Nellis Air Force Base



Nellis Air Force Base is a location northeast of New Vegas in the Mojave Wasteland. It is a pre-War air force base that was once the United States Air Force Warfare Center and, after the war, became the home of the Boomers, a xenophobic group who were former occupants of Vault 34.

Background
In 2077, during the Great War, Nellis was struck by several atomic warheads, killing all the inhabitants and leaving the base highly radioactive. Over the following decades, wastelanders avoided Nellis because of their fear of the radiation.

In 2231, the Boomers came across Nellis Air Force Base and settled there after sojourning the wastes looking for a new home. Their Pip-Boy Geiger counters indicated that the base was radioactive, but no longer dangerously so, unbeknownst to the wastelanders. Since settling, they have been using the base's remaining defensive structures and their own stockpile of heavy arms, retrieved from Area 2, to keep any strangers from setting foot anywhere nearby.

Layout
Nellis' location is discreet and well-defended, most accessible by a cracked and cratered road littered with signs suggesting that entrance in to the area is strictly forbidden to all outsiders. The front gate is vigilantly guarded day and night by a howitzer team. Nellis Air Force Base's main entrance can be approached from two different locations, with the most notable one being via the old road leading east from Fields' shack. When approaching from the old road, the player character will encounter George, who provides the Nellis artillery timing details. The second approach can be accessed by the unmarked train tunnel (with a very hard lock) located east of Raul's Shack which avoids the dangerous artillery range entirely.

Upon entering the base, the most obvious structures are the control tower and the hangars to the west. Two runways stretch parallel to the east, occupying the majority of the bases' territory. The Boomers have made good use of the land between them, converting a parcel into an irrigated farm plot. The pipes are connected to an inaccessible shack, implying they have access to reclamation facilities. North of the farm is the Nellis array, which provides power for the entire facility via solar panels. Along the northeast corner of the fencing is an unlootable graveyard.

One hangar houses the remaining parts of a B-29 bomber, while the other is used to house the VR terminals, used to train pilots. The building also serves as a mess hall and storage area. During the day, several important members of the Boomers can be found gathered here. Quonset huts and shacks provide living quarters, medical, and educational facilities on the west side of the base. Pearl and Loyal have their own homes, while the rest of the Boomers make do with segregated barracks. Also, the Boomer Museum is located amongst the eastern Quonset huts. Of note is a bio-diesel storage hut near the crane and tracks, showing the Boomers' capabilities, despite their isolation.

Appearances
Nellis Air Force Base appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Nellis Air Force Base was named in honor of Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Pilot 1st Lieutenant William Harrell Nellis, who was killed in WWII during the famous Battle of the Bulge after flying 70 missions and being shot down twice before.
 * The real world Nellis Air Force Base, like the in-game version, has a large solar panel array allowing it to be almost completely self-sufficient in terms of electricity.
 * The posters found for Nellis Air Force Base show an Aircraft that bears a similarity to Post World War II bombers such as the B-45 Tornado. This is in keeping with the style of the game.

Bugs

 * The guard that opens the gate may stand with his back turned and will not interact with the player character.
 * This can be fixed by opening the console (~), selecting the gate by left clicking it and typing unlock into the console. This will unlock the gate and allow the player character to walk in and initiate conversation with the guard, then proceed normally from there.
 * Shelling may continue when near the Nellis fence and just inside the base.
 * At times, the textures and layout maps fail to load correctly, leaving any character or robot that wanders into the afflicted area stuck in the ground if it reverts to normal.
 * There is a greenhouse that has planks nailed to the main door. It may be activated, but nothing will happen.
 * If the gate to the entrance of the air base is left open, some of the Mini-Boomers may walk out and be attacked by the mortars. They will not die or even be affected by the missiles, and will keep walking and never return. When the player character walks with them the mortars do not fire, but if 2-5 steps are taken away from them, the mortars will begin firing again. This can lead to the mortars firing huge distances, potentially all the way to the outer walls of New Vegas and beyond.
 * At times, the guards at the front gate or in the guard towers will randomly attack, even at accepted status.
 * Boomers will pile up just inside the west entrance/exit door of the mess hall & munitions storage, vibrating and stuttering off of each other. Companions will be "lodged" inside the cluster upon entrance, and it takes several minutes for them to work free. Sometimes upon exiting, the Boomers will all "burst free" and exit at the same time as the player character and their companions, to then roam the base normally.
 * Sometimes, after completing most or all of the quests for the Boomers and then making a trip back to the base, a random infamy gain will be incurred with the Boomers for no reason. None of the Boomers will be hostile, and no evidence or bodies of what could have happened can be found. It could possibly be caused by the completion of Heartache by the Number, and choosing to kill Alice McLafferty, which in turn can turn Janet from the Young Hearts quest (if she was brought to Nellis) hostile and force the Boomers to put her down at the player character's expense.
 * By going near the base, discovering it, and leaving it without approaching the Boomer who was firing the missiles, Raquel will appear later at some point (usually after fast traveling) and ask the player character to meet Mother Pearl. They will then be forced to go back to the base with her to see Mother Pearl.
 * Female Boomers at Nellis may have facial hair, despite being female.
 * Sometimes, nobody will ever come to the gate, leaving the rail tunnel as the only viable entrance.
 * There is a howitzer near Raquel that sometimes when jumped on or walked over can send the player character flying into the sky, although it is enough height that when the Courier comes back down they will die.