In the Fallout universe, the Brotherhood of Steel and The Enclave are similar but competing factions in the wasteland. The Brotherhood of Steel vs. Enclave battle is one of the major points of the new Fallout TV show, so you may be wondering what the beef is between the two groups.
The Brotherhood of Steel vs Enclave battle has been one of the most significant parts of Fallout lore since Fallout 2. Both groups are cult-like and revolve around acquiring pre-war technology, but there are several differences.
Keep reading for the full breakdown of the Brotherhood of Steel vs Enclave battle.
Brotherhood of Steel vs Enclave - what’s the difference?
In Fallout lore, The Brotherhood of Steel is a dogmatic group that arose in power shortly after the bombs dropped in 2077. Survivors of the atomic blast came together to collect, repair and preserve pre-war technology in an attempt to bring America back to its past glory.
The Brotherhood of Steel is a quasi-religious group that ranks members as Squires, Knights, Paladins, and Elders. The group aims to control the use of technology across the wasteland because it believes humanity cannot be trusted not to continue its own destruction without the Brotherhood’s regulation.
In the games, the Brotherhood of Steel also fights against “abominations”, any creature or person heavily altered by radiation. This includes the fully sentient Ghouls, humans mutated by decades of radiation. Ghouls can turn feral without proper medication, and the Brotherhood believes no Ghoul should be left alive.
On the other hand, The Enclave is another post-war faction obsessed with technology. Introduced in Fallout 2, It was founded by surviving government members to control the wasteland and continue the pre-war government’s fight against communism.
The Enclave also has the same scientific racism against wasteland races that are deemed impure, such as Ghouls. However, The Enclave’s fascistic hatred of anything other than “pure humans” has resulted in decades of slavery, horrid experimentation and other horrid acts against wasteland communities.
Due to its attacks on the wasteland, The Enclave is a hate group that has been considered a threat to America. Anyone who is a known member of the group has been deemed a war criminal and will be killed by both The Brotherhood and the New California Republic.
However, The Enclave doesn’t have the same religious structure as The Brotherhood of Steel. Does that make it better? I dunno. That’s for you to decide.
Why are The Enclave and The Brotherhood of Steel fighting?
The Brotherhood of Steel vs The Enclave battle is due to both groups believing they’re the rulers of the wasteland. Like any conflict between competing military factions, both The Brotherhood and The Enclave think they are in the right, that they alone should control all technology and the mutation rate across the ravaged America.
In Fallout 3, The Brotherhood and The Enclave are fighting over a water purifier. In this story, The Brotherhood aims to provide clean drinking water to the entire wasteland, whereas The Enclave will only give water to pure humans who pledge loyalty to the group.
Essentially, The Enclave's ideologies are the exact reason The Brotherhood of Steel fights in the first place. With powerful technology in its grasp, the Enclave uses tech for nefarious purposes, which the BoS deems an abuse of power that must be punished.
Is The Enclave worse than The Brotherhood of Steel?
The Enclave is undoubtedly the worst faction to back in the Fallout universe. While the Brotherhood of Steel is riddled with issues rooted in its dogmatic structure and hatred of abominations, The Enclave is pretty much worse in every way.
While The Enclave often pushes technology further with new inventions instead of The Brotherhood’s complacency with pre-war tech, The Enclave often uses its enhanced technology to devastate The Wasteland.