Fallout 3
World Map
Infinite XP
Note: Using the “Infinite XP” glitches can leave you weak. The higher level you are, the more difficult the game gets. You will encounter more and stronger enemies, and they will have better weapons in better conditions.
Use the following trick to get 5 experience points each time it is performed. Go to Craterside Supply (found in Megaton) with a few frag mines (so you do not have to re-equip the mines). Go into the room behind the mercenary. Get close to the back side of the wall that the mercenary is leaning against, and place a mine. Quickly pick it up as it will immediately be armed and ticking. Repeat this as many times as desired.
Have a Speech skill of at least 30. Visit Big Town by travelling northwest from Springvale Elementary. Talk to Bittercup about her dating exploits. Talk with Pappy about how he came to Big Town with Bittercup to start a Speech challenge. If you fail, the challenge will still be available to retry. Repeat the challenge until you are successful. You will get six experience points, and the option to retry the challenge can still be selected. Repeat the challenge as many times as desired. Note: This requires the unpatched version of the game.
Be at least level 10, and have a 60 Sneak skill. Unlock the Mister Sandman perk. Go to the Smith’s house at Andale. Sneak upstairs at night while everyone is sleeping. Try to pickpocket the boy, but instead select “Murder”. You will not lose Karma and gain over 50 experience points. Because the boy does not actually die, you can repeat this as many times as desired. Note: The game may glitch and become unresponsive. Also, this requires the unpatched version of the game.
Infinite Caps and supplies
Use the following trick with any merchant to get unlimited Caps and supplies. Start with around 2,000 to 3,000 Caps and two of the same weapon, one in very good condition and one in very bad condition. Go to any merchant, and purchase everything desired from him or her. Then, sell the merchant both of the weapons. Buy back the cheap one, then sell it back. Every other time you do this, the merchant will give the weapon in good condition for the price of the other weapon. Sell it back, thus getting three times what you paid for it. Repeat this until you have your Caps back and everything the merchant owns. Note: On very rare occasions the game may freeze while doing this; make sure to save before attempting this trick.
Easy Caps
Note: This trick requires you take the “evil” path. After agreeing to help Mr. Burke nuke Megaton, go into every single house and steal everything (any little piece of junk you can carry). Sell them to the local shops (Craterside Supplies, The Restaurant, Moriarty’s Saloon, etc.). If a particular house is locked or you need a key to get into a safe or something of that nature, just kill the owner of the property, and get the key from his or her body. Kill everyone in sight, especially the shop owners because you can get access to their entire inventory, plus the Caps that you have already spent on them. Kill every one and collect everything to leave Megaton empty. You should have at least 600 caps. Remember to sell some of the things you gather to the shop owners because you cannot fast travel when over encumbered. This can be done in almost any town you visit. To avoid getting over encumbered, get all the supplies that you can possibly carry, then drop the rest just outside of Megaton. Fast travel to Rivet City or some other marketplace. Sell what you have, then return to Megaton, and repeat the process.
In the “Strictly Business” quest, capture Susan Lancaster, and get your reward for her capture. Afterwards, speak with her in the slave quarters part of Paradise Falls. Note: You will need one of the slaver’s keys to access the slaves quarters; pickpocket one. After entering the slave quarter’s, speak with Susan. When she asks for help, choose the option “You’re a slave. Deal with it.”, then return to Grouse to collect the reward again. Grouse will think that you captured her again. You can repeat this as many times as desired to get 250 Caps and a slave collar each time. Note: If you capture all four slaves and tell each one to “Deal with it”, and then talk to the man after the initial time, he will give you another 250 Caps for each one. This makes it much easier to get large amounts of Caps instead of running back and forth with just one.
Save all pre-war books you found (not scorched or ruined). Go to the Arlington library. At the southeastern corner, you can find an NPC that will buy those books for 100 Caps each. You will also get 10 experience points for each book you sold.
Do the “Riley’s Rangers” side quest. After rescuing Riley and escorting her back to her base, she will ask if you want to help her out by mapping the area, and she will pay you. Do not tell her that you will help her just yet. After reaching level 20, use the “Explorer” Perk. Once you have revealed every location on the map, go back to her, and tell her that you will help her out. Then, tell her you have got some new locations for her. Depending on whether or not you have already done it, you can make upwards of 2,200 Caps.
Easy items
This trick requires a Sneak skill of at least 60. Go to Fort Independence with some scrap metal. Once there, speak with Protector Casdin. Tell him you have junk that you would like to give him. In return he will offer 5.56mm rounds, frag grenades, RadAways, and Stimpaks. Select whatever item desired, then save the game. You can then steal your scrap metal back from Protector Casdin. Sell the scrap metal back to him repeatedly to get as many of those items as desired.
Easy good Karma
Go to Big Town at night. The town will come under attack from a Super Mutant raiding party. For each Super Mutant you help the residents of Big Town slay, a small amount of good Karma can be earned. Repeat this process as many times as desired.
Easy Hacking, Speech, and Stealing bonuses
Save the game before starting a dialogue with a Speech bonus, hacking a computer, lock picking, or pick pocketing. Then, simply reload the game if you fail the challenge.
Easy hacking
To always hack successfully, go to the terminal, and save the game. Then, start the sequence. If you fail, just reload your saved game, and try again until you do it successfully.
Only use three attempts during a hack, so you leave yourself with one to back out. Then, go back to the attempts screen, and you will have four more chances. Repeat this as many times as desired. -From: Brett Grimes
If you move your cursor throughout the symbols, sometimes you will highlight a group of symbols. Selecting these “duds” will remove one of the words that is wrong from your choices. Also, it may grant you an additional attempt if you have already gotten a selection wrong. -From: Brett Grimes
Search around both fields, and you will find a string of symbols that you can enter as the password. It starts with “(“, “<“, “[“, or “{” and ends with the same symbol. This will completely refill your password attempts. -From: Brett Grimes
To hack “Very Easy” and “Easy” computers (and “Average” if your skill level is high enough), look for the secret characters first. If you find enough of them, there will often be fewer than four passwords remaining after the duds are removed.
