Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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, ans 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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

As soon as this mission begins, your friend Amata will stir you awake suddenly. An alarm is buzzing frantically, and your friend seems frantic. 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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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 valuable, 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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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 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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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.

Fallout 3 Walkthrough

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!