I think ghoulification and the potential of turning feral is largely genetic. That’s why Billy’s entire family is non-feral and why Oswald at Nuka-World is a non-feral glowing one. It could also explain why so many others are instantly vaporized instead of being ghoulified.
I think that explains only how they deal with the actual radiation not the nuclear blast that causes it. Case in point: gob in megaton. A ghoul whom dies if you nuke it.
Anybody directly exposed and close enough to a nuclear blast is going to be vaporized. The only thing genetics determines is whether or not the survivors succumb to the radiation and die, or slowly turn into a ghoul.
I have always found feral ghouls fascinating, what draws them together to form a pack, do they actively seek out glowing ones because of their healing powers.
It would make sense if they are in constant decomposing pain that once they felt the warm glow and stopped feeling the pain or decomposing, they'd instinctively follow or stay near the good feeling.
Could be a Doom situation: In Doom II, the other demons refuse to fight with Arch-Viles, presumably because the Arch-Vile can resurrect them, but the Arch-Vile can't resurrect itself. Glowing Ones act very similarly to the demon, even doing the pose, and well they can't rez dead ghouls, they can heal any living ones: Even being little more than zombies, the ferals would probably understand that the Glowing One is able to heal them, and may gain a level of comfort just by being near them, being walking rad-lights.
@@Umbra_UrsusThey actually can resurrect dead ghouls, Oswald displayed that several times. He couldn't give them their minds back (which kinda doesn't make sense actually, given radiation heals them and going feral basically has to be a result of brain damage or going mad from the pain, so his presence should help them) but he can bring them back from the dead.
Thank goodness for the Ghoul Mask in Fallout 3. It saved me from having to fight so many feral ghouls. Sometimes I would just walk among the ferals and observe them up close. I’d often walk up to a feral and stare it in the face. It would stare back at me, tilting its head and look at me inquisitively. They’re quite peaceful among other ghouls. It made me feel real sorry for them. It’s too bad that they’re instinctively hostile to humans and other creatures.
In Fallout 5 Bethesda should go back to original concept of radiation zombies, and expand upon it. Feralization could be explained as post-death fate of humans (and regular ghouls) who die in heavily irradiated areas. They biologically die and their bodies undergo natual decay, but at same time they remain functional by FEV still trying to "save" them, by delaying, completely halting, or even in wild ways "repairing" decomposition. After all, FEV is in every living being in Wasteland. "More Feral Ghouls. A Zombie Mod" for Fallout 4 caught that idea perfectly. Ghouls there look like decaying human corpses, which is enhanced by them wearing regular human clothes. Way more creepy than standard leathery humanoids in rags.
In fallout, no one really understands how feralozation of ghouls works. Do you lose your mind when ghoulifying? Or are you trapped in a rotting body that roams around like a crazed animal, forced to watch what was once you animalistically attack anything that isn't another ghoul
I still remember the time I was playing Fallout 76 with a friend, and lamented how there were no non feral ghouls, and then literally 10 seconds later, I walked into a non feral ghoul. I really wish the later two games did more with non feral ghouls, instead of just increasingly turning them into generic zombies to fill an area with
Lucky Lou the raider ghoul was my first interaction with a non feral ghoul, kind of sad when you find out he is trying to kill himself to avoid attacking his friends at the crater because he is afraid of going ferral
Good rest of my day?? This has to be one of the most depressingly grim fact videos you have made about the series, it made me reflect on the Ghouls you meet over the series and the communities they form, the ones who are already slipping or even poor Herold losing his memory of his adventures.
While the Bethesda games typically do not go into it ghouls will eventually develop all the aches and pains of old age. Also OG ghouls in the 2D era looked much more gnarly: look at Set's talking head in 1 or the ghoul recruit head shots in Tactics. They didn't just look burnt but melting while being held together with straps and pins and screws. My personal head canon which has no actual support in the games: only a small portion of the population can become ghouls due to a cytogenetic expression (I'm not sure if that is the correct terminology) brought out by preservatives in prewar foods. So that's why there were no ghouls decades before the great war but that would also mean after the centuries old Salisbury steak and the like run out the ability to turn into a ghoul will cease to be after a few generations.
there were a few ghouls around well before the war, like the crime boss Eddie Winter, who underwent an experimental radiation treatment and became a ghoul
I've always hypothesized that ghoulification is caused by three factors. Genetics, Radiation, and exposure to either FEV or the New Plague. My theory being that in certain individuals a certain combination of all three factors results in ghoulification. While nobody ever brings up the New Plague and its potential role in mutations, it's worth remembering FEV was a result of research on the plague in the pan-immunity project.
