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The East Coast, also known as the Eastern Seaboard or Atlantic Seaboard, refers to the easternmost states of the pre-War United States of America. While in a strictly geographical sense it includes the entire eastern seaboard, in popular usage the term "East Coast" is most often used to specifically refer to the northern half of this region, which is also known as the Northeastern U.S.

Background[]

The East, much like the rest of post-War America, is a lawless wasteland. The Great War did not spare it in any way, although some areas were less devastated by the war than others, and so civilization has rebuilt to varying degrees across the East. While some major centers such as Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. were heavily bombarded by nuclear ordnance, rural areas, such as in West Virginia and parts of Maryland, were mostly spared, though still subject to mutants and radioactive fallout. Other major cities were less heavily targeted, such as the Boston area which was hit by one nuclear bomb that struck to the south of Boston proper.

Frida Madani comments on the coastal region east of Appalachia, describing it as having been "hit a lot harder" than Appalachia and irradiated to the point that she was turned into a ghoul.[1] Joe Creigh also comes from the coast of Virginia and made his way to Appalachia in 2103.[2] Rucker describes traveling south along the coast along with a group of stragglers, avoiding the dangers of the wasteland in order to reach Appalachia.[3]

Coastal regions[]

Adams Air Force Base[]

Adams Air Force Base map
Main article: Adams Air Force Base

Adams Air Force Base was a major United States Air Force base before the Great War. Located just outside the Capital Wasteland, the base is accessible through the presidential metro, and in 2277 served as a secondary headquarters for the Enclave, supplementing their installation at Raven Rock. Enclave operations here were centered in the mobile base crawler, which had the satellite controls needed to call down orbital strikes on several locations in the Capital Wasteland. The base was captured by the Brotherhood of Steel in 2277, following the Lone Wanderer's destruction of the mobile base crawler.[4]

The Brotherhood of Steel constructed the Prydwen over a period of several years at Adams Air Force Base, and maintain a strong presence at the base as of 2287, though most of the organization's leadership later migrated to the Commonwealth aboard the Prydwen.[5]

Broken Banks[]

The Broken Banks was one of several regions Tobar mentions previously sailing to aboard the Duchess Gambit prior to 2277, along with the Commonwealth and the Capital Wasteland. Nothing is known about the region, except that it is located south of the Commonwealth.[6]

Capital Wasteland[]

Fallout 3 blank map
Main article: Capital Wasteland

What is known as the Capital Wasteland is the former city of Washington, D.C. and the area surrounding it including portions of the former District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. As of 2277, the area is overrun by super mutants, raiders, slavers, mercenaries, and numerous other dangers that threaten the small human and ghoul populations.

Human civilization in the nation's former capital is largely concentrated in settlements such as Rivet City, housed in the remains of a beached aircraft carrier. Other settlements include the towns of Megaton, Canterbury Commons, Andale, Tenpenny Tower, Paradise Falls, and The Citadel within the ruins of the Pentagon occupied by the Brotherhood of Steel. Movement through the ruins of the downtown Washington, D.C., area itself is facilitated by the remaining metro tunnels.

The Commonwealth[]

Fo4-pip-map
Main article: The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth consists of the former state of Massachusetts, at the center of which stands the largely undamaged city of Boston. Like most other major population centers of the United States, however, it was ravaged by the Great War and is as lawless and unforgiving as the Capital Wasteland.

Despite its anarchic nature, with most locations occupied either by disorganized raiders, merciless super mutants, savage feral ghouls or a variety of wild fauna like bloodbugs, mirelurks, deathclaws, etc., the region is also home to the mysterious Institute, which has continued to develop advanced technology even after the massive amounts of destruction caused by the Great War. Among its accomplishments are artificial intelligence and artificial lifeforms called synths, built as a servant class, with other models serving as trackers to return runaway androids. The Railroad, another organization within the Commonwealth, works against the Institute to free the enslaved androids. A militia by the name of the Minutemen helped to maintain order in the region until they suffered numerous setbacks and internal division leading to their near extinction circa. 2287. In 2287, the main forces of the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel arrived aboard their military airship, the Prydwen and established a power base of their own in the Commonwealth, seeking the destruction of the Institute and all synths.