To hack “Average”, “Hard”, and “Very Hard” computers, use the following steps. Look for common suffixes, such as “-ing” or “-ed”. You can even go one step further by adding repeated letters that precede them, as in “-ted”, “-ded”, “-ling”, “-ring”, etc. Write down or remember the entire list of words in suffix groups. Choose a word from one of the suffix groups, preferably the largest one, and look for words with the precise number of matching letters. Use the suffixes as a filter. For example, if you found that the word “SUFFERING” had two matching letters, any words in the “-ing” suffix group would be excluded, but if it had five matches, chances are “-ering” is the proper suffix. This is usually, though not always, true. In the previous example, a match for “SUFFERING (5/9)” might be “FALTERING”, but could also be “SUBMARINE”.
Easy lock picking
To always pick a lock successfully, go to the door, safe, etc., and save the game. Then, start the sequence, and choose “Force lock”. If you fail, just reload your saved game, and try again until you do it successfully. This requires only one bobby pin.
Use the following trick to avoid breaking bobby pins when trying to pick a lock. Just before the bobby pin is going to break, exit that screen, then go back. You will save a lot of bobby pins by doing this. This also works when trying to get a password for computers.
Easy stealing
When you see an item on a shelf or table in a store or house where there are too many people around to steal it, walk over to the item, get it in your crosshairs, and click the Right Analog-stick to pick the item up. Then, take the item to an area where no one is, drop it, and steal it. For example, use the Bottle Cap Mine in the Craterside Supply on the work bench, pick it up, then drop it at the end of the desk to the right, next to the two metal boxes. Enter Sneak mode, get next to the desk once your indicator says hidden, and steal it. -From: William Van Brunt
To successfully steal an item without getting caught, you must take it in Crouch mode with the “hidden” description viewable on your screen. However, there are items that are constantly guarded or require a very high Sneak skill. To steal those items easier, you can use the “Grab” ability. Simply grab the item, and move to a darker part of the room until the “detected” description turns to “hidden”.
Reverse pick pocketing
The following method is used to put something into the target’s pockets, rather than removing things. You can be caught doing this, and it will still result in Karma loss, but it does have some interesting uses. Any mine or grenade placed in someone’s pocket will become live, exploding after a few seconds. This is why there is a Pants Exploded statistic in your Pip-Boy 3000 records. Also, all NPC AIs, not only those of your companions, will cause them to wear any armor with a higher DR than their own. If you put, for example, a Power Helmet in Three Dog’s inventory, he will be wearing it on the next load, and you will be able to pickpocket his unique head wrap (Charisma +1, Luck +1). Many items can be obtained through reverse pick pocketing that could not be obtained otherwise without needless death. This works with weapons as well, but the AI instructions for weapon use are much more complicated, involving range, damage per round, and damage per second as well as the usual DMG rating. Consequently, using this trick to obtain weapons may not always work.
Extra weapons (Operation: Anchorage DLC)
When you are in control of your strike team, you can get specific weapon loadouts from a terminal. Give the weapons to the Quartermaster, and you can get another loadout. Drop all the new weapons, and talk to the Quartermaster. He will give you your weapons, but without ammunition. Go to the ammunition dispenser to restock, then pick up the weapons that you dropped. You can repeat this as many times as desired.
A3-21’s Plasma Rifle
This is a unique plasma rifle with 50 damage. It can be obtained from Harkness after siding with him in the “Replicated Man” quest. It can be repaired with regular plasma rifles, but degrades slowly.
Alien Blaster
This is a unique energy weapon with 100 damage. It can be obtained from the body of a dead alien lying a few feet away from its crashed spaceship. The alien crash site is found north of MDPL-13 Power Station and northwest of the Greener Pastures Disposal Site. It has unique ammunition as well, the Alien Power Cell, which is exceedingly rare. The chance of a critical strike with this gun is nearly 100%. It can be repaired with the Firelance, but degrades incredibly quickly. The Alien Blaster will kill Death Claws in one or two shots.
Use the following trick if you have bad Karma and need more ammunition for the Alien Blaster. Go to Fort Independence. If you have a lock picking skill of 100, use the lower levels entrance. If not, use the main entrance. Go to the lower levels, and kill all the outcasts. Enter the room where an outcast was observing a computer. Go to the door on your left (lockpick skill of 75 required), and get all the ammunition in the containers. The second table with ammo boxes should have Alien Blaster ammunition. You should get a total of 18 to 24 rounds.
Blackhawk
This is a unique scoped .44 Magnum. The Blackhawk is obtained from Agatha in the “Agatha’s Song” quest in return for the Sheet Music book. You must ask for a reward. There is a higher chance of the weapon being in good condition if you speak politely to Agatha throughout the quest. It can be repaired with regular scoped .44 Magnums. It has a very high accuracy, with only 0.3 spread. Because it is scoped, you can use it outside V.A.T.S. for sniping. It has a base damage of 55 and a 45 point critical bonus and can decapitate many enemies with a headshot.
Board Of Education
This is a unique nail board with 12 damage. It is found on the floor next to the bed inside a small abandoned shack at Clifftop Shacks, southeast from Oasis. It is repairable with normal nail boards and has a higher critical chance than them.
Bottlecap Mine
This is a schematic weapon with 501 damage. It is built from a lunchbox, a cherry bomb, a sensor module, and ten bottle caps. The schematics can be obtained from Moira in Megaton, Knick-Knack in Little Lamplight, Herbert Dashwood’s sale in Tenpenny Tower, and Jocko’s Pop & Gas Stop. Every schematic increases the number of mines created per set of materials, up to a maximum of three.
Burnmaster
This is a unique big gun with 24 damage. This powerful flamethrower is found at the Franklin Metro Utility inside the Falls Church Metro.
Butch’s Toothpick
This is a slightly more powerful switchblade. It can be obtained from Butch after the “Trouble At The Home Front” quest by either killing him or getting him as a follower.
Colonel Autumn’s 10mm Pistol
This is a unique pistol that does twice as much damage as the standard variety. It does 13 base damage and has a 13 point critical bonus. It can be repaired using standard 10mm pistols. It is obtained from Colonel Autumn’s body at 100% condition at the Jefferson Memorial rotunda during the “Waters Of Life” quest.
