Mojave Outpost¶

There’s plenty to see and do at the Mojave Outpost, but first consider talking to Sgt. Kilborn, who will be wandering around outside. He’ll give you some background on the place, it’s bureaucratic backlog, the threat Caesar’s Legion poses and the general pessimism the NCR seems to have regarding the whole Nevada occupation.

To the west are two buildings, the sole bastions of shelter the Mojave Outpost provides. The western-most one is the “Mojave Outpost Headquarters”, where all the fun NCR business operates and the eastern-most one is the Mojave Outpost Barracks, where you can wet your whistle. First, however, take a ramp up to the roof of the barracks and talk to Ranger Ghost, who will ask you to check out Nipton for her; the town’s traffic has ceased, ominous smoke plumes darken the sky and she is stuck on guard duty. Agree to check things out and the quest Keep Your Eyes on the Prize will begin. Our goal - after exploring the Mojave Outpost - will be to investigate Nipton.

Mojave Outpost Headquarters¶

Head into the “Mojave Outpost Headquarters” building and talk to Major Knight behind the front desk and he’ll babble about how busy the commanding officer is and how you can get your gear repaired here. Yay… As for more important business, if you want to gain favor with the NCR and help out Primm by finding them a Sheriff, talk to Major Knight about Primm. If you succeed at a [Barter 20] check Major Knight will agree to reinforce Primm. If not, you’ll have to help out the NCR here at the Mojave Outpost, which is worth doing in its own right.

Find Ranger Jackson in the back of the building and talk to him to learn more about the NCR’s situation. Instead of helplessly moaning about it, though, he’ll respond by giving you the quest Can You Find it in Your Heart if you ask to help, and will offer to let some supplies fall through the cracks if you’re successful. You’ll need to do this to convince Major Knight to send troops up to Primm if your Barter skill is too low, but even without that incentive, it’s still not a bad idea to curry favor with the NCR… but it’s probably time to discuss the two factions, at least to make some things clear about how this guide will go about handling the quests dealing with the NCR and Caesar’s Legion.

A Tale of Two Factions¶

The NCR and Caesar’s Legion are the game’s two main factions, and even though things will get more complicated later, they are the only two who have a reputation scale you can influence. Obviously the two don’t get along, and sooner rather than later there will be quests you can embark upon for either faction which will directly oppose the other (although it should be noted that gaining Fame with one doesn’t automatically result in Infamy for the other). That shouldn’t surprise anyone, but what is interesting is the fact that later on, when you start dealing more with Mojave politics, both sides will offer to wipe the slate clean with you, removing any infamy you’ve earned… but not fame, so there’s no harm in improving your reputation with these two factions. For that reason, the guide will avoid completing contentious quests between the two factions until much, much later, so the entire struggle can be dealt with all at once. It should also be noted that in the Lonesome Road DLC you will get to make a choice that is lucrative, but will anger both the NCR and Caesar’s Legion greatly. An obvious move is to do that DLC before reaching the point where your reputation can be reset.

Mojave Outpost Barracks¶

Leave the Headquarters and enter the Barracks building to the east where you can find a bartender named Lacey, who will tell you where to find work (which you should have already found), sell you some items and play Caravan. She tends to have a very large pool of money to bet on Caravan, over 2,000 Caps at a time, and if you can match that bet and win the game, you can walk away with all that money in one game. It’s the best way to earn a hefty amount of Caps available right now, assuming you’ve already cleaned out the New Vegas Casinos. And remember, every three days (72 hours) she’ll replenish her Caps, meaning it’s a reliable source of income… at least, for a few games. Merchants will, in general, only play Caravan with you so many times before they get sick of you robbing them.

Also sitting at the bar you’ll find Cass, a taciturn drunkard who is deep in her cups and down on her luck. Talk to her and she’ll bitch about her caravan and NCR’s bureaucratic red tape before ultimately suggesting you go work for the Crimson Caravan, which starts the quest Heartache by the Number. It’ll be a while before you work your way back up to the Crimson Caravan, so it looks like Cass will be sitting around for a while.

Other than these two characters, there’s not much else to see here. There are plenty of things to steal, but there are plenty of watchful eyes as well. The only item really worth the trouble is a copy of Duck and Cover! under the counter near Lacey. Grab it (without stealing it) by pressing the [R3] button while hovering the cursor over the item, then move it to a more secluded spot and wait until you are [HIDDEN] to steal it. You’ll lose Karma, of course, but you won’t gain Infamy with the NCR for doing so. In any event, it’s time to go do some work for Ranger Jackson and, perhaps, help the NCR gain control of Primm.

Helping the NCR¶

Backtrack along I-15, initially heading north-east, then north, following the lower road until you find some Giant Ants (both Soldiers and Workers). Kill them to clear the roads… the NCR couldn’t spare the manpower to even do this? Whatever. Return to the Mojave Outpost and talk to Ranger Jackson, who will thank you for your work. Press him for a reward, and one will grudgingly be forthcoming… a rather fine reward, at that.

If you haven’t already, you can now convince Major Knight to help out Primm and send troops. Sending troops doesn’t force you to pick the NCR as the new protection for Primm, you’ll have to go back to Lieutenant Hayes and confirm your choice before he ultimately appoints Sergeant McGee the new sheriff. So if you want to pass that Barter check and complete Can You Find it in Your Heart, feel free to do so. On the other hand, you can still go check out the Meyer fellow in the NCRCF… but first, let’s go explore Nipton.

Head east along the road from the Mojave Outpost or south from Primm, depending on where you left off. Eventually you should reach a three-way intersection, with the northern road leading back up I-15, past the Giant Ants you should have killed for Ranger Jackson, and eventually to Primm. West, of course, leads back to the Mojave Outpost, so follow the broken road east towards Nipton.