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Notable Areas

1. Entrance
2. Military Base
   1. Level 1, computer building, small barracks
   2. Level 2, armory
3. Fortress
   1. Level 3, holding pens
   2. Level 4, vats and lieutenant's quarters

Notable characters

1. Super Mutant Guards
2. Nightkin (outside the base)
3. Children of the Cathedral technicians
4. Mutant guards, BS them by saying that you are either a special mutant or that you're with the Cathedral.
5. Flip, large mutant
6. Krupper, another large mutant
7. The Lieutenant of the mutant armies

Stuff to get

1. Key to arm nuke in the Cathedral

Notes

1. Fake out the mutants with the radio distress signal.
2. Either infiltrate the base with the robes, or be high and mighty, taking out everything out with the "cowboy" approach.
3. Hack the computers and disable the security systems.
4. Blow up the base, of course. (With the correct security code)

NOTE

If you want 1500 experience points for scouting out the base, head back to the Brotherhood after you find it or destroy it. If you do destroy it, you will lose your chance to obtain three crack assault paladins.

To get the three assault paladins, first speak with Maxson about the rumors about a future war. Offer to scout the north for free. You can also get a free weapon from Mathia as well. Before you leave the Brotherhood for the Military Base, speak with one of the elders, and offer to scout the area to the northwest.

Go to the Military Base and come back to the Brotherhood. Talk to Maxson, and tell him that being on the defensive isn't a good strategy. You'll be buzzed into a Brotherhood Elder meeting, and you will be offered three crack assault paladins who will help you clear the mutants standing guard outside of the base. You'll receive an extra 1500 experience for getting the paladins.

[edit] James Bond approach

When you enter the military base, save the game.

For this mission, don your Power Armor and take out any weapon in your active weapon slot. Equip your radio in your active slot. Walk your way up, and the guard will catch you. Tell him that you are either a special mutant or you are a member of the Cathedral. He'll believe you. (This works with characters that have relatively high speech skill.)

Now, use your radio to draw off three of the four guards. Here is the complete conversation: (you'll also get 1500 xp for drawing them off if you succeed)

Radio

Command to patrol, command to patrol. What is your status? Over.

You

Command, we are under attack by a large group of armed humans.

Request assistance. Over.

Radio

Understood, patrol. What are your coordinates?

You

4 miles, south-southwest.

Radio

Understood, patrol. We are sending reinforcements.

Alternatively, you can use the radio and tell the radio operator the dialogue "help...heavy attackers...coordinates 10...argh!" line and the mutants will get drawn off.

3 of the 4 mutants will get drawn off. The one by the door stays. Talk to him, and tell him that you are a special mutant for the master. He'll believe you.

There is a locked door in front of the mutant. Use your electronic lock picks. Save the game. If the picks don't work, then go behind the mutant and steal all of his stimpacks and his holodisk. Read the holodisk to find out the code to the door and enter.

If the mutant catches you stealing, then load the game and keep on trying. If it still doesn't work after several tries, then you will have to kill the mutant in less than three turns. That way, the base won't get alerted. A good method is getting in front of him and bursting him with the combat shotgun (or another burst weapon).

Open the door which you just lockpicked. When you enter, you'll see two forcefields. You can pass through them, but will take damage (7-15 with the Power Armor, 18-25 with the robes). You will have to go to the computer complex on the right. (There is a mutant with a rocket launcher guarding the complex.) BS him again. If this sounds too confusing, here is an ASCII map:

              -> --Alternate route to right computer complex
            ^
            |
To left
complex     ^            |   |
            |         |-|   |-| 
  <- <-               |       | 
    |   |=|    |      |      *| -- Computer complex, console description is
    |   | |    |      |    ---|    plain old "computer" instead of "mach iv
    |   | |    |      |       |    computer"
    |   | |    |      |       |
    |   | |   |       |    |---
    | e |-| f |       |    |       e-forcefield emmiter, disabled except
----|         |--------    |         foor when the base is under alert
              e            |       f-red forcefield, passable, causes damage,
------        --------------         caannot be disabled
     Entrance

I hoped this clarified things. If you still have problems, save the game, and scout the area.

Now for the left computer complex...

If you follow the ASCII map above, the passageways that lead to the north take you to the left computer complex. (Again, there might be forcefields blocking your path.) You'll see some Mach IV computers, and another one whose description reads "computer." Use the science skill, and disable the sensors. You can also try to modify pest control and movement security options for the base, but I left them blank. Actually, you don't have to mess with it in the first place.

There is an outlet to exit the left computer complex on the left side. There will be two robobrains guarding the area (they aren't hostile, so don't worry.) Go in the elevator, and head to level 2, the main armory. You can still BS the guards in the level with Power Armor. This level is essentially a supply depot; you can loot all of the lockers on this level. After you are finished raiding this level, go back into the elevator, and enter level 3.