Colonel Autumn’s Laser Pistol
Colonel Autumn’s Laser pistol is a modified, fully automatic version of the standard laser pistol with a rate of fire comparable to the Gatling laser. It has a 30 round magazine, uses very few action points, and is repaired with the common laser pistol. The weapon does 75 damage, while using the same Energy Cell ammo as a standard pistol. This version is also lighter than a standard laser pistol, with a weight of 2. This unique pistol is considered a quest item and cannot be dropped. The only way it can be removed is by using it as spare parts to repair a regular laser pistol, but this will destroy it permanently. Also, because it is a quest item, the weapon can only be repaired manually. It is located from Citadel to the Jefferson Memorial’s rotunda.
Dart Gun
The first part of the schematic for the Dart Gun are found at the MDPL-05 Power Station on the northwest tip of the Capital Wasteland. Another part is obtained from Hannibal Hamlin after completing the “Lincoln Memorial” quest for the slaves. The last schematic is found in a locked chest at the Boutique Le Chic in Tenpenny Tower. Parts required are a toy car, surgical tubing, paint gun, and Radscorpion poison gland. The Dart Gun cripples your target’s legs. It is very useful when used on fast melee opponents such as Deathclaws. It also poisons your target for eight seconds.
Eugene
This is a unique big gun with 7 damage. Successfully complete the “Reilly’s Rangers” quest, and ask for one of Brick’s miniguns. Alternately, kill Brick, and take her minigun.
Experimental MIRV
This is a unique Fat Man with 1610 x 8 damage. It is found in the bomb shelter section of the Guard Depot. All five Keller Family Transcripts (Holotapes) must be found first. It fires eight mini-nukes at once in a random spread pattern. This does lots of damage, but is essentially useless other than for entertainment value, or for leveling entire towns.
Alternately, go to Fort Bannister, and use the following video to find the Fat Man:
Fawkes’ Super Sledge
This is a unique sledgehammer with 32 damage; it can do 37 damage when your Melee Weapons skill reaches 100 and its condition is 100%. It can be repaired with normal Super Sledge. In the “Finding The Garden Of Eden” quest, help Fawkes out from his captivity inside Vault 87 and let him get the G.E.C.K. for you, or kill him to obtain this melee weapon.
Firelance
This is a unique Alien Blaster with 72 damage plus -2 (5s) fire damage, giving it a damage of 82 in ten seconds. This blaster is found at random times and random places. However, it can most likely be found east of Vault 101 under the overpass by a trailer. You will know if you found the correct location when you hear a missile on your position. Look up to see a smoke trail in the sky. When it gets about ten feet from the ground, it will blow up and hit the ground with a blue explosion. The Firelance will be on the ground with about fifteen Alien Power Cells.
Fisto!
This is a unique power fist with 31 damage. Fisto! can be found next to a computer on a desk in the upper area of the Derelict Power Plant across from MDPL-13 Power Station. It can be repaired with regular power fists.
Ghoul Mask
To get the Ghoul Mask, you must complete the Tenpenny Tower quest, which requires you to find a way to let the Ghouls live in Tenpenny Tower. The mask is useful if you are tired of fighting Feral Ghouls or in a location full of them. It makes them completely ignore you.
Highwayman’s Friend
This is a unique tire iron with 10 damage. It is found in Dominic and Machete’s garage at Canterbury Commons.
Jack
This is a unique chainsaw with 30 damage. It is found on an Enclave officer at Deathclaw Sanctuary. Note: This weapon is not available until after the Enclave appear in the storyline. Jack has the same power as the Ripper but has a higher critical rate.
Lincoln’s Repeater
This is a unique hunting rifle with 50 damage. It is located, in perfect condition, inside a display case on the top floor of the Museum of American History offices. It can be repaired using regular hunting rifles, but uses .44 Magnum ammo instead of the regular .32. It is also very accurate, with a 0.00 spread.
Mesmetron
This is a unique energy weapon. The guard at the front entrance of Paradise Falls has it. Ask him if he needs help, and he will give it to you.
Metal Blaster (The Pitt DLC)
The Metal Blaster is a unique upgraded laser rifle with spread shot. Turn in 50 Ingots to the person outside the steelyard to get the weapon.
Miss Launcher
This is a unique big gun with 20 damage. This missile launcher can be found in a safe inside Fort Independence.
Nuka Grenade
This is a schematic weapon with 501 damage plus fire damage plus radiation damage. It is built from a Nuka-Cola Quantum, tin can, turpentine, and Abraxo Cleaner. One of the schematics can be found on the bottom floor of the Yao Guai Cave, in the northwestern-most area, under a pile of skeletons. Doc Hoff sells one of the schematics, and Sierra Petrovita in Girdershade has the third, which she gives you as a reward for the “Nuka-Cola Challenge” quest. Every schematic increases the number of grenades created per set of materials, up to a maximum of three.
Occam’s Razor
This is a unique combat knife with 10 damage. It is found on Commander Jabsco at Fort Bannister.
Ol’ Painless
Go to the Republic Of Dave, which is located in the top right-hand corner of the map. When you first arrive at the front gate, there will be a child that will take you to Dave. After you finish talking to Dave, kill him. Take his key, and use it to open the safe that is next to him. In the safe is a hunting rifle named Ol’ Painless. It does 21 damage, but is better than the sniper rifle. It is also a lot easier to repair and find ammo for.
Plunkett’s Valid Points
Plunkett’s Valid Points are unique spiked knuckles with 12 base damage and a 12 point critical bonus. They are obtained from Junder Plunkett at Arlington House in Arlington Cemetery after getting the contract for his bounty. Note: You must have the “Lawbringer” perk to get this weapon. Because it is an unarmed weapon, the “Iron Fist” perk will affect it. It must be repaired at merchants. It is very effective when used with the “Paralyzing Palm” perk.
Protectron’s Gaze
This is a unique laser pistol that fires a cluster of beams at the same time with 24 base damage and a 24 point critical bonus. It is usually more effective when fired outside of V.A.T.S. It has a slightly slower rate of fire and smaller magazine than a standard laser pistol. It is repaired with standard laser pistols. The weapon is constructed from parts of the Mechanist’s Protectron assistant at the Robot Repair Center in Canterbury Commons.
