One Scary Fallout 76 Monster May Be The Starfield Connection We've Been Looking For

Summary The presence of the same monster, The Interloper, in Fallout 76 and Starfield hints at a potential connection between the two universes.

Fallout 76's Interloper is a tree-like entity linked to a cult, while Starfield's Interloper is an alien creature causing chaos on a ship.

Despite speculation, the connection between the two Interlopers could be unrelated, serving as mere coincidence or a clever Easter egg.

Though Fallout 76 and Starfield may be completely different games, one scary monster noticed in each may be the connection Bethesda fans have been looking for. Bethesda is known for its open-world RPGs even though some have had roller-coaster success in recent years. Meanwhile, the recent live-action Fallout show received mass acclaim and has helped propel sales of the franchise's games. Along with the show, next-gen updates were given to Fallout 4, which even included some new content for players to enjoy.

Fallout 76 was the franchise's first step into multiplayer but was initially fumbled massively. However, the buggy and empty world of Appalachia was eventually filled with future expansions. Although the player numbers before the show were minimal compared to other live-service games, Fallout 76 is a game worth playing in 2024. Starfield launched with as much hype as any recent Bethesda game but generally fell short. A bland universe with massive performance issues doomed the game from the start. Starfield is reported to receive its first DLC sometime in 2024, but regardless of quality, it may be too late to redeem entirely.

Related There's Officially No Reason To Play Starfield Anymore Now that Starfield's one feature with longevity has also been added to No Man's Sky, there's officially no reason to play Bethesda's space RPG.

Fallout 76's Interloper May Prove A Universe Connection

Sharing A Name & Possibly Sharing A Universe

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Although there's no official connection between the Fallout and Starfield universes, an enemy that appears in both games may prove otherwise. A monster called The Interloper shows up as part of exploration in both games. These monsters, while not exactly the same, share similarities physically and in lore that could lead to a connection. A connection like this would be a huge sign for the Fallout franchise and perhaps show the future of humanity.

In Fallout 76, The Interloper is this tree-like, static entity found in the Lucky Hole Mines. It was originally worshiped by a sect of the Mothman Cult that felt called to it, but this cult later split up when some found the darker worshiping of The Interloper to be disgusting. It is unknown what The Interloper does besides sending visions to humans and absorbing the blood of sacrifices. The player can discover The Interloper in the mine, but it is impossible to kill the entity, so even Fallout 76's best builds are useless against it.

In Starfield, The Interloper is an alien creature that was brought aboard The Colander before getting loose and killing the entire crew. This Interloper looks akin to other aliens in the game but with a more spider-like appearance, along with organic nests that it creates around the ship. Starfield's Interloper will actively attack the player and will be difficult to defeat without proper weapons and armor. However, it is worth the effort for the rewards scattered around The Colander that can be safely looted once it is dead.

How The Interlopers Night Connect The Starfield & Fallout Universes

Fallout's Future In The Stars

A creature with the nickname Interloper appearing in both franchises poses the possibility of connection. The first sign is the organic nature the two share - Fallout 76's Interloper could very well be a version of Starfield's Interloper that landed on Earth long ago. It is hinted the roots are older than humanity, and without food, it put itself into this stasis. The visions it would send out could be a way of luring willing prey, since it could not hunt itself. Many of the alien Interloper's abilities are unknown, so it is a worthwhile theory.

Another connection that bolsters this argument is the actions of both universes. In Fallout 76, Vault 96 was made to combine animal DNA from a subject known as X-001 with humans to allow them to survive the radiation. In Starfield, two members of the Colander were sneaking away samples of The Interloper, which was referred to as XL-069, to sell. This connection may not be the strongest, but it is intriguing as to why two similar-named specimens were being used for the same reason.

Overall, this connection could be a hint at the future of Fallout. The franchise's inhabitants already has access to technology that could expand humanity to the stars one day. The lack of ghouls and super mutants could be explained by humanity, those that could leave, choosing to leave them behind. Once in space and resettled, humans returned to their pre-war civilization and began anew. However, as the well-known slogan of Fallout goes, "war never changes."

How The Two Interlopers Could Be Completely Irrelevant

Same Name But Completely Different

While the connection between the two is possible, so is the pure coincidence in their naming. By definition, an interloper means someone, or in this case, something, involved in a situation they are not supposed to be in, which fits both creatures. So it is possible both creatures were named with the two development teams unaware of the coincidence. While the theory of the alien going into stasis is also plausible, this is a case of the fantastical versus science fiction.

Furthermore, a popular theory about Starfield's Interloper is that it was supposed to be a hidden Easter egg referencing Alien and Jurassic Park. This is supported by the appearance of XL-069, which looks like a bigger version of the Xenomorph face hugger. The two Colander members trying to sell samples also link back to the first Jurassic Park movie. Matched with this quest's horror vibe, it makes sense that this could be a cool Easter egg rather than a link to the studio's other franchise.

Though a connection between the universes would be interesting, both outcomes have a good ending. Either the future of Fallout is in the stars, or the remnants of humanity have mythological creatures to battle. Meanwhile, Starfield receives a cool call-out to other popular franchises that provide one of the best side quests in the game. Regardless, the terrifying Interloper from Fallout 76 may be an interesting connection to Starfield where there is officially none.