Fallout 2 Walkthrough

Introduction

Intro to the Series

The Fallout series currently consists of two games, dubbed Fallout and Fallout 2. Made by Black Isle, a subdivision of Interplay, they are "back to the basics" Role Playing Games (RPGs). They are set in a post-apocalyptic setting, after a devastating nuclear war, in Southern California. They center on exploration and diplomacy more than combat, but in both games you're gonna have to bust some heads and bust some caps to win.

They rely on the "General Universal Role Playing System" or "GURPS" system. This has been used in other games as well, like Planescape: Torment. The games have a graphic engine consisting of well-animated sprites against rendered backgrounds. They are not 3D, but are very deep and engrossing so it hardly matters. By far, the Fallout series is one of the best of all time.

Intro to Fallout 1

Fallout 1 sets you as a young man (or woman) who lives in a vault, one of many scattered around the wasteland. These Vaults were built before the war for people to live in. After the war, the vaults opened, and the inhabitants usually emerged to explore and begin a new life. However, Vault 13 never opened, as the inhabitants were content. Unfortunately, the chip that controls the machine to purify water for the Vault breaks down, leaving the poor souls there with only 150 days worth of water. You are chosen to head out into the wastes to retrieve a new chip, or at least some more water. In the process, you'll battle mutated rats, scorpions, and people, and defeat an evil mutant army that's planning to rule the world.

Intro to Fallout 2

Fallout 2 sets you once again as a young woman (or man). However this time you're from a tribe begun by the former hero of Fallout 1, the Vault Dweller. Your tribe is dying, and they need the holy Garden of Eden Creation Kit to survive. You are sent to find one. Fallout 2 has you once again battling rats, scorpions, people, and plants, and also introduces the evil Enclave, an organization planning to kill everyone but themselves!

Changes from Fallout 1:

• Interface bar is a different color
• Many new character models and monsters
• New textures
• Many new weapons
• Can avoid random encounters
• Can get hitched
• NPCs are much more customizable
• No real time limit
• Much, much harder — the skill checks can be impossible

Character Generation

The Fallout series boasts a very detailed character system, consisting of distribution of points to skills and attributes. At the beginning of each game, you need to create a character to represent you in the game. Creating an effective character is what this chapter will go into.

Primary Statistics

Your character has 7 basic statistics. You have five points (Character Points) to put into any of those, and you start with 5 in each. You can rearrange points as you wish, as long as you don't go over 10 or under 1.

• Strength — Determines your pure physical strength, how much damage you do with your fists or a close-range weapon, your Hit Points, and how much you can carry. Importance Rank 4. Low strength can be counteracted by Advanced Power Armour (adds 4 to ST!) so 4 or 5 natural Strength is best later in the game.
• Perception — Not just what you can see, also what you can smell, touch, taste, and hear. Used to determine how good you are at stealing, lockpicking, using traps, and how good you are with guns and throwing weapons. Importance Rank 3.
• Endurance — How long you can sustain something, whether it be poison, radiation, carrying stuff, or damage. Determines how many Hit Points you get each level, and your natural resistance to Poison and Radiation. Importance Rank 5.
• Intelligence — Your IQ, brains, smarts. Determines how many skill points you get to add to your skills each level, what you can say to people, how good you are with computers. By far the most important statistic — try to get a nine or better at the start. Importance Rank 1.
• Charisma — A combination of how you look and how you act around people. Determines how people react to you and how many party members you can carry. Low Charisma can be easily bypassed by drugs (or in the case of party size, Perks). Importance Rank 7.
• Agility — How fast you are. Used to tell if you can avoid traps, how many Action Points you are given each turn, whether you can dodge attacks. Try to get an 8 in this, since having a full 10 APs is very important for combat. Importance Rank 2.
• Luck — The effect fate has on you. Used to determine if you can gamble well, find rare random encounters, and if you cause a good hit during combat. Importance Rank 6.

Traits

You can pick two optional traits. All traits have a good part and a bad — if you want the good, you have to take the bad.

• Fast Metabolism — 0% resistance to Radiation and Poison, but you gain 2 to your natural healing rate. Decent pick since healing rate matters when your HPs soar toward the 100s.
• Bruiser — +2 to Strength, but you lose 3 Action Points. Not recommended since APs are possibly the most important thing during combat.
• Small Frame — Takes away about 50 lbs from your Carry Weight, but gives you a few APs. Carry Weight becomes less important about midway through the game when you have party members (and the Car!) to use as packhorses.
• One Hander — Better with one-handed weapons (pistols, knives), but worse with two-handed weapons (rifles, sledgehammers). Counterproductive near the end when your ultimate weapon will be the Super Sledge, Gauss Rifle, or Turbo Plasma Rifle.
• Finesse — Less damage in general, but 10% more criticals with better critical hits. When you get Sniper or Slayer, this becomes moot.
• Kamikaze — No natural Armor Class, but higher Sequence. Forget this Trait.
• Heavy Handed — +2 to Melee Damage, but critical hits aren't as good. Gives -5% on the critical table.
• Fast Shot — Using an Energy, Small Gun, Big Gun, or Thrown weapon costs one less AP, but you can no longer make targeted attacks. Leave it alone unless specializing in Big Guns.
• Bloody Mess — Forces the most violent deaths. Some of the messier deaths include the enemy's stuff getting dropped in a big pile that you have to go through one by one. Pick this if you don't want anything else.
• Jinxed — Everyone in the game makes lots of critical failures. Includes you, but it's more them than you. Note this is the only trait you can get three times (the Pariah Dog will give it to you in a certain random encounter).
• Good Natured — Combat skills are lower, but First Aid, Doctor, Speech, and Barter skills are higher. The gain makes up for the loss.
• Chem Reliant / Chem Resistant — With Reliant, get addicted more often but recover faster. With Resistant, chems only affect you half as long and you get addicted half as much. Don't take Chem Reliant.
• Skilled — 5 more skill points per experience level, but you get a perk only every four levels instead of three. Leave it alone since Perks are really important.
• Gifted — +1 to EVERY primary statistic, but 5 less skill points per level and -10% to every base Skill. Take it every time — you can redistribute the points.

Tagged Skills

After traits, select 3 Tagged Skills. These skills gain 20% when tagged and gain 2% for every 1 skill point spent on them.

• Small Guns — Used for pistols, rifles, shotguns, and the Gauss Rifle and Gauss Pistol. Most useful skill. The Gauss Rifle is one of the game's ultimate weapons, though ammo is rare and expensive.
• Big Guns — Miniguns, Rocket Launchers, and Flamers. Not needed to be high since these weapons have incredibly high accuracy. Ammo and weapons weigh quite a lot. Weapons gobble up ammo and require reloading often.
• Energy Weapons — Pulse Pistols, YK32B Rifles, and the Turbo Plasma Rifle, among others. Lots of damage, but ammo is also used as fuel for the Car.
• Unarmed — Karate, Jujitsu, and other martial arts. Weapons include Brass Knuckles, Spiked Knuckles, Power Fist, and Mega Power Fist. Forces you to get in close.
• Melee Weapons — The use of spears, knives, and swords. Essential to living through the Temple of Trials. Weapons include Spear, Knife, Vibroblade, Wakazichi Blade, and many others.
• Throwing — Grenades and throwing knives. Explosives in this game are weak. You usually miss without a ridiculously high score.
• Sneak — Very useful for thiefly characters near the beginning. Also important for the Perk Silent Death.
• Steal — By far one of the most useful skills. Always save before stealing so you can reload if caught.
• Lockpick — The ability to pick locks, both primitive and electronic. Don't attempt without high skill as you could jam the lock. Lockpick and Electronic Lockpick items improve this skill when used.
• Traps — Laying explosives and other traps, and disarming them. Also useful for humor: set a bomb for thirty seconds, plant it on someone via reverse-Steal, and run away.
• First Aid — Healing minor wounds. Can only be used 5–6 times a day before you get too tired. Improved using First Aid Books as well as Skill Points.
• Doctor — Healing more major wounds. With Doctor 90% or above, you can get combat implants. Limit of three to four uses per day. Improved using the Doctor skill.
• Science — The practical use of knowledge and science. Very useful for acquiring the NPC Skynet. Improved using Big Books of Science.
• Repair — The physical use of the Science skill. The two skills usually work together. Vic will usually handle it for you once you get him. Improved using Tool Kits and Super Tool Kits, and Dean's Electronics books.
• Barter — The ability to convince others that your goods are worth a lot. Just leave it where it is.
• Speech — Convincing others and lying to them. Very often used during conversations. Quite possibly the most useful non-combat skill — invest a lot into it.

After picking Tagged Skills, select your gender. Females have it a bit easier, as they can seduce men into giving them what they want. Finally, pick your age, from 16 to 35. Click the save button, save your design in case you die before you even save the game, and then click start!

The Walkthrough

Arroyo and the Temple of Trials

You start the game in front of the Temple of Trials, which you need to cross through to earn your Vault Suit and PipBoy and prove yourself to your tribe. Walk on in. Note that you CAN fight the guy defending your way out, but then the entire village will hate you.

The first critter you meet is an ant. Kill it if you want — thieves can sneak around them. Continue to the North, battling or avoiding the enemies, and go to the left at the juncture. Go up to the door and lockpick it. Don't worry, you'll always make this roll.

Through the door you'll start seeing Raised Plates. These plates will shoot a Sharpened Pole at you if you step on them and don't make a saving roll. Thieves can use the Traps skill on them to disarm them and gain 25 XP, or you could just avoid them by staying against either wall. You could also take the hits for free Poles if you use Throwing Weapons.

Head to the left after you get through this hall, and battle off the 3 ants. Go to the left again until you reach a big ceramic pot. Dig through the pot and get a bomb, then go up to the door, SAVE THE GAME, set the bomb for 10 seconds, go into attack mode, and go through two pretend turns. The bomb will blow up, making a door.

Go through and go left at the next junction, then north from there. Through the door is a fiery pit and a guy. The guy wants to fight you to prove your worthiness. Talk to him if you like. People with a tagged Speech skill can talk him out of fighting you, thieves can steal the key from him, and bruisers can fight him off. He'll leave your stuff in the chest back in the hall if you fight. The more diplomatic way you get past him, the more XP: Talking gets 800 XP, stealing the key gets 600 XP, kicking him around gets 400 XP. Recommend stealing it — you always seem to make the roll, but save beforehand just in case. Don't forget your stuff!