One of the notable features of the region is the Glowing Sea, an inhospitable and lethally radioactive area to the southwest from the rest of the Commonwealth. When the Great War occurred in 2077, the area that became the Sea was ground-zero for a nuclear explosion that, while missing the city of Boston entirely, still continues to plague the remains and the remnants of human civilization due to northeastern-bound winds carrying the still-lingering radiation from the Glowing Sea and causing deadly radstorms to blanket the entire region almost daily. Very few factions or groups are active or even present in the Glowing Sea, save for a small enclave from the Church of the Children of Atom living in the nuclear bomb's impact crater.

Crater Banks[]

Nothing is known about Crater Banks other than that it is adjacent to the coast and south of the Commonwealth as it is only mentioned once by Quinn in Underworld.[7]

Great Lanta[]

Great Lanta is the birthplace of Saint Monica, who is venerated by the Church of Saint Monica aboard Rivet City in the Capital Wasteland. The exact location of Great Lanta is unknown, as it is only mentioned once in a sermon by Father Clifford, where he describes it as being "on the shores of the ocean."[8]

The Island[]

The Island map
Main article: The Island

Formerly called Mount Desert Island in pre-War days, the Island is located off the coast of the former state of Maine and typically can only be reached by way of using a boat with either automatic guidance systems or an experienced crew, otherwise vessels risk wrecking on the surrounding rocky shores.

Covered in a radioactive phenomenon called The Fog year-round which has mutated the local wildlife, creating horrors like gulpers, anglers, and Fog crawlers as well as driven many people exposed to it insane and turning them into savages known as Trappers, the Island experiences a density of human civilization that ebbs and flows as much as the Fog itself; in some years, settlements can build up further in-land while in other times, people find themselves living right on the edge between land and sea to stay safe.

Circa. 2287, the Island is home to three prominent factions: Acadia, a secretive colony of escaped synths that fled from the Institute, led by the sentient synth DiMA; a chapter of the Church of the Children of Atom living in an old military submarine base, led by High Confessor Tektus; and the native islanders called the Harbormen who are forced by the Fog's encroachment to live on the pier of Far Harbor.

Point Lookout[]

Point Lookout map with locations

The region of Point Lookout in the former state of Maryland was a largely rural area apart from a small seaside resort town named Pilgrim's Landing. Though it was not directly hit by the bombs during the Great War, fallout coming from areas that were as well as lingering radiation in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay has had a significant impact on the area. The native wildlife has been heavily mutated, and the effects of radiation amplified by inbreeding has led to severe deformities and unchecked hostility in the native swampfolk.[9][10]

One prominent location in the area is the Calvert Mansion, one of the largest buildings still standing in the peninsula. While in excellent condition compared to buildings in the Capital Wasteland, the mansion is still in bad shape, with a good amount of the wood rotting away in the swampy climate, and even having parts of the floor that will easily break away if stepped on. It was previously owned by the Calvert family, said by Desmond Lockheart to have wielded such great political power before the Great War as to have "owned half of Maryland" and "practically owned a deed to the US government".[11]

Inland regions[]

Appalachia[]

West Virginia map
Main article: Appalachia

Located within the Eastern Commonwealth of the former United States, the region of Appalachia within the former state of West Virginia was spared most of the destruction and carnage of the Great War due to its relative isolation and lack of strategic targets, but much of the surviving human population nonetheless perished over the following years due to the Scorched Plague unleashed by members of the Enclave. In 2102, the dwellers of Vault 76 emerged into Appalachia after twenty-five years of isolation and began to reclaim the wilderness.

In the following years, survivors from other parts of the post-War U.S. began to trickle into the region, forming new settlements and raider gangs. The Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force was among those groups.

Erie Stretch[]

The Erie Stretch is a region from which raiders out of the Pitt acquire slaves to work the steel mills. No further information is available about the Erie Stretch as it is only mentioned once by Brand.[12]

Monroeville[]

Monroeville is an area east of the Pitt, implied to have significant populations of ghouls and trogs. No further information is available about Monroeville as it is only mentioned once by Everett when he rewards the Mauler.[13]

Nuka-World[]

PipBoy-Map-NukaWorld
Main article: Nuka-World (location)

Nuka-World is a pre-War amusement park-turned-raider settlement that was built in a low-lying valley located in Massachusetts, far enough west from the city of Boston that it required a monorail transit system built into the towering mountainsides that take at least several days to hike on foot. The park consists of six distinct areas: Nuka-Town USA, the Galactic Zone, Dry Rock Gulch, Safari Adventure, the World of Refreshment, and Kiddie Kingdom, with several smaller locations in the surrounding valley like the town of Bradberton and the Grandchester Mystery Mansion.

