Instead just head inside and face your first challenge. Equip your spear and attack all the creatures inside. Visit all the side rooms to pick up any loot. Also pick up the Scorpion Tails. The first door is unlocked. In the next hallway you'll get several messages saying "You see a raised plate." This means you see a trap. You can 1) disarm them all for 25 XP each, 2) run through them and take the damage, or 3) hug the right wall and avoid them altogether. You'll need to use your Lockpick Skill on the second door.
On the third screen is a seemingly impassible door. If you don't already have some Plastic Explosives, backtrack to the large pit and loot a pot on the northeast side. To arm explosives, Use them in your inventory to set the timer, position your character close to the door, drop the explosives from your inventory, then run away and wait for the boom. If the Radscorpions poison you, there is some Antidote in a chest in the northeast room.
In the next room is Cameron. There are three ways to get past him:
You and your fancy-dressed self will have just exited a cave on the north side of the village. Immediately south is a garden with some overgrown venus-fly-traps in it. Give them a wide berth and go in the tent to the south. Talk to the Elder to get some stuff and advice from her. Taking stuff from her tent will lower your Karma.
In the tent just to the north is Hakunin, and he has a weed problem (in both senses of the phrase). Taking stuff from his tent will also lower your Karma. Agree to help Hakunin, then go a few paces north and kill the plants that attack you. Pick up their spikes when you're done, and return to Hakunin for your reward. He can also cure any poison and heal you to full HP for free.
Now for some early skill-ups. Feargus is standing next to the well, and doesn't know how to fix it. You do, by using your Repair Skill. Lucas is by the big head and can increase your Unarmed skill, if it's not high already. To the northeast of the head, standing inside of a tent, is Jordan, who can increase your Melee Weapons skill. Cameron is now at the north end of the area and can increase both those skills further.
East of Hakunin's garden is Nagor, and his dog is missing. Agree to find Smoke, then exit the area to the west. Kill all the Geckos, gather all the Broc Flowers and Xander Roots you can find, and avoid the green goo. Smoke the dog is in the northwest corner. He'll start to follow you when you get close. When he does, return to Nagor, and Smoke will rejoin him. Talk to Nagor for your reward.
Exit the main village to the south. Next to the bridge is Mynoc. If your Speech is high enough, ask him if he has any advice for you, and he'll tell you about Kaga. This will start a series of random encounters for you. Be sure to do this first, as any other dialog choice will cause this option to disappear. If your PE is at least 6, you'll notice his spear is sharper than normal. He'll want some Flint to sharpen yours, and says your Aunt Marlis has some. Return to the previous screen, and you'll find your aunt in a tent to the southwest. If you take any of the stuff in her tent, your Karma will decrease. You can get the Flint four different ways:
Cross the bridge and exit to the World Map. Go to Klamath.
The building to the north of the bulletin board is Buckner House. Talk to Maida "Ma" Buckner about what's going on in town until she mentions someone is rustling brahmin. Go to the north part of the map and examine the brahmin.
Just outside Buckner House is Torr, who needs you to kill the Scorpions attacking his Brahmin. Have him take you there immediately. The Scorpions are to the southeast. Kill them, and talk to Torr for his thanks. Then go in the shack and loot the Radscorpion Limbs as evidence. Return to town, confront the Dunton Brothers by talking to them and getting them to confess, if your Speech is high enough. Lying to them and intimidating them actually gains you karma.
If your goal is to get 10 Cat's Paw Magazines eventually, you'll have to kill the Dunton Brothers. If you just start fighting them, the whole town will join in against you. To avoid this, lock the door before entering combat. Loot their corpses for one magazine, then loot their house for the other. Killing them increases your Karma.
Talk to Maida and Ardin Buckner for their rewards, some XP, and a Karma gain.
In the Bath House north of the Buckner House, you can gain the "gigolo" status. You can also take a bath, but all the other characters in the game will still comment on your tribal "scent." Talk to Jenny, who will tell you that Vic is in The Den.
Jon Sullivan in the Golden Gecko can raise your Unarmed skill and give you some XP for your time. Sajag the Barman is a shopkeeper. Exit northwest and you'll find a crashed vertibird with a crazed robot that attacks you. It's a tough fight, but you can kill it. Looting the corpse in this area yields a Yellow Reactor Keycard, which you may want to sell. Go back to downtown. If you have any kind of meat, talk to the dog running around the garden, and feed it for a key to Trapper Town.
Exit southwest to Trapper Town. Talk to the townsfolk, explore and loot the buildings. When you get to Slim Picket, ask him for the key if you didn't get it from the dog, and use it on the locked door next to him (or you can Lockpick it). Continue north, looting as you go. There are some Rubber Boots in the part of the building with the "Guns" sign on it. You may want these later. Exit down the manhole in the northernmost building. Kill all the rats here, then take the manhole in the eastern part of the cave. On this second screen, continue looting and killing, and exit to the northeast. Be careful to avoid the Rat God for now.
Exit to the third caves area. You'll come to a locked door. Save. If you can't Lockpick the door, try again until you jam it, then reload and try again. You can loot the shelf nearby and use the Dynamite on the door, but you might want to save it for later. Go up the ladder and on the next screen loot the car for your Fuel Cell Regulator. Return the way you came, and this time kill the Rat King.
You can kill the Keeng Rat outright, or you can be more sneaky. Place a Dynamite (if you didn't use it on the door) on the ground just southwest around the corner from him, and the cave will collapse on him, yielding more XP than personally killing him. Just be sure to explore the cave thoroughly and loot everything you want first, because some areas will become inaccessible. It can also work to engage in combat, set the timer, and run away, luring him into the blast zone. Go back through the caves into Trapper Town. When you stop back to tell Slim Picket you took care of the Rat problem, he just gives you some floating text. Head back to Downtown Klamath.
Talk to Ardin Buckner again. She'll ask you to find her hubby Smiley, and give you directions to the Toxic Caves. Talk to her daughter, barter with her, and ask about Sulik. Trade away your loot for better stuff, keep any Rubber Boots, (and the Radio, and the Cat's Paw Magazines) and exit to the World Map. Go to the Toxic Caves.
Before you put on the boots to protect yourself from the radioactive green goo, take several steps (and some HP loss) until you get the message "Your feet burn and itch for a while, but then they feel better." (there's also a shorter message that just mentions your feet. Wait for the longer one where they feel better.) The results of this are seen in one month, and again at the end of the game. There is some Rad-X and Rad-Away in the lockers, so if you get irradiated, you can use that. In a locker to the south are some more Rubber Boots if you feel you need more, or if you don't want to use up your anti-radiation meds this early in the game. Kill some Geckos and go down the ladder at the end. Go east, killing more Geckos, and meet up with Smiley. Head back to Klamath.
(You can't get in the locked electric door at this point in the game, so don't even try. Later, when you have Vic in your party and/or your Repair skill is high, come back and fix the generator. Take the elevator down, kill the robot, and loot the small area for some high-level weaponry.)
Smiley will now teach you how to skin Geckos. Talk to Mrs. Buckner for your monetary reward, and you can get Sulik for free.
Now talk to Whiskey Bob, who wants you to refill his still. Exit to the south. Kill the Geckos and loot their skin. In the southwest corner of this area is a shack. Inside the shack is some Firewood. Pick it up and use it on the still. Be sure all the Geckos are dead, then return to Whiskey Bob. Sell your Gecko skins for cash or other supplies. Next stop, The Den.
Tubby's store is southwest of the entrance. Flick the drug dealer hangs out in the southeast corner building, and has some other stuff to sell, too. Becky's Place is east of the entrance. Leanne by the bar will tell you a story if you buy her a drink, and you'll get some XP. You can gamble here and make more money than you'll need in the game. Buy a drink from Becky. If you're female, named "Buffy," and wearing any kind of leather armor, Becky will give you some cool stuff. Regardless, ask about a job, and she'll want you to get money from Fred. He's one of the generically labeled "Citizen of the Den." He's normally found down near or in Flick's place, but he wanders around quite a bit. I found him right there in Becky's once. You can pay his debt for him or squeeze it out of him. Return to Becky and she'll thank you with another quest, to get her book back from Derek. Go to the east part of town and talk to Derek, just south of Mom's, who tells you he lost the book. You'll find it in one of four random locations:
Just north of the graveyard is The Hole. Frankie is a pimp, if you go for that sort of thing, but he also has a quest for you. First buy a drink from him, and ask why his drinks cost more than Becky's. He'll want you to find out. Go to Becky's, and hang out for a couple of minutes until the guard walks off to talk to a croupier. Sneak and Lockpick the door and go downstairs. Examine the still, then return to Frankie. He'll offer $500 to destroy it, but you'll lose Karma. If you tell him to buy his drinks from Becky, you'll gain Karma.
In the southeast corner is Mom's restaurant. Ask Karl about Modoc, then buy him a drink. Stacey has a lot of info about the Den, and will tell you a sad story. You'll earn XP for asking. Ask Mom about vaults and she'll put Vault City on your map. Agree to deliver a meal to Smitty, who's in the junkyard west of Lara's gang's building. Smitty will sell you the car later when you have the part for it (start collecting Small Energy Cells). Return to Mom for your reward.
Southwest of Flick's place is The Great Ananias, who claims to have a real-life mummy. Pay to see it or don't, but be sure to find out about the ghost that haunts the ruined part of the building to the west. Rest until midnight, and talk to Anna's Ghost. Through her mumbling, you'll get a hint that she wants her necklace back. If that isn't enough, pick up Anna's Diary from the bookshelf with the shovels in it. Read it (meaning Use it) for some XP. Head to Mom's for clues, and she'll point you to Joey. Joey is located on the west side, just north of Flick's, near the area exit grid. You can pay him, threaten him, or kill him to get the Necklace from him. Return it to Anna's Ghost, and she'll crumble into bones. Grab a Shovel from a locker next to Smitty, then go to the graveyard and examine the gravestones. There are two Annas. Make sure you choose the right one, then use the Shovel on it. Place Anna's Bones in, then use the Shovel to cover it up for some XP. You can dig up all the graves and loot them, but then you'll be labeled as "Grave Digger."
