The American Dream

 is a Fallout 3 quest. It is also a Xbox 360/PC achievement and PlayStation 3 Trophy.

Walkthrough
The player awakens behind a force field, in a prison cell inside Raven Rock, the Enclave hideout located in the very northwest corner of the map. Colonel Autumn wants the access code, and there are a few different responses to give him:
 * You can give Autumn the true code, 2-1-6, and he thanks you by killing you.
 * Refuse the Colonel in the most impolite manner possible, infuriating him.
 * You can play dumb, which also makes the Colonel mad.
 * If for no other reason than to spite him, you may tell the Colonel that the code is 7-0-4. An Enclave officer at the purifier will test this and get himself killed. This is by far the most infuriating response you can give Colonel Autumn.

Assuming you did not give Autumn the correct code, he leaves when the president speaks through the intercom and asks to speak with the player. All inventory is stored in a locker inside the prison cell where the Lone Wanderer wakes up.

Navigating the base
Once you are released, all but one officer will initially be hostile. Shortly after you've exited your cell, President Eden will order the troops not to engage you. If you leave your cell to the right, this will happen automatically. If you leave to the left, you will first encounter Lieutenant Williams, an Enclave officer, who queries you about your freedom. With a successful charisma or strength check, Williams will let you go or flee, respectively. You can also use a speech check to convince him that you're going to see President Eden, at which point he will contact Eden directly and get himself reassigned for breaking protocol. Alternatively, you can kill him before he begins speaking and no one will attack you, since Eden orders them not to.

If you did not blow up Megaton, Nathan Vargas is held captive next to your cell, saying he was captured by the Enclave and they are not who he thought they were. If you do not find him captive he will appear in Megaton as usual as if nothing happened. Despite his presence, he does not actually serve any purpose. He will simply cower in his cell repeating the same phrase over and over if talked to.

In any case, this short break will not last. On your approach to Raven Rock Level 2, Colonel Autumn will countermand Eden's orders, turning the entire base hostile against you. The exact point at which he does this varies. If you enter Level 2 through the lab area between the cells, he will make the announcement as soon as you get to Level 2. Alternatively, should you try to pass through the mess hall to reach Level 2, he will make the announcement when you hit the stairs. In either case, there is now a base full of hostile soldiers between you and your goal.

During your trip from your cell to President Eden, there are several things you may wish to collect. In the mess hall, there is a pantry area with about 10 of each kind of packaged food you've so far encountered (Pork 'N Beans, Cram, etc.), and two First Aid Boxes near the lockers. The laboratories also tend to have a few ammo boxes and other assorted loot. There is also the Enclave personnel, who carry a large amount of valuable, if quite heavy loot.

On Level 2 is more laboratories, Enclave crates, and the Energy Weapons Bobblehead. The Bobblehead is in Colonel Autumn's room (west 2C), along with a footlocker containing the ZAX self-destruct sequence. Also, in one of the rooms (northwest corner of 2B) you'll find one of Dr. Li's assistants, Anna Holt -- she was captured at the purifier. She'll tell you that although she first resisted, she eventually decided to help the Enclave. If you opt to kill her for her betrayal, you'll get negative karma.

Meeting the President
Eventually you will enter a room with two sentry bots finishing off two Enclave guards (killing the sentry bots results in bad karma). If you try to speak to them they'll tell you to "continue on as the President is waiting". Next, you'll enter a room with a long staircase (1A), where you will encounter President Eden, who turns out to be a ZAX AI. He informs you of his plan to "cleanse" the Capital Wasteland of the mutation and disease which has gripped it, by using a modified version of the FEV, previously used in the creation of the original Super Mutants, in order to kill any mutated or irradiated persons living in the Wasteland, and start the Capital Wasteland anew. Despite Colonel Autumn's previously callous, mean-spirited demeanor, Eden informs you that he in fact disagrees with the Colonel's way of thinking, and thinks there can be another method of renewing the Capital Wasteland.