Now, after the movie, you get the Vault Suit and your PipBoy. You're in front of the village elder. She'll explain your quest: find the holy Garden of Eden Creation Kit! She'll also give you 150 bucks and a Water Flask, telling you to find the person it belongs to, Vic the trader. She'll also tell you the location of another town, Klamath, to the East. There's also a Knife in the chest behind her.

Hakunin's Garden

Head North until you get to another tent. There is a guy there named Hakunin. He wants you to weed his garden — but the weeds fight back. To the north is Hakunin's garden. The two big plants in there are Spore Plants, and they shoot Plant Spikes at you. However, they're not very accurate and usually end up shooting each other, so you should be able to easily slay them (aiming for the head helps). You'll get 480 XP, and chances are your first level. Characters that use Throwing skill can throw Plant Spikes as a weapon.

Head back to Hakunin's tent and he'll give you some Healing Powder. This restores some HP but takes away 1 Perception for about an hour. When you get a gun you should start using Stimpaks instead. Hakunin will also offer to make more powder for you when you find some Broc Flower and Xander Root.

Nagor's Dog

To the west of the hut is your cousin Nagor. He wants you to find his dog. Go to the west-northwest and into the green Exit Grid. Now you're in the hunting grounds, with Geckos around. The dog is to the northwest, in the area surrounded by rocks and goo. The goo will sap a couple HP when you step on it. Take the dog back to Nagor for 200 or so XP.

Head back to the hunting grounds to look for Xander Roots (conic grasses) and Broc Flowers (orange flowers). Get as many as you can, then take them back to Hakunin. There's also some Xander Root in a tent south of Hakunin's tent.

Other Village Quests

Near that tent, there's your other cousin Feargus. He wants you to fix the well — use your Repair skill. Even further south is your aunt Morlis. She has some Flint on her that you should steal. If you fail the roll, she won't get mad. To the north of her is a stone head and a guy — get him to teach you some Unarmed skill for a 5-point boost. To the east of him is a guy in a tent who has a spear and will teach you some Melee Weapons skill for another 5-point boost.

Head to the south and go through the green exit grid. The guy standing in front of the bridge: if you have OK Perception (6 or so), you'll notice that he'll have sharpened his spear. Tell him this, and in exchange for the Flint he'll sharpen your Spear — it's better than a Sledgehammer now!

Now leave the area through the red exit grid.

Stuff you should have by now:

• Semi-good Unarmed or Melee Weapons skill
• Sharpened Spear
• A few bags of Healing Powder
• Some money
• Vic's Water Flask
• Some XP

Klamath and the Toxic Caves

Head East on the world map. When you get to Klamath, click the green triangle to enter. If you arrived during the night, rest until morning. Straight in front of you is Aldo, the Greeter. You can give him 5 bucks to improve your Karma and reputation in Klamath. High Karma is important because if you're evil, Bounty Hunters will attack you — and they wear Power Armor.

Sulik and the Trader's Shack

North of Aldo is the trader's shack. You can buy things if you'd like, and meet your first party member, Sulik. Sell some stuff to get another $150, or steal it, and buy off Sulik. He's a good member and uses Melee Weapons. Also here is Whiskey Bob. He wants you to head down to the Trapping Grounds and add more wood to his still so his brew won't go bad. Go down south through the exit grid, head further south fighting or avoiding the Geckoes, until you get to a shack. Inside is a still and some wood. Use the wood on the still for 100 or so XP, then head back to Bob for $50 and some Karma points.

Talk to Maida while at the trader's shack. She'll send you on a quest to find her friend Smiley, who disappeared in the Toxic Caves while hunting geckoes. Don't go to the Caves quite yet.

The Golden Gecko and Other Stops

North of the shack is the Bath House. To the east of the Bath House is the local bar, the Golden Gecko. You can buy some "Gecko piss" here (it's beer) and get some for everyone to improve your rep in Klamath. There is a guy here named John Sullivan who will teach you some Unarmed and Melee Weapons skill. Let him string you along with his "Sweet Science" line, then ask if he's been pulling your leg when you get the chance. Useful and free! You also get a free beer for it.

Northeast of the Bath House is Vic's shop. Vic is the guy you're hunting for at the moment — go there and get the Pipe Rifle (a crappy weapon) and Vic's Radio, which you'll need later. There's also some bullets for the Rifle there. Loot the place and move on.

Northwest of the Bath House is the Duntons' place. They sell Beef Jerky there, which you feed animals with. Get a piece, but don't touch the bookshelf or they'll attack you. Go find the dog wandering around, talk to him, give him some Jerky, and he'll give you a key. Hang on to it.

The northwest exit leads to a canyon with a robot. Hit it once then run away — it has hardly any APs so it'll stop before it can hit you. Hit it again and repeat. If you have the newest patch, one of the bodies will have a yellow keycard. Get it and leave.

The Rat King

The southwest exit leads to Trapper Town. The only important thing here is the answer to a quest: Why have rats been plaguing Klamath? Because of a giant mutated lab rat! Go through the maze-like building to the north and unlock the door with the key you got (or talk the guy into opening it, or lockpick it). Go through it and through more maze-like buildings until you get to a manhole. Go on in.

There's a lot of rats underground but they only have 3 HP apiece. Blast or smash them, then go on until you find another manhole. Go down it. Kill the rats, and you'll finally meet the Rat King. He'll use scratching attacks but doesn't do too much damage. When he dies, head north from the central chamber until you get to a door. Lockpick it or blow it up, and climb the ladder. Go over to the car and check it to get a car part that minimizes the amount of fuel you use.

Return to Trapper Town from the caves. Take a look around and find some rubber boots. Hang on to them.

Rescuing Smiley from the Toxic Caves

Leave Klamath and head north to the Toxic Caves. This is a relatively simple maze, however the goo on the floor will chop off 1 or 2 HP every time you step on a goo-filled hex. Also, walking on goo without rubber boots will make you grow a sixth toe! (You can get this removed in Vault City.) With the pair you have, you should be able to get to Smiley and out with time to spare.

Go through the first chamber and climb down the ladder. Battle off or sneak behind the Geckoes, go south, then northeast, then northwest at the end of the corridor. Go into the metal-floored area, open the door, and there's Smiley. Talk to him and he'll join you. Leave the caves through the same way. At the beginning of the caves, you can cross the big pit of goo to the south after you drop off Smiley. There's a new pair of rubber boots, a stimpak, and other things.

Go back to Klamath to visit Smiley in the trader's hut. He'll teach you how to skin Geckoes, as well as give you 3% Outdoorsman skill every time you talk to him. This is an easy way to get to 300%, the highest value, for free!

Leave Klamath and journey to The Den.

Stuff you should have by now:

• Leather Armor
• The location of The Den
• Healing Powder and/or Stimpaks
• A semi-good non-combat skill
• Pipe Rifle
• Vic's Radio
• Sulik
• 300% Outdoorsman skill
• Gecko Skinning perk

The Den

When you've dealt with all the random encounters, you'll finally be at The Den! This is a seedy place. The first thing you'll notice is the signpost. Read it, then head east to Becky's. Notice the kids standing near the doors? They steal stuff if you don't run, so set the preferences to "Always run."

Becky's Quests

Go inside and talk to Becky. She wants you to find a guy named Frank and get her money back. Frank is south of Becky's, in another building. Go there, running past the little thieves near the door, and talk to the guy in yellow. He's Frank, and he has the money. Do whatever you want, then take it back to Becky for some XP, Cash, and Karma.

Becky then wants you to find her book "The Lavender Flower." Go to the East Side through the green Exit Grid, and go southeast. There's a guy wearing blue who will tell you he threw the book off somewhere. It's random where it is, so look around. Take it back to Becky for the usual rewards.

Lara's Gang War

West of Becky's is Tubby's. South of Tubby's is Lara's place. Lara wants you to find out what Tyler is storing in a church on the East Side. Go there, to the south, find the church, tell Tyler that Metzger sent you, and he'll let you in. Click on a box to solve it, then head back to Lara for rewards.

Lara then wants you to ask Metzger if she can fight Tyler. Go to the Slaver's Guild on the East Side — the easternmost building to the north — and chat with the guards. They'll let you in to talk to him, then just ask. Go back to Lara.

Lara now wants you to find a weakness in Tyler's gang. Go back to the church and talk to Tyler. He'll tell you he's having a party that night. Go back to Lara.

Tell Lara you'll help her open a can of whupass on Tyler. That night, your party and Lara's gang fight Tyler's gang. Your job is to kill all of Tyler's gang while keeping yourself, Lara, and all your NPCs alive. On your first turn, throw a flare at the guards to make light. It's completely possible to let Lara's gang do all the work as long as Lara lives through it.

You get a hefty chunk of XP and loot. Head back to the place where you first met Lara and go east to the Junkyard. Smitty there says he'll sell you the Car (the Chrysalis Motors Highwayman) for a car part (which you have if you have an unpatched game) and $2000. Buy it and dump any unneeded stuff in the trunk — it'll be safe there. Loot the lockers in Smitty's place for a Shovel and a Tool, which you'll need.

Anna Winslow's Ghost

Sleep until midnight, then head to the Haunted House in the south part of the West Side. You'll see a ghost there who wants you to go find her locket. Joey has it — he is the ganger in the east near the green Grid. Either talk him out of it or shoot him. Head back over to the Ghost and give her the locket for XP.

She'll die and leave her bones, which you can pick up. Head over to the graveyard on the East Side and look until you find her grave (check the gravestones — she's Anna Winslow) and dig it up, put the bones in, and re-bury it. If you dig the others you'll be tagged as a Grave Digger and lose Karma.

Freeing Vic

Head to the Slaver's Guild and talk to Metzger. Talk him into letting you see Vic, then tell the door guard that Metzger let you in. The guard will open the door. Give Vic his Radio, and he'll fix Metzger's radio. Go up to Metzger and ask if you can buy Vic. He'll sell him to you for $1000 (or $500 plus favors if you're female). Vic joins you. Give him a good gun, a knife, some ammo, and some armor.