In the small building on the south edge of the Residential area, talk to Bobby and tell him you feel sorry for him. After the conversation, talk to Mom, and she'll tell you about a big building that could make a good orphanage, but it's currently occupied. You can kill the squatters, convince them to leave peacefully, or get them to help out with the new orphanage program. The last option requires a high Speech, but rewards the most XP. Mom will thank you, and the thieving children will no longer take your stuff. Stop by to see how Bobby is doing for some more XP.
Time to get Vic. Talk to Metzger to get permission to see Vic. Tell the guard to let you pass, then talk to Vic. Ask him about Vault City for some XP, then give him his Radio. Generic Radios won't work. Talk to Metzger and ask about the transmissions, and why Vic is there. If your Speech is high enough, ask if you can get dibs on seeing the slaves first as they come in, and he'll tell you the location of the slave camp. Pay Metzger and get Vic in your party (you can get a discount if you're female, but you'll have your money back in a minute anyway). Make sure Vic is well armed. Now you can kill Metzger. When he and his fellow slavers are all dead, tell the slaves to the north that they're free for some XP. If you didn't get the location of the slave camp from Metzger, ask the first slave you come to about it. Tell Becky that Metzger "put up a good fight" and she'll give you $1,000, or you can refuse, and gain some Karma. Next stop is the Slaver Camp.
If you didn't kill Metzger, walk up towards the closest guard, and tell him Metzger told you to talk to the guy in charge. Go through the door and Don will give you the Key Ring. Use them to unlock the gate in the small building to the northeast.
You will be teleported to the Umbara Tribe, where Sulik's sister will say her thanks.
Speak to Krom, the Head Warrior in the eastern tent, and he'll ask you help him negotiate with a merchant. When you agree to do so, you'll be teleported to a conversation with the merchant. Your choices are to attack him, hand over 20 Golden Gecko Pelts (which Krom has), or leave. You'll gain XP and Karma no matter what. When you get back, ask Krom if there's anything else you can help with, and he'll refer you to Marli.
Marli, next to the well, needs a Rope to fix it. Attach the Rope, then pick up the nearby Bucket, and attach it to the well, then talk to Marli again for your reward.
Exit to the Woodland area to the south. Pick up three of the Firewood off the ground here. Examine the body to the northwest. Loot the skeleton in the southwest. Kill all the critters, then exit back to the north.
Talk to the Shaman in the west tent to find out he's being haunted. Rest until midnight, and talk to the ghost that appears. Return to the Shaman, and agree to watch over him while he performs a ritual to guide her into the next realm. Talk to him again for your reward.
Exit west, and the Fisherwoman outside the tent needs three bundles of Firewood, which you should have already picked up from the Woodland map.
You can now talk to Sulik again and have him rejoin your party, if you like. Talk to Krom again, and he'll ask you to go into the cave on the map to the south to find his lost warriors. You'll find a golden gecko attacking the surviving warrior, and you'll have a choice whether or not to rescue him. Do so, and you'll endter combat with the gecko. After you kill it, skin it. You can also loot two Spears on the ground nearby, as well as the warrior who's been totally curshed by rocks. Talk to the warrior, and you'll be teleported back to the Shaman.
Talk to the Shaman to pick up the next quest. If you already have the 5 Xander Roots and 2 Broc Flowers, hand them in. If not, there are a few in the forest map where you got the Firewood, or you could go all the way back to Arroyo and harvest them on the map west of town.
Next stop, Modoc. The world map exit is on the south side of the Woodland map.
Between Grisham's place and the slaughter house is Bess the Brahmin. Use your Doctor skill on her to fix her broken leg and gain some XP. She'll follow you all around town any time you're in Modoc. You can sell her to Grisham for a Karma loss, then go to the slaughterhouse to free her for a larger Karma gain. Wait until she's out of the pen and gone before you leave the map. Exit north.
Grisham has two kids: Davin and Miria. You can get one or the other to join your party; just talk to the one who is of the opposite sex as your character. See the Party Members page for more details.
Farrel is in the house in the southeast, and has a problem with rodents in his garden. Save before you accept his quest, and you'll be teleported to his farm. These are not your ordinary rats. They're tough and it's hard to find them all. Be sure to pick up the Rope if you don't already have one. When they're all dead, return to Farrel for some XP.
North of Farrel is Rose's Bed and Breakfast. Order Brahmin Fries until you break the record and get slightly poisoned. Eat a Wasteland Omelette to cure the poison and return to full HP.
Talk to some of the residents in the area and you'll hear about a giant chicken. It's actually a Deathclaw in the barricaded and bouldered coop, west of the B&B. If you have a high enough STR, you can move the boulders aside and take a look. You'll have to kill the guard dogs as well. And all the citizens join in, too, making all the rest of this section moot. So don't do it.
In the back office of the B&B is Cornelius, who has lost his watch. He accuses Farrel of stealing it, and Farrel rightly denies it. On a hunch (and maybe a hint from Cornelius) go to the outhouse east of the B&B. Open the doors just north of the toilet holes, then click on the hole to go down. Drop some Dynamite as close to the rubble as possible, and climb out. Aside from redecorating half of Modoc, you opened up a cave in the septic system. (Note that your character may have taken some damage. If you can no longer run, you may have a broken limb. Use your Doctor Skill to heal it, or find a good doctor. If you married earlier, your spouse may have died in the explosion, as well.) Go down the ladder, and fight a rat to the north. Loot the nest for Cornelius' Gold Watch, which you can give to either Cornelius or Farrel for XP.
Back in the south part of town is Balthas the tanner. His son Jonny is missing, and his dog Laddie will follow you around until you find him. Go to the well outside and remove the boards, then attach a Rope and climb down. Inside you'll find Jonny's BB Gun (hold SHIFT if you're having trouble seeing it), and a bunch of coins. You can take the coins, but you'll lose 1 Karma for each. The gun is pretty decent if you can find ammo for it, and you can sell it for some good cash. You can also return it to Balthas, but that will make him think his son is dead (you'll find him in a bit).
Southwest of the well is Jo, the town's mayor, sheriff, and shopkeeper. Ask him about a G.E.C.K. and he'll ask you to investigate the Ghost Farm to the north. Exit to the World Map and go there.
Inspect the bodies to discover that they're fake. Follow the path north to the shed, and Walk (hold SHIFT then click to move) over the tarps to loot the stuff on the other side, then run back across the tarps to fall down a hole into the Slag Pit. The guards will take you to Vegeir. The other option is to wait until midnight, when a patrol will accost you. Surrender and the guards will take you to Vegeir. The leader of the Slags wants you to take a message back to Jo. Agree to do so, then look around and feel free to loot everything you can. Exit to the northwest to find some kids. If Laddie is with you he'll run right up to Jonny. Talk to the boy and tell him you'll get him back to his family.
Go up the ladder behind Vegeir, return to Modoc and deliver the letter to Jo. After he reads it, tell him that his missing buddy Karl is in the Den, and the bodies were fake. Jo then agrees to Vegeir's deal and asks you to return to Vegeir to finalize it. You can now use the manhole in the middle of the field you came up before to get down. Tell Vegeir the good news, then ask him to return Jonny. You'll be teleported back to Modoc, just in front of the tanning shop. Talk to Balthas for your reward.
Leave and go to Vault City.
The greeting office is useless. Loot it and be done with it. (But you'll have to Sneak to avoid getting caught.)
Just north of the gated prison is Ed's shack. Ed will tell you about Vault 13 if you show him your flask, and will put The Den, Modoc, Broken Hills, Redding, and New Reno on your map, and give you some XP for asking.
Charlie is puking in a tent across the way from Ed's. Use your Doctor Skill on him to determine he's radiated, then use some Rad-Away to cure him. He'll stand up and you'll get some XP.
West of there, between the bar and the greeting office is Curtis, who's lost his Mr. Nixon Doll. It's just on the other side of the bar. Get close to the wall so you can see it (looks like a plain box on the ground), then pick it up and return it to its owner. Curtis will then tell you, via a floating text conversation with his doll, about a Wrench behind the bar under some rocks. Go pick that up, (loot the "inconspicuous pile of rocks") and hold onto it for awhile.
The Bar's owner is Cassidy, and you can get him to join you just by talking to him.
North of the bar is the Smith's, who need a plow. Just north of Ed's is Harry's Gun Shop. Buy the plow for the Smith's, then return to them for a reward.
South of the bar is Amanda. Agree to try and get her husband back for her. (more later)
Across from Harry's is the Doctor, who can heal you for an insane amount of money. Talk to him to find out the Autodoc is malfunctioning, then use your Repair Skill to fix it for some XP. If it's been a month since your toes itched in the Toxic Caves, you should have the extra ones removed here, and keep the Mutated Toe until the end of the game.
Exit north to the main gate. There are several ways to get in:
The Pharmacy and the General Store are the two small buildings just north of The Tap House. The longer building adjacent to them to the east is The Maintenance Center, home to Vic's daughter, Val. The two will have a long conversation, after which you can talk to and barter with Val. This is a good place to leave Vic if you plan on ditching him anyway. She'll also ask you to bring her a Tool and a Wrench. You should already have one of each, so give them to her.
East of Val's is the Amenities Office. Randal has some good stuff to barter for, but only if you're a Citizen. He can tell you that there are no GECKs in Vault City, but you can look up locations of other Vaults on their Vault's central computer. Of course, you have to be a Citizen to get in there.
Go to the Information Center in the northwest corner and lament the death of books with Chief Librarian Kohl in there. You'll be rewarded with a Dean's Electronics and a Big Book of Science.
In the intersection north of Val's is Thomas Moore. He wants you to deliver a briefcase to Bishop in New Reno. Hold onto it for now. Northwest of him is the Servant Allocation Center. You can sell your party members to Barkus. Talk to him to secure the release of Amanda's husband, Joshua, in one of these ways:
The large building to the north is the government building. Councilman McClure will come in handy later, but you can talk to him now if you feel like it. First Citizen Lynette will give you the quest to take care of the Gecko powerplant problem. Be careful talking to her, as she has a habit of banning you from her city. Mention that you're descended from a vault dweller, and that you'd like to check their computer archives. Lynette will offer you two options: the citizenship test, or a quest. Gregory can give you the insanely difficult Citizenship Test. In order to pass, you need 9s in PE, IN, and LK. (I recommend against taking the test right now, as you can't get some of the Gecko quests if you're a citizen.) So take the quest and move on.
