SETTING
The game is set in a post-apocalyptic, retro-futuristic Washington, DC following the Great War between the US, China and other countries. The Great War was a conventional and nuclear war that occurred on October 23, 2077 and lasted less than two hours despite causing immense damage and destruction. Before the Great War were the Resource Wars, during which the United Nations disbanded, a plague rendered the United States paranoid, and Canada was annexed.

STORYLINE
The player character, known as the Lone Wanderer in-game, is a young inhabitant of Vault 101, a fallout shelter in the Washington D.C. area. The vault has reportedly been sealed for 200 years, until the player's father, James, opens the only door to the outside world and disappears without any explanation. The Vault Overseer believes that the Lone Wanderer was involved in James' escape, and sends the vault's security force to arrest the player character. This leaves the player little choice but to follow James by escaping the vault, with the hope of locating James and finding out why he left.
Abandoned to rust, decay, and creeping vegetation, monuments from before the Great War still stand amidst the ruins of Downtown DC: the Capitol Building, the Jefferson Memorial and the battered remains of the Washington Monument; this desolate area is known as the Capital Wasteland. A central hub of civilization in the ruins of the former capital is Rivet City, based in and around the remains of an aircraft carrier carried far inland and beached by a catastrophic tidal wave whose waters have long since receded. Other large settlements include the towns of Megaton, Canterbury Commons, Big Town, Arefu, Tenpenny Tower and Paradise Falls. Movement between towns is done on foot through the wastes. In the Metro area rubble blocks the streets, but one can use the DC Metro tunnels. The Brotherhood of Steel community is stationed in the Citadel built in the ruins of the pre-War Pentagon. The mysterious Mr. Burke and his employer, Allistair Tenpenny, send the player on a mission of sabotage and destruction in the town of Megaton. But it is super mutants, who since emerging from their refuges have waged an unceasing war against humans to invade their territory,[1] and the Enclave - the self-styled inheritors of the power of the United States government - under the leadership of their new President John Henry Eden and his ruthless second-in-command Colonel Augustus Autumn, who are the player's biggest foes in the game.

Operation: Anchorage
The Pitt
Broken Steel
Point Lookout
Mothership Zeta

After a rather disturbing introductory sequence opens up your eyes to the alternate reality future of the United States in the year 2077, you're suddenly thrust to the year 2277. But not before reliving the nineteen years prior in a series of flashback sequences that won't only introduce you to your character, but allow you to customize him (or her) in any way you desire. After choosing your sex, you'll be able to choose a name and customize the way your character looks. Spend as little or as much time as you want with these features, remembering that the choices you make here will affect the way you look and your character's name for the rest of your experience with Fallout 3.

There's not much you can do as an infant; the game knows this, of course, and speeds forward to a year later. Your character's dad, whose name is James, leaves you alone in your playpen while he goes off to run a quick errand. Of course, being the little explorer that you are, you make your way out of the pen (approach the door, following the on-screen prompt to open it). Then, grab a toy out of your toy chest and wait around for dad to come back. When he does, he shows you a favorite excerpt from the bible of your deceased mother (who died when you were born) and walks out of the room. Follow him.

Now, you'll be fast-forwarded to nine years later, to your tenth birthday. This is when you'll really get to explore some commands, including the integral art of making choices. After receiving your Pip-Boy 3000 from the Vault's Overseer (which will play an integral role in your survival as the game progresses outside of Vault 101), you'll get to talk to everyone who is attending your birthday party. This is when the choices you make will begin to alter who you are and who you will become (though not nearly as much now as later). Take this time to get used to some controls, moving your character around, as mentioned earlier (and most importantly), talking to characters in the best way you deem fit.



There are a few things you want to make sure to do (though the game will compel you to do most of these things right off the bat). Your good friend will give you Grognak the Barbarian, a comic book. The old woman will hand over a Sweetroll. Your dad's friend will hand over a Kid's Baseball Hat, and an adult female will hand over A Birthday Poem. When you've spoken to everyone, made your choices, acquired the above items and feel satisfied, approach your father after he speaks to an unknown man through the intercom. Then, follow him as he heads towards the Reactor Level, where a secret present awaits.



The route to the Reactor Level is a pretty linear one. Any doors you encounter you won't be able to unlock, so it's all about following the corridors to some stairs that leads down further into the Vault. As an aside, if you find stairs leading upward, you'll find the Overseer talking some smack about you to one of his trusted guards before going on his way (though the guard will be friendly enough to you). When you finally reach the Reactor Level, you'll run into James's friend Jonas, who will tell you to wait just a moment for your father to arrive.

When your father finally arrives, the gig is up -- he and Jonas managed to get enough material together to refurbish an old BB Gun for you, which they subsequently hand over. Answer Jonas and James however you want, and when they bring you to the shooting gallery they set up for you, again speak to Jonas and James before approaching the crate that marks where you're supposed to stand. Shoot the three targets shown, and then shoot (many times) the Radroach that appears. Once he's slain, all you have to do is stand next to James and Jonas takes a picture to mark this special occasion.

Flash-forward a few years, and you're now sixteen years of age. It's that time for all young dwellers of Vault 101 -- time to take the G.O.A.T. G.O.A.T. stands for Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test, and is taken by all sixteen year olds in order to determine what job they will shortly thereafter assume for the good of the Vault community. Reluctant, your character should be asking James many questions. This is the first time you'll be able to really press a character for information, so make sure to ask James all applicable questions before heading on your way to the test.



You'll likely run into Jonas on the way out of the medical facility, so be sure to speak with him before heading on your way (you may even want to peek in on his appointment with an ill Vault dweller). Otherwise, there are myriad items that can be found here. If you want to grab the goods from the desk drawer, the medical table and other places, you can, but they're relatively useless at this point in the game. We won't even list them all here -- pretty much any item listed in the collection above is found in the room adjacent to your dad's office. Thereafter, you can head outside of the medical facility and head rightward to find your friend being bullied by some familiar faces.



These familiar faces, led by none other than the bane of your existence Butch are picking on your friend Alana. You can handle this situation in a number of ways, from picking on her yourself to fist fighting the three guys into submission and everything in between. Either way, to get the full effect, you'll want to first speak to Butch's cohorts and then speak to him last. If you want to fight them, egg them on. This is the option we chose, and by running around and nailing them with some stray punches, the fight ended before long. What's more, your friend will be most thankful for your help. In anycase, solve the problem how you want... or not at all.



When you arrive at the classroom, which is adjacent to where you ran into your friend being bullied by the fierce Tunnel Snakes, the teacher will greet you and ask you to take your seat. Do so, and the G.O.A.T. will begin. These ten seemingly-random questions (okay... completely random questions) are aimless, and it doesn't really matter how you answer in the long run, so say what you want on each question. The final question will no doubt get your goat (excuse the pun), but try to answer each to the best of your ability.



When the test has concluded, get up and talk to your fellow classmates. If you did this before you took the exam, then they won't have anything different to say. Walk your test up to the front of the room and talk to the teacher, who will grade you right there (as well as any other pupils who hand him the test first). He'll tell you flat-out that the test means nothing, and is useless. Nonetheless, he'll give you your occupation and tell you that he'll change it for you if you want. This is when the skills page will show up. You can take the three bonuses you receive and put them on any of the thirteen skills to increase those three skills significantly. Thereafter, you can leave the classroom, at which point this segment will end.

As soon as this mission begins, your friend Amata will stir you awake suddenly. An alarm is buzzing frantically, and your friend seems nervous. She'll tell you that things have gone wrong. The Overseer and his goons are on a rampage. They've killed Jonas, and your father James has left the Vault completely, something nobody does, and something that no one seems realistically capable to even do in the first place. Scared for your safety, your friend hands over ten Bobby Pins with which to pick locks, a 10mm Pistol to protect yourself with, and thirty-six 10mm Rounds with which to load the firearm with. Then, giving you further instructions, she thereafter heads off.



You'll hear scurrying outside of your bedroom, but you should take the time to first explore your bedroom. On your desk, you'll find your BB Gun and fifty BB Rounds, as well as a Baseball, Baseball Glove, and most importantly out of the three related items, a Baseball Bat. Also check your dresser, which will contain Grognak the Barbarian, a Pre-War Baseball Cap, two Vault 101 Jumpsuits and a Vault 101 Utility Jumpsuit. Before heading out of your bedroom, be sure to equip the baseball hat and the utility jumpsuit for some minor statistical boosts, as well as the pistol. Why? Well, the latter will be used to slay the lone security officer outside of your room that's being attacked by bugs. Make sure to aim for the head for a quick kill.



As you proceed, you'll encounter some bathrooms and more empty corridors. There's nothing of any interest in the corridors or the bathrooms, that is until you run into your old "friend" Butch. Butch is freaking out because his mother is under attack by Radroaches. You can choose to do something about it or do nothing about it; that's the inherent beauty of a game like Fallout 3. What did we choose to do? Well after giving Butch a hard time, we agreed to help his mom. As he ran back towards her, we then put a bullet in the back of his head, killing him instantly. Hey -- we haven't forgotten the abuse from our childhood. But you can choose to do whatever you want!



Approach the two rooms where Butch and his mom were staying. If you arrive in time, you can save the woman from her attackers, but we let her die. We then turned our ire on the Radroaches themselves (use a Baseball Bat for easy kills on these foes). Then, do a thorough exploration of the room to find all sorts of useless items, like Vodka and a Pencil. Grab everything, including the Radroach Meat from the slain enemies. You never know what you're going to need once you're outside, that's for sure! The same can be said for the kitchen you arrive at. After killing the Radroaches easily with the Baseball Bat and grabbing their dropped meat, you can grab everything from Glass Pitchers to Drinking Glasses to Cups. Grab it all. You can sell it later.