Go to Mom's on the East Side and tell her you killed Metzger for XP, Cash, and Karma.

Head over to the Chrysalis Motors Highwayman, your new ride. It's time to hit the road!

By now, you should have:

• The Car
• A good gun
• Vic
• At least $500 left
• At least 5 Stimpaks
• Some RadAway
• Directions to Modoc and Redding, and to Vault City from Vic

Modoc and the Ghost Farm

Head up to Modoc. This is a rural place. The first thing you should do is head East from the start to the slaughterhouse. The man, Grisham, there has a daughter named Myria and a son named Davin. If you have 8 or better Charisma, you can trigger a forced marriage — the sequence is hilarious, especially with Vic and Sulik fighting during the wedding.

Getting married is a very bad thing. Talk to your spouse: ask them to wait — they don't! Ask them to move further away — they won't! Kill them — Grisham attacks! The only way to get rid of them is to divorce them (see the New Reno section). Or you could get into a random encounter and they'll die instantly.

The General Store and Mayor's Quest

Go northwest to the General Store. The Mayor wants you to investigate a mysterious farm to the North of Modoc. We'll be heading there later. Buy a bomb while you're here — it only costs about $1000 (less with higher Barter skill).

South of the slaughterhouse is a hurt Brahmin. Use Doctor skill on it. It'll start following you. Take it down to Grisham's place and sell it. One week later, come back for 500 pieces of Jerky.

Johnny and the Well

To the north of the General Store is the Tannery. The owner of the Tannery wants you to find his son Johnny for him. Talk to his dog, and the dog will join your party. Head over to the well. "Use" the well to move away the boards, and go buy a rope from the General Store to climb down into it. There's a bunch of coin bags down there, and Johnny's BB Gun, which gets you some XP. Climb back up and tell the Tanner you found the gun.

Rose's Bed and Breakfast

Head north through the green Exit Grid. You're now in the Bed and Breakfast. Head north to the building and into it. Talk to Rose, who will chat with you for the price of some food. If you get the Brahmin Fries, you can enter the contest and get poisoned. You can also order water for 1000 caps, but if you order it you'll get a free Chocolate Chip Cookie worth a free AP (not permanent though). There's a pen in the northwest with a DeathClaw inside — it will kill you and everyone else in this section of town, so don't risk it yet.

The Ghost Farm

Leave Modoc and head North to the Ghost Farm. This place is covered with blood and dead bodies. Head up northeast to the shack and go on in. Before you can crack open one of those boxes, you fall down a pit. Now you're underground. Talk to the guy, then go over and talk to the owner of the place. He'll let you see Johnny, who was down here all along. Tell him you want to go back to Modoc and tell them what you found. He'll agree, and you get to go up a rope back to the surface.

Head back to Modoc and tell the Mayor. He'll tell you they've lost one of their people, and if they don't find them in 30 days they'll attack. Go back to the farm and tell the owner. He'll tell you the guy ran off to the southwest, so go to The Den.

Metzger has the guy. The easy way is to kill him (which you should be able to do by now). The hard way is to buy him. Kill Metzger and his goons, loot the bodies, go down to Mom (remember her?), and tell her you killed him for XP, Cash, and Karma.

Head back to Modoc and tell the guy you have him for XP and Karma, then head back to the Ghost Farm and tell the owner for XP and free run of the place. Go tell Johnny he can go now.

Take Johnny back to the Tanner's for XP, Karma, and a brand new Combat Leather Jacket.

Farell's Garden and Cornelius's Watch

Head North and go east to talk to Farell. First, he wants you to kill the rats in his garden. Do that for XP and Karma. Then he wants you to help him find Cornelius's watch. Go over to the outhouse and climb down into the loo. Drop a bomb and get out of there! If you set it well, you won't be killed, and you can go back in and fight a Molerat for the watch. DON'T take it back to Cornelius himself as he'll think you're the thief — take it to Farell instead.

Note: If you don't kill the DeathClaw at Rose's Bed and Breakfast, it will eventually kill everyone there!

By now you should have:

• A Bomb or two
• Lots of XP
• Three good perks
• Combat Leather Jacket
• Lots of Jerky, Stimpaks, and Healing Powder
• The location of Vault City and Redding

Redding

Head far to the South to get to Redding. Take your Car, but if it runs out of energy feed it some Small Energy Cells or Micro Fusion Cells. When you get there, head to the Casino, the first building you see. Characters with high Gambling skills can make out, as well as those with high Steal and Barter skills. Go talk to the Mayor. He wants you to clear out the Wannamingo mines for him, and will sell you the deed, which you can then sell back when you've cleared them out.

The Wannamingo Mine

Go North to the Fightin' Molerats and the Mine. You can bet on the Molerat fights at noon, and perceptive characters or those with Empathy can make out here. The only vital place here is the Wannamingo Mine to the west, so go there.

There's some mutant Pig Rats here, as well as some tougher normal rats. Head east, then north to a manhole. Head down it to get to the mine. There's Wannamingos here, who use tentacle attacks and can cause radiation. Weak characters will get nowhere here, so make sure you have a good weapon and armor. Use shots to the Eyes for best results. Battle all the Wannamingos in every sector of the mine, and when you kill the Gray Wannamingo you'll have gotten them all. Head back to the Mayor, who will pay you twice what you paid for the deed, plus XP and Karma.

You should have the same things you had from Modoc and the Ghost Farm, plus some more XP and lots of Stimpaks.

Vault City, Vault 8, and Gecko

Hop in the car and head to Vault City, which is in the very northeast corner of the map. Explore the sectors around it to see Gecko, which is labeled Unknown. Explore the 8 squares around Gecko while you're at it — you'll use that info in a bit. Now head to Vault City and click the triangle.

Vault City is full of bigots, so you don't want to go in there directly right now. Instead, the arrow takes you to the courtyard, an area on the outside of the City itself. Head east and north until you see a tent. The woman inside wants you to find her husband, Joshua, for her. He was taken as a Servant for Vault City, so we'll have to have her wait for a second. Tell her you'll find him.

Nixon Doll and Cassidy

Northwest of that is a kid who wants you to find his Richard Nixon doll. The doll is near the bar, and it looks like a book. Save your game before talking to the kid, and try both conversation paths — it's hilarious how you get XP for both the good and evil paths! Now listen to the kid until he tells Nixon he wants to dig up his Daddy's wrench, then head up to the rocks near where you found the doll. Check the biggest lone rock for a Wrench. You'll need this in a second.

Head up to the Bar and chat with the bartender, Cassidy. You should be able to talk him into joining you if you have 8 Intelligence. He's a great character, and uses rifles, knives, spears, and brass knuckles. He's incredibly accurate and does tons of damage with a Gauss Rifle or Gauss Pistol. He has a Sawed-off Shotgun on him, which you should replace with the Combat Shotgun in Vault City. His main problems are that he goes through ammo like a vacuum, and if you give him any steroids he dies.

Head to the tent near the Bar and meet Pukin' Steve. Use Doctor on him, then give him Rad-Away, then another Rad-Away for a bunch of XP.

Getting Into Vault City

Head up north through the green grid. Getting into the city is a big chore. You have a few ways to get in:

• The stealthy way — Go into the nearby building on your right. Talk to the first guy there and he'll sell you fake Citizenship papers. Use these to enter the city and to buy items from the Amenities store.
• The diplomatic way — Go into said building, talk to the guy in the back, and talk him into giving you a Day Pass. However, you can't use the Amenities store this way.
• The thiefly way — Go at night, go into the building, lockpick the locker in the corner, and take a Day Pass. Once again, the store is closed to you until later.

For a funny scene, try the stealthy way first, then rat the guy out to the one in the back. He disappears after your chat.

When you have the papers or a Day Pass, talk to the guards. If you have a pass, they'll search you for alcohol and drugs — give those all to Sulik, Cassidy, or Vic as you'll need them later. If you have the papers, they'll just open the door.

Shopping and Side Quests in Vault City

You're now in main Vault City. Head east to Vault 8, which has guards in front of it. South of the Vault entrance is the main Amenities store. People with fake Citizenship papers can buy stuff here. Be sure to pick up a Combat Shotgun for Cassidy, Metal Armor MK2 for you, Leather Armor MK2 for Cassidy, a Magnum Revolver for Vic, and Metal Armor for Vic. Give the Combat Leather Jacket to Sulik.

Near the entrance to the main city is the Bar. Get your beer and booze back from your various NPCs and give 10 of each to the Bartender for XP, Cash, and Karma. Head north along the path to the branch Amenities offices for Stimpaks, RadAway, and RadX. If you see any Psycho, grab it at all costs — it raises general Damage Resistance, is cumulative, never addicts, and lasts a while. Be careful with the RadAway, as you can get addicted to it.

Head east to the Sheriff's place. He wants you to scout the 8 sectors around Gecko. You've already done that, so tell him for XP and Karma, plus a quest to scout a path to NCR. West is the Servant Allocation building — talk the guy into selling Joshua back to you.

Head north to the Citizen's Area. The only place of importance here is the big Council building. You can take the Citizenship test here — you always fail, even with 10 Intelligence.

In the lower-right room is First Citizen Lynette. Always save before talking to her, as she is a really big hypocrite. What you want is to convince her you came from Vault 13 to get on her good side. She gives you a useful quest to disable the Gecko power plant, or more accurately stop the spread of radiation into the groundwater.

Gecko

Go out of the city and up to Gecko. Head east to the Harp, where you can buy "Tragic" cards and play against people. If you buy the ghouls here enough beer, they glow in the dark.

Northwest of here is Harold's place. Talk to him, and he'll tell you he needs a Hydroelectric Magnetosphere Regulator. He says Vault City has one. Talk to the whitish ghoul in the other room — this is Lenny. If you give him a chance to join you, he'll do just that. He uses his fists, knives, or needler guns, and is very good with the Doctor skill.

North through the grid is another section of Gecko. The only important things here are a guy who wants a Super Tool Kit (which we'll get in a second) and a guy who wants you to deliver a disc of info to Vault City.

