Fallout 3 random encounters

Throughout the world of Fallout 3, you can encounter random events in the Wastelands. There are certain places where random encounters can happen, but once "activated", a random encounter in a particular area won't change.

You can save outside the spawning area and keep reloading if you don't get the encounter you want. However, unique random encounters do not occur in all random encounter locations (see the list below).

Some Random Encounters will "reset" after a few game days, while others are unique occurences that only happen once. Typically, encounters that involve unique NPCs or scenarios only occur once, while encounters involving combat between two groups of generic NPCs (i.e. Brotherhood Outcasts vs. a Deathclaw) will reset every few game days.

Random Encounter Locations
These are the known locations so far:

Special/unique npc encounters

 * A random member of the Tunnel Snakes from Vault 101 (Not Butch DeLoria).
 * Amata being questioned by two hostile Enclave soldiers and a non hostile Enclave officer; they will ask her where she obtained her Pip-Boy, and then ask for the location of her vault. After telling them however, the Officer will simply tell the troops to open fire, killing her; you can save her for no reward or dialog options, but she will only say "this is all your fault", even if you convinced her that her father/the new Overseer destroyed the Vault.
 * Amata being attacked by a Mr Gusty, she will say the same things that she would say if attacked by the Enclave
 * Ben Canning. He is dying of thirst and asks for water. He will accept Purified Water or Dirty Water (unlike the other water beggars who only accept Purified Water). If you help him, he will join the Caravan Merchants' rounds around the wasteland (but not actually sell anything) until he dies.
 * Dogmeat might appear, if you have not recruited him yet.
 * Donovan from Reilly's Rangers engaged in battle with three Super Mutants. Save him and he will give you a Mini Nuke if you completed Reilly's Rangers.
 * Laszlo Radford, hostile and will open fire on you with his Railway Rifle.
 * Mel, a modern Highwayman who will demand caps and items from you. You can either utilize speech options, or kill him.
 * Mel, with a sawed off shotgun and no shells, clearly a reference to Mad Max, where Mel Gibson also had a sawed off shotgun and no shells.
 * Sam Warrick shooting at a Wastelander (if he kills the Wastelander, he'll turn on you).
 * Susie Mack, if you made Amata the Overseer of Vault 101 during Trouble on the Homefront. She will tell you that the Vault is doing fine and give you Purified Water.
 * Uncle Leo, a friendly Super Mutant. If you tell him you're going to rob him, he'll give you a Dirty Pre-War Businesswear as a present. If you attack him he'll run away instead of fighting.
 * "Wasteland Doctor", a Doctor/Merchant that can heal you and/or sell you medicine. (if you are willing to take the karma hit, killing her can result in a good 20-30 stimpaks and other medical supplies.)
 * "Wasteland Junkie", a Merchant that can sell you drugs.
 * "Wasteland Merchant". After having a talk with him about the Great One, he'll collapse and die. You'll find a Wasteland Merchant Note on his body about him going to Oasis the next day. You can also loot a Roving Trader Hat and Roving Trader Outfit, which will give a combined +10 points to the Barter skill for a mere 3 points of inventory space.
 * If you receive a Chinese Radio Beacon over your Pip-Boy you'll find a dead Chinese Commando at the spawning point. The ref id is a0a4d and the commando carries a Chinese Jumpsuit which provides +5 to small gun skill. Also carries an= Chinese Officer's Sword, pistol, and chems.

Hitmen, Regulators and angry mobs

 * A Talon Company ambush if you have a Karma rating of Good, with the "Private Contract" note.
 * A Regulator ambush if you have a Karma rating of Evil. Sometimes there is a Speech challenge where you can bypass them.
 * A Hitman ambush, with the "Contract for Extermination" note ordered via Mr Burke, if you did not destroy Megaton and regardless whether you killed him.
 * Four Slavers seeking to eliminate you as competition because you have made them look bad - if you capture a large amount of slaves (three or more).
 * Three Megaton refugees who attack you (available if Megaton is destroyed)
 * Another Hitman ambush, if killed, you can find a note on the hitman's body stating to wipe out all persons not of Allistair Tenpenny's favor
 * A Hitman ambush, composed of Wastelanders instead of Talon Company Mercs, who call you "slaver scum" and attack you to avenge their friends. This encounter only occurs if the player has enslaved NPCs using the Mesmetron.