As you proceed through the linear vault, following signs for the Atrium, you'll eventually come to some familiar areas. The classroom, your fathers office, the medical office and the adjoining corridors continue to lead to your ultimate destination. However, you'll run into Officer Gomez (remember him from your birthday party nine years earlier?) and the engineer named Stanley. Both will turn a blind eye to your presence because of who your father was, which should allow you to proceed unmolested. Keep in mind, however, that you can turn your gun on one of them, but be prepared to fight both of them if you do. If you're good, you won't do this, but if you're playing with an evil twist, what are a few lives?



You'll run into your friend in the next corridor, and she'll run away shortly thereafter. Before chasing after her, approach the shelf in the room to the side of the corridor to find a toolbox. Within, grab the Conductor, the Sensor Module, and the Wonderglue. You can also find two vials of Turpentine and some Scrap Metal nearby. After grabbing the goods, get ready to do battle with one or more security officers hostile to your presence (unlike your earlier encounter). Killing one of them will allow you to search their bodies -- you should find some Vault 101 Security Armor and a Vault 101 Security Helmet, which should be immediately equipped for a significant defensive boost. You can likely trap two of the guards down a dead end corridor, which should make for easy headshots for you. Be sure to search their bodies for more gear, but most importantly they should be carrying 10mm Rounds, which you should grab to supplement your ammo, which is likely running low by now. Also be prepared to deal with more Radroaches, remembering to not waste precious ammunition on fighting them. A blunt weapon like a Baseball Bat or one of the Police Batons you've likely found will do the job nicely.



After having to deal with three well-armed guards (or perhaps you just dodged them), the upcoming encounters will be easy for you. Make sure to use some Radroach Meat if you're in dire need of health, and then equip the Baseball Bat as you run up the stairs to the next area of the Vault. Here, you'll encounter more Radroaches, so bash them to death with the Baseball Bat and search their bodies for more of their mildly-curative meat. Then, proceed through what appears to be a computer server area (someone from behind some glass will try to give you away and blame this entire "mess" on you -- just keep running). Radroaches are all you have to worry about here. Search a body amongst the servers to find Tinted Reading Glasses. The toolbox next to him will have identical contents to the last one we found -- a Conductor, a Sensor Module and some Wonderglue.



Proceeding onward from here, you'll soon here familiar screams from your distressed friend. She's being interrogated by a guard and her father, the Overseer! Crouch down and quietly and carefully approach the doorway. Aim your gun at the head of the guard (not the Overseer) and do him in with a quick bullet to the skull. Then, take out the defenseless Overseer. Search both of their corpses for valuables. The guard will have nothing of value, but quite the contrary is true for the Overseer. On his body, you should find the Overseer's Office Key, the Overseer's Terminal Password, and three Stimpacks. With these new valuables in hand, we can continue, but not before grabbing the Pre-War Money and myriad 10mm Ammo from the lockers and desk drawers in the room. You'll also find 5 mm Rounds, but there's not much we can do with that right now.

Continue down the hallway from where you found the Overseer. The only way you can really go is towards Jonas's office. But when you arrive, you're going to find a grizzly sight indeed. Jonas has been killed (just as your friend said he was). If you search his body, you can find some goods --Eyeglasses, a Note From Dad, a Stimpak, and a Vault Lab Uniform. Read the note from your dad, use the Stimpak if you need it, and then proceed to explore the rest of the office and its surrounding environs. Before unlocking the Overseer's office, be sure to seek out Pre-War Money from the desks near Jonas's body, as well as more stuff in his bedroom, which is near the door you need to proceed through to continue. Just check the dresser to find five Bobby Pins and more Vault 101 Jumpsuits. An adjacent bedroom contains another Overseer's Office Key if you decided not to off the Overseer before.



The Overseer's office can be found by going to Jonas's corpse and looking to the left of it. Simply approach and open the door to use the earlier-acquired key automatically. Once in the Overseer's office, the first thing you're going to want to do is examine the lockers in the corner of the room, where two Mentats, 120 10mm Rounds, three Stimpaks and another copy of the Overseer's Terminal Password in case you didn't get it earlier. With all of that acquired, you can then head to computer behind the Overseer's desk. Examine the computer to automatically use the password, opening everything the computer has to offer.



While the computer's primary function right now is to open the tunnel to Vault 101's entrance, you should make sure to spend as much time with the computer as possible, examining all other options before opening the tunnel and heading on your way. You can read dossiers on a select group of people, information on earlier Vault 101-led ventures out into the Capital Wasteland, and a bit about the Vault-Tec company responsible for Vault 101's construction. After garnering as much information as you can from the archaic-looking computer, you can then activate the tunnel and head towards the entrance.



The tunnel to the entrance will have a lone Radroach in it -- avoid it completely or wipe it out with your Baseball Bat, grabbing more Radroach Meat from the corpse. Once you reach the entrance itself, approach the computer terminal and activate the door mechanism, which will open the door to the outside world. Before running out into the world, however, your friend will appear and have something to say to you based on some of your recent actions in the Vault. You'll also have to deal with two Vault 101 security guards, though both will only fight you hesitantly (be sure to kill them both anyway -- you'll want the experience gained). Then, head on outside. Congratulations -- you've reached the radioactive wasteland where a majority of Fallout 3 will take place.

Well, now we're outside. It might be dark out, or it might be daytime. It's all going to depend on the day-night cycle that is at the heart of traveling around Washington D.C. Your primary quest is going to have you heading towards Megaton, one of the main surviving areas of the former capital. But this being a sandbox game, you can walk all over the place, as far the eye can see in any direction. Of course, you won't survive very long (at all) if you decide to do that, but there's still a few places you can check out before you go to Megaton. We'll cover these briefly below, but any side quests you run into and need help with as you go (which may be more than we mention here), refer to the Side Quests section of this guide.

Practically adjacent to Vault 101, you'll find a small settlement called Springvale. This place is worth visiting briefly just to add it to your map so you can travel there hereafter instantaneously. From Vault 101, go down the sharp hills ahead with your back facing Vault 101 and run towards the destroyed structures you see. You should run headlong into Springvale, and you may even be lucky enough to find some items. We acquired three Frag Grenades, Jet and Psycho by examining an old blue USPS mailbox, as well as two Nuka-Colas from an abandoned, nearly-wrecked Nuka-Cola machine. You should be able to find these items, and perhaps even more, with a thorough inspection of Springvale.



If you begin to travel outward from there (due west on your Pip-Boy map, though that' s not necessarily true west), you will likely run into another settlement called Grayditch. However, the situation in Grayditch isn't good. It's covered with fierce Fire Ants. You can probably take these enemies on level two or three, especially the weaker worker ants, but you'll want to dodge them and their fierce fire attacks as best you can as you proceed through the town. If you do visit Grayditch, be sure to run into and speak at length with a young boy named Bryan Wilks. He'll tell you about the devastation wreaked upon Grayditch by the mutated ants and will beg for your help (he's been all but abandoned, since all of his friends and family have succumbed to these ants). Get more information on this side quest (entitled "Those!") by reading the corresponding section of this guide.



There's more of interest apart from actually visiting the two aforementioned locations. Extraneous things add to the post-apocalyptic nature of Fallout 3. Try tuning your radio (using your Pip-Boy) to one of the radio stations you currently have. Galaxy News Radio will likely not have anything for you right now, but you can listen to Enclave Radio transmitting from nearby. Patriotic music aplenty plays on this station, but even more creepy is the fact that the DJ is none other than the "president" of the United States, John Henry Eden. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of just who he is eventually.



Okay, back to the main quest. Are you ready to head to Megaton? Excellent. Megaton is actually located quite near Vault 101 and Springvale (if you travelled to Grayditch, you've gone too far, but that's okay, you've added that location to your map). If you take a look at your Pip-Boy map, Megaton will be to the south and slightly to the east of Springvale. It's a pretty obvious settlement, well-organized compared to the rest of the Wasteland you've thusfar seen, so it shouldn't be hard to miss. Fight any Mole Rats or Bloatflies you encounter en route to your destination (search their bodies to get their mildly-curative body meat), and talk to everyone you encounter to spur, perhaps, some side quests or friendships. Just don't open fire willy-nilly. Whether you're playing as good or evil, you're not strong enough right now to make enemies. Trust us.



After arriving at Megaton's front gate, you'll be able to enter the town (as long as it's daytime). Once you enter, you'll almost immediately be intercepted by the sheriff of Megaton, a character named Lucas Sims. He quickly lays down the law with you (you can answer him how you like -- we opted to be nice to the man), but then you can pick his brain about all sorts of subjects. You can find out about many of Megaton's points of interest, as well as about the large undetonated nuclear device in the middle of the settlement, which will unlock a side quest entitled "The Power of the Atom". Otherwise, glean as much information as possible from Sheriff Sims before letting him go. He'll tell you that your father likely came through Megaton, but is no longer around. Perhaps Colin Moriarty at the settlement's pub has more information? Let's go check it out.