Previously owned by the Nuka-Cola Corporation, after the Great War, it was largely an abandoned ruin taken over by overgrowth and the mutated fauna dotting the desert-like surroundings, until a group of traders set up in Nuka-Town to try and make a prosperous trading hub there. It lasted until the hub's success attracted the attention of a coalition of Raiders, formed between three gangs: the Disciples, the Pack, and the Operators, led by their Overboss, Colter and his right-hand man, Porter Gage, who came to take over the park and forge a Raider empire out of it.[14]

As of 2287, the Raiders are largely relegated to Nuka-Town USA due to Colter's inaction in taking over the other areas. The three gangs are only kept from turning on and killing each other thanks to the regular slaughter spectacle provided by a deathtrap formed around the monorail called the Gauntlet, which ends in the "lucky" winner being able to fight the Overboss themselves.[15]

Philly[]

Philly is the name given to the remains of the city of Philadelphia in the former state of Pennsylvania. It is mentioned on a terminal in Rivet City, where Abraham Washington noted that his Capitol Preservation Society funded an expedition to the ruined city, which he referred to as "a dump", to retrieve the Liberty Bell after he met a scavenger that claimed to have a piece of the historical relic.[16]

The Abbey of the Road[]

The Abbey of the Road is a Christian monastery, though its exact location is unknown as it is not mentioned by Marcella in her journal. The Abbey's main concern is spreading the Christian faith, with the preservation of artifacts important to the faith being a secondary priority.[17]

The Pitt[]

The Pitt map
Main article: The Pitt

The Pitt is a raider settlement built upon the ruins of Pittsburgh in the former state of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh was directly targeted with nuclear bombs during the Great War, and its location along the confluence of three rivers meant that it was not only subject to radiation from direct hits, but also the radioactive fallout from the bombs contaminating the rivers. The radiation, pre-War industrial pollution, and other contaminants resulted in heavy degrees of mutations in the surviving population, culminating in the creation of a condition unique to the Pitt's immediate area, known as Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion, turning some inhabitants into insane wildmen and causing others to devolve into savage mutant trogs. Circa 2103, a raider gang called the Fanatics attempted to take over the city using forced labor to build their settlements. They were opposed by a coalition of former industry workers known as the Union.[18]

Around 152 years later, in 2255, the Brotherhood of Steel decided to fight through the city in an event known as the Scourge that killed much of the Pitt's population at that time, though the reasons for it are unclear; many unmutated children were taken to be raised as initiates, but it was also known that the Brotherhood's then-leader recovered an object of unknown identity from the Pitt. By the end of the Scourge, the city was left with a massive power vacuum, which came to be filled by Ishmael Ashur, a Brotherhood member who was left behind after being presumed dead. The Pitt had the only functional steel mill the Brotherhood had ever encountered, which Ashur aimed to use to restart the Pitt's industry and cement its strength in the surrounding wasteland. Meanwhile, the Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion continued to plague the city and ensured that no healthy children could be born in the Pitt, forcing Ashur to recruit an army of raiders to defend the city and capture slaves to work in the steel mills.[Non-game 1] Ashur reigned over his raider army and hordes of slaves from Haven in the area of Uptown while the slaves toiled in the Steelyard and were tormented by both the raiders and the infestation of trogs in Downtown. By 2277, a slave rebellion was brewing, led by Wernher and seeking to topple Ashur and put control of the Pitt in the hands of its workers.

Ronto[]

Little information is known about Ronto besides some slaves being brought to the Pitt from there[12] and that, by 2277, it had established itself as a regional power with a reputation that extended as far as the Pitt, as Ashur mentions the location in comparison to the Pitt's martial strength.[19]

References[]

