Loot the locker on the wall in the foyer for some Flares. The medic will heal you for free if you’re hurt. Go down to the 2nd level and talk to Theresa. Wait until after 1700 and some other Vault Dwellers will enter her room. Convince her to stay, and you’ll get XP for preventing a coup.
Down on the 3rd Level, in the westernmost room there are two Computers you can use your Science skill on to gain some XP and up your skills. Go east and talk to the Overseer. Tell him whatever. Head back west, and you’ll see a chick guarding a locked door. Ask about who’s authorized to get weapons, then say you have a need for weapons, too. She’ll let you in. After looting those lockers, Talk to the Water Guard (if he's there), and ask for permission to take some supplies. Loot the lockers in the water room. Now you can leave and head towards Vault 15.
In the large house to the south of that is the leader of the town, Aradesh. Tell him you’ll take care of the Radscorpion problem. You can talk to his daughter, Tandi, who's either there or wandering all over town. Talk to the very busy cook in the back and compliment her cooking. In the small house to the west of that is Razlo, his wife, and a sick man. Razlo will only talk to you during daylight hours. Ask Razlo about a cure for Radscorpion poison. You can trade with his wife for meds.
In the Garden area of Shady Sands is a farmer named Curtis in the middle of his fields. Tell him about crop rotation if you have a high a Science skill. Loot everything in the area. Go back to Seth and ask him to send you to the Radscorpion Caves.
You can either kill all the Radscorpions or seal the entrance with Dynamite, if you have any. But before you look for the weak spot in the cave wall near the entrance, and place the Dynamite there, kill at least one Radscorpion and take its tail. However you deal with the situation, go back to Razlo, who will make as many Antidotes as you have tails. Just keep asking him during the daytime. Use the Antidote on the sick guy in the back and he’ll thank you with some XP. Tell Aradesh you took care of the Radscorpions.
Now head to Vault 15, but make sure you have at least one Rope. There’s one in the building north of the farm, one in the shed south of the farm, and you can barter for one from Seth.
I suggest you chose one of the first three options, return Tandi, claim your reward from Aradesh, then come back and kill everyone. They'll be hostile as soon as you walk up to them. Just be sure to not kill the two slave girls, as they’re worth more XP if they survive. Loot everything, and if there are bodies, loot those, too. Remember that your NPCs can carry stuff too, so you can give them all the heavy stuff and Steal it back later.
Enter the General Store and talk to Killian. After the conversation, a guy named Kenji comes in and tries to kill Killian. Help stop the assassin, being sure to not accidentally hit Killian or any of the guards. If this happens, I hope you saved recently. After the assassin is dead, talk to Killian again. He’ll ask for your help proving the local crime boss, Gizmo, is behind the attempt. There are a couple of ways to do this. Exit the area to the north and enter the Casino. You'll find Gizmo in the back room.
Just a side note: Killian doesn’t seem to have much to trade for on his person, even though he is running a huge store. Search the tables to find more stuff to barter for. You can also rob Killian’s store at night. Be sure he’s gone home, and pick the lock on his safe in the side room.
Go back to the Casino and loot it and the corpses. To the east of the Casino is Phil and a dog that’s causing him some trouble. You can get the dog to join you in one of two ways.
In the bar is a guy who’s singing - poorly. Tell Ismarc you actually do like his singing, and ask about the locations of The Hub, Adytum, and the Brotherhood of Steel. Talk to Trish the waitress about Saul. Between the bar and the Casino is a boxing ring. If there’s a fight scheduled, bet on the human, Saul. Talk to him afterward about his life with Trish, and tell him how she feels about him boxing for some XP. (You may have to talk to Saul first, then Trish, then go back to Saul.)
Head back to the middle map and take a room for the night. In the morning, one of the employees, Sinthia will be held hostage. You can let her get killed or you can free her by either killing her captor or convincing him to just walk away. If you opt to kill him, use the Sneak skill before going through the door, then get around behind him and get him before he kills his hostage. If you kill him, Sinthia will be upset. Either way, you’ll be rewarded by the innkeeper with a free night’s stay.