Head to the Correction Center, northeast of Mr. Moore. Stark will give you a couple of quests. You'll have to agree to find the Raiders, or he'll open fire on you. What a jerk. His first quest is to scout the eight sectors around Gecko, then return. So, head there, but instead of going in right away, visit each of the squares around the green circle, then enter the settlement proper.
Northeast of the entrance is The Harp bar. Wooz, the proprietor, will tell you about a game of cards called "Tragic, the Garnering," and will give you a deck of cards. Each game you play will win or lose you one deck. Kind of useless, and there's a chance you can become addicted to it. West of the Harp is the Manager's Office. Lenny (the pale ghoul) will join your party if you tell him about your ancestor. (See the Party Members page for more information.) Harold is the same Harold from the first game, and can still tell a great yarn. You'll also want to ask him about the reactor, and he'll tell you it needs a part. Take a Requisition Form from his shelves. Exit northwest.
Immediately west of the exit/entrance grid is Percy Crump, a general goods merchant. He's also looking for his friend Woody. Northeast of there is Skeeter, who has the part you need to get your car, but wants a Super Tool Kit in exchange. In a small shack just north of Skeeter is Lumpy, who will put Broken Hills on your map if you ask him about how he got his name. He'll also tell you about the voices he hears at night coming from the reactor pit behind him. In the east corner of the Junkyard is Gordon, who wants you to take a disk to someone who will listen in Vault City (return there now).
That person is Councilman McClure. Tell him you need the whatchamacallit part for the reactor, and he'll send word to Randall to go pick it up. Then give him the holodisk. Randall will be happy to oblige. On your way out, stop by Val's. If at least one day has passed since you were there last, due to bureaucratic ineptitude she'll give you an extra Super Tool Kit. Also tell her to give Vic a chance and you'll get some XP. Tell Stark of your explorations, and he'll ask you next to scout out NCR.
For now, return to Gecko, and enter the Power Plant. First try the west part of the plant. There are two small rooms in the middle of the map, and each one has a container with a colored key card in it. Loot those, then use them to get through the doors on the east side.
Before you do anything with the reactor, you can trigger an attack by the Enclave. Get on the computer just outside the reactor room, and choose the following: 1) "Action:" 2) "Some kind of network..." 3) "Access Codes, X, Y, Z" 4) "List other Stations" 5) "[more]" 6) "Everything is shut down except for the ENCLAVE..." Dialogue ensues. You can say anything you want to the guy, even talk him out of attacking if your Speech is high enough. If he does decide to attack, the encounter will happen some time after you leave Gecko.
Moving on, there are three ways to install the hydromechowhatever and repair the plant:
Next he wants a Fuel Cell Controller. You'll need a Requisition Form, which you can get from the shelves behind Harold, or you can Steal one from Festus. When you have one, talk to Jeremy in the reactor building's supply room. Return the part to Skeeter, and he'll upgrade one weapon for free, if you have an upgradeable weapon.
Return to Vault City.
Tell Councilman McClure you fixed the powerplant, and he'll make you a Citizen. You can now enter the Vault. If your Doctor Skill is at least 75%, there's some cool stuff you can do with Dr. Troy. If you have any Jet, you can give him some and he'll start working on a cure (takes 3 months). You can get +5% to Doctor and First Aid. After you've gotten the Vault City Training, you can get +10% Radiation and Poison Resistance. Dr. Troy will also heal you for free. There are some fun things you can do with Phyllis. With high speech, CH, and PE, you can convince her to see the outside world more, date her, tell her about sterility, and donate sperm if your character is male, all for XP. Also, if you ask about a magazine, she'll give you a Cat's Paw Magazine.
Also on this level, you can use the "Vault City Medical Terminal" to find out about implants, which the autodoc out in the courtyard clinic can perform on you. Search the database 52 more times for a couple more messages.
Down on Level 2, Lockpick all the doors you can, use a ST of 8 to pry open the others, and loot to your heart's content. Notice an insane number of Water Chips. Ironically, they're not worth much, so don't bother. Be sure to get the Red Memory Module, and the Computer Voice Module. Fix the rattling vent for some XP and some Micro Fusion Cells.
Loot everything you can on Level 3 as well. Use the computer in the southwest for some XP. The talking computer in the northeast will give you some XP, and you can get your PipBoy optimized by inserting it. This is also the computer you'll want to use if you want to optimize the power plant, and McClure didn't optimize the disk for you. If you want to get the bad ending for Gecko, return the optimized disk to Festus. There's also a computer in the southwest library area that will give you some xp if you use your Science skill on it.
Head back to The Den. Go to the east side and tell Karl in Mom's that it's safe to go home to Modoc. In the west side, pay to see the mummy again, and tell the ghoul Woody that Percy in Gecko is looking for him. You can return to Percy for a reward, but it's a long way to go for not much reward. Now visit Smitty, give him the two parts for the car, and pay your $2000. To load it up with fuel, use some Small Energy Cells on the hood. Use the trunk for extra storage. If you ever run out of fuel in the middle of the desert, your car will stay in its own little green circle until you return with more fuel.
Next stop, Broken Hills.
Across the street to the south are Bill the Outfitter and Chad the Caravan Master. Caravans from here have no return trip, so don't take one unless you intend to leave your car here. Ask Bill about shoveling Brahmin manure, and do it 5 times for the Expert Excrement Expeditor Perk which gives you +5% to Speech and some XP.
In the jail east of Liz's, talk to Manson through the bars and convince him to be a bit more open-minded.
Southeast of the caravan building is Doc Holiday. Get him to tell you his story and he'll heal you for free. Southeast of the good doctor are Jacob and Aileen. Talk to Jacob, but don't tell him you like mutants. He'll ask that you break his friends out of jail. Take the job, but instead tell Marcus (the big mutant in leather with the big gun) about the whole thing and turn them in. Loot everything you can in this part of town. This should include the Rubber Doll in the building Marcus is standing in front of, and a Cat's Paw Magazine in the pot on the south side of the hotel.
Exit to the east part of town. Eric is in the first house on the south side of town, and needs more power to run his air conditioning to get rid of the flies pestering him. Return to the power station north of the entrance to town. You can convince Brian to do it with a high Speech, or use the computer with a high Science Skill. Return to Eric for your reward. You can ask for Buffout, or take no reward and gain Karma.
In the large house in the middle of the north side of the street is Typhon. Give him a Cat's Paw Magazine, then wait an hour. Then give him a Rubber Doll and wait three hours. Give him a Rot Gut (the barkeep sells them), and he'll give you a clue about some treasure and some XP. Go to the town well in the western part of town and manipulate it to find out you won't fit. Micky nearby will, and he'll get the treasure for you. Return to Typhon to tell him you feel wronged. Let him off the hook for a small Karma gain. You can barter with him to get your Cat's Paw Magazine back.
In a large building in the east is a Mad Professor. You can take competitive tests against his intelligent Radscorpion for some XP. Save before each, as there is a random element. For now, it's impossible to actually beat it on the IN test, but try anyway. In the north part of the map is a garden, and a talking plant will want a transplant to a new garden, in exchange for a tip on how to beat the scorpion at chess. Bring a Shovel to him and plant him in the garden in front of the Old Ghouls' Home just south of there. Return and retake the IN test to defeat the scorpion. It will attack you afterwards, and you'll have to kill it. You can end combat to avoid killing the Professor, as well. Loot the scorpion for some Spectacles, which you should keep.
Talk to Marcus and he'll mention that Chad might be skimming money from caravan runs. Talk to Max, who's the only one not wearing leather. Max tells you how to open Chad's door. Go to the house on the far east side of the Residential side of town, and loot the briefcase from the desk. There are now two ways to complete the quest:
Exit to Downtown. In the bar south of Marcus, challenge Francis to arm wrestling. You'll need really high ST and EN to beat him for the reward, otherwise you get the Ball Gag in your inventory. There's also a random element, so save beforehand. Confront Francis about the bodies, and either kill him and the entire town, or let him go for some XP. Tell Marcus that you found the bodies.
Back on the East Side, talk to Zaius, the mine foreman, and agree to get the parts for free. Enter the mine. Just east of the entrance is some rubble, but you'll notice you can get past it if you place your movement cursor on the other side. Talk to the guy there for some XP. Loot the locker for some Uranium Ore. In the large refinery building south of Doc Holiday's is a white ghoul Supervisor. Give him the ore and $1000. (You'll be back in a day).
Travel to New Reno. Notice your car is parked in the corral just west of where your character is on the map. More later. The only thing you're doing for now is getting the parts from Renesco. To get there, exit north from the entrance, then exit west on the next map. On the third, just north, is Renesco. Tell him the password Zaius gave you to get the parts.
When you get back to Virgin Street, you'll notice your car is gone. Talk to Cody, the child in front on the Cat's Paw. If Lenny is in your party, Cody will run away, so have Lenny wait for you, then talk to Cody. Choose only the dialog option about your car having been stolen, and he'll implicate Jules. Confront Jules and threaten him with violence if anything happens to Cody. Then ask him to take you to your car. There are several ways to get your car back:
Return to the white ghoul, and he'll be done with the ore. Choose the option to let him keep the ore for some XP and Karma. Despite the dialog, no one else really wants the ore.
Now that you're done with this area, you can now ask Marcus to join your party. Next stop, New Reno.
There are four Families vying for control of the city. My recommendation is to choose the Wrights, as they're the only way you're going to get into the Sierra Army Depot. It's not possible to become a Made Man of all four families. When you become made of one, the other three will shoot you on sight. Even with a Sneak Skill at 300%, I wasn't able to get to the other bosses after being Made with one. They recognize you as being someone else's Made Man, and will shoot you rather than talk to you. That being said, this walkthrough will take you through assassinating Bishop, Mordino, and Salvatore. Along the way you'll hit up The Stables and Golgotha, described in the next two sections.
