Wasteland

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For other uses of the term wasteland, see Wasteland (disambiguation).

“Do you want to hear a story about the Wastes?”— Quinn

The wasteland (alternatively wastes) refers to the majority of the Earth's post-nuclear environment in the Fallout universe.

Background[]

During the Great War, it took two brief hours for the nuclear warheads that were fired to change the face of the planet and affect life for many centuries to come. After the atomic fire had ceased, the surface of the Earth was very different. Millions of buildings and cities were demolished or severely damaged, with only a few exceptions. Most of the plants that had once flourished died as the Earth was changed from a diverse landscape to a barren and hot desert, radiation becoming a serious threat to what little life remained. The reset button had been pressed for humanity.

Countries such as the United States were turned into scorched wastelands filled with new dangers due to mutations in wildlife that altered many of the species. As the remnants of humanity began to spread once again, new violence was introduced in the form of differing factions. They began warring against each other in the new world, slowing the already difficult progress of the reclamation of humanity. Overall, the wasteland remains a different, radioactive landscape, where everyday life is a struggle.