Old Olney

Old Olney is a run-down and derelict town in the Capital Wasteland, which is completely overrun by Deathclaws.


 * WARNING: The ruins of Old Olney are very dangerous. Stumbling across this area at lower levels or unprepared could easily result in death.

Location
Old Olney is located just east/south-east of Vault 92. It is noticeable on the Pip-Boy 3000, as it is located within a lighter rectangle along with Vault 92.

You can gain information on the location of Old Olney from the Nuka-Cola Factory located on one of the final terminals. Upon access you will obtain a note called the Quantum Distribution Details; your Pip-Boy 3000 will thereupon be updated with several locations, one being Old Olney, although the grocery which was referenced in the terminal was destroyed in the nuclear blast. However, there is still a delivery truck crashed east of the town.

Entrances to Old Olney Sewer
There are two entrances to the Old Olney Sewer. One is a circular sewer manhole located between two ruined buildings in the South-West corner of town.

The second is a grate "trap-door", located in the North-East corner of Old Olney, two blocks north of the fire station. Once falling inside this trap, the only exit out is a door leading to the Old Olney Sewers. You may also fast-travel from the trap, moving as close as a few blocks away by choosing "Old Olney" from your World Map. The Prototype Medic Power Armor is located in these sewers on the dead body of a Brotherhood of Steel Initiate, near 2 Mercenaries. Another member of the Brotherhood of Steel says that they did not go to recover the armor is because of the Deathclaws.

(NOTE: If you have fallen into the "trap", remember that you are still outside and can fast-travel to free yourself, provided there are no enemies nearby.)

History
No apparent history is known of Old Olney other than its status as another casualty of the Great War; it does appear that the town had some inhabitants, but due to the Deathclaw invasion all citizens accounted for are dead. There are a few possibilities as to why the town is infested. The first is that a military vehicle carrying Deathclaws may have crashed near the town when the bombs fell, releasing them and, after time, they started breeding. The second is that the sewers were being used by the military to test the genetically-engineered monsters and after time they escaped into the town.

Inhabitants
Old Olney is infested by Deathclaws. There appear to be a total of 7 of them roaming the town, although results may vary from player to player. There are also several Deathclaws occupying the Old Olney Sewers as well. The Deathclaws eventually respawn over time, so it is impossible to "clear" the town permanently. It is useful to have a follower with some kind of heavy weapon, such as a minigun or gattling laser, as these weapons can take care of the deathclaws moderately quickly.

Notable Loot
Old Olney itself does not have any loot worth mentioning. There are two alleyways containing Trash Bins, lootable corpses, and First Aid kits.

The only loot worth venturing into Old Olney for is the contents inside the Old Olney Sewer.


 * Prototype Medic Power Armor can be found deep within the Old Olney Sewer.
 * There is a Nuka-Cola Quantum behind a small safe in a room with four beds in the Old Olney Sewer.
 * There is a copy of Duck and Cover! at a dead end in Old Olney Sewer (next to a skeleton, at the end of the tunnel past Prototype Medic Power Armor).
 * Fat man in the sewers, the room with the safes on the walls and the big clock.

Note

 * A dead Mercenary's body lies on the doorstep of a building on the east edge of Old Olney. He possesses two Laser Rifles; one in the game world next to his corpse and one in his inventory. This is presumably a goof.


 * You should be wary while fast-traveling to Old Olney. Doing so deposits you in the middle of town, where you are likely to be immediately swarmed by Deathclaws. At least two Deathclaws patrol the alley in which you appear. It is safer to fast-travel to Vault 92 which is located immediately to the West of Old Olney.


 * If you came here in search of Nuka-Cola Quantum, you will find a note next to the skeleton of Carl Wallace, in front of the Fire House (in the southeast corner of town), giving a report that the driver of the truck shipment has crashed just east of the town, next to a gas station. Traveling east, in the direction of Chaste Acres Dairy Farm you will spot the crashed truck not far from the town and several Nuka-Cola Quantums.


 * If you approach the truck with the Nuka-Cola Quantums from the North, there is a chance that you will come across wastelanders fighting a Deathclaw. If you save them, they will immediatly start to pilliage the Nuka Cola truck.  There will be no quantums or Colas, but instead empty bottles.  The easiest way to fix this is to let the wastelanders die, then kill the Deathclaw and take the Cola.


 * Dave from the Republic of Dave will travel to Old Olney should he lose the Election of Dave. With the Deathclaw infestation, he almost certainly dies unless otherwise assisted by the player.


 * If Dave actually survives the trip, he will camp out in the middle of the town, next to some trash bins and dead raiders (this is right on the spot in the middle of town in which you appear if you fast-travel to Old Olney). Dave will threaten you to leave "The New Republic of Dave" if you attempt to talk to him; if you do this three times he will open fire on you. Killing him makes the remaining citizens of the Republic of Dave hostile against you and you will not incur karma loss for killing them. However if you kill him by a sneak attack, the inhabitants of the Republic of Dave will not become hostile.


 * The Sewers are worth visiting, as a unique power armor can be found there.


 * Some Deathclaws will patrol near the gates, giving players a good chance to kill them from the outside of the town as the Deathclaws cannot get to the player immediatley and must walk around. However, be 100% sure you can kill them fast, if they get away from you to walk around, they will more than likely bring multiple Deathlclaws with them when they go to confront you on the outside, which will usually result in death for the player, as there will usually be 2-4 Deathclaws if you have not cleared the rest of the town. If you set up mines ahead of time, you can also use this to trick the Deathclaws to confronting you but stumbling across a player-set minefield.


 * It's recommended that you not bring Fawkes or Sergeant RL-3 or at least not together, it might freeze the game.

Trivia
Old Olney is likely named after Olney, Maryland. Olney is 6-7 miles northeast of Rockville, MD, where Bethesda Softworks is located.

There is a Guns and Bullets book in the mailbox near the Nuka Cola truck

Appearances
Old Olney appears only in Fallout 3.

Related quests

 * The Nuka-Cola Challenge