There are a few choices at this stage, with regard to President Eden's fate:
 * With a high Speech skill, you can convince Eden that he is insane, and force him to self-destruct both himself and the base. This check is fairly difficult: at 100 Speech and 10 Charisma, it is only 90%.
 * With a high Science skill, you can argue Eden into realizing his thinking is in fact a fallacy of circular logic, and again convince him to self-destruct himself and the base.
 * If you found Colonel Autumn's room and the ZAX Destruct Sequence, you can deal with Eden that way (again, blows up Eden and base).
 * You can leave him intact and exit the base. If you choose this option, Level 1 will still function as with the other options; rooms off the main hallway spout fire and the doors become inoperable, and the lower levels will remain sealed. The base will not explode however, and the fleeing vertibirds will remain intact.

Note that Eden does not allow you to leave the base without taking the modified FEV.

Leaving the base
After you leave Eden's chamber, the robots in the subsequent hallways turn on the Enclave soldiers. Along the way out there are plenty of force-fielded areas with Enclave crates, for which again you must hack the terminals to deactivate.

There is a terminal that will open a Deathclaw crate, resulting in its captive deathclaw attacking everything in sight.

On the way out, you will find a Gatling Laser.

Outside the base
Once outside you will observe a large force of vertibirds leaving the base. If the base's self destruct was activated during the conversation with Eden, the base explodes and the tunnel is blocked with rock; there is no going back inside.

At this point you'll meet Fawkes who is taking care of some Enclave soldiers. If you have positive karma, you have the option of asking him to join you. Fawkes now carries a Gatling Laser with unlimited ammo.

You then must return to the Citadel where Rothchild, Owyn Lyons, Sarah Lyons, and the Lyons' Pride have assembled for a briefing on the upcoming Take it Back! quest. Midway through, Elder Lyons will ask you for further information about the Enclave. You may give him the FEV virus Eden gave you for Karma and "proper disposal after the scribes have studied it". Regardless of your choice here the remaining conversation remains unchanged. Sarah then makes you an honorary member of the Lyons' Pride and offers you a full suit of either Power Armor or Recon Armor. Rothchild will then raise the Liberty Prime up an elevator shaft. Halfway up the shaft the quest will be completed and Take it Back! will begin.

After the briefing you can tell Elder Lyons about Vault 87 being the origin of the super mutant threat for good karma.

This will be your last chance to recruit Star Paladin Cross, she will not join you after Take it Back!. However, she will rejoin you if she was previously in your party.

Bugs

 * When leaving Raven Rock, if you re-enter Raven Rock before talking to Fawkes, Fawkes may disappear completely from the game. (confirmed all platform)
 * With the Broken-Steel Addon installed you wont be able to finish the Quest: After escaping Raven Rock and returning to the Citadel to report Elder Lyons, you find him in the Lab gathered with the Lyons Pride and Scribe Rothschild. Normally you already would hear Sentinel Lyons and Elder Lyons talk when entering the Lab. No talking is a bad sign. If you move closer your Player will be unable to move. Normally Sentinel Lyons and Elder Lyons are having a discussion by that time (while you cant move) and you are free and can talk to Elder Lyons afterwards. (Unconfirmed 360, Confirmed PS3)
 * When entering the room with the Sentry Bots and Enclave Soldiers, the Soldiers will not be marked hostile despite their fate, and if the player runs forward and talks to them (before they are shot) they can enter dialogue, although all they say is "hey there," and the only option is "See you later." (Xbox 360)
 * If you had Paladin Cross with you in Vault 87 before this quest, you may hear her comments in the corridor after you leave your cell, even though she's not there.
 * When the Enclave building is destroyed and you meet Fawkes and he joins your party he might not move at all and just stand there (PS3)
 * When escaping Raven Rock the last door (that opens up automaticaly) right before leaving you are able to shoot the door off flying into the air with a gatling laser. (unconfirmed xbox 360)
 * If you become hostile to the Brotherhood of Steel then go enter the Catadel Laboratory and speak with Elder Lyons and Sentinel Lyons, it will freeze when Elder Lyons begins to lower the robot.

Behind the scenes

 * The "American Dream" is the belief that anyone, no matter their background, can be successful in America. In this case, a computer has achieved the American Dream. The term is also being used as a pun for the Enclave's vision of a reshaped America, their ideal "dream" of the American way.
 * Historian and writer James Truslow Adams coined the phrase "American Dream" in his 1931 book Epic of America.
 * Raven Rock is a real place.

YouTube Videos
The American DreamThe American Dream

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