Scavenger encounters

 * A normal Scavenger roaming the Wasteland with his/her pack Brahmin and possibly a pet (dog, robot, or Yao Guai). He/she has no unique dialogue, and instead has the standard Scavenger dialogue tree (offering to sell from his random inventory, or to repair the player's items).
 * A Scavenger in camp. A scavenger spawns standing stationary near a burning oil barrel.  There is usually a nearby pack Brahmin and pet (either dog or Yao Guai).  He usually has a limited number of items and small cash reserves.  The inventory is randomized in each encounter.
 * A Scavenger heading to Girdershade His entourage includes one or more of the following pets: a Brahmin, Dog or trained Yao Guai.  He'll offer you a Nuka-Cola Quantum.  You can barter with him into reducing the price.  You may randomly encounter him more than once, - meaning that once the limited quantity of Quantum has been used up off of the original map, the Quantum scavenger will become an unlimited, but random, source of it.


 * When approached he will say, Can I interest you in an extremely rare refreshment?


 * Q1-1: That sounds mighty good in this heat. What is it?


 * A1-1: It's called Nuka-Cola Quantum. It's much better than your average Nuka-Cola... it even glows in the dark!


 * Q1-2: If it's that rare, I bet it will cost an arm and a leg.


 * A1-2: Nuka-Cola Quantum is worth its weight in gold. It's much better than your average Nuka-Cola... it even glows in the dark!


 * Q2-1: Nuka-Cola Quantum, huh? That does sound good. How much?


 * A2-1: Only 100 caps, my friend, and a bargain at twice the price! Why, I know a lady in Girdershade who'd pay through the nose for one!


 * Q2-2: How is it better than a regular Nuka-Cola?


 * A2-2: For only 100 caps, you'll be the first to find out! I was on my way to Girdershade to sell it to the lady there, but you could save me the trip.


 * Barter him down to 50 and he concludes, [Success] Well, it will save me the trip. Fine, you've got a deal. Enjoy!


 * The Girdershade Scavenger carries a small randomized inventory and cash reserve so you can buy and sell items. He also does repairs.  As with any Wasteland NPC, he is vulnerable to attack and likely death from nearby hostile creatures.


 * A Scavenger heading to Big Town with his pet (either dog or Yao Guai).
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the "guns" option rather than the "robots" option, he will tell you that Big Town has made a large order for guns, and he is headed there. You can trade with him, he carries a number of weapons and ammo.
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the robots option rather than the guns option, he will tell you "I'm going to Big Town, there's a lot of money to be made there. They ordered a bunch of robot parts." You can tell him you could use some robot parts to trade with him. He has no robot parts, but does have a randomized inventory which usually contains some ammo, weapons, and other assorted junk. You can buy, sell, and/or repair everything, then subsequently kill him for your caps back along with whatever he had for sale. This will result in negative karma.
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the sneak option, he will tell you that the residents of Big Town have placed an order of a few Stealth Boy units.
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the explosives option, he will tell you that the residents of Big Town have placed an order of a lot of mines.
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town by fighting super mutants alone, he will tell you that is safe there to trade.
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town by abandoning the town to the super mutants, he will tell you that there is good scavenging in the ruins of Big Town.