Valerie and the Regulator

Head back to Vault City. At the repair shop is a woman named Valerie, who is Vic's daughter. If you have Vic with you, they'll have a funny "moment." Talk to her and give her your Wrench from the Courtyard and the Pliers from The Den. You'll get some XP and Karma. Also convince her to love Vic again for more XP.

Head back up to the Council area and tell the guy in the far left room about Gecko's problem. He'll give you a pass for the Regulator. Get it from the Amenities office, then head back up to Gecko.

Go east from the first area to get to the Power Plant. Steal a Keycard from the guards inside to open the doors, and make your way to the northeast, where the robot and the big hole are. Use the computer, insert the Regulator, and enter the commands in the order the planets come in (Mercury before Venus, and so on). Save your game after finding the correct sequence, then tell it to install the Regulator.

Head back to Vault City and go to the council area. Tell the guy in the far-left room that you fixed Gecko's problem. He'll make you a Vault Citizen and give you XP and Karma. You can now enter the Vault, and you're no longer searched when you enter the city. You can also freely buy stuff from the Amenities store.

Vault 8

Head into Vault 8 from the first screen. Follow the hall and enter the Vault through the Vault door. Open the locker in the hall following the door, and get the stuff. Head right from the junction and talk to Sybil. Either gender should check the computer — those with high Doctor skill will find info on combat implants. Check the computer 30 times for a message about beating the game and what happens afterward, and check it 35 times for something funny.

Talk to the Doctor. He wants you to bring him Jet, which you should have. You get 1000 bucks plus XP and Karma. If you're poisoned, he'll give you the Vault City Inoculations perk, which adds to Poison and Radiation resistance. Good Doctors can get the Vault City Training perk, which adds to First Aid and Doctor.

Hop in the Elevator and go to floor 2. You're looking for a Voice Recognition Module, which you'll need in a while. Check the boxes for lots and lots of Water Chips — there's over 2000 in the assorted boxes, but they're only worth 5 bucks each.

On floor 3 you can loot the supply area with the lockers. Head over to the main computer and use it. You'll get the location of Vault 15, which is very far to the south. If you're perceptive, you'll notice a slot for your PipBoy — use it. It'll add a log to your notes. Come back here after you beat the game for a nice reward.

Go back to Valerie a game day or so after you've done this. She has 5 Super Tool Kits and will give you one. Go to Gecko and give it to the ghoul for a Fuel Cell Injector, which you need for the car if you have the new patch.

Back in the Courtyard, visit the Hospital. Go into the back and fix the Auto-Doc, and if you have any combat armor tell the doctor you want some combat implants. He'll do it for 5K bucks and your combat armor. You can then get that implant upgraded for 1 Charisma, 10K bucks, and another Combat Armor.

By now you need:

• The location of Vault 15
• A Voice Recognition Module
• Lenny (optional)
• Good Metal Armor
• Combat Shotguns for you and Cassidy
• Vault Citizenship
• The location of Broken Hills and New Reno
• A quest to kill some raiders

The Raiders' Camp

Straight south from Vault City is the Khans' camp. This is by far the simplest area in the game. Go on in, navigate the caves, and kill all the raiders at the camp. That's it. You'll get three different dog tags, which you should take back to the Vault City Sheriff for XP, Cash, and Karma. They also have nice weaponry and cash on the bodies.

Broken Hills

South of the Khans' Camp is Broken Hills, a mutant-human-ghoul city. When you come in your car, you'll run over a ghoul — don't worry about it, he's fine. Put away your weapons and tell your NPCs to do the same.

The Employment Area

Head south to the employment area. Here you can join a caravan and shovel Brahmin doo. Do the Doo enough times to become an Expert Excrement Expeditor, which is a perk that increases your Speech skill. You get 100 caps every time you shovel doo. The caravan jobs are worth a free trip to NCR or Vault City, plus 500 caps.

Marcus

Head down the main street until you meet a mutant. This is Marcus, whose voice is supplied by the guy who plays Lt. Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is a party member, but seeing as he's the sheriff of Broken Hills, he won't join you yet. He wants you to find out where the missing people here are going.

Head north from here to get to a General Store. The lady sells items — OK selection — but at night you can sneak into her basement and take all her guns.

Francis and the Mine

South of where Marcus was standing is the bar. You can buy drinks here, and arm wrestle Francis the mutant. If you win, you get a Power Fist. If you lose, you wake up in Francis' house with a Ball Gag. If you lose, search the nearby bookshelf for an Inflatable Sex Doll.

Head east to the mine area. The actual mine is up north, and the proprietor wants you to fix the air purifier. You can battle the Giant Ants inside if you'd like, but you can fix the purifier without a certain part for it. Note that you take 2-3 damage every few steps in there.

The Intelligent Radscorpion

In the southeast of the mine area is a scientist who has a Radscorpion. The scorpion is intelligent and will challenge you in some skill tests. If you have a stat you're particularly good at like Perception, challenge it in that.

Head north from the lab to find a talking Spore Plant that wants to be replanted. If you still have a shovel, use it on the plant to replant it. It'll teach you the Flying Liver Attack chess maneuver, which you should use on the scorpion. The scorpion attacks you if you do this, so kill it and take its glasses. Kill the plant after you've done this.

The Missing Townspeople

Look for a manhole in the mining area and head down it. Go northeast through the maze until you find a bunch of bodies. Examine them until you find one that has "been shot" before it was chewed. You'll get a note. Take the note to Francis for XP, Cash, and Karma. Make sure to kill all the ants down there too.

There's nothing left here, so leave.

New Reno, Golgotha, and the Stables

An interesting thing to note is that around New Reno are samurai guys wearing leather jackets. They use Wakazichi Blades and drop a bunch when killed. The blades themselves aren't great, but they ARE hard to find.

Head straight east from Broken Hills to get to New Reno. This place is really cool, and it's run by 4 crime families — the Bishops, Salvatores, Wrights, and Mordinos.

The Cat's Paw and Jules

The first building on the right is the Cat's Paw, a brothel. You can get a quest to find 10 Cat's Paw Magazines for Miss Kitty. Across from the Cat's Paw is a guy in a red shirt, Jules, who tells you about the assorted crime families. Make sure to talk to him about the Salvatores, who have Laser Pistols. He also tells you the location of Golgotha and the Stables, where Myron lives.

The Mordino Family

Head to the Desperado casino on Main Street. If you have good Gambling skill, you can rake in the cash here. Talk to Little Jesus (pronounced "Hey-Seuss"), who will tell you to talk to his dad upstairs. Go upstairs and make your way to the room in the middle. Big Jesus wants you to deliver a package to the Stables, in the north. Accept, go there, and deliver the package. Now Mordino wants you to get his money back from the Corsican Bros. They're in the next screen to the North, in the Golden Globes porn studio. Get Mordino's money and come back. Mordino then wants you to kill Salvatore — don't. You get XP, Cash, and Karma as a reward.

The Gym

Head to the screen with the Golden Globes studio. The first building on the right is the Gym, where you can box. Save before each fight as the game can glitch. If you fight The Masticator, when he hits you he might bite off your ear, which takes away 1 Charisma permanently. Aim for the groin/eyes/head for good hits.

The Salvatore Family

North of there is the Bishops' place. The important place is to the west — Salvatore's. Here you can meet Louis Salvatore, who wants you to get his money back from some dude named Lloyd. Lloyd is in Bishop's club and will take you to Golgotha to get it. He has a land mine in there — drop the mine on him, thus killing him, and take back Salvatore's money. Salvatore lets you keep half of it.

He then wants you to get some of his money back from Renesco the Rocketman. Renesco will want you to loan him the money in exchange for a discount at his store, which is worth 750 XP. Do that, and deliver it to Salvatore.

Salvatore gives you a free Laser Pistol, and you can ask Mason how it works for a free Energy Weapons boost.

The Wright Family

Go northeast out the exit grid. To the south, Family Wright lives. Wright wants you to find out who's been doping up his son. He suspects it's Lil' Jesus Mordino. Just finger Lil' Jesus.

Now Wright wants you to go to the Sierra Army Depot and scout it.

Note: At some point your car will be stolen! Follow the tracks to get to a chop shop. Females can deal with T-Ray diplomatically for the car, but males have to pay or kill him. He also increased the capacity of the trunk for you. He'll also sell you some fuel for it.

You should have by now:

• A Laser Pistol
• OK Energy Weapons skill
• At least 15,000 caps
• Some Small Energy Cells
• The location of the Sierra Army Depot, the Stables, and Golgotha

The Sierra Army Depot

Northwest of New Reno is the Sierra Army Depot. Your first challenge is even getting in — turrets surround the area and fire viciously at anyone that gets near. The place is littered with bodies of people who've tried before. The best you'll find looting those bodies is some 5MM JHP.

The Exterior

Battle the turrets and break them down. Go through the gate and head to the left to find a room with a Howitzer and a shell for it. Fire the Howitzer at the wall to blow open the door, and go on in. Characters with good Science skill are rewarded here, as there are many computers. Use the first one you see to disable the forcefields — without them you would have died.

Floor 4 — The Cryogenic Soldier

Go to the elevator and head straight down to floor 4. Go over to the main computer and release the soldier from Cryo-freezing. He'll run out the door after a short chat and die messily of Cryogenic Death Syndrome. Loot his melted body for the Red Ryder LE BB Gun. It does 15 damage no matter what, is very accurate, and has a long range. It has a large magazine, but ammo is rare and heavy.

Getting the Cybernetic Brain

Save the game and try to get a brain. If you have good Science skill, you'll be able to get a Cybernetic Brain, which is the one you need. Get it, then head up to floor 1 again. Go to the operating room near the exit and get two cases of Biogel and Prv. Dixon's eye. You can use the eyeball on the non-service elevators. Hang on to the Biogel.

Floor 2 — Security Bots

Head down to floor 2, where you'll see lots of baby security bots lined up in a row. Take out your favorite burst mode weapon or explosive and go insane on them — they won't fight back! Head through the electric-floored hall to get to a place with a broken Nuka-Cola machine. On the floor is a cookie you can eat for a free AP (temporary only).

