FAQ - Look Here Before Posting

[Shinobi273]

You may post common questions with answers or without, but no repeat questions.

Failure to use spoiler tags will result in:

Spoiler! (click here to reveal)

infractions

How do I disarm landmines?
It has been reported that you can run up to them and press A to disarm them before they explode.

If I killed the Overseer, am I screwed?
No, he has a replacement.

How do I open the first locked door in the National Guard Depot?
You must use a switch, it is directly to your left after exiting the Offices back into the main building. You should be on the top floor, it is to the left of the toppled over vending machine.

How do I get into Rivet City? I found the location but there is no way onto the ship.
Fast travel to Rivet City, you will be at the top of a platform. Look for the intercom to your left.

Where is ______ location?
Check this interactive map.

What is the Latitude/Longitude coordinate system that people are using?
This map has the axis drawn on it.

How do you turn on your light?
Hold the B button.

How can I resolve ammo/caps needs?
1. Using the Sniper perk with VATS can increase headshots and decrease ammo use.
2. Search areas thoroughly for ammo crates.
3. Loot dead bodies and sell what you don't need.
4. Revisit mob areas (enemies respawn) and take a partner (Fawkes was recommended). Let them do the killing.
5. Make sure a vendor has caps available to give you, they all have a limited number of caps. As far as I could tell, their inventories and caps change with time.

Any tips on hacking?
1. Pick a word that ends in "ing" or similar. If it tells you three or more are correct, then there is a good chance the password ends in "ing", narrowing things down a bit.
2. Write down all the words side by side, eliminating words that don't fit.
3. You get as many chances as you like to hack, just quit after three attempts and retry (the password will change, but at least you aren't locked out permanently).
4. Try the first 3, if it isn't any of those, retry.

What are the available perks and requirements for them?
List right here.

I am moving slowly and can't fast travel!
You are probably over encumbered. Your character can only carry so much stuff then you will be to heavy to run. You can check what your max weight is by pressing B and then going to items. It is at the top, labeled "Wg." Just drop some items until you are at or below your max load and you will be able to run again. You can increase your max load by increasing strength.

What items are needed for creating weapons?

Bottlecap Mine:

Railway Rifle:

Rock-It Launcher:

Shishkebab:

Nuka Grenade:

Deathclaw Gauntlet:

Dart Gun:

Items used in creating weapons:
Abraxo Cleaner, Caps, Cherry Bomb, Conductor, Crutch, Deathclaw Hand, Firehose Nozzle, Fission Battery, Lawnmower Blade, Leaf Blower, Leather Belt, Lunch Box, Medical Brace, Motorcycle Gas Tank, Motorcycle Handbrake, Nuka Cola Quantum, Paint Gun, Pilot Light, Pressure Cooker, Radscorpion Poison Gland, Sensor Module, Steam Gauge Assembly, Surgical Tubing, Tin Can, Toy Car, Turpentine, Vacuum Cleaner, Wonderglue

Where can I find components?
You can buy junk from a particular roving merchant, they stop at Canterbury Commons every few days. You might also try the supply merchant in Megaton or the junk merchant in Rivet City. You can find all parts other than Nuka Cola Quantum, Deathclaw Hand, and Radscorpion Poison Gland this way.

All components can be found in a Scavenger shop Southwest of Tenpenny Tower near the Southern border of the map. The building is easily visible from the entrance of Warrington Station. The shop's building is red and is adjacent to a bombed-out building with a parking lot.

Where can I find Dogmeat?
Dogmeat is in the scrapyard just South of the Minefield and North of the Bethesda Ruins.

Things that might be missed for achievements.

Originally Posted by Y0UNIK0RN

Bobble Heads:

1. Vault 101 the start of the game when your 16, you have another chance later for another quest buts its best to get it now.

2. Simm's House, blowing up Megaton will destroy the bobblehead if it is still there.

3. Raven Home, in colonel Autumns quarters do this before going to see Eden as the door closes you in.

Main & Side Quests:

1. Do not blow the blow the bomb in Megaton, as you will not be able to do the other missions in that city such as "survival guide"

2. Go to Paradise Falls and do the job for the slaver called "strictly business" and then after it is complete go inside and talk to the boy behind a car to do the mission called "Rescue from Paradise" which I didn't even see in the guide which threw me off. Maybe its update with that achievement now.

Also word of advice keep good karma always and don't go killing everyone

Does difficulty level affect achievements?
No, easy or hard, you get the achievements.

My game is locking up frequently, what to do?
You need to clear the Fallout 3 file cache by holding LB+RB+X while the game is booting (don't release the buttons until you're at the Press Start screen).

When is the point of no return for the end of the game?

