Making Sense Of Fallout's 2 Shady Sands Changes In Canon

Spoilers are ahead for Fallout season 1's ending.

Summary Shady Sands plays a key role in Fallout lore as the birthplace of the powerful New California Republic faction.

The show's reveal that Shady Sands was destroyed prior to the events of Fallout: New Vegas is giving fans pause.

With the sophomore outing headed to New Vegas, how Shady Sands' destruction impacts Fallout's canon will be further addressed in season 2.

A pre-existing Wasteland town in Fallout's video game canon, Shady Sands — or what's left of it — makes a substantial appearance in Amazon Prime Video's TV series. Like every location in the Fallout show, Shady Sands isn't quite what it seems. Located near several Vaults, Shady Sands appeared in 1997’s Fallout as well as 1998’s Fallout 2, but it's also important enough to receive mention in the other main-line Fallout games. At first, Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) doesn't think too much of Shady Sands — a crater of scattered debris marked by a welcome sign.

Lucy uncovers evidence of what really happened to Shady Sands — and why it was blown up...

But Lucy's perception of Shady Sands shifts after she and Maximus (Aaron Moten) visit Vault 4. The Los Angeles-based Vault is run entirely by scientists; generations ago, their ancestors volunteered to be part of a very public Vault Dweller experiment. It becomes clear that all of Vault-Tec's bunkers are grounds for experiments, be they scientific or social ones. However, Vault 4's secrets run even deeper than the average fallout shelter. During her short stay, Lucy uncovers evidence of what really happened to Shady Sands — and why it was blown up in the first place.

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The Location Of Sandy Sands In The Fallout Show Is Different From The Games

Shady Sands Seems Closer To Los Angeles Than Death Valley

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In addition to introducing viewers to Fallout's eccentric cast of characters, the show's first outing deepens pre-existing franchise lore. Since the Fallout show takes place in 2296 — 219 years after the bombs first dropped during the Great War of 2077 — it's set after all the established video games' stories. With most of the past and present unfolding in and around the Greater Los Angeles Area, the show also brushes up against some iconic game settings, including New Vegas. That said, the series can't completely invent its own world. Instead, Fallout must try to uphold the franchise's canon.

...the town gives rise to one of the most powerful factions in Fallout: the New California Republic (NCR).

In the games, Shady Sands is a small settlement that was established in New California around 2161. Led by a former inhabitant of the nearby Vault 15, the town gives rise to one of the most powerful factions in Fallout: the New California Republic (NCR). Canonically, Vault 15 is located near Mt. Whitney and the deserts of Death Valley. Unless fast-travel exists, the show seemingly transplants the town closer to Los Angeles, though it retains Shady Sands' connection to the New California Republic. The capital of the NCR, Shady Sands thrived, expanding the faction's reach until its untimely destruction.

Related The World Of Fallout Explained In celebration of Fallout's release on Prime Video, here's Screen Rant's complete guide to the franchise's characters, locations, lore, and changes.

How The Destruction Of Shady Sands Changes Fallout Canon

The Fallout TV Show Retains Its New California Republic Connections

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More than the apparent (and relatively slight) geographical shift, the destruction of Shady Sands as it's presented in the show is what complicates — and possibly changes — the canon events of Fallout's timeline. The truly shocking Fallout season 1's ending reveals that none other than Lucy's father, Vault 33 Overseer Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), ordered the destruction of Shady Sands. Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), the leader of a New California Republic military division, admits that Hank nuked the town after his wife tried to flee there from Vault 33 with Lucy and her brother, Norm (Moisés Arias), in tow.

Related Every Character In Fallout's Vault-Tec Meeting (Including Likely Season 2 Villain) Via the Vault-Tec meeting, several existing characters in Fallout's world were represented in the season finale. One could even be season 2's villain.

A devout Vault-Tec employee who was cryogenically frozen back in 2077 to one day carry on the company's vision, Hank believes the world is Vault-Tec's "to shape." Fearful of the NCR's growing power, Hank's personal frustrations with Shady Sands was the last straw, leading to the town's destruction in 2277. Before joining the Brotherhood of Steel and donning Power Armor, a young Maximus survived the bombing of Shady Sands. While Shady Sands isn't necessarily a Vault-Tec target in the games, the Fallout series hitches a lot of threads to Shady Sands' haunting history.

Key Fallout Titles Year (In-Universe) Fallout 2161 Fallout 2 2241 Fallout 3 2277 Fallout: New Vegas 2281 Fallout 4 2287 Fallout 76 2102 Fallout (TV Series) 2296

What The Shady Sands Changes Mean For Fallout Canon

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According to a history lesson that Lucy comes across in Vault 4, Shady Sands was bombed in 2277. Ironically, that's the same year Fallout 3 is set, though that entry unfolds across the country in the Washington, D.C. area. More significantly, Shady Sands is bombed four years before the events of Fallout: New Vegas — a game that takes place much closer to the show's setting. In New Vegas, the player character becomes entangled in a multi-sided conflict between factions; namely, the NCR and the New Vegas-based Caesar's Legion fight to control the Hoover Dam.

...some fans have balked at the idea of the NCR's Shady Sands being destroyed before the events of New Vegas.

Whoever ends up securing the dam will seize power over the entire Mojave Wasteland. Since much of Fallout boils down to player choice, there are several possible endings. While Fallout season 2 will probably confirm which ending is canonical, some fans have balked at the idea of the NCR's Shady Sands being destroyed before the events of New Vegas. After all, the bombing of the NCR capital would have been substantial news in New Vegas. For now, it remains to be seen how the destruction of Shady Sands amid other crucial Fallout events will impact the series' canon going forward.

All 8 episodes of Fallout season 1 are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.