Prototype Medic Power Armor
You can find the Prototype Medic Power Armor in Old Olney in the northeast section of the map. The area is swarming with Death Claws. Set the difficulty to “Very Easy”, and go there. On the southern-most street of the town is a grate on the sidewalk. Step on it, and it should open out from underneath you, effectively forcing you to go through the sewers. Fight your way through the sewers. Eventually you will find a ladder to your left. Keep going forward to find a Brotherhood of Steel Initiate. She will be wearing the armor. The armor talks and will inject you with Med-X when your limbs are crippled. It is as good, if not better, than Tesla Armor, but does not come with a helmet.
Reservist’s Rifle
This a unique sniper rifle with 40 base damage and a 40 point critical bonus. It is found in an abandoned church during the “Drifter” quest.
Shishkebab
This is a schematic weapon with 40 damage plus 10 fire damage over five seconds. The Shishkebab is built from a motorcycle gas tank, motorcycle handbrake, lawnmower blade, and pilot light. One of its schematics is found with Vance, who gives it to you after the “Blood Ties” quest. Lucky Harith, the wandering merchant, has another. The final set is near a workbench in a Red Brotherhood Outcast shack, to the southwest of SatCom Array NN-03d. The shack does not appear on the map, but is at the base of the hill the array is built on. Every schematic you obtain increases the condition of the weapon when it is built.
Smuggler’s End
This is a unique laser pistol with 18 damage. It can be found in the safe in Elder Lyons’ room in The Citadel, B-Ring.
Stabhappy
This is a unique combat knife located in the raider shack east of Bethesda Ruins and north of the Chryslus building. It does 2 damage with a x4 critical multiplier and can be repaired using regular combat knives.
Sydney’s 10mm “Ultra” SMG
This a unique gun with 9 base damage and a 9 point critical bonus. After starting the “Stealing Independence” quest, go to the National Archives. Sydney will be close to the entrance with the gun. Kill her to obtain it.
T-51b Power Armor
Successfully complete the “You’ve Gotta Shoot Them In The Head” mission given by Mr. Crowley in Underworld. Return to him once you have all four keys. Follow him out of Underworld, and take back the keys. Go to “Fort Constantine”, located in the upper-left corner of the map directly between and slightly to the north of “SATCOM Array NW-05a” and “SATCOM Array NN-03d”. Enter the little house on the left named the “CO Quarters”. Go downstairs, and use the key on the “launch control bunker” door. Be prepared to fend off robots while making your way further down. Eventually you will find doors for all the keys, the last one being a room that holds the T-51b under glass. Use the computer to free the armor.
Terrible Shotgun
This is a unique combat shotgun with 80 damage. It is in the possession of Smiling Jack at the Evergreen Mills Bazaar. To get it, you must either kill him, shoot it out of his grip and pick it up before he does, or break it in V.A.T.S. so he puts it into his inventory. If you use the third method, put your weapon away immediately or Jack will attack you. It is important to note that the Terrible Shotgun has much more spread than any other shotgun. It is to be used as a close-combat weapon only because it is wildly inaccurate. It can be repaired with regular combat shotguns, but degrades very quickly.
The Break
This is a unique pool cue with 6 damage. It can be found in the slaver camp at Paradise Falls. Search the pool table outside in the main area (outside the shops, Eulogy Jones’ pad, and the slave cages).
The Infiltrator (The Pitt DLC)
This is a unique high-powered sniper rifle. Defeat the final challenger in the Arena, then search his body to obtain it.
The Kneecapper
This is a unique sawed-off shotgun with 75 damage. Kill Ronald in Girdershade to obtain it.
The Shocker
This is a unique power fist with 20 damage. It is found at the Sewer Waystation in the flooded Metro near Arlington Library.
The Tenderizer
This is a unique sledgehammer. It is found at the Anchorage War Memorial inside the storage room with the broken door. It can be repaired with sledgehammers. The Tenderizer damages enemy armor on each hit by 5 points. It is the only “enchanted” weapon.
Torcher’s Mask
The Torcher’s Mask can be found at the MOPL Mass Relay Station. It gives +5 Big Guns and +5 Explosives.
Vampire’s Edge
This is a unique Chinese officer’s sword with 15 damage. It is found at Meresti Station in Vance’s sword cabinet in his bedroom. Note: If you kill Vance to get his key, it will make the entire Family hostile towards you, as well as the citizens of Arefu if you have already completed the “Blood Ties” quest to make both communities allies. The sword only has 50% durability when found but can be repaired using ordinary Chinese officer’s swords. Because of its very low weight, fast attack speed, high critical chance, and good durability, the Vampire’s Edge is a very good melee weapon despite its lower base damage.
Vengeance
You can find a unique Gatling laser weapon called Vengeance under an outcropping of rock jutting above a bloody lake at the far rear of the Deathclaw Sanctuary. Go as far southeast into the sanctuary as you can. It should open up into a large cave. You will see a large rock in the center of the cave. It is approachable from the south, and is illuminated by some glowing fungus. The bloody pond is filled with corpses, and next to one of them is Vengeance, which is in relatively good condition when found.
Wazer Wifle
This is a unique augmented laser rifle with 28 damage. Gain access to Little Lamplight, and find the child named “Biwwy”. He will sell you the Wazer Wifle for 250 or 500 Caps. Note: If you have the “Child At Heart” perk, you can get the weapon for free by selecting the “You said you didn’t need it, why not just give it to me for free?” option.
Xuanlong Assault Rifle
This is a unique Chinese assault rifle with 64 damage. It is found on Prime’s body in the diner near the Jury Street Metro Station. However, for Prime’s body to be present, you must complete the computer puzzle in the Museum of Technology. This is an unmarked quest, also known as Jiggs’ Loot. It can be repaired with regular Chinese assault rifles.
To get the Xuanlong Assault Rifle very easily, go to Megaton immediately after leaving the Vault. When you first arrive, you will meet the sheriff. Talk to him about the bomb, and tell him that you want to disarm it. He will agree, and you can go off to the saloon. Find Mr. Burke. He will ask you to rig the bomb to explode. Tell him “No”, then tell the sheriff about Burke. Say that he might get someone else to rig the bomb, so the sheriff will go after him. Follow him, and when you get to Burke, he will shoot the sheriff with a silenced 10mm pistol. You can then let Burke leave or you can kill him with no penalties. You can even talk to him and still blow up the bomb. You can now search the sheriff legally and take his rifle, duster, and hat, as well as a key to the armory (but watch out for the robot guarding it inside).