Floor 3 — Skynet

Go to floor 3. Talk to the central computer and tell it that you'll get it a body. Save your game, then add the Cybernetic Brain and the Biogel to the broken robot down the hall. Tell it to initialize, and Skynet joins the party. He has high Science skill and uses heavy shotguns and rifles (not pistols). He can completely disable the forcefields here too. Once you've gotten him, head back to New Reno after killing all the robots and looting the place.

New Reno Revisited

Made Man of Family Wright

Head over to the Wrights and tell him you did it. Wright will make you a Made Man of Family Wright. Pick a name, and you'll get the "Wright" to buy special stuff from the Gun Shop and to get you and your human party members screwed for free at the Cat's Paw. Made Man is a Perk that increases your rep in New Reno and with underworlders.

New Reno Arms and Algernon

Head to New Reno Arms, in the north of the west side of New Reno. You can buy the Bozar and Minigun here. At night, sneak into the back room to meet Algernon. Algernon will upgrade most all of the upgradable weapons, like the Flamer, Plasma Rifle, and Laser Pistol. Make sure to unload them first, because he gives you a free magazine with each upgrade as long as the gun is empty.

Father Tully's Church

South of New Reno Arms is the Church. Father Tully will divorce you here if you got married back in Modoc, and he has a present for you if you beat the game.

Leave and head south to Vault 15 and NCR.

Vault 15 and the New California Republic

Head straight south from New Reno to get to the New California Republic (NCR for short). This place is EXTREMELY glitchy, and some quests have no solution at all, so don't be discouraged.

Exploring NCR

Head north from the start to find a tent and some guys in Combat Armor protecting it. Steal from them to get one of the game's rarest weapons, the Bozar. It's a burst-fire only weapon that uses 15MM rounds and does a ton of damage.

Head south. You'll find a bum who'll guard your car for five bucks — he starts singing humorously later, so hang around if you wanna hear it. East of here is a small junkyard. Look around for a guy in a purple robe — he offers to put a fuel blower on your car for 1000 caps. Say yes and rest for an hour. It'll be done by then. The fuel blower increases the car's fuel efficiency.

Head southeast from the start to find the base of the heroic New California Rangers. They want you to go kill the slavers. Do that then come back for some cash, a code ring, and some good karma.

Jack the Policeman XP Exploit

Head north to see a girl and her robot. She wants you to save the building she's in front of. Go on in. Jack the Policeman is inside. Provoke him at the start, then slowly ease off until he gives it up. Save your game beforehand to exploit poor Jack. Let Jack die — insult him or whatever so he kills himself and damages the reactor he was in front of. Now the girl runs in, orders you to fix the reactor, and whines about Jack dying. Fix the reactor — you'll get a couple books and 3000 XP. Now fix it again. Guess what? Another couple of books and 3000 XP. Lather, rinse, repeat. It'll work every time.

Tandi and President Tandi

South of here in a new area is a statue of the Vault Dweller from Fallout 1 and the NCR Town Hall. Tandi from Fallout 1 wants you to go and offer to help the squatters at Vault 15, which is east of NCR. As you leave, steal the pass from Tandi's butler.

Vault 15

Leave NCR and head to Vault 15. This is the same Vault from Fallout 1, only there are now some squatters living nearby. The squatters don't like strangers and tell you to leave. Don't. Instead, head up to the vault. Go in, kill the aggressor, and save the girl being attacked. Bring her back to her mom in the squatter's village — now the villagers will like you. This is a good thing, since Tandi wants you to convince the squatters that NCR will help them.

Now that you got the key, go on into the vault. You can do it the stealthy way (tell the guards you're new and head down to the third floor to fight the boss) or the brute force way (kill everyone on every single floor). Either way, while you're down on the third floor, use the Boss's computer. You'll finally find out where Vault 13 is!

Head back to the squatters after you kill the boss. They'll agree to join with NCR. Head back to NCR, and Tandi will pay you in cash.

By now, you should have:

• Level 15 or better
• 5 good perks, or 3 with Skilled — Pack Rat is a good one, as is Awareness

Before You Go: Recommended Gear

• The Empathy perk
• Lots of cash
• Lots of XP
• A Bozar, Laser Rifle, Minigun, or similar weapon (depending on your skill)
• Lockpicks — or Improved Lockpicks if you can get them
• Combat Armor or better
• The location of Vault 13

3.12 Vault 13

Vault 13 is west of NCR, if I remember correctly. Go there.

OH NO! There's Deathclaws in the Vault! I'm sure you've tussled with a Deathclaw or two before. They're tough creatures, with lots of HP and attack power. Wait a second! These Deathclaws want to talk! The "leader" Gunther wants you to fix the voice-controlled computer in the third floor. This is no problem at all, and you'll LIKE the reward 😊

Go down there, chatting with anyone you wish (of particular interest is the shrine to the original Vault Dweller on the second floor). At the third floor head south, then west into the room. The hooded...thing...there wants to join you to see the world. Agree, and you'll get to see what's under that hood during your first fight. Goris does lots of damage using a claw attack, but can't equip armor except that robe, which is just a graphical representation.

Head east at the junction you just passed to eventually find the computer. Fix it using that Voice Recognition Module from Vault City. Head back up to Gunther and you'll get (Drumroll): A GECK!!!!!! Yay! You also get a few hundred thousand XP for it, enough to shoot my guy up a couple levels.

Now go back down and check the locker room (it's in the same place as in Vault 8). YOU NEED THE NAVCOM PARTS THERE! SUPER IMPORTANT! GET 'EM!

Now head back to Arroyo, with tales of Glory and Victory. However, if you check your Karma screen, Arroyo is no longer listed... When you get there (Hint: use the car 😊, you'll see why. The Enclave came and destroyed Arroyo, killed most of the warriors, and kidnapped everyone else. Ugh. Isn't it ironic, dontcha think?

That's all that's really important in Vault 13. Don't forget to loot the place.

By Now You Should Have

• Level 20 or above
• A good weapon in whatever skill you use
• Lots of Super Stimpaks
• YOU NEED THOSE NAVCOM PARTS!
• Any good armor — you won't need it much longer...
• You DON'T have the next location yet, nor will anyone tell you where it is, so you'll just have to trust me 😊

3.13 The Military Base

Head west from Vault 13, and eventually you'll come along a circle labeled "Unknown". This is your next destination, the Military Base from Fallout 1. This place is completely optional, and there's nothing you absolutely need to do here. However, you can get very nice items here, like Power Armor.

To begin with, go northeast and into the shack. Get the Dynamite, then head south and get the Pole. Use the pole on the cart, then use the dynamite on the pole. Push the cart, and it'll blow up and destroy the rubble in front of the entrance. Make sure none of your party members are close to the explosion, BTW...

Inside here, you'll need either Vic or a good Repair skill. Head northwest and get the holodisc from the dead Enclave trooper. Read it if you want, then follow the path to the west. You'll eventually come across a generator. Turn it on, and you'll now be able to use the elevator that's north of this. Note that you should be looting everything that you want for later.

Head down to the second floor. Now either sneak around, or ready your best weapon, preferably one with burst-fire, as this is the hardest group fight that doesn't involve the Enclave. Head east, and for cat's sake BE CAREFUL! That room to the south with all the bunk beds is full of Super Mutants! They have Flamers and Power Fists too, so they'll be tough. If you feel you're ready for that, save the game and go ahead. Note that after about 5 turns reinforcements for the Mutants will arrive from the other rooms, so be ready for them too. After searching around for a while, in a room to the south of the elevator, you'll find what we came here for in the first place: A new shiny suit of POWER ARMOR! This is useful, as it has a Normal Damage Threshold of 14, which is quite a lot.

Feel free to look around the third floor. It's full of Super Mutants, and, you guessed it, Super Duper Mutants! Yes really, I'm not kidding, Super Duper Mutants! The HP count here is probably off the scale, way up into the 50 thousands, so make sure you have a REALLY GOOD weapon. There's one more elevator here, down into the fourth floor, which wasn't in Fallout 1. There's a mutant here that'll sic Deathclaws and Fire Geckos on you. Fire Geckos breathe fire and have huge defense. I don't recommend going down here, as my level 50 guy was easily slain by the huge number of monsters.

By Now You Should Have

• Level 24 or above
• 8 or 6 good perks, depending on your traits (Slayer and Sniper are always good)
• Lots of money — you'll NEED it in a bit
• Power Armor
• If you've been talking to people in the various areas, you'll have the location of San Francisco. Otherwise, trust me — that's the next area.

3.14 San Francisco

San Francisco is way, way, way to the west — it's practically on the coastline. Be careful traveling there, and don't get trapped on the outcroppings of land near the sea. Be careful if you go west from the Military Base, as you can end up fighting floaters, deathclaws, centaurs, or aliens — the hardest non-Enclave enemies in the game.

When you finally get there, the first thing you'll probably notice is that it does NOT look like San Francisco circa 2000. In fact, it looks incredibly Chinese. Go ahead north, and you'll find a ring. There's two karate dudes here, named Lo Wang and The Dragon. The Dragon is good; Lo Wang is bad. Each wants you to fight for them and help defeat the other. You can challenge each to a fight for skill or to the death. Pick one, and get to punchin'! You need extremely high Unarmed skill to do well here, and you also need a good Melee Damage derived stat. Be careful if you fight Lo Wang, as he brings a 5MM pistol to the fight 😊 This thing hurts big time, since you can't wear armor when you fight. Ouch. Punch people in the groin/eyes for good hits.

After you're done fighting, head west. You'll eventually find a Brotherhood of Steel outpost. By now you've probably seen these in the Den and NCR. This one, however, has a guy standing in front of it that does something other than deny you access. He wants you to go over to Navarro and steal some Vertibird plans. I usually go to Navarro now since the quests with the cults are dangerous and can get you loathed in town.

3.15 Navarro

Navarro is to the north of San Francisco, and is rather small. Before we enter, I've gotta "brief" you on what's going to happen here.

Hakunin has probably told you about Navarro already. Navarro is a military base for the Enclave, populated mostly by guys with high-powered energy weapons in power armor that can decimate you easily. Thus, the one way to do it fighting is to take it a part at a time. If you got the quest from Matt (the Brotherhood of Steel guy in San Francisco), you'll have the option to pretend that you're a new recruit.

