Mod:DUST Survival Simulator/The Beginning

The Beginning is the player starting point. As an integrated alternative start system, it supersedes (but does not replace) the Safehouse as of Dust 2.0.

The Starting Locations article tries to provide for a lore free description with spoilers concentrating on technicalities of the starting locations, while this article provides for a more lore-rich one, including spoilers to gameplay.

Overview
The Beginning has much in common with the corrupted version of the safehouse encountered by Insane characters as both are a hub area with exits leading to various far-flung points throughout the Mojave wasteland and both feature an ambient version of Vera Keyes "Begin again"

Points of Egress
The exit door directly in front of the player starting point leads to the former Legion Safehouse as normal. To the left of this are exits leading to the former Brotherhood of Steel and Followers of the apocalypse safe houses respectively. The BOS safehouse is especially risky as it is surrounded by Deathclaws but offers the most direct route to Freeside and the New Vegas Strip.

The leftmost hub contains exits leading (from left to right) to an abandoned shack north of Aurelia (containing a varmint rifle and ammo and surrounded by tunnelers), Black Rock Cavern (Which is located north of Helios one and contains a unique zap glove) and the Hidden Armory near Red Rock Village (containing a wealth of weapons and ammo as well as a suit of Tesla armor but located in a area heavily populated by deathclaws, tunneler queens, armed survivors and cazadores).

Finally, the rightmost hub contains exits leading (from left to right) to Jean Sky diving, south of Ghost Town, an abandoned warehouse in the south Vegas ruins and an abandoned house southwest of Westside.

Trivia
In keeping with the tone of DUST, every potential starting point depicts a violent or otherwise morbid scene. To wit;

The former Legion safehouse depicts, as before, a pair of survivors who were killed by the Survivor for attempting to rob them of a can of beans.

The BOS Safehouse contains a fatalistic note, stating that the Survivor fully expects to die in the course of evading the area's deathclaws.

The Followers safehouse contains three murdered survivors and no indication as to what fate befell them.

Outside the shack are three bodies and a note, recounting the previous resident having killed two other survivors under duress. The tone of the note as well as the presence of a .22 caliber pistol by the apparent writers body suggests a murder-suicide.

Black Rock Cavern contains the body of a fellow survivor as well as a note indicating that the player character has long coveted his unique zap glove and eventually resorted to murder in order to obtain it.

The previously friendly NPC's found within the hidden armory are both dead, with one of them slumped against the bars with their back to the survivor, suggesting they were attacked from behind from inside the cage.

Jean Sky Diving contains the body of the Cannibal Courier, who was apparently killed by the survivor in the course of disseminating flyers for the New Vegas Sewer.

The Abandoned Warehouse is filled with the bodies of dead NCR troopers and rangers.

The survivor is ambushed by Tribals immediately upon leaving the abandoned house. In addition, the mailbox just outside has been wired with explosives.