Zhu-Rong v418
This is a unique experimental Chinese pistol. It is found in the L.O.B. enterprises building in Falls Church East in the D.C. Ruins, on the west side of the Potomac. Fight your way through all of the bots in the building on your way to the uppermost level. Enter the CEO’s office on that level. It is the one with the very hard lock door on it, and a second door that is unlocked on the side. Search the CEO’s desk for the key to the locked suitcase that is on that desk. Inside is the prototype of the weapon. A humorous account of the weapon’s problems through the research and development of the gun can be found in a document across the hall in a computer that requires you to have 100 Science skill to hack. The design flaw shows up in the fact that the weapon has increased damage over other Chinese pistols, but causes the user damage identical to using a Flamer or Shishkebab.
Lucky Eight Ball
Save Red, and help Big Town from the Super Mutants. Go into Red’s Clinic. There should be someone laying on the bed randomly. Heal him. He will give you his Lucky Eight Ball. Your Luck will be increased by 1 as long as it is held.
Secret Nuka-Cola collection in Girdershade
North of the Dunwich Building in the southwestern part of the map is a town called “Girdershade”. Once there, you will find two shacks. One of them is Sierra Petrovita’s home. Enter her shack to find the only Nuka-Cola collection in the game.
Text adventure mini-game in Hubris Comics
Go to the Publishing wing of Hubris Comics. You can play a text adventure game named “Reign Of Grelok” on some of the terminals. The objective of this game is to kill Grelok. Type “N”, “S”, “E”, or “W” to move around in the mini-game and simple one word commands to interact with the objects and people. You can also type in obscenities for funny responses.
Hidden sniper rifle cache in Megaton
You can find a sniper rifle and other supplies hidden in a rock near Megaton.
Secret weapons cache in National Guard Armory
There is a hidden area in the National Guard Armory that contains an experimental MIRV gun (the most powerful weapon in the game) and the Small Arms bobblehead.
Pimp clothing items
The location of pimp type clothing is as follows:
- Tenpenny: Tenpenny Tower
- Eulogu Jones: Paradise Falls
- Shadey Hat: Wasteland Survival Guide Mission (optional quest reward)
- Mr. Burke: Megaton or Pre-War business wear
Cheaper Stimpaks
Instead of paying 37 Caps or more for Stimpaks, go to Tenpenny Tower. Go to the bar, save the game, hack the terminal, and activate the 50% VIP Discount and 10% Holiday Discount to get everything on the menu for what it is worth. The inventory is:
- Beer: 2 Caps
- Stimpak: 25 Caps
- Vodka: 20 Caps
- Whiskey: 10 Caps
- Wine: 10 Caps
After doing this, the value of items you sell there also increases. For example, a pack of cigarettes with a value of 10 Caps now has a selling price of 9 Caps.
Saving V.A.T.S. Action Points
If you know you can hit an enemy or group of enemies, aim at one in V.A.T.S., but do not fire. You will keep your Action Points, but remain aimed at the part of the enemy’s body targeted in V.A.T.S. If you shoot quickly enough, you should still strike the targeted area without expending any Action Points.
Having Fawkes and Star Paladin Cross as your followers at the same time
After Fawkes is freed and gives you the G.E.C.K, leave, and do the “Raven Rock” quest. When you see Fawkes outside, tell him to be your follower, then go to the Citadel, and talk to Star Paladin Cross. When she says “I have something to ask you”, respond with the second answer. She will say you have a wry wit like your father and ask to join you. Say that you would be honored, and she will join you. You now have both Fawkes and Star Paladin Cross as your followers.
Avoid carrying weight limit
Use the following trick if you are having trouble carrying all your items with over-encumbrance. Clear an area of enemies, then click the Right Analog-stick to grab a 55 gallon drum. Fill the drum by physically picking up items and dropping them inside. You now have a container with all those items that you can fast travel with. Note: When you arrive at your destination the drum will fall to the ground, and you have to pick it all back up again.
Extra inventory space
You can use your followers as storage. Talk to them, and tell them you want to trade equipment. Give them all your non-essential items.
You can also place your own items onto enemy corpses. Since the corpses remain almost indefinitely, you can drop non-essential items onto the corpse of an enemy and return at a later time to recollect the items.
Wearing up to four head gear items at once
Once you get the Chinese Stealth Armor, equip it, then select up to four hats (for example, Eulogy’s Hat, Ledoux’s Hockey Mask, Shady Hat, and Winterized Power Helmet). When you have the desired hats, you can equip any armor desired. Do not unequip the hats or you will have to do the trick again.
Falling long distances without dying
If you are falling from a high location, before you land, activate V.A.T.S., and attack something.
If you are falling a long distance, such as off a bridge or cliff, save the game in mid-air close to the ground, and reload it. You will land safely on the ground.
Early detection
When wandering around the world or towns, use the following trick to get an early notification on enemies, encounters, or who is nearby. Keep tapping [V.A.T.S.] while searching at all angles. If there is something out there, you will get the V.A.T.S. zoom in with a low score. You will at least know what is there and can figure out a plan of attack or how best to sneak around it.
Early Power Armor training
To get Power Armor training at the beginning of the game, complete the following steps. Note: Only talk to the people in the video because there are people in the city that will give away the story. You can pick up anything in the city. -From: deathmule
Skip storyline
In the main storyline, when you first enter the Wasteland level up until at least level 2, instead of going to Megaton or the GNR radio station, go to Rivet City, and talk to Doctor Li. If this is done when you get to the GNR radio station part of the storyline, you will be able to skip that entire section. Note: Rivet City is located near the end of the map in the southwest region.
Followers
There are eight followers that you can get at the indicated locations with the appropriate Karma:
Butch (requires neutral Karma): Successfully complete the “Trouble On The Homefront” quest, and make sure the Overseer has been killed or has stepped down, or sabotaged the Vault in its entirety. Then, look for Butch at the Muddy Rudder Bar in Rivet City.
Charon (requires any Karma): This ghoul can be found in The Underworld at The Ninth Circle. You can buy his contract from Ahzrukal for 2,000 Caps (or 1,000 Caps with Barter at 50+). It is also possible to get his contract by killing Greta at Carol’s Place.
