What if... Harold's place in Fallout New Vegas

The Dutch Ghost

Grouchy old man of NMA
Moderator
Hello all,

This is a 'what if' topic, with the subject being about Harold, the unique mutant from Fallout 1 and 2.

If Harold had not been 'rooted' in the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3, and had not appeared in that game at all, where would people on this forum would have liked to place Harold in the Mojave or in any of the DLC regions so far?

My first choice would be the X-22 Botanical Garden in the Big MT, Harold at some point either discovering the Big MT or being apprehended by security robots from it and brought to the facility.

The Think Tank, unable to conclude if Harold is a human mutant or some weird kind of plant mutant (Bob confuses them), have sent him to the facility to be studied by the computer there. (the facility would have been somewhat expanded to include an intact building and a computer system)

Despite his captivity Harold is actually pretty well treated by the computer intelligence which is instructed to keep Harold in a healthy condition and supply him anything he wants in order to keep him cooperative.
Harold is even trying to help it with its goal; creating sturdier nutritious plants that can survive in the wasteland, using Bob as a 'blueprint' of sorts.


For my second choice Harold would have traveled to Zion and met the Sorrows, like Daniels simply trying to help these people out as he is a good guy and has taken a liking to him.

Because of his unusual appearance and Bob's presence the Sorrows don't think Harold as some kind of human but rather a spirit of nature that can talk to them.
Harold has been trying to convince them that its not the case but most of them still don't believe him, and Harold has let it rest as it doesn't do any harm.
 
If you ask me, I think Harold should be left alone...at least for some time.

I like to think he stayed at Gecko, which flourished under his guidance.
 
Atomkilla said:
If you ask me, I think Harold should be left alone...at least for some time.

I like to think he stayed at Gecko, which flourished under his guidance.

Harold has always been a part of Fallout, not necessarily a main character but still someone who is part of the atmosphere.

Something similar is the case with some characters in other RPGs.

To me meeting Harold again is like running into an old friend who has been part of your previous journeys.

As for Gecko, I sadly think the bad ending happened (Vault City enslaved Ghoul population) and that Harold and some of the Ghouls left when they saw it coming.
 
I understand what you're saying Dutch Ghost, but I think we oughta let him rest. He's old, he needs a vacation.
 
Getting burned alive is the best ending he could have got? Bethesda could have at least let him die with dignity, making him sacrifice himself to save everyone or something like that.
 
Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere as a tree or be killed by the Lonew Wanderer is a good and logical ending for Harold? sorry but no.
 
Courier said:
Getting burned alive is the best ending he could have got? Bethesda could have at least let him die with dignity, making him sacrifice himself to save everyone or something like that.

No, helping the world regain itself is a good ending though, and I don't know one person who didn't take that option.
 
Filling the world with mutant plants while he just suffers horrible pain forever, this in a world or a region were people aparently can't grow crops by themselves, I see Harodl just havign to babysit everyone.
It would have been much better if there were various zones fo the map full of plants and Harold being implied to be wandering around the wastes. I don't see why they tought Harold was better used as a helpless character suffering every moment of the day for a bunch of idiotic people, it's like whoever wrote that quest hated Harodl or something. Harlod was a lot more proactive in the other games. I woudl have actualy prefered Harold to die of odl age, I mean he is not a ghous or a super mutant, I think he woudl actualy age and die. He lost an arm and an eye already.
 
I myself hate Harold's fate in Fallout 3, he didn't deserve it and there is nothing good and noble about it.
Plus the Tree Minders are a bunch of idiots.

Also, why should Harold need a break or a vacation?
Its not like he is a tired plot device like the Enclave.
 
I myself don't have such strong feelings/nostalgia for Harold and didn't even mind the choices we had to do in FO3 regarding his fate. What I found retarded was that he was supposd to travel all the way to Washington, aswell as this Treehugger faction around him.
 
Mind you I have never played F3 - therefore as an outsider, I find it ridiculous that Bethesda felt it even necessary to include the old Ghoul in the game. Sure Harold is an iconic character in Fallout, but why the fuck to game designers think it's vital to feed the players these superficial reminders in their game. Oh Harold in there somewhere, therefore the game is now 10% more like the original Fallouts. :?

Knowing the poor bastard gets torched makes me want to never play this game. How could they burn a face like this -

HubHarold.png
 
.Pixote. said:
Mind you I have never played F3 - therefore as an outsider, I find it ridiculous that Bethesda felt it even necessary to include the old Ghoul in the game. Sure Harold is an iconic character in Fallout, but why the fuck to game designers think it's vital to feed the players these superficial reminders in their game. Oh Harold in there somewhere, therefore the game is now 10% more like the original Fallouts. :?

Knowing the poor bastard gets torched makes me want to never play this game. How could they burn a face like this -

HubHarold.png

aww :D

anyway he doesn't get torched unless you chose to
 
The Dutch Ghost said:
I myself hate Harold's fate in Fallout 3, he didn't deserve it and there is nothing good and noble about it.

People probably will hate me for what I'm about to say but, bad things sometimes happens to good people!

Sure, the character was great and I hated Harold's end too, but maybe that's a lesson for everyone.
It's not guaranteed we will have a good final in the end. ;)
 
The problem is nto the bad ending itself, the problem is how incompetently done it was, there was 1. no reason for Harold to be so far north, 2. for him to turn into a treee so quickly and 3. for the chocie being so dumb.
 
Walpknut said:
The problem is nto the bad ending itself, the problem is how incompetently done it was, there was 1. no reason for Harold to be so far north, 2. for him to turn into a treee so quickly and 3. for the chocie being so dumb.

The same can be said about Marcus appearance in NV. Sorry, no matter how good was the writing, the story, the justification or whatever reason you gave me, Marcus shouldn't be in NV.

So a companion and central point of previous game is only a cameo?
Ouch...
 
Well, Marcus was said to have traveled to Nevada in his ending in Fallout 2 alogn with his fellow mutants, him appearing in New Vegas DOES make sense. The writers decided to give him a more pasive role in this game.
 
Walpknut said:
Well, Marcus was said to have traveled to Nevada in his ending in Fallout 2 alogn with his fellow mutants, him appearing in New Vegas DOES make sense. The writers decided to give him a more pasive role in this game.

So, it's unnaceptable a cameo in FO3, but OK in NV? That's crap.
I loved Marcus in FO2! Sure, he gave me huge headaches, specially in Vault City the first time I've played FO2. Broken Hills was one hell of a place and a very funny place, well designed.

And the mayor and my previous great companion becomes a cameo, a fucking cameo?! :x

Ouch indeed...
 
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