Throughout diving into Fallout 3 for the first time might be left scratching their heads the first time Karma is mentioned on screen.

Karma was first introduced to the Fallout game series in Fallout 2 and replaced the reputation system present in the first Fallout game. After that, the system was expanded on and included in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, the latter of which also had a reputation system working alongside Karma. When playing the older entries of the series, understanding how Karma works and what it will affect is essential, especially when planning for certain playthroughs.

What Is Karma In Fallout 3 (& How It Works)

What Exactly Does Karma Mean?

Karma in Fallout 3 acts as a representation of how good or evil the Lone Wanderer is, with the concept akin to the moral alignments in Dungeons & Dragons. However, instead of being split into good/evil and lawful/chaotic axes, the system is simplified into good, neutral, and evil. Throughout the game, certain actions and outcomes will result in the Lone Wanderer either gaining or losing Karma points, which are meant to show how the locals of the Capital Wasteland view the character.

At the very beginning, the Lone Wanderer starts with a Karma value of zero, which is neutral, and as they complete quests and tasks, that score will shift. There are five levels of Karma in Fallout 3, ranging from Very Good to Very Evil. NPCs also have Karma levels to denote their own morals. For example, Sherrif Simms of Megaton has Good Karma, whereas Allistair Tenpenny and Mister Burke are two of only nine characters in the game to have Very Evil Karma.

Throughout Fallout 3, it is possible to check the Lone Wanderer's Karma rank title through the Pip-Boy. They can be found in the Stats section, under the General tab. Here, the image of the Vault Boy will change depending on Karma level, with the rank and title displayed above and below. There is no way to check the precise numerical Karma value unless playing on PC and using console commands.

Everything Karma Affects (Including Achievements)

Companions, Mercenary Groups, & Titles

There are only a few key areas that are affected by the Lone Wanderer's Karma, with the main one being which companions can be recruited. Six companions in Fallout 3 have specific Karma requirements, two for each Karma category.

Star Paladin Cross and the Super Mutant Fawkes will only a Lone Wanderer who has Good Karma, although they will not leave if it becomes Neutral or Evil. However, once dismissed, they will require Good Karma again to re the team.

Sergeant RL-3 and former Vault 101 resident Butch both require Neutral Karma. Just as before, they will not leave if the Karma level changes but will require Neutral Karma to re. Finally, Clover and Jericho will only team up with Evil Karma Lone Wanderers, but will not leave if that changes. While Jericho behaves like the other companions, Clover will re regardless of Karma once she has been initially recruited.

The final two companions in Fallout 3, Dogmeat and Charon, will the Lone Wanderer regardless of Karma level.

Karma also affects how certain aspects of the world respond to the Lone Wanderer, albeit in a very limited way. Evil Lone Wanderers will receive gifts and ammo from slavers should they visit Paradise Falls. Meanwhile, Good characters will experience the same treatment from the residents of Megaton. The Lone Wanderer will also gain different titles throughout Fallout 3 that depend on their Karma status and their level.

Good Karma levels will result in Talon Company mercenaries being sent after the Lone Wanderer, randomly spawning to collect the bounty placed on their head. Evil characters will also need to stay on guard as of a faction known as the Regulator will hunt them down. Finally, Neutral Lone Wanderers are able to take the Impartial Mediation perk to gain plus 30 to their Speech so long as they remain neutral.

How To Alter Karma In Fallout 3

Whether Good Or Bad There Are Consequences

Karma is altered in by completing quests in a certain fashion or engaging in specific behaviors. Each action will result in the numerical value of the Lone Wanderer's Karma either going up or down with high values representing Good and low/negative values representing Evil. It is also possible to reset Karma using the Karmic Rebalance perk found in the Fallout 3 DLC Broken Steel.

Examples of positive Karma	Examples of negative Karma
Donating caps to a church	Eating a corpse with the Cannibal perk
Giving scrap metal to Walter for free	Stealing from non-evil characters
Giving purified water to beggars	Hacking owned terminals
Saving captives in Super Mutant encampments	Burning Harold
Disarming Megaton's bomb for free	Blowing up Megaton
Making a truce between Arefu and the Family	Infecting Project Purity with FEV
Blowing up the Enclave Mobile Command crawler	Killing non-evil characters

Three Dog will occasionally comment on acts the Lone Wanderer has committed based on their Karma, but it lacks consistency, and it is also possible to change Karma so rapidly that both the Regulators and Talon mercs will attack at the same time. Karma is a good system to keep in mind each playthrough because of how much it ties into which companions can be recruited. However, while Karma plays a large role in determining the traveling company, it doesn't massively impact the overall gameplay in Fallout 3.

Fallout 3

Action RPG

Systems

Released

October 28, 2008

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Franchise

Fallout

Platform(s)

PS3, Xbox 360, PC

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