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Rough map

   Entrance
      |
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    / Merchant center------------Old Town
   /       |
  /        |
Heights    |
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       Water Merchants / COC Hospital

Notable Areas

1. Entrance
2. Merchant Center
3. Old Town
4. Heights
5. Water Merchants
6. The Underground

Notable Characters

1. Police guards (dressed in metal armor and combat armor)
2. Guards for the Far Go Traders, Deckker, Hightower, and Jain
3. Caravan Drivers/Guards

Townsfolk

1. Skags (only in Old Town)
2. Decker, the criminal leader
3. Kane, Decker's assistant
4. Beth, gun shop owner, likes to gossip around
5. Butch, owns Far Go Traders
6. Rutger, Butch's assistant
7. Demetre, owns Crimson Caravan
8. Keri, Demetre's assistant, has sex with you if you're male
9. Sheriff Justin Greene, keeps the law; he'll be on your side when you kill Decker
10. Deputy Fry, police officer in the entrance of the Hub
11. Loxley, leader of the Thieves' Circle
12. Jasmine, Loxley's assistant
13. Jake, heavy weapons merchant
14. Vance, drug dealer at old town
15. Hightower, owns water merchants, quite rich
16. Jain, Children of the Cathedral priestess
17. Harold, the old mutant at Old Town, has seen Deathclaw
18. Slappy, crazed uncle of Beth, knows where Deathclaw is
19. Irwin, his house has been taken over by raiders
20. Mitch, owns the General Store (or All-In-One store)
21. Mrs. Stapleton, Librarian
22. Lorenzo, loan shark, owns Friendly Lending Company

Stuff to get

1. Cathedral Robes (probably THE most important item)
2. Chemicals in Cathedral Armory, most notably the super stim, other stimpacks, RadX's, RadAway's, and any Psychos you get plus the Hunting Rifle
3. Hightower's Necklace
4. Any stimpacks or guns found off of Hightower's and Jain's guards
5. Spiked Knuckles (later - see Hub Revisited)
6. .223 Pistol (ditto)

Stuff to buy

1. Combat Shotgun
2. Sniper Rifle
3. Combat Armor
4. Books if your small guns, science, outdoorsman, and repair skills are below 75%. Beware that they can get very expensive.
5. 10+ Stimpacks
6. Ammunition (be sure that you have something like 200 rounds for the shotgun, 50 for the sniper, and loads of 10mm JHP for the SMG if you like spraying bullets)

Stuff to sell

1. Your leather jacket and your 10mm Pistols for the books
2. Your leather armors, metal armor, and shotgun for combat shotgun and/or sniper rifle
3. Your Desert Eagles for stimpacks, extra books, extra ammo
4. Your SMG and maybe a Desert Eagle for the 14 mm Pistol
5. Your .44 JHP / FMJ ammo, extra armors, first-aid kit and doctors bag for either very large weapons and / or an extra two pairs of dynamite if you can't get the robes (lockpick the door). Also useful for buying the books.
6. Your SMG and its 10mm ammo after the brawl with Decker

Notes

1. Enter unarmed, and do not enter combat.
2. Gossip around and buy items from the General Store, books from the librarian, small arms from Beth, heavy weapons from Jake, and drugs from Vance, the drug dealer.
3. Solve the caravan problem and kill both the deathclaw and the mutant.
4. Kill Darren Hightower, the eccentric rich person and steal his wife's necklace.
5. Kill Priestess Jain and her minions.
6. Turn Decker into the cops. (Post-Brotherhood).
7. Go to the Thieves' Circle in Old Town, and get the lockpicks and electronic lockpicks.
8. Help Irwin by killing the raiders that have invaded his home.
9. Rescue the lost Brotherhood initiate (Post-Brotherhood).
10. Optionally work the caravan routes. Details below.

When you enter the Hub, you'll see 4 caravans. Further down south, there are a couple of buildings, and several armed policemen. Head south to the merchant market (or downtown, as it is called on the town map). Enter the FLC building and kill off Lorenzo and his guards (a better way is getting a loan from him and then killing him afterwards). Loot his body and his lockers to get lots of cash.

Afterwards, continue going east until you go to a new area, Old Town. Go east, past the abandoned warehouse, and enter the building directly to its right. Talk to Jake, the guy wearing Metal Armor. Ask him about radiation and then buy a combat armor, a combat shotgun and a sniper rifle along with their respective ammunition plus some .44 FMJ ammo. (Trade in your old old leather armors, metal armor, all desert eagles (except for one), shotguns, etc. for the items.) Give Ian the Desert Eagle and the ammo and give Tycho the sniper rifle. Keep the combat shotgun for yourself and then put on the combat armor. After you have equipped yourself, head eastward until you get to a warehouse that has guards and a man wearing a leather jacket standing in the center. Talk to him and buy two RadX's, one RadAway, and some stimpacks using any excess inventory that you might have. Head back to the merchant market.

