Wasteland Survival Guide (quest)

Wasteland Survival Guide is a multi-part quest and achievement/trophy in Fallout 3.

Detailed walkthrough
Moira Brown, the owner of Craterside Supply in Megaton, wants someone to do some dangerous research for a book she is writing entitled The Wasteland Survival Guide. Though each chapter is generally a unique quest, they all share common attributes for their rewards. All non-unique item rewards are given in a quantity proportionate to the Lone Wanderer's level, meaning the player character will receive more of some items at higher levels. The player character is also given dialogue options based on which of their SPECIAL stats are at least 7: the more stats at 7 or higher, the more dialogue options. The player character's dialogue options affect both the style of the book and the specific rewards at the end of the quest. A well-made (all options completed) book will increase the player character's overall survival skills versus a standard (some to no options) book and becomes its own unique perk rather than a simple overall bonus.
 * Standard replies are always available and produce a straightforward and no-nonsense book, and the player character endures a lot of pain to get through alive. The effects of this style increase overall HP, likely from taking so much punishment.
 * Snide replies are always available and produce a clearly cynical book, albeit one that is snappy and amusing. The effects of this style increase Critical Hit Chance, likely from trying to find more creative and sadistic ways to hack and blast things into a fine red mist.
 * To make a smart reply, Intelligence or Perception (the specific stat differs for each segment) must be at least 7. A smart book presents an intelligent and thorough treatment of the subject. The effects of this style increase Science and Medicine skill levels.
 * To make a tough reply, Strength or Endurance (the specific stat differs for each segment) must be at least 7. A tough book focuses on personal reliance and determination. The effects of this style increase Damage Resistance.
 * To make a sly reply, Charisma or Agility (the specific stat differs for each segment) must be at least 7. A sly book is formed from an engaging and personal presentation: a veritable Wanderer's Manifesto. The effects of this style increase Sneak and Speech skill levels.

One can also lie to Moira to skip portions of the quest, which negatively affects the outcome.

Each portion of the chapter can be done in any order. Only optional quest tasks affect the overall outcome.

If one chooses to destroy Megaton during The Power of the Atom while the Survival Guide quest is active, the latter will not be affected at all, as Moira survives as a ghoul and continues to give quest updates as normal. She is to be found at the ruins of Megaton initially, but will then move to Underworld after the first conversation with her. Or, if enough time passes, she will eventually move on her own. If Moira dies, when the player character approaches Megaton, a message will appear saying "Moira Brown has been killed and the Wasteland Survival Guide will never be written." At the same time, a quest message will appear announcing that the quest has been failed.

Chapter 1
Chapter 1 focuses on the basics: finding food and medicine, dealing with radiation, and dealing with pain.

Find food at the Super-Duper Mart

 * Main Objective: Find food in the Super-Duper Mart.
 * Optional Objective: Find medicine in the Super-Duper Mart.

Moira wants the Lone Wanderer to look for food and possibly medicine at the nearby Super-Duper Mart. Moira will mark it on the player character's map. The mart is filled with raiders. For more information, see the Super-Duper Mart page.

Inside, at the front of the mart, opening the refrigerator will fulfill the first part of the quest. After this, the player can venture further inside to finish the optional objective. There is a first aid box labeled "Pharmacy Supplies" in the back room (next to the mini nuke and protectron), in the left-hand corner of the store. Looting it will fulfill the optional objective, but will also summon several more raiders. The intercom will transmit their voices as a warning.

Moira will reward the Lone Wanderer with iguana bits if they only complete the required objective or successfully lie to her, and a food sanitizer in addition to the iguana bits if the player character completes the optional objective.

If the player character already visited the Super-Duper Mart and picked up food and medicine there prior to initiating the Wasteland Survival Guide quest with Moira, when they speak to her, they will instead recount their experiences, which effectively completes this portion of Chapter 1 without having to do it again.

After completing the quest and the optional objective, the player character can get special conversation paths if their Endurance, Intelligence or Charisma is above 7; Strength, Agility or Intelligence apply if the player character didn't. The standard or snide responses are available by default.

Contract radiation sickness

 * Main Objective: Contract 200 Rads
 * Optional Objective: Contract 600 Rads

Moira wants the Lone Wanderer to contract radiation sickness in order to study the effects of radiation poisoning on a person, as well as to test her radiation sickness remedy on the player character. 200 rads are considered the minimum, while 600 is necessary for the optional objective. Moira will completely heal all of the player character's radiation at the end of the quest.

