fallout

"Metallic Monks"
Freeside was built up around the intersection of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard. The influx of destitute travelers in recent months has created problems for its local residents.Fallout: New Vegas loading screen

Freeside is a district of New Vegas in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas. It also appears in season 2 of the Fallout TV series and Fallout Shelter.

Located within the pre-War ruins of Fremont Street, Freeside has been abandoned by Mr. House and the Three Families as slums condemned to anarchy, with a figurative and literal wall to divide its residents from those House deems worthy of visiting the Strip. Even still, some groups such as the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Van Graffs have made a living for themselves amidst the daily struggle for survival most others face.[Supplement 1]

Background

While the city of Las Vegas was not heavily damaged during the course of the Great War, survivors did not immediately settle into the remnants of the old city, leaving the ruins to be picked over and fought over by various tribes and raider groups that had descended from Vault dwellers.[Supplement 1] It was not until the "return" of Mr. House and his Securitron enforcers in 2274 that the city began to achieve a measure of relative peace. After issuing his offer of employment to the three biggest tribes who would listen to him, who ultimately became the Three Families, the rest of the Vault tribes were dispersed. Some stayed in the outskirts of the city, becoming the locals and later Kings of Freeside.[1] The Great Khans were forced out of Vegas by the Three Families with the resources of Mr. House, they eventually settled in Bitter Springs.[2][3][4] While the Three Families rebuilt the casinos of Vegas, Mr. House employed the rest of the locals to use his sizable quantities of pre-War construction materials to build the crude but effective outer walls that separate the Strip and Freeside from the rest of the surrounding ruins.[Supplement 1][Supplement 2]

While House valued the area around the intersection of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard,[5] he ultimately viewed it as secondary in importance to the Strip itself and had a second, inner wall built that further separated the two areas. When NCR prospectors arrived in the region, followed soon after by the New California Republic Army, many people typically were heading straight for the Strip and its casinos, leaving "Freeside" (as it had become known by locals) as an informal stopping point. Eventually, Mr. House recognized that he could use Freeside as a filter for undesirables and pulled all his resources out of the area, save for a token Securitron force to guard the sole entryway into the Strip while leaving Freeside to fend for itself.[Supplement 1]

Over the course of the following two years, the slums of Freeside slowly degenerated into a seedy den of criminals, crooks, and ne'er-do-wells, unburdened by the rule of law. For a while, the area was completely without order, but over time, two groups with a substantial power base (though incomparable to the Strip) managed to build a shaky, but effective foundation of order through goodwill and strength: the Kings prevent all-out-chaos from erupting but do little to deal with the day-to-day nastiness that Freesiders inflict on each other, and the Followers of the Apocalypse, after their own separation from the NCR, work through a regional chapter with a headquarters in the defensible Old Mormon Fort, receiving some protection from the Kings in exchange for help with the community's basic needs (food, water, health services, and some education). Despite the oversight from the Kings and humanitarian aid from the Followers, the people in Freeside live in daily peril as much from each other as from outside forces seeking to topple the balance of power.[Supplement 1]

By October 2281, the area is embroiled in a conflict between the locals and NCR squatters lured by the promises of the Republic's occupation of the Mojave.[Supplement 3] The tensions in Freeside are linked to the overarching tensions in the Mojave, with the NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House all preparing for the inevitable Second Battle of Hoover Dam that could determine who would control the entire region, including Freeside.

No kings, no winners

Regardless of who won at Hoover Dam, no faction was ultimately able to hold New Vegas for long. The NCR and the Legion continued to fight over control of New Vegas, with House's Securitrons seemingly also taking control at one point.[6] The constant struggles over their home angered some residents of Freeside, who expressed hatred at the idea of paying taxes to any ruling power.[7]

However, all of these factions suffered setbacks which effectively allowed Freeside to continue as an independent community. Not long after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the NCR's capital, Shady Sands, was destroyed by a nuclear device; for one reason or another, the NCR's presence in the Mojave effectively vanished over time afterwards, with Freeside residents seemingly having not seen any sign of the NCR for a very long time as of 2296.[8] The Legion remained in force in the Mojave, but they were trapped in an internal conflict far outside New Vegas due to a succession crisis following the death of their founder.[6][9] Meanwhile, the Free Economic Zone of New Vegas had effectively dissolved, with Mr. House out of the picture and the Strip overrun by deathclaws from Quarry Junction and abandoned by 2296. While some in Freeside came to view the deathclaws as an improvement over having to pay taxes, others still saw them as a threat and hoped for someone who could reclaim their town.[7][8]

