- Fallout 4 Settlement Build Ideas – A Whole New Sanctuary - May 18, 2023
- Fallout New Vegas Come Fly With Me Guide - April 15, 2023
- Fallout 3 The Power of Atom Guide - April 2, 2023
Fallout New Vegas is has a rich tapestry of quests, locations, and characters which all do their part to make this game as special as it is. However, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that some shine brighter than others when you consider charismatic leaders like Mr. House, Caesar, and General Oliver, the incredible companions like Boone, Arcade Gannon, and Veronica.
Or even the sublimely written DLC characters like Elijah, Ulysses, and Joshua Graham, for example, it can be easy to forget the supporting characters that tie the story together and do a lot of the heavy lifting narratively. There are lots of characters like this within FNV, but few that are quite as interesting as Caesar’s aid, Vulpes Inculta.
Vulpes, the leader of the Legion’s intelligence division, the Frumentarii, is a key character within the main story and even more so if you choose to side with Caesar’s Legion. He is the ravager of Nipton, the man who will invite you to an audience with Caesar himself, and also, he is one hell of a battle-hardened warrior.
As he is a quiet, efficient, supporting character, many players can get caught up in the glitz and glam of the New Vegas Strip and miss a lot of Inculta’s plot points and unique questlines. However, we want to shine a spotlight on this important member of Caesar’s leading men.
In this guide, we take a look at Vulpes Inculta’s backstory, his role within the FNV narrative, his key moments within the game, his unique questlines, and much more. In short, if you were looking for a comprehensive Vulpes Inculta guide, you have come to the right place. Here is our in-depth Fallout New Vegas Vulpes Inculta Guide.
Who is Vulpes Inculta?
To understand Vulpes when we meet him in Fallout New Vegas, we must understand his roots, so let’s jump back in time, shall we?
Adopted by The Legion
If you know how The Legion operates, then it will come as no surprise that Vulpes joined the Legion ranks as a child as a result of his tribe being massacred and absorbed by the might of the bull.
As was custom, the men would be killed, the healthy women would be captured to serve as wives and slaves, and the children of the tribe would be indoctrinated into the Legion’s way of life and trained as soldiers.
This occurred when Vulpes’ tribe in Utah was attacked, and he was captured and put straight into the Legion’s barbaric training regime. This training will either make or break these young men, but ultimately Vulpes endured the trials and earned the rank of Decanus, the lowest rank in the Legion’s military hierarchy.
Vulpes was an average soldier when it came to brawn and combat aptitude, but he was much more tactically savvy than most other Legionnaires, which worked to his advantage. Disobeying orders, he would lead his squad to victory, breaking rank and seizing an opportunity to breach the enemy’s defenses, capturing the leader of this tribe, and securing victory for his men.
This act, while usually one that would have seen a young Legionariare killed, was the making of Vulpes, as Caesar promoted him to the rank of Frumentarii. Vulpes from then on would endure some strained relationships with those in the Legion as his underhanded tactics, which focus on intelligence and cunning, went against many other members’ ideals. Battling with honor and using brawn to win all wars was something that mattered to many, but Caesar saw the importance of Vulpes’ role, and that was what mattered.
Vulpes would go on from this promotion and continue to exceed expectations. He would play vital roles in the Battle of Nelson the destruction of Camp Searchlight, and thus, he would be promoted to the leader of the Frumentarii, which is the role he holds within the Legion when the Courier meets him for the first time.
Then from a gameplay perspective, Vulpes is a melee expert, as is the majority of the Legion military. He carries a Ripper and wears the traditional Frumentarii Armor, right down to the iconic wolf’s head headdress.
Vulpes’ Role in Fallout New Vegas
When the player meets Vulpes, he holds the role of Frumentarii Leader, and as such, he plays a rather pivotal role in the second act of the game, should the player choose to side with the Legion.
During this period, Vulpes plays the role of the chief intelligence officer and is responsible for gathering intel on the NCR, as well as tactically planning to take on the NCR and seize Hoover Dam. As a member of the Legion, he is a unique character in that he carries himself very differently from the other Legionnaires.