Heading to Moriarty's pub will allow you to advance the main quest, but if you want to do some exploration, we're going to guide you through that as well. There are a lot of characters in Megaton (excuse the pun), and talking to them will allow you to unlock side quests, make friends, and find plenty of items that you can sell for a tidy profit. All of these things are important, so read on to find out who to talk to. Please keep some things in mind as you go, however. First of all, all of the events discussed below happened during the daytime. If you attempt them at night, chances are the outcome won't be the same. Secondly, whether you're playing as a good guy or a bad guy, holster your weapon. Don't start with people, don't try to kill anyone, and don't steal from any occupied buildings. If you do, you're going to be overwhelmed, and you wouldn't want that. Okay, ready? Let's go.

Start by visiting the water processing plant and talking to Walter within. He will speak at length to you about his job at the plant, and how he hasn't failed in thirty-five years in keeping the facility working. There's an issue, however -- he can't keep it going forever. He'll mention that his job is being heavily complicated by the fact that there are three holes in the pipes that feed water throughout Megaton, and he asks you to fix them. This isn't an official side quest (at least, not yet), so we'll come back to this later. Be sure that you drink from the water fountain in the plant before leaving, as you can heal yourself with the water if need be.



Next, you'll want to head to Craterside Supply and speak to Moira Brown. This merchant will take all of the goods off of your hands that you took from Vault 101 with you (as long as you weren't encumbered!) for a pretty penny, or you can trade straight-up for some of her wares. Be sure to unload your unwanted goods, repair what you do have, and buy anything new you may want. If you're nice to her, she'll also give you an epic side quest called "Wasteland Survival Guide". This is a lengthy and involved side quest, so we won't go into it here. Refer to the Side Quests section of the guide (of course) for more.



You will come across a house owned by a man called Jericho, and he should be out and about (in fact, you'll likely run into him if you walk around Megaton enough, and you can bribe him for information on your dad if you desire). Pick the lock to enter his house and look around. There are a lot of common goods in here, like Bent Tin Cans, a load of Empty Whiskey Bottles and more. The goods of interest you should be sure to leave his house with, however, are three Bobby Pins, some Whiskey and Wine (a little 311 reference, you're welcome), two Milk Bottles, a 10mm Pistol, Crognak the Barbarian, and most importantly, a Chinese Officer's Sword. Remember, stealing this stuff will result in a minor karma loss. But if Jericho happens to be around, don't steal his stuff at all! He'll house you really quickly if you do.



You should find both a communal men's room woman's bathroom in the town. Within these restrooms will be some items. You can find three Plungers and not much else in the men's room, but the woman's room has more to offer. You can find an Ashtray and a Pack of Cigarettes in the bathroom's garbage can, as well as a Salisbury Steak and some other goods in the bathtub within. After examining both bathrooms, head down to the crater at the center of Megaton. Examine the undetonated nuclear bomb at the center of town, and talk to the people worshipping the bomb if they happen to be there.



Speaking of the bomb worshippers, why don't you go visit them next? After examining the focal point of their worship itself (the bomb), you're free to head over to their house of worship, identifiable by the Children of the Atom logo on the building. Within, you'll find a lot of goods, but there are also likely to be a lot of worshippers within, so take things at your own risk (we recommend not taking things at all, at least for the time being). The only character here that will talk to you at length is Mother Maya, who you'll likely find sitting near the altar of the building. Speak with her before leaving, hopefully garnering some more information before you proceed.

When you've finally explored all of Megaton, you can head to Moriarty's Saloon, which is likely the only left-unexplored place in all of Megaton. This is where you'll continue the main mission and find out more about your dad's whereabouts. But don't cut to the chase too quickly. Instead, speak with everyone within the bar. You'll find a lot of interesting characters if you do. Lucy West, for instance, is a newcomer to Megaton and will offer you a side quest called "Blood Ties". A shady character named Mister Burke, sitting by himself in the corner of the bar, will appeal to your darker side, asking you to remotely detonate the nuclear device at the center of town. If you're playing with an evil slant, accept this quest. We, playing good (for the time being), opted not to accept his quest. After all, we already told Sheriff Sims we'd diffuse the bomb at our earliest convenience!

A prostitute named Nova will also talk to your ear off. Money is a tight commodity right now, however, so try to resist the urge to pay her for her services for now. The Ghoulish bartender known as Gob is the next guy you should speak to. You can make fun of his frightening appearance, but if you're kind to him, he will become quite an ally for you, giving you information and discounts on drinks. His boss, Colin Moriarty, is the man you really want to talk to, however. Upon speaking with Moriarty, you can pay him 100 Caps to tell you where your father went. As far as we can tell, persuasion is not going to work on Moriarty easily, so paying him off for the vital information you seek is probably the best way to go about things. Be sure to pick his brain about anything else you can, as well. He may be a shady character, but he sure as hell knows a lot.



Our next objective, the Galaxy News Radio station, is located east of Megaton. Moriarty suggests that you should go in a southeasterly direction, but that's not really true at all (after all, the man's a liar). You'll want to head east all right -- but you'll want to take a more northeasterly direction from Megaton to reach your destination. Keep in mind that your journey should be much more eastern-leaning than northern-leaning, however. If you've already added the Super Duper Mart to your map, however, and can travel there instantly, do so. You'll cut more than half of your overland trip right out completely. Otherwise, walk east until you reach the Super Duper Mart, which is where we'll spring off from.



The Super Duper Mart is adjacent to a radioactive river, and while it can be crossed, you will find yourself a nuclear pancake before long if you attempt it. Instead, you have to use the lone in-tact bridge near the mart to cross the river, which should be easy enough for you. If you've already been to this location (and chances are you have), then you shouldn't run into any enemy resistance in the form of strapped Raiders until you cross to the other side of the river. If this isn't the case, keep your gun drawn and expect enemy encounters out of every corner and piece of rubble you encounter as you head eastward over the bridge.



Once on the other side of the bridge, you'll want to begin heading southward along the river bank. The destroyed highway next to the river will provide a nice conduit on your southward journey, but keep your gun drawn, because hostile Raiders may be anywhere. We ran into two as soon as we crossed the river, but things were relatively quiet after we put them in their place (and stripped them of all of their belongings). One of them even had a Chinese Pistol, an interesting (albeit weak) item, indeed.



What are you looking for as you head south? Well, you're not looking for the Galaxy News Radio station, because you can't easily access it over-ground (though you can try and you might even survive!) Instead, what you're looking for is the Farragut West Metro Station, which is south along the river bed on the east side of the river. You'll run right into it, and it's hard to miss, but make sure to be ready for battle. There's a really good chance at least one well-armed Raider is in your vicinity, if not more.



Once in the station, things will be initially quiet. Head forward and look for a closed door to your right, which you can open with immunity. On the other side, you can begin searching the bathroom you encounter, as well as various metal boxes, filing cabinets and the like. You should come up with some interesting items when you do, including a some Metro Tickets, Pre-War Money, two Cartons of Cigarettes, and more. But it's the computer terminal you can hack that's likely going to be of the most interest to you.



Approach the computer terminal and hack it -- it shouldn't be too hard for you at all (regrettably, passwords are randomized, so your guess as to the current password on your version of the game is as good as ours). Successfully hacking the device will activate a Protectron, an antiquated pre-war robot designed to, well, protect you. But there's a caveat, of course. This robot will go forward and kill enemies for you, which is undesirable. After all, he's stealing precious experience!

Because of this, your best bet is to follow the Protectron until he runs into his first enemies, which will likely be a pair of Mole Rats. This will distract him enough that both the enemies and you can attack him with relative immunity (so long as he continues to have distractions in the forms of other, more hostile enemies). Aim for his head and go to town on that scrap of metal, and be sure to take out the Mole Rats he was engaging as well before searching their corpses and moving on.

You'll proceed onward into another series of offices with a bathroom off to the side. Thorough examination of your surroundings will again net you some random goods that you can sell later, including (but not limited to) various medical supplies (some Forceps and a Medical Brace), Turpentine, a couple of Boxes of Detergent, and 5.56mm Rounds. There should be no enemies in these offices, however, so you can breathe easy for now. When you finally work your way out of the offices to a Mole Rat-covered staircase leading down, you know you're on the right track. So slay the enemy or enemies standing in your way and move on!



Run down the stairs ahead, grabbing the Lawn Mower Blade from the downed lawnmower en route. You should also be able to find more items from a toolbox near a flaming barrel, and some other random semi-useless items lying about. When you get to another series of staircase, climb and descend them as needed until you arrive to a point where a locked gate with Feral Ghouls is on your right, and another office is on your left. Take out what Feral Ghouls you can now, if you so desire, but it's the office on your left that's of true interest.



As if it were a surprise, this office has even more goodies for you. Everything from Crutches to Shotgun Shells to a Leafblower and a Vacuum Cleaner can be found, as well as plenty of medicine (such as Rad-X and RadAway), and even a Laser Pistol if you don't yet have one (coincidentally, we already are strapped with one). The most important item you find while carousing around the office is the Metro Utility Gate Key, however, with which you will be able to open the aforementioned gate and continue through the station. You should also take the time to access the computer in the office (no hacking required!) Doing so will allow you to shut off a gas leak further in the tunnel. If you don't do this, you'll have to rely on melee weapons later on, so be sure this is a priority.



Feral Ghouls are relatively weak foes, but they are incredibly agile and aggressive, so you'll want to kill as many of them as possible before opening the gate. Once you do, they'll stream through the opening towards you and make your life extremely difficult. So, take care of what you can (preferably all of them), and then open the gate, expelling any others before proceeding on your way. The rest of the road should be all-clear of enemies. When you reach a staircase leading down, you can find a locked door there, though you'll unlikely be able to pick it open at the present time. So proceed along the raised linear path, and you'll ultimately come to a doorway where you can access an adjoining station. We're getting close to our destination.