Lars at some point will ask you to help take down the Skulz gang. If he doesn't have that dialog option, come back later in the game, or do both of the following without talking to Lars first. You can’t just kill them, as this town takes the law very seriously. There are two ways to solve this.
Next stop, The Hub.
In the center part of Downtown are four stores. The northeast one is a bookstore with an a large supply of very expensive books. The other three sell weapons and stuff. West of the shops is Lemmy, who can introduce you to the weapons dealer Vance in Old Town, for a price. Just south of all the stores is Iguana Bob. If you found out where he gets his meat from the short guy below Doc Morbid’s place in Junktown, you can blackmail Iguana Bob for a reasonable amount. This will lower your Karma.
Southwest of Iguana Bob is Irwin, who has a problem. Agree to help take care of the raiders on his farm, and you’ll be teleported there instantly. After you kill all the raiders and loot everything, exit and return to Irwin for a .233 Pistol. One of the most powerful guns in the game.
Talk to the folks at the Far Go Traders in the northeast. Agree to find out what’s plaguing the caravans. Talk to Beth in the southeast store about the Deathclaw until she mentions Harold knows something, and her crazy uncle Slappy keeps mumblilng something about it. Exit east to Old Town and talk to Slappy in the south. Talk to Harold about Slappy, then ask Slappy to take you to the Deathclaw cave. You get 800 XP just for going to the cave. Enter the cave and kill the Deathclaw. Loot the dying/dead mutant, and read the Mutant Transmissions Holodisk. Return to the Far Go Traders and tell Butch that you killed the Deathclaw, but it was really mutants responsible for the missing caravans. Then give the holodisk to Rutger for your reward.
Go east into Old Town again. There are two merchants in the northwest two buildings with really good stuff. Be sure to loot everything, as well.
Just north of Harold’s place is a building with a bunch of Raiders who will attack you on sight. Kill them all, then free the guy in the back room. You’ll get a reward later in the game when you visit his buddies at the Brotherhood of Steel.
In the northwest corner of the large middle building are some stairs leading down. This is the Thieves’ Circle. Work your way past all the Traps on the floors and doors, Lockpick the doors, and talk to the lovely Jasmine and her boss, Loxley. He wants you to Steal a Necklace from the Hightowers in The Heights. Go back upstairs and west two areas. Rest until 1800 (The Hightowers go to bed early!). If your Charisma/Speech is high enough, convince the one lone guard to let you in. Disarm the Trap on the safe, then Lockpick it, and take the Necklace. Return to Loxley then Jasmine for your reward, which includes an Electronic Lock Pick.
Go back to Downtown, then south to the Merchants area. In the northwest is a branch of the Children of the Cathedral. Feel free to talk to everyone. (If you want to kill them, be sure to talk to the lone child in the area until she leaves, otherwise you’ll have to kill her, and you’ll be labeled as a Child Killer). Use Sneak, then Lockpick the door in the back, and loot all the cool stuff there. Be sure to get the Robes.
To the southwest is the Water Merchants. They’ll offer to send water to your Vault, but it’s expensive and can lead the mutant armies to your home. They also run caravans if you’re interested.
Head back to Downtown, and go in the Casino. If your gambling skill is high, you can earn a ton of cash here, if you didn't already in Junktown. Talk to Kane next to the bar, and tell him you want to see Decker. The boss will ask you to kill the Hightowers. If you do, you lose Karma, and you get another assassination job from Decker. He’ll want you to kill Jain of the CoC (remember to talk to the child to get her to go away, otherwise you’ll be labeled as Child Killer). If you've already killed her, just talk to him again. The other option is to turn Decker in to the police, who are located on the west side of Downtown. The sheriff will ask for your help. If you agree, you’ll be teleported to Decker’s basement, and get to kill him and his gang. Afterwards, you’re teleported back to the police station for your reward. You can then return and loot all the bad guys’ stuff.