 * A Scavenger and his pet (either dog or Yao Guai) around a dead random robot (usually a Protectron or Robobrain). He will tell you to stay away from his loot and will attack if you persist on "stealing" from him.  Even point your sights too long at the dead robot he may become hostile.  The robot spawns alive but weakened and usually is quickly killed by the scavenger before you arrive.  Even if you kill the robot before the scavenger can, he will claim it and become hostile if you loot it.  Speak to him before he becomes hostile to get the vendor options.   Killing him while he is hostile will result in negative karma, regardless of his reason for going hostile.
 * A dead Scavenger with a lengthy inventory of loot on his corpse. Sometimes he will spawn holding a Fat Man in good condition, Mini Nuke, and a small number of other items instead of a large quantity of lesser valued items.
 * A dead Scavenger with 1 Mini Nuke and a Fat Man in poor condition.
 * A Scavenger with his malfunctioned Mister Handy. If you repair it, the Scavenger will give you two Energy Cells.  With a speech check, you can convince him to give you 100 caps and the energy cells. After fixing his robot, he will begin to travel the same route as the traders until he is killed. However, unlike the Caravan Merchants and Ben Canning, the Mr. Handy Scavenger will only travel if the player is in the same active map cell. Otherwise, the Mr. Handy Scavanger will remain frozen in his map cell. Waiting an hour while in the same active map cell as the Mr. Handy Scavenger will cause him to instantly travel to the next "trading stop" on the Caravan route (i.e. in front of Megaton, Rivet City, Agatha's House, etc.)

Wastelander/Slaver/Slaves encounters

 * Two Wasteland Settlers and two Escaped Slaves fighting over a refrigerator of 10 Purified Water. Opening the refrigerator will turn them hostile to the player, but sometimes just standing near it for too long can make them attack you. You can also convince them with a Speech check to share the water.
 * Two Wastelanders pondering an Enclave Eyebot that hovers around them consistently (as opposed to a long patrol like most). They will always say the same things about the Eyebot, even if it is offline because Raven Rock was destroyed. There is no captioned interactive dialog that is possible with them, but they nevertheless hold a long dialog with one another, discussing the eyebot:
 * You see these all over now a days. I wonder what it means?
 * I don't know about you, but it sure gives me the creeps.
 * Creepy if you ask me.
 * What's it doing out here?
 * You think we should shoot it? Enclave tech...
 * I wouldn't. From what I hear you mess with their eyebots and the enclave comes looking for you.
 * I have half a mind to salvage it. "Broken when we found it!" ha ha.
 * That's worth a think. Might sell it for parts, long as we could bring it down mostly undamaged. Hmm...
 * I heard tell of a scavenger who tried that up Canterbury way... they found his body a week later, scorched with plasma bolts.
 * What's it doing out here?
 * I don't know, but I'd stay away from it. No telling what those Enclave types will get up to next.
 * It sure is shiny. I am not sure I like it though.
 * I'm not sure what to think about it.
 * What do you think it wants?
 * Hell if I know. Spying on us, probably. Nice reception, though. Wish I had speakers like that on my radio.
 * Do you think they're watching us through it? "Hi President Eden!" Maybe he'll come down for a visit sometime. Heh, heh, heh, heh.
 * I kinda like the music, though. Kind of nice to hear something more cheerful than what those hippies on GNR always play.
 * Yeah, something kind of soothing about it, though.
 * Ghoul Wastelanders around a burning barrel, telling you they were headed for Underworld but couldn't make it because of Super Mutants. They will tell you how to get to Underworld and mark it on your map. This may be a continuity problem, because Willow, outside Underworld, tells the PC that the Super Mutants don't attack ghouls.
 * A Wastelander killing and looting a Mole Rat, or in rare instances a Mirelurk (only after completing the Wasteland Survival Guide quest). He has different dialogue options depending on whether or not the player completed all bonus objectives given by Moira and partially depending on chance (different Wastelanders may say slightly different things). If the player says he has helped with the book, a congratulatory or a mocking response is received. If the player says he has never heard of the guide, the Wastelander will provide him with a copy of the book. You receive no negative karma for killing this Wastelander. (It is also possible to watch the Wastelander killed by the Mirelurk, confirmed on the PC version).
 * Three Slavers with three Slaves. Freeing the Slaves (using high Science or Explosives skill to disable their collars) earns you positive karma, but makes the Slavers hostile towards you.
 * A Wastelander fleeing from a Deathclaw in pursuit.
 * Three Wastelanders fighting a weakened Deathclaw, one or more may already be dead. (Note that these Wastelanders DO NOT have the schematics for a Deathclaw Gauntlet, see below.) If you run within range of one of the NPCs before the Deathclaw is dead, he/she will stop you saying: We could use your help. That thing came out of nowhere. When you speak to an NPC after killing the Deathclaw he/she tells you: That thing would have killed us all without your help. Thanks. Listen, you may as well take this map. That's where we were headed, but that Deathclaw cured me of my itch for Wasteland adventure. He then gives you the location of Rock Creek Caverns. The "map" he gives you is listed in the "Notes" of your Pip-Boy with the description: The map shows directions to Rock Creek Caverns, with the notation: "Mirelurk King's Treasure Chamber!" The Wastelander ref ids are: 31e2b, 31e2c, 31e2d.
 * This encounter can glitch, resulting in no Deathclaw but another creature in it's place such as a Bloatfly or Protectron.