Spoiler! (click here to reveal)

When you have to follow the giant robot to Project Purity, he pretty much clears the whole path for you. When you get to the facility don't go in, just leave there now, inside it will get to a part where you have to activate it and the door shuts and locks behind you. You cant lockpick it or anything, the only options are for you to activate it or have Sarah activate it. If you have autosave on it would have saved it right when you came in the door.

[Midnight Malice]

Originally Posted by xXI A ROD IXx

Whats an easy way of hacking terminals?

If you remember a while back, there was a board game called Mastermind. Hacking works similar to this. The best way I have found is to write all the words down on paper, then use elimanation in this way by crossing off the words that don't fit. It may seem longer, but it actually makes hacking faster. It lets you see the words side by side, which makes comparing a heck of a lot easier.

[InfernoX222]

Just an added bit of help for hacking - if you scroll around untill you find the random symbols joined together and use them as the password it eleminates one of the choices as a dud...

Last night mine looked something like <.-?, its random but it helps

EDIT:

Dogmeat is in the scrapyard just south of the Minefield and north of the Bethesda Ruins

[Stewie Griffin2]

Is lockpicking similar in this game as it was in Oblivion, and how hard are the picks to come by? I noticed that you have to use them in some weapons, so should I stockpile them and where is the best place to find/buy them?

[Y0UNIK0RN]

I'm going to start this now before work so anyone else have more please post so we can update this.

Bobble Heads:

1. Vault 101 the start of the game when your 16, you have another chance later for another quest buts its best to get it now.

2. Raven Home, in colonel Autumns quarters do this before going to see Eden as the door closes you in.

Main & Side Quests:

1. Do not kill the overseer at the start of the game, you need him for a later quest called "trouble on the home front"

2. Do not blow the blow the bomb in Megaton, as you will not be able to do the other missions in that city such as "survival guide"

3. Go to Paradise Falls and do the job for the slaver called "strictly business" and then after it is complete go inside and talk to the boy behind a car to do the mission called "Rescue from Paradise" which I didn't even see in the guide which threw me off. Maybe its update with that achievement now.


Also word of advice keep good karma always and don't go killing everyone

[eTron000]

Originally Posted by InfernoX222

Just an added bit of help for hacking - if you scroll around untill you find the random symbols joined together and use them as the password it eleminates one of the choices as a dud...

Last night mine looked something like <.-?, its random but it helps

it's not that. it's brackets and chevrons. you have to look for () [] or <>. they can have symbols in them (i.e.: [%^!]) and there can even be multiple brackets in them(i.e.: [[.#^%]).

EDIT: when you select the brackets they either remove a dud[false password] or reset your allowance[the amount of tries].

[Otomsk]

I just wanted to add that blowing up Megaton will not prevent you from doing the survival guide quest. I blew up Megaton and later i decided to go to the Megaton Ruins and then she appeared only as a ghoul. But I believe that you have to talk to her BEFORE you blow up Megaton, get the quest and then blow up Megaton. Thats what I did atleast.

[Edable Giraffe]

Is it possible to skip the quest 'Following in his Footsteps'? Because it's dimmed out on my quest list, i can't select it but i havn't gotten the achievement.

Or, how the hell do you get to the place? iv'e found it on the map but everywhere in the city is blocked by rubble and i can't find a way through... =/

To answer my own question, you go through the subway.


Edit: Also, how do i learn to use power armour? My guess would be inside the citadel but you're told to talk to someone to grant you entry, where is he?

[Full Metal COS]

Three things:
1. If you miss the bobblehead at age 16 you can get it during the "Escape" mission at age 19 (I did), another bobblehead I'd assume is missable is the Str bobblehead in Lucas Simms house, if you blow up Megaton prior to getting it I'm assuming your screwed. (Not a problem for me, I'm playing a super-good idealist lol, so I have a nice house in Megaton right now.)

2.If you tell Lucas about the plot to blow the bomb in Megaton, it effectively writes him out of the story, but you can still disarm the bomb and get the "power of the atom" achievement by talking to his son (took me ages to figure this out!)

3. If you complete a quest but do not get the achievement ("following in his footsteps" is the main offender as far as I know), chances are you have missed one or more steps in the quest line, if you subsequently go back and do them you will get the achievement. (SPOILER: example: I spoke to Dr Li prior to going to GNR and finished the "following in his footsteps" quest with no achievement, but then went to GNR and spoke to Three Dog and even though I got no quest progress/update (as the quest was finished) I still got the achievement, as this was the missing step.) I'd assume the only way to totally lock yourself out of a quest achievement is by killing someone important to the quest, so play nice guys!
Peace.