Oh yeah, and BE CAREFUL around here. You can encounter Enclave patrols here, which consist of four or five guys/gals in Advanced Power Armor wielding Plasma Pistols and YK32 Pulse Rifles. It's tough, so be careful. If you manage to kill one, you can steal all their stuff. Try to get a Plasma Weapon or a Pulse Rifle. Vibroblades work too. If you're really lucky one will drop a Gauss Pistol (you'll tell if they have one by the VWOOP-SHWOOM! sound it makes — the noise is very distinctive), which naturally pierces armor. Make sure to collect lots of EC Cartridges if you're gonna use it, as those are the most expensive ammo in the game.

Getting Into Navarro

To begin with, you'll be in a gas station, in front of a guy in a purple robe. He'll chat with you — ask him if this is Navarro. He'll say it's not. Kill the lying scum on the spot after you say you'll leave. Steal his radio if you'd like, and head to the shack north of where you started. Lockpick the door, or blow it up with a bomb, and use the trapdoor. (BTW, if you want to meet the guy on the box art and title screen, head north instead. He'll chat with you — well actually order you to leave — but he does look and sound REALLY cool. Oh yeah, be careful as this place is mined!)

You're in the real Navarro now, and no one's on alert for you yet. Carefully sneak down the hall, and take out the enemies at the crossroads as quickly as possible. When they're gone, head south and take out the guy in Advanced Power Armor there (Very tough, as APA is the second-best armor in the game!). Aim for the eyes, and use AP rounds or a Plasma Gun. I guess you can consider this guy a "mini-boss".

The Navarro Storeroom

When you beat him, head into the room he was guarding. Your eyes will light up with delight, since this is Navarro's storeroom!!! Steal the Minigun (!), Micro Fusion Cells (!!), Plasma Rifle (!!!), and Advanced Power Armor (!!!!!!!!). The Advanced Power Armor is great, as it pretty much reduces physical attacks (except from Vibroblades) to nothing, due to its high Normal Damage Threshold. The Plasma Rifle will be your trusty pal throughout the endgame (actually that or a Gauss Rifle...), and melts enemies on the finishing blow 😊.

Getting the Tanker Fob

Head east from the storeroom, then northeast to the commander's room. Kill her, then take the Tanker Fob in the locker. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU NEED THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearing the Base

After you're done laughing maniacally from the Fob and the weapons/armor, leave your party members in the storeroom (yes, really!), and head outside (not outside as in to the Gas Station, but out of the storeroom 😊. People will rush to attack you, but thanks to your new weapons you can easily melt or burn them all, especially the puny scientists. These people often drop Plasma Rifles or Laser Pistols, so collect 'em all 😊

Also make sure to head down to the lab and speak with the cyberdog there — it'll join you later. Its name is K9, and it needs a new motivator. Note that this only works if you kill the scientist it belonged to, but he's probably hanging around the lab anyway and will attack you with a Laser Pistol on sight. He falls easily to two Plasma blasts to the groin 😊

That's basically all you do here. Blast people, take items, get the Vertibird plans that are topside, use the motivator you also find topside to fix the dog.

Alternate Approach — Submitted by Ari Iskandler Krohn Berle

Hello katman. I have entered Navarro base for the Brotherhood of Steel. What happened was: You must tell your party members to wait in San Fran. Then you'll have to walk to Navarro.
When you are in Navarro, you will ask the guy in purple suit: "What is this place?" When he says it is a gas station, you'll tell him the "get in a fight answer" (I don't remember what the answer is, just tell him the answer which isn't nice!). Then you'll ask him which way is the easiest down to the base. He will tell you that it is the trapdoor behind the door. Then he will be trying to alert the base. Your guy will say that you will have to kill the guy before he alerts the whole base.
Kill him, remove your weapons, and go to the storage room and talk to the guy in Advanced Power Armor. He will tell you to go into the lockers and get into your suit. Now talk to everybody, then when you feel for it, eliminate the WHOLE base.
With the Advanced Power Armor and a Pulse Rifle, Laser Rifle, and a Gauss Gun with a LOT of ammo, I eliminated absolutely everybody VERY VERY VERY easily, except the cook — he is a very nice guy when you gets to know him. (But watch out for the plasma turrets: I had 10 action points. So I stood behind walls, doors, etc., and took 1 step forth so my aim wasn't blocked. Then I took one step back, reloaded, and gave the turret his turn. But the turret's aim is blocked because you took 1 step back. So he'll give you your turn. You'll just continue this until he dies, then move on to the next turret and so on.)
— Thanks Ari.

By Now You Should Have

• K9 (if you wanted him — he's not great)
• THE VERTIBIRD PLANS! YOU NEED THOSE!!!!!
• THE TANKER FOB! IF YOU HAVE TO DROP THE VERTIBIRD PLANS TO GET THIS, GO AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• A new Plasma Rifle
• Lots of Micro Fusion Cells to feed said rifle
• Advanced Power Armor, which makes you look cool
• At the very, very least, level 27. We're almost to the end!

Oh yeah, go over to New Reno and visit Algernon. He can upgrade that Plasma Rifle. Unload it though — see the "Glitches" section.

3.16 San Francisco Revisited

OK. Head back to San Francisco and deliver the Vertibird plans to Matt. You'll probably get enough XP to boost a level, and the right to enter all those Brotherhood of Steel outposts. (I'm sure you've seen them — there's one in the Den and one in NCR.) This one, however, is the only one with anything useful.

REALLY useful, as it turns out. This is possibly the best place in either game for info on what caused the War (Artificially intelligent machines were bored, so they screwed around with people, eventually leading to the War). Also, you actually MEET one of these machines down here — he's the one that tells you this. This machine will offer to PERMANENTLY raise one of your stats, so long as you have the corresponding Memory Module. There was one in Vault 13 and one in the Military Base. There's one more, but I don't know where it is.

Check the lockers here as well for a few items. There's new armor here too — Brotherhood Combat Armor. You already have something better though, and likely so do all your party members. It sells for a bit though!

Preparations for the Final Stretch

• A Turbo Plasma Rifle OR Gauss Rifle OR Vindicator Minigun
• Advanced Power Armor
• At least 30 (!) Super Stimpaks (maybe 20 if you have high Intelligence and Science skill)
• A Plastic Explosive or Dynamite
• A saved game right here
• NO PARTY MEMBERS! THIS IS REALLLLLLY IMPORTANT! LEAVE 'EM HERE! The game's Final Boss has a nasty gatling gun weapon that WILL mutilate ANY party member in one shot. Since if they die, you don't get them back, leave them. You get some new allies there anyway, but they don't permanently join you.
• The Tanker Fob and Navcom Parts
• A very good Lockpick Skill (at the very least 200%!)
• At least 10 combined of Beers, Boozes, or Rotguts (Yes, you'll need those, and not just to drink when you're done...)
• A large can/glass of your beverage of choice (Sprite, here...) in real life
• A bag of chips and some dip. Just don't spill any on my keyboard, fools! HA HA HA!

The Oil Tanker

Head North to the Oil Tanker. The second-best shops in the game are here. Buy an Advanced Lockpick Set, and an Electronic Lockpick MK II — you'll need them. Head downstairs (the stairs are kinda hard to find, keep looking!), and kill the aliens there. They should be easy. You'll find what looks like a Vault Door here. Use the Fob on the Control Panel. Go in and use the Navcom Parts on the computer. Use the computer to set the location back to normal.

Go to the second floor (upstairs twice, duh!), and save your game. Use the computer there, tell it to go, and watch the awesome cinema. You'll be at the last part of the game: The Oil Rig.

3.17 The Oil Rig

First of all, never ever ever ever take off your armor here until you change to Advanced Power Armor MK. II. Otherwise you'll have the entire Enclave trying to shove bullets into your throat all at once.

Go inside from the first screen, then southeast. Use the computer there. The higher your Science skill and Intelligence, the more info you'll be able to milk out of it. It's just filler though. Head southeast again. You'll get to the holding chambers. Loot the place, then head southeast further. You'll find your Elder — old Hillary Clinton again! She'll babble on and on (try calling her a b****), and then order you to save her, your villagers, and the people of Vault 13. The Enclave has been using them to test a deadly version of the FEV Virus (the stuff that made all those Super and Super Duper Mutants at the Military Base).

The Super Annoying Laser Grid

Keep going south. You'll get to the official Super Annoying Laser Grid Zap-'Em-Up Puzzle (TM). Actually, it's only annoying if you have low lockpick skill. Use your Electronic Lockpicks and crack open the doors. Note that if you fail, you'll get a 50HP (OUCH!) shock, so be careful. First head to the center, then head southwest. There you'll find a few boxes with loot, including:

• EC Cartridges (Gauss Gun ammo!)
• Advanced Power Armor MK2 (!!!) (Not a huge leap from MK1, but a little is better than nothing)
• A Gauss Rifle (get it to sell for when you get back to dry land)
• A Vindicator Minigun (too heavy)
• A Gatling Laser (really cool, and really heavy)
• Lots of Micro Fusion Cells and Minigun Ammo

Go back to the center when you're done and head the opposite way. The only thing of note is the other GECK there...

Head south from the center and climb the stairs.

The FEV Lab

Here's where you get the massive branching paths. To do it the simplest way, go northwest to the lab. Go in and threaten the scientist into releasing the FEV Virus (basically, you tell him that maybe the people on the mainland are a new kind of human, instead of mutants — the Empathy perk helps here). Now go and find another set of steps down. By now everyone not wearing Advanced Power Armor or Power Armor is dying messily. Everyone here ignores you when you wear APA anyway.

Bombing the Reactor

You'll find a reactor here. Bomb it with the bomb I'M SURE YOU REMEMBERED! If you didn't bring one, you're screwed. You've got a time limit now, but it's quite a while, so don't worry. Now run alllll the way back to the start, where you will fight the game's final boss: Frank Horrigan.

Fighting Frank Horrigan

Frank Horrigan is, well, hard. He has a huge "End Boss Gun" that blasts you for about 51 damage each time, and when that's done he pulls out an "End Boss Knife" (a big fork...) and stabs you for about 60 damage. Both those numbers are with APA MKII. And he has 999 HP (no, I'm not exaggerating). And there are turrets that ALSO shoot you WHILE he shoots you.