It's easy to get lost here in Friendship Station, and since there are both Feral Ghouls and the much-stronger Feral Ghoul Roamers roaming around here, you're not going to want to get too carried away in your explorations. If you head straight down the tunnel you find yourself in when you first get to this new station, and then go up some downed escalators you run into, following the linear pathway from there back outside, you'll add Friendship Station to your map. If you decide to do this, however, be ready to fight plenty of enemies en route, and once outside, immediately run back in once the location is added to your map. You'll be glad you did this later, but again, if you're weak, timid or running low on health and/or ammo, bypass this for now.

A keen eye will notice that when heading left down the tunnel, graffiti on the wall indicates that Galaxy News Radio (or "GNR" -- not Guns 'N Roses) is in a certain direction. These wall markings will prove to be integral in getting you through the otherwise convoluted, dark and confusing DC Underground towards your destination. Keep your gun drawn as you approach this graffiti, however! Feral Ghouls and their stronger friends might just be around the next corner. And of course, you'll want to ransack the Nuka-Cola machine for its wares, as well.

You're almost back outside, where we can finally head towards the radio station. But you're not clear of danger yet! Proceeding forward, you'll run into more Ghouls, likely, and your first Super Mutant as well. These are strong enemies -- the strongest you've yet faced in your short experience with the game thusfar -- and you'll want to launch your attack on them from afar. If you have an Assault Rifle, equip it. Then, stand as far back as you can (Super Mutants can't see very far, so you can get relatively close, much closer than you could a Raider, for instance) and open fire without using VATS. As the foe realizes where you are and runs towards you, you can continue to bust him open with some machinegun fire and ultimately go into VATS for some headshots when he gets nice and close. Be sure to examine his dead body before proceeding, since you never know what such a powerful enemy might be holding on his person.



From here, you should have no issues getting out of dodge. Head into the wide open room (which was, pre-war, the train platform) and go up the broken escalators to the area above. You can then proceed down the linear corridor all the way to the entrance/exit of the train station. Be aware that you'll likely run into more Feral Ghouls en route, as well as some weaker enemies, such as Radroaches. Remember that for the aforementioned lesser foes, you should be using melee weapons so you can save precious ammunition. And remember, once outside, the new train station will be added to your map. Quickly travel (instantaneously) back to Megaton, where you can sell the myriad goods you've collected for precious caps. This will also allow you to release much of your encumbrance (so you can grab more goods later) and repair your gear before heading to the radio station itself.



Once you've done that, teleport back to Friendship Station. This will launch you outside, where a melee will almost certainly begin immediately with a group of Raiders who have made their home at the entrance/exit of the station. Thankfully, once you clear this area of foes, you will be able to pick apart their settlement (which doesn't have much of interest, honestly), and more importantly, utilize their beds for your own use. Sleep as long as you want here -- once cleared, no Raider reinforcements should show up. You should be in the clear. Just be sure to pick apart their corpses for goods you may need!



Now, we don't have to be up here right now, but it's worth it to do some exploration. Ultimately, you're going to want to return to Friendship Station and head back underground to the only other unexplored area, which leads to Chevy Chase North. This station is right near the radio station, but unfortunately the ridiculous amounts of debris makes getting there via an aboveground conduit impossible. Subterranean routes are all the rage! Nonetheless, explore the vicinity around Friendship Station. You're likely to run into some tough foes, the most annoying of which are the Super Mutants and their stronger brethren, Super Mutant Brutes. The bright side to killing these pesky foes? Well, they're worth a good amount of experience, and their Miniguns prove to be the most valuable and powerful weapon you've yet acquired! Be sure to grab them. Multiples are good -- you can sell them later.



If your back is facing Friendship Station, you'll want to explore both to your right and to your left. To your right, you'll find a weapons depot. Don't bother breaching it yet, but add it to your map and kill the Protectrons guarding them for experience and their valuable laser ammunition. In the other direction, you'll run into more Super Mutants, as well as bug-like enemies called Centaurs. The latter foes shouldn't be underestimated, as they're both agile and aggressive. However, on this side you should find some weapons and aid items amongst the debris. We found Stimpaks, a Mini Nuke, some Dirty Water and Purified Water, Frag Grenades and more. Your findings might differ, but either way, once both routes are explored and enemies are expelled on both fronts, you'll want to head back to Friendship Station. It's a good idea to be at level five before heading back down.



Once back in the tunnel via Friendship Station, things should be quiet. You've likely killed most -- if not all -- of the enemies roving around the tunnels during your previous excursion, so it will be a quick trip. Even if there are some residuals, you should have very, very little trouble (if any) killing them. Just explore the only tunnel you've yet to explore from Friendship Station, so as to not backtrack. This will before long bring you to a nearly-identical setup to Friendship Station. You'll find broken escalators leading upward, and then a tunnel leading back to the surface. Sure, the two stations are really close to one another, but the fact still remains -- there's no way to get to Chevy Chase North from Friendship Station unless you do it underground.

When you emerge from Chevy Chase, the situation is going to be dire. Super Mutants are everywhere, but when you run into them, you'll also run into the famed Brotherhood of Steel, cleaning up the nuclear wasteland for the betterment of society. It's a great situation, really, because the Super Mutants you'd otherwise have to deal with en masse can be cleaned up rather easily by hiding, sitting back and letting your new well-armored friends' guns do the talking. You should, of course, scour the fallen bodies of the Super Mutants for many weapons and other gear, however. Just don't expect to get experience unless you contribute to the death of the enemies. But at this point, especially if you're on level five like we suggested, it's more important to save your ammunition than gain experience.

Amongst the Brotherhood, you'll make a new friend in the form of Sentinel Lyons, a friendly-yet-stern member of the organization. You'll learn a bit about the plight of she and her friends in the Brotherhood, and that their job is both a serious and important one. After speaking with her and combing their targets' bodies for goods, follow them as they regroup. You'll see one of their fallen friends on a bed -- searching this person will result in the discovery of some goods, including heavy Power Armor. Leave it for now, as we'll come back later to grab it once we can actually do something with it.



The next firefight is a fierce one, but you can stay on the periphery and refuse to get involved at all if you so desire (if you want experience, get involved, but like we said earlier it's more important to conserve ammunition at this critical point in the game). When you enter the school, simply follow your new friends as they mow down the mutant enemies as if they were the weakest foes on the Wasteland. These guys are surely powerful! Comb the bodies of fallen enemies, being sure to go to the second floor of the nearly-destroyed structure before heading outside, where real combat begins.



Out here, you'll run into a Super Mutant Behemoth, an enemy that you simply won't be able to take on all by your lonesome. Thankfully the Brotherhood of Steel has your back here! Things can turn out differently depending on how quickly the Behemoth is felled, which is largely contingent on whether or not you opt to attack the foe or not. We recommend not firing on the enemy unless you absolutely have to, as conserving ammunition should still be a top priority for you. Try to hide and let the Brotherhood do all of the dirty work, but make sure to pick the Behemoth's body clean once he's dead. 99 Bottle Caps, five Frag Grenades, four Frag Mines, a Missile, and more will be yours by doing so.



Speak with your Brotherhood brethren when things calm down. It's likely that one of their own fell in the fight ,but that's life (and death) on the Capital Wasteland. After grieving with them (and picking their comrade's body of goods if you so desire), seek out the door into the building. You won't be able to get in until you use the intercom and speak briefly with the DJ of Galaxy News Radio. But once you do, you can head inside. Then, climb up the stairs (either staircase is fine) and seek out Three Dog on the top floor of the building. Be sure not to steal his goods -- you don't want to be on his bad side. Well, at least not yet.



When you finally get to talking with Three Dog, you'll want to be nice to him (unless you're playing evil, in which case you've probably already killed him). The nicer you are to him, and the more patient you are with his verbosity, the more information he'll give you. He'll tell you that your father did in fact come through here not too long ago, and gives you some clues as to his whereabouts. However, he won't spill the beans completely until you do him a favor. If you agree to head to a nearby museum, steal an old satellite dish and place it at the top of the Washington Monument (or what's left of it, anyway), he'll agree to give you all of the information you want. After all, this will increase the range of radio station exponentially. So, it's a win-win situation for you both.

As you explored the disheveled Galaxy News Radio building, you likely noticed a staircase leading down several stairs to a locked door. Well, now that you've spoken to Three Dog, that door should be unlocked, granting you access to the back end of the building. Remember to talk to Three Dog and any of the Brotherhood of Steel guys before leaving, because once you head through that back door and down the rubble-laden path laid out for you from that door, you won't be able to get back up unless you teleport back to the entrance of the building, and doing so will initially be difficult, since enemies are everywhere! Once outside, however, you should run down the rubble path to flat ground.



As you run down, you may have been using VATS to see if enemies are in your vicinity, which is generally a good idea considering there are a few enemies you're going to have to deal with. More Feral Ghouls will be here waiting for you to deal with them, but it's their stronger friends, the Feral Ghoul Roamer, that's going to give you the most trouble. These guys take a surprising amount of damage, so try to chip away at them from afar before going into VATS during up-close combat to lay the killing blows. Be sure to search their bodies for precious bottle caps as you head down the linear path chock-full of debris. The only way out of this path is by going through the open door you come across on your left, which leads to a nearby tunnel.



