What if the Lone Wanderer became Courier Six? — My Tale of Two Wastelands Headcanon
I've been playing with an idea for a Tale of Two Wastelands playthrough, and I think I've finally landed on a headcanon that makes Fallout 3 → Fallout: New Vegas feel like one continuous story.
The idea:
The Lone Wanderer becomes Courier Six.
Not literally immediately after Fallout 3, but after years of traveling west and trying to escape the identity they built in the Capital Wasteland.
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Part I — The Lone Wanderer
In 2277, a 19-year-old leaves Vault 101 looking for their father.
What follows is basically the events of Fallout 3.
They find James.
They lose James.
They help Project Purity.
They fight the Enclave.
They fight alongside the Brotherhood of Steel.
They survive the Capital Wasteland.
And eventually, after Broken Steel, they have accomplished everything they possibly could.
But here's where my headcanon diverges.
The Lone Wanderer isn't happy.
They've spent years being forced into impossible situations. They've watched people die, lost their father, fought a war they never asked for, and become a symbol to people they barely know.
So they leave.
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Part II — The Journey West
The Lone Wanderer travels west.
Years pass.
Eventually, they reach the Mojave.
And they decide to disappear.
No more Vault Dweller.
No more Project Purity.
No more Brotherhood.
No more saving the world.
They become a Mojave Express courier.
The Lone Wanderer is effectively dead.
Courier Six is born.
For the first time, they're nobody special.
Just someone delivering packages.
Until Benny shoots them in the head.
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Part III — Courier Six
The Courier wakes up in Doc Mitchell's house.
They remember their name.
They remember being a courier.
But everything else is fragmented.
And as they travel through the Mojave, pieces of their old life start coming back.
A Vault makes them uncomfortable.
Brotherhood armor feels strangely familiar.
The NCR reminds them of the governments they encountered back east.
Old technology feels almost instinctive.
And eventually, they remember.
They were the Lone Wanderer.
The Courier wasn't a completely new person.
They were the person the Lone Wanderer became after years of running from their past.
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Part IV — The Mojave
This is where New Vegas becomes much more personal.
The Courier sees the NCR, Legion, Mr. House and the independent settlements fighting over the Mojave.
And they've seen this before.
They've seen what happens when powerful factions decide they know what's best for everyone.
They've seen the Enclave.
They've seen the Brotherhood.
They've seen Project Purity.
They've seen people die because of someone else's ideology.
So Courier Six doesn't immediately know who to trust.
And that's why I think the Independent/Yes Man ending fits this version of the character particularly well.
The Lone Wanderer spent their entire life following someone else's mission.
James's mission.
The Brotherhood's mission.
Project Purity's mission.
Now Courier Six finally gets to choose their own.
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The DLCs become part of the character arc
Dead Money — learning to let go of the past.
Honest Hearts — confronting what happens when people become defined by their past.
Old World Blues — literally having pieces of yourself removed, which works beautifully as a metaphor for separating the Lone Wanderer from Courier Six.
Lonesome Road — finally confronting the consequences of the Courier's past and accepting who they are.
And then comes Hoover Dam.
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The Final Battle
The Lone Wanderer once fought because the wasteland needed them.
Courier Six fights because they choose to.
That's the biggest difference between the two characters.
In Fallout 3:
«"I have to save everyone because nobody else will."»
In New Vegas:
«"I don't have to save anyone. But I can choose what I'm willing to fight for."»
And after Hoover Dam, Courier Six disappears.
No more factions.
No more wars.
No more destiny.
Just the Mojave and the open road.
The final idea I have for the character is:
«The Lone Wanderer saved the Capital Wasteland.
Courier Six decided what the Mojave would become.
The Lone Wanderer died in Washington.
Courier Six survived the Mojave.
That's the story I'm going to roleplay for my Tale of Two Wastelands playthrough.
Would love to hear what you guys think. Would this work as a headcanon, and what choices would your Lone Wanderer/Courier make?