Your only real hope is to run in close, then give him lots and lots of Beer (the old six-pack trick always works!). He won't be able to aim that way. That really helps. This is the hardest method though, as there are ways to make it easier.

First of all, there's an alternate way to go in the first screen near Franky. Use it, and eventually after going through another room you'll meet an Enclave sarge and his soldiers. Convince Sarge into joining you ("Follow me or you'll die messily in the explosion" is the general drift — Empathy helps here too). They'll help battle Frank.

The President

If you're still having trouble, or want to see more of the story, go to the second screen after the Super Annoying Laser Grid, then to the northernmost section. There you'll meet — and no I'm not kidding — the self-proclaimed President of the United States of America, who apparently thinks you are a mutant since you live on the mainland US. Save the game, then kill him. Anything will do, though I prefer the Gauss blast through the eyes. Take his Presidential Key (looks like a luggage tag! 😊, then run like hell for the exit.

Since you killed the President, the entire Secret Service is out to kill you. Run, run, run, all the way back to the first screen. Save the game again (preferably in a different slot), and put the key into the computer there. Then you will be presented with several options, the most important of which is making all those annoying guns in the area shoot Frank and not you. This does approximately .0000000001 damage to him, but at least they're not shooting you.

Endings

When you beat him, you'll get your endings. These are different depending on which quests you've finished and how you've finished them. No, I'm not going to list them all, because that would take too long.

Post-Game

After the credits, you are deposited outside the tanker on the bridge leading to it. The tanker's back, so go and get your party from wherever you left 'em. You're not quite done yet. Head to New Reno, have fun chatting with people (they say different things), and go talk to Father Tully for the Fallout 2 Hint Book. I cannot possibly describe the greatness of this item in words, but I'll try: gain a level every time you use it, 300% to all skills every time you use it, 100000 XP every time you use it, and it never ever runs out.

Now go to Vault City. Talk to First Citizen Lynette. She'll say some new stuff. Kill her, because she's annoying (remember, you're invincible 😊. Then kill the rest of Vault City as well, because they're telepathic. First, however, go sell all your party members into slavery. Watch your Karma plummet. After you're done massacring the City, go into the Vault. The big mainframe on the bottom floor will let you insert your PipBoy into a slot, and will give you a new file. Read it, then go to the computer it directs you to. It'll give you a couple bajillion XP.

Now go and kill everyone in every village/town everywhere. Laugh as they melt away. Then, when you've got -500 Karma (the Karmic title is "Demon Spawn", BTW), the Bounty Hunters will start attacking everywhere you go. These guys won't even present a challenge, since you're invincible, remember!?

Oh yeah, you can date Miss Kitty in New Reno, assuming you don't kill her. It's a sucky prize, I know.

Well, delete the game from the HD, kick back in your chair, and relax. You're done with Fallout 2!

By Now You Should Have

• Erased the game from your HD
• Gone out and bought Brave Fencer Musashi or The Sims
• Been playing those instead (This is a pretty freakin' old game 😊

4. Hints and Tips

A bunch of these are borrowed from Seather's Fallout 2 Fansite, which is quite possibly the best out there. He's obviously spent a long time on it — go check it at http://members.xoom.com/seather/. It's kewl, and has stuff for Delta Force 2 if that's your thing. Credit will be given where credit is due, so any that are taken from different people are going to be placed under the Credits section.

Special Encounters

All special encounters are completely random, but are easier to find with high Outdoorsman skill, Luck, and the Ranger and Scout perks. They appear as a text box with the description listed in it — select YES to enter. Special encounters are unique due to the ring around the lightning bolt when you find one.

The Cafe of Broken Dreams

This is a cafe in the middle of nowhere, full of hero models from Fallout 1. Also, Dogmeat from Fallout 1 is here, and if you remove your armor he'll join you! He's kinda crummy though. Try shooting Dogmeat before he joins you also...

A Crashed Federation Shuttle

There's nothing here but said shuttle and a couple of bodies. Check the bodies for 3 Hypos, which heal about the same amount as a Super Stimpak, without the HP lowering properties of same. That's all that's here.

A Guardian Portal

Go through the giant stone ring to get to Vault 13. Only now, it's 13 years ago — during the time of Fallout 1! Don't touch the computers till you're ready to leave, since when you do you'll break the Water Chip, thus teleporting you back and verifying your own birth, which is worth a few thousand XP. Make sure you pick up the Solar Scorcher lying on the floor here. It does pretty good damage and never runs out of ammo (you have to reload it though, and you can't during the night...). After looting the place, head back by breaking said computer.

The Unwashed Villagers Hunting a Spammer

Well, the name says it all. Go and watch the lynching if you want, but since lynching is bad, what I do is kill every last one of them, up to and including the spammer. They have lots of good stuff on them, and there's also a couple Stimpaks in the locker nearby.

A Tin Woodsman

This location disappears when you're done with it. All that's there is a tin woodsman that looks strangely like a guy in Advanced Power Armor 😊 Go get the oil from a nearby hut, and use it on him. He'll thank you with a few Micro Fusion Cells, and you get to keep the oil can 😊

Unknown (Toxic Waste)

This one is DEADLY. When you get there, you instantly fall into the middle of a giant toxic waste dump! This makes you severely radiated, and there are also some deadly Fire Geckos and Deathclaws around! This usually only comes up if you have less than 4 Luck.

Bridge of Death

This is from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There's a guard wearing purple in front of the bridge. Answer the first two questions however you wish. However, he'll make the next one rather difficult. If you answer incorrectly he'll blow you to smithereens. The correct thing to do is ask him a question back (usually the last choice on the third question). This makes him blow up, and you get to steal his robes — these protect you about as much as Combat Armor, but you can't dismantle it for combat implants. If you attack him, BTW, he sics a Mad Brahmin on you, and if you kill that he sics another one, and another one, and another one...

King Arthur and His Knights

These are actually a bunch of guys in Power Armor, and Sir Robin's minstrel 😊 They want you to tell them where the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch is 😊 Just give them some phony direction, and they'll give you a laser gun for it 😊 Or you can just kill them all and take the stuff for yourself 😊 😊

Unknown (Pariah Dog)

If you have really low luck, you might stumble upon a bunch of dead farmers and a dead deathclaw. There's a dog nearby, and it joins your party. However, in an ironic twist, this is a BAD thing, since the dog has about 500 HP, runs away from any fight (even if you try to kill it), reduces your luck to 2, and gives you the Jinxed trait, even if you already have two! It IS possible to kill it and get your stats and traits back, but it takes a lot of ammo and time. The dog is either called the Bad Luck Dog or Pariah Dog.

A Herd of Brahmin

Just a bunch of usual Brahmin. Or are they... Actually, these Brahmin are of a rare breed — the Mad Brahmin. They blow themselves up REAL good. Don't touch them, and run away as soon as possible if you see one...

General Hints

• Sometimes when you fight near a mountain, you'll see a cave. You can actually go into the cave, and there's usually some weak Deathclaws or other enemies. Sometimes, however, there's some "Robbers" wearing Power Armor. They have good stuff, but they're kinda tough to kill, so be careful.
• You can steal things onto someone, such as bombs that are ready to explode or such. This is a good way of weakening someone before a fight.
• If you click on someone and hold down the button, then select the backpack, you can use an item on them. Fun things to do with this include:
  • Using Beer on the final boss (makes him a LOT easier to kill)
  • Using a drug on Cassidy (kills him)
  • Using Jet on someone (lots of it will eventually kill them!)
  • Using Super Stimpaks on someone could eventually slay them, but it's really not worth it compared to the above tricks
  • Using the poison from NCR on someone (just gives them one or two poison counters)
  • Reading a book to a party member
  • Feeding a party member Beef Jerky or such (it's more realistic...)
• Should you find a merchant fighting bandits as a random encounter, and you're just starting out, run over and kill the head merchant, take the goodies, then run away! If you feel brave, you can loot the bodies from the fight too!
• Eye shots do the most damage. Groin shots can knock someone out. Non-targeted shots are aimed at the torso. Leg shots can also knock someone out.
• You don't actually have to do anything but get the NavCom Parts and Tanker Fob, then sail to the Enclave and kick their butts. However, since the entire game is one big side-quest, the enemies at the Enclave are ridiculously hard 😊

Glitches

The Car Glitch

Possibly the most-encountered glitch. What happens is that the front half of your car stays where you parked it, and the back half disappears. Then, when you visit a new location, the back half is there in a certain spot (near the lower-left corner), and never goes away. Even in random battles, the trunk of the car is in the lower-left corner of the map. To cure it, get back in the car if you see it happen.

The Other Car Glitch

This occurs when you run out of fuel while driving. Sometimes the car disappears altogether, and you never get it back. If this happens, go to a town — the car will appear, but still "Outta Power".

The Outdoorsman Smiley Trick

After you save Smiley, you can keep asking him about the "Lore of the Gecko" and getting 3% Outdoorsman every time, for free! This is cool, since 300% Outdoorsman and the Car will usually prevent you from fighting without a choice ever again.

The Instant Ammo Trick

Go to Algernon with an empty clip in a weapon that can be upgraded, get him to upgrade that weapon, and wow — there's a magically full clip! Free Micro Fusion Cells with a Plasma Rifle!

The Super Cool Free Stats Trick

Go get irradiated. Really, really irradiated (in the game, not in real life, shmuck!). Now sleep it off. Take 2 RadAway and sleep it off. It'll take a while, but you'll finally become Superman/girl/whatever. Your stats will be, well, immense. This is "fixed" by the patch.

The Humongous Glitch

Sean Teoh and a few other people have reported freezing when using the Humongous installation. I've never seen this, though.

Trainer Tricks

The Falche Fallout 2 Editor can produce all kinds of funny situations. I don't use trainers, and generally don't cheat, however, so you'll have to look elsewhere. Go check Seather's site.

5. Conclusion

I hope you liked this Fallout 2 FAQ. I enjoyed making it, especially 'cause it got published on 4 SITES!! HA HA HA! If you want to talk to me or ask questions or something, my E-mail is [email protected]. The name's Katman, if you couldn't tell. (Note: Oh yeah, it's 9 sites now! Whoo hoo!)