There are any number of highly irradiated areas that will easily fulfill the objective. The closest option is the nuclear bomb right in the middle of town. The quickest way to fulfill the radiation requirements is to drink from the radioactive water surrounding the atomic bomb. Other high radiation areas include the White House, the surface entrance of Vault 87, Nuka-Cola plant, the crashed Delta IX rocket near the Statesman Hotel, and the Wheaton armory interior. Another is just behind Springvale Elementary, where there is a fenced-in dump containing radioactive barrels.

After the mission is completed, the Lone Wanderer's rad count is reduced to 0. Moira will give the player character some Rad-X and RadAway, and she will also start selling them. If the optional objective is complete, Moira remarks that the player character now has a "teeny, tiny, um, mutation" after curing them, which manifests in the form of the Rad Regeneration perk. Alternatively, with having a high enough Science skill (at least 50), they will be given the option of simply explaining the effects of radiation poisoning. The optional objective counts as complete towards the quality of the final reward perk. However, the player character does not get the optional objective perk this way. Note that this is a "smart" response.

After completing the quest and optional objective, the Lone Wanderer can get special conversation paths if their Endurance, Perception or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Intelligence or Agility. Note that the player character is suffering the effects of Critical Radiation Poisoning (-1 STR, -3 END, -2 AGL), which may affect their ability to choose the Endurance option. Using a Buffout before speaking to Moira will allow for one to select the "tough" option, provided their base Endurance is seven or greater, as it counteracts the -3 Endurance penalty from the radiation poisoning.

Traversing a mine field

 * Main Objective: Travel to the playground in the center of Minefield.
 * Optional Objective: Retrieve and return a frag mine to Moira.

Moira wants the player character to reach the playground in the center of Minefield, which is appropriately named, as the streets have many frag mines planted on them. She would also like for them to retrieve a mine if they are able to do so. Note that simply disarming one and then going to talk to Moira will not give one credit for the optional objective.

Minefield is far northeast of Megaton, it is also home to the sniper, Arkansas, who adds to the challenge of this quest by shooting at the player character and surrounding cars.

As frag mines are quite prevalent in the game, it is possible to lie to Moira about visiting Minefield and still complete the optional objective to complete the quest. If the Minefield was already visited before doing this task, one can inform Moira of this, but will not be able to complete the optional objective.

Moira will reward the Lone Wanderer with frag grenades upon completion of the quest, and will add bottlecap mine schematics if they completed the optional objective.

After completing the quest and optional objective, the player character can choose special conversation paths with an Endurance, Perception or Agility attribute of seven or higher. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Intelligence or Charisma.

Completion
Once all three quest objectives are completed, the first chapter will be done. Moira will reward the Lone Wanderer with some stimpaks and 100 experience points for finishing the first chapter of The Wasteland Survival Guide.

Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of the guide centers on dealing with some of the many dangerous creatures that are known to inhabit the wastelands, and also how to handle injuries.

Test the repellent on mole rats

 * Main Objective:Test the mole rat repellent on 3 mole rats.
 * Optional Objective: Test the repellent on seven more mole rats (10 total with the first 3).

Moira wants the Lone Wanderer to test out her new mole rat repellent, which she has placed on the end of a stick, on some mole rats. Three is enough to finish the quest, while ten is preferred for a more thorough test of the repellent. Contrary to the name, the mole rat repellent does not repel mole rats. Instead, it causes their heads to explode. One hit causes a delay of a few seconds, while two hits kill them instantly. Moira is not happy when she finds out.

Moira will direct the player character to the Tepid Sewers, located near the Anchorage Memorial, which will have enough mole rats for both objectives (though finding enough for the optional objective in this location alone will involve getting around raiders, a turret, some explosive gas, and maybe a few frag mines), but any mole rats, which are plentiful throughout the wastes, count toward completion of the quest.

The closest location with mole rats is actually just outside Megaton. Towards the back of Megaton, several (anywhere from three to five) will spawn.

If one is having trouble finding mole rats in any of these areas, Jury St. station is full of mole rats, and at the end of the train tracks there are two doors on either wall that lead into the Jury St. tunnels, granting access to the mole rats.

The reward for this quest is some doses of Jet and Psycho. If the optional objective is complete, the player character gets to keep the repellent stick. If not, Moira will take it back and it can then be purchased from her or stolen from her hard-locked desk upstairs.

After completing the quest and optional objective, the player character can get special conversation paths if their Endurance, Intelligence or Charisma is seven or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Perception or Agility.