Enter this tunnel and follow the empty, dimly-lit corridor ahead as it roams into an open, yet nearly-collapsed tunnel. As soon as you arrive and begin pressing your VATS button as you head into the tunnel itself, you'll realize that there are many lesser Feral Ghouls in the tunnel. Since there are so many of them and since they're likely to attack you en masse (or at least a few at a time), an automatic weapon such as an Assault Rifle might be your best bet. See if you can chip away at them with some manual fire from afar before letting them get close and finishing them off with some clean, crisp VAT-assisted shots.



The more well-lit part of the tunnels near the fiery barrels and rusted cars is where you'll run into most of the Feral Ghouls, and unfortunately you won't have much room in which to maneuver. As long as you can clear out as many residuals as you can before taking on the main bunch, and as long as you can keep moving to minimize what is, in reality, minimal damage from these weak enemies to begin with, you should be just fine. Do remember to comb their corpses once fallen to find plenty of Bottle Caps, however. You may even luck out and find some Rad-X on one or two of them.



If you explore the entirety of this small tunnel, you'll find two doors on your right that both promise to lead to the same place -- Dupont Circle. Taking either one of these tunnels is fine, but we actually suggest taking the one farthest from your point of initial entry. This is because you can tuck right into Dupont Station from there, which will help you incredibly in the coming area (otherwise, you'll get involved in some unnecessary firefights -- ammunition wasters). Before leaving the tunnel via the farthest door, however, be sure to explore the medical kit you encounter on the right side wall for two Purified Waters and a Stimpak. You can also grab a Firehose Nozzle from a fire kit on the wall adjacent to the medical kit if you want to collect it and sell it later.



Once on the surface, Dupont Circle Station will be added to your map as another instant-travel location. This is awesome for later use, or if you feel the need to head back to Megaton at any time to heal up, sell your gear, or anything of this nature. When you're feeling ready, keep your Assault Rifle (or another heavy weapon) equipped and enter the station. As soon as you do, you'll see a Super Mutant with his back turned to you not two feet in front of your character. Use VATS to do him in quickly before he knows what hit him. This Super Mutant is only equipped with a melee Nailboard, but his friend roaming around in front of him has a Hunting Rifle equipped. This means that you have to take out his friend quickly after killing the initial Super Mutant, because he poses a much more significant threat, even from afar. When both are felled, search their bodies for goods and grab the Nuka Cola from the Nuka Cola machine on your right. The garbage can next to it contains another one, if you want it.



Those two Super Mutants represented the only initial threat in this part of the station, so you can breathe easy for now. Head forward and you'll see a door straight ahead. This is how we'll proceed further into the tunnel, but first, bear right through another door you find to enter a long-abandoned office. Within, you can find all sorts of rounds for your various weaponry if you search, as well as some other incidental items, such as a Milk Bottle. But if you can hack the easy-to-hack computer within, you can wake up a Protectron slumbering nearby. You won't want to use him, of course, but hacking him and activating him will give you experience, and killing him thereafter will give you even more. Be sure to search his metallic body once destroyed before proceeding through the aforementioned door and further into the station.

Head down the series of staircases following your voyage through the doorway, but when you see a well-lit tunnel ahead, don't just rush in there. A rather powerful Raider is on the other side of the tunnel, and once he spots you, he and his powerful Combat Shotgun will come looking for you. And with a shotgun in close combat, he gets the advantage. Try to sneak into the tunnel as best you can and damage him as much as possible from afar before taking him out with VATS once he gets closer. And naturally, you'll want to search his body for all sorts of valuables, including that Combat Shotgun he was toting if you don't already have one in your inventory.



Speaking of valuables, this powerful (and now deceased) Raider has a pad where all of that light is coming from. Search to find plenty of valuables, including a Steam Gauge Assembly, plenty of Whiskey, and even some Missiles amongst other things. You can also use his bed to sleep in for as long as you want, so long as any other Raiders further up in the tunnels haven't yet spotted you. This will give you a great place to rest and a good jump point for the next area, which is just around the corner.



As you proceed through the linear tunnel from where you slept and killed the powerful Raider, it won't be very long until you run into yet another angry enemy. Thankfully, this guy should be a whole lot easier to deal with than his brethren you killed earlier, but if you're having issues with him, try to draw him out while you fire at him from afar, killing him in the more spacious tunnel where you killed his friend. After searching his corpse, be sure to search his belongings down a dead end corridor nearby, where myriad meds can be found, as well as other goods. Psycho, Jet, three Stimpaks, Med-X, Buffout, a Blood Pack and more should be what you find, amongst other goods.



The path from where you found all of these goodies will again be quiet for some time, as you traverse various empty corridors and staircases. But when you reach what appears to be a makeshift office, complete with raggedy filing cabinets and a desk, you'll know that at least three more Raiders are in your vicinity, as well as their two powerful Mark I Gun Turrets. After searching the desk and filing cabinets (you can find some Pre-War Money and a Carton of Cigarettes), quickly approach the computer near the doorway. If your hacking ability is high enough, you can hack and disarm the gun turrets (or turn them against the Raiders). But if you're not a good hacker or don't have a high enough ability, you'll have to deal with them. But first, deal with the lone Raider that runs in after you, turning your attention on those pesky gun turrets thereafter.



With at least one Raider downed, and with the gun turrets permanently disabled (regardless of how you did it), you can then enter the rocky area ahead. Two more Raiders toting firearms will be firing on you from below. You'll want to try to keep the high ground here for as long as you possibly can, simply because ceding the high ground will result in a net loss of advantages during this gun battle. You can at least weaken your foes from afar before running down the metal catwalk towards your foes, where VATS-assisted killing is much more effective. Naturally, you'll want to search their bodies after they're all killed (ammunition is scarce, after all), and you can always run back to the bed you earlier rested in if you need to do so again. However (and unfortunately), you won't find any other items in this area as you press forward.



From here until you leave the station, you shouldn't run into any more enemies, though as you follow the linear pathway you'll run into at least two already-felled Feral Ghoul corpses (search their bodies for goods). Near those bodies, you should also find an Assault Rifle (though you should already have one) and some 5.56mm Rounds as well. Then, proceed forward (avoiding the lone Frag Mine in the path) to another door that leads to Metro Central. Since there's no other option, go through the door to proceed, and remember that before you reach the Assault Rifle and ammo, you'll see a fork in the road. Ignore it -- it simply leads to radiation-infested water and little else.



When you enter Metro Central, you're going to hear a commotion in the room up from the small corridor you find yourself in. Make haste (with a powerful weapon equipped) and enter the room to find Feral Ghouls and Raiders doing battle with one another. You can certainly let them go at it, conserving ammunition as they kill each other off. But where's the fun in that? And more importantly, where's the experience points in that!? Kill all parties present, searching their bodies once downed. You'll also want to take the time to search the only lit-up area of the room, where yet another Assault Rifle can be found, as well as various ammo and healing goods, such as a Stimpak and some Frag Grenades. Nice!

With those goods in hand, proceed out of this room. It won't be long until you find yourself in another of the many subway tunnels underneath the now-obliterated Washington D.C. You may be confused as to how to proceed from here, and furthermore, there are many enemies in the tunnel. First thing's first -- take care of any enemies in your vicinity. Most of them will be of the Feral Ghoul variety, but chances are you also will have to deal with mutated dog enemies for the very first time as well. Take out enemies as you head leftward down the subway tunnel (so that your back is facing the way you came, on your left). Search their bodies for precious meat and Bottle Caps before abandoning them for new grounds.



You'll eventually come to what was at one time a train platform, though most of it is destroyed. Surprisingly, the escalators you encounter won't function but they are still intact and will provide a conduit to the area above. While this isn't the way we need to go, we still highly recommend you go up there and look around. You'll run into a plethora of easy-to-kill foes, so gaining their experience is a good idea (you'll likely have fought more Feral Ghouls en route to this location as well, continuing to stack up the experience). Bear in mind that if you are running precariously low on ammunition, you'll want to bypass this paragraph completely and proceed to the next, doing the exact opposite and dodging enemy encounters where and when you can. But, that shouldn't be a problem right now.



Either way, you'll want to continue to head down the tunnel past this initial train platform. You won't reach another one, but you will eventually find a door that leads to the Museum Station. It will be on your right, so keep an eye out as you head down the tunnel. You'll have to deal with more enemies en route, but these foes shouldn't provide you any significant trouble, especially not after dealing with some foes you've dealt with already. These guys should provide nice cannon fodder and some easy (but scant) experience, as well.



Once in the first room of the Museum Station, you'll hear some noise, but it's off in the distance, so don't worry too much about it. Instead, scour the empty and dimly-lit room for items you may need. At the very least, you should be able to walk out of there with some Shotgun Ammo, Bottle Caps and Packs of Cigarettes, the latter of which you can sell later. Don't neglect picking up what you can here, as you may find more than what we mentioned. When you're done searching the room, you can head down the adjacent corridor (look for a marking on the wall as seen in the screen below to make sure you're headed in the right direction). Then, go down that corridor, up the stairs, and into the next room.



Just like the last room, you'll find little enemy resistance (if any), but you will find plenty of items to pick up and add to your inventory if you so desire. Incidental items like Plungers and Conductors can be found, as well as a complete pool set, Balls and Cues included. Search around for plenty of liquor in the form of Whiskey as well. It's when you try to exit out of this room that you'll finally run into enemy resistance in the form of Raiders. The first Raider you fight can be fought easily from the safety of the corridor you're coming from. Be sure to search his body for ammunition and other goods before proceeding.

