Old Ben

Old Ben is a local living in Freeside in 2281.

Background
Old Ben can be found outside the entrance to the New Vegas Strip in Freeside. Upon speaking to him, he advises the Courier not to go near the gate of the Strip without talking to the gatekeeper first as the securitron guards are programmed to vaporize anyone who enters the fenced-in area without proper authorization. Old Ben has been living in Freeside for his whole life, and after further questioning, will tell the Courier about his life and many of his former occupations.

Early life
When Ben was young, his father ran a butcher shop in Freeside, which eventually went out of business after another vendor opened up in town, selling strange meat at a much lower price. After the closure of his shop, Ben's father passed away and soon after, people around Freeside who had bought the strange meat started experiencing abnormal shakes. These abnormal shakes were a common symptom of the consumption of human flesh, which Ben had suspected, but nobody would believe. Sometime later, the strange meat vendor died, and when someone moved into his place, they discovered human remains in a crawlspace. Ben then spent some time as a courier, making enough caps to get a passport into the New Vegas Strip.

The Strip
Upon entering the strip, Ben found a job working as a crier outside the Tops. As Ben was quite charismatic, he often chatted with the female talent at the casino. When one of these girls start to take an interest in him, her manager became jealous, and decided to get rid of Ben, saying that he had stolen money from the casino vault. Sure enough, a few grand was missing from the vault and Ben was blamed. Ben was kicked out of the Tops and lost all of his belongings as well as his casino apartment, and was forced to return to Freeside.

Return to Freeside
With his reputation tarnished, and lacking many career options, Ben turned to being an escort. Regardless of the good pay, Ben felt used and "like a piece of meat," resulting in him quitting. With the money from the escort job, Ben was able to purchase the gear necessary to become a bodyguard. Already having the wits and physical build to handle Freeside's thugs, Ben had become a quite popular bodyguard, with many tourists choosing him as a guard for their trips into Freeside. After a while, Ben had regained his reputation as a decent guy and after a decade of working as a bodyguard, decided to retire.

Quests

 * Wang Dang Atomic Tango: When looking for a male escort, the Courier can choose between Ben and Santiago to be a "smooth talker" for the Atomic Wrangler Casino. Old Ben can be persuaded through either a Speech check or the Confirmed Bachelor/Black Widow perk.

Appearances
Old Ben appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Bugs

 * He can sometimes, after you talk to him, run to the Strip's gate where he will be obliterated by the securitrons.
 * If you recruit Santiago and go to the Atomic Wrangler to tell James, then go back to Ben and pass the Speech check, you will be awarded 50 XP and he will run to the Atomic Wrangler. Then when you go back to the Wrangler, you can speak to Ben again to pass the Speech check infinitely, earning 35 XP per check. You can also still use the Black Widow/Confirmed Bachelor perk. Speaking to James will not bring the option to recruit Ben.