He is calm and collective, he is clinical and cold, much like the others, but he is also logical, cunning, deceptive if needs be, and he is loyal to the ideals held by Caesar. This is why his relationship with Legate Lanius is not a strong one.
He represents the purest version of the Legion. One that has the potential to stand the test of time, with concrete ideas which expand beyond the realms of brutish tribesman, which is incidentally what Lanius represents, hence the clash of heads.
Key Moments in Fallout New Vegas
Vulpes is by no means one of the big hitters in this game. There are a lot more characters that are featured much more heavily in this game. However, the moments we do have with Vulpes are very memorable. Here is a quick rundown of the highlights:
The Devastation of Nipton
If you followed the path laid out for you by the game and followed the main storyline from Goodsprings onwards, you will eventually happen upon a town called Nipton, or should we say, what’s left of it.
You see, when the player approaches the town, you’ll notice that the town lies in devastation, the smoke rising from the burning settlement can be seen for miles, and when you arrive, you’ll find crucifixes, dead bodies, and most importantly, The Frumentarii led by one Vuples Inculta.
The devastation was carried out by Vulpes and his men, who mercilessly killed the town’s mayor and then proceeded to carry out a lottery where the rest of the town’s population would receive a ticket. One lucky resident would be allowed to leave unharmed, and one runner-up would be allowed to live, but their legs would be crippled beyond repair.
This act was to showcase to the NCR and their supporters that if they fly the flag of the bear and do not support The Legion in their bid for supremacy, that The Legion would then show no mercy. This was a way to send a message to the NCR that no one is safe.
The Mark of Caesar
The next time that the player meets Vulpes after the devastation of Nipton is after you deal with Benny at the Tops Casino, thus beginning the second act of the game. This is essentially when the game gives the player a clean slate, so if you were out there killing The Legion’s troops in their masses, the game forgives you just this once.
This olive branch is extended by Vulpes Inculta, who approaches you while undercover on the Strip. He gives you The Mark of Caesar, which allows the player to travel through Cottonwood Cove and travel to The Fort, the Legion’s stronghold and HQ. However, if the player decides to kill Vulpes in Nipton, another Legion representative will arrive in his place and will also pardon you for killing Vulpes.
I Put a Spell on You
Then we should also touch on the questline; I Put a Spell on You. Provided you haven’t gone to The Fort and massacred the entirety of the Legionaire forces within; you will be able to access this quest.
Vulpes is the quest giver, and when you speak to him in Caesar’s tent, he will inform you that they have an undercover operative who has infiltrated Camp Mccarran, and your role is to provide assistance and make sure that things go off without a hitch.
Related Quests
As we just touched on above, Vulpes is subject to a number of unique questlines, and as such, you should get to know this character and complete as many of these as possible. However, you may be wondering how to go about this and what these quests are. Well, allow us to inform you, here is a quick list below:
Cold, Cold Heart/Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
- Rewards: 150XP, Legion Fame, (NCR Fame)
- Main Location: Nipton, (Mojave Outpost)
This quest is basically a quick task where the player will relay the message of The Legion and their actions in Nipton to the NCR. If you attend the Mojave Outpost first, an NCR Ranger called Ghost will ask the player to go check on Nipton and see what’s happened.
Whereas if the player goes to Nipton first, Vulpes will tell the player to go back to the Mojave Outpost anyway and tell them what has happened. A simple little back and forth that helps to introduce both the NCR and The Legion around the same time in the game.
The Finger of Suspicion
- Rewards: 100XP, Legion Fame
- Main Location: Vault 21
This is, once again, a very quick and easy quest given by Vulpes. The player will be informed that a friend and informant for The Legion is in danger as The Omerta’s who run the Gomorrah Casino on the Strip intend to kill them.
So it is the job of the Courier to travel to their place in Vault 21 and stop the Omertas from killing this person. You can do this through diplomacy, scare tactics, or by opening fire, your choice.
I Put a Spell on You
- Rewards: 550XP, 250 Caps, (600XP, 200 Caps)
- Main Location: Camp McCarran
This is a quest that has a lot of moving parts and can be approached in a number of different ways, so if you want a very detailed explanation regarding this quest, you should check out our dedicated I Put a Spell on You Quest Guide.
