Mothership Zeta is often considered one of Fallout 3’s worst DLC expansion. But I’m here to tell you that’s just not true…
We’ll look at why it’s totally misunderstood, and actually offers something fresh, different and exciting, while sticking to the vibe of Fallout perfectly.
Find out more about the story, the gameplay, unique items and why you should play Mothership Zeta in 2024.
Transcript
Hey, Fallout’s popular at the moment isn’t it? It’s nice to finally be in a time when film and TV adaptations of video games aren’t immediately plop, and it’s great to see the game themselves getting a rub too.
From the retro charm of the original, through to the massively improved Fallout 76, everyone’s catching that wasteland fever. Seriously, this thing won’t stop beeping and this peeling skin is making me worry.
Anywho, I think the game I have the fondest memories for is Fallout 3. It was one of the first 18 rated games I got to play, and I felt badass getting to roam the Capital Wasteland on the hunt for my dad Liam Neeson. Although he doesn’t have quite the same mystique after you find out he habitually pees his pants. Poor form Qui Gon, poor form.
So with teenage me hooked and more free time than I knew what to do with, I went on a full completionist run. I’d talk to everyone, explore every stretch of the map and compulsively save so I didn’t accidentally make the wrong decision and close off some content.
With modern hindsight, it was pretty much the sweet spot between the hardcore roleplaying of the first games and the accessible, action packed gameplay of the more recent outings.
Also Three Dog is the absolute GOAT of radio DJs – it’s not even close.
With that in mind, you can imagine my face when the canonical ending of the base game sees you sacrifice yourself. Fade to black, roll credits, adolescent tears.
And the worst thing was, I knew DLC was out there. There was more to this story that I’d become beyond obsessed with. But this was a time before my family home got wifi, so how would I get hold of it? Like Nirvana, the Garden of Eden or affordable housing, this paradise felt out of reach.
That was until an unassuming trip to my local game store saw me come face to face with a bonafide miracle. Two game cases, one featuring the expansions Operation Anchorage and The Pitt, the other Broken Steel and Point Lookout. All I had to do was pop the discs in and I got a bunch of new missions, areas to explore and new game plus, with more levels and perks to aim for. And in an absolute rookie move from both Bethesda and the game store, you could take the game home, download the DLC, then return the disc for a full refund!
This is how it must’ve felt to buy Bitcoin back in 2013.
So I rinsed all the new content over the next couple of weeks, all the while knowing there was one piece of DLC I hadn’t managed to acquire, and that wouldn’t be released on a disc. I’m sure my folks were probably planning on getting wifi at some point anyway, but I’m sure my constant moaning and pining for Mothership Zeta sped things up.
And with this jump into a wireless future, I was ready to risk a probing and explore a UFO.
Now I’ll get into the story, the new items and everything in a bit, but it’s worth pausing now to remind you that Mothership Zeta got a rough deal with critics. While Fallout 3 picked up all the plaudits, the general consensus was that this final add-on was a bit of a let down, not capturing the magic of the base game.
But not only is this unfair, but I’d go as far to say that it’s massively underrated.
So before we get into the nitty gritty of why I think it’s still worth playing, what happens in Mothership Zeta? Naturally, a big spoiler warning. But you’re smart, you already knew that.
While wandering the wasteland, you pick up a garbled radio signal that leads you to a downed alien scout ship. Upon approaching the crash site, you’re suddenly transported onto the big’un – called Zeta. Here, you encounter other captives who’ve been abducted across the ages. Turns out these aliens have been at it long before the world ended.
Once aboard, you naturally get a little bit of probing. You lose consciousness and later awaken in a cell alongside another prisoner named Somah. With all their gear confiscated, Somah devises a breakout strategy – you both feign a brawl to draw the alien guards in, then seize the opportunity to overpower their stumpy butt. The plan then leads you to Sally, a young girl taken shortly after the Great War, who begs you to assist in her escape by sabotaging the ship’s reactor. Once liberated, Sally offers her knowledge of the ship in return for your help.
Guided by Sally, you reach a chamber containing cryo-tubes and retrieve a spacesuit from a frozen astronaut, which you need to reach the teleporter that’ll take you to other parts of the ship. However, before you can use it, you must first disable generators located in three separate sections of the ship, creating a diversion. To achieve this, you’ll gain the support of three fellow abductees: Elliott in the cryo labs, Somah in the robotics factory, and Paulson in the hangar.