Even the gang which had formerly ruled Freeside, the Kings, at least suffered setbacks if not vanished from Freeside entirely. By the mid-2290s, many members of the Kings had turned into feral ghouls who infested the outskirts of New Vegas,[10] though it is suggested that not all of the gang's members have met this fate.[Supplement 4]

As of 2296, Freeside remains a thriving community despite the deathclaws just next door on the Strip; the deathclaws seemed content to stay out of Freeside despite only being kept at bay by a makeshift barricade at the gate to the Strip. Many businesses continued to operate in the community, including the Atomic Wrangler and Sonny's Sundries, a general store. In July of that year, Lucy MacLean and the Ghoul arrived in Freeside after discovering the situation on, and promptly escaping, the Strip. Lucy ended up killing a thief who had murdered and attempted to replace the previous proprietor of Sonny's Sundries. Later in the Atomic Wrangler, the Ghoul betrayed Lucy to her father, Hank MacLean, who had commandeered the Las Vegas management Vault and was creating an army of brainwashed Vault-Tec "office workers," after being threatened with his family's lives. Lucy was eventually collected from Freeside by Hank, but not before she punched the Ghoul out of a window in anger, impaling him on a street pole. Freeside's residents ignored the Ghoul's struggles for help, but he was rescued in the night by a hooded super mutant who sought to recruit him to a mutant cause and healed his wounds.[11][12]

Return of the NCR

The Ghoul rejected the mutant and subsequently encountered Maximus and Thaddeus, former members of the San Fernando Brotherhood, and enlisted their help to get past the deathclaws on the Strip for their common goals (rescuing Lucy and rescuing the Ghoul's family). The Ghoul led Maximus to acquire a suit of NCR Ranger power armor in order to gain an edge against the deathclaws. The armor, marked with NCR symbols, caused a stir among the people of Freeside, who mistakenly believed that Maximus was a sign of the NCR returning for good. However, rather than expressing anger towards NCR expansion as they had in 2281, the people of Freeside cheered for the NCR as their savior from the deathclaws occupying the Strip.[8] Though Maximus had some success, he was subsequently thrown back into Freeside by one of the deathclaws, destroying the barricade between Freeside and the Strip in the process and exposing Freeside to the danger.[13]

Maximus was forced into a defensive role, becoming the only obstacle preventing the deathclaws from slaughtering Freeside. All of the Freesiders had fled into nearby buildings to escape the deathclaws, and observed Maximus' prolonged combat against the pack of over six deathclaws. They refused to provide any help, with some even betting over the odds of whether Maximus would win or lose (despite knowing that his loss would be their deaths). Though Maximus held out against many of the deathclaws, with Thaddeus providing occasional sniper support, his armor was eventually damaged to the degree that it could no longer be used in combat. Intending to go down fighting, Maximus exited the armor and prepared for unarmored melee combat against the remaining deathclaws, but was relieved by the timely appearance of NCR Army and Ranger remnants under Captain Rodriguez, who took over to mop up the remaining deathclaws.[14]

These NCR remnants seemingly established themselves in Freeside after wiping out the deathclaws, attempting to rebuild their nation from within the community.[15] They may soon face another conflict: Caesar's Legion, newly reunified under the man who was formerly the Lacerta Legate as their new Caesar, arrived on the outskirts of New Vegas not long after, with the intent of conquering New Vegas as their capital city.[16] It is suggested that this will likely lead to a renewed war between the NCR and Legion,[17][15] but it remains to be seen whether this conflict actually occurs.

Layout

Situated in the North Vegas area, on the northern side of the Strip, the area is divided into a north and south side via a ramshackle "gate" consisting of the doors of a wrecked bus. The first section is C-shaped and comprised of the western, northern, and eastern parts of the district. This section is the first that can be entered from the Mojave as both of Freeside's gateways lead into it. Several rough bodyguards, among them several of the Kings gang, stand near the gates, offering their "protection" on the mean streets for a paltry sum of caps. A standout fixture of the area is a makeshift structure with neon lights declaring the name of Freeside for a fair distance around.

