When we say Fallout we don’t mean Fallout 4 or the recent Fallout 76, we mean the original Fallout that released in September of 1997.
The first game in the Fallout series, many may find it different from the last 3 in the series (excluding the MMO). The original Fallout was a turn-based RPG that featured an isometric view. The game that started it all takes place in 2161, 84 years after the Great War.
Like most, it begins with the main character in a Vault, specifically Vault 13. In Vault 13, the water chip has broken and the Overseer tasks you, the protagonist, with finding a replacement somewhere out in the wasteland of California.
The wasteland is filled with various NPCs, deadly enemies, and multiple unique and rich locations. If you want to survive out there in the wastes, you’re going to need some pretty sick loot.
Here is a look at all unique weapons in the First Fallout. Well, there’s only four but here they are anyway.
1. Unique Small Gun – .223 Pistol
The .233 Pistol is a unique small gun. Unlike two of the other weapons on this list, it is completely unique and has no other variants. It is one of the best non-energy handguns in the game.
While it does have the lowest magazine capacity, it outranks every other handgun in damage per shot, range, and armor penetration.
Give it to Katja and Ian, the only two companions that can use it, if you want to use another weapon and they will have a great time ripping through your enemies with it!
Now how do you get it? Simply complete the Help Irwin Quest in the Hub! Help Irwin has a minimum level requirement of five due to the nature of the quest.
Irwin’s farm has been overrun, and he needs you to get rid of the raiders that took it over! These bloodthirsty raiders even killed Pugsley, his donkey! If you accept, you are immediately teleported to his farm, which has seven raiders wearing leather armor or jackets.
They aren’t too powerful, but they can quickly overwhelm a low-level player – hence the minimum level requirement.
Upon completion, Irwin gives you the .223 pistol (along with 500xp and +2 reputation)!
2. Unique Energy Weapon- Alien Blaster
The only other truly unique weapon on this list, the alien blaster is perhaps one of the most iconic unique weapons in Fallout and the rest of the Fallout series. This weapon has the highest damage-per-action point of all the single-shot weapons in Fallout.
It also has the second-highest ammunition capacity of all single-shot weapons in Fallout, with the ability to hold 30 small energy cells. We’re not done yet; it also has the highest possible single-shot damage. A perfect critical hit to the eyes will do 360 points of damage!
It can kill anything (except the final boss) in one hit!
How do you get this amazing blaster? It is gotten from the dead body of an alien in a random event that occurs on desert squares on the world map. You’ll know it if you get one of these special encounters because a “target” icon will appear instead of the usual lightning bolt.
Your luck does have an effect on whether or not you will get this special encounter – or any special encounter!
If you get this special encounter, you will see a crashed flying saucer on your screen and two dead aliens. One will be carrying their alien blaster, and the other will have the Velvet Elvis, a painting of the rock and roll man himself. This whole encounter is an easter egg!
The spaceship itself even says “Property of Area 51, return if found” on it. The crashed flying saucer is a recurring easter egg in the Fallout series. Sadly there is no way to get inside the ship, so you will have to wait till Fallout 3’s DLC Mothership Zeta actually to explore one.
3. Unique Small Gun – Red Ryder LE BB Gun
BB guns seem to be another recurring theme in the Fallout universe (the main character in Fallout 3 is given one for his/her 10th birthday). The original BB gun in Fallout is called the Red Ryder BB Gun, a reference to the BB gun made by Daisy. The unique BB gun is the Red Ryder LE or Limited Edition.
This bad boy features a compass in the stock and a hell of an upgrade in damage. The normal Red Ryder does 1-3 damage, requires 5 action points, and has a range of 22.
The suped-up, limited edition Red Ryder packs a whopping 25 damage, requires 4 action points, and has an upgraded range of 32! It has the same ammo capacity as its normal model, but do you really care? It already holds 100 rounds!
How do you get this bad boy? Well, be careful ’cause you’ll shoot your eye – I mean uh it’s another special encounter or found inside a general store.
The used car business ain’t what it used to be in the California wastelands, but somehow, this guy named Bob is thriving. In this special encounter, you find a hut, a bunch of used “cars” around it, and a guy named Bob.
While you can’t buy a car to cruise around the wasteland, you can find the Red Ryder LE in between a pile of crates. There is also a footlocker in his office which has a normal one and some ammo for the BB guns if you need it.
The other way to get this gun is by going to the Darkwaters General Store.
At this location, there is a locked room; if you pick it up and get in, you can find it inside. Breaking in right after telling Killian (the owner) that Gizmo hired you to kill him increases your chances of Killian not caring about you robbing him. A dialogue may open but just play it, cool cowboy.
He’ll tell you to get out, but as long as you loot fast enough, he won’t care about how you just robbed him.
4. Unique Energy Weapon – Turbo Plasma Rifle
This modified Winchester P94 plasma rifle is only second to the alien blaster in terms of damage per action point among single-shot weapons. It averages 52.5 points of damage, but unlike the alien blaster has a much larger range.
However, it should be noted that at 35 hexes, other big laser weapons have longer ranges at lower damage. Since the big laser weapons only have a range of 5 or 10 more hexes, this is the only drawback and can be considered minor – 35 hexes is already a lot!
The way this modified plasma rifle works is a whole lot of mumbo jumbo. Actually, it is pretty simple, by hotwiring the plasma bolt chamber allowing the gun to speed up the bolt formation process. Faster bolt formation = faster rate of fire.
In order to get this weapon, you need to have a plasma rifle already. Once you have one, you need to help Smitty in Adytum fix the settlement’s hydroponic farms. Once you help him out, he hotwires your plasma rifle and turns it into the Turbo Plasma Rifle!
5. Unique Small Gun – 9mm Mauser
The 9mm Mauser stands out not just for its historical significance but also for its exceptional accuracy in the game.
Known as the Mauser M/96, this weapon was produced from 1896 until 1938 by Mauser and was widely used as a military sidearm, seeing service in various global confrontations, including World War I and II. By the time of the events in Fallout, it has become a rare relic of the Old World.
In the game, this weapon is extremely rare, especially in Fallout, though it appears slightly more frequently in Fallout 2.
Its distinction is the +20% to-hit bonus, a testament to its renowned accuracy. Using 9mm ball ammunition in Fallout and with an added option of 9mm in Fallout 2, this weapon is one that can be relied on for its precise shots.
To acquire this weapon in Fallout, players need to visit the Junktown Casino. The 9mm Mauser is in the possession of Gizmo.
For those exploring Fallout 2, the weapon can be located in New Reno Commercial Row, specifically inside a footlocker at the back of New Reno Arms. Another instance is during a special encounter where it’s wielded by Willy’s guards.
A fun tidbit for players and fans: within the game files, the 9mm Mauser is named GIZGUN1.frm, referencing its primary location in Fallout with Gizmo. Moreover, during the Fallout demo, it is referred to as Gizmo’s pistol.
That is all of the unique weapons in the first Fallout. While it’s not a lot, for a game in 1997 that would start one of the biggest series for Western RPGs, it’s pretty damn good. All of these guns save the pistol are seen in later Fallouts.
Well, even the .223 is in Fallout 2 but not much after that. Plasma rifles, alien blasters, and BB guns can all be found in Fallout 2, 3, New Vegas, and 4. Let us know which one of these four unique weapons in Fallout is your favorite!