Mojave Wasteland
A sun-scorched desert where the dead still hold the keys to power.
Wasteland Wanderer · CC BY 3.0
The player, a wounded intercontinental courier, arrives in Goodsprings delivering the Platinum Chip and becomes entangled in every one of these conflicts.
- Major factions
- New California Republic, Caesar's Legion, Boomers, 18 Karat Caravan, New Vegas S
Lore & Background
In the two centuries that followed, the Mojave became a patchwork of survival economies. House, who survived the war in a life-support pod inside the Lucky 38, operates the city as a private, profit-driven enterprise, selling water, power, and security to whoever can pay. The NCR's grip on the Hoover Dam makes it a flashpoint: the NCR wants the dam for its people, the Legion wants it for its war machine, and House wants it for his customers. Into this web steps the Courier, who carries the Platinum Chip—a device used to upgrade the Securitron army at the Lucky 38, making them a prize for every power in the desert.
In Their Own Story
The dust tasted like copper and old blood. You'd been walking since Goodsprings, the satchel strap cutting a red line across your shoulder, and the sun had no mercy up here—just a white disc grinding the sky into nothing. Primm's water tower stood against the haze, a rusted sentinel over the dry wash. And beyond the river, the Strip flickered: a constellation of neon and glass, impossibly alive in a world of ash. You could almost hear the slot machines clicking, the jazz bleeding from the Lucky 38's speakers. You could almost believe the war was over. You kept walking. The satchel was getting heavier, or maybe you were getting lighter. In the Mojave, those were the same thing.
Reader's Guide
The player begins in Goodsprings, a small water-stop town outside Primm, and the early game funnels them along the road toward the Strip. You spawn in Goodsprings and travel east along the main road. There is no overworld menu to select it; the region is the game's sole open world, bounded by the NCR border to the west and the Legion-controlled eastern wastes to the east.
Did You Know?
- The Mojave Wasteland is the primary setting of Fallout: New Vegas, which was released in 2010.
- The region is centered on the ruins of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, the Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River corridor.
- The player begins in Goodsprings, a small water-stop town outside Primm.
- The 18 Karat Caravan is a luxury service that once ferried wealthy pre-war clients across the desert.
- The NCR controls the Hoover Dam and its reservoir, making it the region's most critical water source.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Mojave Wasteland?
It is the main setting of Fallout: New Vegas, a 2010 post-apocalyptic RPG built by Obsidian Entertainment and released by Bethesda Softworks. The region covers the sun-baked deserts of Nevada and Arizona, with the shattered remains of Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River corridor at its heart.
Where does the player begin in the Mojave Wasteland?
Your journey kicks off in Goodsprings, a small, dusty settlement on the desert's edge. From that starting point, the Courier is pulled into the wider political and military conflicts that define the region.
Who holds power in the Mojave Wasteland?
The territory is split among a shifting web of factions—including the New California Republic, Caesar's Legion, Mr. House, and the Boomers—each vying for control of the Hoover Dam and the river corridor. The player's choices ultimately tip the balance toward one side or another.
What makes the Mojave Wasteland different from other Fallout regions?
Rather than pitting the player against a single overarching threat, the Mojave centers on a multi-faction political struggle where the Courier's decisions directly reshape who governs the Southwest. This gave the game a notably more nuanced, player-driven narrative than many other entries in the series.
Why is the Mojave Wasteland important to the Fallout franchise?
It provides the stage for Fallout: New Vegas, a title widely praised for its branching storylines and moral complexity within the lawless American Southwest. The region's faction-driven design set a tonal and mechanical benchmark that later Fallout titles have referenced or reacted against.
More in World & Locations
Elsewhere in the Wasteland universe
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