revive. He then dies and if you loot a note from his corpse, it will reveal the location of Oasis.
 * Three Wastelanders wearing Merc Outfits and carrying mid-level weapons, who are planning to raid Oasis. If you approach and ask them what they're discussing, they will accidentally reveal the location of Oasis and turn hostile. If you act like it's none of your business, they'll shoo you off and you can no longer initiate conversation with them; they will then remain in that location indefinitely.
 * A Wastelander attacked by Mole Rats. If you save her she'll give you a small amount of caps.
 * A Wastelander attacked by Radscorpions. If Broken Steel is installed these may be Albino Radscorpions.
 * Two Wastelanders fighting a Giant Radscorpion over a fridge of 8 purified water. The refrigerator itself is a spawn. Wastelander ref ids: 25dd0, 25dd2. It's also possible the wastelanders keep their distance of the Giant Radscorpion and warn you of it's presence. If you kill the Giant Radscorpion, you can take the content of the fridge. The wastelander won't mind it and if you talk to him after killing the Giant Radscorpion, he'll just say that you can have what's inside the fridge.
 * A Wastelander or Slaver fighting Vicious Dogs.
 * Three Wastelanders fighting a Super Mutant or Centaur. If at least one survives and are spoken to afterwards, they'll thank the player and hand over an item.
 * Two or three Ghoul Wastelanders in a stand-off with two or three Wastelanders or Escaped Slaves over a fridge full of purified water. You will get half of the water for helping one side to kill the other. If you arrive after one side has already been killed (usually the non-ghouls), you can also attempt a Speech check to take half of the water.
 * A few Escaped Slaves who have a few dialogue options if you talk with them: if you know where the Temple of the Union is, you can give them the correct directions for some positive Karma, or lie to them for negative Karma, or just say goodbye.
 * A Wastelander runs up and tells you Grayditch is burning. (Reveals location of Grayditch)
 * Two Wastelanders near Frag Mines; one Wastelander will unsuccessfully try to disarm one of the mines. If you are lucky enough or quick enough you can save him by disarming the mines but there is no reward and he will have no dialogue options just react like a generic wastelander.
 * Four escaped slaves who will ask you to remove their collars. Depending on your science skill, you could take it off for positive karma, or it could make their head explode.
 * A Wastelander who has a bomb attached to him, and is being pursued by a group of Raiders. Even if you manage to disarm the bomb (done with an Explosives skill of 100, known to fail with an Explosives skill of 80) and kill the Raiders before they can murder the Wastelander via other means, you apparently receive no reward. The Wastelander will simply stand around saying "Thanks. You saved my life!"
 * A Wastelander named "John" with Vicious Dogs around him. You can save him and then kill him with no Karma change for a note and a key to "John's Treasure Box," located in the Scrapyard and containing 3 skill books. This event is subject to respawning, meaning John will periodically relive his mauling should you return after awhile. He may already be dead if you come across the encounter. (Note: supposedly, he is supposed to spawn dead; he will most likely be dead by the time you find him, regardless)
 * A wastelander who will rave about the wasteland being green. When spoken to, he then cries out and drops dead. He has a note on him about a 'Green Hill'
 * Wastlender running at you on fire followed by a raider with a Flamer
 * A Wastelander that, if approached will have a vision, if you ask him what he is seeing, He will say that the Wasteland will
 * A group of slavers. When talked to, they say they want you dead because you're stealing their jobs. (You completed Strictly Business, you kidnapped Bumble, and brought in 10+ slaves.)

