The NCR are the mightiest standing army in the wasteland, their sheer number and standard weaponry makes them the authority.

I believe the Courier was persuaded by Caesar's Legion and drawn to their ruthless tactics, using them to gain power up until the Arizona Killer mission for an independent Vegas. The NCR's power would be devastated by the Courier, nuking the divide, the long 15, along with dry wells.

However, I still voted NCR until we know what is canon from New Vegas.

I actually think the Legion has a better chance of beating the NCR if they lose the dam. The NCR would think their crap strategies would still work. Where if the Legion won I think it would be like a Pearl Harbor moment a@nd the entire country would mobilize for war.

Industry generally decides the outcome of conflicts so i'm thinking NCR if they had competent leadership, a pity as i rather dislike that faction /down.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':down:' />

In terms of industry alone, the NCR would be very hard pressed if pushed into conflict with the MW BOS (pending canon of Tactics.)

In terms of sheer lethal hardware, MW BOS or Independent Courier Vegas (if he upgraded the Securitrons to the MkII software suite) especially if he finds a way to utilize all that saturnite at Big MT. to enhance their armour. I'd put Lyons there, but simply scavenged tech from the Adams Crawler wreckage and with very limited production capability (and Optimus off-line) they'd be beaten (they'd put up a hell of a fight though.)

This is a tough one. It's probably between NCR and MWBOS. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm what if the next game took place from California to Illinois and featured NCR, CL, and MWBOS all fighting eachother?

Yeah i thought about that for a bit, the main reason i say NCR is i'm not sure what the canon for the Midwest BOS will be(or if they'll ever flesh that out at all).

Well what we know about the MWBoS is:

1. They have fallen on hard times
2. Lyon's BoS couldn't even find them when they passed the Chicago area
3. The Legion has been known to win some skirmishes with them and they were possibly using power armor.

Honestly, I don't think the NCR or Caesar's Legion or the Brotherhood of Steel can hold a candle to the power a Courier's Independent Vegas could have.

Sure there's House, but you play by his rules. As an independent, your rules can be just as ruthless as Caesar's Legion only with an army of Securitron Mk II bots in your palm.

Whatever factions there are in Fallout 4 wouldn't even stand a chance against an independent Vegas.

Any Vegas is limited to the Mojave. And there is no chance of expanding as the NCR and Legion completely surround it. And if this a total war situation Vegas losesis its onlya trade partner as NCR would most likely restrict all access to the Mojave since they are now enemies. So then at this point you can't afford to lose the limited amount of securitrons you have to the massive armies of the NCR and Legion.

Very true, at best they would defend New Vegas and it would be a protected destination. Unless the Courier starts an army of his own using the think tank and the various technologies there to create more securitrons and amass an army built up of raiders and powder gangers. =D

I believe Lyons BoS did find them. Since part of his orginal mission was to find out what happened to the MWBoS, this would mean in the 80+ years since the airconvoy, the Orginal BoS and the MWBoS had zero contact. So this would mean that for Lyons and his people to know that "they have fallen on hard times" they would have had to have made contact with them.

Also we don't know if Lyons went to Chicago. All we know is that he stopped at Pittsburgh before DC.

I'm surprised the NCR has so many votes, given that we know for a fact that the Legion can take out the Boomers and the BoS on their own whereas the NCR cannot.

I get the Boomer part but BOS? The only endings mentioning BOS are a NCR retreat or the truce, no ending where the NCR even attempts to wipe them out. If your gonna go that way however NCR been kicking their cans for a long while to the point they're hiding in their bunker to begin with so it's a safe bet they can take the BOS. (MWBOS Unkown however as I didn't play tactics.)

It iscould the guideone book thatfree mentions they have fallenthe on hardthe times, not Lyones. And I think there is dialogue in the game which mentions that they couldn't be found.

I also believe it was one of the guide books that mentions Lyons original missions as well as the part about "falling on hard times" because that line isn't in the game. Rothschild says something like "A small group."

