Ain’t That A Kick In The Head
Fallout New Vegas’s act one makes a bold choice in the opening. Your character is shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave! Of course, you survive this otherwise the game would be pretty short and boring. It’s an interesting way to introduce the inciting incident, as discussed in my last post.
So Benny has robbed you, taking the Platinum Chip you were supposed to deliver to the Strip. You are a Courier and you are bound by contractual obligations to retrieve and deliver the Platinum Chip. Luckily your would-be killer wears a very snappy outfit, so you can ask about him.
Don’t Go That Way
You’re advised to head towards Vegas itself but cautioned against going straight north from Goodsprings. There are some nasty critters up there, such as cazadors and deathclaws. Not the kind of thing you want to tangle with until you’ve levelled up a bit and have some good weapons.
Some players may choose to go that way, and it can be done. Speedrunners of the game will do this, but it relies on luck, a stealth boy and some quick save spamming to succeed. If you want the full story experience, you’re going to follow the path south to Primm, east to Nipton then north east to reach Novac.
Making Friends (and Enemies)
On your way to Novac, you’ll encounter an NCR camp, some Powder Ganger camps and a group of Latin speaking cosplayers, Caesar’s Legion. As in any good RPG, asking around and talking to the NPCs you meet will help you learn more about the world you are in. You might even find some interesting side-quests to do.
We meet the New California Republic first, in Primm. NCR is a nation that grew out of Shady Sands and has expanded rapidly to the north and to the east. They’ve been in the Mojave for over a decade trying to hold Hoover Dam and establish territory and supply lines.
A lot of the troops hint at low morale. Commanding officers complain about the lack of resources and people. They are struggling to hold their territory, never mind deal with other problems.
Too Much Too Fast?
Act one of Fallout New Vegas introduces the major conflict, which is between NCR and Caesar’s Legion. NCR have camps and locations across the Mojave. The NCR Correctional Facility near Primm now belongs to the Powder Gangers. Subsequently, the NCR lost control of it, when some of the convicts used dynamite to stage a coup.
You reach the Mojave Outpost, an NCR checkpoint on the long 15. They don’t have enough people to run it. Caravans can’t move through. Every time you meet the NCR in Fallout New Vegas, evidently they are struggling, spread too thin. Consequently, informing Sgt Kilborn that the Legion has wiped out Nipton makes him completely lose hope.
Ave, True To Caesar
You reach Nipton and see several large fires and people lashed to crosses. A man runs up to you, excited to tell you he won the ‘lottery’ before running off. You get to the large town hall, and a group of Romans come out, led by a man with a dog’s head on his own head.
This is Vulpes Inculta, leader of the frumentarii and one of Caesar’s trusted advisors. He happily explains what happened to Nipton and why they killed and crucified most of the townspeople. Indeed, he wants you to tell someone about it, namely Sgt Kilborn and Ranger Ghost at the Mojave outpost.
Act One’s Conflict
Now that you’ve met the two major players in the ongoing conflict, clearly the Legion are the bad guys and the NCR are the good guys. It is obvious that the NCR has bitten off more than they can chew. This allows the Legion to operate right under their noses. Hope is dwindling and morale is in the toilet.
Why should you care? A big conflict is brewing, and the outcome will have a huge impact on the Mojave. You don’t matter to this conflict, yet. But you will by the end of the game. So take note of what you see, as you will be forced to choose a side.
No Vacancies
You reach Novac, easy to spot due to the giant dinosaur out front of the town. You learn where Benny went next, after helping out the town or reading a note on Manny Vargas’ terminal in his room. Manny was a Great Khan once, so he knows the guys Benny had with him.
This leads you to Boulder City, near Hoover Dam, where a hostage situation is ongoing. The Khans are enemies of the NCR, and they are holed up inside Boulder City. Resolving this situation will net you the details you need to finally find Benny.
You need to get to the Strip, Benny is the leader of the Chairmen. The Chairment are a former tribe but they now run the Tops Casino. So that’s where you are likely to find Benny, and your lost package.
What Happens In Vegas…
Getting into the Strip involves a credit check. If you don’t have 2000 caps, then you will need to find another way to get in. Either way, you are met by your cheerful cowboy buddy, Victor. Victor opens the door to the Lucky 38 and invites you to go in to meet Mr House.
Mr House is the leader of the Strip, although basically nobody has met him. He’s a fascinating man, his backstory is worth a post all on it’s own. He is your client, so you need to find the Platinum Chip and bring it to him. So you go to the Tops.
At the casino, all your weapons are taken, but if you collected the pieces of evidence, you can talk Swank into helping you take Benny out. Benny is on the main casino floor with four body guards. You have several options to deal with Benny.
You can just straight up shoot him, but you risk the ire of the rest of the Chairmen, unless you’ve spoken to Swank first. Or you can convince him to meet you alone upstairs and kill him then. Finally, if you’re playing as a female Courier, you can use Black Widow to seduce him and sleep with him. This gives you the option to kill him in his sleep.
If you don’t kill Benny, and he either betrays you and runs, or if you just go to sleep after sex with him, he flees. To get the Chip, you need to go after him, and you find out the Legion got him. Luckily once you’ve dealt with Benny and House, you are invited to Caesar’s camp to meet him. The NCR also express a wish to work with you. Yes Man is in Benny’s suite and represents the fourth option.
Everyone Wants You
Why are all these important people suddenly interested in the Courier? Except Yes Man, he can’t say no to you. Essentially, these groups have heard about your journey and realise you are unusual. Not many people would be crazy enough to chase one man across the wasteland. Even for revenge. They see that you are someone who will get things done.
So you’re at a crossroads, the end of Act One. You must choose which side to take in the conflict. You will play a pivotal role in deciding the future of New Vegas. NCR is a democracy with a large military. The Legion is a dictatorship ruled with an iron fist and questionable morals. Mr House wants to bring back pre-war glory and capitalism. Yes Man does what you tell him, but he will help keep Vegas independent.
So we move into Act 2, which will be covered over the next few posts. I’ll cover each option seperately, as Act 2 is half of the story and there’s a lot to go through! I hope you’ll stick with me for that. As always, thoughts and opinions are always welcome. If you want to see more, I’m currently playing through the game and analysing it on my YouTube Channel. You can find the playlist here.
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