Hunters

 * 1-3 Hunters attacking a Giant Worker Ant, Giant Soldier Ant, Yao Guai, Vicious Dog, Super Mutant or Mole Rat. If they manage to kill the prey, they will take the meat from it. They will sell various sorts of meat to the player if asked to. The animal respawns every 72 hours. The Hunters themselves do not respawn if killed.
 * Three Hunters chasing and attacking a Wastelander. Killing the hunters results in positive Karma, and they carry Strange Meat, indicating they are roaming cannibals.
 * A lone Hunter chasing a Wastelander. If you kill the Wastelander, the Hunter will sell you meat like the others do (no karma change for killing either of them).

Raiders and Slavers

 * Three Slavers looking for escaped slaves. You can lie for positive karma, or you can charge them for information and they'll give you 50 caps. If you then thank them for the free caps and admit to tricking them, they will become hostile.
 * Five Raiders, four beating the fifth one (with baseball bats), who is in undergarments, from all sides, in turns. It seems to be an initiation. If you sneak up and listen closely, you will hear what they are saying as they're beating the one without clothing:


 * "Pain... Pain is your ONLY friend... pain is your friend... That's right, LOVE the pain... embrace the pain... Are you gonna cry...? Come on, cry for me... Pain is your only friend...  Don't flinch, you coward!  You think you're good enough to run with us?!  Just say the word and it's all over... 'Course then we'd have to skin you alive and eat your liver..." (this is repeated until either attacked by the player or the player is spotted)

(Note: The Raiders in this encounter seem to respawn fairly regularly every few days in-game. If you were fortunate enough to encounter this event at or close to a location you can fast travel to, this could be a tremendous boon for Lawbringers or progress towards Doesn't Play Well with Others, as these Raiders don't seem particularly tough or well-equipped.) Grenades work very well here. Another useful tip here is to crouch a little distance away, and practice your out-of-V.A.T.S shooting, the Lincoln's Repeater works best here. The raiders will not notice that their friends are dying, and continue the ritual.
 * Three Raiders and a Wastelander with a time-bomb on him. (Bug: see Wastelander.)
 * Two Raiders fighting two Eyebots. The Eyebots usually win.
 * Two Slavers who will shoot you if you fail the Speech challenge.
 * A single Raider fighting Vicious Dogs.
 * 1-3 Raiders attacking 1-3 Wasteland Settlers.
 * Two Slavers with 2-3 dead Slaves around them. Dialogue indicates that they killed them. possibly because they tried to make a run for it.
 * Two Slavers with a live slave. Oddly, attacking the slavers will make the slave hostile.
 * One Slaver with three slaves. He will tell you he is taking the slaves to Paradise Falls and to mind your own business in floating text. If you kill the slaver, you may attempt to disarm the collars. Note, however, that there is no way way to know the chances of succesfully disarming the collar, so it is best to save before disarming each one.
 * For the 360, if you try to disarm a slave collar and fail, then quickly talk with them and try again, you have a chance to succeed the second time. The collar will be removed and then the head will still explode as if you failed, but without karma loss. (If you just fail and don't retry, you will lose karma)
 * A dead Raider next to a baby carriage.The baby carriage is an exploding trap.
 * A friendly (non-hostile) Raider sitting on a wrecked car. When talked to says "I'm not in the mood, asshole!" or "I don't want no trouble."
 * Two Raiders playing Baseball.

