Black Mountain

Black Mountain is a location in the Mojave Desert that serves as a radio station for the State of Utobitha in Fallout: New Vegas. It can be located on the main map easily by spotting the winding road roughly east of Goodsprings and Sloan. Neil's Shack marks the bottom of the mountain and the start of the road.

Pre-War
Before the Great War, Black Mountain was a radio-transmitting center. The facility and the equipment survived the bombing fairly intact; however, the personnel were wiped out in a matter of days due to heavy radiation exposure, probably from the huge crater at the summit of the mountain.

The facility also served some kind of military capacity as it housed electronic countermeasures to protect the nearby Hidden Valley complex.

After reading logs on a terminal just inside the broadcast building, you find some back-story plot. One of the employees notes that the "tension is pretty high around here." Two logs later, he states, "It's actually happening. We have readings across the board of launches happening everywhere. They must've thrown everything they had, and it looks like we didn't hold back either. The computer says we have 2 minutes until the first missile drops." The same employee's final log was written right as a missile hit, presumably the ones which caused the crater in the summit. Given the layout of the summit, it's probable that the location was a military post of some sort, likely a radar or monitoring post. This is further suggested by comments on the terminals which suggest that those at Black Mountain were monitoring the Chinese. Information from the Brotherhood of Steel's database in Hidden Valley indicates that the facility also jammed radar in the general area of the valley to further enhance its security.

Arrival of Marcus and the State of Utobitha
Sometime around 2277, Marcus, along with a group of mutants including Tabitha, discovered the facility. He decided the place was a good location to settle down because of the intact machinery and electronics and the high radiation levels keeping human outsiders and scavengers away. Sometime in 2278 Marcus left together with all the first generation super mutants leaving Tabitha in charge. Having risen to power, she was inspired to create a Utopia for mutants, whose rules are based on her nostalgic memories of serving under The Master. She became obsessed with the radio transmitter, hosting a talk-show inviting mutants to join the new "Utopia" with her split personality (that of her beloved Rhonda). She ordered mutants to guard all entrances to Black Mountain and shoot humans on sight. Lily may comment on the location if she is there with the Courier, saying: "I wonder if Marcus knows about this place.".

Layout
After getting to the mountain, there is a building that houses the controls for the radio station. Near the top by the radio station, by where the nightkin sniper is positioned, lie the controls for realigning the dishes.

Under the overturned dish that is used as a makeshift camp are three chests. Two have average locks but one contains about 300 caps. A minigun can be had here in one locked chest. The last chest contains about 400 caps.

Inside the prison building will be a ghoul named Raul Tejada with 100 repair skill. You can free him and/or make him your companion. If you cannot hack the computer to release the lock to Raul's prison room then you can find the password for it on the other computer in the prison room. Note: to do this, simply access the other terminal, and read entry six. Then, proceed to the first terminal, and the room will be unlocked. Entry six tells you the password is '123456789'.

To get into Tabitha's room you'll need the key. A computer in the Broadcast Building, 1st Floor will give you a hint on where to search for it. Exit the other door to outside iron stairs. The key is under a rock behind the stairs.