However, in brief, if the player sides with the Legion, their role is to take over the operation for the undercover Legion operative and sabotage the Monorail line leading to the Strip, cutting this vital supply line for the NCR.
Then if the player chooses, they can even frame an NCR member and walk out of there smelling of roses. It’s a really fun quest and perhaps the best that Vulpes has any involvement with.
Render Unto Caesar
- Rewards: 500XP, Legion Fame
- Main Location: Various
This is the questline that represents the Legion’s path to complete the main story. This means you will only complete this quest when you have begun the second battle for Hoover Dam and have opted to fight for The Legion.
We could spend forever breaking down the various plot points and key sub-questlines within this overarching quest, such as assassinating President Kimball, Helping Caesar remove a potentially terminal brain Tumor, and dealing with the various sub-factions in the game. However, instead, we will simply direct you to our dedicated Legion Quest Guide.
What if You Kill Vulpes Inculta?
If you have played through FNV a handful of times and toyed around with some key decisions to see how the rest of the game would play out, you probably offed Vulpes early in the game at least once.
Or maybe you just weren’t okay with his action in Nipton the first time around and killed him where he stood. Which, in fairness, would be completely understandable. Either way, you can kill Vulpes if you so choose, as he is not an essential character.
If you choose to kill him in Nipton, the player receives infamy from the Legion, and they will probably be attacked by a Frumentarii squad at some point on their travels. However, this decision surprisingly will not come back to bite the player in the ass.
You see, when the player deals with Benny, they will be given a clean slate and offered The Mark of Caesar, which represents new beginnings and safe passage to The Fort. In fact, when you do speak with Caesar, he will be rather impressed that you alone managed to take down one of his most trusted soldiers.
However, after this point in the game, if you choose to kill Vulpes, you will be met with extreme hostility, and your ability to side with the Legion will be stripped from you as you run out of The Fort with a mass of Legionnaires in hot pursuit.
It is also worth noting that you will fail the quests Cold, Cold Heart, The Finger of Suspicion, and Render Unto Caesar as a result of these actions. I put a Spell on you will still be available but only from the NCR’s side.
‘The Fearless’ Vulpes Inculta
As you can see from the information above, while not the most outspoken or bold Legionnaire, Vulpes Inculta is a formidable foe, a fierce ally, and overall, a very interesting character that players should absolutely get to know throughout their time in the Mojave.
That being said though if you are against the Legion, we reckon he won’t let you get to know him for too long. We hope that this guide serves you well, courier, and as always, thank you for reading Wasteland Gamers!
FAQ Section
Question: Who is Alerio in Fallout New Vegas?
Answer: We mentioned above that if you kill Vulpes Inculta in Nipton that a new Legion representative will contact you outside of the Tops Casino. Well, that person is known as Alerio, and he is a named member of Caesar’s Frumentarii. While Vulpes plays a vital supporting role in the Caesar’s legion questline, Alerio is no more than a placeholder, and it is likely that the player will never cross paths with this character again after this meeting.
Question: Is Vulpes Inculta in the Lonesome Road DLC?
Answer: Not physically, no, but he does get a mention in some dialogue with Ulysees. When referring to a battle the Legion had with an old forgotten tribe he belonged to called the Twisted Hairs, he states that they ‘Died in the smile of Vulpes.’ This was actually the cause of a major pothole as this would mean that Vulpes is around fifty to sixty years of age, as this battle occurred thirty years before the events of Fallout New Vegas, but we aren’t here to pick holes.
Question: Do You Have To Meet Vulpes In Nipton?
Answer: No, you have free reign to travel the Mojave as you please from the moment that you leave Doc Mitchell’s house in Goodsprings. So if the player opts to go another way, braving the path lined with Cazadors, and then traveling through Quarry Junction, home of the Deathclaws, they can skip a lot of the planned content for act one and travel straight to the New Vegas Strip, fight Benny and then meet Vulpes for the first time outside the Tops Casino.