Corpse encounters (with or without animals/monsters)

 * A Deathclaw and a dead Wastelander. You can find the schematic for the Deathclaw Gauntlet on the dead Wastelander.  (It is possible to save him; dialog will get you the schematics and a location marked on your map where he was attempting to go.)
 * Freddie Gomez dead and a Giant Radscorpion - if you drove the Vault 101 dwellers out of the Vault during Trouble on the Homefront.
 * A dead Brotherhood Outcast and two slightly wounded Deathclaws.

Exceptional monster encounters

 * A Deathclaw surrounded by the bodies of various robots, wasteland creatures, raiders, slavers and wastelanders.
 * A friendly Giant Radscorpion fighting 1-4 Giant Worker Ants. It will become hostile if you get too close to it.
 * A random number (up to four) of Mad Brahmin.
 * A random number (up to four) of Brahmin.
 * One to four Giant Ants around a toxic barrel with one being bigger than the others.
 * 5-7 Radroaches.
 * 2 Yao Guai and a small pack of mole rats hunting Brahmin. The brahmin may be dead by the time you arrive.
 * A friendly Mister Gutsy unit. All he will say when interacted with is the typical, "Another glorious day in this man's army!" slogan.
 * 3 Albino Radscorpions attacking 3 Hunters (W/ Broken Steel)
 * 1-3 Deathclaws surrounded by dead Brahmin (Or in the act of killing them)
 * A dead Giant Radscorpion facing a dead Yao Guai. Both appear alive and to be standing.
 * 5-7 mole rats attacking a wastelander. ( commonly encountered at the farm behind vault 101 ( 360 )
 * A group of Super Mutants with abnormal color schemes. (One was grey, another green, etc.) I don't know if this is intentional or just a glitch. Found on Xbox 360.
 * A friendly Mr. Handy trapped in a cage. When released says "Aha! I finally found you!" he then wanders off to a random location and gets killed by Raiders.
 * A friendly Mr. Handy locked in a closet.
 * A "dancing" Brainbot. Its arms are flailing randomly. Could just be a glitch though.

Brotherhood Outcasts

 * One Brotherhood Outcast Robobrain.
 * One Brotherhood Outcast and a Robobrain fighting a Radscorpion
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts and a Protectron.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts with a Robobrain.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts with a Sentry Bot.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts with a Robobrain fighting a small group of Enclave Soldiers.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts armed with a Laser Rifle and Missile Launcher fighting two Yao Guai.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts. Two with Laser Rifles and one with a Gatling Laser.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts armed with Power Fists.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts fighting a Deathclaw.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts fighting Raiders.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts fighting Talon Company Mercs.
 * A small squad of Brotherhood Outcasts being chased by two Deathclaws.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts and a Robobrain Sometimes at the entrance of the Scrapyard.
 * One Brotherhood Outcasts and a Sentry Bot fighting a group of Four Raiders and a Deathclaw outside Smith Casey's Garage
 * One Brother Hood Outcast holding a missle launcher and a dismembered outcast. ( murder? )



Item encounters

 * Four Frag Mines scattered with no one around.
 * Five Frag Mines which cannot be disarmed placed in a Square shape with one in the centre.
 * A UFO exploding overhead, dropping Firelance and spilling exactly 24 Alien Power Cells all over the area. It helps to have Dogmeat search for the remaining ammo if you can't find it.  Also, if you get this encounter to spawn near a building like the Super-Duper Mart, it's possible the ammo or the gun will clip through the building.  The only way to get the ammo is to have Dogmeat search for the ammo or gun, then when he is running up against the structure you can push him through it.

