Raiders (Fallout 3)

Raiders are a hostile Faction in the Capital Wasteland in 2277.

Background
The raiders of Capital Wasteland are mostly hostile, lawless, chem-addled ruffians who roam the wastes of the Washington, D.C. area. They have little in common with the raider clans of the West Coast, except for the Fiends of the Mojave Wasteland. They are encountered in smaller groups and are armed with a fairly wide range of weaponry. They often carry pistols (.32, 10mm, and Chinese pistols), hunting rifles, sawed-off shotguns as well as melee weapons and grenades. At higher levels, they sometimes begin to carry SMGs, assault rifles, combat shotguns, and even some big guns like the missile launcher and flamer. Very rarely, one may even be found carrying a Gatling laser, likely taken off a dead Outcast. They can occasionally be found hunting with guard dogs as well. All raiders wear some form of raider armor (though not at raider brothels in places like Evergreen Mills) and have dirty skin.

Raider locations tend to be marked with spray-painted symbols and mutilated bodies hung up with meat hooks on chains. A common symbol is a green-blue circle with the number 21 in the middle. A rarer symbol is "fuck you" written in blood. Another symbol includes a colorful mushroom cloud.

Raiders have no alliances with other factions and will attack everyone but other raiders or slavers. They appear to be quite cruel, as places they inhabit are usually filled with the mutilated bodies of other raiders and wastelanders, implying that they torture captured enemies and occasionally their own. The raider sadist armor is equipped with several dismembered hands that the raider has kept as trophies. Raiders appear to show no mercy toward even each other; one raider mentions killing one of his own just to make him shut up. Raiders also show very little respect for new recruits, shown by conversations with one another.

Locations
Known locations of raiders in Fallout 3 are Evergreen Mills, Five Axles Rest Stop, The Raid Shack, Cliffside Cavern, Charnel House, Drowned Devil's Crossing, Raider docks, Dupont Circle Station, MDPL Mass Relay Station, Chaste Acres Dairy Farm, Raider canal, Fairfax Ruins, the Grisly Diner, Friendship Heights, Springvale School, the Montgomery County Reservoir, south of Girdershade, and of course The Pitt. Also, in the Bethesda Ruins, there is a larger-sized band of raiders. They can also be found roaming around the Capital Wasteland, usually in groups of 2-3. Raiders also inhabit Wheaton Armory, VAPL-84 Power Station, Scrapyard, Dupont Circle, and Kaelyn's Bed & Breakfast and all of them respawn with different weaponry every day or two. Raiders are also frequently found combating super mutants throughout downtown DC. Also, the raiders occupy almost all satcom arrays.

The largest band of raiders is at Evergreen Mills, where there are at least 30-40 raiders.

Raider Hazing
In Fallout 3, you may come across a random occurrence of a raider hazing ritual. Four raiders surround a fifth raider initiate standing in only his underwear, each taking a turn in beating him with a melee weapon. The dialogue suggests that he has to take and accept the pain he is receiving. Sometimes the raider can be seen smoking, seemingly ignoring the beating.

Wastelander Bombs
In rare occasions, a wastelander may come running up to you, saying that raiders strapped a bomb to them. You are given the option to disarm the bomb. However, Explosives skill does not factor into the chances of disarming it successfully. If you fail, the wastelander will run off, and die shortly thereafter in an explosion. However, if the wastelander is killed before he/she talks to the player, the bomb will explode either when the player approaches it or after some time.

Massacred Enclave
If you are past The Waters of Life, Enclave camps will appear throughout the Wasteland. A few of these camps will be trashed with raider graffiti everywhere, and the Enclave troops will be dead and stripped. 3-4 raiders in Enclave armor are usually nearby. One of these camps can be found southeast of Bethesda Ruins and northeast of Chryslus Building and south of the Raid Shack. Strangely, Raiders do not have power armor training, yet still wear power armor.

Mole Rat Race Track
Slightly west-southwest of Grayditch, a small group of Raiders can be seen holding mole rat races on an abandoned highway. The scene is complete with a pistol shot to start the race. The mole rats then meander back to their cages to begin the process again.

Non-Hostile Raiders
West of Tenpenny Tower and north of the Warrington Station, there is a friendly Raider with a missile launcher sitting behind a car. If you talk to her she will just say, "I'm not in the mood for you, asshole." When the local Brotherhood of Steel water caravan passes by, she'll attack, and other raiders will pop out to assist. If you kill the Raiders, she will continue wandering around till she is killed eventually by other means, as if nothing happened.

A second friendly raider with a 10mm SMG and an arclight helmet can be found in the Grisly Diner and the camp near Dukov's Place. This raider aimlessly meanders about, and sometimes swims across the Potomac.

In Marigold Station, there is a safe in a supply room which holds an unmarked quest item. If you managed to obtain the item, a Raider named Lug-Nut will come to you unexpectedly, demanding the item. If you give him the item (thus, being unable to finish the unmarked quest) or pass a speech check, he will merely wander around the area and will not attack you nor the Fire Ants. Declining him will result in hostility though.

Appearances
Raiders appears in Fallout 3.