First off, it is time to help Irwin. Irwin is in a dilapidated shack to the southern end of the merchant market. Talk to him and offer to kill the raiders in his home. Kill all of the raiders and optionally raid their corpses. After you've done so, head back to the merchant market and talk to Irwin and tell him that the raiders are dead. He'll give you a .223 Pistol.

NOTE

You'll need high karma to complete the quest. To be on the safe side, it is a good idea to have a karma of 18 or higher.

Now it is time to pacify the FLC. Their building is on the southwestern end of the merchant market. Go in the building and talk to the loan shark, Lorenzo. Ask to borrow some money. After you borrow the money, kill him and his guards. Afterwards, lockpick his safe and get all the loot.

Go to the eastern end towards the Far Go Traders. Talk to the man in leather armor and accept the job to find the missing caravans. Afterwards, talk to Butch. Accept the job from Butch, and then head towards the gun store in the central quadrant of the merchant market. Talk to Beth and ask her about the Deathclaw. Keep on asking about it until she tells you that Harold has seen it and that her uncle Slappy mumbles about it sometimes.

Now it's time to go to Old Town. Head towards the eastern side of the merchant market to go there. When you go to old town, head eastward and go to the building to the northern side (it has guards in it). Talk to Jake, and trade all of your excess leather armors for a combat shotgun, combat armor, a sniper rifle, and some .223 FMJ ammo (and some stimpacks as well). Give the sniper and the .223 FMJ ammo to Tycho. Also while you're in Old Town, head to the central building occupied by some skags (the building has two rooms, one huge one and a little one with a stairwell leading to the basement). Go down the stairwell.

You'll enter the hideout for the Thieves' Circle. Lockpick all of the doors using your lockpicks. After you get in, talk to the man in the leather jacket (he's to the south). Accept the job to find Hightower's necklace. On your way out, talk to Jasmine, the woman in the leather armor standing beside the doorway. She'll give you another set of lockpicks as well as some flares and a nuke-a-cola.

Go to the south of Old Town and enter the building with the man in the green shirt walking around. Talk to him and ask him about the Deathclaw. (He's Slappy.) He'll send you to Harold, the mutant. Give Harold $5 and ask him about the Deathclaw. Go back and talk to Slappy and ask him to take you to the Deathclaw caverns.

When you go in the cavern, you'll automatically get 800 xp. Head to the east, and then south until you reach the Deathclaw. Kill the Deathclaw by using targeted shots to his eyes using the .223 Pistol. After the deathclaw has been killed, kill the dying super mutant at the end of the cavern. Get his radio (if you don't have one) and his holodisc. Be sure to read the holodisc. Afterwards, head back to the merchant market. Enter the Far Go Traders building and tell Rutger and Butch that the mutants were causing the caravan disappearances. If they don't buy it, tell them that you killed the Deathclaw and that you have evidence that it was the mutants.

Now, with your money, you can stop at the General Store to buy some books and some anti-radiation drugs. Buy a tool and get some RadX and preferably some RadAway.

There is also a library in the merchant center that has an unlimited supply of books. Unfortunately, the prices are very high. You can get science books, repair manuals, gun magazines, etc. there. It is better to buy the books from the General Store shopkeeper. However, the latter doesn't have an unlimited supply. The books can raise science, outdoorsman, first aid, and repair skills up to 91%. You need to raise Science to about 80%, while Repair at 45% is okay. (Actually, you don't need to, but it is a good idea to.)

You can also go to the Crimson Caravan (it’s on the northwest side of the merchant center). You can loot the desk and get lots of powerful drugs. If you're male and want to have sex with his assistant, talk to Demetre (he's the guy with the leather jacket and the white undershirt). Accept the job offer, and he'll send you to Keri, who is on the left room of the Crimson Caravan building. Talk to Keri and tell her that you're interested in her. She'll give you three buffouts.

NOTE

You'll need seven Charisma to screw Keri.

Afterwards, go back to the merchant center. There is a bar called the Maltese Falcon on the west side. When you enter, you'll see a man whose name is Kane (he is guarding the southern door). Talk to him, and ask to be taken to Decker for jobs.

When you are taken to Decker, he'll give you the quest to kill Darren Hightower. He will offer what is standard Hub pay: $500 up front for accepting it, $2000 for finishing the job.

Darren Hightower is a rich guy who is head of the water merchants. He has his own guards and mansion. The Heights, the area in which he lives in, is located to the west of the merchant center. Go through there, and kill all inhabitants there. They won't give you too much trouble, since you have at least the metal armor and the shotgun that you have gotten from Junktown. Kill everyone and disarm the traps and lockpick the footlocker in the building that Hightower is in. Steal the expensive necklace in the locker, and DO NOT SELL OR TRADE IT AT ALL COSTS! You'll need the necklace to get the electronic lockpicks, which in turn are needed to get the powered armor quickly. (You might need some regular lockpicks to open the locker; if you don't, skim on down until you see Thieves' Circle. If you have them, you can use them right now.)

Go back to the Maltese Falcon and talk to Kane. You'll be taken back to Decker, and he'll give you the $2000. Next, he wants Jain, a COC (Children of the Cathedral) priest dead. This may seem a bit odd, but it is imperative that you do this!!!

