For Auld Lang Syne

 is a quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Initiating the quest
This quest is triggered by Arcade Gannon, as he realizes that his old friends from the now-defunct Enclave could make a difference in the battle for Hoover Dam. Before this quest can be started the player must have Arcade Gannon as a follower and an appropriate point in the New Vegas storyline must be reached.

It is not absolutely necessary to gain Arcade's approval to start the For Auld Lang Syne quest, but gaining it causes the quest to be offered earlier, and it is required to get the quest to start if the player is strictly following the NCR (or Mr. House, if patch 1.2.0 has been applied) quest line.

Gaining Arcade's approval
Arcade keeps a running tally of points the player has earned by doing things he likes. To get him to offer this quest early (or at all, if the player is supporting the NCR or, post-patch 1.2.0, Mr. House), the player needs to earn two points, either by going places that trigger positive memories of the Enclave, flattering him, doing smart things (passing intelligence checks), or doing things that are good for the Followers of the Apocalypse. The following is a comprehensive list of events that earn "like" points for Arcade:


 * Traveling to The Fort with Arcade the first time triggers him asking why they are there.
 * 2 points for saying, "Let's just listen to him, figure out what he's up to, and get out."
 * 1 point for saying, "I just want to hear Caesar out."
 * 1 point for saying, "With how messed up New Vegas is, do you really think Caesar has nothing to offer?", followed by, "I'm just trying to be open-minded."
 * Speaking to Thomas Hildern about anything at all (any conversation that ends with Hildern saying, "Yes...Goodbye." or "Wrong turn?...") with Arcade along will cause Arcade to start a conversation afterwards about Hildern and his motives (one time).
 * 2 points for saying, "Good thing there are still people like you around."
 * 1 point for saying, "I'm sure he means well."
 * If Arcade is along during the quest That Lucky Old Sun when the player gets to the mainframe he will spontaneously suggest that the power should be directed to Fremont and Westside.
 * 1 point for saying, "Of course."
 * 1 point for saying, "Why not to the whole area equally?", then passing an intelligence check of 7, saying, "Redundancy. If Caesar takes the dam and cuts off power, it will be chaos all over New Vegas." when Arcade asks why.
 * It is not necessary for the player to do what Arcade wants; the trigger is the pre-diversion dialogue, not the action of diverting the power.
 * There are several triggers associated with the quest The White Wash:
 * 1 point for saying, "If you say so. I'm not arguing." when Arcade mentions that he's heard about Anderson, if the player visits Westside with him after having already completed The White Wash.
 * 2 points for completing The White Wash by blaming the problem on the Scorpions and letting Tom Anderson go. (The approval doesn't increase until Arcade comments on it.)
 * 1 point for completing The White Wash by getting Tom Anderson to turn himself in with a fake story about fighting over Dazzle, but letting Westside Co-op continue to have the water. (The approval doesn't increase until Arcade comments on it.)
 * 1 point for passing an intelligence check of 7, saying, "You're assuming a motive without evidence. Please be rational." when Arcade gets mad about killing Tom Anderson at the end of The White Wash. (Obviously, this only happens if the player kills Tom Anderson.)
 * 1 point for saying, "It's cleaner this way, without bringing NCR in. No connecting Anderson back to the locals." in answer to Arcade's followup question to the above, asking why the player killed Anderson.
 * Traveling to a few places in the Mojave Wasteland can trigger a comment from Arcade, but only two gain "like" points:
 * 1 point for traveling with Arcade to the Crashed Vertibird. (The approval doesn't increase until Arcade comments on it.)
 * 1 point for traveling with Arcade into the REPCONN Headquarters building. (The approval doesn't increase until Arcade comments on the company.)
 * Note that the triggers will happen the first time the player visits with Arcade even if the player has visited the location previously.

Not every place or event that Arcade comments on represents an improvement of his approval rating of the player. For example, he will comment on the energy weapons at the Silver Rush, but this does not increase approval.

Arcade also has a running tally of "dislike" points, but they don't figure into this quest. They are only used to trigger a warning about the player's behavior, and eventually cause Arcade to leave the player permanently. See Arcade's page for more about "dislike" triggers.

Storyline triggers
The specific point in the story that will trigger the quest depends on whether Arcade has decided the player has his approval or not, and which main quest line the player moves forward with.


