Pulse Grenade (Fallout 3)

The pulse grenade is a weapon in Fallout 3.

Characteristics
The pulse grenade is a weapon that creates a large crackling electromagnetic pulse, dealing only minor damage to biological creatures, but far more damage to mechanical targets such as robots and automated turrets. In addition, most robots are disabled for a few seconds by the burst, leaving them open to attack.

Thrown grenades are affected by physics; they may bounce or roll unexpectedly if not thrown carefully. However, in-game physics can also be used to your advantage by throwing grenades through doorways or bouncing them around corners to attack enemies who cannot see you.

Grenades can be targeted in V.A.T.S. and can thus be shot out of the air. Grenades can also be shot and detonated while they are held by an enemy. Grenades can be thrown at point-blank range in V.A.T.S due to the sharp reduction in damage taken by the player in V.A.T.S.

A grenade that has been thrown toward you will show up on your HUD as a red arrow denoting its direction relative to you. Move in the opposite direction as quickly as possible to escape the blast radius.

Holding the fire button down for a longer period of time will increase the strength of the throw. Grenades can be thrown for longer distances than normal through successful V.A.T.S. hits. Grenades cannot be cooked to detonate earlier.

It is also possible to plant a live grenade on an non-player character by passing one from your inventory to the non-player character's inventory via pickpocketing. This will kill the non-player character, regardless of how much health or damage resistance they have (making the pulse grenade far more deadly against a single biological target) whilst other targets caught in the blast radius will only be dealt minor damage, in contrast to other grenades.

Considering its very low base damage, it is fairly safe to throw a pulse grenade at an enemy at point-blank range, as it will barely have an effect on you.

Locations

 * Talon Company mercenaries and Regulators sometimes carry pulse grenades with them.
 * Grenade Boxes have a chance to contain a pulse grenade.
 * In Vault 92: pulse grenades (3) in the Living Quarters section, in the room next to Data Storage.
 * In the Robot Repair Center (near Canterbury Commons): pulse grenades (6) in Frank's safe in the offices to the left on the first floor.
 * South of Wheaton Armory: pulse grenades (4) in an unlocked grenade box in the L-shaped raised hut near the Armory gate. (NOTE: at lower player levels, there may only be 2 grenades in the box)
 * Operation Anchorage: One pulse grenade can be found in the technology cache.
 * One can be found in the Preservation Shelter outside the Flooded Metro
 * In the Museum of Technology: pulse grenades (2) in the locked gun locker near the planetarium. Can be obtained through the Jiggs' Loot unmarked quest.
 * One pulse grenade can be stolen from the Capitol Preservation Society - it is sitting next to the doghouse with a frag grenade.
 * In Evergreen Mills Bazaar there is a bar to the immediate right of the entrance with two side-by-side refrigerators. Jump up on the shelves to look behind the refrigerators and find pulse grenades (4) in a small crate.
 * (3) pulse grenades can be found in the Nuka-Cola Factory. They are on a shelf in the Storage and Mixing V.A.T.S. section, just behind the friendly Protectron robot.
 * One can be found in L.O.B. Enterprises 2nd floor, next to a skeleton near a medkit in a cubicle in a room with partially collapsed floor.
 * Many pulse grenades can be found in the Engineering Core in the Mothership Zeta add-on after destroying some engine cores.