Of all the species that have become staples of the Fallout universe, not many are as popular and well known as Ghouls. Permanently marred yet defiant and proud, Ghouls offer a commendable amount of character to the world of Fallout in a plethora of ways. The Glowing variants do so on an even larger scale.

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Ghouls and How They Came to Be

While Ghouls can refer to both mutated humans and animals, the former are more prominently featured and remembered within Fallout lore. In the human context, a person can mutate into a Ghoul via the aptly named process of “ghoulification.”

Most Ghouls are humans who were unfortunate enough to not be in one of the many bomb shelter vaults that have become a staple of the Fallout franchise. The main contingent factor of the Fallout universe is a United States all-but destroyed by a cataclysmic nuclear war, known as the Great War, which took place in 2077. Directly surviving a blast is the most physically altering manner in which a person can transform into a ghoul, causing their flesh and bone to be exposed and all hair burned from their body, giving Ghouls a corpse-like appearance.

Those who are unlucky enough to become Ghouls via this manner are said to be more physically and mentally affected in their newfound existence, as the pain of new physical ailments combines with emotional anguish. With a lot of Ghouls unable to cope with this stark transformation from their human forms, it is not uncommon to encounter Feral Ghouls in the wasteland that act hostile and unintelligible. That being said, the majority of Ghouls encountered in Fallout games are in control of their faculties and act in the same capacity that the human survivors of Fallout do. It is also possible for humans to gradually become Ghouls as the result of prolonged and sustained exposure to radiation, but this transformation is obviously less extreme.

That being said, the cruel existence of Ghouls is not without its benefits. In their radiated state, Ghouls are able to absorb gamma radiation, giving them abnormally long lives and regenerative abilities due to altering mutations. Despite these benefits, Ghouls are very largely sterile and face a litany of physical and emotional pains, making their unusually long lifespans bitterly cruel.

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Glowing Ghouls

As previously mentioned, there are more than just standard and Feral Ghouls. Perhaps the most well known of the other Ghoul variants are Luminous Ghouls, commonly referred to as Glowing Ones. Possessing greater strength and radiation-centric powers, Glowing Ghouls stand a cut above their regular counterparts.

A Luminous Ghoul can naturally develop when a regular Ghoul exists for a very prolonged period of time. The amount of radiation within their bodies increases to a point where they develop a green bioluminescent glow. Glowing Ones have proven to be tough opponents in combat throughout the Fallout franchise, with the increased level of radiation that they possess making them more volatile. In addition to this, the age required to reach these levels of radiation means that the vast majority of these Ghouls are mentally deranged, acting similarly to Feral Ghouls in terms of unpredictability and viciousness.

Prominent Glowing Ghouls in Fallout

An example of a Glowing Ghoul that features prominently within the series is Jason Bright in Fallout: New Vegas. Jason Bright is an extremely unique Glowing One in that he does not possess the deranged, feral state previously mentioned to be the norm with most Glowing Ghouls. The unique nature of Jason Bright, possessing both strength and intelligence, led him to become the sole leader of a cult-like organization of Ghouls known as the Bright Brotherhood. Bright used his charismatic nature to band together a group of Ghouls who were tired of the discrimination and stigma they carried due to their condition, with the sole aim of escaping Earth via a rocket to a prophesied holy land.

Another sentient Glowing Ghoul features prominently in Fallout 4. Bizarre and comedic in nature, Oswald the Outrageous offers a strangely wholesome insight to Fallout ghoul lore.

Possessing the strength and powers of a Glowing Ghoul, Oswald resides within Nuka-World, where he styles himself as a magician. Oswald uses his radiation abilities as a Glowing One to revive and heal the bands of Feral Ghouls that he presides over within the park. Believing that Feral Ghouls can be returned to sentience, Oswald uses his enhanced abilities as a Glowing One to protect and attempt to cure his brethren as they slowly degrade around him.

The prolonged and painful existence of Glowing Ghouls, as well as their unique and largely humanoid appearance, has led to them being one of the most prominent and recognizable species within the extensive lore of Fallout. Being one of the few species that has appeared in every Fallout title, Ghouls have firmly established themselves, and Glowing Ghouls standing out from the pack quite literally.

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