The Fallout universe has more than its fair share of tragedy, with nuclear war destroying much of the world and potentially killing billions. However, loss on such a grand scale can sometimes be hard to fathom, and it is often the smaller, more personal stories that end up hitting harder. All of the Fallout games have death as a stark reality of the post-apocalyptic setting, but some are far more emotionally devastating than others.

The following article deals with sensitive issues and topics, including self-harm, suicide, and abuse.

Whether exploring California or the Mojave Wasteland on the West Coastor digging through the rubble of Washington D.C. and Boston in the East, the world shown in Fallout is often bleak. Mixed in among quests with big outcomes are environmental storytelling and heartbreaking discoveries that constantly remind us that life is painfully short. There is no shortage of tragic tales in Fallout, but these are some of the most devastating deaths we can encounter as players.

10 The Eternal Torture Of Vault 112’s Residents

A Virtual Nightmare For All Involved

As part of the main questline in Fallout 3, you will eventually visit Vault 112 in search of the Lone Wanderer's father, James. James has become trapped in the virtual world that the residents of the Vault exist in, which seems to be an idyllic suburb called Tranquility Lane. However, nothing could be further from the truth, and as you learn more about Vault 112, the tragic lives and deaths of its inhabitants become clear.

Trapped in stasis pods that have transported their minds into a virtual world, the poor people of Vault 112 have been killed repeatedly by a sadistic man. Dr. Stanislaus Braun, one of Vault-Tec's most senior , has been torturing and murdering all the inhabitants for 200 years for his amusement. Their final death comes at the hands of the Lone Wanderer, activating the failsafe, allowing them all to on at long last.

9 The Despair Of Brian Virgil

Life As A Super Mutant Was Too Much

Dr Brian Virgil is an interesting character who plays a pivotal role during the main questline in Fallout 4. While trying to gain access to the Institute, the Sole Survivor will find Virgil living in a cave deep in the Glowing Sea. It seems Virgil has left the Institute, transforming himself into a Super Mutant in the process, and will ask for your help turning him back into a human.

While Virgil’s cure is straightforward to find inside the Institute, there is also the option not to help him. Returning, the Sole Survivor can choose between either refusing to cure Virgil, which will turn him hostile, or lying to him that the cure is gone, which will make Virgil suicidal. Virgil will ask for your assistance in taking his life, or he can be persuaded to do it himself if you’re feeling especially cruel.

8 James Sacrificing Himself For His Child

Killing Himself To Stop The Enclave

As the Lone Wanderer's father, James is the first character we meet in Fallout 3, bringing us into the world. The introductory scenes in Vault 101 with James do a brilliant job of establishing the bond between parent and child, and it makes complete sense for us to follow him when he leaves. Much of the main questline of Fallout 3 is about the Lone Wanderer’s search for James, and I how relieved I felt the first time I found him.

That relief is painfully short-lived, as the Enclave arrives at the Jefferson Memorial with the zealous Colonel Autumn in command. Autumn demands that all materials related to Project Purity be turned over to him, and after reasoning with the Colonel fails, James sacrifices himself by flooding the room with lethal radiation. His last words to us are to tell us to run before crumpling to the floor.

7 Nate/Nora’s Tragic Murder

Kellogg Took So Much In One Fateful Day

When beginning a new playthrough in Fallout 4, part of character creation is choosing which spouse you want to play as, with the other being named as either Nate or Nora. As the pre-war introduction plays out and you end up fleeing with your partner to Vault 111, there is little time to really form a bond with either them or Shaun. However, that doesn’t stop Kellogg’s arrival from being a gut punch each time.

Trapped inside one of Vault 111’s cryo pods, all you can do is watch helplessly as Kellogg and Institute scientists attempt to wrench Shaun from your spouse’s arms. When they refuse, Kellogg shoots them without hesitation, and nothing can describe the feeling of them slumping back into their pod. Worst still is having to relive that moment again later when investigating Kellogg’s memories of Nick.

6 The Runaway’s Final Resting Place

A Young Girl’s Sad Final Moments

While exploring the Commonwealth close to Abernathy Farm, you can find a dilapidated Ranger Cabin containing broken furniture and a single skeleton on a mattress. Next to the remains is a suitcase containing a holotape, a single green dress, and some bubblegum, hinting at the young girl's age on the mattress. Listening to the Runaway's Holotape, it quickly paints a tragic picture of how this young girl died alone in the middle of nowhere.

