Summary
AFalloutfan has pointed out that the Barter Bobblehead features a Bottle Cap in its hand despite the item being manufactured before the apocalyptic war. ManyFalloutitems reference the era before the atomic bombs dropped, but this one may be a major plot hole.
As players explore the post-apocalyptic landscape of theFalloutgames, they will come across items that vary in their usefulness. One item is called Pre-war Currency, and it represents cash that was used before the 2077 nuclear attack. Vault-Tec is a well-known company in the game for the vaults that it created to both conduct experiments and help citizens survive the bombs and ride out the ensuing nuclear fallout. The games typically start in these vaults and players experience different ways that Vault-Tec inspired the post-war world. Among these areFalloutBobbleheads, which each provide stat bonuses. One Bobblehead seems to highlight a plot hole, as the Barter Bobblehead is holding a Bottle Cap rather than Pre-war Currency.
Reddit user Swaggy124 recently shared an image of theFalloutWiki spotlighting the Barter Bobblehead that can be acquired inFallout 4. In both games, the Bobblehead is shown holding a Bottle Cap above its head, despite the post-war currency not being used for bartering when Vault-Tec would have manufactured it. Bottle Capsreplaced Pre-war Currency in theFalloutuniversein 2093 when cash lost its value. The characters in the post-apocalyptic world valued Bottle Caps instead due to their abundance and durability, and Nuka-Cola’s nostalgic influence.
How Did Vault-Tec Know the Importance of Bottle Caps?
Given the Barter Bobblehead’s perplexing inclusion of the Bottle Cap, players have a few theories regarding the potential plot hole. One fan has suggested thatFallout’s Vault-Tecwas paid by Nuka-Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla to create the Bobblehead. Alternatively, it’s possible that this Bobblehead was initially meant to reflect something else, but was altered to mimic the Barter item given the Bottle Cap’s status as currency in the post-war world. Bobbleheads are conspicuously missing fromNew Vegas, but players can enhance their abilities with skill magazines like Fixin' Things and the Patriot’s Cookbook.
Although there are theories about whyFallout 4’s Barter Bobblehead is holding a Bottle Cap, it still hasn’t been addressed by Bethesda. Given that there are rumors ofFallout 3 Remastered, andFallout 5has been vaguely confirmed, perhaps this plot hole may be fixed by the developer in a future release.
Fallout
Fallout is a post-apocalyptic RPG franchise created by Interplay Entertainment and developed by Black Isle Studios, before Bethesda Softworks took over the IP in 2004. The series features a retrofuturistic style following a nuclear war that devastated the game’s world. Players typically inhabit a Vault Dweller, someone who remained safe in an underground shelter, appearing in the post-apocalyptic world where a problem needs to be solved. While the older games were more tactical RPGs, Fallout 3 took the franchise into the first person shooter genre, while also retaining the RPG elements.
