History VideoGame / Wasteland3

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Various raiders, cultists, slavers and cannibals fill the Colorado wasteland for the player to kill. [[spoiler:Ironclad Cordite stands out. Many players despise him so much for being an unrepentant [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slaver]] that they simply kill him after the conversation finishes even if they support Angela]]. The Patriarch's children also count since the player can decide that getting the Patriarch's help isn't worth letting psychopaths like Victory or Liberty live.

* CanadaEh: If you [[spoiler:allow Blue to remove Di's RestrainingBolt in]] in the ''Battle for Steeltown'' DLC she turns out to be Canadian and switches to a Canadian accent (although it sounds more {{Minnesota|Nice}}n, donchaknow).

** The Cult of the Holy Detonation DLC, taking place in the legendary Cheyenne Mountain Complex, centers around an immensely powerful piece of technology that holds a giant glowing energy source within a [[Franchise/StargateVerse spinning metal ring]]... well, several rings, but still. In addition, the Holy Detonation cultists fight primarily with radiation spitting submachine guns built out of what looks like [[Series/StargateSG1 FN P90s.]]

* LevelScaling: Enemies, in particular those from the DLC, and some {{NPC}}s scale to character levels. This includes all your animal companions and NPC followers, which not only keeps them viable in the late game but in some cases makes them more powerful than your characters. The [[spoiler:honey badger]], if encountered at level 25, will have over 17,000 HitPoints, giving it more HP than all the {{Bonus Boss}}es in the game combined.

* BonusBoss: Scorpitrons, which wander the Colorado map, but don't have to be fought to complete the game. There's also one that depends on a choice made ''during character creation'': if you take the Background [[spoiler:Goat Killer]], then there is a chance while driving around Colorado to fight the [[spoiler:Hell Goat, a gigantic, fire-breathing demon goat, accompanied by tinier demon goats.]]

* OneRiotOneRanger: The Rangers were supposed to have fifty people to accomplish the Patriarch's task of getting his children back but due to the Dorsey ambush at the beginning this number is whittled down to two (three if you manage to save Jodie Bell). Even after recovering the team still sticks to a party of six, meaning half a dozen individuals will frequently fight entire gangs of people to accomplish their goals.

* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler: Morningstar]] was a self-aware AI left in an unfinished body before the bombs fell. It's spent more than 150 years unable to do more than listen to the radio and dwell on its inadequacies. When the Rangers encounter it, it begs for a MercyKill.

* BeefGate: Exploration on the world map is gated by your vehicle's radiation resistance. Try to go too far too quickly and your squad will start taking massive damage from the ambient radiation. You'll either need a high level chassis or [[spoiler: the Morningstar AI]] coupled with a purpose-built utility upgrade to survive the Eastern Plains.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Much like the preceding games, this is the theme of the setting. The Black is the various gangs you fight. Dark Grey is the Patriarch in all his justified and not so justified ShootTheDog decisions and [[spoiler:Angela Deth who's willing to doom Arizona (and let Kansas be raided) if needed to stop the Patriarch]]. And then there are the Rangers who have to decide just how much they have to compromise their values to ensure that Arizona survives... [[spoiler: But deciding ''not'' to compromise much is needed to get the ending where the Patriarch loses his power, Arizona is saved, and Colorado prospers, an ending so Light Gray that it's nearly White.]]

* BonusBoss: Scorpitrons, which wander the Colorado map, but don't have to be fought to complete the game. There's also one that depends on a choice made ''during character creation'': if you take the Background [[spoiler: Goat Killer]], then there is a chance while driving around Colorado to fight the [[spoiler:Hell Goat, a gigantic, fire-breathing demon goat, accompanied by tinier demon goats.]]

** One of the more surprising returns from ''Wasteland 2'' is [[spoiler:a Honey Badger. Found in a place called the "Massacre Site", where it becomes increasingly clear that the Honey Badger itself was behind the massacre. It can be recruited by a Ranger with max level Animal Whisperer, and they have a potent buff and is easily the strongest animal companion in the game with absurd stats. It can also be fought. [[TooDumbToLive This, however, is an extraordinarily bad idea for multiple reasons.]]]]