First, some side-quests. The dealers in the casinos all carry loaded dice, so I'd recommend against gambling with them, unless you have a really high Gambling Skill. The slot machines are ok, though. Three-Card Monte can be found near the sign to the north. If you're having trouble with some of the quests, you can buy information from him. Or, seeing as how he enjoys cheating at cards, you can Steal and put your own Marked Cards in their place. There's a shelf up on the second floor of the Desperado you can loot for the Marked Cards. Once you win enough from him and he owes you money, you can get the info for free. Unfortunately, as soon as you exit dialog, you'll go into combat and be forced to kill Three-Card-Monte and his sidekick. The good news is you gain Karma for doing so.
Talk to and pay Jules, the town greeter and a drug dealer, for information on everyone in town, and a discount at the Cat's Paw. Speaking of which, you can pay the ladies there for "services," which will temporarily boost a stat, depending on what you do. The first time you choose the "just talk" option, you also get a permanent +3% to speech. Miss Kitty wants your ten Cat's Paw Magaines for XP. Instead of asking for more cash, mention that issue #5 is sticky. She'll give you a replacement, which when used will raise your Energy Weapons Skill by 10%.
Exit north. Jagged Jimmy J will give you free Jet if you talk to him nicely. He can also put the Stables on your map.
Exit east. Be sure to save before talking to Mrs. Wright (she won't even talk to you if you're a Porn Star). Ask her about her temperance union, then go two screens west and talk to Father Tully in the building to the south with the hearts on it. You'll need several bottles of alcohol before talking to the good priest. If Father Tully is passed out drunk in the back, rest for an hour at a time and he'll eventually wake up. Ask him about all the Families. Ask him about the Abbey and have him put it on your map. Then ask him about Orville Wright to find out about his alcohol distribution. Behind the Chapel is a garden with some Broc Flowers and Xander Roots. If you steal or donate to the Poor Box, it will affect your Karma, but only once.
Return to Mrs. Wright, save, then tell her that the Wright's alcohol is ruining the city. Agree to meet her at Father Tully's the next day. Do so by heading west one map, resting until morning, then heading west one more map to Commercial Row. Mrs. Wright will take her time walking up from the south, so be patient. Meet her in front of the church. Offer to destroy the stills for her. Return to the Wright's map, and go down the stairs in the northern building. Use Science or Repair or a Crowbar, Tool or Wrench on one of the stills. You'll get 500xp. Be sure to loot the place, then return to Mrs. Wright for your reward.
Leave and head east two screens to the Wright's place. In the northern building, talk to Chris Wright for an introduction to his brother, Keith Wright. Keith will introduce you to his father, Orville, who will give you the quest to find out what happened to his son, Richard. Keith will name some suspects. Ask him which room was Richard's. Search the bookcase for an Empty Jet Container. Take it to Jagged Jimmy J and have him tell you it was poisoned. He'll also mention Renesco.
Go one screen west. Feel free to buy stuff from Renesco. Ask him about Redding's Jet problem. If you piss him off with one of the more sarcastic remarks, just exit dialog and try again. If you have the Spectacles from Broken Hills, give them to him and choose anything other than asking for a discount. Ask how his glasses are 20 more times. He'll get so annoyed he'll finally give you the Pip Boy Medical Enhancer. Consume this to get a permanent +10% Doctor Skill.
Ask Renesco about the poisoned Jet container, and he'll tell you the Salvatores were behind it. He'll also put Golgotha on your map, where you can dig up Richard's grave and examine the body, though that's wholly unnecessary and will just piss of Orville. So just tell Orville about the Salvatore's involvement and take the next quest, to visit the Sierra Army Depot. You'll do this later.
If you really want to assassinate Mr. Wright, give any loaded pistol to any of the children running around the area, and tell the child to walk up to their dad, wave the gun, and pull the trigger. Leave the map and come back. You'll see a pool of blood where Orville used to be. But you don't really want to do that (see Endings for why).
In the middle of 2nd Street is the Golden Globes Porn Studio. You can audition here, and if you pass, you can make a movie every month for $500. You can then loot the place, and this also makes you popular in town, what with the Porn Star Reputation.
Across the street to the east is The Jungle Gym. Talk to Stewart Little to set up boxing matches. If your Speech and Barter are both high, you can ask for 75% of the winnings. Winning each match nets you XP and cash. Winning all four matches gets you +5% to your Unarmed Skill, the Prizefighter Reputation, and permanent bonuses to certain Damage Resistances and Damage Thresholds. Be careful not to Kick, as that will disqualify you. Also, ask Stewart for time to rest up between matches so you can heal and save. If you manage to lose, Stewart will only give you one more chance total. The last fight is really tough, even with all the unarmed Perks and a maxed-out Unarmed Skill.
The Shark Club to the north is home to the Bishop Family. Leave your party members outside. Be sure to "listen" to the comedian's routines, as he is actually funny. Male characters can earn money and XP for doing some standup yourself. Female characters can become dancers if you're a Porn Star. Loot the pool table on the 2nd Floor for the Magic 8 Ball. This thing is funny and will give you some clues for secrets in the game. Talk to the guards at the stairs and mention you have Moore's Briefcase. They'll let you pass. Give Moore's Briefcase to Mr. Bishop, and he'll give you more quests if you want them. Refusing can piss him off, and you'll want the XP later.
Any gender character can sleep with Mrs. Bishop. Male characters can impregnate her or her daughter if there's no condom in your inventory. Sleep with the daughter, Angela, first. Save, then Sneak past Mr. Bishop to avoid entering combat with him.
When you first meet Mrs. Bishop, ask about Vault 13 and the G.E.C.K.. After sex, talk with her to find out the combination to her safe and Mr. Bishop's safe. Then ask her if she loves her husband. Continue by asking about her "other pursuits," and whether she wants you to kill him. With a high Traps Skill, you can suggest an accident, and she'll mention the trap on his safe. Use your high Repair Skill on his safe to change the combination. Go downstairs and wait 10 min (use your PipBoy). You'll hear a boom from upstairs which should kill Mr. Bishop. Go back upstairs and loot Mr. Bishop's safe for a map to the Raiders if you haven't been there yet, and a Holodisk that you should take back to Lynette in Vault City later.
The other way to get there is to do quests for the Mordinos. The Desperado on Virgin Street their home. Little Jesus Mordino is by the bar. Being a Prizefighter helps to put you on his good side. He can introduce you to Big Jesus, and he can teach you +5% to Melee weapons if you talk to him with any kind of knife in your hand for $200 (10% and free if you're female and have sex with him).
Head up to the second floor of the Desperado in New Reno. Big Jesus will buy your party members into slavery if you like. He's also the boss of the Mordinos, and will give you jobs. The first thing you must do for Big Jesus is deliver a package to the Stables. You will be teleported there. Don't open the package. Just deliver it to the guy in the southern building in the armor. When he talks to you, choose the shortest response, and don't piss him off.
Despite what everyone in town says, the Stables are not well guarded at all. In the cattle pen in the middle is a Brahmin with some intestinal blockage. Fix it with your Doctor Skill for some XP. In the back of each building is a manhole leading downstairs. Go down, and convince the guards to let you in, or kill them, or stand near them and let one of your party members open the door and you can just waltz in.
Talk to Myron, ask him how he made Jet, and about a cure for Jet poisoning. Get him to join your party. On the shelf in the room south of Myron is a Cat's Paw Magazine. Loot everything else down here. Leave the Stables and return for the next mission, saying nothing out of turn to Boss Mordino.
The second mission involves collecting tribute from the Corsican Brothers Porn Studio. This is very simple if you're a Prizefighter, and somewhat simple otherwise if you're not. If you have a high EN and CH, go for the acting job if you haven't already. Return to Mordino for the final mission. Big Jesus wants Boss Salvatore dead. Accept the mission, but do not do this yet. The way to assassinate Big Jesus is to use a Jet, Psycho, Buffout or Nuka-Cola on him. You see, his health is not so great, and any one of those will kill him, without putting you in combat with his guards.
Boss Salvatore, a dying old man who requires oxygen tanks to live, is more thuggish than most, requiring collection of tribute and retribution, mostly. Enter Salvatore's Bar on 2nd Street, go upstairs, and talk to Mason to get into his room. Oddly, you have to be mean, but not too mean, to convince him.
In his first mission, Salvatore will tell you of a gambler that caused him an insult by winning too much. Talk to Mason for the details, and ask about the dealer downstairs. Go downstairs, and talk to the female dealer in the back room. Offer her $500 to tell you where Lloyd is. Head to the basement of the Desperado. The south corner of the southernmost room holds the Poison Tank, which you will need for later. Lloyd is hiding in a room to the north. Force him to do all the work, then, when you're in Golgotha and he's down in the fallout shelter, drop the landmine down on him for the least loss in Karma. When that's done, walk on the uncovered grave to go underground. Loot what's left of his corpse and take the money from the footlocker.
All the graves contain loot, but there are only two graves here that you can dig and not end up with the "Grave Digger" Reputation. You'll need a Shovel. The first is the northwest grave of the southwest section, marked as "Here lies the dumbest son of a bitch ever to set foot in New Reno." The grave also talks, if that isn't enough of a hint for you. A ghoul gets out and wanders off muttering. If Lenny is in your party, the two may have a conversation. The other grave requires you to have received the hint from the Magic 8 Ball. In the east section, there's a solitary cross marked "Trash." Manipulate it to get some money.
Now return to Salvatore. Talk to Mason for permission to enter. Tell Salvatore the full amount or else you're going to be hurt. He'll give you $500 of the returned amount. After he gives you the second mission, loot the Laser Pistol from the footlocker in Salvatore's room. Talk to Mason on your way out for the details.
The second mission requires that you get tribute from Renesco in the commercial row. He will always complain that he doesn't have the cash, and demand some form of identification. Show him a Laser Pistol if you stole one from Salvatore's room for the necessary identification. You will end up making a deal with the man to pay his dues in exchange for anything you want from his stock for practically free.
