The following contains spoilers for Fallout, now streaming on Prime Video

Summary

• Ghouls are radioactive beings with unique perks like immortality and healing abilities in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout.
• Exposure to radiation can transform humans into Ghouls, leading to a range of changing physical and mental states in the series.
• The Fallout TV show delves into the challenges faced by Ghouls as they strive to survive and stop their transformation into a feral state.

The Ghouls are a major element of Brotherhood of Steel, while others like the citizens of Vault 4 have adjusted to their new transformed states.

One of the most visually distinct is the Ghouls. The most prominent of these radioactive humans is one of Fallout's main characters, a former actor named Cooper Howard who now only goes by the title of Ghoul. His radioactive state actually comes with some unique perks that make his adventures through the Wastelands more productive. However, there's also a haunting final fate awaiting him (and all like him) that underscores the harrowing final fate of all Ghouls.

The Stages Of Ghouls In Fallout Explained

How Ghouls Can Go From Functionally Human To Feral Monsters

In Fallout, an intense amount of radioactive exposure can transform someone into a Ghoul. Ghouls function as the Fallout franchise's answer to zombies, even if they aren't strictly undead. In fact, Ghouls can retain much of their original minds, at least at first. The most prominent Ghoul, the man once known as Cooper Howard, still has his memories from the Pre-War America of Fallout. Many Ghouls can be spotted across the course of the show, including in the remains of the New California Republic. However, over time, Ghouls will lose touch with their humanity and devolve into a feral state.

This can be stalled with medicines, which has become a driving force for the Ghoul in Fallout. The Ghoul is willing to sell Lucy to organ harvesters if it means restocking his supply. Throughout the first season of Fallout, multiple Ghouls are shown in varying states of transformation, the Ghoul's friend Rog among them. Rog is introduced struggling to retain his old memories while transforming into a more snarling, uncontrollable figure. Once they've fully lost their memories, the Ghouls become monstrous, explaining why many humans (like the Brotherhood of Steel) kill Ghouls on sight.

How Do Humans Transform Into Ghouls In Fallout?

There Are A Few Ways To Transform Humans Into Ghouls

The most obvious way for someone to be transformed into a Ghoul in Fallout is to be caught near a nuclear explosion. The radioactive elements of the Wastelands can steadily transform someone into a Ghoul, but being caught near a nuke can amplify and speed up the effects. This also has the tendency to transform someone from a mutated human into a feral Ghoul at a much faster rate. Continued exposure to radioactive elements in the Wasteland can also set off the transformation at a somewhat slower rate.

It's suggested to Lucy that drinking enough radioactive water on the surface will over time induce this kind of transformation, with the Ghoul taunting her potential fate. There are also man-made methods to transform someone into a Ghoul, as seen when the Snake Oil Salesman isters a "healing remedy" to Thaddeus to fix his foot. After his newfound healing factor saves him from a separate lethal injury, Thaddeus is horrified to discover that he's become a Ghoul and will steadily transform into a state more akin to Cooper or the feral Ghouls Lucy encountered elsewhere in the show.

Why Ghouls Are Immune From Radiation In Fallout

How Ghouls Survive So Well In Fallout

There are some unique perks to being a Ghoul in the Fallout universe. Due to the radioactive elements that fuel their bodies, Ghouls are immune to radiation. In the irradiated wastelands, this is a crucial ability to possess. This allows the Ghoul to casually drink radioactive water or consume radioactive meat with no detriment to their health. Ghouls are also shown to have an increased healing capability, like when Walter Goggins' Ghoul casually sews a severed finger back onto his hand and regains the use of it almost immediately. In a vicious setting like Fallout, this is a handy attribute.

Due to the sheer amount of radiation within their bodies, Ghouls cannot be simply drugged either. Ghouls are also functionally immortal from an aging perspective, as their bodies no longer age once transformed. Although Ghouls are working on a limited amount of time without specific medicine, this makes them uniquely gifted for exploring the ruins of the world. It adds some unique perks to being some of Fallout's scariest survivors that characters like Cooper Howard use to great effect.