** [[spoiler: Angela Deth]] survived the helicopter crash at the end of ''Wasteland 2,'' but has nasty burn scars. You can even make a modest First Aid check upon meeting to note that it must hurt for her to speak.

** The Patriarch is very clear that he wants the his children back ''alive'' and will be displeased if the Rangers can't follow through. [[spoiler: Liberty in particular, if taken alive, is removed from prison and allowed back into the palace (albeit still restrained) while her father tries (and fails) to bond with her]]. He also, at least publicly, excuses away Valor and Victory's crimes by saying the former was kidnapped by the Gippers while the latter wasn't really responsible for the Aspen massacre.

** Despite [[spoiler: giving up his own citizens to the Godfishers in exchange for not being raided]] the Patriarch seems to avoid slavery, unlike the numerous gangs and cults, and it's implied to be disallowed in his territory.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: In the early part of the game, [[spoiler: Liberty Buchanan]] will ambush Team November as they travel the world map. You're offered several options when you realize you're driving into an ambush, but she'll catch you no matter what you choose. Thankfully, she and her giant robots just want to talk.
* FinalBoss: Either [[spoiler: Angela Deth or the Patriarch]] depending on which ending you pick.

** The ''November Reigns'' ending is the closest example. [[spoiler: The Patriarch is imprisoned or exiled for his numerous crimes, power transitions peacefully to the Rangers, democracy is implied to be re-introduced and, assuming one chooses to send supplies, Arizona also gets its much needed relief.]] This ending is also the only one where [[spoiler: half your base doesn't get killed in an attempted coup.]]

* GoneHorriblyWrong: In a side quest you finally corner Dorsey leader Nelius Dorsey, and get the full story about the origins of the clan that bears his name. [[spoiler: Turns out that his family was wiped out for being on the wrong end of a political power play. Rather than a simple coup, as the Patriarch says, Dorsey was actually ''pro-democracy'' and wanted to institute elections -- but the Patriarch wasn't ready to give up power. Nelius managed to escape from a bloodbath led by none other than Percival Wesson, Lucia's father, and once outside the city, Dorsey and his extended family rallied the survivors to rebuild. But they lost their way, forced to survive among the other plains gangs, and as the clan started to talk about nothing but vengeance against Buchanan and bringing about the Deluge of Blood, Nelius lost all but nominal control of them, with the ambush at the beginning serving as a desperate, last-ditch attack to cut off reinforcements for the Patriarch against Liberty's advice. He even admits that yes he should have just talked to the Rangers if the Rangers say as much.]] It's obvious that he just wants the whole thing over with, even if you execute him on the spot or arrest him for a more formal execution.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: Victory Buchanan, surprisingly enough. If you arrest him and refuse his offer to join your team he just shrugs his shoulders and goes back without a fight.]]

* GuestStarPartyMember: Sharp-dressed Latin-speaking mystery man the Provost returns and tags along with his powerful handgun. [[spoiler: Angela Deth also joins you if you side with her whereas the Patriarch is forced back into the palace in his side's final boss.]]
* GuideDangIt: The prerequisites for the ''November Reigns'' ending, which allows you to [[spoiler: peacefully convince The Patriarch to step down from power with the support of Angela Deth, the Hundred Families, and the Patriarch's Marshals]], are incredibly strict. [[spoiler: Not only do you need to be loved by both the Hundred Families and The Marshals (with most of this reputation gain being made in early game, with very little room for error),]] but choosing incorrectly in at least two different missions can lock you out of getting the ending completely [[spoiler: (siding with Mama Cotter over Gideon Reyes and sending the Reagan AI to the Machine Commune or otherwise wiping out the Gippers at any point in their questline)]]. It's telling that two weeks after release, only ''0.6% of players'' on Steam managed to get this ending.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: One Godfisher recruit who gathered sacrifices [[spoiler: given to them by the Patriarch]] decides to abandon his group and finds love with a woman, regretting all he's done. Unfortunately for him the loved ones of his victims don't care and want to kill him for what he's done. It's up to the player whether to stop them (violently or not) or decide they have the right to revenge even if it means the death of his innocent lover.
* HeelFaceTurn: Charley Knowes in the ending assuming [[spoiler: he takes over the Bizarre and Brygo is dead/arrested. The ending states that he treated both merchants and customers with fairness and respect and calls him a decent man. If the Patriarch is overthrown violently and November leaves then the Bizarre becomes a refugee town where Charley does his best to protect the people from the slavers and gangs. The end card even says he became the hero he always portrayed himself as in his stories.]]