Having activated the teleporter, the group is transported to the mothership’s upper decks, where they’re threatened by a demonstration of the ship’s thick (with two Cs) death ray. You then have to navigate through the weapons lab, bio-experimentation lab, and bio-research area. Reuniting with your companions via a transporter on the observation deck, you continue to the death ray control centre and the living quarters. The final stand takes place on the bridge, where you have to fend off alien forces attempting to reclaim control.
Triumphant, you and your fellow abductees celebrate your victory. Amidst the chaos, either Sally or Elliott (whichever reaches the player first) informs you that during the bridge skirmish, a beacon was accidentally activated, landing near the initial crash site, Theta. This beacon provides you with a means to return to the Capital Wasteland or to transport back to the now-largely inaccessible mothership.
And that’s Mothership Zeta in a nutshell. But let’s look a little deeper.
I think one of the most obvious things in its favour is how it offers a setting and story that’s entirely mad, but still fits with Fallout’s signature vibe. The 1950s were the height of UFO mania, so it’s quite surprising that the series hasn’t fallen back on the retro-futurism of flying saucers more often.
Prior to this, alien life was merely hinted at with the occasional discovery of the Alien Blaster in earlier games.
But in Fallout 3, you can actually encounter an alien even before setting foot on the Mothership. Open your map and look north of the MDPL-13 Power Station. You’ll spot a line heading from the north, curling around the power station and continuing directly south on its eastern side. Just north of this line, due north of the power factory, you’ll find a wee little crash site with a wee little dead alien, complete with its powerful Alien Blaster. It might be easy to miss and not really play much into the main game, but it more than whet the appetite for extraterrestrial encounters.
Zeta builds on this lore, and is a great love letter to the alien invasion narratives and high-tech fantasies of the 1950s. It’s this brilliant mix of campy, pulp sci-fi elements, including eerie experimental labs and bizarre, otherworldly technology. This thematic dedication not only provides an entertaining diversion but enhances the game’s existing atmosphere by celebrating its vintage influences in a new, vibrant context.
The main gripe people have with Zeta is its linear gameplay, particularly compared to the open endedness of the base game. Up until the original, pre Broken Steel ending, there’s a real emphasis on choices, from the super deep Karma system to simply how you approach each problem. Heck, if you leave the Vault and head in the right direction you can find your dad and finish the game in no time at all. There’s very little hand holding, which is perfect for the bulk of the experience.
But just because Zeta’s different doesn’t mean it’s worse. The structured, corridor-shooting style lends itself to a more narrative-driven experience, focusing on the action and close encounters (geddit?) rather than open-world exploration. In that sense, it’s probably got more in common with Fallout 4, which you’ll have an opinion about one way or another, I’m sure. But in this case, I think it’s a refreshing one shot to break up the base game’s sometimes meandering quests.
And we can’t forget the loot, and Zeta gives you some great toys to play with. Obviously, you get some alien tech like the Atomic Pulverizer and Alien Spacesuit, but as these interstellar ne’er-do-wells have been collecting things for a long time, you can also nab some plunder for yourself, including freakin’ samurai armour. Finally I can live out my very intense, very niche fantasy of being Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai.
But for real, after replaying through all of Fallout 3’s DLC, I think the only other one that comes close to Zeta in terms of unique items is Operation Anchorage.
Speaking of the samurai armour, one of the other real highlights of Zeta is how it allows us to interact with characters and play with influences from different eras of Earth’s history. Alongside our friend from feudal Japan to a cowboy from the Old West, and a Soviet cosmonaut, this motley crew doesn’t just add flavour to the game; they enrich the narrative, offering an insight into cultures and time periods rarely explored in Fallout.
And I think this summarises why I think Mothership Zeta is so good, and at the same time why it doesn’t get the love it deserves. It’s just so different from what we’re used to, both from the game and the series as a whole to this point. I think it’s pretty unfair to compare it to something it’s not trying to be, and I’m hoping with hindsight people can rate it based on its own merit.
But in my opinion, this DLC isn’t just another chapter in the Fallout story; it’s a bold, self-contained tale that celebrates and satirises the sci-fi genre with equal aplomb. For those willing to embrace its quirks and cosmic escapades, Mothership Zeta offers a uniquely thrilling adventure that’s both a departure from and a deep dive into the rich, expansive universe of Fallout.
But what did you think of Mothership Zeta? Did you play it back in the day, most recently, or are you thinking about checking it out for the first time? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to read your thoughts. And while you’re down there don’t forget to like and subscribe for plenty more on all things gaming, check out our movie channel UDS Films, or you can always visit upsidedownshark.com to keep up with everything else we’ve got going on. Until then my name is Tom, this has been UDS and we’ll see you next time.
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Tom Baker
I like Star Wars, heavy metal and BBQ Pringles.
