Summary

• Nuka-World DLC in Fallout 4 lets players choose between three raider gangs to control the theme park and Commonwealth.
• Each gang offers unique perks and weapons, with The Pack focusing on strength, The Operators on business, and The Disciples on cruelty.
• Players must decide which gang to and territory to assign to keep them loyal or risk being turned on by the others.

Fallout 4 is not a game that shies away from having the Sole Survivor make decisions that affect the world around them. While there are plenty of side quests that see two sides facing off against each other, the Nuka-World DLC takes a different approach. Here, the Sole Survivor must choose between three bloodthirsty raider gangs and decide the fate of not only Nuka-World but the Commonwealth as well.

Released in 2016, Nuka-World was the final DLC for Fallout 4 and offered the chance to have the Sole Survivor be more than the typical hero. This DLC was meant to offer more evil gameplay options and act as the opposite of the Minutemen faction. The action begins after arriving at the pre-war theme park and battling through a gauntlet; the Sole Survivor then finds themselves crowned the new raider Overboss of the area in charge of three raider gangs.

Nuka-World Has Three Themed Raider Gangs

Each Gang Needs Territory To Keep Them Happy

There are three raider gangs within Nuka-World, and the main gameplay for Nuka-World involves traveling to each of the park’s zones and disposing of any enemies before asg it to one of the three gangs. Once all the zones have been cleared and assigned, the gang with the fewest zones will turn on the Sole Survivor, while the other two remain loyal. As each loyal gang offers its own weapon and perk, knowing which raider gangs are worth keeping around is important when playing Nuka-World.

The Pack - Alpha Mason

Fiercely Loyal Animal-Themed Raiders

The Pack is an animal-themed raider gang who have their base inside the Bradberton Amphitheater in the west of Nuka-Town, USA. This group follows the idea of survival of the fittest, values strength above all else, and operates based on the pop culture portrayals of wolf packs with an alpha in charge. When the Sole Survivor arrives, the latest alpha is a man named Mason, who sits on his throne adorned in bright face paint.

The theory that wolf packs are led by an alpha has largely been debunked in recent years, with most researchers finding that they operate as large family groups.

In keeping with their animal-based ideology, of the Pack are able to challenge the leader for dominance, meaning that the group's leader is always the most violent among them rather than the smartest. When visiting their headquarters, the Sole Survivor will find animals kept in cages for fights, sometimes between animals but often with humans. The Pack will frequently capture anyone unfortunate to get too close to Nuka-World where they will force them to fight their animals before being fed to them.

If the Pack are given territory in Nuka-World and do not turn against the Overboss, then Mason will reward the Sole Survivor with the Pack Alpha perk and a rocket baseball bat with the Furious effect. This increases the bat's damage by 15% for each consecutive hit and fits well with the Pack's doctrine of respecting strength. The Fallout 4 perk also reflects this, as it increases damage resistance and damage output while unarmed or using melee weapons.

It is often best to assign the Pack to the Safari Adventure zone, as they get along best with Cito and his family.

The Operators - Leaders Mags & William Black

Organized Crime Straight From Diamond City

The Operators are, in many ways, the complete opposite of the Pack, preferring to focus on cold, hard caps rather than a particular ideology. Making their base in the old Nuka-World dinner theater known as the Parlor, the Operators feel like they would be right at home in Goodneighbor alongside the Triggermen with their obvious mob influences. Led by siblings Mags and William Black, along with their childhood friend Lizzie Wyath, this gang is the more rational of the Nuka-World raiders with their focus on business.

However, rational does not make them any less ruthless and the Operators are formidable enemies and exceptionally greedy when it comes to making money. The Operators believe that they alone can help Nuka-World fulfill its true purpose of making caps and were perhaps the most frustrated by Colter’s lack of action out of all the gangs. The group is run by former Diamond City residents Mags and William, who will often allow their friend Lizzie to experiment on captured settlers with mind-altering chems.

Two holotapes found in Mag’s room will explain the relationship between Mags, William, and their mother. In one, their mother chastises Mags for her actions and says she’s cutting her children off from their inheritance. While the other is Mag’s cold reply that strongly hints that the Black siblings killed their parents.

If the Operators do not turn on the Sole Survivor, they will reward them with the Ace Operator Perk, and the only ranged weapon offered by the three gangs. The Operators will give a modded sniper rifle with the Relentless effect that refills action points on a critical hit, which is fantastic for any ranged character. Likewise, the Ace Operator perk allows 25% more damage to be dealt with silenced weapons and increases stealth in shadowed areas by 10%.

The mods for each gang weapon are randomized, but the legendary effect will remain the same each time.

The Disciples - Leader Nisha

Cold, Cruel & Sadistic Psychopaths

The final raider gang of Nuka-World is the bloodthirsty and sadistic Disciples, led by cruel sociopath Nisha. This gang is responsible for building the Gauntlet that the Sole Survivor must get through in order to enter the park. But it is the core ideology of the Disciples that makes them so dangerous and untrustworthy.

Touring their base inside Fizztop Mountain clearly illustrates their depravity as the entire area is fill with blood, gore and the mutilated bodies of their victims. Although they believe in survival of the fittest, just like the Pack, the Disciples kill because they like it, with obvious comparisons to thrill killers with the torture of their victims. Clearly meant to offer an openly evil choice for the DLC, the Disciples are the best choice to ignore and, therefore, wipe out during the final stages of Nuka-World.

The only rule for the Disciples is to not get caught, allowing them to murder other gang so long as it can't be traced back to the Disciples.

However, if the Disciples are still loyal at the end of the Fallout 4 Nuka-World DLC, then they also give a unique weapon along with a faction perk. The Disciple Cutlass has the Instigating effect that does double damage if the target is at full health, and while this is great for melee stealth builds is also very niche. The Chosen Disciple perk restores 25% of the Sole Survivor's action points when making a kill with a melee weapon, which works well with their weapon but, again, is only useful in very specific circumstances.