The Fallout Show Seals the Fate of the Fallout Franchises Power Armor Controversy

06/05/2024

Fallout show’s Power Armor retcons have been clarified, but the controversial Fusion Cores remain a permanent change.
Fallout 3 introduced training requirements for Power Armor, while Fallout 4 added Fusion Cores as power source.
The Fallout show solidifies Power Armor with Fusion Cores as canon, setting the future lore in stone for the franchise.

While the Fallout show’s first Season has generally been well received by longtime fans of the games, debates about alleged retcons in the franchise have become a hot topic recently. For the most part, these alleged retcons in the Fallout show have been clarified and debunked by official sources by now. However, one particular retcon still sticks out like a sore thumb, which is the Fallout show’s iteration of Power Armor.

Despite remaining an iconic feature of the games, the Fallout franchise’s Power Armor has gone through several changes by this point. Throughout the franchise, these changes have resulted in the original lore surrounding Power Armor being retconned. With the Fallout show being considered canon, the iteration of Power Armor depicted in the show essentially sets the future of the franchise’s Power Armor in stone.

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The Fallout Franchises Power Armor Retcons Explained

Power Armor Training Requirements

The first change to the Fallout franchise’s Power Armor which is generally considered a retcon was introduced in Fallout 3. Fallout 3 marks the first game in the franchise developed by Bethesda, who obtained the rights to the franchise from Interplay Entertainment. With such a transition, it was arguably inevitable that the franchise’s lore would change, and such is the case for the franchise’s iconic Power Armor.

Fallout 3’s iteration of Power Armor was functionally the same as it was in the previous games, though in this game it requires proper training credentials before it can be operated. Based on the reckless actions of the main character Maximus in the Fallout show, after the character first obtains a suit of Power Armor, it appears that Power Armor training is no longer a required prerequisite to operate the armor.

Power Armor Fusion Cores

Fallout 4 ultimately omitted Fallout 3’s Power Armor training prerequisites, though this game once again introduced new changes. Unlike Fallout 3’s training credentials, Fallout 4’s version of Power Armor has been considered highly controversial as a much more explicit retcon to the lore of the original Fallout games. Among other changes, the most noteworthy change introduced in Fallout 4 is that Power Armor now requires Fusion Cores as a power source.

In the games before Fallout 4, Power Armor was said to have drawn power from an infinite power source attached to the back of the suit, except from this point in the franchise onward, Power Armor is now powered by a removable and finite power source, Fusion Cores. With the Fallout show’s Power Armor using Fusion Core power sources, this marks this element of Power Armor as a definitive, permanent change.

The Fallout show itself doesnt necessarily retcon the original Fallout games’ Power Armor lore, but it still perpetuates retcons that were introduced in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4.

The Fallout Shows Version of Power Armor is Canon

Concerning the Fallout show, the medium’s accessibility to a wider audience beyond gamers naturally means that the show has a lot of influence on the franchise. Consequently, the Fallout show could have been the perfect platform to reboot the franchise and establish a new, modern lore for future Fallout games to inherit. However, this wasn’t the case, as the show ultimately remains faithful to the lore of the modern Fallout games developed by Bethesda, and is considered canon.

As a result, the Fallout show’s depiction of Power Armor including Fusion Cores effectively ends any discussions of whether Power Armor will ever go back to the way it was in the franchise’s original lore. So after the Fallout show, fans who were holding out hope that future Fallout games would reintroduce the old style of Power Armor may be out of luck. As controversial as these changes and retcons surrounding the Fallout franchise’s Power Armor have been, these changes seem to be here to stay, for better or worse.

Fallout 76

FranchiseFalloutPlatform(s)PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleasedNovember 14, 2018Developer(s)BethesdaPublisher(s)BethesdaGenre(s)Action, RPGMultiplayerOnline MultiplayerEngineCreationESRBM for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of AlcoholHow Long To Beat34 HoursX|S EnhancedNoFile Size Xbox Series96 GB (April 2024)Metascore53PS Plus AvailabilityExtra & Premium See at Official SiteSee at Amazon