* InsistentTerminology: The sentient machines found in the game often have very specific quirks in how they speak about their kind and humanity, particularly in contrast. The Machine Commune insists on calling themselves, "machine intelligences," because "artificial intelligence," implies that they are not truly sentient. Likewise, ReligiousRobot Null Stack insists on referring to all sentient beings as "machines," with robots being "inorganic machines," and conventional lifeforms referred to as "organic machines."

** Gary '[=NaCl=]' Wolfe is a synth hunter who continuously insults the rangers and responds to small talk with barely restrained contempt. [[spoiler: He's also completely right about the Synths being dangerous and needing to be put down. Synths were made by the Cochise AI for the sole purpose of helping it exterminate mankind and even 'innocent' ones like October-11 were made for the express purpose of being infiltration units and to make humans hesitate. If you let it go it kills another human]]. He also insults you if you get the cyborg implant but [[spoiler: considering what could happen to Rose and Lexcanium if you take them to fight the Cochise AI]] he has good reason to be wary.

** The Patriarch and [[spoiler: Angela Deth]] in their respective endings. Assuming you side with the Patriarch he receives no punishment for his ShootTheDog moments [[spoiler:unless you count his inevitable physical and mental decay from palsy]]. Likewise [[spoiler:Angela]] receives no punishment for essentially fracturing Colorado and leaving it vulnerable to the roaming gangs of raiders and cultists. [[spoiler:The ''November Reigns'' ending is the only one to avert this since the Patriarch is either imprisoned or exiled for his crimes while Colorado isn't fractured.]]
** Liberty will escape and create another gang to vie for the throne again assuming [[spoiler: The Patriarch is dethroned and Team November leaves Colorado.]] The ending notes she has a good chance of getting the throne this time around.
** Averted by [[spoiler: Victory Buchanan. Even if the player allows him into the party the ending states that he tries to create another gang only to be force-fed a clown burger by the Payasos and died from poisoning. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.]]

** All of the Patriarch's children can receive this in various ways if you choose to not arrest them. [[spoiler: Valor can have his personality erased by the Reagan AI, finally getting the respect he craved only after he's gone; Victory will either blow himself up with his own grenade, be shot as he awaits arrest or be force-fed a clown burger only to die of poisoning by the Payasos, another group of MonsterClown raiders; and finally Liberty can simply be gunned down and denied mercy when she surrenders, fitting with her world view of mercy being a weakness.]]
** The Patriarch can be killed outright at any time in the game (though this is an extremely bad idea) or commit suicide if [[spoiler: you bring the Raider gangs to Colorado Springs and tell him you plan to take everything from him.]] Depending on your view [[spoiler: Angela's death counts as well since she does lead half your base to revolt if you side against her.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Various raiders, cultists, slavers and cannibals fill the Colorado wasteland for the player to kill. [[spoiler: Ironclad Cordite stands out. Many players despise him so much for being an unrepentant [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slaver]] that they simply kill him after the conversation finishes even if they support Angela]]. The Patriarch's children also count since the player can decide that getting the Patriarch's help isn't worth letting psychopaths like Victory or Liberty live.