 * If Arcade approves of the player (at least two "like" points gained via the triggers above), he will offer the For Auld Lang Syne quest if one or more of the following triggers are met:
 * The House Always Wins, part V is active, and the player reports back to Mr. House that the Brotherhood of Steel bunker has been wiped out.
 * Wild Card: Change in Management is active and the player installs Yes Man into the Lucky 38 mainframe.
 * For the Republic, Part 2 is active and the player reports back to Colonel Moore that Mr. House has been killed or disconnected from his mainframe.
 * Even if the player has not accumulated two "like" points, Arcade will still offer the quest after either of the following triggers:
 * Wild Card: Finishing Touches is active and the player installs the override chip in the El Dorado Substation.
 * Only prior to patch 1.2.0: The House Always Wins, part VII is active and the player reports back to Mr. House that the override module has been placed on the El Dorado Substation.

Arcade will not offer this quest in response to any Caesar's Legion quest, though it is possible to work on multiple main quests simultaneously, so it is possible to trigger the quest while still doing work for Caesar. If the player convinces the Remnants to fight for Caesar, however, or travels to the Legate's Camp to start the assault on Hoover Dam, Arcade will quit.

Walkthrough
When the quest triggers, Arcade will approach the player and ask if they can spare a moment to talk. If the player answers in the affirmative, an extended conversation ensues, and eventually Arcade tells the player that he'd like them to help him convince some of his old Enclave buddies to help the NCR fend off Caesar's Legion at Hoover Dam. If the player agrees, the quest begins.

Recruiting the remnants
The player must recruit five old members of the Enclave, known as the "Remnants," to come to a meeting to discuss the battle at Hoover Dam. If any of the five is already dead, the quest cannot be completed.

The five are:


 * Doctor Henry, found in the main building at Jacobstown
 * Guess Who I Saw Today will need to be completed before Henry will agree.
 * Cannibal Johnson, found in Cannibal Johnson's Cave
 * Judah Kreger found in Westside
 * Orion Moreno found in a house near the NCR Sharecropper Farms
 * Daisy Whitman found in or near her hotel room in Novac

Each of them has a conversation tree and some will raise objections, but all can be convinced to come. Each of them will give the player a single word of the five-word pass phrase that opens the Remnant's Bunker, where the meeting will be held.

Important note: After asking each of the remnants member to join, the player should wait for Arcade to approach the player and make a comment about each one, in order to set the quest flags properly. For each of the five recruits, the player can give one of two responses: a response that talks about how people can't shake their past, or a response that suggest that people should let go of the past, which helps Arcade make a decision later in the quest. If most of the responses suggest that people should let go of the past and forge a new future, he will be inclined to stay with the Followers of the Apocalypse and not fight at Hoover Dam, and if most of the responses suggest that people can't change who they are, he will be inclined to join the fight.

Meetup at the bunker
Once all five of the remnants are convinced, the player must go meet with them at the Remnant's Bunker. The five words given to the player make a phrase "Dear old friends, remember Navarro" that will open the main door.

Upon entering the bunker, the player must head to the briefing room in the back and talk to Judah Kreger. He will ask whether the player wants them to aid the NCR or Caesar's Legion. If the player is siding with Mr. House or angling for an independent New Vegas, then siding with the NCR for the battle of Hoover Dam is the right choice.

Siding with the NCR
If the player chooses to ask them to side with the NCR, Orion Moreno leaves the room. He can be found just outside the briefing room in the hangar. He will talk about his hatred of the NCR and refuse to fight for them. If the player has a speech skill of 80 or a large amount of NCR infamy, Orion can be convinced to participate in the attack, but otherwise he will attack the player and must be killed.

The player can then return to the briefing room. Judah will tell you to talk to Daisy for Power Armor training. She will give the player her power armor, as she says it makes the cockpit too cramped if she's wearing it.

Siding with the Legion
If the player asks them to side with the Legion, Cannibal Johnson will leave and there is no way to convince him to stay. The player can then talk to Orion Moreno for training in Power Armor. Moreno will give the player Johnson's suit since he won't be using it.

Wrapping things up
Judah will ask the player to leave while they plan their attack. The player will receive 500 xp and the quest completes.

If the player convinced the remnants to fight for the Legion, Arcade will approach the player and accuse him of being crazy and/or sociopathic and leave permanently.

If the player convinced the remnants to fight for the NCR, Arcade approaches the player and asks if the player thinks he should join the remnants in the battle for Hoover Dam. The player can suggest a path, but if that path contradicts the implications of the responses given earlier during the five post-recruiting conversations, the player must pass a speech check of 80 to convince Arcade to choose a different path.

Arcade will then tell the player that there's something he has to do, and he will give the player all the gear he is carrying for them and run off. A short time later, he will come back with the Gannon family Tesla armor. If he plans to fight at Hoover Dam he will be wearing it and tell the player that he can't turn his back on his family and his past. If he plans to go back to the Followers he will give the player the armor and tell the player to use it well during the fight. Either way, he will then go away and will be non-recruitable for the rest of the game. If he chose to fight, he will be at the dam along with the rest of the remnants, fighting for the NCR.