There are several points of interest in the north section of Freeside, including the Old Mormon Fort, just inside Freeside's north gate. A general store in the area is Mick & Ralph's, which is located just inside Freeside's east gate. Outside the store, a pair of children can sometimes be seen running around the streets, a boy and a girl, named Max and Stacey respectively. A derelict building called Cerulean Robotics can be found in the western part of this section as well as a ruined store. Across from the store is the train station.

The south section covers the central and southern parts of the district. It has more areas of interest compared to the north, the most prominent including the King's School of Impersonation, home of the Kings gang; the Atomic Wrangler Casino, run by the twins James and Francine Garret; and the Silver Rush, the base of operations for the Van Graff family in the Mojave that also serves as a weapons store for their energy weapons gunrunning. Campfires can be found up by the Strip's north gate. When facing the gate, the fenced off area guarded by Securitrons is flanked by empty lots.

Buildings

Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout TV series

Only lists new locations seen in the TV series.

Inhabitants

Fallout: New Vegas

1After completing the quest Three-Card Bounty.
2After the completing the quest G.I. Blues.
3If saved during the quest Left My Heart.

Cut characters

Some of these characters were cut from the start and never appeared in any release version of Fallout: New Vegas. Others initially appeared but were removed in later patches for performance.

Fallout TV series

Related quests

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout Shelter

Notes

Appearances

Freeside appears in Fallout: New Vegas, the Fallout TV series, and Fallout Shelter.

Behind the scenes

Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout TV series
Because I'm dealing with real buildings that exist in the real world, it's not laid out exactly the same as it is in the game. [...] I put some greatest hits of Freeside, essentially, in a three-block radius on one street. They are laid out progressively similar to the game, but not the [exact] relationship in the actual game.Howard Cummings, quoted by the L.A. Times