-->"People talk about [[GreyAndGrayMorality shades of gray]], but the brave see only [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black and white]]. You know right from wrong and you've got the conviction to do something about it. You're going to bring some good back into this world if it kills you. At least you'll know you filled a lot of graves with scumbags first."
* LateCharacterSyndrome: Pizepi joins far later than the other companions, [[spoiler:requiring her to be rescued at the Aspen hotel from Victory Buchanan before she can be added to the party.]] While she has decent stats, including a fully maxed out Automatic Weapons bar, the fact that she comes so late means there's very little time to use her before the player goes after Liberty and initiates the endgame. She also doesn't get any perks from HQ staff that the older party members have unless the player waited to talk with them until after she's recruited. [[spoiler: Victory Buchanan is even worse since he has spent skill points on two combat skills and Hard Ass, which the player has likely raised already considering how late you can get him.]]
* LevelScaling: Enemies, in particular those from the DLC, and some {{NPC}}s scale to character levels. This includes all your animal companions and NPC followers, which not only keeps them viable in the late game but in some cases makes them more powerful than your characters. The [[spoiler:Honey Badger]], if encountered at level 25, will have over 17,000 HitPoints, giving it more HP than all the {{Bonus Boss}}es in the game combined.

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: It takes a ''lot'' of small compromises and stone-cold resolve to reach the GoldenEnding, often sacrificing random people and even smaller communities for the grand cause that's bringing peace to whoever is left standing in Colorado. And your choice of allies for that task is also going to require another batch of [[GoodIsNotSoft similar, moral sacrifices]]. [[spoiler: Try to save everyone on your path and you will get one of the worst endings possible]].

** Choosing [[spoiler: Angela's ending without securing the right alliances leads to Colorado becoming fractured and Arizona either not receiving as much help as they could or being abandoned entirely with Jodie Bell in particular having her family killed in the latter choice.]]
** Many of the [=NPCs=] (and by extension the decisions related to them) end up going down this path: Mama Cotter wants to help the wasteland refugees by smuggling them into Colorado Springs...despite the fact that the city is already overcrowded and straining to supply its citizens ''as it is'', and that adding more is definitely not making things any better. [[spoiler: As a result, refusing to arrest her will lock the player out of the ''November Reigns'' GoldenEnding, as it means Gideon Reyes will not be willing to play ball with the Rangers while in the midst of the refugee crisis.]]
** This comes back in the ''Steeltown'' DLC, albeit in a [[DownplayedTrope less stark way]]. Abigail Markham is a brutal, dictatorial overlord of Steeltown who cannot even pretend she gives a fuck about her workers, and worse, [[spoiler: she's given all major decision-making to the Computation Engine, [[TooDumbToLive after]] she enslaved the synths to it, which almost anyone could have seen would lead to trouble later.]] Shooting her head of security- a decision even [[NiceGirl Jodie Bell]] supports- and backing up [[RebelLeader Salene]] [[WorkingClassHero Crow]] when she demands Markham step down seems like the obvious choice. However, [[spoiler: Crow actually ''doesn't'' know how to run a factory, so if her group of workers take over, they ruin Steeltown and do tremendous damage to Colorado's future prosperity.]] The reason it's a DownplayedTrope is because there's a way to make the not-quite-right thing ''into'' the right thing- if Team November [[spoiler: allies with Blue's Ghost Gang. He helped Markham build the place, ''and'' he knows how to keep it running, meaning that him and Salene Crow can team up and keep Steeltown going, sparing Colorado the economic damage while still improving the lives of the workers.]]

* PostApunkalypticArmor: A series standard, though not universal. Many armors are mismatched and repurposed military or police gear scavenged from the ruins, heavily customized with added spikes, studs, chains, badges, buttons, and patches, and of course [[HellBentForLeather lots of leather]]. Averted for the carefully preserved suits of {{PoweredArmor}} and brand new combat gear the player can find in previous unexeplored locations.