Maximizing Loot
It is possible to finish the quest with two pairs of Remnants power armor. Complete the quest to the point of siding with the NCR. The player must complete power armor training, and receive the first suit from Daisy. The Remnants will ask the player to leave the command room. The player must then fire on (but not kill) one of the Remnants (besides Arcade), and then immediately exit the room. Upon exiting, the player will complete the quest but will have to kill all the Remnants, Arcade will remain non-hostile. Once the fighting is done, the player must transfer the first suit of Remnants armor to a companion that isn't Arcade (from this point on he will remain the player's companion, but cannot be traded with, can be stolen from, and will not be knocked unconscious in battle, but instead die). Loot Cannibal Johnson's corpse for another suit of remnants power armor (if the player still has the first suit in their inventory, the game will only count one, and one will be "lost").

Behind the scenes

 * The name of the quest is from the poem and song "Auld Lang Syne", traditionally sung on New Year's Eve and first recorded by Robert Burns in 1788, set to an old folk tune. The song's title is in Old Scots and means literally "Old Long Since", or figuratively "Old Times' Sake".

Bugs

 * It is possible to not be able to activate the quest for some unknown reason, dispite attempting all trigger options
 * When recruiting Whitman in the hotel room, as soon as she agrees, Arcade will despawn, but will reappear once you leave the room, allowing the player to receive the conversation affirming the checkpoint afterwards
 * If the player is given a set of Remnant Power Armor and Helmet and already has another set in their inventory, they may appear as one set in the player's inventory, but can be dropped or stored twice.
 * Player may be unable to leave the briefing room at the end of the quest.
 * Solution: Pickpocket the key from Orion Moreno, if he is still alive (be sure to pickpocket the key from him AFTER he has walked back into the briefing room, or else it will be removed.)
 * Solution: Kill all the remnants. Fails the quest.
 * Solution: Reload the autosave from entering the room. Shoot at the remnants as soon as the game loads, which prevents the key from being taken. Fails the quest.
 * After completing the quest, Gannon will ask whether he should stay with the Enclave Remnants or return to the Followers of the Apocalypse, but the player will be unable to answer.
 * This is caused by a bug where the player needs to have at least 3 "pro-Followers" or 3 "pro-Enclave" responses to Arcade's comments after each Remnant recruit in order for the dialogue options to show up at the end of the quest. Since one or more of those responses can be "lost" because Arcade may not speak immediately, it's possible to end up with less than 3 of either kind of response.
 * If the player is willing to restore back to a save game from the beginning of the quest, the quest can be redone but after each recruit, the player should wait until Arcade starts the post-recruit conversation. Just to be on the safe side, answer each question consistently either pro-Followers (let go of the past) or pro-Enclave (people can't let go of the past).
 * This can be fixed through the console by typing: set "16117f".nProFollowersCount (if you want him to stay with the Followers) OR nProEnclaveCount to 3(at least!!).
 * Upon entering the Remnant's Bunker, Daisy Whitman might randomly die, causing the mission to fail.
 * If Guess Who I Saw Today glitches and can't be completed, Doctor Henry cannot be recruited.
 * When the Enclave Remnant appear during the fight at the Hoover Dam, if the player is sided with Mr. House or Yes-Man, the Remnant might be hostile.
 * The Remnants will not go hostile if you asked them to assist the NCR and if you got the control rooms guards to leave using a speech check, as they will not know about you installing the override module into the Hoover Dam computers.
 * When the Enclave remnants appear at Hoover Dam, Orion Moreno might show up begin slowly walking towards the visitor's center rather than follow you, and a 2nd Doctor Henry might join you, wearing the Wasteland Doctor Fatigues.
 * At the end of the quest, Arcade Gannon might not ask about his decision whether to fight or not, and might stop following. His companion wheel might also become inaccessible.
 * A possible partial fix is to take Gannon back to the Lucky 38 (or the Old Mormon Fort but I haven't confirmed that). Once there dismiss any non-humanoid companion (Rex or ED-E) and then dismiss Gannon. You might then be able to recruit Gannon once again as a normal follower. (tested on 360)
 * Dismiss any non humanoid (ED-E or REX and talk to Gannon again. He should follow you then.
 * Sometimes when you try to get Arcade to rejoin you, there won't be an option in the dialog to do so.
 * Sometimes asking Rex or ED-E to leave the party can fix this.
 * If Arcade and Ed-E are in the hotel room and Daisy is lying on the bed when you enter, talking to her about the reunion can cause Arcade Gannon to disappear.
 * When leaving the control room after finishing the quest 3 Great Khans might appear.
 * The player might randomly get another set of remnant power armor at the end of the quest.