You’re wandering through the Freeside gates, dodging a local thug who thinks a lead pipe can beat your riot gear, and then you see it. The Old Mormon Fort. It’s a crumbling stone relic in a world of neon and misery, but inside, people are actually trying to fix things. No, not "fix things" by taxing you to death like the NCR or crucifying you like Caesar’s Legion. They’re just... helping. The Fallout New Vegas Followers of the Apocalypse are easily the most misunderstood faction in the game. Most players treat them as a glorified pharmacy where you can dump some Rad-Away for fame, but if you actually look at their lore, they’re the most radical, tragic, and intellectually complex group Obsidian ever penned.
They are secular humanists in a world that mostly values the size of your gun. It's a weird vibe, honestly.
The Punk Rock Roots of Post-Apocalyptic Healthcare
The Followers didn't just spawn out of nowhere in the Mojave. They’ve been around since the very first Fallout, rooted in the Boneyard of Los Angeles. While the Brotherhood of Steel was busy hording laser rifles like techno-fetishist dragons, the Followers were busy reading. They’re basically a massive library with a first-aid kit attached. Their whole "thing" is the democratization of knowledge. They believe that if you give a person a stimpak, they live for a day, but if you teach them how to synthesize one from local flora, you've actually started a civilization.
It’s an anarchist collective, more or less. They don't have a President or a Caesar. They have "Administrators" like Julie Farkas, who spends her days looking like she hasn't slept since the bombs dropped, trying to balance a budget that consists mostly of donated junk and hope.
You’ve got to appreciate the grit. Most factions in New Vegas want to rule the wasteland. The Followers of the Apocalypse just want to make sure the wasteland doesn't die of a preventable infection. They are the only faction that genuinely seems to give a damn about the people the "Big Three" (NCR, Legion, House) consider collateral damage. But here’s the kicker: their pacifism and openness are exactly what makes them so dangerous to themselves and everyone else.
The Great Khan Mistake and the Weight of Knowledge
If you want to understand why some people in the Mojave hate the Followers, look at the Great Khans. This is one of those specific lore details that people often gloss over. The Followers, in their infinite "knowledge is for everyone" wisdom, taught the Khans how to manufacture chemistry and medicine. They thought they were helping a struggling tribe become self-sufficient.
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Instead? They accidentally created the biggest drug cartel in the Mojave.
The Khans took those recipes and started pumping out Psycho, Buffout, and Med-X to sell to the Fiends. It’s a brutal irony. The Followers wanted to heal, but they ended up fueling the addiction and violence that plagues the outskirts of Vegas. This highlights the central tension of the faction: Is it responsible to give advanced knowledge to people who aren't ready for it?
Sallow—better known as Caesar—was a Follower. Let that sink in. The monster of the East, the man who enslaves thousands and wipes out entire cultures, was a scholar sent by the Followers to study tribal dialects. He used the history books they gave him to learn about ancient Rome and build a genocidal empire. When you talk to Arcade Gannon, you can see the visible wince whenever this comes up. The Followers are directly responsible for the smartest villain in the series.
Arcade Gannon: The Cynical Heart of the Fort
You can’t talk about the Fallout New Vegas Followers of the Apocalypse without talking about Arcade. He’s arguably the best companion in the game because he isn't a mindless grunt. He’s sarcastic, highly educated, and deeply conflicted about his past. Being the son of Enclave remnants hiding within a group of pacifist anarchists is a hell of a character arc.
Arcade represents the Followers' internal struggle. He knows the NCR is bloated and corrupt, but he also knows that without some kind of order, the people he cares about will get crushed. If you bring him along, he’s constantly questioning your motives. He doesn't want a "hero." He wants a world where heroes aren't necessary because the systems actually work.
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His personal quest, "For Auld Lang Syne," is a masterpiece of writing. It forces the player to reconcile the high-minded ideals of the Followers with the cold, hard reality of the Mojave's power struggle. Does he stay and help the refugees, or does he put on the power armor of a dead empire to save the present? There’s no easy answer.
Why the NCR Treats Them Like Terrorists
You’d think the New California Republic would love a group of volunteer doctors. You’d be wrong. To the NCR, the Followers are a nuisance at best and "subversive elements" at worst.
The NCR wants control. They want taxes, they want conscripts, and they want a monopoly on force. The Followers refuse to play that game. They offer services for free, which undermines the NCR’s attempts to establish a state-run economy. More importantly, the Followers are vocal critics of NCR imperialism. They see the Republic for what it is: an attempt to rebuild the same world that blew itself up in 2077.
The Hidden Valley Tension
There is a specific interaction where you can try to get the Followers to support the NCR at Hoover Dam. Julie Farkas isn't an easy sell. She knows that if the NCR wins, the Followers will likely be pushed out of Freeside or forced to follow Republic law, which would mean turning away people who can't pay. It’s a "lesser of two evils" scenario that defines the entire game's political landscape.
The Independent Vegas Wildcard
If you go the Yes Man route, the Followers are arguably the only group that actually benefits the "little guy" in the long run. Without the boot of the Legion or the taxes of the NCR, the Followers are free to actually implement their communalist vision. But—and it’s a big but—they lack the muscle to protect it.
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The Mojave is a violent place. A bunch of doctors with tattered lab coats and 9mm pistols aren't going to stop a gang of raiders once the Securitrons stop patrolling. This is the tragedy of the Fallout New Vegas Followers of the Apocalypse. They are the moral compass of a world that has lost its north pole.
Dealing with the Misconceptions
People think they’re just "the good guys." That's a boring way to look at it.
They are deeply flawed. They are naive. They’ve arguably caused as much harm as good by leaking dangerous tech to the wrong people. Their refusal to form a centralized government means they are perpetually broke and overworked. In the Mormon Fort, you see them struggling to treat even a handful of patients because they simply don't have the resources.
They aren't "saints." They are people trying to apply 21st-century ethics to a 23rd-century nightmare. Sometimes it works. Often, it blows up in their faces.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re planning a run focused on the Followers, there are a few things you should do to maximize the experience and the "best" ending for them.
- Don't ignore the side quests in Freeside. Help Julie Farkas find medical supplies. Talk to the local vendors. It builds the reputation you need to unlock the more complex interactions later.
- Recruit Arcade Gannon early. To get his quest, you need to trigger "points" by visiting certain locations (like the Crashed Vertibird or the Silver Rush) and choosing the "intellectual" or "anti-authoritarian" dialogue options.
- Fix the food and water issues. In the quest "Hard Luck Blues," your choice regarding the vault water supply has a massive impact on the region's long-term survival, which is a core tenet of the Followers' mission.
- Think about the ending. If you want the Followers to thrive, an Independent Vegas (Yes Man) or a heavily "good" NCR ending is your best bet, but even then, pay attention to the end-slides. Some "good" choices for the player end up being disasters for the Fort.
The Followers remind us that in a world of warring gods and monsters, the most radical thing you can do is care about a stranger. They are the soul of New Vegas, even if that soul is tired, cynical, and desperately short on Stimpacks. They don't want to rule the world; they just want to make sure there's a world left to live in. That's worth more than all the caps in the Strip.