The Fallout universe is a post-apocalyptic world full of danger and unexpected beauty that has fascinated players for many years. From the tough moral choices in Fallout: New Vegas to the ambitious, though imperfect, world of Fallout 4, the series has always found a way to give players more than they expected. Fans are definitely looking forward to what's coming in Fallout 5, but that doesn't mean every new addition will be loved.

The series' legacy is mixed; while many favorite features should be kept and expanded, some aspects show what not to do. The next Fallout game needs to make some decisions to remove and keep certain aspects to please players. These are generally better storytelling and dialogue, the importance of factions, and a new way to approach building settlements. Even past those, there's a lot to think about, especially if Fallout 5 ends up a direct sequel.

10 Want To See: An Even Better Settlement System Than Fallout 4 Had

It's Time For An Upgrade

Fallout 4 has a creative settlement system, and it should stay despite its issues. Fallout 5 should improve this system to avoid the boring tasks and lack of impact players have experienced. Instead of having many similar settlements, there should be fewer locations with unique layouts, resources, and challenges. Right now, it's optimal for the player to repeat the same builds to make each settlement work, and that's not fun.

Player decisions should really matter with how settlements grow. Connecting settlements more closely to the main plot is important, with player choices influencing quests and relationships with factions. Additionally, the tools for managing settlements need to be simpler. A -friendly interface and options for automating tasks like resource management and defense would help reduce the tedious micromanagement that can take away from the fun.

9 Don't Want To See: Too Much Power Armor Everywhere

I Thought This Was Rare

In Fallout 4, too many suits of Power Armor are available, which takes away from how special they should feel. Instead of being something rare and hard-earned, they become easy to find right from the start of the game. This makes acquiring and upgrading a suit feel less of an achievement.

Players end up feeling overpowered instead of uniquely powerful, reducing the game's challenge. The frequent availability of Power Armor also makes it seem really common. It's supposed to be rare and sought after, but that's not what it's like in Fallout 4. Bethesda should consider this for Fallout 5 and limit how often Power Armor is found and when, because getting it early in the game is a huge mistake.

8 Want To See: Fallout 76’s Character Customization

Bethesda Rocked This Character Customizer

Fallout 76 has a unique level of character customization that the previous Fallout games didn’t offer. This feature should definitely be included in Fallout 5. While earlier games let players make some basic changes to their characters, 76 allows for much more detailed adjustments, allowing players to create truly distinctive avatars.

One big one is Fallout 76's Ghoul feature. This kind of customization improves player immersion and roleplaying, making it easier for players to connect with their character and the game world. Fallout 5 could benefit from this in its storyline as well, where having a wide variety of character appearances could lead to different interactions with NPCs, resulting in mixed responses and quests.

7 Don't Want To See: Another Voiced Protagonist

We Learned Our Lesson

The strength of Fallout games comes from how much freedom players have and how immersive the world feels. In Fallout 4, having a voiced main character takes away from this. It limits how players can express themselves because the character already has a set personality and voice. This means players can’t project their own traits or values onto the character, hindering creative freedom and game exploration.

Bethesda's most recent release, Starfield, has already abandoned Fallout 4's voiced main character – a promising sign for the next installment.

Additionally, having spoken lines limits the choices players have in conversations. Fallout 3 and New Vegas allow for deeper and more varied conversations based on player decisions, which is something that’s lost in Fallout 4's simpler dialogue system. Going back to a silent main character would be much better for roleplaying.

6 Want To See: Bring Back Fallout 3 And New Vegas' Style Of Radio

Big Iron On His Hip

In Fallout 3 and New Vegas, the radio stations are more than just background noise; they add life to the game. The DJs, Three Dog and Mr. New Vegas had great personalities and mixed interesting commentary with the music, creating a memorable atmosphere. Their conversations, news updates based on what players did, and a variety of songs all fit the game's vibe and setting, making it feel more immersive.

In contrast, the radio in Fallout 4 feels dull and repetitive, focusing too much on the bleak theme of nuclear war, which took away from the fun. Bringing back the radio style of Fallout 3 and New Vegas would really improve Fallout 5’s overall feel. A lively DJ who shares clever thoughts about what’s happening in the game and the player’s actions could help players connect more with the world.