Other

 * Attacking a group of enclave soldiers (Usually with a Deathclaw) at an outpost. Afterwards, a Vertibird flies overhead. But it doesn't attack.
 * Two Protectrons dueling.
 * A Vertibird getting hit by a missile and crashing near you.
 * A Vertibird landing, dropping off a combination of Enclave soldiers and/or Sentry Bots, and then flying away. (Unless you shoot it down first.) In certain areas, will repeat over and over again, dropping off endless armies of enclave.
 * One Chinese Commando and one American Soldier. The commando is with a Chinese assault rifle and about 24-48 rounds. The American soldier has an assault rifle and 24-48 rounds.
 * 7 Vicious Dogs attack you all at once.
 * 7 mole rats, hostile without the animal friend perk.
 * 2-3 mole rats eating a dead wastelander's corpse.
 * A Vertibird flying overhead, without stopping, and bombing the immediate area with Mini Nukes. This usually happens if there are other enemies in the area, usually Super Mutants, Raiders, or Talon Company Mercs. This is common in the vicinity of the Capitol Building, where the area is stricken with Super Mutants and Talon Company Mercs intent on annihilating each other.
 * An Enclave soldier running naked while being attacked by 2 raiders(one of the raiders having the Enclave power armor on with his raider armor unequipped in its inventory), there's also an enclave officer dead on the ground.
 * 2 Talon Company Mercs Being chased by a radscorpion.
 * An Enclave outpost overrun by Raiders. The shields are knocked down, the Enclave soldiers are dead, and the Raiders are wearing the Enclave power armor(somehow, without power armor training), yet using typical Raider weapons, such as a baseball bat or a .10mm pistol.
 * The AntAgonizer and 3 Giant Worker Ants attacking a Wastelander. (only occurs after completing The Superhuman Gambit)
 * Just a Toxic Barrel

Unique Encounter Locations
FFETriggerA. Possible encounters:
 * Man dying of thirst in wasteland
 * Settlers being pursued by Deathclaw
 * Group of settlers in standoff over water supply
 * Two wastelanders and two ghouls in standoff over water supply. (Good karma player with high speech can defuse situation)
 * Deathclaw bones
 * The player encounters a group of Wasteland wanderers who are trying to get water from an old fire hydrant. Sadly for them, an abnormally huge Radscorpion is guarding it. The player may help the wanderers get to the water or take it for himself.  EDIT= The Fire Hydrant could also be a Refrigerator too.
 * Chinese soldier with radio beacon
 * Exploding UFO (Firelance)
 * Mel, the incompetent mugger
 * 3 Hitmen
 * Robot stuck in a conversation loop. On-looking technician requests help.
 * Scavenger on his way to loot Big Town because it was destroyed and left deserted by Super Mutant attack.
 * A traveling sales man is headed to Big Town (***SPOILER***if you decided to save big town in the "Big Trouble in Big Town" quest you will see the salesman).
 * Post Quest: Superhuman Signature (A child will walk up to you and ask for your signature. Occurs after completing The Superhuman Gambit and while wearing either one of the superheros' armor)
 * Post Quest: Watch Your Back (Mr. Burke sends hitmen after you. Occurs after disarming the bomb in Megaton.)
 * Post Quest: Vengeance for Megaton. (Megaton Refugees will attack player. Occurs after destroying the bomb in Megaton.)
 * Dead wastelander with treasure note
 * Post Quest: Bragging Rights (Sydney attacks the player. Occurs if Sydney is still alive and the player did not team with her during the Stealing Independence quest.)
 * Raider initiation rite
 * Two people trying to disarm a mine. They are unsuccessful and After it goes off one runs away, and the other refuses to talk to you.
 * Post Quest: Oasis Traveling Merchant
 * Post Quest: Trouble on the homefront if you choose to remove the water sources, you get Amata's Fate.
 * Laszlo Radford.
 * A dead scavenger carrying a Fat Man along with other mundane loot.
 * Post Quest: Wasteland Survival Guide (A wastelander battling a Mirelurk, assuming they win you can gain some caps in recognition for you helping to write the Wasteland Survival Guide).