Go down south in the merchant center, and go to the water merchant's area. You'll see a building with radiation signs on a red flag. Enter it. There is a child there; annoy her a bit about the flower (don't buy it from her). Ask her about the holy flame, Lasher, etc. You might have to do this about three or four times to get her to leave. (Why get her to leave? The entire Hub will be against you if you attack her.) A good idea is leaving Ian and Tycho in the merchant center (tell them that they can leave, but then talk to them again to get them back). Ian killed the kid once.

After you get the child to leave, there is a woman in purple robes (Jain). Save before talking with her (fairly interesting conversation paths). You can also say what you want to her, since the objective is to kill her (My favorite was when I was pretending to be a COC member and at some point on, telling her that her "cups were overflowing with enlightment." Afterwards, just kill Jain and her guards. Two of them have Desert Eagles and are a bit on the hard side, but don't have much armor. You should easily win with metal armor.

NOTE

Apparently, if you kill the Master, Jain is free from the Master's control.

More importantly, there is a locked door to the northwest corner of the building. Hone your lockpicking skill here; try about three or four times to get the door unlocked. If your lockpicking skills aren't good, come here after you go to the Thieves' Circle (see below).

The room contains many things, including armor, stimpacks, drugs, a rifle, and some purple COC robes. Take the COC robes. Even though they are pitiful when it comes to arming yourself, the robes serve an entirely different purpose, which you'll find out. In other words, PLEASE KEEP THEM!

Go back to the merchant center, and go to the police department. Talk to the cop in metal armor, and tell him that Decker told you to kill Jain or the Hightowers. The cop will get mad, and he'll ask you to help lead the assassination of Decker. He'll offer you again what is standard Hub pay: $300 up front, $1000 for completing the job. The details of the fight are below. You'll also get a boost to your karma and a lot of experience.

When you are ready, prepare yourself for a good fight. Decker has got Kane and a few other cronies with him. They all have some strong melee weapon and are all clothed in some type of armor. Luckily, you've got two cops and Ian and Tycho on your side. But be ready...both of your NPCs are liable to death. If you are not equipped in combat armor, then you might be too. Have at least a shotgun ready, and have about 10 stimpacks to be on the safe side. After you've killed Decker, talk to Justin Greene to get your salary. Now it's time to go to the Thieves' Circle to return Hightower's necklace to Loxley. Go there.

Speak with Loxley again and give him the necklace. He'll direct you to Jasmine, who will then give you the electronic lock picks as well as lots of money. More experience for you.

Leave Old Town, and go to the Brotherhood. If you do not know the location, it is on the left of the Hub, past the mountains. Save if you do not know, find it, reload the game, and go to the location (it won't be on the map, but you should know the area in which it is located. It will appear on the world map as an unknown location.)

[edit] Caravan Notes

The Hub, of course, is a big merchant trading center. It is only natural to find caravan companies there who want to hire extra guards. It is a good idea to take a caravan to Necropolis, Brotherhood of Steel, or the Boneyards if you don't know where the cities are located. Here is a list of the two caravans:

Crimson Caravan

Their pay is $600, and they leave on the 3rd and the 17th of every month. They go to the Brotherhood of Steel, Junktown, Necropolis, and the Boneyards. The company travels on dangerous routes, so it is a good idea to have something like a combat shotgun and metal armor ready. If you return to the Hub with them, you get an extra $600. To get the job, talk to Demetre, accept the job, and then to Keri.

Far Go Traders

Their pay is $400, and they leave on 8th, 18th, and 28th of every month. They go to the Brotherhood of Steel, Junktown, and the Boneyards. The company travels on safe routes, so you don't really need much combat gear - probably metal armor and a shotgun max. If you return to the Hub with them, you'll get an extra $400. To get the job, talk to Rutger, accept the job, and then talk to the caravan driver in the left side of the Far Go Traders building.

Water Merchants

Their pay is $200, and they leave on the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th of every month. They go to the Boneyards and Junktown. The company travels on extremely safe routes, so having combat gear isn't always necessary. Like the other caravans, you can go to the Hub with the company for an extra $200. To get the job, talk to the caravan leader in the Water Merchants building, accept the job, and then talk to the caravan driver who is standing outside of the building with the brahmin.

[edit] The Water Chip

If you're pressed for time (i.e., you don't have the water chip and time is about to run out), you can buy one hundred days' worth of water sent to Vault 13 for $2000 from the water merchants. Even though this move gives you experience, the mutants will be able to locate Vault 13 faster. You'll only have 400 days to destroy the mutant threats, opposed to 500 if you don't get the chip. I think the 1.1 patch removes both of the dates, but the 500 day limit will be removed with the patch.

If you want to find the water chip, go to Necropolis (with your combat armor) and get the water chip after you accept the quest to get a special item from the Glow. Instead of going to the Glow, go to Necropolis first and get the water chip (optionally return it to Vault 13), and then go to the Glow and back to the Brotherhood.