Get a head start on Fallout Season 2: the new Fallout Shelter update adds The Ghoul, Lucy, and Maximus in a Vault under New Vegas

With Fallout Season 1 being a huge hit and Fallout Season 2 starting today, everyone's been looking to Bethesda for the answer to a pretty important question: when the heck are we gonna get a new Fallout game to go with the show, huh? Ever heard of striking while the iron is hot? Todd? Todd?

Well, Bethesda actually did something about it, sorta, kinda. It's not the Fallout you want (that'd be Fallout 5, which is most likely still another five or more years away), but this week there is an update to an existing, and very good, Fallout game of a different sort.

Fallout Shelter, Bethesda's free-to-play base-building management sim, has been updated with Seasons, a new feature that introduces limited-time Vaults with new locations, scenarios, and characters. Naturally, the first season is called Viva New Vegas, and your new Vault (it's separate from your main game) is buried beneath the sands of Nevada near Novac. And if you play your cards right, you'll see some familiar faces appearing outside your Vault door.

"In Viva New Vegas, you’re tasked with recruiting loyal allies, bringing Novac under control, and transforming it into a shining beacon beneath the dazzling glow of New Vegas!" says Bethesda. "As you build your experimental vault, expect to be visited by friendly faces from the TV show, including Lucy, Maximus and The Ghoul."

That's exactly what I've been doing for the past few hours, and Lucy was the first character from the show to arrive at my tiny little Vegas Vault. I quickly dispatched her on a quest to Novac, where she proved to be just as polite as she is on the show. She very kindly asked to speak to the boss of the Khans, and when she did engage in combat, she used a tranquilizer gun instead of a more lethal option. What a good egg.

Along with Lucy, the Ghoul, and Max, there are outfits and weapons from the Fallout show, plus some new Vegas-themed features:

"Aside from new quests this Season—and in true Vegas fashion—we are also adding Lucky Spins to the game," Bethesda says. "Complete quests to earn Poker Chips and use them to acquire rewards that get you ahead of the game! Poker Chips can also be received as random loot during quests."

The Fallout Shelter Seasons update is free, just like the game itself. You can read more about it here.