  1. Vault Dweller: "How did you survive the War?"
    Frida Madani: "I was lucky. I hid, and when those red monsters showed up, I fled east. But the coast is bad. Very bad. It was hit a lot harder than home was. So when people started flooding back, I came back as well. I wasn't unscathed, of course. I became what I am today. A ghoul. And that hasn't made life any easier."
    (Frida Madani's dialogue)
  2. Vault Dweller: "What's your background, recruit?"
    Joe Creigh: "Me? Private Joe Creigh. Well, Private-in-training. I came up from Virginia. East Virginia? Well, I'm from the coast. I started out a civvy, though I guess we all do. I'm not that way anymore, though! I can fight the Reds, and I'll prove it! Just as soon as I can finish that darn obstacle course."
    (Joe Creigh's dialogue)
  3. A Vault Dweller: "How did you make it all the way back home from there?"
    Rucker: "Wasn't easy. Me and a few other stragglers had to pick our way down the east coast, ducking and dodging everything that moved except each other. Not the kind of experience one wants to talk much about. You understand."
    (Rucker's dialogue)
  4. Events of Who Dares Wins
  5. The Sole Survivor: "Where was the Prydwen constructed?"
    Kells: "She was constructed at Adam's Air Force Base just outside of Washington D.C. There was a vast amount of scrap metal and salvageable components there after we defeated the Enclave. We spent the first two years alone gathering the parts. The rest was spent assembling. It was worth the effort. With the Prydwen in our arsenal, we can mobilize our entire division... sending her anywhere that Elder Maxson wishes her to go. Her presence in the Commonwealth ensures that our mission to defeat the Institute will end in victory."
    (Captain Kells' dialogue)
  6. The Lone Wanderer: "Nice boat. You must have seen a lot of places with it."
    Tobar: "You should have seen her back in her heyday! Why, we traveled up and down the coast, from the Commonwealth to the Broken Banks. Good times, but these days she's not fit to take out to the coast. Too many spouts ready to drown her, and too many critters looking for lunch. But the Point Lookout run is good enough for now. We've got a sweet deal ferrying cargo and the occasional traveler."
    (Tobar's dialogue)
  7. The Lone Wanderer: "Where do you go?"
    Quinn: "Oh, here and there and everywhere. I've explored all up and down the coast, from the Commonwealth, to the Pitt, all the way down to Crater Banks. I also do a fair bit of trading. You see, folks here, they don't have much of a connection to the outside. So I move their goods and caps out to the Wastes and bring back in what I trade for 'em."
    (Quinn's dialogue)
  8. Father Clifford: "Today we hear the story of Saint Monica. She was born in Great Lanta on the shores of the Ocean. Her parents were both Ghouls. Yes, that’s right, I said Ghouls. That she was conceived at all was a miracle. That she was born unafflicted was an even greater miracle. God tested Saint Monica. She did not lead an easy life. Sold into slavery by Raiders, she was forced to sell her body. They took her only son, Ehren, from her and sold him. She prayed every night to God for his safety. She did not pray for herself, although her burden was great. Each night she would preach the word of God to the Slavers. After sixteen years, God provided a miracle. One of the Slavers repented his wicked ways and helped her to escape. Four years she looked for Ehren. Four years she wandered the Wasteland. God looked over her in those years. When she found her son, she found he was a wicked man. Ehren had overthrown his masters and taken their place. He was an owner of men. Ehren took his mother to be his slave, even knowing who she was, for Ehren blamed her for his painful early life. Each day Ehren would think of a new and wicked trial to put her through. She would only smile at him and say, "I forgive you." Each morning she would be miraculously healed as if nothing had happened. When Ehren truly realized her love and God's love was boundless, he flung himself at her feet and begged for Saint Monica’s forgiveness. Ehren released all of his slaves, and they rejoiced. He repented all his wicked ways. Who among us is without sin? Who among us can claim to be innocent? Come, brothers and sisters, let us pray to God and Saint Monica for deliverance from our sins, as Ehren was delivered from his. Amen. Let us pray."
    (Father Clifford's dialogue)
  9. Fallout 3 loading screens: "Point Lookout's rural location shielded it from direct impact during the Great War, but the resulting fallout has irradiated the area in the intervening years."
  10. Fallout 3 loading screens: "The Swampfolk denizens of Point Lookout are the product of exposure to heavy radiation and generations of poor breeding."
  11. The Lone Wanderer: "So, who is this brain thing, anyway?"
    Desmond Lockheart: "HIM! I should have known. My old rival... so close to his family home. Only he would be so stupid. He was once a man -- Professor Calvert. The Calverts owned half of Maryland, back when there was a Maryland to own. Members of the Calvert family were influential all over the world. They practically owned a deed to the US government. In their best days, there were no less than three Calvert family senators, seven members of the house, and two governors. They even had a top candiate In-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar for president, until that scandal with the dog forced him to drop out of the race. I was particularly proud of that one."
    (Desmond Lockheart's dialogue)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Brand: "You're new, aren't you? Are you here from the Erie Stretch? The Capital Wasteland? Ronto? Where's home?"
    (Brand's dialogue)
  13. The Lone Wanderer: "You got anything for me?"
    Everett: "All the metal you're bringing in, I suppose it's worth giving you something to really help with those Trogs. Here, this thing's mauled Trogs and Ghouls from here to Monroeville. Give it a whirl."
    (Everett's dialogue)
  14. Nisha's holotape, Entry 3
  15. Nisha's holotape, Entry 4
  16. Rivet City terminal entries; Liberty Bell Expedition
  17. Marcella's journal
  18. Elsie's story
  19. Ishmael Ashur: "Citizens of The Pitt, workers of Downtown, traders of Uptown, and all fierce souls who do what must be done! I bring you good news! We stand at the dawn of a new golden age. Where others merely survive, we thrive! Our industry is the envy of the Commonwealth! Our safety is the envy of the Capital Wastes! Our might is the envy of Ronto! And while I have led your efforts, it has been by your own strength that you have earned all of the envy of the world. They envy the steel shaped by the workers in our mills, and they envy the strength of our traders and raiders who wield that steel for The Pitt. And most of all, they envy our victories in the struggle for freedom. Because, yes, freedom is what we all work towards. Freedom from fear, freedom from disease, freedom to live as once we did before we were shackled by atomic fire! And so, to celebrate this struggle, I ask my loyal workers: who among you is prepared to fight for your freedom? Who among you will risk your life in the crucible to create a new life of freedom in Uptown? Who will take this rare chance to thrive?"
    (Ishmael Ashur's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition pp.43-44:
    "Pitt Raiders
    Pitt Slaves
    Trogs
    Wildmen