Clover (requires very bad Karma): She can be bought from Eulogy in Paradise Falls for 1,000 Caps (or 500 Caps with enough Barter skill).
Dogmeat (requires any Karma): Found in the Scrapyard. On the world map, the Scrapyard is in the top right corner of the square that is two squares directly below Minefield. Follow the clear triangle on your compass if you are having problems finding it. Enter the Scrapyard, and look/listen for fighting. Your will find Dogmeat fighting a Raider. Once the Raider is dead, you can talk to Dogmeat and ask him to join you.
Fawkes (requires good Karma): You will meet Fawkes during your main quest when exploring Vault 87. She will not immediately join you, but you can easily recruit her when you get out of Raven Rock. Fawkes is/was a woman. She is now a Super Mutant, and they do not really have a gender either way. Note: When Fawkes joins for the first time, she does not seem to take a follower spot. This means you can already have a follower (or even have assembled a small party) before you recruit Fawkes at Raven Rock. Simply avoid her the first time when you get out, and recruit her later to get the best result.
Jericho (requires bad Karma): Jericho can be found in Megaton. If you pay him 1,000 Caps for supplies, he will join you.
Sergeant RL-3 (requires neutral Karma): You can buy Sergeant RL-3 from a merchant who sells robots wandering the Wasteland. His name is Mr. Tinker, and can be found nearby or around the RobCo Factory. It is a somewhat random encounter, so you may need to use the wait function for him to appear.
Star Paladin Cross (requires good Karma): You can recruit this Brotherhood Lady in the Citadel, in the same room with Liberty Prime (the large robot). She is on the upper floor. Note: You must keep your Karma positive or she will leave you.
Bobblehead locations
The hidden Vault-Tec Bobbleheads can be found at the following locations. Collect a Bobblehead to gain +10 to a skill or +1 to a stat. Note: The map coordinates are indicated by reading each individual square starting from the left edge, first square starting map with rocks. To find each zone, go down then over by the listed amount. For example, Raven Rock (Zone 1.01) is down 1 and over 1.
Stats
- Agility: Greener Pastures Disposal, in the small office covered in radiation (Zone 3.06 ; latitude/longitude 07/21).
- Charisma: Vault 108, in the Cloning Lab (Zone: 6.06 ; latitude/longitude: 18/06).
- Endurance: Deathclaw Sanctuary, at the entrance on a table next to a rotting Brahmin corpse (Zone: 1.07 -; latitude/longitude -22/20).
- Intelligence: Rivet City, on Dr. Li’s table in the Science Lab (Zone: 9.15; latitude/longitude: 18/-17).
- Luck: Arlington Cemetery North, in the basement on a shelf directly below the stairs inside the house to the north (Zone: 16.03).
- Perception: Republic Of Dave, on a bookshelf on the right in the Museum of Dave (Zone: 3.03; latitude/longitude 19/27).
- Strength: Megaton, in Sherriff Lucas Simm’s house (Zone: 8.03; latitude/longitude -01/-06).
Skills
- Barter: Evergreen Mills, in back of the Market Bazaar on a shelf in the upper-right side behind the Raider Trader that does not attack (Zone: 7.04 ; latitude/longitude -18/-07).
- Big Guns: Fort Constantine, in the basement of the CO Quarters inside a safe in the wall (Zone: 1.04 ; latitude/longitude: -17/26).
- Energy Weapons: Raven Rock, Colonel Autumn’s Office (Zone: 1.01 ; latitude/longitude -28/28)
- Explosives: WKML Broadcast Station, turn on your local map. Go through the doorway to the sealed cistern to find it (Zone: 1.11 ; latitude/longitude -17/18).
- Lockpick: Bethesda Ruins, in Bethesda Offices East on the top floor near the door to the bridge (Zone: 6.07; latitude/longitude 05/03).
- Medicine: Vault 101, on your dad’s desk when leaving.
- Melee Weapons: Dunwich Building, just before you leave the Virulent Underchambers, on the floor next to the door (Zone: 7.11 ; latitude/longitude -26/-18).
- Repair: Aerefu, in Evan King’s house (Zone: 5.07 ; latitude/longitude -11/06).
- Science: Vault 106, from the living quarters enter the room all the way in the rear left corner. There is a room with a bookcase lit by a bright light. Search the middle (toward the right) of that bookcase (Zone: 5.12 ; latitude/longitude -09/01).
- Small Guns: National Guard Depot, go through the training room and offices to exit from a door to the main room. Use the power switch on the wall to your left, and enter the Armory door, then search the shelves (Zone: 6.11 ; latitude/longitude 18/-03).
- Sneak: Yao Guai Tunnels, on top of a metal box in the Den, on the right of the map near some water (Zone: 7.01 ; latitude/longitude -28/-04).
- Speech: Paradise Falls, on a table inside Euology’s pad (Slave Master’s house) (Zone: 2.08 ; latitude/longitude -09/16).
- Unarmed: Rockopolis, go directly west from Casey Smith’s garage. Look for tattered banners that are strung up. Use your local map to find it (Zone: 7. C ; latitude/longitude -26/-07).
Super Mutant Behemoth locations
There are five Super Mutant Behemoths that can be found and killed. After they die, they will not respawn. You can find them at the following locations:
Galaxy News Radio Building Plaza: This Behemoth will destroy a wall just outside the GNR building as you enter the area (quest related).
The Capitol Building: Use the west entrance, and go inside the main room. Look on the map. The room is straight down the hall from the entrance. However, debris will force you to find an alternate route there.
Takoma Industrial: Located east of the GNR building at the end of the map. The Behemoth is just north of the factory, standing in the middle of some wrecked cars.
Evergreen Mills: At the bandit camp near Vault 112, a Behemoth is behind an electric enclosure beside the train tracks. When the generator powering the enclosure is destroyed, the Behemoth will escape.
Jury Street Metro Station: Go west until you find a group of crumpled up train cars. Search this area until the Behemoth appears. You will know you are in the correct area if you see a teddy bear in a shopping cart.
Project Purity code
The code to activate Project Purity at the end of the game is “216”.
