The Fallout season 2 teaser trailer has finally arrived, and it already feels like the series has taken a serious step forward. Where the first season gave us a faithful and often surprising introduction to a live action wasteland, the new footage suggests the show is now leaning fully into its own voice. It looks bigger, sharper and far more cinematic, while still clinging tightly to the strange mix of what Fallout is.

The trailer shows Lucy (played by Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) pushing forward, their journey no longer about survival and instead, it's a mission as they head into the very heart of post-apocalyptic civilisation. The moment the Lucky 38 looms into view, you’re reminded that New Vegas isn’t just a set piece, its where everything started.

You can’t miss Mr House (Justin Theroux) either. He steps in with that icy charm, and as soon as you hear his voice, you realised you’re about to see one of the most powerful figures in Fallout lore brought to life. We get flashes of the Ghoul’s old life as Cooper Howard—glimpses of glossy pre-War glamour from its gleaming casinos, polished suits, to smiles that belong to another lifetime.

Another thing you notice is the colour palette. Fallout always carried a distinctive look, from the sun bleached deserts to the rusted metal of collapsed civilisation. The trailer gets the visuals right. There is something uncanny about how close the sets feel to the games, particularly Fallout: New Vegas. The light, the textures and even the way the desert stretches into the horizon feel lifted from the screen of a console.

And we finally get a preview of Deathclaws. Fallout players know of their reputation. Even in brief flashes, they’re terrifying and did you notice how it has white eyes? Like the ones from Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Other things of note: Caesar’s Legion, the Brotherhood of Steel, and other lurking dangers you might have seen in the games. Which begs the question if each and every episode will hold its own showdown?

The teaser only beget more questions than answers. We do not yet know how the story will expand, how the characters will grow, or whether the season can sustain the energy promised by its first impressions. What it does tell us is that Fallout season 2 is not content to simply repeat the success of the first.

Fallout season 2 will be released exclusively on Prime on 17 December