To the southwest, Eldridge at New Reno Arms is a gun dealer. He wants a Laser Pistol. Give him the one you just stole. He'll only be at his counter during daytime. If you approach him at night while he's in his back office, he and his dogs will attack you. If you try to run past his cage, he'll attack you. Instead, go around through his back door during the day. The stairs in the back northeast corner, behind a bookcase, lead down to some loot. Algernon will do any weapon upgrade for free.
Return to Salvatore with the money and get the final mission. This entails acting as a guard for a secret transaction in the desert, the same one that you can spy on if you chat with the Wright Children. This involves just going to the location and staying perfectly still until you're told that you can go. If you wander around the map, you're sure to be shot by the Enclave, so just leave due south as quickly as you can. When the transaction is complete, you'll be ready to be Made.
Time to assassinate Mr. Salvatore. You can kill him outright, but then you'll have to deal with his guards and everyone downstairs. Instead, Steal his Oxygen Tank, or replace it with the Poison Tank, then leave before he suffocates.
You are now done with the New Reno quests. Time to move on.
When you first arrive, go through the gates and you'll enter combat with a large number of Spore Plants. Be sure to kill every last one of them, even the ones in the building to the northeast. In the small building to the east, loot the Metal Pole. In the garage to the north of that, Pick up some Drugs, and some Junk. The big building in the middle has a computer which describes all the levels here. There are two elevators here. The left one is out of service. Attach a Rope to the open shaft on the right, and climb down. If you don't have one on you, there's one on this map somewhere.
This Air, Water, and Power Facility Level (hereafter referred to the Utility Level) is crawling with critters. Kill them all. Loot what you like. Jam the Metal Pole in the middle fan on the north side, then go through to the Robot Maintenance level.
The rest of the facility is layed out thusly: There are four levels: Robot Maintenance (the one you're on), and Sub Levels One, Two, and Three. There are three elevators: West, Center, and East. The center one won't work no matter what you do, and the other two access the respective wings of those levels. We'll label them W1, W2, W3 (accessed by the west elevator), and E1, E2, E3 (accessed by the east elevator).
Head down to W1. There's a room in the middle with two computers and three tape machines. Use the west computer and run a diagnostic to figure out what's wrong with it, then Repair it. Go in the meeting room to the west and talk to the southeast hologram. He wants you to kill all the Spore Plants at the entrance to the base. Tell him you already did, and he'll give you a Keys to the two large storage buildings on the surface (just in case you didn't already Lockpick them).The hologram in the Power Armor wants you to fix a computer for him.
Go down to W2, and use the computer making the "beep" and "boop" noises in the southwest corner. Run the diagnostic to solve the problem, then use Repair on it to fix it. Talk to the Director of Science hologram, and figure out that his binary means there's a problem with the tape machine just to the north. Use your Repair Skill on the machine to fix it, then talk to the Science Director again. He'll want you to pick up the Solar Scorcher from a nearby locker, then test it. There's still a lot to do here, so hold that thought.
Go down one level to W3 and try to open one of the locked doors. It'll present you with a list of false passwords. In the cafeteria to the west is a toaster on a counter. Talk to it (yes, I said talk) to find out it's got a wire loose. Repair it for some XP. Talk to it again, and it'll tell you how to get money out of the various slot machines in the game.
Return to W1, and the hologram in Power Armor will give you the Security Room Key Card that will open all the doors in E1. The one female hologram can give you the password to some of the locked doors, but needs the lights turned on first. Go back up two levels, to the Utility Level, and use your Repair Skill on the generator that's making noise. You'll get a message suggesting you find some Junk to use on the thing. You should have looted some already from the sheds upstairs, but if not, go get some and come back. With the generator repaired, return to W1, and get the password, "ABRE," from the Tourguide Hologram.
Go back down to W3, and open the door just south of the elevator. Use the southernmost computer in this room to learn all sorts of cool stuff. Asside from some game lore, you can find a cure for epilepsy. If you ever have reason to go back to New Reno, you can thank the Barking Man on Virgin Street by curing him. Keep searching a few more times to gain XP for learning the true reason for fluoridation.
Go to E1, and loot stuff. Some doors require the password you already know, and others take the Security Room Key Card. There's even a Bottle of Shampoo in the shower room. The locker room to the south has some Big Guns, and the locker room to the northwest has some Combat Armor and Laser Pistols. The two computer consoles in the northeast room describe the same ad for vaults. You now know there are 122 Vaults, at least when that commercial was made. Unlock the door that leads to the hologram to the south. Talk to him to find out his voice computer is busted. Use Repair on the flashing red column to fix it, then speak to the hologram again, who gives you the password "FLOWERPOT" to open a door on E2. He can also identify the Drugs you picked up as cannabis.
Go to E2, and loot the Gas Mask from the small hallway in the middle of the map with two doors. Leave your party members outside the first door, and equip the Gas Mask in your active item slot. (incidentally, you can also use that Gas Mask to get into all the other poisoned rooms, but there's nothing of interest in them anyway.) Close the south door, and open the north door to keep the poisonous gas inside. Go into the large room in the north. Manipulate the vents along the east wall behind the computer to unclog them (and get rid of the poisonous gas in that room) for some XP. Gather up your party members again. The large computer in the northeast can make various chemicals if you have the ingredients on you. If you have Cassidy in your party, the computer can make Heart Pills for him. Pick them up from the ground just east of the computer console, and use them on Cassidy.
Use the "FLOWERPOT" password on the door to the south, which leads to the Secret Level. Save, and prepare for a tough fight. There are a bunch of Wanamingoes wandering around here, and they'll attack you eventually anyway. Best to get the drop on them.
After the fight, go north and use Repair on the computer to disable the force field. Use the computer in the room to the north. Try to release a subject, and learn that you need some ERSI to prevent the death of whomever you release.
Go back up to E2, and use Chemie to create some ERSI. Pick it up and return to the Secret Level. This time, use the computer and learn about the three people in the tanks. You can choose one to release and join your party. See Party Members.
Go back up to E2, then down to E3 and access the computer in the room past the "Bio-Storage" sign. Access the files on Botany and Crop Rotation. Also pull out all the experimental seeds. In the room to the north, there is a small patch of fertile ground just northwest of the door. Plant something and wait a day or two. In the small middle room are three computers which control the three force fields. The eastern computer opens up the room with the spore plants, which you can kill. The northern computer opens up the "petting zoo," and the southern one opens up the wanamingo cage. All three have lore information you can read. So open all three and kill everything. You will gain 5 Karma for each "human" that you kill. After you kill the wanamingo, you are done here. Head back up to the surface and leave.
When you first enter, you'll be above ground amongst some ruins. In the middle of the map take the manhole leading down. There are two ways to solve this.
The peaceful way first. If you go into the Raiders' Barracks from the well, you'll come across Shadow-Who-Walks. Sneak around the corner to talk to the tribal. You can then convince him to stop working for the Raiders. Leave the map and return, and the Raiders will have left, and you can just loot the lockers.
The more violent way is to kill everyone. (You might want to leave Myron above ground, as he's the only character that really does need to stay alive. For now anyway). In the north are three guys wearing Combat Armor. Loot their corpses.
Either way, you end up with tree Dog Tags: Angel's, Blondie's, and Tuco's. Use the safe in a northern alcove, and choose the option that makes use of the numbers on the dogtags, then loot the Account Book from the safe, along with the other stuff.
On the map of caves to the west are an insane number of traps. Your masochistic party members just love to walk all over them and take damage. There's plenty of XP to be had if you take your time and disarm them all. There are also a couple of pits you can fall down. If you do, be sure to clear out the Big Bad Boss Radscorpion before taking the ladder back up in the north of that map. If you exit out the west, you'll be at the cave entrance. To get back to the ruins entrance quickly (if you left any party members there), take the brown exit grid, then click on the Town/World button in the lower right of the screen, choose the Well triangle.
Go to Vault City and tell First Citizen Lynette you wiped out the Raiders (if you talk to Stark first, he just says to go see her). Show her the Account Book for some more XP. Show her the Holodisk you got from Mr. Bishop's safe. If you haven't already, turn in Mr. Thomas Moore as a spy. Agree to show Bishop's Holodisk to Roger Westin in NCR.
Enter the Vault and if you haven't already, talk to Myron about how he made Jet, and possible cures for it. Talk to Dr. Troy about curing Jet addiction, after which you'll get 2 Jet Antidotes. Hold onto these for now. This is also a good place to leave Myron if you plan on ditching him anyway. Head to the Abbey.
Samuel is guardian of the graveyard, and has had some recent problems with graves being partially dug up. Tell Samuel about Father Tully, and agree to help him, then talk to Mr. Peterson in the building to the south. His crops are being eaten, and he wants to help whoever is doing it. Wait until midnight, and you'll find the culprit, Tom, to the northeast. Tell him about Mr. Peterson's offer, and he'll change course and meander off to Mr. Peterson's. When he eventually gets there, talk to him again and he'll give you a Lighter. Rest until morning, and tell Samuel you found the gravedigger.
Around the backside of the Abbey building is a guy in a baseball cap named Dave. He's cursing the water pump, so agree to help him. Use the pump to find out what's wrong with it, then tell Dave. Agree to go to Vault City and pick up a motor from Harry in the courtyard. Back around the front, near Samuel, is Jason. He wants you to format the Abbey's database, but you can convince him to leave, and escort him to Gecko. Do so, and then continue to Vault City for the Motor. Return to the Abbey and talk to Dave. If you don't have a Tool on you, just let Dave do the work.
Jack in the southwest corner of the Abbey building will give you some meds (a Paramedic's Bag, and a Field Medic First Aid Kit) if your Speech is high enough.
Matthew is preaching in the chapel, but will pause to answer your questions, and invite you to read the books on the second floor. He suggests speaking to the Abbot to get permission to use the computers.
Head on up to the second floor, and speak with Brother Paul. He's a bit hard to see, as he's wearing a grey robe, the same shade as the pillar he's standing next to. He has a hint about a monster in the caves below the Abbey, and the rest of his dialogue might qualify him to compete on Jeopardy. You can loot a couple of Big Books of Science from the shelves in the west area. Brother John needs some Heart Pills, which you'll get in NCR later, or you may have them from the EPA already. He'll give you a Scout Handbook in exchange. Elaine wants you to deliver a part to Max, in the basement. Hold on to it, you'll be there in a bit.