[Edable Giraffe]

Originally Posted by LUCKYMEWHEEEE

when the hell doesthe armor open up in megaton, been waiting all dammday

I'm guessing you mean armoury, in which case it doesn't. It's not a shop, it is the place where megaton keeps its weapons and you're going to have to steal them if you want them.

[Park Diesel]

Originally Posted by Full Metal COS

2.If you tell Lucas about the plot to blow the bomb in Megaton, it effectively writes him out of the story, but you can still disarm the bomb and get the "power of the atom" achievement by talking to his son (took me ages to figure this out!)

Not entirely correct. You can tell Lucas about the plot and keep him alive. After telling Lucas about the plot follow him to Burke. After Lucas places Burke under arrest, as Burke is pulling out his gun, I beat him to death with a baseball bat. Burke muttered something about he "is not one to mess with", then died. I was praised by Lucas for "saving his a** back there". Bomb plot foiled, Lucas alive, Burke dead. I don't know, however, if you need Burke for anything later.

[DLStChad II]

when you have to put that thing into the Mirelurks eggs how do u put it in? ive found some outside the memorial but cant do anything with them, can u use the outside eggs or does it have to be inside?.....if inside then where abouts are they inside coz i cant find them at all?

[Shinobi273]

Originally Posted by DLStChad II

when you have to put that thing into the Mirelurks eggs how do u put it in? ive found some outside the memorial but cant do anything with them, can u use the outside eggs or does it have to be inside?.....if inside then where abouts are they inside coz i cant find them at all?

They are inside the facility, head to the lowest level, they are in there.

[Blind Fool]

Where would be a good place to store your items until you unlike either a house or suite?

[Bobo]

another quick note on the "Rescue From Paradise" main quest mission... when you first get to Lamplight and the kid at the gate prevents you from getting in, if you pass the speech challenge then you will miss your opportunity to do this quest completely... if u gain access to the lamplight caverns and then go to paradise falls, none of the kids will talk to you...

so basically you only get to do this quest to make Mayor Mccready (the kid at the gate) trust you enough to let you in... i would suggest saving your game and re-loading if u pass the speech challenge

[exci]

Originally Posted by Bobo

another quick note on the "Rescue From Paradise" main quest mission... when you first get to Lamplight and the kid at the gate prevents you from getting in, if you pass the speech challenge then you will miss your opportunity to do this quest completely... if u gain access to the lamplight caverns and then go to paradise falls, none of the kids will talk to you...

so basically you only get to do this quest to make Mayor Mccready (the kid at the gate) trust you enough to let you in... i would suggest saving your game and re-loading if u pass the speech challenge

You can still talk to Eulogy Jones and get him to sell the three kids to you for 1500c (or 1200c with speech).This also starts the escape from paradise quest.

[Jokez NZ]

I missed the bobble-head thing when I was at the vault. Does this mean I cannot get the achievement on this play through?
Also I did the speech challenge to get into that lamplight??? city. How does this affect my game? You were saying it screws it up later on? I read this first so I made a save before going into the city, so if I use my perk (the child dialogue one) does that have the same effect as if I passed the speech challenge? Any help is really appreciated here!

[GruffleGrinder]

could anyone tell me were i go to get trained to wear power armour?? i have to get permission of LYONS and she's suppose to be at the city hall, but i have no idea were that is, any help would be appreciated!

favour can be returned with completionist on Fable 2, or the Dolls achievement!

GT: GruffleGrinder

[Shinobi273]

Originally Posted by Jokez NZ

I missed the bobble-head thing when I was at the vault. Does this mean I cannot get the achievement on this play through?

You mean the Medicine Bobblehead? You have two chances and only two chances to get this. First before you take the G.O.A.T. exam and second, during the Trouble on the Homefront quest that can be done after completing The Waters of Life quest as part of the main story.

Originally Posted by Jokez NZ

Also I did the speech challenge to get into that lamplight??? city. How does this affect my game? You were saying it screws it up later on? I read this first so I made a save before going into the city, so if I use my perk (the child dialogue one) does that have the same effect as if I passed the speech challenge? Any help is really appreciated here!

It shoudn't break your game at all. You will skip Rescue from Paradise, but it can be completed like a side quest. To finish this quest, bring
1700 caps to Paradise Falls and be sure to save before talking to anyone so you can pass the speech checks. Simply buy your way in and buy the child slaves. Once you exit Paradise Falls, you should have the quest completed. I don't think there is a negative way to complete this quest, you can get negative karma by not buying your way into Paradise and completing Strictly Business (you should do this for the achievement and reload the save to keep good karma). You should complete Big Trouble in Big Town before Strictly Business if you intend to keep the effects of Strictly Business as enslaving Red makes her difficult (but not impossible) to rescue.

