War…war never changes. When it comes to video games, that’s a good thing because it ensures we’ll have a steady stream of post-apocalyptic awesomeness in the form of the Fallout series. On Tuesday, gamers all over the world plunked down the requisite bottlecaps to take home a shiny new copy of Fallout 4, the latest entry in Bethesda’s venerable action role-playing game series. The hotly anticipated game is already on its way to shattering Skyrim‘s sales record, according to industry reports, and for good reason. It’s no small secret to say that it’s one of our favorite games of the year (read our review), and one that I’ve been looking forward to with bated breath ever since I finished 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas. (Although, does one ever really finish a Fallout game?). Hell, I’ve even started calling my real-life canine companion “Dogmeat” just to get into the spirit of things.

Just how far down the rabbit hole have we gone? Between Jessica Chobot, Malik Forte, Kyle Hill, and myself, we have logged more than one hundred hours played so far and we’ve only explored a fraction of the expansive game. While all of us are diehard Fallout fans, with an appreciation of the complex lore that has sprung up around the post-nuclear narrative, it can be a bit daunting to newcomers. So, in the spirit of making sure that everyone feels comfortable and confident exploring the irradiated ruins of Boston and its surrounding climes, we’re going to open up the proverbial Vault of Fallout lore. Today on The Dan Cave, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Fallout series with a high-level overview of the weird, wonderful world in which you’ll soon be spending the majority of your waking hours.

What’s your favorite aspect of Fallout lore? What does your Wastelander look like? What’s your favorite Fallout moment so far? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. You can follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).