Craig Boone

Craig Boone is a retired NCR 1st Recon sharpshooter and Novac's night-shift town guard in 2281. Craig Boone joined the New California Republic Army at an unknown date and served until some time after the Bitter Springs Massacre. He completed the majority of his Army service with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, moved to Novac with his wife Carla Boone, and became the town's night watchmen. However, Carla was recently kidnapped by Caesar's Legion while he was on guard and he suspects foul play. When the Courier first meets him, Boone is bitterly whiling away the hours until he can find out and kill whoever is responsible for the disappearance of his wife; waiting for the perfect stranger to arrive and to hopefully help find who facilitated the taking of his wife. Hardened and psychologically troubled from his time in the NCR military, Boone vacillates between being a stone-cold killer and a decent human being. Venturing out from the relative safety of Novac brings Boone into close contact with his old life until he is forced to deal with the tragic events that caused him to leave the military.

Background
The 26 year old Boone is a man with a troubled past. He was once a soldier of the New California Republic Army together with his best friend, Manny Vargas, a member of the prestigious 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, picked out at the firing range for his exceptional marksmanship skills. As part of the push into the Mojave, Boone was deployed to Camp Golf. He fought during the First Battle of Hoover Dam, as the frontline camp was hit by Legion attacks.

The battle with the Legion affected him little, it was a retaliatory expedition of the Republic a year later, in 2278, directed against the Great Khans. Following raider attacks on NCR settlements, the Army tracked down the Khans to Bitter Springs, a suspected stronghold. What they didn't know is that it was the Khans' main settlement. Boone's fireteam was deployed on Coyote Tail ridge. Their orders were to cut off any Khans attempting to escape Bitter Springs down Canyon 37, to prevent them from flanking the main force. They were to shoot on sight. However, when Khans started coming down canyon 37 in groups, the troopers noticed that they were largely non-combatants; women, children, the sick and elderly, with wounded Khans in tow. NCR command did not understand what was happening and ordered the troopers to fire until they were out of ammunition. Boone and the rest of 1st Recon carried out the order.

The Bitter Springs Massacre would break Boone. Boone became a murderer, if not in the eyes of the Republic, then in his own. He left the Army when his tour of duty ended, sick of war, to try and start everything from scratch. He joined Carla, a beautiful woman he met on the New Vegas Strip on leave. She was talkative, charming, proud, and everything Boone wasn't, but she had helped him forget. For a time, he was happy. He had married Carla and sometime in 2280, they settled in Novac, down route 93. Boone found a job as town watchman, together with Manny Vargas, the best friend who enlisted with him and also his spotter. It was apparent that Carla was not pleased with living in Novac and made her opinions known. Jeannie May Crawford describes Carla as a "cactus flower," in that she is pretty to look at, but hard to get close to. She was never content with the ordinary life of the small town. Carla's attitude toward the town caused distance between Boone and Manny, which continued after Carla's disappearance.

Boone never told Carla about Bitter Springs, though he wish he'd done so when he had the chance. Legion slavers snuck into Novac one night while he was on watch, and took Carla, pregnant at the time. They knew exactly when and how to come in order to sneak by him. Boone knew he was set up. He talked to Manny about the disappearance. Their friendship ended instantly when his friend couldn't mask the fact her disappearance made him glad, as Boone's wife often clashed with him.

The distraught marksman took to the road, to track Carla down and save her. He found her at a Legion outpost southeast, near the Colorado River. She was being sold, with men bidding on her. The entire area was locked down, with legionaries swarming by the hundreds. Boone could only see one solution. He could not track her in Legion lands, nor could he abandon her to the Legion. Instead of subjecting her to the horrors of Legion slavery, he chose to take her life in a mercy killing, knowing that a rescue wasn't possible.

He returned to Novac and resumed his duties as the town's watchman. He was apathetic, save for one emotion: Hate. Boundless hatred for the Caesar's Legion and the person who took his wife from him.

Quests

 * One for My Baby: Help Boone take care of the person responsible for his wife's kidnapping. The successful completion of this quest makes him available as a companion for the Courier.
 * I Forgot to Remember to Forget: Help Boone deal with the psychological trauma still haunting him. The successful completion of this quest upgrades his armor.
 * Beyond the Beef: One can offer Boone, or any other human companion, as a substitute to Mortimer for the banquet.
 * You'll Know It When It Happens: Boone will tell the player character three ways in which president Aaron Kimball can be assassinated. Two of his suggestions are attempted by the Legion.