On the Third Floor, tell the Abbot you fixed the water pump for a little XP. Suggest he might share the knowledge of the Abbey for a little more XP. For more XP, ask about the history of the order, and the founder. Then ask about a GECK, and you can volunteer to kill the beast in the basement.
Go down to the ground floor. Open up the cellar door behind Matthew, and go down. Give the Small Piece of Machinery to Max, who's standing behind the desk, then go back up to the ground floor.
Under the stairs leading up to the second floor are some stairs leading down. Take them to the west half of the basement, and talk to Hank in the northwest room. Give him the Lighter, and hold on to the Bottle of Wine he gives you. Go through the gate to the south and kill the rats, then continue through to the Caves, kill all those creatures, and loot the corpse of Thomas for the Ode to the Flame Deluge. Return the book to the Abbot, and he'll give you access to the computers.
On the second floor, Paul will now give you an Access Card to access the computers. Tell him about the information you learned on botany from the EPA, then use the terminal nearby to input the information for some XP. You can also learn the true nature of the GECK.
Stop by New Reno, and cure the Barking Man with what you learned from the EPA. Tell Father Tully you met Samuel, then give him the Bottle of Wine.
Watch out for the turrets here. I recommend going south, then north to take out the southwesternmost turret first, then working your way counterclockwise to take out the rest one at a time. Watch out for traps on the ground in front of the sheds. Use your Traps skill on the shed to the west, and on the crates inside. Pick up the Howitzer Shell, and use it on the Howitzer to the east. This opens the main door. In the electrical area north of the Howitzer is a manhole leading down to a switch, which turns off main power inside the Depot. It's actually a bad idea as it turns the Repairable yellow electric barriers into damaging red ones.
All you have to do for the Wrights is get inside and get out, but what's the fun in that? (Side note: check the Endings page for consequences of returning to the Wrights at all). Loot the Password Paper from the desk to the left of the entrance, and examine it for the password, "TCHAIKOVSKY". All Holodisks in the Depot are strictly for fun background info for you, the lore-seeking player. Use the nearby computer and input the password from the paper to disable all force fields on this level. Be extra sure to loot the Yellow Memory Module. Using the punching bags in the north will raise your Unarmed Skill by 5% for each bag. You can use Dixon's Eye on the elevator to get down without setting off alarms. If you do set off the alarms, robots will come from everywhere on the level and attack you.
Repair one of the yellow forcefield emitters next to the elevator. The computer in the southeast can be hacked to disable force fields and shock plates on this level. Don't read the email titled "Personal Greetings" because it'll melt down the computer. The desk next to this computer contains a Cat's Paw Magazine. Use a high Lockpick Skill on the door to the west to get to a lift that goes to all four levels. Watch out for traps in the north part of the level. You can loot a useless Cookie up here, along with some other stuff from an inconspicuous crate. You can use the Alarm Computer in the middle of the level to toggle the alarm for this level, and gain some XP in the process if you hack into it, choose the diagnostic option, then opt not to run the test.
Before you go, you'll need to kill one of the brain bots. Use an eye on the eye scanner to open the elevator door, then Repair the yellow force field to the east of the elevator, then walk right up to a brain bot and enter combat. Kill it quick, and loot the Robot Motivator. Then quickly run to the elevator.
Down to Level 3 now. In the northeast corner, pick up Clifton's Eye. Talk to Skynet, the huge computer in the middle. It can reset the security level throughout the base. Agree to help him leave, but you'll need a brain first. So use the eye you just found on the left elevator, or Lockpick the door to the west, and go down to Level 4.
Make your way around north as far as you can go, Repair the forcefield to disable it, and use the Automated Biological Storage Computer. Choose Cadavers, then Private Dobbs first, Talk to him, then hell run off and die. Loot the corpse for a BB Gun. If you choose any virus, you have one minute to get out before you die, you can never return, and the Wrights in New Reno won't be able to take over with guns. So, choose Brains. This is for the robot you're about to build, and the quality of the brain depends on your Science skill. When you get the brain, the robot retrieving it blows up, eliminating the possibility of releasing the virus. So if you don't want Skynet in your party, this is your choice.
Return to Level 3 and go to the northern section and use the computer there. You'll need three things for this: a Motivator (looted from almost any bot), Bio-Med Gel (if you don't already have it, there's more on the floor here), and a Brain from Level 4. Now, assemble your Brain Bot (see the Party Members page for more details).
Time to leave. Go to Redding.
The first building to the south is the police station. Sheriff Marion hurt his leg, and has a few jobs for a seasoned adventurer like you. First up, the Widow Rooney owes some back rent. To be nice, give her the money for some XP, then return to the Sheriff for more XP and some cash. His second task is to break up an impending bar fight. The Malamute Saloon is just northwest of the police station, and there are two troublemakers: one in the southwest corner of the building, the other is northeast of the bar proper. You have three choices: 1)Kill them both, 2) throw them both in jail, 3) talk to them each individually, and convince them to not fight today.
Next up, Marion wants you to find who cut up the whore. Talk to Lou (without any non-humans in your party), the owner lady behind the bar in the Saloon. She'll give you a clue that takes you to the Morningstar Mine. Exit north. The guy you're looking for is Obidiah Hakeswill, who's in the large building north of the brahmin pens and west of the white building. The bastard is actually proud of what he did, so take him to jail for the maximum XP and cash rewards.
Marion's last task is to kill some punk named Frog Morton. Exit west, and he and his gang will fight you, along with all the critters in the area. When they're all dead, you get 3,000 XP. Return to the Sheriff for your reward. He'll also tell you Frog has three brothers. You may meet them in future random encounters in the wastes.
North of the police station is the Mayor's Office and Casino. You'll need high gambling here to win (or, if you helped the talking toaster in EPA, you can just jinx the slot machines into giving all their money). The cashier behind the barred window has lots of cash to trade for. Mayor Ascorti himself wants you to clear out his mine of wanamingos. To do so, he'll sell you the deed to his mine, then buy it back at a profit for you after you've cleared the place. Accept his quest, and move on for now.
Fannie May in the Saloon will tell you a sob story about starting a new life, and will ask for money. You can now either kill her or cure her:
"Painless" Doc Johnson is in the white building in the west part of the map. He can cure you for a fee, and do combat implant surgery on the cheap. If you have some Jet Antidote, give it to him for some XP.
In the north section of town, there are various caravan drivers. Keep in mind you can't take your car with you on a caravan trip, which are offered by James Hoffy in the caravan office. You can watch the Mole Rat fights between 1200 and 1700, and betting on them you can win about half the time. The white building to the north is a Saloon, and the only thing you can do there is get a Beer if you ask Josh about valuables. He won't talk to you with non-humans in your party, though. The graves north of the Saloon are all empty. The uncovered one leads to the tunnels under town.
Both Dan McGrew of the Morningstar Mine and Marge LeBarge of the Kokoweef Mine need an Excavator Chip to get their mines working. There are two in the game, but you can only use one of them to complete this quest. The person you give it to will determine the fate of Redding (Marge for NCR, Dan for New Reno).
Time to head to the Wanamingo mine. To get there, go to where you killed Frog Morton and his gang (west of downtown). Kill all the rats in the area, if you haven't already. As you make your way through the ruins, you'll come to a fork in the road. Go through a couple doors to the north, and repair the generator here to get the elevator working. Go back to the fork and take the other path, then go down the elevator when you get there.
You're now in the Wanamingo Mine, lower level. (Just FYI, the wanamingos themselves are resistant to energy weapons, except the Alien Blaster). In the room just northeast of the elevator, just to the right of a broken crate is a well hidden Metal Armor Mark II, if you're into such things. Kill all the wanamingos and eggs on this map, then take any ladder up. Again, kill everything. In the eastern part of the map is the Continuous-Feed Ore Extractor Machine. Loot if for the Excavator Chip.
Go up any of the ladders here and clean out the next map. Exit southeast and clear them out again. When all the Wanamingos are dead, you'll get a message saying you've cleared the mine, along with some XP. Time to head back to town and claim some rewards.
To the east of the southern tunnels map is a ladder up to Ascorti's storage cellar. If you go upstairs, the guard will try to kill you if he sees you, so kill him silently, if you kill him at all. Exit any of the ladders going up. Give the Excavator Chip to your favorite mine owner in the north (the reward is the same, the ending is different), and sell the deed back to Ascorti for a nice profit.
Leave and go to NCR.
Buster owns the shop just north of the exit grid. He'll give you only one warning if you enter his store at night, and will then attack you. Be sure it's after 0801 before you talk to him, as he carries some really good weapons. You can also click on the shelves behind him to check out more goods.
Way on the west side of this map is Ratch the Junk Dealer, whom you should pay to fit a Blower to your car. Return after 6 hours or rest. You can barter with him to get your cash back.
South of Ratch is the Rawhide Saloon. The barkeep, Mira, will sell you alcohol and information. She also wants you to kill her husband, Jack, though you can only get this quest if your character is stupid (IN <4). Merk (who only appears in the back room between 1601 and 0800) will sell you what he says is a Vault 13 Holodisk, but only leads to a place on the World Map labeled "Fake Vault 13" (It's between NCR and New Reno). He can give you work, but you need to impress him first. You can, sell Myron, tell him you're a "badass mofo" if you're a Childkiller or Berserker, or kill the Hubologist inside NCR. The Hubologist has a couple things to do later on, and may lead to having to kill people you don't want to, so I don't recommend the last option. Selling Myron is immoral, and you probably haven't killed any children (honestly, how could you!)..
The north half of the map is taken up by some slave pens. Talk to Vortis the slaver, but only during the daytime when he's out behind the counter, and be careful not to piss him off. Take his quest to get the Ranger's Map.
Read the bulletin board in the street outside the entrance to town. Follow its rules, especially the part about putting away your weapons. You can't even have one in an inactive hand. Also tell your party members to put away their weapons. In fact, don't ever enter the Downtown map directly upon entering NCR unless you're sure none of your NPCs have weapons out. Don't loot any of the guard's lockers, as they'll turn hostile right away. If it's night, the force field will be up, and you can politely ask the Captain of the Guard in the building east of the bar to lower it for you.
