I'm curious what people think will be the ultimate fate of the Brotherhood of Steel in the Fallout canon. I think they're too central a character to lose completely but I think New Vegas and having the main faction beaten like a red-headed stepchild was a very interesting development. Really, though, they can't be wiped out since canon now has them as the single most wide-spread faction in the entire Wasteland. They're literally everywhere.

I'd like to see a Civil War or even a Chapter as villains, though.

Can't be wiped out? Impossibru! Give them three hundred years, they'll either die out or rebuild America IMO. The future of the Legion, uniting the world under one flag for sure.

They'll either die out completely or their remnants will revision themselves and their overall purpose (ex. revising the Codex). Like Veronica in NV basically said " We need to adapt or die" which, oddly enough, is one of the themes that encompass the game's story.

As said before, they'll either die or they'll finally make the change and adapt to the ever-changing wasteland.

For me though, I hope they never die. I couldn't imagine Fallout without the Brotherhood.

Unless they change to adapt with the changing populace, they will die out.

This is why I still say to this day the MWBoS has the right idea: offering protection in exchange for recruits and supplies.

No more of that "We'll protect humanity from itself by taking/stealing tech from anyone who has it, even if it means killing in order to do so" crap.

I'll admit, I liked the idea in FO1, making sure history repeats itself, but murdering and stealing to enforce your ideals isn't the way to go. I will say however, there are some circumstances where this works out, like say a band of Raiders stumbles upon a cache of pre war weapons and proceeds to [censored], pillage, and slaughter their way through every town they come across; but attacking caravans and travelers for a few peices of pre-war tech and isolating themselves to the point of non-existince? They're dead already, they just don't know it yet.

most likely as much as i hate it i think the West Brotherhood are doomed. Seeing that MacMactosh *i think thats his name* was the most open minded of the bunch, even he was so ignorant to the point he would rather his chapter die out then break the idiotic Codex, and he even admitted the Codex was flawed. Most Likely the west brotherhood are doomed, and the MW and DC BOS chapters would most likely be the only ones who were able to adapt and survive "outside recruitment"

I can see a changed brotherhood, one with a different flavor. I can see them hoarding tec as a second or even third objective while Helping the people to gain their favor is there main objective

"im not sure when to use their or there [censored]"

Of course they can be. The Enclave walked off into the sunset in New Vegas, and you're saying the BoS can't follow?
The Eastern BoS and the Midwestern may live on, but it sure as hell looks like the western BoS is about to die off, and not nearly as gloriously as the Enclave Remnants.

would be really [censored] up if in the next fallout the Brotherhood of Steel were bad guys... and you had a choice to completely wipe them out

They will most likely end. There large amount of area being one of the reasons. Its to much to cover, and getting them too many enemy's. Also, they aren't trying to progress anything. Also with so many spread so far apart, the beliefs have changed, with each believing they are the proper brotherhood. It will likely lead to civil war, and eventual complete destruction. And they aren't a government people with civilizations. They only get tech for themselves, or do things that would benefit them. It would help the world start again, but isn't the type of people that would last long. People that could last are people like the NCR, Legion, Enclave, and even the republic of Dave. The brotherhood is more along the lines of a corporation than a civilization.

How could the Republic of Dave last? All they have to defend themselves are two guys and a chain link fence.