In the tape, the girl talks about finally telling her parents something, which they responded very poorly to, with her father telling her she should be ashamed. The girl says that she's come to the cabin instead of her boyfriend, as he “doesn't know yet”, hinting that this was a teen pregnancy. It's unclear if this runaway died due to the cold October weather or the bombs falling, but it's hard not to be touched by her story.

5 The Fate Of The Anderstein Family

A Message Received Far Too Late

Another tragic tale told with a single message can be found in Fallout 3 if Relay Tower KX-B8-11 is activated. The relay tower is northeast of the Capital Wasteland, southeast of Old Olney, and southwest of the Republic of Dave. This tower lets you pick up Signal Oscar Zulu, a desperate message from Bob Anderstein made in the moments following the beginning of the Great War.

The Great War only lasted for two hours, but destroyed most of the world.

In the message, Mr Anderstein pleads for help, explaining that he and his family have taken refuge in a drainage chamber far from the tower. He goes on to explain that his young son is very ill and gives details about how anyone might reach them. Unfortunately, the Anderstein family is long dead if you travel to the chamber, with two adult skeletons lying next to some toys with no sign of their son's remains.

4 The Horrific Lives & Deaths In Vault 11

Perhaps One Of Vault-Tec’s More Horrendous Experiments

Easily the worst Vault-Tec experiment in Fallout: New Vegas is Vault 11, located directly west of Boulder City and the Hoover Dam. It's hard to cover all the terrible things that happened in Vault 11, from sexual coercion, drug trafficking, and widespread corruption. All of this makes life horrific for the residents trapped deep underground, thanks to Vault-Tec's social experiment. The experiment for Vault 11 was to see how obedient a population would be even when given horrifying orders.

Although there are five voices on the recording found in the entrance to Vault 11, there are only four gunshots and four bodies, indicating that one dweller did leave alive.

Residents had been ordered to sacrifice one of their own every year, otherwise everyone in the Vault would be killed. After deciding that it would be the Overseer each year, elections would be held, which quickly divided the Vault into factions. Eventually, after decades of death, only five residents remained who refused, only to learn the truth and take their own lives.

3 Paladin Danse’s Sad Ending

His Whole Identity & World Have Been Destroyed

As part of the Brotherhood of Steel questline in Fallout 4, it is eventually revealed that Paladin Danse is really a Synth. This is a massive shock to him, and Elder Maxson orders the Sole Survivor to find Danse and kill him. Danse can be found in Listening Post Bravo, where he is confused and suicidal. There are a few different ways Danse can die during this quest based on your actions as a player.

One option is to side immediately with Elder Maxson and execute Danse, while another is to tell him you can’t do it and leave. This will prompt Danse to take his own life, as he demonstrates his loyalty to the Brotherhood one last time. You have the option to convince Danse to want to live, only to kill him outside in front of Maxson, or have Maxson himself do it. “Blind Betrayal” is one of my favorite quests in Fallout 4, due in no small part to the fantastic writing and acting from Peter Jessop and Derek Phillips.

2 Trapped Inside A Store Safe

Help Never Came For A Young Woman With No Water

One of the most harrowing deaths in Fallout 4 is one that you learn about over 200 years after it happened. By activating Relay Tower 0SC-527, southwest of Diamond City and north of Milton General Hospital, you can pick up a distress signal from Fallon's Department Store. In the recording, a young woman sobs, pleading for help that never came, explaining that she is trapped in the jewelry department's safe.

In the message, she reveals that she took shelter from the bombs in the safe but became trapped, and that it has already been four days. As she cries, the woman mentions how thirsty she is and describes where the release button for the safe is. This is undoubtedly one of the saddest stories in Fallout 4, especially as dehydration is a horrible way to die.

1 The Original Ending For The Lone Wanderer

The Savior Of The Capital Wasteland Deserved Better

In the original ending for Fallout 3, you, the Lone Wanderer, would have to sacrifice yourself to activate Project Purity. The chamber would still be flooded with radiation, thanks to James earlier in the game, and there would be a death sentence for any human entering. Despite having companions capable of dealing with the radiation, the choice originally was between ending your own life or killing Sarah Lyons.

It’s hard to describe to any Fallout fans who didn’t play through the original ending just how it felt to have to step into that chamber knowing it was game over. I can only express it as a mixture of sadness, frustration, and dissatisfaction that a character I had poured so much time into was gone, and there was nothing I could do to change that. This is one death that hits particularly hard and is one that every player of Fallout 3 experienced, before it was altered for the Broken Steel DLC.