Once inside town, you may come across Dorothy to the east of the police station. She wants you to prevent Jack from blowing himself up. The best reward requires a high Speech skill, and the dialog path is 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2. The other option is to let him blow himself up, then Repair the computers. In either case, return to Dorothy for your reward, including several books. If Jack lives he'll be in jail. You can kill him there for Mira, and return to her for your reward (again, only if your character is stupid).
Go in the garage door in the large building on the east side of the area. Take the Ranger Map from the table in the garage. Use it to put the locations of three Ranger Safe Houses on your World Map. Talk to Elsie. If you've killed Metzger, she'll recognize you, and you can opt for a cash reward, or just her thanks. Tell her you don't like slavers, and agree to set the slaves free.
Go back to Vortis and give him the map for your reward. Then kill him and his fellow slavers. Manipulate the panels on the cages to set all the slaves free, then return to Elsie and she'll make you a Ranger, and give you your very own completely useless Ranger Pin. Other characters in the game will recognize you as a Ranger now, regardless of whether you have the pin in your inventory.
The first building to the west of the entrance is Duppo's Store. Check both his tables for more stuff to trade for. If your Gambling skill is high enough, you can ask him for a job, then ask if there's another way to make money. He'll sell you the password to the casino in his back room. The job he offers is a caravan drive to Redding. Rest until 0800, then meet the driver to the west, just outside the gate. Save in a separate slot, then start the drive. Your reward will be based on how many Brahmin survive. Now that your car is still in NCR, you can hoof all the way back, or take a caravan one way back to NCR.
In the center of downtown, between the police station and the bar, is the Hubologist's church. Talk to the hubologist, and convince her you're already one of the "Enlightened". Follow up by telling her what level you are, and you'll get some XP and a Karma increase. Exit dialog, save, then ask for a Zeta Scan. This will either lower your LK by 1, or increase it by 2, up to a maximum of 10.
The southernmost building is Doc Jubilee's place. When you fist talk to him, he'll insist on amputating your leg. Don't let him. Instead just ask him to heal you. You can then ask him questions. Talk to him about Vault 13 to get him to mention Salt-Beef Bob. You can Sneak and loot stuff from his shelves.
In the middle of the southeastern wall is Dusty's Cantina. There's an obnoxious guy here named Hoss who's looking for a fight. Tell your party members to stay put, well away from the Cantina, then fight him until he surrenders (your party members have a nasty habit of shooting people). Dusty, the barkeep, will then give you a free Booze every time to talk to him.
The guy outside the Brotherhood of Steel station northeast of the cantina will tell you about his Brother in San Francisco.
Talk to Sheriff Dumont, located on the corner south of the police station, and he'll tell you about a couple of jobs. If you have the delivery quest from Lynette in Vault City, tell the guard in front of the gate to the southwest you need to get in, or tell him you're there for job the Sheriff told you about. Exit west.
On the Westin Ranch, Westin himself in is the large building north of the road. Talk to Felix to gain permission to enter the ranch house. Upon giving him Lynette's disk, he asks you to take another disk back to her. Agree, and you'll exit dialog. Talk to him again, and mention Sherriff Dumont recommended you for a job. Agree to help guard the brahmin. Talk to Felix. Wait for two Deathclaws to appear and converse. When they leave, you can leave.
Go to Vault City, talk to Stark in the Corrections Facility and tell him you scouted out NCR. His next quest is to visit Vault Village and put an end to their molerat problem (more in a minute). Continue north, and Talk to Lynette. If you've done all the quests so far her way, address her as "First Citizen" in each dialog option. If your Speech is high enough, she'll make you Captain of the Guard, and you'll get extra XP. This status can also get you into some places if you had trouble before. Regardless, your reward is a decent gun from Randall in the Amenities office.
Time for a side quest. Head to Vault Village, just north of Vault City. Talk to Connar to learn why Stark wants the molerats dead. You now have three ways to solve this:
In the small building to the south of Westin's home is Salt-Beef Bob. Give him some Beer or some other form of alcohol to whet his whistle. If you don't already have the location of Vault 13, he wrote it on the back of a painting. The catch is he sold it to Doc Jubilee. You can buy it for $10,000 and then Steal the money back if you really want to.
Go back to downtown and exit to the east. To the south is Carlson's house, useful if you want to kill him. You can snipe him through the back window, plant a bomb on his son as he runs out through the guarded door, or tell the guard you're the new guard, then silently kill him with Super Stimpaks.
By now, several people should have mentioned that President Tandi has a job for you. She's in the building to the north. To get past her lackeys, tell Gunthar and Feargus you're there for the job. Talk to Tandi (yes, she's that old) and agree to pay a visit to Vault 15 for her. On your way out of town, stop by the police station, but leave your party members well outside like you did earlier with Hoss. Talk to the cop inside who will enter dialog with you, and he'll open up a cell. Enter combat and punch Oswald until you exit combat. Talk to him and he'll tell you about the Raider camp set up inside Vault 15.
Go to Vault 15 now.
Inside is, you guessed it, a vault! Follow the cave and enter to the north. The active computer to the east toggles the forcefields. The doctor here will heal you for free and give you some background info on the Khans. Bluff your way past the guard next to the elevator down by saying you're the new guy.
On Level 2, the generator to the south will bring the power back online: use Science on it, then Repair it. Loot the locker and desk in the northwest room. Take the Elevator down.
On Level 3, the west most working computer gives the location of Vault 13. The middle computer toggles all the forcefields in this Vault. One of the lockers in the storage room has the computer parts for Tandi. In the eastern area is Darion. As you approach him, you'll enter a short dialog, then you'll be in combat when you exit. Kill Dorian, and all his guards, then use the computer back there to get a NCR Spy Holodisk.
Kill everyone else on Levels 3 and 2. On Level 1, kill all the guards, then talk to the doctor to let him know Dorian is dead. Leave and go back to Zeke. He will reward you and ask you to talk to the leader of NCR to work out a deal.
So return to President Tandi in NCR. First give her the computer parts, then tell her about the deal Zeke wants to make. Lastly, show her the NCR Spy Holodisk. Show it next to Gunthar for your reward. Feargus walks away as soon as you exit dialog with Gunthar
Now that you know where Vault 13 is, go there.
Down on Level 2, talk to everyone to get their take on their living situation, just don't tell Sandy to "cut the bullshit" or everyone will attack you. Dave is especially funny. You can free Matt, but you have to kill everyone in the process.
Continue down to Level 3, head east to where the Overseer would be. Use the Computer Voice Module (from Vault City or New Reno) on the machine and fix it, then return to Gruthar for some XP, an he'll hand you the holy G.E.C.K..
Return to Level 3 and talk to Goris about everything you can, especially the location of the Military Base. You can then convince him to join your party (see Party Members). Loot the lockers to find the NavCom Parts.
Time for a triumphant return to your village of Arroyo. Sort of. After learning some bad news, head out to the Military Base.
Inside, on Level 1, kill everything and loot everything, including the blue boxes. Repair the generator and take the elevator down to Level 2.
Kill all the mutants on Level 2, and be sure to loot the Power Armor.
On Level 3, you again get to kill and loot stuff. There's a Green Memory Module in the locker near the elevator you came down on. If you wait to attack the mutants, you can watch two of them to the east exchange floating text about a recipe for Rat Surprise.
Level 4 is home to none other than master magician Melchior Senior (remember his son in Redding?). Don't step in the green goo, as it'll hurt you. You'll have no choice but to fight him, and the minions he throws into the goo to mutate. You can kill him quickly, or you can have your party members stay behind, and if you can survive all the waves of his creatures, you'll net over 14,000 XP. After the fight, loot Melchior's corpse and the crate next to him.
Time to leave. Go to San Francisco.
When you first arrive, you'll be confronted by Chris. He'll try to tell you that this isn't the Navarro you're looking for. But you know better. If you've been to the Military Base, or talked to certain folk in San Francisco, you can insist he's wrong. You can also bluff your way in by asking if he's heard of the Enclave, then saying you're a new recruit, and he'll give you access. If none of that works, you'll have to kill him before he can use his radio, otherwise he'll alert the base, and you'll have to kill everyone in it. It's probably the toughest fight in the game, what with all those turrets.
After you have the password, and/or you've killed Chris, leave all your party members by the car (if you didn't already leave their hearts in San Francisco), and take the path north through the woods and exit.
On the next map, talk to the guards and they'll let you in, with instructions to report to Drill Sergeant Dornan, just northeast of the entrance. Do so, and be compliant while talking to him. The scene shifts to where you're in your duty station. Don't move until Sgt. Dornan enters the screen from the right. He'll stop at each guard going clockwise and say something. After he's spoken to you, and the guy clockwise from you, you can wander around without reprisals - just make sure he doesn't see you. (When he makes his way back to where you should be, he'll just wonder where you are. If he catches you, you'll be sent back to your post, and there are no real consequences.) Your fist task is to get some Advanced Power Armor - for free. There's an elevator in the small building just north of the Vertibird. Once downstairs, loot the lockers to the northwest. There is also a Blue Memory Module in here.
Go back up. Next to Sgt. Dornan's office are some technicians, who can tell you where to get the Vertibird plans and the K-9 parts, as well as some other useful tidbits. Southwest from there is the mess hall. You should ask Cookie the cook about all sorts of things, especially how to get to the Enclave (you need a fob).
In the large building to the northwest you'll find Quincy. Tell him a tech sent you to get the Vertibird Plans and he'll let you loot his lockers, and spout some choice words about Raul. Your next visit should be to Raul, who's hanging out inside the hangar. Tell him what Quincy said about him, and Raul will go off to fight Quincy. While he's gone, pick up the K-9 Motivator and other goodies from the lockers there, now that Quincy and Raul are busy putting each other in the infirmary.
