Fable games ranked by how terrible a human being they let you be

The Fable games are famous for letting the player decide their own morality.

Do you want to be an honorable hero saving the land from tyranny or a vicious villain out only for yourself? The choice is entirely yours, and it’s one of the many reasons we consider the Fable series to be among the best Xbox games ever made.

Still, everyone knows that being bad can feel so, so good. Which of us hasn’t massacred Bowerstone, committed highway robbery, or kicked a chicken or two while exploring Albion? 

Yet, not all Fable games are created equally. Each of the different mainline titles allows you to be a monster in different ways, so with the Xbox Showcase giving us a glimpse at Fable 4, we’ve decided to go through the series and rank the Fable games by which one lets you be the worst version of yourself.

How bad can we possibly be? 

Before we begin, though, let us explain a little bit about how we came up with the list. Anyone who’s ever set foot in Albion knows all of the Fable games let you be a pretty reprehensible person.

You can commit any foul deed you want, so to fairly judge how terrible each Fable character is, we’ve decided to focus on their final evil decision. Basically, it’s the part of the game where you fully commit to being a paragon of virtue or an utter bastard. 

Fable 2 (2008)

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At the end of Fable 2, after the hero Sparrow finally defeats Lord Lucien, the man who killed his sister, you’re offered one magical wish.

This wish has three possible outcomes: you can bring back everyone Lucien killed, revive just your sister, or wish for a big ol’ pile of gold. While wishing to bring back your sister is selfish, the game treats the gold as the ‘evil option.’ 

Now, while I can agree that using a reality-bending wish to line your pockets is a pretty crumby thing to do, it pales in comparison to the other Fable endings. After all, it’s not like you had a direct hand in Lucien’s reign of terror. If anything, Sparrow’s been actively opposing the awful aristocrat for years.

So while, yes, choosing to hoard a load of gold and finally buy the pretty sweet Fairfax Castle is a bit self-centered, it’s hardly letting the world get overtaken by an omnicidal extradimensional evil. Is it?

Fable 3 (2010)

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Fable 3 gives you more power than any other Fable game. In the final act, you’ve usurped your brother Logan and taken your rightful place as the king of Albion. At this point, it’s revealed why Logan turned into a tyrant.

He’s learned that a creature made of darkness and shadow, known as the Crawler, is on its way to Albion and that if you don’t prepare properly, it’ll wipe out all life in the kingdom.

This leaves you with a year (in-game) to raise around 6.5 million in gold to build an army capable of defeating The Crawler. You’re then presented with several moral choices that’ll help you build up your coffers and finance that army, but at the cost of your people’s welfare and reputation. 

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During this part of the game, you can commit many horrendous acts, including betraying your old allies, forcing children to work in your factories, and other devious deeds. Indeed, if you choose all the bad options, you’ll end up with a vault stacked with cash but people who hate and despise you.

Whether you believe this is right or wrong will depend on whether you believe the ends justify the means. Still, it’s undeniable that thousands, if not millions, will suffer if you choose to rule with an iron fist. 

That seems a lot worse than simply using a magic wish to get a bit of gold. However, the fact that your actions will ultimately save millions does offer a sliver of justification. You’ll have hideous devil horns and batwings by the time you finish Fable 3, but at least you can sleep soundly knowing that you saved the lives of everyone in Albion… even if their lives aren’t really worth living. 

Fable (2004)

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Finally, we move on to the first and arguably best game in the series, Fable. While the morality system is a bit less refined than in the previously mentioned games, I’m comfortable claiming that an evil Hero of Oakvale is, without a doubt, the most deplorable player character.

At the end of Fable, after you defeat Jack of Blades, you’re given a choice. You can either take up the Sword of Aeons, which involves killing your sister, Theresa, or rejecting its power and letting her live. 

If you choose to kill your sister, you’re rewarded with the Sword of Aeons, the most powerful weapon in the game, and that’s it. Yeah, there’s no further reward; it can’t be used to unlock other content; it’s literally a trophy weapon.

And while it may be powerful, there aren’t — in the base game at least — any bosses to use it on. Ultimately, an evil Hero of Oakvale kills their sister for no other reason than sheer vanity, and that’s such a tremendously petty act that it transcends any of the evil acts you commit as the King of Albion.

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Yes, we know The Lost Chapters special edition gives a post-game where Jack of Blade returns. You could argue that killing Theresa is justified, but is it really when you can get the Tears of Avo, a weapon with exactly the same stats as the Sword of Aeons?

Furthermore, the final evil act in the special edition involves letting Jack possess you, an act so mindbendingly stupid it distorts space-time and creates a sort of black hole of inanity that swallows any reasonable thought whole. 

Anyway, thoughts on how stupid an evil Hero of Oakvale aside; I hope you’ll agree they’re easily the most monstrous character; they’re not just selfish or tyrannical; they’re petty and dumb. 

If you love games as much as we do, check out our list of the best video game characters or our guide to the most exciting reveals at this year’s Summer Game Fest.