Bugs

Gallery

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout TV series

Behind the scenes

Concept art

Magic: The Gathering

See also

References

  1. The Courier: "What can you tell me about Freeside?"
    The King: "To understand Freeside, you have to look back a few years. Originally, we were all just tribes making a living in this area. That all changed when Mr. House came around. He made an offer to the three biggest tribes that were willing to listen to him. Today, everyone calls those tribes the Three Families, and they live in luxury and run their own casinos in the Strip. The rest of us were left to fight over the crumbs, living in the shadow of those more fortunate. Things got pretty nasty for a while. But we wanted more. A place of our own. A place where no one could tell us what to do. And we didn't want to go elsewhere to find it. So we took control of this place, and made it our own. And that's really all Freeside is, the best of a bad situation."
    (The King's dialogue)
  2. The Courier: "What can you tell me about what's going on around the Strip?"
    Gomorrah receptionist: "It's hard to believe that not too long ago most of the families on the Strip were little more than warring tribes. The Omertas even had a big war with the Khans, once upon a time."
    (Gomorrah receptionist's dialogue)
  3. The Courier: "How have the Khans been kicked around?"
    Yes Man: "They were one of the tribes the Three Families pushed out of Vegas! A whole bunch got killed! So they settled at Bitter Springs, but they kept being so obnoxious, the NCR had to kill a whole bunch more of them! So then they settle at Red Rock Canyon! There's just no getting rid of them!"
    (Yes Man's dialogue)
  4. The Courier: "How did the Three Families defeat you?"
    Papa Khan: "They allied with Mr. House, the self-proclaimed master of New Vegas. He supported them with the resources of New Vegas: weapons, technology, caps. They were better equipped, and we could not stand against them."
    (Papa Khan's dialogue)
  5. Fallout: New Vegas loading screen: "Freeside was built up around the intersection of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard. The influx of destitute travelers in recent months has created problems for its local residents."
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Ghoul: "Well, I gotta save a dipshit Vaultie from the Legion. Came here hopin' to get some help from the NCR."
    Victor: "N-N-N-NCR? I ain't seen 'em."
    The Ghoul: "Who's running these parts these days?"
    Victor: "Well you know how it is around here. The NCR and the Legion goin' at each other like cats and dogs. Though now, we got the Legion fightin' the Legion like cats and dogs, too."
    (Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 3: "The Profligate")
  7. 7.0 7.1 Shotgun Jeff: "Guess you saw them Deathclaw things come up from Quarry Junction. They fightin' around the Strip. Big whup. Just another fuckin' round o' change in management's all it is. Like one of 'em merry-go-rounds. NCR. Legion. NCR. Legion. Fuckin' robots. No matter to me. Always somebody tryna tell us what to do. Long as they don't come 'round and charge me taxes, I don't give a fuck."
    (Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 5: "The Wrangler")
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Freesider (1): "NCR is here!"
    Thaddeus: "Why are they lookin' at us like that?"
    The Ghoul: "Never underestimate the power of brand recognition."
    Freesider (2): "Long live the New California Republic!"
    Freesider (3): "Welcome back!"
    Freesider (4): "Kill the Deathclaws!"
    Freesider (5): "Get us back our town!"
    (Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 7: "The Handoff" The first line is not subtitled.)
  9. Lucy MacLean: "If you don't mind me saying, it seems like you guys might have lost your way out here."
    Lacerta Legate: "I wouldn't expect a profligate like you to understand. We're at war."
    Lucy MacLean: "With who?"
    Lacerta Legate: "The New California Republic. The Khans. The Brotherhood. But first, we must conquer the unrepentant members of Caesar's Legion. Over there."
    Lucy MacLean: "There's two Caesars?"
    Lacerta Legate: "The great founder of this Empire, he died. We've been at war ever since over who should be his heir. He wrote down the name of his successor. He placed it into his divine pocket. But every time we try to retrieve it, the false Caesar and his followers, they shoot at us. We are at a stalemate."
    (Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 3: "The Profligate")
  10. Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 4: "The Demon in the Snow"
  11. Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 5: "The Wrangler"
  12. Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 6: "The Other Player"
  13. Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 7: "The Handoff"
  14. Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 8: "The Strip"
  15. 15.0 15.1 Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 8: "The Strip": The credits sequence shows Freeside with various NCR posters advertising recruitment and some services. Freeside is notably shown with no skeletons, unlike almost every other location seen in credits, suggesting that it remains inhabited. Outside Freeside, the Legion is shown as having set up camp, with skeletons displayed.
  16. Lacerta Legate: "Together, we will reclaim the holy land that they call Vegas. There, we'll build a palace worthy of our empire. Caesar's Palace. Now, to New Vegas!"
    (Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 8: "The Strip")
  17. Lucy MacLean (watching Caesar's Legion approach New Vegas): "I could have prevented this. There's gonna be a war and it's... it's all my fault."
    Maximus: "Yeah, well... Welcome to the Wasteland."
    (Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 8: "The Strip")