Use the same elevator you used earlier and head downstairs again. This time, head east and talk to the C.O.'s guard. If your INtelligence is low, tell her you're with the cleaning crew, and she'll let you pass. If she won't let you in, run around the corner, rest for 1 hour, then come back and say you're with the cleaning crew (now who has low intelligence?). If your INtelligence is high enough, tell her you're there to take the Fob to a safer place. She'll radio the Commander, then let you pass. Once inside the office, either tell the Commander you're there for the Tanker Fob, and he'll tell you it's in the locker next to him, or Sneak past him and loot the locker.
From the elevator, go south through two doors. To the east is the Mainframe. To access it, use the password you got from Cookie, "Snookie," or a high Science skill. You can get coordinates for the Enclave main base, and locations of other stuff on the base if you didn't know it already.
Across the hall to the west is Dr. Schreber's soundproof office. Talk to him to find out what he's up to, then kill him. Obviously, no one will hear it. Use the K-9 Motivator on the robotic dog here, and he'll join you, and won't even count towards the maximum number of party members. Loot the blue pass key from this office, then go south and use it on the locked door. Tell Xorn he can leave. You should leave, too, as there's nothing else to do here, unless you plan on killing everyone. As I said earlier, it's a tough fight if you do.
You can't take the Vertibird to The Enclave. What would be the point?.
Klamath / Toxic Caves
To get a feel for what's going on in town, you can read the bulletin board or pay the town greeter. Immediately north of the exit grid is an outhouse. North of that is a shack with sign that reads "Vic's." Loot it and keep Vic's Radio (i.e. don't barter it away). Start collecting Beer and Booze (you'll need 10 of each later).
The Den
Watch out for the children in this area, as they'll steal from you as you walk past. Your best bet is to walk right next to them, wait a second, then try to Steal back your items. If they run off before you can get to them, your stolen item will eventually end up at a local shopkeeper. I recommend against killing them, as the Child Killer Perk is not something you want. Another encounter to watch out for it Petey. You can give him $5 to raise your Karma by 1 point, but it only works once. You won't lose Karma if you refuse, but how stingy are you?
Return to Becky for your reward. In the building south of Tubby's is Lara's gang. Talk to her and agree to find out what's in the church. Go to the east part of town and talk your way past Tyler. Once inside, examine the crates. Return to Lara and she'll want permission for a gang war from Metzger. Just north of Mom's is Metzger's place, and he'll give permission easily. Return to Lara and agree to find a weakness in Tyler's gang. Talk to Tyler to find out his gang is going out to drink. Tell Lara the good news, and agree to help in the fight. Only part of the gang will be at the church. After that battle, Lara will ask you to go with her to finish the job on the Residential map. You can rest and heal up first, but there's no way out now. After the second battle, return to Lara back at the church for your reward.
Slaver Camp / Primitive Tribe
If you killed Metzger in the Den, you'll be attacked as soon as you enter. Kill everyone. Loot the Key Ring. Use them to unlock the gate in the small building to the northeast.
Modoc / Ghost Farm
On your way to Vault City, you'll come across an unlabeled green city circle. This is Modoc, and you should stop and say hello. First stop is the building immediately east of the entrance. After talking to Grisham, he'll will want you to guard his Brahmin. Agree, and you'll be teleported to his pasture. Hurry north and intercept the dogs before they get too close to the Brahmin. When they're all dead (the dogs, not the cows)1, return to Grisham for your reward, which is dependent on how many of his Brahmin survive.
Vault City and Gecko
Your goal here is to get into the Vault to see if they have a G.E.C.K., or failing that, to find locations of other Vaults, so you can visit those and take their G.E.C.K.s.
Once you have your ticket in, talk to the guards. A Day Pass, per its name, will only let you in during daylight hours. Also, they won't let any non-pure humans in (i.e. leave Lenny and Marcus here if they're in your party). They'll search you for contraband (drugs and alcohol), but not your party members. So give your 10 Beers and 10 Boozes to them, go through, then take them back. Just inside the gate to the east is The Tap House. Lydia wants the real alcohol you've been collecting up to this point. If you don't have it all yet, no worries, just come back when you do.
Go back out to Amanda for your reward. Exit back to the north. Return back in through the gates and exit to the north again. This is the Council Area. The large building in the southwest is The Parlor Room. If you have a LK of 9 or 10 you can get a special Perk here. Order 100 Alcohol-Z (hold down the 2 key, costs $2000). You'll then get "Alcohol Raised Hit Points," +2 or +4 depending on your LK.
If you used Festus to repair the reactor, talk to him again for some XP. He'll also ask you to help optimize the reactor, and hand you a blank holodisk. You can Steal a Requisition Form from him if you want. Exit the powerplant, and head north to the Junkyard. Give the Super Tool Kit to Skeeter for your Fuel Cell Controller.
Broken Hills
If you arrive here in the car you'll run over Lumpy, who references a special encounter from the first Fallout game. Steve the town greeter will tell you what's going on in town. Liz in the white building on the north side of the street runs a General Store. If Dogmeat is in your party, and you have the NPC Armor mod installed, she'll sell you some armor for the nice doggy.
Next, Marcus wants you to look into the disappearance of some people. Agree to do it for free. Talk to Dan in the northeast house on the east side. He's looking for his wife. Agree to find her. There are three manholes in this area that lead down to some caves. Explore the area and you'll find some dead bodies in the northeast. Loot one of the bodies for a letter that implicates Francis. Use the letter, and your character will realize, via some red floating text, that it's not a good idea to go directly to Marcus. Go back up the nearest ladder and tell Dan the bad news about his wife.
Return to Broken Hills and enter the mine. You'll take damage throughout, so leave your party members outside if they can't take 40 HP damage. There are essentially three branches here: take the middle one and bear north. Use the parts on the Air Purifier, and you'll stop taking damage. Heal up, then kill everything in the mine. Talk to Zaius for your reward.
New Reno, The Stables, and Golgotha
If you haven't been here as per the previous section, and if you came by car and it is missing, know that it has been stolen, See above for how to get it back.
The Stables
One way to get here is as a female character. Talk to Jules and pay him to tell you about the Mordinos. Ask about Jet, the Factory, and the Maker to find out about how Myron likes Prostitutes. Talk to Jagged Jimmy J, and ask more about Jet and Myron, and how to meet him. Miss Kitty will help you get in disguised as a prostitute.
Golgotha
There are three ways to get here: 1) Wherever you are, try to leave Myron behind and he'll tell you something about Golgotha. 2) The Magic 8 Ball's clue also puts the area on your map. 3) Doing some quests for Salvatore will get you the most XP.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
There are two ways to get this place on your map:
Raiders
There are two ways to find this place. 1) Get the map from Bishop's safe in New Reno, or 2) exit Vault City around midnight, and you have a chance of coming across some raiders, who you can follow to their camp.
Abbey
Father Tully in New Reno will put this on your map, and give you a quest to bring back some wine.
Sierra Army Depot
The only way to get this place on your World Map is to get the quest from Mr. Wright in New Reno to break in here. As with any location, you the player knowing the location from previous games or this guide doesn't make the place visible in the current game. If your party is full, you may wish to leave one behind someplace, as there is an opportunity to get Skynet as a member. Feel fry to kill and loot everything here and on every level.
Redding
Talk to the folks hanging around outside to get an idea of what's going on in town. Madam Modjeska knows politics, Melchior Jr. will tell you about his dad, and Athabaska Dick mentions trouble with Wannamingoes.
New California Republic (NCR)
When you first arrive in NCR in your car, Doofus will offer to guard it for $5. If you don't pay him, he'll steal stuff out of the trunk. The second time you arrive here, you can force Doofus to give you all his stuff, which really doesn't amount to much.
Return to NCR. Go to Felix to collect your reward for guarding the brahmin. If you have Bishop's quest from New Reno, you can kill Westin, or tell him that's what you're going to do, and Westin will pay you more money to kill Bishop instead. If you've already killed Bishop, you can get the reward after re-entering dialog.
Go to Vault City and speak with Councilman McClure. Get him to agree to postpone the attack on the village, and offer to get rid of the molerats by finding out who controls them.
Go to the Gecko Junkyard, and go down the manhole in the small L-shaped building northwest of Lumpy. Follow the tunnels around to talk to Zomak, the "larger than average ghoul." Tell him you took a wrong turn, then convince him he passed the test. Go through the next door and talk to the giant molerat who calls himself Brain. Do so twice, and the second time he'll ask you to get the economic data to McClure in Vault City, and then give the optimized data to Festus.
When that's done, or if you've already done so, you can then get him to stop the molerat attacks in exchange for agreeing to fix the powerplant. Go back to Vault City and tell Councilman McClure you solved the problem for some more XP. Return to Connar in Vault Village for some XP.
Vault 15
When you first arrive here, the only person who will talk to you is Rebecca, the chick in the middle tent. Her daughter is missing, and only you can rescue her, but someone overhears your conversation. Talk to Dallia to the north and she'll kindly let you pass. Exit north. There are three ways to complete this quest:
Return to Rebecca for your reward, and she'll tell you to talk to Zeke, the mayor of the Squat. Agree to kill Darion. He'll give you the Vault 15 Key Card, which you'll use on the door on the East Entrance map.
Vault 13
After playing the first game, this place should look like home. Except maybe for the deathclaws who live here now. Anyway, you get 2000 XP just for walking in the door. Talk to Gruthar, the leader of this pack, and agree to fix their computer. The Doctor here on Level 1 will heal you for free.
Military Base
When you arrive, there's a pack of wolves wandering around. They'll attack eventually, so kill them. Loot the tents out front for useful stuff. The holodisks here, like in the Sierra Army Depot, are useful only as fun background info. Find the Metal Pole just south of the mine cart, and attach it to the mine cart. Then attach some Dynamite to the pole, and push the cart. If you don't have any Dynamite on you, there's some in the shed to the north. (Hey, didn't your ancestor blow this place up?)
Navarro
Next up is Navarro, but first you need to make one quick stop in San Francisco. In the center of town you should stop and watch the two men talking in the ring. (Otherwise there's a bug later that prevents you from participating in a particular quest line.) From the entrance to town, swing around to the south and talk to the BOS representative. Matthew wants you to steal plans to the Vertibird from Navarro, and tells you to pose as a recruit. If you're planning on the sneaky method, you might want to leave your party members here.