The wiki says that both Rothschild and Jameson mention Chicago. I guess I have to play Fallout 3 again because I don't remember them saying Chicago. If they did that is great news.

I doubt the Orginal BoS had any contact with the MWBoS since the airconvoy. If they had then why would apart of the misson be to locate them?

When they mention Chicago though I'm pretty sure that it is something negative, like what I said they couldn't even find the "lost chapter".

Going to say "Technically" the strongest military is the NCR. Makes sense, they have tons of grunts, police men, PA troopers and Rangers and dont forget all the supplies it takes to feed such a large army. The only weakness the NCR has is its government which keeps dumming down and second guessing the military commanders, the fact that they do everything the opposite of what Hanlon says is [censored] childish

But if i had to bet on who currently has the best chance on conquering the entire world, id probably be the Legion. The Legions military doesn't question orders and they actually believe their cause also most of them are briefed in battle, unlike NCR whelps. and id say without the Courier New Vegas is screwed because the NCR are too weaken by the out of touch politicans back east.

Feel sorry for the MW BOS... if those Vets with Robots and Local support are being tore up by Legionaries then they must no be doing good.

If the Courier upgraded the securitrons and was able to clean up the Big MT and utilize it's technologies then I doubt any faction would be able to touch indy Vegas but that wouldn't mean that indy Vegas would start invading other territories.

I want to say MWBoS but until we know more about their current state it's hard to say.

about that, of course whoever the Courier sides with is going to raise to the top. But im talking about military might, not whos nation the courier chooses. New Vegas NEEDS the courier to be powerful, The Legion does not.

I'm also guessing they would have been more Courier needy as well if Obsidian had more time. Considering their little amount of quests. Unless they were planned from the start to not need the Courier which I doubt seeing as a lot of in game stuff is simply there for game mechanics and for the player to interact with.

Of course I am going to say the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel! I even used to drawn concept art for http://savagebeatings.deviantart.com/gallery/34104749! Also take a look at http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/331/usadetailed.jpg I made long ago of how I visioned the territories by ~2280, and focus on the MWBoS borders as well as the nearby presence of the Legion. That is how I envision it! Denver is close, but since it was a pyrrhic victory for the Legion, they didn't go further south from there. Also the reason their territory in Colorado looks like it does is because there are big frikking mountains in the way which I kind of imagined the Legion to pass around instead.

I never really did get how 'standardized weapons' could take Power Armor... By the time those weapons could peirce the armor, they should have already had enough time to wipe the opponent out. Then again, sending 100 NCR troops against one Brotherhood Paladin, they could easily take him down. This being said, the NCR probably have thousands, maybe tens of thousands of soldiers if they are able to take down full chapters of BoS.

Standardized Weapons means the NCR only has to produce one type of ammo. While other forces seem to use a mix of verious weapons that need different types of ammos. So in terms of supplying their troops the NCR has a much easier time. I wouldn't want to be in battle and have a supply crate full of the wrong ammo sent to me.

But yeah the NCR's biggest advantage is their overwhelming numbers.

Yeah, they are the Imperial Guard of Fallout! /tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':P' /> Lousy weapons, lousy armor, lousy morale (unless disciplined), lousy pay, lousy life expectancy, but HEY, at least we come in the hundreds of thousands!

I'd say the NCR, I'd say the midwestern BoS comes close but until we find out why exactly the legion has been able to take down Midwestern bortherhood, my theory would be barnaky has withdrawn from an active presence kinda like he's still there just not in touch with his troops and coincidentally not providing behemoth or robot support as an accidental result of that, but the NCR, three tiers of soldiers Footslogger- Veterans/rangers -Vet. Rangers and Hero figures.

If i was to hazard a guess at NCR population and army size I'd say:

NCR population:6,000,000, taking in account the expansion they've undergone and slave refugees from the legion and other raiders.

NCR Military size: 200,000 Lowly Footsloggers, 20,000 veterans and rangers, 1,000 Vet. Rangers and hero-like figures.

Of course that's my guess, but my point is NCR unless the midwestern BoS loose ends are tied up with a military favourable explanation/Canon.