A cult by definition is a group of people with beliefs that are considered strange or extreme to the majority. Since the Fallout series exists in a wide and varied world full of different ideologies, cults are an inevitability. Some worship nature or follow the guidance of a seemingly altruistic or very charismatic leader.
Other factions, however, operate in a more ominous manner. There are those who embrace radiation or believe in dominating humankind. These outlandish and bizarre desires and practices are nothing short of abhorrent to most sane people. For these reasons and more, one should be wary of most oddities in faith that can be found in the wastelands.
10 Treeminders
This group of tree-huggers is non-hostile, though their beliefs and actions come off as a bit startling. They worship the mutant hybrids, Harold and Bob. Harold was formerly a human treated with the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) who somehow got a sapling, who he named Bob, in his head. Bob eventually grew so big that he rooted poor Harold to the soil, trapping them both forever. In Fallout 3, the Treeminders found the duo sometime after this and began to believe that their unique existence was sacred.
9 The Sorrows
Despite looking primitive, these tribespeople from Fallout: New Vegas are not aggressive. However, they have strange beliefs. The original Sorrows were a group of children who escaped from a cruel society into the wilds. After a little while, when they settled in The Narrows, they began receiving gifts and notes from a benevolent stranger named “The Father.” Though, as the children grew, The Father’s gifts and notes came less often until they all received one final note stating that their Father would no longer be giving them supplies and would cease contacting them, from then on becoming a silent guardian. However, the children, now adults, still search the caves nearby for him.
8 Pillars Of The Community
Around the Charles View Amphitheater in Fallout 4, there is a small group there who claim to know the way to lead a life unhindered by the lies of the world. They claim that if people relieve themselves of their possessions, via donation, they will be happier. Initiates are required to give up their belongings and essentially become homeless. For some reason, many agree to this, though the entire act is a ruse set up by the leader of this cult, Brother Thomas, who personally sees to every initiation. If people try to back out, Thomas threatens them at gunpoint.
7 Hubology
Hubologists once believed that long ago all life was linked. The mind, body, and spirit were connected in all creatures until a being known as Thakazog the Pot Hole came along. This being taught the importance of the mind and body but not the spirit, forever separating this element from humanity and dooming all to an incomplete existence.
In a quest to seek this lost spirit, this cult is attempting to build a spaceship to fly off of Earth in search of the Star Father who resides on the planet Quetzel. There, they will seek to be enlightened before returning to Earth and ruling over mankind. That is if they can build a functional ship from post-apocalyptic scrap metal.
6 Bright Brotherhood
This group of ghouls (and one human who thinks he is a ghoul) follow a Glowing One that has somehow maintained sentience despite mutating immensely. This Glowing One, Jason Bright, believes that he and his people are not long for the world. They, similarly to the Hubologists, believe that their salvation lies elsewhere in the universe, where they can be safe and “heal.”
5 Apostles Of The Holy Light
Those who have played Fallout 3 may be familiar with this cult of radiation fanatics. They believe that ghouls are the next stage in human evolution and actively irradiate themselves in various means in an attempt to force transformations. Obviously, this does not have a great success rate as many who try to transform end up simply killing themselves. But this does not stop the faithful from trying.
4 Renewal
FEV experiments tend to go awry, as can be seen with Harold and Bob, though the tree-man hybrid is not the only such oddity born from this experiment that the player can encounter. In Fallout 2, one can come across the Renewal cult, whose leader is a rat who was mutated to have exponentially higher brainpower than common rodents.
Appropriately naming themselves “Brain,” they have acquired a following and seek to form a better life for their society by improving existing structures and facilities.
3 Children Of Atom
Here is another cult that believes in the holy might of radiation, though they do not seek to turn themselves into ghouls. Instead, they chose a few select individuals of exceeding worthiness to dump into chemical vats in order to make them change into super mutants. As is the case with the Apostles of the Holy Light, this practice results in more deaths than conversions.
2 Cult Of Mars
Caesar’s Legion in Fallout: New Vegas follows the teachings of the Cult of Mars; a faith ingrained with blood and domination which preaches the need to subjugate others. They are headed by Caesar himself, who all believe is the son of the god Mars. With the child of a god at their helm, these cultists enslave all those they desire and ritualistically sacrifice those they cannot.
1 Cult Of The Mothman
Prior to the Great War, legends of the sinister half-man and half-moth creature flowed through the folklore of Appalachia. Some soon began to believe that the Mothman was a divine being and they began making shrines to him as well as performing rituals in the shadows to their winged lord. Details are sparse in Fallout 76, but it can be learned after some digging that the cult’s popularity grew as a result of the study of unique and interesting moths, as well as the sightings of a creature haunting the area that bears a striking resemblance to the mythic Mothman.
NEXT: Fallout: 10 Questions We Still Have About The Great War
