You’ve probably spent hours gunning them down in the Capital Wasteland or dodging their orbital strikes in Appalachia. They’re the guys in the high-tech power armor who think they own the world because their ancestors once sat in the Oval Office. We’re talking about the Enclave. Honestly, they are the most persistent, annoying, and deeply fascinating faction in the entire Fallout universe.
But here is the thing.
Most players just see them as "the bad guys with the better guns." That is a massive oversimplification. If you actually look at the lore established across Interplay, Black Isle, and Bethesda’s runs, the Enclave isn't just a remnant of the US government. They are a dark mirror of the American Dream gone totally off the rails. They didn't just survive the Great War; they planned for it. They wanted it.
The Secret History of the Enclave
Before the bombs dropped in 2077, the Enclave wasn't a formal branch of the military. It was a shadowy cabal. Think high-ranking generals, CEOs of companies like Poseidon Energy, and the President of the United States. While the rest of the world was fighting over the last drops of oil, these guys were building a literal escape hatch.
They retreated to the Control Station Enclave. It was a massive oil rig off the coast of California. It’s isolated. Cold. Impenetrable. While millions of Americans turned into "ghouls" or ash, the Enclave sat back and watched the fireworks. They had the best tech, the best food, and a very dangerous idea: that they were the only "pure" humans left.
This is where the trouble starts.
If you aren't Enclave, you're a mutant. That is their literal policy. It doesn't matter if you look human. If your DNA has been touched by even a tiny bit of background radiation—which, let’s be real, is everyone on the surface—you are an "abomination." It’s a terrifyingly narrow worldview. It’s also why they are so much fun to hate. They have this smug, elitist "we know best" attitude that makes blowing up their bases feel incredibly satisfying.
Why the Oil Rig Was Just the Beginning
Most people remember the ending of Fallout 2. You, as the Chosen One, board the rig and face off against Frank Horrigan. Frank is a nightmare. He’s a cybernetically enhanced Behemoth in custom Power Armor who literally rips Deathclaws in half with his bare hands. He’s the ultimate expression of Enclave hypocrisy—a "pure" human faction using a massive mutant as their main enforcer.
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When that rig blew up, everyone thought the Enclave was done. Dead. Buried at the bottom of the Pacific.
But they had outposts everywhere.
The Raven Rock Era and the Rise of Autumn
By the time Fallout 3 rolls around, the Enclave has migrated east. They set up shop in Raven Rock, a real-life government bunker in Pennsylvania. This is where we meet President John Henry Eden.
Here is a weird fact: Eden isn't a person. He’s an AI. He’s a compilation of every great American leader’s personality, or at least, what the computer thinks they should be. He spends his days broadcasting patriotic music and folksy speeches over the radio. It’s creepy. It’s also brilliant writing. It shows how the Enclave clings to the aesthetic of America while completely ignoring its actual values.
Colonel Autumn is the "human" face of this era. He’s complicated. Unlike the genocidal maniacs on the West Coast, Autumn didn't necessarily want to kill everyone with a modified FEV virus. He wanted to control the water. He wanted to be the hero who brought order to the wastes, even if he had to step on everyone’s neck to do it.
The Enclave isn't a monolith. There are internal power struggles. There are people like Arcade Gannon in Fallout: New Vegas who grew up in the Enclave but realized how toxic it was. Arcade is proof that the rank-and-file soldiers aren't always monsters; often, they’re just kids who were born into a cult of personality and didn't know any better until they saw the outside world.
The Tech That Makes Them Dangerous
You can’t talk about the Enclave without talking about the gear. They make the Brotherhood of Steel look like they’re playing with scrap metal.
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- Advanced Power Armor (APA): Often called "X-01," this is the iconic beetle-like suit. It’s tougher, lighter, and more menacing than the T-51 series.
- Vertibirds: For a long time, the Enclave were the only ones who could fly. That air superiority is why they were able to kidnap entire Vault populations without anyone being able to stop them.
- Plasma Weaponry: While the average raider is lucky to have a pipe pistol that doesn't explode in their hand, the Enclave is rocking urban-leveling energy weapons.
- Satellite Strikes: In Fallout 3’s Broken Steel DLC, we see the Bradley-Hercules satellite. They can literally drop fire from the sky with the push of a button.
The Enclave in the 76 Era
Fallout 76 gave us a look at the Enclave immediately after the war. It’s a mess. In Appalachia, the Enclave basically ate itself. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Eckhart staged a coup because he wanted to trigger a nuclear strike against China to "finish the job."
It’s dark stuff.
He ended up accidentally creating the Scorched plague because he was trying to artificially raise the regional threat level to bypass automated security lockouts. This is the Enclave in a nutshell: they are so obsessed with power and "winning" that they end up destroying the very world they claim they want to save.
What Players Get Wrong About the Lore
People often ask: "If the Enclave is the government, aren't they the good guys?"
No.
The Enclave is what happens when the military-industrial complex is left to rot in a vacuum for 200 years. They represent the worst impulses of the "old world." They are the reason the bombs fell in the first place. If you look at the logs in the Fallout 4 remnants or the Bunker in 76, it’s clear they were experimenting on their own citizens long before the radiation hit.
They view the wastelanders as "expendable assets." To the Enclave, the people living in Megaton or Diamond City aren't survivors. They are "mutated variables" that need to be cleared out to make room for the "real" Americans.
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How to Deal With the Enclave in Your Gameplay
If you’re jumping back into the games—maybe because of the recent surge in popularity following the TV show—handling the Enclave requires a specific strategy.
First off, don't bring a knife to a plasma fight. If you see a Vertibird circling, get under cover immediately. Their pilots have a nasty habit of spotting you from miles away. In Fallout 3, aim for the combat sensors on their Power Armor; it messes with their UI and makes them way less accurate.
In Fallout 76, joining the Enclave is actually a viable path to getting some of the best gear in the game. You have to go to the Abandoned Waste Dump, find the sensors, and eventually make your way to the Whitespring Bunker. It’s worth it for the orbital scan beacons alone, but just remember who you’re working for. MODUS, the AI running the show there, is... let’s just say he’s not your friend. He’s a tool. Use him, get the loot, and keep your guard up.
The Future of the Faction
Is the Enclave gone for good? Probably not. Bethesda loves them too much as a foil. Even when they are "destroyed," a new cell always seems to pop up in a secret bunker somewhere.
The Enclave represents the ghost of the old world that refuses to move on. As long as there is high-tech gear and a desire for total control, the Enclave—or something like it—will always be lurking in the shadows of the wasteland.
Actionable Steps for Fallout Fans:
- Revisit Fallout 2: If you've only played the 3D games, you're missing the Enclave at their most terrifying. The dialogue with President Dick Richardson is some of the best writing in the series.
- Hunt the Remnants in New Vegas: Find the "For Auld Lang Syne" quest. It’s the most humanizing look at the people who actually lived inside the Enclave.
- Read the Lore Entries in 76: Check the terminals in the Whitespring Bunker. It explains exactly how the chain of command broke down and why the "President" there ended up being a rogue AI.
- Check the Creation Club: In Fallout 4, there is a "Remnants" questline that adds Enclave armor and weapons back into the Commonwealth, bridging the gap between the events of the third and fourth games.
The Enclave is a warning. They are a reminder that having the best technology in the world doesn't matter if you've lost your humanity along the way. Stay safe out there in the wastes, and if you hear a Vertibird? Run. Or get your Gauss Rifle ready.