Place an observer unit inside a mirelurk nest

 * Main Objective: Place an observer unit (provided by Moira) inside a mirelurk egg clutch in the Anchorage Memorial.
 * Optional Objective: Complete the main objective without killing a mirelurk.

Moira wants the player character to gather data on mirelurk behavior by placing an observer inside the mirelurk nest at the Anchorage Memorial, specifically inside an egg clutch. So as not to upset her data gathering, she would prefer this to be done without killing any of them. This optional objective only applies to mirelurks killed during the quest, and only those inside the memorial itself. One will not be held responsible for killing any mirelurks anywhere else, nor will it matter if any are killed inside the memorial before starting the mission. Also, any mirelurks killed by followers will not fail the optional objective.

Unlike most other optional objectives, this optional objective will be completed only upon talking to Moira, and telling her that the mirelurks are "none the wiser."

For completing the quest, Moira will give the player character some Stealth Boys, depending on their level. If they completed the optional objective, they will also receive the shady hat.

After completing the quest, the Lone Wanderer can get special conversation paths if their Strength, Intelligence or Charisma is seven or better. There are no conversation paths for high Endurance, Perception or Agility.

Return to Moira with injuries equaling more than 50% of your health

 * Main Objective: Return to Moira with less than 50% total health.
 * Optional Objective: Return to Moira with a crippled body part.

Moira wants to see the Lone Wanderer when they are badly injured, so she can see how people deal with various injuries. She would prefer that one has at least one crippled limb before returning. Any injuries, self-inflicted or otherwise, count toward completing the quest. Moira will heal all injuries upon completion.

A good way to complete this quest, including the optional portion, is to walk outside of Craterside Supply and simply jump over the railing onto the ground below, behind the atomic bomb. This will result in loosing health and may also cause a broken leg.

With a Medicine skill of 70+, the player character is considered "a good enough doctor to just explain" about injuries, and receive credit for the quest but not the optional objective. This qualifies as a "smart" response that may have an effect on the perk received upon completion of the quest as a whole.

The reward for the quest is some doses of Med-X, and the environment suit if the optional objective is completed.

After completing the quest and optional objective, the player character gets special conversation paths if their Endurance, Intelligence or Charisma is seven or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Perception or Agility.

Completion
Once all three quests are completed, the Lone Wanderer is awarded 100 XP and some ammunition, the exact quantities depending on Luck. If they are between levels 12 and 15, they will have a chance of receiving various quantities of any of the small arms bullet types. As Moira puts it, "just lots and lots of ammunition."

Chapter 3
Chapter 3 revolves around how towns and cities came to be after the Great War and also deals with pre-War technology.

Research Rivet City's history

 * Main Objective: Find out the history about Rivet City.
 * Optional Objective: Find out Rivet City's true history.

Moira would like to know the history of Rivet City, preferably as accurately as possible.

Almost every citizen of Rivet City is unfamiliar with its history. Most will point the Lone Wanderer in the right direction, however. Bannon is the first person people will point to (alternatively, one can speak to Vera Weatherly, making the same quest progress). He claims that he helped found the city. Note that when the quest objective is first started, the optional objective does not appear. Upon speaking to any citizen about the history of Rivet City, the main objective will complete and the optional objective will appear. The player character can return to Moira at this point for normal completion, or fact-check this story for optional completion.

Fact-checking this information requires meeting with Pinkerton. Belle Bonny in The Muddy Rudder bar will point the Lone Wanderer to his home in the broken bow of the ship. They may also receive information about Pinkerton by talking to Vera Weatherly, who mentions that Seagrave Holmes has lived in the city since he was a boy. Talking to him will tell the player character that Pinkerton may have left information in the bow. The security officers also make thinly veiled references to his location while dismissing him as dead.

To get to Pinkerton, one has to exit Rivet City and travel a short distance south to the other, "uninhabited" half of the ship, where there is a walkway leading to a door. It is a Very Hard lock (level 100 Lockpick), and if the Lone Wanderer is unable to pick it, they must jump into the water to the left of the door and swim to the broken middle of the ship, where they will find a door underwater. An alternative to swimming around the corner is to jump off the ship from the marketplace entrance and take a short swim to the underwater doorway. It's much shorter and results in less radiation exposure. Upon entering from the underwater door and surfacing, one will encounter two mirelurks (type depends on level) that reside in the shallow area. Pinkerton's living space is on the upper level, accessed through a staircase past the mirelurks. The corridor to the lab is filled with flammable gas and several booby traps set by Pinkerton. At the end of the corridor will be a locked door, which will display the message: "This door is activated elsewhere." The terminal is in fact a trap, and the switch operating the door is on the opposite wall.