Supplementary

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.42: "Freeside"
    "Las Vegas wasn't heavily damaged during the Great War, but people didn't immediately "settle" into the remnants of the old city. The various Vault tribes that emerged years later, hunted and fought among the ruins, but it was not until the "return" of Mr. House that they ceased (most) of their hostilities. Mr House directed the tribes to use his sizable quantities of pre-war construction materials to build the crude (but effective) outer walls that separate The Strip and Freeside from the rest of New Vegas. While Mr. House valued the area around Fremont Street, he ultimately viewed it as secondary in importance to the Strip itself and he had a second, inner wall that separated the two areas. When NCR prospectors (and eventually the army) arrived in the region, people typically went straight for The Strip, leaving Freeside (as it had become known by locals) as an informal stopping point. Eventually Mr. House recognized that he could use Freeside as a filter for undesirables, and pulled his favored tribes and all Securitrons into the Strip, leaving Freeside to fend for itself."
    "In the two years that followed, Freeside has slowly degenerated into a hostile, lawless den of ne'er-do-wells. For a while, it was completely without order, but two power groups managed to come to an understanding about how the area needed to be maintained. The Kings, formed from the dispossessed remnants of unfortunate tribes, prevent all-out chaos from erupting, but do little to deal with the day-to-day nastiness that Freesiders inflict on each other. The Followers of the Apocalypse, no longer associated with the NCR, settled in the Old Mormon Fort. They receive some protection from the Kings in exchange for help with the community's basic needs (food, water, health services, and some education). Despite the oversight from the Kings and help from the Followers, the people in Freeside live in daily peril... from each other as well as outside forces."
    (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles)
  2. Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 41: "The Strip
    Before the Great War started, Mr. House used his considerable genius and wealth to ensure that no missiles would strike the city of Las Vegas. Though a few warheads did get through in the outskirts, most of the city was spared. Despite this, the Strip itself was not re-settled, and after close to two hundred years, Mr. House immediately began searching for a mysterious Platinum chip and rebuilding the glory of Las Vegas. Sending out Securitron scouts, Mr. House started negotiating with local tribes to exchange his considerable resource stockpiles for their help. Some of the tribes resisted, but three tribes eventually gained Mr. House's favor. They became the Omertas, Chairmen, and White Glove Society, running the Gomorrah, Tops, and Ultra-Luxe casinos, respectively. Because Mr. House was dedicated to restoring Las Vegas, he insisted on transforming the tribes into families with cultures that harkened back to Vegas' glory days.
    In the process of rebuilding the Strip, Mr. House also effectively 'bought out' the residents of Vault 21. After they evacuated, he had the Vault stripped of useful technology, most of its actual volume filled with concrete, and the entrance turned into a gift shop and small hotel. While the families were rebuilding the casinos, the rest of the locals were hard at work erecting an enormous wall around the Strip. When NCR traders and explorers arrived on the scene, they were amazed at the Strip and returned back to California with tales of opulence and great wealth awaiting travelers.
    Eventually, the NCR military itself arrived and were surprised to find the Strip so well-protected and heavily policed. Though they struck a deal with Mr. House to establish a base in the area (along with control of Hoover Dam), the NCR has never had control of The Strip. After the Battle of Hoover Dam, the NCR negotiated an MP (military police) presence on The Strip, but their influence remains small.
    Though the tribes that became The Strip's families were once hatefully opposed to each other, the demands of Mr. House have forced the families to play nice. They continue to hold long-standing grudges, but do not act openly against each other for fear of angering Mr. House."
    (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles)
  3. Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland; ZONE 2C: FREESIDE
  4. Jim Vejvoda (interviewer): "And then we also see, in, I believe it's episode 4, and I love this sequence because I'm a huge Elvis fan, so all those Elvis ghouls, are they supposed to be the Kings characters from the game but now they've turned into ghouls? That is them?"
    Jonathan Nolan: "It hasn't worked out very well for the Kings, at least some of them."
    Geneva Robertson-Dworet: "Yeah."
    Jim Vejvoda: "And that's the extent that we'll see them? As just..."
    Jonathan Nolan: "Well, I think one of the ideas, one of the fun ideas, is that with all the factions, whether it's the Legion, or the NCR, or the Kings, is that in any version of the ending, there'll be rebuilding to be done, right? Whoever won, whoever lost, all these factions would be in rebuilding mode, and the sort of sanctity of Vegas, this place that House very carefully protected, has been, for reasons we'll come to understand in the season, has been removed or violated, which means that the folks who were in the game safe and sound have had some hard times."
    ("Fallout Season 2 Exec Producers on New Vegas Factions, Deathclaws & Mr. House")

Meta

  1. Fallout New Vegas Developer Interview: Robert Lee Part 1
  2. "Wang Dang Atomic Tango" on Robert Lee's website (archived)
  3. "Mick & Ralph's" on Robert Lee's website (archived)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Freeside's Cut Content
  5. J.E. Sawyer on Tumblr: "Jesse Farrell wrote the King, Pacer, a bunch of other Freeside and BoS folks (Hardin, McNamara). Jesse handled the setup of Rex, but I believe Jeff Husges did Rex's brain quest."
  6. Question: Was Freeside inspired by New Reno from Fallout 2? Certainly felt that way to me, one of the coolest areas of the game.
    Joshua Sawyer: Yes, definitely in overall feel.
    (Formspring reply on January 25, 2011)
  7. James Garcia's portfolio
  8. 8.0 8.1 Los Angeles Times: "‘Fallout’ fans know New Vegas. How the show brought the video game location to life"
  9. Freeside film set behind-the-scenes tour by Johnny Pemberton
Freeside