You have an obvious choice to make here. Will you go left, or will you go right? Well, getting to the Mall is our primary objective, and that's to the right (if your back is facing the corridor from which you came). But we implore you to first head to your left. It's a dead end, but you'll be able to fight at least one more Raider to gain more experience and goods. What's more, you can search the area they were guarding for more goods, including an Assault Rifle and some .308 Caliber Rounds. And there's a bed here that you can sleep in if you so desire once the enemy threat is eliminated.



Once you've done that, you can then head down the corridor in the other direction. En route, expect to run into several Raiders armed to varying degrees. They shouldn't be any issue for you, and you should be sure to at least grab their ammunition when they're killed (it's unclear if you have enough room in your inventory to carry more goods -- it's all about what you currently have). When you reach another train platform, you're going in the right direction. Clear the area of all remaining Raiders before running up the disabled escalators to the upper floor. Then, follow the linear, enemyless pathway ahead of you to the outside world. You're now in the belly of the beast, the Mall.



Now, you have some decisions you have to make. Don't peek your head up from the staircase leading into the Mall itself until you've made it. There are plenty of Super Mutants in your vicinity, and you can try to take them on if you want, luring them towards you to funnel them into set mines or however else you might want to fight them. If you need to travel back to Megaton to unload your goods and make room for more, then you have to do this, because you won't be able to fast travel until the enemies are cleared. On the other hand, you can simply run up the stairs and head right for the Museum of Technology on your right if you're ready to proceed as is. The choice is yours. If you decide to do the former, however, be sure to add the Museum of Technology to your map so you can fast travel back to it when you're done!



Once inside the Museum of Technology, have your weapons drawn and ready, because you're going to be confronted before long by a pair of Super Mutants. Neither of these foes should be an issue for you, especially if you've already fought plenty of them and know what to expect. Use the cover provided for you near the entrance in the form of pillars as you use VATS to fight the enemy on the ground floor first before fighting the one on the second floor (the latter may be drawn to you, so make quick work of the first so you don't have to deal with both of them simultaneously). After sweeping the ground floor for goods (you should find a Stealth Boy, some Fancy Lads Snack Cakes and more), head up to the second floor.

You might notice a staircase near the abandoned bathrooms at the back end of the ground floor, and you can follow these stairs up to a dead end if you want to find some random gear, like Pre-War Casualwear and Dirty Pre-War Businesswear, but otherwise there's not much to see so taking the more obvious route to the second floor is the best idea. When you do, you can examine some exhibits to find two more Stealth Boys, but it's the Vault-Tec mock-up on the second floor that's where you really need to go. Traverse the linear corridors of the Vault-Tec mock-up, listening to some humorous visitor commentary that still eerily works. There's little else to say -- you won't run into any enemies, and there will be no items to grab. Just walk until you find a door leading to the museum's west wing, which you should then enter.



You shouldn't run into any enemies immediately as you enter this new area, and as long as you stay quiet here, the Super Mutants in the adjoining room won't know you're there until you fire on them first. But before going there, explore both the upper and lower floors of this area. More goodness can be found in the form of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes and more, and you can also carouse the computer terminals on the lower floor for optional information on long-defunct museum exhibits. But once you're ready, locked-and-loaded, head into the adjacent stairwell and open fire on the Super Mutants there.



It goes without saying that the more damage you can deal on the Super Mutants in this tall stairwell from afar, the better off you're going to be when you approach them at close-range to effectively use VATS. Try to keep the high ground as much as possible, since this will halt some enemy fire from striking you and give you higher hit percentages on your return shots. Then, when the coast is clear, check all of the floors of this stairwell for Super Mutant bodies, which you should promptly search for precious ammunition before proceeding on your way. You can also head up to the first floor to grab some other goods, including Pork and Beans, and you can also pick a lock on a door there as well (we weren't at a high enough level to do so when we arrived).



Otherwise, head to the ground floor, continue to search any yet-unsearched bodies you encounter, and head down an adjoining corridor which will ultimately lead you to another wide open exhibition room. However, as soon as you arrive, you'll encounter a Super Mutant and his much, much stronger friend, a Super Mutant Master. The latter of these two foes should be your priority, because he packs an incredible punch and will necessitate the use of plenty of ammunition to down. If you can remain as quiet and stealth-like as possible, attempt to plant a couple of Frag Mines (or whatever other kind of mine you have) at the entrance to this room. When the Mutants see you, they'll run at you and over the mines. This won't kill either of them, but it will take away a substantial amount of health.



The room these two Mutants were guarding holds the Virgo II Lunar Lander, which holds the Lunar II Satellite Dish we seek. Approach the lander when the coast is clear and examine the dish to take it and add it to your inventory. Now, you're free to leave at will, but first you should probably explore places you've yet been, such as the dead end staircase branching off of this room, and the planetarium (still very much in good shape) adjacent to the room. You'll find a lot of goods, such as a Stimpak, Nuka-Cola Quantum, and more. If you fight the remaining Super Mutants in the planetarium, you should also be able to grab a Chinese Assault Rifle from one of their bodies, a powerful, powerful weapon indeed!

When you're ready to leave, you're going to have to go back the way you came (there's another door near the Lunar Lander, but we were unable to open it right now). As long as you killed all of the Super Mutant variants in the museum, you should be able to get all the way back to the entrance without much of an issue. Explore any other areas that you didn't yet check out en route back to the entrance. When you reach the entrance, head back outside and get ready for the final leg of our mission.



Now, you're going to have to do battle with a load of Super Mutants on the final leg of our journey. How many Super Mutants you have to deal with depends entirely on how many you've already killed in this area. If you took our advice earlier and eliminated a bunch before entering the Museum of Science, than you shouldn't immediately have your hands full until you begin to head towards the Washington Monument (which is the tallest point left in the city, and can be found to your left once you leave the museum). But if you just ran into the museum without dealing with any Super Mutants first, now's when you're going to have to do so.



As you run towards the Washington Monument, the going is tough. Trenches line the entire area, either a remnant of a pre-nuclear ground war or a creation of the Brotherhood of Steel or their Super Mutant foes. Regardless of their origination, the fact remains that you'll need to traverse these trenches (don't stay above ground, you're a moving target for the Super Mutants' miniguns if you do). Be careful as you rove around. The Super Mutants are aggressive and well-armed, and there are booby-traps in the form of tripwires and mines in the trenches as well. When you finally reach the base of the Washington Monument, you'll run into the Brotherhood of Steel, who will help you clean up any residuals as you enter the Monument's outer gate.



Once within the Washington Monument, there's little to see. The golden elevator at the far end of the monument is still in working condition, surprisingly, and you can take it to the roof. Once up there, examine the archaic radio equipment to place the Virgo II dish atop it. Suddenly, Galaxy News Radio has its former range again. You can find plenty of 10mm Ammunition on the roof apart from the radio array, but other than that, there's nothing else to see. Instantly teleport back to the Galaxy News Radio building when you're ready. It's time to wrap this mission up.



When you reach the GNR building, head all the way back up to Three Dog's office, where you can speak with him. Tell him the deed is done, and you can then press him for more information on your father's whereabouts. What do you find out? Well, you find out that your dad (who Three Dog considers a good man) went to Rivet City. And at Rivet City, your dad was seeking out someone named Doctor Li. Now you know where you need to go next. And that, my friends, wraps this mission up. Good work!

Getting to Rivet City isn't easy. If you've managed to find this place already on your own, by rampant exploration, then good for you. If that's your situation, all you have to do is teleport there to get to the next leg of this mission (you'll also want to skip several paragraphs down to where you need to be). If that's not you, however, then you're going to want to instantly teleport to an area on the east side of the Potomac River; preferably a place known as the Tepid Sewers (if you've done the Wasteland Survival Guide quest for Moira Brown back at Megaton, this place should be on your map -- it's right next to the Anchorage War Memorial). From here, you'll want to head south alongside the river, which will ultimately bring you to Rivet Town. Not before you run into a whole lot of other crap first, though.



We're assuming you teleported to the Tepid Sewers/Anchorage War Memorial area. Go south. The first thing you'll likely run into is a small Raider outpost. Kill the weak Raiders, raid their gear (pardon the pun), and then grab the ridiculous amount of stuff they've been hording in their setup. Basically every kind of medicine (from Stimpaks and Jet to Psycho and Buffout) can be found here, as well as plenty of liquor, especially Whiskey. Grab everything you can here and then proceed southward until you reach an area called Dukov's Place. This will be added to your map; head back to Megaton instantly at this point to sell everything you grabbed from the Raider outpost. Rest up, and then return to Dukov's Place instantly to proceed.



Proceeding southward, you'll shortly come to a bridge with a scavenger hiding underneath. You can trade with this person, but we opted to kill her, take all of her goods and sell them back at Megaton before teleporting back to Dukov's Place and continuing. You can handle that how you want, however. Things will be relatively quiet from here until you reach a mostly-destroyed building with a few Super Mutants on it. You'll also run into lesser enemies known as Centaurs (you've likely fought these creatures before). You can kill what you want, or you can just run along, killing anyone that follows you. Of course, it's the blatantly-obvious Jefferson Memorial ahead that's a good indicator as to whether you're headed in the right direction or not.



The Jefferson Memorial, the large dome that you should see on your left as you proceed southward, is a converted building. That is to say, something is very clearly going on within, but for now, we're not too worried about that. What we are worried about is taking out the few Super Mutants running around the place causing a panic. Thankfully, all but one or two should be scantly equipped with Nailboards, so killing them should be an exercise in ease at this point in the game. Comb their bodies for anything interesting, but don't proceed southward from here. Rather, you'll want to walk along the metal catwalks around the far end of the memorial (more Mutants may be waiting for you, so be ready), towards the large aircraft carrier ahead. That's right -- this is Rivet City, the settlement Three Dog told you about.