If the player character tries to engage Pinkerton in conversation about Rivet City's history before talking to Belle, Pinkerton will claim to have been one of the founders without giving proof of it to the Lone Wanderer, this won't complete the optional part of the quest. However, he will allow one to access his terminal, which will contain information to complete the optional part of the quest. The dialogue option "Bannon claims to have founded the city" is required for him to give proof directly. Even if one hasn't spoken to Bannon, using his terminal is enough to finish the quest, though one must get the password for it from Pinkerton.

At the end of the quest, Moira will reward the player character with some Mentats, as well as a permanent 10% discount with Rivet City's merchants (if they achieved the optional conditions). They can also, as a joke, tell Moira that Rivet City was originally an underwater city. She will then talk about how it might have been part of Atlantis. One then receives Mentats and bad Karma but won't receive the 10% discount. This option will also worsen the guide, eliminating the chance to get the Guru level perk.

After completing the quest and optional objective, the player character can get special conversation paths if their Strength, Intelligence or Charisma is seven or better. There are no conversation paths for high Endurance, Perception or Agility.

RobCo Production Facility Mainframe

 * Main Objective: Install the processor widget in the RobCo production facility mainframe.
 * Optional Objective: Hack the RobCo production facility mainframe. Unlike in other parts of the quest, this optional objective doesn't show up in the Pip-Boy after talking to Moira.

Moira would like to study robotics technology at the RobCo factory. Ideally, she would also like to examine how robots are controlled. Special humorous dialog options appear when taking this quest, if the Lone Wanderer has previously obtained the Mechanist's costume and has it equipped.

To complete this quest, the Lone Wanderer must travel to the RobCo facility and install the processor widget in the mainframe. The mainframe is on the very top level.

Upon reaching the mainframe and installing the widget, every robot in the facility will activate and become hostile. To complete the optional objective, a Science skill of at least 50 is required to hack the mainframe. Once unlocked, the mainframe provides three toggle options to control the robots. The first protocol ("Pest Extermination") makes the robots hostile to the radroaches and mole rats. The second ("Total Liquidation"), active at the start, makes them hostile to the Lone Wanderer and anyone friendly towards them. Finally, the third protocol ("Stress Testing") makes them hostile to each other. Toggling any of the three completes the optional objective.

Alternatively, if one has the Robotics Expert perk, they can tell Moira about the technology in question, completing the quest and the optional objective immediately; however, this will only work if the perk was already obtained when starting the quest. Note that this will automatically count as a "smart" response.

Moira will reward the Lone Wanderer with some pulse grenades once the quest is completed, and a Big Book of Science if the optional objective is completed.

After completing the quest and optional objective, one can get special conversation paths if their Strength, Intelligence or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Endurance, Perception or Agility. Also note that the "snide" response is considered negative if the bonus objective is not completed, thereby reducing the quality of the final perk.

Arlington Public Library

 * Main Objective: Access the card catalog at the Arlington Public Library.
 * Optional Objective: Retrieve complete Library Archive.

Moira would like the Lone Wanderer to retrieve library data from the Arlington Library. Retrieving the card catalog is enough, but also finding the library archive tape would be a bonus.

The Brotherhood of Steel is guarding the library, so one will have to be nice to Scribe Yearling in order to be let through, alternatively one can just sneak past her. The terminal at the front desk has the card catalog holotape; Yearling will give a key if asked; otherwise, it must be hacked. In order to get the optional objective, you have to reach the archive terminal. Raiders and radroaches are plentiful, but two Brotherhood of Steel soldiers will help in cleaning up the enemies. The terminal used to download the archives can be found on the third floor of the Library Media Archive, in a room just off of a short hallway which can be accessed from the room containing a ceiling turret.

Moira will pay bottlecaps for completing the quest and will give a copy of Lying, Congressional Style if the optional objective is completed.

After completing the quest and optional objective, one can get special conversation paths if their Endurance, Intelligence or Agility is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Perception or Charisma.

Final reward
Completing the third chapter is considered the completion of the entire quest. The Lone Wanderer is rewarded with 100 XP, a mini nuke (Moira comments how she planned to use it to dig a well, but it actually just made her nervous), a copy of The Wasteland Survival Guide and the Survival Expert perk. The perk will vary depending on conversation choices with Moira. See the perk page for more details.

