Eye for an Eye (Fallout: New Vegas)

 is a quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough
After discovering Cottonwood Cove, First Sergeant Astor (who patrols around Camp Searchlight) asks the player to collect some intel on Legion troop movements and raids from Cottonwood Cove and plant a bug in their radio. The Legion raid intel is in a cabinet near the buggable radio on the first floor HQ Building; the intel on Legion troop movements is in the desk on the second floor. Returning to Astor with the intel provides 500 XP & the player gets the option to wipe out all Legion forces from Cottonwood Cove. This provides NCR fame, Legion infamy (if they spot you in the act) & 1000 XP. Also, when playing as a female character, and you wiped out the legion forces in combat, Sergeant Astor will comment on this, and you will receive 1100XP instead. Alternatively, you may also accept bad intel from Aurelius of Phoenix in conversation & disseminate it to Astor for Legion fame & 500 XP.

If you decide to drop the barrels (see detailed walkthrough below) on the Legion forces at Cottonwood Cove, you will still be able to use the ferry to reach Caesar's camp. Simply go to the spot on the dock where the Legion NPC ferryman used to be and look at the ground. An option will appear to travel to The Fort.

Detailed walkthrough

 * When you receive the option to wipe out the Legion fort, Astor calls you crazy but believes you can pull it off. To get the most fame with the NCR, locate the red truck hanging precariously off the cliff at Cottonwood Overlook over the Legion camp. Your geiger meter will show radiation leaking from the truck when you get close. Go to the back of the truck, and select the door. The option to open the door becomes available (50 lockpick required), dropping several radioactive barrels into the camp, effectively killing the Legion the same way they killed the NCR forces at Camp Searchlight. Astor is quite pleased with this outcome.

If you do this before freeing the slaves, you'll lose the quest "Left My Heart". The Weathers can be found in a locked pen behind the Storage Building. They are wearing slave collars that need to either be safely removed, maliciously detonated or provided the key in which case they'll unlock themselves and escape.

Note: If you had already cleared out Cottonwood Cove before talking to Astor, you can simply break the news in a conversation with him. You will receive NCR fame, 200 caps, 1000exp, and Astor will also call you a beast. You cannot turn in the Legion information however.

Behind the scenes
"Eye for an Eye" is a statement mentioned in some chapters of the bible (Leviticus 24:19–21, Exodus 21:22–25, and Deuteronomy 19:16-21).

Bugs

 * Sometimes dropping the radioactive barrels will not kill all the legionaries. They will remain standing in front of the barrels without ever succumbing to the radiation.


 * Astor doesn't always give this quest, if you walk through camp searchlight and then into Cottonwood - anytime you fast travel back to Camp Searchlight the NCR NPC's are mid-way through a fight with legion troops and Astor is nowhere to be found.


 * Even should you find Astor, he doesn't even appear to give this quest version. Trying numerous ways to activate the quest by finding Astor first, finding the camp first then Astor, or even completing We All Go Together Quest hasn't seem to help.


 * Sometimes Astor will not have the dialogue option to finish the quest, even if you have killed all the legionaries. This may be related to clearing out Cottonwood Cove prior to accepting the quest.  If this happens, resurrect Aurelius of Phoenix and kill him again, and you should get he quest update as normal.