If you wanna see some bona fide coolness, check out the back end of the huge aircraft carrier to see some of the aircraft that fought in the war prior to nuclear devastation. But ultimately, you need to take the land route towards the front end of the ship, where a RIVET TOWN sign can easily be seen. You're here. Get ready for the next leg of our mission!



Accessing Rivet City isn't easy (well, it's easy, but not immediate or instantaneous). Climb the metal catwalks and seek out an intercom box near the disheveled man asking for water. You'll speak to Rivet City's security captain, a guy named Harkness. He'll extend the bridge towards the ship out to you but then ask why you're here. We told him we're here to see Dr. Li, and that the reason is personal. This was good enough for him, but it's likely there are other permutations to this conversation that will get you into Rivet City. Pick his brain about what Rivet City offers (you can also ask the nearby security guard some of the same questions), and then walk down the rest of the bridge towards the two doors into the ship.



Before going to see Dr. Li, why not check out the city's shopping area? You can buy lots of goods here (the selection amongst the several shops here is far greater, overall, than Moira Brown's scant collection of goods back in Megaton), and you can also get some information. It's best not to mettle in the affairs of the people here mid-mission (you'll notice that you can do that), but talk to everyone and see what they offer. Be sure to visit Flak at Flak and Shrapnel's, Angela and her father at Gary's Galley, Cindy at a Quick Fix, and Bannon at Potomac Attire. Between these four stores and their owners, you'll get plenty of information and have the option to buy a whole slew of goods, if you so desire. Oh, and a word to the wise -- keep your hands to yourself. Even if you're playing as an evil character or are desperate for goods, you don't want to steal anything here. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into if you do.



There's more to see if you head back to the ship's entrance and access the staircase via the door we earlier ignored. At the bottom of the staircase, you can find the Muddy Rudder, a bar run by a stern woman named Belle Bonny. Speak to her and any of her patrons. Then, access the main living quarters (called the Midship Deck) from the staircase to meet more people, including a security guard, some random passerbys, and even Cindy's drug-fiending husband. All have a story to tell, but again, try not to get too involved with their mini-side quests for the time being. It will complicate things, and you can always come back later and take care of business.



There is one side quest you might want to accept, however, just because it's such a darn interesting one. In the Midship Deck, you'll find a lot of locked doors (and you won't want to pick them open -- trust us). One door will be open, though, and it will simply say "door". On the other side of the door is a sort of makeshift museum of American history. Its proprietor, an elderly man named Abraham Washington, has an interesting request. He wants you to grab the Declaration of Independence for him from the ruins of the National Archives. But the best part is the pseudo-history he tells you about the document. Two-hundred years without knowledge really hurts, apparently. When you're done speaking with him, head back to the Midship Deck and seek out one of the two entrances to the science lab. We're finally going to pay Dr. Li a visit.

The science lab isn't exactly high-tech, but what is in the Capital Wasteland? Before speaking with Dr. Li, consider speaking with some of her co-workers roaming around the lab. The mysterious Dr. Zimmer will offer you a quest if you want to take it, but we recommend against taking it for the time being. Even if you're tempted to mess with Zimmer, resist. His mercenary friend, who acts as his bodyguard, makes it pretty clear what he's going to do to you if you try anything funny. Oh, and you can take a look at those fresh (and very real) vegetables on the table, but don't take them! If you do, you'll be in for a bit of a hurting.



When you're all set, speak with Dr. Li to get the lowdown on your father. It appears that he worked with your mom and Dr. Li on something called Project Purity, an attempt to purify large water sources for the betterment (and restructuring) of humanity. But when your character was born and your mother died, your father took off to take care of you and the project all but failed. A frustrating endeavor, Project Purity was abandoned at the lab created for it at, you guessed it, the Jefferson Memorial. Remember where that is? We passed it when we came to Rivet City earlier. You fought a bunch of Super Mutants around it and had to walk around a metallic catwalk surrounding it to reach Rivet City. So, it should be on your map and thus you can instantly teleport yourself there as soon as you're ready to do so.



How to enter the Jefferson Memorial may not be completely obvious, but it's right in front of where you're transported from. Head forward through the door into the gift shop. This will lead to a long, barely-lit corridor stretching forward. Upon your entrance, you'll almost immediately be attacked by a Centaur. Kill this basic foe and go to the four-way intersection ahead. To your left is a dead end, behind you is the way you came, and ahead of you is an area we can't yet do anything in. So, you'll want to head right into the adjoining room.



Before you run into the room, you'll likely be intrigued by the gun noises you hear. This is from the Mark I Turret pointing inward, shooting at either a Centaur, a Super Mutant, or perhaps even both. Even though this gun is helping you out, you'll still want to destroy it from behind (for the experience, of course) before heading into the room and taking out whichever enemies it might have been shooting at. After scouring those bodies, begin to take a look around. With your back facing the way in which you entered the room, you can find a bathroom to your right, though there's nothing interesting within it. On the left, however, you can find plenty of goods. A thorough search will reveal a lot of incidental items (like Plates and Cups), but you should also be able to find some InstaMash, Pork N Beans, Vodka and other foodstuffs, as well as plenty of varied ammunition, from 10mm Rounds to .32mm Rounds and more.



Approach the next room ahead (grabbing the Vodka en route) and take out any other Centaurs or Super Mutants waiting for you. Before proceeding, we should explore the entirety of the square-shaped corridor surrounding this area, ignoring all doors for now. When you explore (going left or right, it matters not), expect to fight at least one Super Mutant, but more likely two. Search both of their bodies, as well as the desks, tables and filing cabinets you come across. Most of the items you find are incidental, but you should be able to find some Nuka-Cola from a barely-functioning drink machine, some valuable Hot Plates to sell off later, and even a Pack of Cigarettes. Remember, as always, to be judicious in which items you do and don't add to your inventory, since encumbrance is always a threat. And you won't want to go through your inventory to figure out which goods you should and shouldn't abandon if you're slowed to a crawl.



The next place we'll want to explore is the basement of the memorial, and for no other reason than to grab a lot of valuable goods to add to your inventory and to sell later. It goes without saying that if you have a lot of valuables and are carrying too much, leave the memorial, teleport back to Rivet City or Megaton to unload your goods, and then come back. Hopefully, however, that won't be a problem, so you can kill multiple birds with one single stone. Another great advantage to checking out the basement here is that you can kill a good half-dozen Super Mutants and Super Mutant Brutes, which will allow you to rack up some ever-valuable experience. But remember! It's the goods we're after.

We won't give you directions on how to navigate this area, because it's dark, dank and a little bit confusing, and that will just complicate the issue even more. It's hard to get completely lost (generally, stairs leading up will indicate that you're heading back towards the memorial, while you'll be heading deeper into the basement by going down stairs). Goods to grab are many -- valuable medical equipment like Forceps, Tweezers and Empty Syringes should be grabbed. Foodstuffs like InstaMash and Dandy Boy Apples can be found. And plenty of weapons and ammunition, from 10mm Rounds and .32 Caliber Rounds to 5.56mm Rounds can also be found. But it's the Project Purity Project Journals you find strewn about (in entries) that will be of the utmost interest to you. You don't have to grab these, but they will shed plenty of light on what went on with Project Purity, and what went wrong.



You're probably swamped with goods now (and experience, too!), which is a good thing, of course. Head back up and leave the basement, and re-traverse the square-shaped corridor, looking for a door that leads to the memorial's rotunda. Have your gun drawn, because there are at least two Super Mutants, one of them a Brute, that will be waiting for you on the circular rotunda. Down both of these enemies, searching their bodies for any goods they may have (you should have a plethora of Frag Grenades at this point, just from searching their bodies). Then, seek out a staircase leading to the office above.



The office above, surprisingly well-lit and in good order, will have more entries from the Project Purity Project Journals, similar to the ones we found down in the memorial's basement. However, the key entry, Entry 10, can be found up here. Once you find it, head into your inventory via Pip-Boy and give the entry a listen to find out where your dad has gone to. It appears he's gone to a place similar to Vault 101, called Vault 112. Vault 112 is located far to the west of Megaton, so once you are ready, head outside and teleport instantaneously to Megaton. It's time to head overland to Vault 112.



Vault 112 is on your map, and it's due west of Megaton, so it's going to be a lengthy and laborious overland route that you'll be forced to take to get there (unless, of course, you have a place closer to it to teleport from, which you probably don't at this point in the game). There's some good news and bad news about this adventure. The good news is that, while you'll run into plenty of enemies on your westward journey, most of them won't be difficult for you to kill at all. The bad news? There's a new enemy you'll encounter at least once en route to Vault 112, and it's a variety you've yet encountered. And yes, it's a powerful enemy, indeed!



Expect to encounter plenty of Mole Rats, Bloatflies, and Radscorpions as you go. Radscorpions might give you a minor problem, but Mole Rats and Bloatflies are amongst the weakest foes in the game, so kill them for easy (yet scant) experience. For some reason, there might also be Protectrons roaming around the Wasteland, so lay into them when you encounter them as well (and search their metallic bodies for laser ammunition once slain). If you happen to run into a Super Mutant, you're lucky, because their easy experience is welcome right now. Running into one of them is guaranteed, though -- they don't often roam on the western edge of the Wasteland.