* ProperlyParanoid: The Patriarch chose to offer the Rangers a deal to capture his children rather than any of the local factions because he believes that, given the chance, they might betray him if they think they can profit from it. He's absolutely right. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for him he doesn't catch on that they might decide to back ''the Rangers'' instead to depose him, which is exactly what happens in the ''November Reigns'' ending.]]
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Ignoring the custom Rangers your team is...out there. A former [[DirtyCop Marshall]] who sees the flaws of the system but doesn't know how to change it, the orphaned [[spoiler: except not really]] daughter of one of Colorado's most esteemed families seeking revenge for her family's death, a farm girl who just wants to make sure her family's safe back home, a drunk hobo with a shotgun who doesn't even know he's in Colorado or what's going on most of the time, a mutant Ranger you save from a psychopath, a cannibal gang leader who joins only after you beat him down, the former leader of the Scar Collectors with plans to create his own empire, and even [[spoiler: the Patriarch's psychopathic second son.]]

** The player can be forced into a few as well. Save the lives of farmers at the expense of the caravaneers (and their cargo of power armor and the Patriarch's favor), or vice-versa? Or maybe arrest an old woman while her family watches to ensure she can't smuggle refugees into the city and drain the already stringent resources but also leave said refugees with nowhere else to go? [[spoiler: The latter in particular will allow one to peacefully transition power in the ending and avoid a bloodbath, which involves her own sons if you side with the Patriarch.]]

** A massive shout-out to ''[[Series/KnightRider Knight Rider]]'' in the form of [[spoiler: Morningstar, an AI designed to drive the most advanced presidential limousine for Reagan.]]

** The Cult of the Holy Detonation DLC, taking place in the legendary Cheyenne Mountain Complex, centers around an immensely powerful piece of technology that holds a giant glowing energy source within a [[Franchise/StargateVerse spinning metal ring]]...well, several rings, but still. In addition, the Holy Detonation cultists fight primarily with radiation spitting submachine guns built out of what looks like [[Series/StargateSG1 FN P90s.]]
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: While the wasteland is already a nasty place the gangs that practice slavery are considered far and above worse than all the rest, including the Godfishers and the Scar Collectors. [[spoiler: Finding out the Patriarch sent some of his people to said gangs to be used as sacrifices and slaves shocks both Lucia and Kwon.]]

* SuccessionCrisis: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]]. All of the Patriarch's children are violently unhinged (Victory and Liberty) at worst, and spoiled and ineffective (Valor) at best, and thus he hasn't chosen an heir. This has made some people worry, since he's at least in his 70's by now, and [[spoiler: is suffering from palsy which will degrade him physically and mentally in as little as three years.]] Siding with the Patriarch and staying in Colorado implies that the Rangers will pick his heir when he dies, while leaving Colorado ends with the note that when he dies Colorado will be fractured and the Rangers will be alone again. Subverted if you own the ''Steeltown'' DLC and end it with Markham in charge, as an additional slide adds that Markham is guaranteed to be the Patriarch's successor. [[spoiler: The ''November Reigns'' ending, meanwhile, has the Patriarch either imprisoned or exiled with the Rangers taking over as a peacekeeping group while the people govern themselves.]]