5 Don't Want To See: Another Dialogue Wheel Instead Of Full Text

It's Time To Return To What Works

The strength of Fallout games comes from their branching stories and the choices players can make, but the dialogue wheel in Fallout 4 makes this worse. The choices are limited and often unclear, which can lead to unexpected results. Going back to text-based dialogue, like in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, would remove this entirely.

The simplification of the dialogue wheel creates too much ambiguity. Figuring out what each limited choice will result in the Sole Survivor actually saying can be frustrating, taking away from the fun. A full-text system enables more detailed answers, encouraging genuine interactions with the game world while avoiding the awkward and repetitive nature of the wheel’s four-choice format.

4 Want To See: What Happened to the NCR

What Happened To The Great Bear?

Fallout 5 needs to decide what happened to the New California Republic (NCR) since this was a big storyline left unresolved in Fallout: New Vegas and the TV series with a ruined Shady Sands, needs to be explained. In Fallout 5, we could see how the NCR is doing after its struggles in the Mojave and the destruction of its capital.

The New California Republic is importantly a west-coast faction, and could be missing from Fallout 5 entirely if it takes place on the east coast.

This could lead to different stories, like the NCR trying to rebuild, living in separate groups, or fighting to survive, or it could collapse, leading to new leaders rising. If the game ignores what happened to the NCR, it would overlook important backstories and miss out on a rich setting for conflict and political drama, leaving a significant gap. Addressing the NCR's situation is key to a complete story.

3 Don't Want To See: Set ‘Bad Guys’ And ‘Good Guys’ Instead Of Morally Ambiguous Factions

Might As Well Have Mustaches To Twirl

The strength of Fallout games lies in their morally complicated world. Having clear "good guys" and "bad guys" gets in the way of the deeper storytelling and player choices that make the series interesting. Factions like the Minutemen and Institute are not appealing because they’re purely good and evil. They're not even trying to justify themselves in a clever way that is arguable, like Caesar's Legion.

Only a run through New Vegas siding with Caesar's Legion elucidates its leader's justifications, making him seem like a bogeyman until conversations are actually had with him, which is much more compelling than Fallout 4's Institute. Caesar's Legion is argued as a necessary evil that helps a lot of people; while the NCR isn't as mean and may help a lot of people, it will eventually crumble, hurting everyone. New Vegas gives real-world morality, whereas Fallout 4 gives face value that isn't improved as you learn more. Fallout 5 needs to avoid that.

2 Want To See: Truly Be A Jerk Without Limits

So Many Ways To Be Nice In Fallout 4

In Fallout 4, the morality system is pretty limited. Even bad choices often lead to good outcomes, making it hard for the Sole Survivor to be played as a villain. For Fallout 5, there should be a stronger option for being a bad guy, which allows players to sabotage groups, betray friends without facing penalties, and chase selfish goals that actually have negative consequences.

This isn’t just about being violent for the sake of it; it’s about giving players real choices. They should deal with the fallout from their actions, like a damaged reputation, missed chances, or conflicts with others, showing the harsh reality of the wasteland. Having the freedom to be completely unlikable would add complexity to the game, encourage replaying it, and make the story more interesting. A tough system where things like saying "no" to missions or people could have real weight and impact the game world in serious ways is essential for making Fallout 5 a great experience.

1 Don't Want To See: Another Minutemen Group We’re Forced To Help

I'm So Tired Of This Faction

In Fallout 4, the Minutemen are intended to be a noble faction, but they end up being a frustrating part of the game. Their constant requests for help force the Sole Survivor to be a good person. Each quest to help a settlement feels the same, usually just clearing out raiders or handling small threats. This makes the game feel so repetitive overall and makes replays less fun.

For Fallout 5, it’s essential to avoid making the same mistake. While building communities is important, how the Minutemen are presented focuses too much on forcing the player to do things and not enough on letting the player decide what to do. A better approach could be to have fewer settlements but with more engaging stories and varied challenges that would actually get players invested.

Another option could be to highlight different factions or create a more natural system for helping settlements so it feels less controlled and more rewarding. Let us play as bandits or something similar; let us decide what kind of organization we want to be. Forcing the player to do anything is normally bad in RPGs, and Fallout 5 needs to be wary of that.