Now, we'll tell you a bit about the daunting new enemy you're likely to run into. These foes are called Mr. Gutsy, and from what we can tell, these robots are American Army leftovers that still manage to function and roam the Wasteland looking for communist enemies that don't seem to exist anymore. So, when you run into them, they'll turn their red ire on you instead. Mr. Gutsy isn't an agile floating robot, but he packs a whallop, with a flamethrower and laser gun able to easily devastate unsuspecting victims. They can also take an intense amount of damage before they are felled, but luckily the experience points make it all worth it. Also making it worth it are the items the two we encountered were guarding. The first one you'll likely encounter near a downed army truck contains some Cigarettes, as well as two Fission Batteries, and plenty of 5.56mm Rounds.

Proceeding westward from there, the environment will continue to be barren. You may encounter an abandoned settlement or small village long-since destroyed by the nuclear holocaust now two-hundred years in the past, and you may even encounter a train derailed by the explosions that ravaged the nation's capital. And you'll encounter more enemies, no doubt, but nothing you're not prepared for. This is a long voyage -- there's no doubt -- but perseverance will serve you well, for Vault 112 could be right over the next hill.



When you spot a red rocket-like object in the distance, you're on the right track, because Vault 112's entrance is enshrined in that abandoned car garage. Before heading right towards it, however, be certain you explore another abandoned US Army truck adjacent to it. Yes -- Mr. Gutsy will be guarding it -- but the payout for killing him apart from his experience will make this exercise worth it. He's guarding a slew of goods, including a Laser Rifle, plenty of Microfusion Cells and Electron Charge Packs, as well as a truck holding more ammunition in the form of 5.56mm Rounds, 10mm Rounds and Shotgun Shells. All-in-all, a great payout.



Seek out a door into the garage when you're ready, and equip a melee weapon (we equipped our trusty Chinese Officer's Sword). You'll want to do this in order to save precious ammunition as you deal with the weak Radroaches and Mole Rats within the garage itself. Scour the garage for more items if you want. There are some valuable goods, including a Conductor, Wonderglue, Turpentine, and more, including medical items like Purified Water and a Stimpak. But it's the electrical switch on the wall near the back shelf on the left that you'll want to hit. This will cause a staircase to show up, which leads down towards the Vault.



There are no enemies to be seen from here on out, but you can still do a little bit of exploration. Head down the stairs and follow the linear corridor until you see a vault door that's eerily familiar to the Vault 101 door you came from. This door, however, leads, to the strange Vault 112. When you enter, continue to follow the linear pathways until you run into a robotic friend named Robobrain, who will hand you a Vault 112 Outfit and ask you to get into it. Follow his instructions, having only that outfit equipped, and nothing else.



While you can explore the Vault if you so desire, the ultimate goal of this mission (which will bring it to an end) is to reach the circular room at the center of the vault, where machines called Tranquility Loungers are located. There's a couple of empty ones down there, and one of them can be activated, accessed and sat in. Once you do, get ready for a virtual reality ride to last a lifetime. A fake lifetime, anyway.

Just what the hell is going on here!? Why, you're in virtual reality, of course! Welcome to Tranquility Lane, a rather ingenious creation for nuclear survivors to live happily in lives they once knew. But you're not here to enjoy yourself, and you're not here to make friends. You're here to get to the bottom of what's going on, and to find your father. Feel free to take a few minutes to explore, talking to whomever you want and entering whatever house you'd like. Most everyone has nice things to say and are enjoying life. This is a real Leave It To Beaver moment, we know. And PLEASE, don't e-mail us about the alternate route. As the box below indicates, there is a good karma way through. We cover the bad karma route here.



After putting up this section of the guide, we received massive amounts of e-mail from you guys, the readers. Therefore, please keep in mind that our detailed walkthrough for this section is considered the "evil" way of doing it. To accomplish this part of the game without losing any karma, it's actually easy. Head to the "abandoned house" in the simulation. Here, you'll find five items in the house that must be activated in a certain order (listen for the chimes when the item is activated to see if you're doing it in the right order or not). Once activated properly, a computer will reveal itself. Activate the computer program when prompted to do so, and a communist invasion of the simulation will occur, killing everyone within for you, allowing you to ultimately escape with unharmed karma.
Ultimately, however, you'll find that no one has any idea where your father is, and what's more, you seem trapped in this virtual reality. That's where a little girl named Betty comes into play, because you need to find Betty and speak with her. She can be found at the center of the circular neighborhood in a simple playground. Upon speaking with her, she'll show you how bossy she can be, and demand that you play a game with her. There's simply no way around it, you have to agree. And this is when she asks you to make her playmate, Timmy, cry. (If you refuse, you have to figure out a Betty-less way to get out of here, which is possible, but far less fun).



There are a few ways to make Timmy cry, but the easiest (and most sickly rewarding) way is to kill his mother. Timmy's family's house is the one with the lemonade stand in front of it. Head into the house, simply letting yourself in, and seek out Timmy's mom. Then, with your fists, do her in, chasing her around the house as she screams for mercy. This may be sick, but it's necessary (though you can find more subtle ways to make Timmy cry if you must). When you've done the deed, report back to Betty, who will allow you to ask her one question before the game continues. That's when you realize she isn't a little girl at all, but is instead being controlled by an unknown man named Dr. Stanislaus Braun.



Braun asks you next to break up the otherwise happy marriage of the Rockwells. But, you can't kill them, so you need to figure out another way to do it. The Rockwells' house is a house without a fence in front of it, with a slightly-overgrown yard, trees in the front, and a gnome on the small concrete stoop. Enter the house and speak with the Rockwells. You can pry some about their marriage, but they won't be too happy about it. But now that you've introduced yourself to them, it's time to break up their happy marriage. Sorry folks, it has to be done.



Again, there are a few ways this can be done, but this is what we did. Leave the Rockwells' residence and, while facing it, look to your left. The neighboring house there is the Simpson household. Enter the house, and head on upstairs into the master bedroom. Examine the queen-sized bed there, and you'll discover some underwear. Grab these undergarments and run back outside and head into the Rockwell's residence once more. Go into the basement of the house, approach the desk in the corner, and examine it to place the underwear on it. Where are we going with this?



Once the underwear is on the desk, head upstairs and tell Mrs. Rockwell that you saw something in the basement she needs to see. While she's curious what you were doing in the basement, you can insist that she come downstairs with you and check out what's down there. She agrees. Go back into the basement and Mrs. Rockwell will automatically be in pursuit. Approach the desk and go through the motions, telling her that Mr. Rockwell is either cheating, or insinuating that he could be a cross-dresser. Either way, Mrs. Rockwell is distressed, running upstairs, out of the house and gone seemingly forever. The distressed Mr. Rockwell will have no idea what hit him!

Go back and see Betty in the same location she's been this entire time -- the playground at the center of the small neighborhood. She'll be most thankful of the work you've been doing, and you can continue to pry with the doctor controlling her about just what's going on, learning just a little more about the situation here. But Betty -- we mean, Dr. Stanislaus Braun -- has another activity for you. This time, he wants you to kill Mabel Henderson. And you have to do it in a clever way, not with your fists. Oh my!



Mabel Henderson's house is located on the other side of the Simpson house (the Rockwell house being on the other side, thus the Simpson house being in the middle of the two). Head on in there and, before doing anything, go into the kitchen. Examine the stove and fiddle with the pilot light. Just what's going on here? Well, this is a clever way to kill Mabel (though there are others, if you can figure them out). Speak with Mabel hereafter and ask her to make you one of her famous pies. She'll agree and head into the kitchen to pre-heat the oven. When she does this, she'll be met with an untimely death. Poor Mrs. Henderson, flaming to death on the kitchen floor.



Your time on the demented Tranquility Lane is coming to a close. After Mabel's demise, go back and speak with Betty once more, who will commend you on a job well-done. She tells you there's only one thing left to do, and then you can have whatever you want. She wants you to kill everyone -- everyone -- on Tranquility Lane. Oh my! And doing so will require that you grab a mask and knife that Betty has hidden for you near a doghouse at the abandoned house on Tranquility Lane. So what are you waiting for? Go grab your gear!



Seek out the abandoned house -- there's a gate around the house, no one inside, and a doghouse to the right of the house. Examine the doghouse and you'll find yourself automatically equipped with a creepy mask and a gigantic butcher's knife which will be used to execute everyone on Tranquility Lane. Then, try to systematically go around and kill everyone in each house, following each character if they run away from you, especially if they run outside (this will confuse things intensely if you let them go).



Having fun? Well, we hope so, because you're losing a hell of a lot of karma from doing this, but you need to get out of this virtual insanity (an odd Jamiroquai reference) and get back to your primary mission. So, killing everyone is your only choice. You don't have to waste time going back to Betty each time you kill someone to see if you killed everyone -- as long as you pay close attention to your screen, you can see that the objective has been successfully completed when the last person is killed (it's important to pay attention since you can't consult your Pip-Boy to see what's going on).



When the last person is killed, visit Betty at the playground and she'll congratulate you on a job well done. Since you've done everything the evil doctor has asked, he's agreed to let you and your father (who was the dog in the playground) out of virtual reality, where they can thereafter return to the Capital Wasteland. Good to have all of that fake (yet real) blood off of your hands.



When you're back in reality, exit your virtual reality pod and engage your father in conversation. This can be a lengthy conversation, as you can poke and prod your father for all sorts of interesting information about Project Purity, your mother, Vault 101, and the realities of this post-nuclear world. Once you're done speaking with him, you can then follow him as he books it out of Vault 112 and back to the surface. Once on the surface, this mission comes to an end. It's time to head back to Rivet City and meet up with the famed Dr. Li once more.