As soon as you enter level 3, put on the COC robes immediately. Leave the area, and go to the right (or your character's left). There should be a big mutant walking to the elevator (knows that someone is there.) Since you have the robes on, he'll just think you are another COC tech, and you will be ignored completely. Head on south, and there should be a super mutant that is guarding the holding chamber. He'll talk to you, ask him what is the place, and then thank him. Go onto level 4. If you are unsure where everything is, here is a rough ASCII map:

Elevator
   |
   |-------------------
                      |
    --------------    |----
                  |       |
 <mini-armory     |       |
  below - can     |       |
  be skipped.>    |       |

                     ...
                           - branches out to elevator that goes to vats
                  |   |      (out of order)
                  |  *     - *=mutant that guards holding area
                  |   |
          ------- |   |
          | Holding
          | Areas    |  /\ - elevator to fourth level
                     |--|

When you enter level 4, you should get 2000 xp for just going this far without annoying the guards. Go to the left, and go straight up until you enter the room with all of the computers (control room). There should be a COC tech in Purple Robes guarding the area. He'll surrender, and so will his comrades.

NOTE

If you want an extra 1000 experience and a minigun, ammo, and stimpacks, use 'Repair' (1st) and 'Science' (2nd) on the robot near the elevator. He is supposed to blow up the forcefield emitter that leads to the Vats.

There is a computer in the northeast quadrant whose description should say "Vats Control Computer" or something like that. Use the computer, and go into the Security Codes option. There should be some key codes. Select one of the following codes:*

• 67209-5574-7805564 (270 second silent self-destruct sequence)
• 31914-1041-1251514 (300 second silent self-destruct sequence)
• the code on the bottom is recommended.

NOTE

I was reading WhiteChocobo666's Evil FAQ, and his listed a different code. If yours lists different codes, leave the system, save, and experiment.

If you select the first one of the ones listed in the game, you have to haul ass in 60 seconds. If you select the last one, it means instant death to you and the base. If you select the middle one, that will set the base on alert.(And the mutants will be after you...if you want to finish them off, don your power armor, pop whatever drugs you have, heal to full health, etc...)

After you select the code, run to the elevator. Dash to the elevator on the northwest corner on the third level, and descend down to the first level. Put on your Power Armor, and get the hell out of the base. BS the mutant guarding the entryway, and go to the world map area. You should see the video that shows the base being blown up.

For the final required mission, head towards the Cathedral. It is two square units south of the Boneyards.

• If you're going to get the key to arm the nuke in the Cathedral, head to the east until you see a large mutant with a COC tech on his side. Enter Sneak mode and put the lockpicks in your active item slot. Walk towards the edge of the wall and lockpick the locker. Take the key to arm the nuke (it looks different). Afterwards, sneak out of the room again, towards the edge of the wall. Once your character starts to walk to the west you can stop sneaking. You might need relatively high sneak skill to do this; I was successful with 60%. Having a Stealth Boy also helps.

[edit] Cowboy approach

Be sure that you have killed Dogmeat and have told your NPC's that you want them to leave. And when you start to attack the mutants in the base, the entire base will be under alert - everything that moves will probably attack you (save for the NPC's). You have been warned.

Use the radio and draw off the three of the four mutants. Go behind the remaining mutant and try to kill him in under three turns. Snipers and the .223 pistol have worked well. After you pacify the mutant, look at his body and take the holodisc and the radio. Read the holodisc. Get your NPC's and enter the base. Kill every mutant on the first level. After the mutants have been killed, go to the computer on the east corner. Hack into it, disable the forcefields, and use the radio on the computer. This sets up remote control.

Go to the field computer, hack into it, and set the 'Pest' setting to 'Large Pests.' That way, the robots will attack the mutants.

At the last level, there is a robot that is called Mr. Handy. You can repair him and use the 'Science' skill on him and he'll blow up the forcefield that goes to the vats. Kill the mutants and the COC techs. In the footlocker in the room next to the elevator, there are two plastic explosives. Take them.

Also on the last level, there is the lieutenant of the Super Mutants. He has 250 hit points, a gatling laser, and two guards with gatling lasers and rocket launchers. He is fairly difficult, but if you use the .223 pistol (or a strong weapon) at the eyes, he'll be dead in about six hits. (Alternate methods: go up to him and attack him. His guards have rocket launchers and gatling lasers, so those attacks will hurt the lieutenant as well.) After the guards and the lieutenant are dead, lockpick the locker next to the dead guards. Take the key.

Go to the computer area (the room whose force field was blown up by Mr. Handy). Use the 'Science' skill on the Vats control computer and access it. Save the game. Access the computer again, and once you have found desired code, make a run for the exit. Be sure that every creature is dead on Levels I, III, and IV.

Go to the third level, and use the radio to toggle the forcefields. If the radio won't work, then use the explosives that you brought earlier. Escape from the base.

For the final required mission, head towards the Cathedral. It is two square units south of the Boneyards.