The number of optional objectives completed not only affects the benefits gained but the overall usefulness of the guide. The actual description depends on any optional objectives completed as well as the end of objective responses given. It can range from being a joke book to a necessity. At its best, Moira lists the player character as the main author.

Resultant special encounter
After completion of this quest, the Lone Wanderer may randomly encounter a wastelander who has read the book. The following encounters can occur depending on the perk obtained at the end of the quest:
 * Junior Survivor: One will find a poorly armed wastelander fighting a mole rat. If the wastelander survives, they will give the player character the book and tell them that it is "good for a laugh."
 * Survival Expert: One will find a wastelander fighting a mole rat. They will survive and ask if the player character is the author. If one replies yes, they will give a word of thanks.
 * Survival Guru: One will find a well-equipped wastelander finishing off a wounded mirelurk, radscorpion or a raider. When they are done, they will ask the player character if they wrote the book. If one says yes, the wastelander will give a word of thanks, plus a sum of 10-25 caps, depending on one's Barter skill.

Resultant Three Dog commentary
If minimal research is done on the book, Three Dog will announce to "Steer clear of the book" and say that the player's "Research methods suck," claiming "It will get you killed quicker than you can say 'Hug a deathclaw.'" But if one does well, he will claim "It's a must-have while exploring."

Alternative solution
Instead of completing the chapters of the book, the Lone Wanderer can persuade her into not writing the book at all. With Speech skill. As a reward, the Lone Wanderer will get the Dream Crusher perk, a variable amount of XP (depending on how many chapters have been completed; essentially, the quest gives the same amount of reward XP whichever course the player chooses), 30% lower prices at the Craterside Supply, and Moira's Repair skill will increase to 54 (+5 from her jumpsuit) from the standard 24. This allows her to repair up to 72% condition, as long as she wears the repairman jumpsuit. Doing this rewards negative Karma and permanently dampens the mood of the cheerful Moira.

Behind the scenes

 * Fred Zeleny shared various details regarding the quest's development:
 * The development team jokingly called it "the other main quest" due to its length and complexity. As a result of its complexity, it went through numerous revisions "at different points."
 * It was designed as a "tutorial to a lot of side systems," with the quest expecting players to be low level.
 * Zeleny expressed going to "great lengths" to ensure the quest could be completed with as minimal killing as possible. He added that the while it was difficult to design in the framework of Fallout 3, the end result was worth it.
 * Moira Brown was named Lea Marsh in early drafts, though the team decided she "needed a different name." Zeleny stated that he doesn't "remember the precise reason" why, but that the change was made early in development.
 * The Wasteland Survival Guide was the name of the hint and walkthrough book for the game Wasteland, considered the inspiration for the first Fallout game.
 * This guide is also included as a booklet with at least some of the retail versions of the game.
 * There are unused empty quest topics named and.
 * There are unused quest log entries for an unused portion of the quest, listed below:

Bugs

 * Sometimes, when choosing the options when talking to her (Tough, Smart, etc.,), the Lone Wanderer will not receive the option for the one the Lone Wanderer wants to choose. This can be fixed by reloading a save and trying again before talking to her.
 * It is possible to create a bug after completing the Rivet City history part of the quest whereby Moira will keep asking the Lone Wanderer about it despite having completed it earlier and returning from one of the other Moira quests e.g. Arlington Library. Even if the Lone Wanderer informs her about Rivet City's history a second time, they are left with only one speech option which is to "Take a break" from the research. Talking to her again doesn't do anything as she simply asks about Rivet City's history again, and the Lone Wanderer can tell her about it again. This happens if the Lone Wanderer visits Pinkerton's computer in Pinkerton's Lab within the Broken Bow of Rivet city and download Rivet City's history a second time after completing the Rivet city quest earlier—usually because the Lone Wanderer returns to Pinkerton, and his computer, for the quest The Replicated Man. Avoiding the Rivet City history download a second time solves this; however, if one is stuck with Moira asking the Lone Wanderer about Rivet City despite having completed that quest, simply go into the console and enter (include the quotes). After entering the above command into the console, talking to Moira should make it so that she doesn't ask about Rivet city again and she will ask about the Moira quest that is currently active.
 * Sometimes, when attempting to install the processor widget, the Lone Wanderer will not get the option to do so. Reloading a save from from before entering the factory seems to fix this.