Effects of player's actions

 * If one has Boone kill Manny Vargas during One for My Baby and passes a Speech check to convince him that Manny was guilty, he will tell the Courier to "Never say that name again." when asked about Vargas again.
 * If one arranges for Boone to kill someone who is "responsible" for the death of his wife, he will ask what gave them away. If the Courier responds with "I had a hunch," and that it was the closest proof they had, he will angrily dismiss them and won't talk to them anymore. He will also do this if the Courier tells him that Jeannie May Crawford's story "just didn't add up" and then fails the Speech check.
 * If Boone kills someone during the aforementioned quest and then the player character tells him that they just wanted him to kill the assigned target, he will immediately turn hostile and attack.
 * If the player character has not yet recruited Boone, he will refuse to speak to them if their overall NCR reputation is significantly below neutral, or if they have a significant positive reputation with Caesar's Legion. The reputation can be temporarily swayed by wearing any NCR armor, enabling that faction's relations and reputation. Though, ironically, Caesar's Legion armor (or any other faction armor) works just as well.
 * Gaining NCR infamy with Boone as a companion will cause him to demand that "this stops now." One has the option of attacking Boone or persuading him to stand down and agree with him on stopping the killings. Afterward, if the player character again kills NCR troops, with Boone following them, he will immediately turn hostile.
 * Sneak killing NCR soldiers in Boone's presence without being seen by other non-companion NPCs won't cause his immediate hostility.
 * At the Bitter Springs supply cave visited in Climb Ev'ry Mountain inhabited by the Great Khan, Oscar Velasco, Oscar will attack the Courier after shouting "Die NCR Scum!" if Boone is their companion. The Courier must make Boone wait outside the cave if they do not want to kill Oscar.

Other interactions

 * If asked if he ever takes off his beret, he will say "No."
 * If the player character takes his beret, Boone says "I would really like my beret back, please." However, not returning it causes no significant results. He will still say this even if it is traded back to him before closing the inventory window.
 * If the Courier enters the Fort with Boone, all Legion members will become immediately hostile, regardless of the one's previous standing with them.
 * If the player character enters Boone's hotel room after sending him back to Novac, Boone says "You need to leave." However, staying in the room or stealing items while being noticed by Boone causes no hostility, but one will still lose Karma.

Companion

 * Boone will return to Novac after a few days if "lost."
 * If the Courier travels near Cottonwood Cove or Nelson with Boone, he will mention his grudge against the Legion and the option will be given to continue on with him or not.
 * When near the boat in Cottonwood Cove, Boone will say that this would "probably be the last boat you take."
 * Boone is automatically hostile to any Legion faction members. Likewise, Legion members are always hostile to Boone, as well as to the Courier while Boone is serving as a companion. This only applies if the Legion can see him, however; if told to wait out of sight, Legion members will not turn hostile.
 * Boone will not talk to the Courier if they are "shunned" or worse by the NCR unless the Courier is wearing NCR gear that turns their reputation to neutral. Once recruited, Boone will follow unless the Courier puts on Legion gear.
 * Boone will give the Courier one warning before leaving permanently (similar to when Caesar sends Vulpes Inculta to the Strip to wipe their Infamy slate clean) if they work with the Legion and gain a positive reputation with them. Even leaving Boone in the Lucky 38 presidential suite will still cause him to leave, if enough Legion quests have been done and fame acquired; as speaking to him will trigger the warning and his choice to leave upon speaking again. If one elects to follow the Legion path through the end it will be impossible to take Boone to the battle at Hoover Dam.

Comments

 * After wiping out the Legion at Cottonwood Cove, Boone will say, "Wish there was more of them, I wasn't done yet."
 * After killing Oscar Velasco, Boone will say, "Great Khan looks like. Guess he fought at Bitter Springs, or saw it happen."
 * After killing Caesar, Boone will say, "Thumbs-down, you son of a bitch!", in reference to the gladiatorial games. He will also talk about the kill next time the player character speaks to him.
 * Boone has unique comments for a variety of game locations and situations:
 * Boone will say "I need a bigger caliber" or "I'm not punching through" if his weapons aren't getting through the enemy's armor DT.
 * When the Courier shoots while not engaged with a target, he'll say, "Let me aim that for you next time." This comment can occur when attacking a target at long range, even if the Courier hits it, which is ironic since Boone is supposedly spotting the target.
 * When entering the REPCONN test site basement with Boone for the first time, he will mention that it's "dark here" and that if you plan on using a weapon with a scope, he was trained as a spotter, and he could help you find your targets.
 * When freeing NCR soldiers at Nelson from the crucifixes during the quest Restoring Hope, Boone remarks "Mercy killing is a last resort. Glad you recognized we had options." If the player character speaks with Boone after this, he will go more in-depth about how he was told to kill NCR troops on crucifixes as a "mercy killing" when he was still part of the NCR 1st Recon. He laments that "sometimes following orders is what kills men."

