'Fallout' finale gives a major clue to the setting of Season 2

The end credits confirm it.
By Shannon Connellan  on 
A still from the "Fallout" TV series showing a character in T-60 power armour.
We know where Season 2 is headed. Credit: Prime Video

If you've made it through the murderous Mister Handy robot butlers, mutant marine creatures, and major truth bombs of Prime Video's Fallout series, chances are you've seen a major hint at what's coming for Season 2 in the finale.

In the eighth and final episode of the TV adaptation of Bethesda's best-selling Fallout game franchise, created by Westworld's Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, there's an overt clue as to the location of the next installment, and it all comes down to fan favourite game Fallout: New Vegas.

Obviously, we're talking Fallout's season finale here, so the spoiler Rad count is high ahead. No amount of Rad-X will save you.

In the Fallout finale, when the truth about Lucy MacLean's (Ella Purnell) finally-found dad Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) and his involvement in the nuclear destruction of California has been revealed, he escapes the Griffith Observatory wearing T-60 power armour stolen from Maximus (Aaron Moten). Cooper Howard/The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) tells Lucy her father is probably headed to the unnamed person in charge. At the very end of the episode, we see Hank stumbling toward a city in the middle of the desert. Where could you happily walk from Los Angeles in such a suit? It's none other than the dilapidated city of Las Vegas, with the unmistakable spire of The Strat tower jutting out of the skyline. But it's not Vegas as we know it.

Mashable Top Stories
Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.
Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!

Fans of the Fallout games will recognise this location instantly as the setting of the critically lauded Fallout game, Fallout: New Vegas, possibly hinting at the location of the second season of the Prime Video series.

If you didn't get the reference with the final shot, the end credits confirm the clue. The Fallout end credits up until this point have shown various Los Angeles–based locations in the New California Republic (NCR), from LAX to the Hollywood sign. But in the finale's ending credits, we soar along the New Vegas Strip, past a billboard advertising The Tops Hotel and Casino, and the camera zooms past the Lucky 38 casino — two key locations in New Vegas — before ending on a sign quite literally reading "Welcome to fabulous New Vegas."

Considered one of the best Fallout games, it was released by Bethesda and Obsidian in 2010, and set between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, taking place across Arizona, Nevada, and California. In the game, you play a character known simply as a Courier, whose perilous, resurrection-dotted journey takes you across the Mojave Desert to the titular city — a complete and utter shell of Las Vegas rebuilt post-apocalypse — where factions war for control of New Vegas and the surrounding wasteland. 

The Fallout series bases its character arcs on general storylines from the Fallout game series, so it's possible the series will introduce the Courier to the likes of Lucy, Maximus, and Cooper in the second season, unless they eliminate the character and put our protagonists on their path instead.

All episodes of Fallout are now streaming on Prime Video.

A black and white image of a person with a long braid and thick framed glasses.
Shannon Connellan

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture.


Recommended For You


Every song in 'Bridgerton' Season 3, TV's queen of classical pop covers
Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper and Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton in the Netflix series "Bridgerton."

I love snooping on my cat with Petkit's camera-enabled automatic feeder
YumShare Dual-hopper with Camera

'My Lady Jane' turns the tables on the damsel-in-distress trope — and history itself
Emily Bader as Lady Jane Grey and Edward Bluemel star as Guildford Dudley in "My Lady Jane."

More in Entertainment
How to make the most of the Olympics on Peacock
A phone, a tablet, a TV, and a laptop showing the Peacock Olympics home screen.

How to watch Chicago Sky vs. New York Liberty online for free
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky

How to watch Rybakina vs. Krejcikova in Wimbledon 2024 online for free
Rybakina hits the ball

How to watch Vekic vs. Paolini in Wimbledon 2024 online for free
Paolini celebrates a win

How to watch De Minaur vs. Djokovic in Wimbledon 2024 online for free
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for July 11
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for July 11
a phone displaying Wordle


Webb telescope may have just revealed an alien world with air
A super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star

'The Acolyte' keeps referencing 'The Last Jedi' — here's why
The Stranger on the unknown planet.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!