    Following the Great War, survivors established a settlement on the remains of a city at the confluence of rivers. The rivers seem to provide a clear resource, and enough of the city was cleared by the bombs that a new settlement could be established. However, radioactive material and unidentified mutagens mixed into the groundwater, causing it to become slightly mutagenic and highly carcinogenic. As a result, the people in the new settlement began to change ever so slightly.
    The changes were subtle, not nearly to the degree of the Super Mutants or the various Wasteland creatures, but over the next 140 years, it became undeniable that something was affecting the people of The Pitt. Starting from the first few years, children were often born with strange growths or extra vestigial limbs. The mutations never went far beyond the occasional hunchback or cleft palate, but it wasn't long before the vast majority of the residents of The Pitt developed some sort of physical deformity in their lifetimes. Although many children were born "clean," the older they got, the more likely that a problem would develop.
    The most disturbing change that the environment caused was not nearly as noticeable as the physical deformities. The infected water and poisoned sky began to cause neurological damage to those exposed to it. People became more hostile, violent, and short-tempered; they became known as "Wildmen." Their emotions became out of control, and their actions often teetered on primal. In severe cases, mutated humans devolved into hunched, savage beasts nicknamed "Trogs." Over the first 50 years, The Pitt quickly degenerated into a dangerous den of murderers and rapists; even cannibalism was not uncommon. The only loyalty was in strength, and the only organization was between those who were strong enough to control others and those who were controlled.
    Rumors of the horrors of The Pitt spread throughout the Wasteland, and all travelers knew to avoid it at all costs. However, The Pitt became one of the most self-sufficient communities in the Wastes. Granted, their self-sufficiency relied on the citizens occasionally eating one another, but they functioned without trade or export.
    In 2042In-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar, Star Paladin Lyons of the Brotherhood of Steel led the Scourge, a large-scale military action that wiped out nearly the entire population of The Pitt. In a single night, the Brotherhood swept through the city, eliminating any resident who put up a fight. Although the intent of the Scourge remains unclear, several unmutated children were taken from The Pitt by the Brotherhood and placed into initiate training. The motivations for the Scourge are unclear to this day, but many in the Brotherhood note that it was a marked change in the way the Brotherhood operates. Additionally, it is known that something was recovered from The Pitt during the Scourge, although to date it would seem that only Elder Lyons knows what it was.
    It is said that a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin from the Scourge stayed on in The Pitt, seeking to bring law and order to the unwashed masses and creating an underclass of Pitt Slaves in the process, guarded by Pitt Raiders under his personal command. However, in the decades following the events of the Scourge, nobody has heard anything from The Pitt. Travelers who have gone to investigate have not returned, and no survivors have emerged."
    (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles)
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