The ghouls in FO3/NV look so much better than the ones in Fallout 4. Fallout 4s ghouls look like melting wax, with none of the exposed muscle, veins or other visceral gore that made ghouls so alarming to look at. FO4 toned them down to severe burn victims.
But there is Carol and her girlfriend that run that shop like 20 metres away, and they both still have some hair. Straggly and patchy on an irradiated scalp, but they still have hair.
I wonder if ghouls feel pain from turning or is it normal as a human having regular skin. Basically does their skin hurt to the touch. Any thoughts on that.
We know of ghoul sex workers in New Vegas, so I sure hope their skin doesn't hurt when touched. From what we know, ghouls have leathery skin, bits can flake off sometimes, and they are capable of normal healing and depending on the game, healing from radiation exposure.
Considering ghouls still seem to enjoy sex, I highly doubt their skin is at all more sensitive than our own. Not just the prostitutes, either, Harland at REPCONN explicitly mentions that he hangs around the Brights for the ghoul women they have. If sex wasn't enjoyable, that would just be a constant tease for him
That makes me wonder: what if ghouls had some innate disease markers in their alleles that didn't express themselves before they were overdosed with radiation. Feral ghouls might have dementia or the higher dementia form of Alzheimers disease. I can see normal ghouls (I call them Lucid Ghouls,) may have something that isn't a neurological disease but certainly something chronic and/or genetically encoded. I was thinking either Lou Gherig's Disease, Parkinson's, or even Lupus. Lucid ghouls _could_ eventually develop some form of demenetia after being alive for a few centuries. The ones that escape going feral are probably those that find some sense of purpose that they can maintain for quite some time without losing their minds. Like Calamity, from Fallout New Vegas, who keeps switching professions from time to time and finding new ways to be productive wherever she walks. I can't imagine her taking up neuroscience when she was still a mundane human but after two centuries of walking amongst the desolate ruins of America, she might become the "old dog learning new tricks."
What about that pre war ghoul in the divide in the the silo? Did he kill himself because he felt awful about the nukes launching or past events and felt like he failed. Or was he turning feral?
Me too.. Animals to humans irl can adapt over time to just about any conditions in just about any environment. Humans adapting a natural immunity to radiation over the course of 200 plus years is not that far fetched I don't think. Fun fact: Wolves in Chernobyl have been found to have some radiation immunity already.
@@dr.rockso2703If I remember correctly, the feral ghouls do talk in New Vegas. But they only say one word or two at a time. It might also be cut content, so i’m not sure
@@dr.rockso2703 I looked into it, and it’s not cut. It’s only in New Vegas. The ghouls can be heard saying things like “Pain” and “Stop you!” It’s just really hard to hear in the middle of combat
I feel like there is a need for a wise old ghoul! Like a kung fu master whos had centuries to hone skills. Imagine if some institute folks turned ghoul soon after the war & spent the whole time learning, theyd be formidable. That ghoul lady getting them nuke satelites back online in the capitol wasteland sat com arrays got me thinking
Your videos make me want to play fallout so much more than I already want to. It would be fun to watch your video while playing (since it’s still gameplay with the voice over audio)
Aaaaand F76 will *probably* trivialize ghoulification, of which n_orte has brilliantly explained the horrific and dramatic nature, in the 2025 update. Thanks again, F76.
Friend your channel is extraordinarly entertaining and your newst last months videos topics and content are amazing and getting better maybe only critique is the slowliness of your voice or at least you narrate in much less enthusiastic voice but everything else is super duper perfect
Now that they can live like this, is it possible for ghouls to reproduce offspring? Like if it’s possible, would the offspring come out radioactive and deformed with the radiation, or would the radiation kill their ability to reproduce?
thing with ghouls is that they do not live that long normally according to tim cain they were supposed to either die or live short times but few will live long long lives
@@FatFrogChonk I'm expecting shit, but I'll keep my ears open in case it turns out to be good. I ignored the first season of The Witcher because I expected another garbage adaptation, but they took a full season to prove me right
My favourite ghoul might be that jerk dean domino, what a patience he had to raid the casino. Also the one in point lookout was cool and of course hancock.
how about a fallout game in the classic style where you play as a ghoul, and are to do something important before you become become feral with a time limit
I think ghoulification and the potential of turning feral is largely genetic. That’s why Billy’s entire family is non-feral and why Oswald at Nuka-World is a non-feral glowing one. It could also explain why so many others are instantly vaporized instead of being ghoulified.