In the first area, labeled Hotel on your PipBoy, approach the groups of ghouls outside and they’ll attack you. Feel free to kill them for XP. There are two factions in Necropolis, so if you approach a ghoul who doesn’t attack you, don’t fight back. Also, avoid looting the shelves and whatnot inside the buildings. When you’re ready, go down one of the manholes. Kill the resident molerats and loot the corpses. Exit north.
Talk to the rebel ghoul leader. Ask about a Water Chip and agree to fix their water pump. Rest until 2000, then take the ladder in the south. Again, don’t kill the indoor ghouls or loot their stuff, but feel free to kill the outdoor mobs. Go north into the church and talk to their leader, Set. Agree to kill some mutants. Go back down the manhole you came up through, then follow the sewers north and exit. Go up the ladder.
Again, don’t kill the indoor ghouls or loot their stuff. Next to the mutant standing outside is a manhole. Go down, kill all the rats, and find the water pump parts in a far corner. They’re labeled "Junk." Go back up the ladder you came down, and enter the building to the north. A dumb mutant will talk to you. If you’re smart enough, you can bluff your way past him, but you do want to kill these mutants, so make him angry and he’ll try to kill you, so defend yourself and kill all the other mutants, as well. In the northeast corner of this building is some broken machinery. Use the "Junk" you picked up to repair it, then go free the ghoul in a cell to the south. He’ll tell you to go down a manhole in the cell to the right if you want the Water Chip.
Clear the caves, and you’ll find yourself in Vault 12. Kill and loot your way down to Level 3. Don’t kill anyone you don’t have to. The only computer that’s currently working is the one with the Water Chip. Take it. Return to the ghoul rebel leader and tell him you’ve fixed the water pump. Then visit Set to collect your reward for killing the mutants.
All you really need here is on the first level. Make your way around to the north side, and loot the Brotherhood Tape holodisk from a body up there. That’s all you need to get into the Brotherhood, but if you feel you have enough Rad-X and radiation resistance, feel free to delve into the lower levels. Otherwise, return to the Brotherhood now.
If you use any computer, it’ll tell you that power is offline, and the problem is on Level 6. To get down there, you need high Lockpicking and Traps skills, or you need colored keycards. The Yellow Pass Key is found on Level 1 in the northern area, near where you picked up the Brotherhood Tape holodisk. Use it on the elevator in the southwest corner, and go down. You can kill sleeping robots for the same XP as when they're alive later on. The Red Pass Key is in the northeast corner of Level 2. Use the Yellow Pass Key on this level again to get to Level 3. Don’t forget to loot everything.
Use the Red Pass Key in the northeast corner and go to Level 4. Search the body in the southwest corner for the Blue Pass Key. Use the console next to the large computer in the middle of this level to download all sorts of good info into your PipBoy. Take the elevator down to Level 6. Use your Repair Skill on the generator in the southeast room. Use the computer right next to it (or any other computer, for that matter) to restore power to the base. Note that all the defense robots are now active. If you don’t feel like destroying them on your way out, use the mainframe computer on Level 4 to deactivate them. Nothing else to do here after looting Level 5, so head back to the Brotherhood of Steel now.
Talk to Michael just outside the gym for some free weapons and ammo of your choice, just for joining the Brotherhood. (You can also choose Power Armor, but there’s a way to get another set on Level 3). Head down to Level 2. The doctor in the northern room can cure your radiation, and perform operations to boost most of your SPECIAL Stats. Keep in mind they’re expensive ($20,000 for all of them combined) and take a long time to recuperate (11 weeks/77 days). Also on this level is Jerry, your roommate. He likes to talk. Feel free to loot all of the lockers on this level.
Head down to Level 3. In the large room in the north is Vree, the head librarian. Ask her about how to use holodisks, and she’ll lead you to a computer where you’ll get a boost to your Science Skill. Also ask her about the autopsey results on the mutants, and she'll give you a disc with a copy of her notes. You might choose to use this at the end of the game. In the southwest room is Kyle, who is trying to repair some Power Armor. If you get a part for him, he’ll give it to you. There are two ways to do this. You can even do both and get two parts, but there's no reason to.