Vault 112 failsafe code
When you are on the quest to find your father, stop by Vault 112. Once you enter the Tranquility Lane, talk to Betty. Once you have talked to her, go make the boy cry. Talk to her again afterwards. Make your way into the abandoned house, and activate these objects in the following order: radio, pitcher, garden gnome, pitcher, cinder block, garden gnome, and empty bottle. This should activate the portal to your right. Go to the terminal, and follow through there.
Abraham Lincoln shrine in Arlington Cemetery North
The house with the Luck bobblehead also contains a hidden shrine to Abraham Lincoln.
Full armor and energy weapon repair in Fort Independence
To get your armor and energy weapons fully repaired, go to Fort Independence. Accept the technology side quest. When you give the person Power Armor, Enclave Power Armor, or any energy-based weapon, as soon as he gets it, the item will be repaired to 100%. To get the items back, you have to kill him. Note: This can only be done once, so use it wisely.
Getting both rewards in “The Replicated Man” quest
When you discover the identification of the android and are deciding to turn him in or warn him, go to the android first. Convince him to go to Zimmer on his own, and he will reward you. After that, go to Zimmer in the science lab. Tell him about the android’s identity. He will also reward you. Note: You will still get bad Karma.
You can get both rewards if you go to Harkness (the android) first and agree to help him. One option when you agree to help him is gaining permission to kill Dr. Zimmer and his bodyguard. You will get the plasma rifle from Harkness and then can go to the science lab. At that point you can betray Harkness and tell Zimmer his identity. You will then gain the V.A.T.S. Perk from Zimmer. When Zimmer attempts to leave to look for Harkness, you can still kill him and his bodyguard with no penalty from the locals. When you return to Harkness, he is none the wiser, and will acknowledge that you have killed Zimmer. By doing this, you will get both rewards and Harkness will remain in Rivet City.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. planning
It is important to plan ahead when setting your special values. Make sure you know what each attribute does before deciding how many points to add to it. Here are a few things to consider while distributing points:
Will your character need it? If you are never going to use melee weapons or wear power armor, do not put many points into Strength. A Perception of 5 will generally put your enemies on the radar well before they see you.
Will you be getting a Bobblehead? A Strength of 10 is useless because the Bobblehead is in Megaton. The same goes for Intelligence; you will be going to Rivet City at some point. However, this is not true for Charisma; Vault 108 is a bit out of the way.
What kind of armor/clothing will you be wearing? Most hats increase Perception by 1. Most Wasteland clothing increases Agility and Endurance by 1 each.
Will you be using perks to further increase your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes? The Ant Might, Ant Sight, and Special Training perks all do this.
Your Luck does not have to be over 5 because of the “Lucky Getup” consisting of Lucky Shades, Lucky 8 Ball, Three-Dog’s Head Wrap, any Luck-increasing armor/clothing item, and the Bobblehead (the first two of which count towards your permanent Luck total).
Defeating robots in the Wastelands
Run up a steep hill with the robot at the bottom. Some robots have problems shooting upwards at a steep angle. Shoot at them as you are running up the hill to destroy them easily.
Preventing game freezes
To prevent the game for freezing up and crashing, clear your hard drive cache occasionally by using one of the “Clear hard drive cache” methods found here . -From: Zachary Drews
Brahmin tipping
Find a solitary Brahmin. Sneak next to it when unarmed. While crouched, interact with it to tip it over.
Blade Runner reference
The .233 pistol’s design is a reference to the pistol carried by Harrison Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, in the movie Blade Runner .
Die Hard series reference
In the “Those!” quest, after you and Brian Wilks arrive in Grayditch, he will tell you about his father and where his home is (other things may be asked though). After you agree to check if his father is alive, Brian will go into one of the radiation preservation shelters. When he enters, sooner or later the phrase “Now I know what a TV dinner feels like” can be heard. This is a reference to a line Bruce Willis mutters when he is crawling through an air conditioning vent in one of the Die Hard movies.
Fear Factory reference
Enter the museum, and examine the notice on the wall terminal to the far right. The text is about a virus infecting their Archetype, and at the end, it repeats parts of the song “Archetype” by Fear Factory : “the infection has been removed, the soul of this machine has improved.”
Gone With The Wind reference
When you first arrive at the citadel and make your way to Scribe Jameson, you will tell her that you have found a “Brotherhood Of Steel Holotag”. She will then say, “I have an offer for you.” Scroll down to the bottom, and one of the replies will be “Frankly, I don’t give a damn”, which is a reference to Gone With The Wind .
Ozzy Osbourne reference
In the Underworld (located inside the Museum of History), there is a ghoul named “Mister Crowley”. This is a reference to the “Mr.Crowley” song by Ozzy Osbourne .
Scrubs reference
In the Republic Of Dave, during the election, tell Dave’s son, Bob, that he is not meant to lead. He will reply, “Oh yeah? Well… .er… So’s your face!” This is a reference to an episode of the television show Scrubs where whenever Dr. John Dorian (JD) gets insulted, he only replies “So’s your face!”
The Incredible Hulk reference
While searching for you, some robots can be overheard saying “Don’t make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” This is a line that David Banner says repeatedly in The Incredible Hulk .
Tommy James And The Shondells reference
At Paradise Falls, there are two slaves around Eulogy’s Pad named Crimson and Clover. They are Eulogy Jones’ bodyguards. This is a reference to the “Crimson And Clover” song by Tommy James And The Shondells .
Easy Karma level achievements
An easy way to get multiple “Reach level ? with ? Karma” achievements is to remain neutral for the duration of the game. When you are getting close to one of the notable achievement levels (8, 14, or 20), save the game. Then, turn evil or good by completing a quest for good Karma or murdering random characters for bad Karma. This will send you into the good or bad Karma statuses while giving you experience. Once you get the achievement for reaching a certain level with bad or good Karma, reload your saved game, and continue as usual with neutral actions. It is easiest to neutrally level somewhere with a lot of enemies, such as the D.C. area with Super Mutants, or subways or caves with Ghouls and Mirelurks. Note: Using this trick is easiest with a neutral/bad character because once you get close to reaching a notable level, you can just go to Megaton, Rivet City, or another major settlement and kill people to get experience. After leveling, reload the game, and no one will be mad at you.