6. Useless Items List

• Lighter (No, you can't set things on fire!)
• Condoms
• Motor (A certain one — you'll know it when you see it!)
• Makeup
• Necklace (Though I've heard it's used in NCR...)
• Water Flask (Not Vic's — the other ones)
• Water Chip (Though they're worth 5 bucks!)
• Radio (Though they might have some undiscovered use... Ironically, Vic's Radio is once again the only useful one)

7. Credits / People I Don't Like

I, the great Cory Garett Galliher, better known as Katman, created this document out of the goodness of my heart. If you wish to place it on your website, ask me first. Give me the address too, since I like looking at Fallout 2 websites. If you place it on your site without asking, and I see it, you are SOOOOO DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Thanks Sean Teoh, for lots of useless items (actually, he sent them all!)
• Thanks to Ari Iskandler Krohn Berle, for some stuff about Navarro.
• I don't like whoever's working on translating Pokémon Gold/Silver. HURRY IT UP ALREADY!
• I don't like whoever started pronouncing Pokémon as "Pokey-man". It's "poh-KAY-mon"!
• I don't like whoever put that corny rock music in Messiah.
• I don't like Seather. Just kidding, Seather's cool. 😉
• I don't like Sean Teoh either. Just kidding again, Sean's cool too. 😊
• I DO like people that send me letters! Keep the mail coming!
• I don't like Microsoft, for making Windows 98. The stupid machine makes my Insert key come on for no reason!
• I DO like Microsoft, for the Undo command.

8. Katman's Next / Other Projects

I've written a Sanity: Aiken's Artifact and a Sacrifice FAQ in the past year or so. Read 'em, KatKateers!

An FAQ for Dragon Warrior Monsters is in the works too. An FAQ for Azure Dreams GBC too — that game's cool! I'm also going to write a Chocobo's Dungeon 2 FAQ instead of a Pokémon Silver FAQ, since Donphan already wrote the best Silver FAQ available.

Also I wrote a Xenogears FAQ — only problem is that GameFAQs didn't care for it. So you need to go to vgstrategies.about.com to read it.

I've made a beta version of my epic RPG "Tale of the Sword" (OH COME ON, THE NAME'S NOT THAT BAD! STOP WITH THE TOMATOES!!!!). If you'd like to try it, just ask. I've only got the first two islands done though, and the humor is kinda stale, and it has bugs, and no music or SFX, and the graphics are bad... It's still kinda fun though! (Note: Whoo hoo! Ari has decided to help me with the music for Tale of the Sword. All I need is an SFX and Graphics person and I'm IN DA HOUSE!)

9. Links

• GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) — If you're reading this, then you probably got it from here. It's devoted to FAQs and is run by CJayC. This is by far the best site to check if you need reviews, strategy guides, or the like.
• GameIAQs (come.to/gameiaqs) — Like a reverse version of the above. It's really funny, but hasn't been updated in a long, long time. An IAQ is an FAQ for a fake game, and a FWAK is a fake FAQ for a real game.
• Seather's Fallout 2 Fansite (http://members.xoom.com/seather/) — The best Fallout 2 site I've ever seen. Well-made, often updated, more than 15 different sections. Also has stuff on Delta Force 2.
• VGStrategies (vgstrategies.about.com) — A good site, run by Al Armaloo. The only site that carries Katman's Xenogears FAQ.
• RPG Classics (www.rpgclassics.com) — A site carrying my FAQ. Apparently it's run by Mazrim Taim.
• The Cheat Empire (home.planetinternet.be/~twuyts) — Another Katman FAQ-carrying site. Run by Tim Wuyts.

10. Things I Need From You

1. Letters! I need more E-mail, with questions, comments, I LOVE YOU viruses, and insults!
2. An artist for my game Tale of the Sword. Write me for more info. You will be acknowledged.
3. Good Fallout 2 links, and the reason why they're good.
4. Good "General" gaming links, and the reason why.
5. A musician for my game Tale of the Sword. Once again, write me for more info. (Actually Ari's got me here.)
6. More Useless Items (Actually Sean Teoh's got me covered there, but if you have any more...)
7. If ANYONE other than the links listed above have my FAQ, tell me. Thanks.

11. The Many Jokes of Fallout 2

This section was submitted in its entirety by a guy named Patrick, or Pat. So don't whine at me 😊

• The Mr. Handy in Klamath's canyon quotes several famous robots and computers: "I'm sorry Dave." (HAL in the movie 2001), "But I'm a translator." (C-3PO in Star Wars), "Number five is alive!" (No. 5 in the movie Short Circuit), and some other things.

• On a similar note, there's a talking computer somewhere (I think Vault 8) which sometimes says "Strange game... the only winning move is not to play." This is from WarGames, when the supercomputer realizes nobody can win a nuclear war.

• Enclave soldiers in the Oil Rig can be overheard singing "...shines the name of Rodger [sic] Young..." This is from Robert Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers, which is much better than the movie based on it.

• Several celebrities are spoofed in Fallout 2, including President Clinton and VP Dan Quayle (the former in news reports you get at the Sierra Base), and Tom Cruise and the church of Scientology (by "Juan Cruz" and the Hubologists 😊 )

• In San Francisco, Lo Pan is also the name of the evil sorcerer in Big Trouble in Little China, and Dragon is often used as a nickname for Bruce Lee.

• If you take Vic into a mine or cavern, he begins reminiscing about his college days playing D&D. He even asks if you can take him back up to the first level where all the Kobolds are.

• In the raider camp, sometimes a raider will say "I feel like I've been standing here forever, just waiting for something to happen." :-D

• Flashback to Fallout 1: The leader of the Thieves' Circle is named Loxley — that's also the family name of Robin Hood, which explains Loxley's accent and garb.

• A possible reference to Fallout 1 is when you see Anna the Ghost in the Den. One dialogue option says "I think you need to turn off your Stealth Boy, ma'am." This could refer to a Fallout 1 bug where if you save your game with a Stealth Boy activated, you could become a permanent "ghost."

• The guardian portal which sends you to Vault 13 in the past is the Guardian of Forever from the classic Star Trek episode of the same name.

• When you have Wooz in Gecko teach you "Tragic: the Garnering" (itself worthy of an entry on this list!), one of your character's responses includes "so you deal to the third player unless it's a Tuesday..." Similar lines occur in a Star Trek episode, "A Piece of the Action," where Kirk and co. distract their jailers by inventing an impossibly convoluted version of poker.

• In Vault 13 is a kid named Rand. In New Reno there's Father Tully. In Vault City is a guy named Skeev. These three names also belong to prominent characters in three different fantasy fiction series — Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Raymond E. Feist's The Riftwar Saga, and Robert Asprin's Myth-Adventures, respectively.

• Sometimes when Cassidy's in combat he'll say "I wish I had a limit break." Limit Breaks are the super powers used by characters in the PlayStation games Final Fantasy 7 and 8.

• When Myron flees from combat, he sometimes cries "Game over, man, game over!" — the same words by the freaked-out soldier in the movie Aliens.

• In San Fran, when you try to retrieve Chip's spleen from the scientist in the Steel Palace, he'll say he was planning to prepare it with fava beans and a nice chianti. The movie, of course, is Silence of the Lambs. Another reference is on a medical holodisk recorded by a "Dr. H. Lector."

• When Myron gains a level, he occasionally says, "I feel a great disturbance in the force, as though I've gained [jumble of numbers] experience points." — a Star Wars reference.

• In Klamath, the fellow who refers you to the Den says "you'll not find a greater hive of scum and villainy — now where did I hear that?" He heard that from Star Wars, spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

• Marcus sometimes says "I am not a merry mutant!" This is a reference to a Star Trek: TNG episode where Lt. Worf proclaims "I am not a merry man!" Marcus' voice actor, Michael Dorn, is the same guy who plays Worf. (Michael Dorn also does Fallout 2's Frank Horrigan.)

• Working on the Hubologists' shuttle is one "Dave Handy, from Canada," who gripes about having to answer stupid questions for a living.

• Broken Hills has a caravan master named James Hoffy, who has nothing to do with Jimmy Hoffa, the mysteriously-absconded former president of the Teamster's Union.

• Two of the other boxers in New Reno are Evan Holyfeld and the "Masticator," who likes to bite off ears. If the Masticator hits you one too many times, you get your ear ripped off and lose 1 point of Charisma!

• There is no way that the Hubologists are connected to the Scientologists of today, nor Juan Cruz to Tom Cruise. Juan even says "any similarities to... [blah, blah] ...is purely coincidental." Tom Cruise starred in Top Gun and Days of Thunder, while Juan Cruz did Top Bun and Days of Rubber, so once again, there is clearly no relation between the two.

• The Hub's novel "Battleground Quetzel" is not at all based on L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth.

• Beneath Gecko there lives a genius lab mouse trying to take over the world, who goes by the name of Brain and laments over his insane counterpart — watch an episode of Pinky and the Brain and this makes sense. The Brain also likes Cheesy Poofs, a generic snack brand in South Park.

• In Broken Hills lives Dr. Zaius, who shares the same name as the ape-doctor in Planet of the Apes. Likewise, in Gecko lives Gordon who thinks greed is good — much like the character Gordon Gecko in the movie Wall Street.

• The drill sergeant in Navarro could easily be based on any sergeant in any branch of the U.S. armed forces from any movie, television show, stage play, radio drama, novel, comic book, or vivid nightmarish flashback.

• In Golgotha is a grave marker claiming its occupant was killed by "ill-tempered mutant sea bass," like the ones Dr. Evil was forced to resort to in the movie Austin Powers. There is even a man in Vault City who cries out "Who does number two work for?" as he tries to relieve himself in a bathroom. Plus, if you become a female porn star, one of the stage names to choose from is "Alotta Fagina."

• If you become a boxing champ in New Reno, most all of the nicknames to choose from are lifted from some movie or another. Some even come from Nintendo's Punch Out! games.

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This document copyright 1999–2000 Cory Galliher. All rights reserved.
Fallout and Fallout 2 copyright 1997–1998 Interplay Productions.