Level 4 is home to General Maxson and the Brotherhood Elders. Talk to the General in the middle room, and he’ll ask you to scout a Military Base up north. You can ask him for some weapons, too. Talk to his assistant, Mathia, standing right next to him, for the weapons. Go to the northeast room and talk to the one Elder who will reply. He’ll also ask you to scout the Military Base. On your way there, revisit Necropolis.
Some mutants have showed up to take revenge on what you did to their buddies. Kill them on every screen. There is one ghoul left alive at Set’s church. Talk to him, then loot all the bodies and shelves and whatnot. Once that’s taken care of, continue your journey to the Military Base. Just go northwest to get there.
All you have to do here is walk up towards the guard shack. Remember, all you’re doing right now is scouting. Save in a unique slot. Return and tell General Maxson what you saw. If that line of dialog isn’t available, reload from your unique Military Base slot, walk a little closer, then try again. The Elders will want you to destroy the base, and you can ask for their help if you want to blast your way in (they’ll send 3 Paladins to help clean up the outside, they won’t go in). If you want to Sneak in, don't ask for help. Next stop, LA Boneyard.
Exit north and go into the large building in the middle of the Downtown area. In the southeast room is Razor, the gang leader you’re supposed to kill for Jon. She’ll tell you she didn’t do it, that it was the Regulators. She needs some help doing so in the form of weapons from the Gun Runners two areas east. Agree to help her. Go east to the Warehouse. Kill the Deathclaws, then search the corpse to the east for the water pump parts, labeled "Junk." This is also a great place to gain tons of XP. If you leave this area, rest for an hour, then come back, the Deathclaws will have respawned. Repeat as many times as you like.
Return to Adytum and show the parts to Miles. Take them next to Smitty to have them fixed, then return the fixed up parts to Miles. He’ll thank you by telling you he can upgrade certain types of armor, if he had a certain book from Mrs. Stapleton in the Hub. Go to the Hub, buy the book from the lady, and return it to Miles. Ask him nicely, and Miles will "harden" your Power Armor for you.
When you’re done leveling up off Deathclaws, take the stairs down in the northeast corner of the building in the middle of the Warehouse area. You’ll find the Mother Deathclaw and a bunch of eggs in the southeast corner. Be sure to kill all the eggs, then head back up to the surface and east to the Fortress area.
Along the southern edge of the glowing green goo moat is a guard on a plank. Tell him you really need to see his leader, then head north into the building. Zach is the merchant, and will give you a discount if your Intelligence is high enough. Talk to the leader of the Gun Runners next. As a reward for getting rid of the Deathclaws, ask him to supply weapons to your friends the Blades.
Return to Razor and tell her you’ll help get rid of the Regulators. You’ll be teleported straight into a fight in Adytum with the Regulators. Be sure Miles and Smitty survive the fight. (No matter what you do, Jon Zimmerman will die. If you play the holodisk for him, he’ll be killed by the Regulators. If you kill all the Regulators, then show him the disk, he’ll attack you, and you’ll have to kill him). When the fight is over, Razor will thank you. Loot all the corpses. Go north and talk to the guy in front of the Blades hangout. MacRae will teach you some fighting skills.
Head west from here into the Library area. Loot some stuff in the back. Be sure to take the Robes if you don't already have a set. Talk to Nicole, the local Children of the Cathedral representative. Ask her if she can help you get into The Cathedral. She’ll tell you to talk to Laura when you get there. You can also get the female punk, Katya, to join your party. From here, both the Military Base and The Cathedral need to be destroyed in order to finish the game. I like to take the Military Base first. There’s just something about killing the evil mastermind bad guy last that seems appropriate.
Enjoy the ending! It’s especially cool that your actions (and even an optional trait) determine what happens here.
last modified 10 October 2017