** [[spoiler: The choice of ending seemingly boils down to whether one sides with The Patriarch or Angela Deth which leads to half of your base revolting and a bloody shootout in the streets. If you get your reputation with both the Marshals and the Hundred Families to Loved and talked to both Sheriff Daisy and Gideon Reyes about transitioning power, however, you can simply arrest/exile The Patriarch in a bloodless transition of power. This way you avoid half of your base having to be killed and companions like Lucy and Kwon leaving/being killed while still allowing Arizona to receive the supplies it needs.]]
** Instead of siding with the Gippers (which kills Valor and angers the Patriarch) or the Machine commune (which kills the Gippers and stops oil from flowing), one can [[spoiler: steal the Reagan AI and hold it hostage. This allows you to arrest Valor and keeps both factions from dying, but both of them end up hating you, and the ending mentions they're stockpiling weapons.]]
** In the questline in which November deposes the Patriarch [[spoiler: with the help of "Red"/Angela Deth, not so dead after all,]] the team is told they have to work with Ironclad Cordite, an unrepentant slaver, warlord, and all-around bastard, to take over the Plains Gangs so that the latter can aid the Rangers against the Patriarch. It's the only way, you're told: you need the gangs' manpower, and as bad as they are, the Patriarch is worse. [[spoiler:If the player goes along with it unquestioningly every step of the way, it achieves the worst possible ending for ''everyone'': Arizona dies without the Patriarch's supplies, Colorado dies without leadership, and Ironclad Cordite leads an army to go destroy Kansas. Instead, it turns out you don't actually need Cordite or the gangs in order to seize Colorado Springs by force. In fact, what Angela has failed to consider is that you can win the city's factions over to the Rangers' side peacefully -- up to and including the Patriarch himself in the November Reigns ending.]] Notably this is never considered by any of the major NPC leaders, so it's something Team November must come up with on their own, which the player must engineer through careful decision-making across Colorado.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: It's clear that some of the companions don't exactly get along. Lucia looks down at Kwon for being a DirtyCop, while he calls her a pain in the ass to her face, for example. (They also have a dialogue in which he tries to flirt with her and gets shut down.) [[spoiler: Victory Buchanan and Fishlips have it worst since practically no one likes them, and Lucia suggests shooting Victory even after he's been recruited.]]

* UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler: Victory's ending if he's allowed to join the party. He tries to create another gang, only for the Payasos to force-feed him a clown burger that kills him.]] Even his death if you attack him counts, since he blows his legs off with his own grenade without the player fighting him.

* VillainHasAPoint: Liberty calls out her father for letting the Gippers control oil manufacturing for all of Colorado rather than it being state-run, which is hard to disagree with, considering how unstable the group is. She's also correct that both of her siblings are bad for the country (not that she's any better) and, depending on your ending choices, [[spoiler: she could be completely right about the Patriarch's attempt to ally with the Rangers biting him in the ass. Whether you do it via a firefight or a peaceful transition, choosing Angela Deth's ending means you usurp the Patriarch when he made a deal in good faith.]]
* ViolationOfCommonSense: Recruiting the above {{Token Evil Teammate}}s on any playthrough where you're not going rogue yourself. While Cordite shares a mutual goal with the Rangers, Fishlips is a cannibal gang leader who attacks you on your first meeting and [[spoiler: Victory Buchannan is the Wasteland equivalent of [[{{Franchise/Batman}} the Joker]] who you meet after he massacres a hotel full of people and sends his entire gang to either kill you or be killed]]. Why exactly would anyone let the last two into their party?

* YourDaysAreNumbered: The Patriarch is already an old man in his 70's and [[spoiler: he's also been diagnosed with palsy that will kill him in as little as three years]]. Technically should apply to Scotchmo as well, since he's diagnosed with late stage liver disease, but it never comes up and doesn't seem to stop him from (somehow) being an effective Ranger.

** The DLC gets into this as well, with ''Battle for Steeltown'' using a minor-key version of the pro-union hymn "Power in the Union" for a boss battle that's essentially a union bust [[spoiler:though players are allowed to side with the workers on both occasions, playing it straight instead]], while siding with Steeltown's odious chief of security will net you a minor-key and very sarcastic-sounding cover of Music/HarryNilsson's "Best Friend" instead. ''Cult of the Holy Detonation'' uses a relentlessly cheery country rendition of [[Series/LaverneAndShirley "Making our Dreams Come True"]] for its final battle against [[AdvancingBossOfDoom a hideous invulnerable mutant]] who is planning to drench Colorado in radiation.