I think that explains only how they deal with the actual radiation not the nuclear blast that causes it. Case in point: gob in megaton. A ghoul whom dies if you nuke it.
Anybody directly exposed and close enough to a nuclear blast is going to be vaporized. The only thing genetics determines is whether or not the survivors succumb to the radiation and die, or slowly turn into a ghoul.
I have always found feral ghouls fascinating, what draws them together to form a pack, do they actively seek out glowing ones because of their healing powers.
They are based on instinct, and people have an instinct to form groups.
Well you very rarely find glowing ones alone.
It would make sense if they are in constant decomposing pain that once they felt the warm glow and stopped feeling the pain or decomposing, they'd instinctively follow or stay near the good feeling.
Could be a Doom situation: In Doom II, the other demons refuse to fight with Arch-Viles, presumably because the Arch-Vile can resurrect them, but the Arch-Vile can't resurrect itself. Glowing Ones act very similarly to the demon, even doing the pose, and well they can't rez dead ghouls, they can heal any living ones: Even being little more than zombies, the ferals would probably understand that the Glowing One is able to heal them, and may gain a level of comfort just by being near them, being walking rad-lights.
@@Umbra_UrsusThey actually can resurrect dead ghouls, Oswald displayed that several times. He couldn't give them their minds back (which kinda doesn't make sense actually, given radiation heals them and going feral basically has to be a result of brain damage or going mad from the pain, so his presence should help them) but he can bring them back from the dead.
Let's all take a moment to respect that the Vault-Tec Rep was able to take care of his suit for over 200 years in the Wastelands of post-war America.
It's supposed to be dirty but for whatever reason it uses the same model as the pre-war outfit. A developer either dun goofed or was just simply lazy.
@@MisterJohnDoe Has to be both given Bethesda.
Thank goodness for the Ghoul Mask in Fallout 3. It saved me from having to fight so many feral ghouls. Sometimes I would just walk among the ferals and observe them up close. I’d often walk up to a feral and stare it in the face. It would stare back at me, tilting its head and look at me inquisitively. They’re quite peaceful among other ghouls. It made me feel real sorry for them. It’s too bad that they’re instinctively hostile to humans and other creatures.
Just to clear something up, it's not the turning feral that kills a ghoul it's the bullets from the big iron on my hip.
In Fallout 5 Bethesda should go back to original concept of radiation zombies, and expand upon it. Feralization could be explained as post-death fate of humans (and regular ghouls) who die in heavily irradiated areas. They biologically die and their bodies undergo natual decay, but at same time they remain functional by FEV still trying to "save" them, by delaying, completely halting, or even in wild ways "repairing" decomposition. After all, FEV is in every living being in Wasteland.
"More Feral Ghouls. A Zombie Mod" for Fallout 4 caught that idea perfectly. Ghouls there look like decaying human corpses, which is enhanced by them wearing regular human clothes. Way more creepy than standard leathery humanoids in rags.
The fact that some ghouls would rather kill themselves than turn feral is so horrifyingly sad
@@W0KeIzEvil I'm saying it's sad they were forced into that painful position in the first place
It's like the real world and people who have Alzheimer's or Parkinson's
"The fact"
Lol it's not real
@@MajorJakas you must be fun at parties
In fallout, no one really understands how feralozation of ghouls works. Do you lose your mind when ghoulifying? Or are you trapped in a rotting body that roams around like a crazed animal, forced to watch what was once you animalistically attack anything that isn't another ghoul
Spongiform encephalopathy and tertiary syphilis also share some similarities
I still remember the time I was playing Fallout 76 with a friend, and lamented how there were no non feral ghouls, and then literally 10 seconds later, I walked into a non feral ghoul. I really wish the later two games did more with non feral ghouls, instead of just increasingly turning them into generic zombies to fill an area with
Lucky Lou the raider ghoul was my first interaction with a non feral ghoul, kind of sad when you find out he is trying to kill himself to avoid attacking his friends at the crater because he is afraid of going ferral
I'll be quite surprised if the horrifying story of hasashi ouchi isn't mentioned
Good rest of my day?? This has to be one of the most depressingly grim fact videos you have made about the series, it made me reflect on the Ghouls you meet over the series and the communities they form, the ones who are already slipping or even poor Herold losing his memory of his adventures.