Notable loot

 * After the first super mutant blockade, the road will bend right. As you come around the bend, look left and you will see a gully full of bear traps. Slowly ascend the gully disarming the traps until you reach the 3rd one. Look left and you will see a ledge which can be climbed. Climb up and walk to the end where you will find a gore bag. Look around the gore bag to find a hunting revolver, combat helmet, tire iron and caps.
 * 2 suitcases each with 20 units of pre-war money. The first one is just before the second blockade, there is also a Turbo and a Cateye laying on the ground next to the Suitcase. Go through the irradiated swamp to the left of road and through the little passage. The second one is at the second super mutant blockade itself.
 * Cuddles' toy car is in the prison building. Read all the entries on the computer terminal, then look on the table for this unique item.
 * The unique rocket launcher Annabelle is found on the nightkin sniper standing on the radio tower platform.
 * 300-400 caps are in each of the trunks in the makeshift camp as well as a minigun and ammunition. Neil refers to this as the village.
 * One Nuka-Cola Victory in the storage building.
 * A super stimpak under a bucket on a shelf to the right of the training dummy in the storage building.
 * A missile launcher and ammunition in the storage building, and a missile hidden inside the cinder blocks near the gnomes. Another missile is hidden in the SW corner of the room: inside the orange parking cone on the shelf next to the Sack and one behind a damaged gnome.
 * 6 .357 magnum revolvers or 9mm pistols in the storage building and in Tabitha's room (broadcast building, 2nd Floor). These will be varmint rifles instead if you have reunited Tabitha and Rhonda.
 * Intact garden gnome inside the storage building.
 * A Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap in the storage building, between two Sarsaparilla crates on the bottom shelf, left of the training dummy.
 * 3 bricks of C-4 Plastic Explosive in the Storage building: one on top of the Nuka-Cola machine, one on the table behind the trunk on the northeast wall, and one on the floor near the desk at the southwest wall.
 * Sheet music book and Repair Note #3 on 2nd floor of broadcast building (Tabitha's room).
 * Almost all of the weapons carried by super mutants in this area are of high value. These weapons include the super sledge, the Light machine gun, the Minigun and the heavy incinerator.
 * There is a Turbo next to the 2 suitcases.

Appearances
Black Mountain appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Bugs

 * After the completion of, or after being given, the quest Eyesight to the Blind, the crater area may become glitched and cause a crash. If you haven't gotten Raul Tejada, this causes you to be unable to get him as a companion.
 * If you get Raul as a follower, the mountain fast travel point may become glitched. The game will freeze when the player walks near the crater.
 * You Can sometimes get 'trapped' in storage room if you are entering the room with two companions. Repairing and then killing Rhonda allows someone with two companions to exit a "trapped" store room.
 * You can get trapped between the reloading bench and the big metal wheel in the storage room if you jump there.
 * Occasionally, Trudy, Sunny Smiles or Easy Pete will spawn next to the storage room. This makes some quests impossible is if this happens at certain times.
 * If the player has rad protection, the radiation meter will indicate +1 but still climb at an unprotected rate
 * If you have completed For Auld Lang Syne, it is possible that Arcade Gannon will spawn and start up a conversation with the player. You are not able to recruit him as a companion and the only option is to end the conversation. He disappears shortly after.
 * When using the terminal in the prison building, the screen may become blurred but not bring up the monitor interface for the computer. This will fix itself by leaving the building and re-entering but using scoped weapons will now show the image of the computer terminal.
 * When approaching the large overturned dish past the crater, the game may become very jumpy. This will either cause a freeze or merely continue until all mutants (except Tabitha) are dead and the player is standing in the compound at the very top of the hill.
 * When climbing back down the mountain after reuniting Tabitha with Rhonda, it is possible that attacking any nightkin or centaur will cause Rhonda and Tabitha to join the fight and attack you. After the original attackers are dead they will disappear altogether. Fast traveling to Jacobstown will show that Tabitha is still hostile to the player.
 * If you are using companion Veronica Santangelo or ED-E for Still in the Dark, but decide to try sneak up to Black Mountain through the back gate (above the crater where one of the three Brotherhood corpses are) be aware Veronica may get stuck on the cliff, vanish and reappear. If she gets stuck and you lose sight of her, she may appear fighting ahead of you at the summit. Resulting in the companion killing the Nightkin sniper super mutant in the radio platform, preventing you from getting Annabelle.
 * By the crater area, a deathclaw can randomly spawn.
 * If you walk up the road to black mountain two young boomers may spawn at the first stop.
 * Sometimes, when walking to the summit of Black Mountain, the game may freeze.
 * When reaching the top of the second to last hill (by the big crater - it's impossible to miss), the super mutant will run towards you, run up into the air at least 20–30 feet and stay stuck there.
 * When fast traveling or climbing the mountain normally, random NPC's will spawn at Tabitha's compound or in the crater area. They will be non-hostile to both the super mutants/nightkin and to the player. If the player starts a fight with the mutants/nightkin, they will not join regardless of faction reputation.

Behind the scenes
Black Mountain is an actual location south of Las Vegas and near Henderson, Nevada.

Гора Блэк