* ActionPet: Team November can acquire animal companions (ranging from a cat in a Ranger hat to a two-headed ram) with the Animal Whisperer skill. Said animals will provide your rangers with a passive bonus and can attack enemies during battle- and some even have unique abilities, like Wolves howling to frighten foes or goat headbutts knocking people out for a turn.
** [[spoiler:The most action-oriented of the pets is the [[CallBack Honey Badger]], found surrounded by corpses and requiring a hefty maxed out Animal Whisperer skill to recruit. It makes up for the investment by having absurd stats and the ability to solo most fights.]]

** If you opt to kill the Patriarch's children rather than arrest them, before taking the fight back to the Patriarch himself... Couldn't happen to a nicer family. Liberty and Vic are both unrepentant mass murderers, Liberty a warmonger and Vic a supervillain-level sadist. Valor's the only one who hasn't got it coming for doing worse, and whether or not he deserves it, he's condescending, cowardly, unpleasant {{Manchild}} with whom the player is unlikely to sympathize. And for all the Patriarch's speeches, he's got a lot of blood on his hands, and the way he talks to you and others when he's not behind a microphone show he's calculating and ruthless... even if [[WellIntentionedExtremist his noble intentions are genuine]].

** Zigzagged with the Monster Army. They're perfectly nice to the player and run the Bizarre fairly it has to be said that they were one of the worst Raider groups in the country during the backstory and if you ask Flab about stories he'll cheerfully recall past atrocities they committed such as the murder of a hundred farmers with only a faint show of remorse if Lucia is present. This makes it easier for the player to side with Charley Knowes when he suggests killing them all to take over the Bizarre. On the other hand, the war with the Patriarch was a long time ago (so much so that Flab might be the only original member left), much of the current Monster Army weren't directly involved, and the veterans seem to have genuinely reformed, which can't be said for Charlie's designs on a coup and his previous backroom beatings with or without Brygo's orders. By that same token, taking care of Charlie Knowes for Flab also counts.

** After you try Masato’s pork noodles in the Bizarre, he will happily exclaim [[VideoGame/SleepingDogs “a man who never eats pork is never a whole man!”]]

** Early in the Steeltown DLC content the party is subject to a series of test, one of which is an ocular test. Said test involves a display of different colored lights and the player being asked how many lights they see. [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E10ChainOfCommand Of course, "There are four lights!" is an option]].

* BunnyEarsLawyer: ''Scotchmo''. Despite being a drunk hobo with late stage liver disease he's a master of the shotgun and safecracking and somehow bungled all the way to Colorado without even realizing it. Even by the ending he seems totally lost on what's going on and joins only because he left is squeezins at HQ.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: It's clear that some of the companions don't exactly get along. Lucia looks down at Kwon for being a DirtyCop while he calls her a pain in the ass to her face, for example. [[spoiler: Victory Buchanan and Fishlips have it worst since practically no one likes them and Lucia suggests shooting Victory even after he's been recruited.]]

* TooDumbToLive: The game is ''very'' hands-off with what you make your characters do, and allows you the freedom to choose what you want them to do. This includes making some ''very'' poor decisions, like shooting a fellow squadmate in the back to the point of incapacitation [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential for absolutely no reason,]] among other things. Go ahead. Attack The Patriarch in the beginning, immediately after you regain control of your characters. ''[[ShmuckBait See what happens.]]''

* ViolationOfCommonSense: Recruiting the above {{Token Evil Teammate}}s on any playthrough where you're not going rogue yourself. While Cordite shares a mutual goal with the Rangers, Fishlips is a cannibal gang leader who attacks you on your first meeting and [[spoiler: Victory Buchannan is the Wasteland equivalent of Joker who you meet after he massacres a hotel full of people and sends his entire gang to either kill you or be killed]]. Why exactly would anyone let the last two into their party?

* UrineTrouble: There are some patches of snow you can pee on that will then generated unlimited batches of Yellow Snoballs for you to collect. You can chuck them at enemies for giggles, but they don't do anything. However, you can later later craft them into Yellow Snowbombs, which do a solid amount of damage over a wide area and poison all enemies caught in the blast.

* DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Liberty's grand plan is to sweep into Colorado Springs with the combined might of the plains gangs at her back, replacing her father's relative leniency with brutal serfdom. As the Patriach says, she wants to rule, not govern. The same can be said for Ironclad Cordite's plans for an empire in Kansas where he enslaves everyone to weak to fight against him.

** When Liberty first confronts the party they can ask her about her siblings. While she calls Valor spineless and an easy puppet for the Gippers she sounds legitimately disgusted by Victory, calling him a depraved child and to shoot him as soon as you find him.

* CruelMercy: Arresting people and sending them to the Marshalls. You spare their lives only for them to be judged and sentenced to the pillories for a slow, painful freezing death.

* DisproportionateRetribution: The punishment for any crime outside of drunkenness and disorderly conduct - from selling drugs to murder - in Colorado Springs is being stuck in the pillory exposed to the freezing cold weather. At best you can survive with parts of your face cut off, at worst you die from exposure.
* TheDon: Faran Brygo, the boss of the Little Vegas casino and brothel, wears a stereotypical pinstriped mafioso suit, [[CigarChomper smokes a big cigar]], and controls organized crime in Colorado Springs through lieutenants he calls "capos". You can even find a tape that teaches people to speak fluent mobster in Little Vegas.
* DonutMessWithACop: Lampshaded by an ambient conversation in Marshall HQ; two Marshalls discuss the mythical "donut," speculating on whether they were ever even real to begin with.

* DownerEnding: Siding with [[spoiler:Angela Deth (without getting the support of the Marshalls and Hundred Families) and choosing to abandon Arizona leads to the worst ending with Colorado splintering into multiple warring factions while the people of Arizona die due to lack of supplies.]] Likewise killing the Patriarch's children and not convincing him to honor the deal ends with you not getting supplies and the Rangers forced to leave their home for destinations unknown.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The ''November Reigns'' ending is the most difficult ending to get with around 1~2 percent of players having gotten it. It requires [[spoiler:getting oil back from the Gippers (meaning either you hold their AI hostage or sacrifice Valor) while getting a Loved reputation from both the Hundred Families (arresting Mama Cotter is a requirement) and the Marshalls]], meaning one mistake and the ending is inaccessible. It does, however, lead to the most idealistic outcome with [[spoiler:the Patriarch punished for his crimes, democracy being re-introduced, Arizona getting its much needed supplies and the Rangers expanding now that they have a presence in two areas]].

* GuideDangIt: The prerequisites for the ''November Reigns'' ending, which allows you to [[spoiler: peacefully convince The Patriarch to step down from power with the support of Angela Deth, the Hundred Families, and the Patriarch's Marshalls]], are incredibly strict. [[spoiler: Not only do you need to be loved by both the Hundred Families and The Marshalls (with most of this reputation gain being made in early game, with very little room for error),]] but choosing incorrectly in at least two different missions can lock you out of getting the ending completely [[spoiler: (siding with Mama Cotter over Gideon Reyes and sending the Reagan AI to the Machine Commune or otherwise wiping out the Gippers at any point in their questline)]]. It's telling that two weeks after release, only ''0.6% of players'' on Steam managed to get this ending.

** [[spoiler: The choice of ending seemingly boils down to whether one sides with The Patriarch or Angela Deth which leads to half of your base revolting and a bloody shootout in the streets. If you get your reputation with both the Marshalls and the Hundred Families to Loved and talked to both Sheriff Daisy and Gideon Reyes about transitioning power, however, you can simply arrest/exile The Patriarch in a bloodless transition of power. This way you avoid half of your base having to be killed and companions like Lucy and Kwon leaving/being killed while still allowing Arizona to receive the supplies it needs.]]

* RightWayWrongWayPair: Peek and Poke. The small and diminutive Peek is portrayed as caring, smart, and always willing to lend a helping hand, while Poke is a greedy and selfish FatBastard that takes what he wants no matter what.