This is what exactly a terrifying Ghoul in Fallout is and how people in the wasteland turn into Ghouls.
In the new Fallout series on Prime Video, we are introduced to the post-apocalyptic world of the video game series of the same name. In this world, there are many different types of people. You have Vaultdwellers, surface-dwellers, The Brotherhood of Steel, Ghouls and so on.
In the Fallout series, we meet Walton Goggins. Before the war, he was a normal person, but he somehow turned into a zombie-like Ghoul. In the series, we don’t learn much about Ghouls, but the games have more information about the terrifying people. Here’s what a Ghoul is and how people turn into one.
What is a Ghoul in Fallout?
Ghouls are, or rather were, normal people. But they are Ghouls changed by a process called Ghoulification. Ghouls may look like zombies or rotting corpses, but they are not. Their skin is burned by radiation rather than rotten.
Furthermore, a Ghoul is not only different on visual aspect. They have other advantages and disadvantages that make them different from normal humans. For example, Ghouls live many times longer than humans and it is almost impossible to get sick. But how exactly does one become a Ghoul.
The entire Fallout franchise
Fallout (1997)
Fallout 2 (1998)
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001)
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004)
Fallout 3 (2008)
Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Fallout Shelter (2015)
Fallout 4 (2015)
Fallout Pinball (2016)
Fallout 76 (2018)
Fallout Shelter Online (2019)
Fallout series (2024)
Fallout 5 (TBA)
Ghoulification process
Even though Ghouls have existed since the very first Fallout game in 1997, it is still not 100% certain how a person becomes a Ghoul. However, we do know many important factors needed to turn into a Ghoul.
The most important thing needed for the Ghoulification process is radiation, lots of radiation. Most Ghouls were created during The Great War, when all the atomic bombs fell in Fallout. Radiation from these bombs is therefore the biggest reason for the existence of Ghouls. Still, people are more likely to die from a lot of radiation, rather than turning into a Ghoul.
Many Fallout fans have the theory that a person must be exposed to radiation for a longer period of time to start the process. Also, people turn into Ghouls faster if they are closer to ground zero of the bombs, and survive. People have to be alive to be Ghouls, so they are definitely not zombies.
Still, bombs are not always involved. Some people turn into Ghouls through radioactive drugs. This can be seen in the Fallout series and also in Fallout 4. Although in the game it is done on purpose, unlike the series.
Pros and Cons of Ghouls in Fallout
Turning into a Ghoul has positives and negatives. There are certainly things that make life better when you are a Ghoul, but whether these advantages outweigh the disadvantages is the question.
Advantages
Let’s start with the advantages of being a Ghoul in Fallout. First, Ghouls live many times longer than humans. Many Ghouls were created when the bombs fell in The Great War. So the Ghouls that originated here, such as Walton Goggins in the Prime Video series, are well over 200 years old.
Also, Ghouls cannot actually get sick at all and do not need to eat or sleep as much, for example. To make life even easier, Ghouls get better from radiation, which is certainly advantageous in a post-apocalyptic world full of radiation.
Cons
Yet in addition to these advantages, there are also more than enough disadvantages. First, it doesn’t improve your appearance as a Ghoul. Most Ghouls do not have a nose. But more importantly, the radiation required to turn into a Ghoul burns away your entire skin. Ghouls therefore often have emaciated and peeling skin.
Walton Hoggings as The Ghoul in Fallout (2024) (Image: Amazon)
But appearance is not the only drawback. Indeed, at some point every Ghoul also becomes wild, although it varies how long this lasts. A wild Ghoul actually has no humanity left in it at all and is simply a wild beast. This change can be delayed by certain means, as seen in the Prime Video Fallout series, but it cannot be avoided.
Finally, because of these other drawbacks, Ghouls are often not accepted by people. They are hated and avoided. This is also the reason they do not live in mixed communities, but sometimes start Ghoul communities.
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So living as a Ghoul is not all positive and long life. Even though having to sleep less and not being sick does sound appealing, there is much more that comes with existing as a Ghoul in Fallout. Fortunately, we don’t have to make this choice in real life.
