Fallout season 1 has so many Easter eggs and hidden references that every episode had eagle-eyed fans looking forward to blink-if-you-miss-it moments in the show. Many of the references and small details are surprisingly game-accurate.
In this article, we’ll break down Easter eggs, a few of which may set up the groundwork for season 2. These include fun details that reference the game and a fan theory that many fans wonder if it is canon.
8 Easter Eggs You'll Find In Fallout Season 1
SPOILER ALERT: This list contains major spoilers for Fallout season 1, now streaming on Prime Video. So, scroll with caution.
Fallout Game Loading Screen
In episode 1 of the Prime Video series, fans of the Fallout franchise will spot a familiar loading screen when a band of raiders disrupts the happy lives of the subterranean residents of Vault 33.
The screen usually shows sunny views of Nebraska, but during the attack, it glitches to a 50s-style “Please stand by” message. Lots of fans will remember seeing this screen when they start up games like Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4.
You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
Lucy's introduction, where she proudly talks about her many skills and abilities, is a nod to Fallout's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character creation system.
Every game starts with allocating points to Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck to determine your character's strengths and weaknesses.
Game Accurate Pip-Boys
If you look closely at the Pip-Boys on the wrists of our characters, it's clear that they are game-accurate and copy all the tabs you would use while playing — Stats (statistics), Inv (inventory), Data, Map, and Radio.
The game would also let you level up and check statuses, look at all your gear, read notes and files, look where you are or where to go, and play songs. Later, in episode three, we also see the classic status tab showing the health of Lucy's limbs (all 100% by the looks of things).
Familiar Enemies
Some enemies that threaten our main characters will be familiar to many franchise fans in the show. In episode one, a menacing raider brandishes a combat chem that strongly resembles Psycho, adding to the tension as they confront Chet. In episode two, we witness our first encounter with a Radroach when Dogmeat catches one just before it can harm Lucy.
Brother Titus of the Brotherhood encounters a Yao Guai, a mutated and terrifying bear seen in Fallout 3, and appears in New Vegas and Fallout 4. Moreover, a super mutant is depicted on wanted posters, indicating their continued presence as formidable adversaries in the wasteland.
The Fall of Shady Sands
In the original Fallout game, Shady Sands is the settlement discovered by the Vault Dweller, later becoming the first capital of the New California Republic. A chalkboard in Vault 4 hinted at a few details about its destruction, revealing Maximus as a survivor of the bomb's devastation, yet it offered little to no context.
However, the series shed light on the scarcity of NCR presence across the Wasteland. Given the events of New Vegas, one might expect this area to be firmly under NCR control. However, the NCR's decline has allowed both the Brotherhood and the Enclave to thrive.
Hank’s PIN code “101097″
In the final moments of the season, Lucy arrives at the Griffith Observatory to rescue her father from the hands of Lee Moldaver. This is where the truth about Vaults 31, 32, and 33 is revealed, as is the origin of Hank MacLean and what Siggi Wilzig created and stole after defecting from the Enclave: a cold fusion reactor.
Using Hank as a hostage, the leader of the New California Republic forces him to enter the code. The number Hank punches in is “101097″, a clear reference to Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game’s release date of October 10, 1997.
The Corporate Council
In the last episode, business leaders convened to discuss the impending apocalypse and their financial plans. Robert House, representing RobCo, and a delegate from the Big MT were among them.
Fans of New Vegas will instantly recognize these names: Mr. House is the enigmatic figure governing New Vegas, while the Big MT is the scientific enclave featured in the DLC expansion Old World Blues.
The Origins of Vault Boy
The Fallout series reveals that the Vault Boy icon is inspired by Cooper Howard (played by Walton Goggins), one of the protagonists who later becomes The Ghoul. Howard, a Hollywood actor known for Western roles, promotes Vault-Tec’s vaults, donning Vault Boy’s suit in episode three for an advertisement.
Moments later, in the same episode, the writers of Fallout reference a longstanding fan theory. Just moments before the nuclear bombs are unleashed, Howard tells his daughter Janey about an instruction he received during his time in the Marines: “If they ever drop a really big bomb, they told us to hold up your thumb just like this. And if the cloud is smaller than your thumb, you run for the hills.”
Don’t forget to download the Fallout 4 next-gen update for all platforms when it rolls out on April 25, and check out our handy survival tips to get you started!
Read More: Fallout Season 2: Our Wasteland Wishlist