Originally Posted by GruffleGrinder

could anyone tell me were i go to get trained to wear power armour?? i have to get permission of LYONS and she's suppose to be at the city hall, but i have no idea were that is, any help would be appreciated!

You need to talk to Elder Lyons, he is in the Citadel, you can't get in until you complete The Waters of Life quest as part of the main story. Once you complete that quest, he should be right in front of you.

[DirtyMcHater]

I'm stuck in the museum, it seems to me I needed at least 50 science before going on that quest.. Now I can't hardly open any doors, and the one terminal I found I failed the hacking and now it doesn't let me do it again. Any help?

[Shinobi273]

Originally Posted by DirtyMcHater

I'm stuck in the museum, it seems to me I needed at least 50 science before going on that quest.. Now I can't hardly open any doors, and the one terminal I found I failed the hacking and now it doesn't let me do it again. Any help?

All the museums or one in particular?

[DirtyMcHater]

The first museum quest, where you have to help Three Dog fix the dish. It was my first time there, and I thought a 40 something of science would be good. But I guess not. I've searched everywhere in there, often leading me back to the Artium close to where I began. There's only about 2 or 3 things I haven't done, which is hacked the terminal, because I failed the hacking, and open 2 doors I think which I don't enough lock pick level for those.

[Shinobi273]

Originally Posted by DirtyMcHater

The first museum quest, where you have to help Three Dog fix the dish. It was my first time there, and I thought a 40 something of science would be good. But I guess not. I've searched everywhere in there, often leading me back to the Artium close to where I began. There's only about 2 or 3 things I haven't done, which is hacked the terminal, because I failed the hacking, and open 2 doors I think which I don't enough lock pick level for those.

Are you following the quest marker? I don't think the main quest missions ever need hacking/lockpicking, there is always a long way around. Make sure you are working toward your quest marker, if anything, reload your save to before you screwed up the terminal and also come back after you have leveled and pumped your lockpicking.

[DirtyMcHater]

Originally Posted by Shinobi273

also come back after you have leveled and pumped your lockpicking.

Yeah, I've gone everywhere in the museum, except those doors I couldn't pick and the locked terminal. I've decided to get a few things for the Wasteland Survival Guide and maybe get more exp and then go in there again. Thanks for your help man.

[daninthemix]

I think you should add this to the FAQ:

The game is locking up frequently
You need to clear the Fallout 3 file cache by holding LB+RB+X while the game is booting (don't release the buttons until you're at the Press Start screen).

Worked for me and I know a lot of people have freezing issues with this game.

[DakidJose]

I search for this but there was nothing about it and I didn't want to make a thread for something simple but , in the Museum where you have to get the dish for Three Dog.There is a free form quest called Jigg's Loot to choose numbers from a computer to get some weapons and other stuff and if you don't choose the correct number it locks.I was not paying attention and I pressed a wrong number.I read somewhere online that you can reset it by going to the very 1st computer and starting over.It doesn't reset,it just says "Error" at the bottom.Anybody know how to reset it if u can? I don't want to go back to an earlier saved game because I don't want to do everything again it's going to take at least 1hr or so to get back there again.

[DirtyMcHater]

Sorry if this is an FAQ, but I've ran out of lockpicks, and haven't found anywhere to buy them, or haven't looked good enough. Can someone tell me where I find those lockpicks? I have zero now :/

[Shinobi273]

Originally Posted by DirtyMcHater

Sorry if this is an FAQ, but I've ran out of lockpicks, and haven't found anywhere to buy them, or haven't looked good enough. Can someone tell me where I find those lockpicks? I have zero now :/

Buy from Crazy Wolfgang, one of the caravan traders operating out of Canterbury Commons. You can find them on ghouls and in Health Stations as well. The best strategy is to save before attempting to pick a lock. Should you break a bobby pin, reload the save.

[DirtyMcHater]

Thanks again man.

[Parallax Demon]

Originally Posted by DakidJose

I search for this but there was nothing about it and I didn't know want to make a thread for something simple but , in the Museum where you have to get the dish for Three Dog.There is a free form quest called Jigg's Loot to choose numbers from a computer to get some weapons and other stuff and if you don't choose the correct number it locks.I was not paying attention and I pressed a wrong number.I read somewhere online that you can reset it by going to the very 1st computer and starting over.It doesn't reset,it just says "Error" at the bottom.Anybody know how to reset it if u can? I don't want to go back to an earlier saved game because I don't want to do everything again it's going to take at least 1hr or so to get back there again.

As far as I remember you can just try it again or go back one terminal. You should always pick the prime number. At the end you should get the location where to find a special Chinese Assault Riffle with a difficult name(does 64 damage and is quite awesome). Used it with the Terrible Shotgun for most of the game.