While the Bethesda games typically do not go into it ghouls will eventually develop all the aches and pains of old age.
Also OG ghouls in the 2D era looked much more gnarly: look at Set's talking head in 1 or the ghoul recruit head shots in Tactics. They didn't just look burnt but melting while being held together with straps and pins and screws.
My personal head canon which has no actual support in the games: only a small portion of the population can become ghouls due to a cytogenetic expression (I'm not sure if that is the correct terminology) brought out by preservatives in prewar foods. So that's why there were no ghouls decades before the great war but that would also mean after the centuries old Salisbury steak and the like run out the ability to turn into a ghoul will cease to be after a few generations.
what about moria?
there were a few ghouls around well before the war, like the crime boss Eddie Winter, who underwent an experimental radiation treatment and became a ghoul
@@GinaRanTruthEnforcer "...decades before the great war..."
I've always hypothesized that ghoulification is caused by three factors. Genetics, Radiation, and exposure to either FEV or the New Plague. My theory being that in certain individuals a certain combination of all three factors results in ghoulification.
While nobody ever brings up the New Plague and its potential role in mutations, it's worth remembering FEV was a result of research on the plague in the pan-immunity project.
The ghouls in FO3/NV look so much better than the ones in Fallout 4. Fallout 4s ghouls look like melting wax, with none of the exposed muscle, veins or other visceral gore that made ghouls so alarming to look at. FO4 toned them down to severe burn victims.
Don't forget syphilis. It rots the soft tissues, such as the nose, as well as the brain.
A lot of ghouls in fo4 have hair, but they shouldnt. Wasnt there a ghoul barber in fo3 who said ghouls cant have hair anymore?
dude, bethesda cant keep their lore intact even in the same game
Yah but it’s fo4 😂😂
@@AlexBauirpelucas? 😅
But there is Carol and her girlfriend that run that shop like 20 metres away, and they both still have some hair. Straggly and patchy on an irradiated scalp, but they still have hair.
I wonder if ghouls feel pain from turning or is it normal as a human having regular skin. Basically does their skin hurt to the touch. Any thoughts on that.
I imagine at first it feels painful with thick growths of mutated skin forcing itself through the epidermis.
We know of ghoul sex workers in New Vegas, so I sure hope their skin doesn't hurt when touched.
From what we know, ghouls have leathery skin, bits can flake off sometimes, and they are capable of normal healing and depending on the game, healing from radiation exposure.
Considering ghouls still seem to enjoy sex, I highly doubt their skin is at all more sensitive than our own. Not just the prostitutes, either, Harland at REPCONN explicitly mentions that he hangs around the Brights for the ghoul women they have. If sex wasn't enjoyable, that would just be a constant tease for him
It would probably hurt just to walk or wear clothes.
I wish ghouls looked more rotten in Fallout 4. Most of the nonferals still have lips.
They look more like melting wax burn victims in Fallout 4. FO3/NV definitely did it way better with the appearance of ghouls.
Could probably listen to N_orte talk all day, dudes sounds chill af
That makes me wonder: what if ghouls had some innate disease markers in their alleles that didn't express themselves before they were overdosed with radiation. Feral ghouls might have dementia or the higher dementia form of Alzheimers disease. I can see normal ghouls (I call them Lucid Ghouls,) may have something that isn't a neurological disease but certainly something chronic and/or genetically encoded. I was thinking either Lou Gherig's Disease, Parkinson's, or even Lupus. Lucid ghouls _could_ eventually develop some form of demenetia after being alive for a few centuries. The ones that escape going feral are probably those that find some sense of purpose that they can maintain for quite some time without losing their minds. Like Calamity, from Fallout New Vegas, who keeps switching professions from time to time and finding new ways to be productive wherever she walks. I can't imagine her taking up neuroscience when she was still a mundane human but after two centuries of walking amongst the desolate ruins of America, she might become the "old dog learning new tricks."
Almost like the craftworld eldar and their paths
I can definitely appreciate that approach to near-immortality.
Especially since it mirrors my (hypothetical) approach to it.
What about that pre war ghoul in the divide in the the silo? Did he kill himself because he felt awful about the nukes launching or past events and felt like he failed. Or was he turning feral?
@@cannedheat2264 Dealer's choice in that one.
Ghoul Together Strong
I think people in the series Really underestimate how amazing a mutation the Children of Atom's radiation immunity is.
Me too.. Animals to humans irl can adapt over time to just about any conditions in just about any environment. Humans adapting a natural immunity to radiation over the course of 200 plus years is not that far fetched I don't think.
