paranoia turns to open aggression and nuclear conflict. The nuclear conflict combined with the virus devastates the United States. Less than one percent of Earth's population survived the Fall, and the Hoover Dam Garrison and Grand Canyon Province are the only known outposts of human civilization. Outside the protective confines of the Hoover Dam Garrison, the player encounters ruins of the old world, genetically altered creatures, strange technology, and six warring factions. Some factions seek to rebuild the old world, others wish to build a new one in their own image, and some simply desire chaos and anarchy.

Reader's Guide

The Grand Canyon in Fallen Earth is the setting for the entire game world. The world map covers more than 1000 square kilometres of usable terrain based on real-world topographical maps of the area. The environment is zoneless and set in sectors which continue the story-arc of the game, and which can be advanced through at the player's own pace. The game includes first-person and third-person views, a classless system, Player-versus-Player combat, mounted combat, crafting, and a noise-based stealth system. Players start out neutral and can remain neutral or choose to align themselves with a particular faction. Aligning with a faction will give characters a head start in skills and specialized equipment. The game features active skills—trade-skills as well as mutation-based skills—which can be increased through Advancement Points (APs) or skill usage. Advancement Points are earned alongside level experience, and aside from increasing skill points, can also be used to boost Attributes. Players can undo and 're-spec' their skill point allocation. Combat is generally in a first-person shooter format, with no 'target locking' as in other MMOs. There are three main methods of dealing damage: rifles, pistols, and melee. Fallen Earth has thousands of items as well as equipment and accessories of varying strength for players to craft and equip in up to 22 separate equipment slots. The game also has a variety of functional vehicles.

Did You Know?

• The Grand Canyon is one of the few pre-war landmarks that remains largely unchanged by the nuclear apocalypse in the Wasteland universe.
• No major settlements or factions are known to operate within the Grand Canyon in the Wasteland series, leaving it a dangerous and unexplored wilderness.
• The canyon's immense depth and complex geology make it a natural barrier, isolating the region from the conflicts of the post-war world.