Non-player character comments

 * The 1st Recon are known throughout the wastes. When Boone is a companion:
 * Boomers: "Keep your distance, soldier."
 * Brotherhood of Steel: "Why is your friend there glaring at me like that? Did I bump into him or something?"
 * Followers: "That's a First Recon beret. They're the best marksmen in the NCR military."
 * Freesiders: "Keep your guns to yourself and there won't be any trouble."; "You're not doing yourself a favor by having him tag along. NCR aren't welcome here."
 * Great Khans: "You know you're traveling with a fucking murderer?"
 * Gun Runners: "First Recon is a top-notch unit. They're always buying sniper rifles from us."
 * NCR civilians: "NCR Rangers deserve all my praise."
 * NCR troopers: "I wish I had a First Recon guy looking out for me."; "That red beret's looking good, soldier."
 * NCR tourists: "Is your friend one of those elite troops we've been hearing about?"
 * Nightkin: "Head voices say quiet man knows more than he says about horns!"
 * Omertas: "Big tough ranger better not start any trouble in here."
 * Outer Vegas denizens: "Keep the Ranger on a leash around here."; "Make sure the NCR dog behaves, you're in the Mojave now."
 * Powder Gangers: "That guy's got cold eyes. Definitely ex-military."
 * The Kings: "That friend of yours NCR? He looks like he's NCR."

Appearances
Craig Boone appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Craig Boone was written by Eric Fenstermaker.
 * Boone was voiced by Jason Marsden, but is incorrectly credited as his friend, James Marsden.
 * Content in the audio files of Fallout: New Vegas suggests Liam O'Brien was going to voice Boone at some point, as there are many of Boone's lines recorded in his voice.
 * Boone and Manny Vargas are the Two of Hearts in the deck of Vault playing cards included with the Collector's Edition of Fallout: New Vegas.

Bugs

 * After applying patch 1.2.0.31x Boone may no longer move his head to track nearby targets, and will holster his weapon while in combat approximately every five seconds. This error is caused by a code added to his main dialogue script, which causes him to re-evaluate his current AI package every five seconds.
 * Due to a glitch regarding armor stats, every time Boone switches equipment, the PER bonus from his beret gets added again and again, which leads to Boone having over 10 Perception. This can be reset by taking his beret away, and then giving it back to him.
 * If the player takes Boone's beret, then give it back to him, it may disappear from his inventory. If you give him the one remaining in your inventory, it will disappear upon transfer.
 * This can be done by giving to him any apparel does not allow face or headgear. As such, he'll also take his sunglasses off.
 * Boone seems to occasionally switch to melee (or if unavailable, unarmed) without prompt. This can be fixed by changing his combat style to melee in the companion wheel, and then back to ranged.
 * If you fast travel after earning enough history points to unlock the quest I Forgot to Remember to Forget, but before Boone asks you to return to Bitter Springs with him, Boone will not fast travel with you. You may correct this by loading the auto-save file if you have not changed the game's default auto-save settings.
 * If Boone has NCR faction armor AND a better set of armor in his inventory, he will sometimes switch between them for seemingly no reason.
 * If Boone is a companion and you part ways with him, say to meet up at the Lucky 38, and eventually accept him as a companion again, he will repeatedly talk to you without prompt. On the Xbox 360, he won't leave the Presidential Suite either, and fast traveling also causes him to disappear from the game permanently. This can be fixed only by going to The Fort and killing Caesar, although Boone will not appear. Upon killing Caesar, fast traveling to Cottonwood Cove will fix the glitch, provided there are enemies nearby.
 * This may be caused by firing Boone and then gaining some fame with the Legion (to being Accepted, or a mostly positive mixed reputation) and then rehiring Boone seems to cause this bug.
 * After a fight Boone may get stuck at reloading his weapon endlessly and not following you anymore. Let him switch to melee and back to ranged gets him out of that loop. Yet only confirmed for PC, happened after fast traveling to Nevada Highway Patrol station and fighting 10+ Jackal gang members.
 * You can fix this bug by closing out of the game or turning off your console then back on.
 * Sometimes when giving Boone a pair of authority glasses they turn out misshapen on his face. His rifle also will glitch out, and either disappear off his back or be inside of him. This also causes him to switch equipment. This can be fixed by taking the glasses, completely leaving the companion wheel, then going back and giving them back.
 * If Boone is a companion while using the Mark of Caesar to boat your way to The Fort Boone may appear on the dock next to you even if asked to wait far away. He will spawn in water therefore unable to fight the boat guard.
 * If Boone is wearing gear that the player has given him, and then receives another set of apparel (not necessarily better than his current armor) he may remove his sunglasses and beret despite them being the only headwear he has.
 * Sometimes during combat, Boone will randomly stop attacking enemies and will turn around. Then he will run in a specific direction, not stopping unless if he runs into a wall. To counteract this, the player must catch up with him to open dialogue. tell him to keep his distance, and then tell him to keep close again.
 * If you give him armor like radiation suit, he will remove his headgear, but he won't wear the suit.
 * If Boone is following you and you are accepted with the Legion, Boone will comment on it. Afterward he will talk to you every 10 seconds, even if you did not engage him in conversation.
 * Sometimes, when the player enters the Ultra-Luxe, gives up his weapons and then steals them back from the locker, Boone will lose his rifle for the rest of the game.
 * Sometimes, the weapons you give to Boone may disappear after exiting a casino.
 * Boone may lose armor suits you gave to him after you reload a save. The armor simply disappears from inventory.