(SPOILERS) Should I kill Legate Lanius, or use speech checks?

[THE MAN WITH THE LONG BLACK ♥♥♥♥]

I'm at the end of the game (for the 5th time) and am trying to play as the good guy more or less, and do what's best for the Mojave. I've killed Lanius in the past, and he has some decent gear, but was wondering, as I'm also trying to create my definitive character, should I kill Legate? Or just use the speech checks.

[Zeno]

This could go either way, really.

On the one hand, it could be argued that killing in general is morally bad, but it could be said that leaving Lanius alive will do nothing but cause misery. Intuitively, I'd say that a "good" character would spare him, but a character that justifies violence in the name of the greater good could simply say that killing him would produce better outcomes overall than leaving him alive. The question is, what would your character choose? What type of person is your character?

[THE MAN WITH THE LONG BLACK ♥♥♥♥]

Originally posted by Zeno:

This could go either way, really.

On the one hand, it could be argued that killing in general is morally bad, but it could be said that leaving Lanius alive will do nothing but cause misery. Intuitively, I'd say that a "good" character would spare him, but a character that justifies violence in the name of the greater good could simply say that killing him would produce better outcomes overall than leaving him alive. The question is, what would your character choose? What type of person is your character?

My character is supposed to be someone who does what's needed for the good of the Mojave, even if it means he has to kill someone, as long as it's for the greater good of the Mojave.

[Carver]

I personally would say have a final battle with him.

I've done the speech checks in past playthroughs, and each time when Lanius is walking away I'm thinking to myself, "Wait, why should I just let this guy go? He has legit killed hundreds of my allies and I pretty much slaughtered all HIS guys to get to him and I'm going to let HIM just walk out? The guy here who has pretty much led this whole conflict against the Mojave?"

I don't know, for me it just seems somewhat anti-climatic for the Courier just to let Lanius 'walk away'. It doesn't seem all that satisfying that you have taken out dozens and dozens of legionaries all across the wasteland, killed Caesar himself and his top advisors-- but just let Lanius go and walk away.

I felt it was much better when the whole battle, and game in some regard, built up to this final clash of ideolgies, the Courier and Lanius both symbolizing the West and the East and which course the future of both sides will take. Just talking him out of it seems kind of weak, but if you are going Independent or House I suppose you may want to as it could help to weaken the NCR a little bit more.

But if you are going with an NCR Courier, I'd say fight him. Just seems more epic, that way.

[Zeno]

Originally posted by ██████████:

Originally posted by Zeno:

This could go either way, really.

On the one hand, it could be argued that killing in general is morally bad, but it could be said that leaving Lanius alive will do nothing but cause misery. Intuitively, I'd say that a "good" character would spare him, but a character that justifies violence in the name of the greater good could simply say that killing him would produce better outcomes overall than leaving him alive. The question is, what would your character choose? What type of person is your character?

My character is supposed to be someone who does what's needed for the good of the Mojave, even if it means he has to kill someone, as long as it's for the greater good of the Mojave.

Then, as dangerous as Lanius is, I'd say the most logical option is to kill him. If Caesar is dead already, he's the Legion's leader, and if not, he's still the Legion's best commanding officer. Either way, killing him is a major blow to the Legion.

[THE MAN WITH THE LONG BLACK ♥♥♥♥]

Originally posted by AndreyKva the Viktor Tsoi Mans:

It's heavily implied in the game that, if you kill Caesar, or if you don't cure his tumor, then the Legion will fall apart after the game's events. If you leave the Legate alive, but Caesar is dead, then the Legate will lead the Legion for some time. However, a civil war will most likely erupt, and it will leave the Legion in ruins, if the Legion will be left at all. If you kill the Legate, but not Caesar, you'll basically decapitate the army of the Legion. It'll take a long while for it to recover, probably longer than the time that Caesar has left.

The Legion is a big threat in the game to anyone opposed to it, but unless you specifically cure Caesar's tumor, they're all doomed to be FUBAR shortly after the end.

Ok, that's helped out a lot. Thank you for the response!