Fun fact: Wolves in Chernobyl have been found to have some radiation immunity already.
@@colddaze6680I've heard that they also have shorter lifespans, but don't quote me on that.
@@MisterJohnDoe didn't hear that one , so I won't quote you 😎
I imagined feral ghouls existing because of the necrosis affecting their brain
I always feel sorry for a feral when it says something before or as I am killing it, poor thing still has a pang of humanity left.
Ferals dont talk though they just groan and scream. Now scorched talk but they're basically just the hive mind talking not the individual.
@@dr.rockso2703If I remember correctly, the feral ghouls do talk in New Vegas. But they only say one word or two at a time. It might also be cut content, so i’m not sure
@@sealake7935 yeah that definatly sounds like cut content
@@dr.rockso2703 I looked into it, and it’s not cut. It’s only in New Vegas. The ghouls can be heard saying things like “Pain” and “Stop you!” It’s just really hard to hear in the middle of combat
I feel like you'd make a great true crime channel with your voice
Don’t know what to comment other than glad to watch another great video
Me staring at the microwave while it cooks
I feel like there is a need for a wise old ghoul! Like a kung fu master whos had centuries to hone skills. Imagine if some institute folks turned ghoul soon after the war & spent the whole time learning, theyd be formidable. That ghoul lady getting them nuke satelites back online in the capitol wasteland sat com arrays got me thinking
Raul Tejada >>>
Your videos make me want to play fallout so much more than I already want to. It would be fun to watch your video while playing (since it’s still gameplay with the voice over audio)
Aaaaand F76 will *probably* trivialize ghoulification, of which n_orte has brilliantly explained the horrific and dramatic nature, in the 2025 update. Thanks again, F76.
Lepers also unknowingly severe segments of fingers. It's truly horrifying, but thankfully treatable!
1000 ways to die in the wastes is pretty great
I've always wondered the ins and outs of ghouls
I’ve seen the insides and outsides of ghouls over the years but Ik still no closer to understanding them.
Great video and really good way to tackle some big topics. I really enjoy all your videos
Hey n_orte love the content! Can’t wait to see more of these ones! I don’t think you have to be TOO child friendly but I appreciate the warning
Friend your channel is extraordinarly entertaining and your newst last months videos topics and content are amazing and getting better maybe only critique is the slowliness of your voice or at least you narrate in much less enthusiastic voice but everything else is super duper perfect
Great content as usual
Didn't realize I was a feral ghoul lol
Now that they can live like this, is it possible for ghouls to reproduce offspring? Like if it’s possible, would the offspring come out radioactive and deformed with the radiation, or would the radiation kill their ability to reproduce?
Considering that survivable doses of radiation can lead to infertility, I highly doubt it's at all possible for a ghoul to avoid that
Saint monica in fallout 3, rigth?
There were the born ghouls from Van Buren, not that they're probably canon.
thing with ghouls is that they do not live that long normally according to tim cain they were supposed to either die or live short times but few will live long long lives
You have become my Mr new vegas 😴😁
Nice
Why do feral ghouls have such thick necks?
I hope they show the full Ghoulification process in the tv show. I also hope the show doesn't suck.
It will.
@@FatFrogChonk I'm expecting shit, but I'll keep my ears open in case it turns out to be good. I ignored the first season of The Witcher because I expected another garbage adaptation, but they took a full season to prove me right
@@FatFrogChonkthe show is made by a fallout fan
@@jazzysoggy12 Okay, that sounds more promising.
@@jazzysoggy12that could mean anything, really
My favourite ghoul might be that jerk dean domino, what a patience he had to raid the casino. Also the one in point lookout was cool and of course hancock.
Holy cow
Same
Not the best video to watch on lunch. Maybe later.
Do more legends of the wastes
I’d rather be dead than be feral
how about a fallout game in the classic style where you play as a ghoul, and are to do something important before you become become feral with a time limit
Doesn't it kinda defeat the point to keep this PG-13?😂
Really cool disclaimer btw, unlike a lot of YTers, it actually sounded genuine.
Female ghouls, smash or pass?
Figured out if you put him at 1.25x speed its a hell of alot better then...the....slow...af...speech...pattern...he has.
Bruh i haven't watched in like 6 months I missed you fr
Raul, keelie, charon, and gob are the only ghouls I ever really liked
So it’s basically spicy Alzheimers disease.
What's more shocking is your aim 🤦🏻♂️.