Easy “Silver-Tongued Devil” achievement
Use the “Infinite XP” Speech trick to easily get the “Silver Tongued Devil” achievement.
Go to Little Lamplight at any point after you exit Vault 101. Get inside via Speech Challenge or rescuing other children from Paradise Falls. Go back to the “Great Chamber”, and find Knock Knock. Ask her how she got her name. Have her tell you a joke. She only has one joke, and with a decent Intelligence, you can interrupt it for a better ending. Then, there is a Speech Challenge to convince her that it was a funny joke. Continuously cycle through the joke and Speech Challenge repeatedly. Because she is a child, the Speech challenge is not too difficult.
Achievements
Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore points:
- Vault 101 Citizenship Award (10 points): Got the Pip-Boy 3000.
- The G.O.A.T. Whisperer (10 points): Took the G.O.A.T.
- Escape! (20 points): Completed “Escape!”.
- Following in His Footsteps (20 points): Completed “Following in His Footsteps”.
- Galaxy News Radio (20 points): Completed “Galaxy News Radio”.
- Scientific Pursuits (20 points): Completed “Scientific Pursuits”.
- Tranquility Lane (20 points): Completed “Tranquility Lane”.
- The Waters of Life (20 points): Completed “The Waters of Life”.
- Picking up the Trail (20 points): Completed “Picking up the Trail”.
- Rescue from Paradise (20 points): Completed “Rescue from Paradise”.
- Finding the Garden of Eden (20 points): Completed “Finding the Garden of Eden”.
- The American Dream (20 points): Completed “The American Dream”.
- Take it Back! (40 points): Completed “Take it Back!”.
- Big Trouble in Big Town (20 points): Completed “Big Trouble in Big Town”.
- The Superhuman Gambit (20 points): Completed “The Superhuman Gambit”.
- The Wasteland Survival Guide (20 points): Completed “The Wasteland Survival Guide”.
- Those! (20 points): Completed “Those!”.
- The Nuka-Cola Challenge (20 points): Completed “The Nuka-Cola Challenge”.
- Head of State (20 points): Completed “Head of State”.
- The Replicated Man (20 points): Completed “The Replicated Man”.
- Blood Ties (20 points): Completed “Blood Ties”.
- Oasis (20 points): Completed “Oasis”.
- The Power of the Atom (20 points): Completed “The Power of the Atom”.
- Tenpenny Tower (20 points): Completed “Tenpenny Tower”.
- Strictly Business (20 points): Completed “Strictly Business”.
- You Gotta Shoot ‘Em in the Head (20 points): Completed “You Gotta Shoot ‘Em in the Head”.
- Stealing Independence (20 points): Completed “Stealing Independence”.
- Trouble on the Homefront (20 points): Completed “Trouble on the Homefront”.
- Agatha’s Song (20 points): Completed “Agatha’s Song”.
- Reilly’s Rangers (20 points): Completed “Reilly’s Rangers”.
- Reaver (10 points): Reached Level 8 with Bad Karma.
- Mercenary (10 points): Reached Level 8 with Neutral Karma.
- Protector (10 points): Reached Level 8 with Good Karma.
- Harbinger of War (20 points): Reached Level 14 with Bad Karma.
- Pinnacle of Survival (20 points): Reached Level 14 with Neutral Karma.
- Ambassador of Peace (20 points): Reached Level 14 with Good Karma.
- Scourge of Humanity (30 points): Reached Level 20 with Bad Karma.
- Paradigm of Humanity (30 points): Reached Level 20 with Neutral Karma.
- Last, Best Hope of Humanity (30 points): Reached Level 20 with Good Karma.
- Weaponsmith (30 points): Made one of every custom weapon.
- Doesn’t Play Well with Others (20 points): Killed 300 people.
- Slayer of Beasts (20 points): Killed 300 creatures.
- Silver-Tongued Devil (20 points): Won 50 Speech Challenges.
- Data Miner (20 points): Hacked 50 terminals.
- Keys are for Cowards (20 points): Picked 50 locks.
- One-Man Scouting Party (20 points): Discovered 100 locations.
- Psychotic Prankster (10 points): Placed a grenade or mine while pickpocketing.
- The Bigger They Are… (20 points): Kill all the Super Mutant Behemoths.
- Yes, I Play with Dolls (10 points): Collected 10 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads.
- Vault-Tec C.E.O. (30 points): Collected 20 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads.
The following achievements require the “Operation: Anchorage” bonus downloadable content:
- Aiding the Outcasts (20 points): Completed “Aiding the Outcasts”.
- The Guns of Anchorage (20 points): Completed “The Guns of Anchorage”.
- Paving the Way (20 points): Completed “Paving the Way”.
- Operation: Anchorage (40 points): Completed “Operation: Anchorage”.
The following achievements require the “The Pitt” bonus downloadable content:
- Into The Pitt (20 points): Completed “Into The Pitt”
- Unsafe Working Conditions (20 points): Completed “Unsafe Working Conditions”
- Free Labor (40 points): Completed “Free Labor”
- Mill Worker (20 points): Found All 100 Steel Ingots.
The following achievements require the “Broken Steel” bonus downloadable content:
- Death From Above (30 points): Completed “Death From Above”.
- Shock Value (30 points): Completed “Shock Value”.
- Who Dares Wins (30 points): Completed “Who Dares Wins”.
- Devil (20 points): Reached Level 30 with Bad Karma.
- True Mortal (20 points): Reached Level 30 with Neutral Karma.
- Messiah (20 points): Reached Level 30 with Good Karma points.
The following achievements require the “Point Lookout” bonus downloadable content:
- The Local Flavor (20 points): Completed “The Local Flavor”.
- Walking With Spirits (20 points): Completed “Walking With Spirits”.
- A Meeting of the Minds (20 points): Completed “A Meeting of the Minds”.
- Bog Walker (40 points): Discovered all locations within Point Lookout.
The following achievements require the “Mothership Zeta” bonus downloadable content:
- Not of This World (20 points): Completed “Not of This World”.
- Among the Stars (20 points): Completed “Among the Stars”.
- This Galaxy Ain’t Big Enough… (40 points): Completed “This Galaxy Ain’t Big Enough…”
- Alien Archivist (20 points): Collected all Alien Captive Recordings.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Square Enix.