Locations:


 * West of Dunwich Building: there is a radioactive pool. North of it there is a canyon which can be accessed only from the pool. You must approach it on the road from the building, jumping down the cliffs will not trigger.
 * VAPL-84 Power Station: from any directions, the event is at just west of the gates.
 * Jocko's Pop & Gas Stop 1: head east in the direction of the large advertisement board on top of hill then E-SE. The location of the event is SE of the board.
 * Jocko's Pop & Gas Stop 2: NW of it, up on the highway.
 * MDPL-16 Power Station: from any directions, the event is at the back of the building.
 * Chaste Acres Dairy Farm: west of it at the red rocket, from any directions.
 * Greener Pastures Disposal Site: west of it there is a broken bridge. The event location is exactly south of the Alien Crash Site, from any directions.
 * Clifftop Shacks 1: North of it there is a radiactive pool, the event is there. You must approach it on the lower canyon road. Going simply north then jumping off the cliffs will not trigger, so jump down the suspension bridge then go north.
 * Clifftop Shacks 2: Continue north from the previous pool then go W-NW until the next pool with another event in the canyons.
 * Regulator HQ 1: W-NW of it there is a large group of dead trees. The event is just before them, down in the canyon.
 * Regulator HQ 2: Head east for the large tree. Quicksave and head exactly east. The event is at the fallen part of the highway.
 * Minefield: head west then north on the road for MDPL-13 Power Station. The event is at the water tower.
 * Super-Duper Mart: right in front of it. Approaching from Farragut West Metro Station will not trigger. Best approach: from SW direction. There is a fence at the back of the Super-Duper Mart. Quicksave at the southmost point of the fence then go NE.
 * Relay Tower KX-B8-11 1: The event is at E of the tower, approaching from any directions will do.
 * Relay Tower KX-B8-11 2: head S-SE for the water tower, but stop before the car wrecks. Then go east, the event will be down there.
 * Temple of the Union 1: Go exactly west for the small gap in the highway and stop just as soon you have left the fallen part of it. Then head north for the larger gap.
 * Temple of the Union 2: Go south staying on the road. Pass the advertisement board, the truck, and quicksave after the pole on the road before the car wrecks. The event will be at the 4-way crossing.
 * Temple of the Union 3: Going to the entrance will trigger an event inside, in front of Hannibal's door.
 * Canterbury Commons: Go east, then follow the road between the buildings to north. Keep north, cross the brahmins. Go down, the event is in the narrows NE.
 * Robot Repair Center: Approach from Canterbury Commons following the road to east then south between the buildings. Just as soon the road would turn west, quicksave, then go to the Robot Repair Center.
 * Between National Guard Depot and Corvega Factory: locate the water tower in front of National Guard Depot and head exactly north from there passing the car wreck under the highway until you are halfway between the highway and elevated railroad lines (should be a whirlwind there). From there go exactly NE. If successfully triggered, the event is under the railroad gap, exactly north.
 * SW of Corvega Factory: From the factory go W for the two large advertisement boards next to the highway. Then follow the highway S-SE, the event is under the highway near the red rocket.
 * E of Corvega Factory: Go east to the car advertisement board and continue east. The event triggers almost immediately at NE in the narrows.
 * W-NW of F.Scott Key Trail & Campground: There is a wood shack up in the rocks. Head west from the campground for the brain fungus, then you should be able to climb up at the southern part of the rocky wall. Quicksave before start climbing. The shack is N-NW from there.
 * W of Shalebridge: Follow the elevated railroad line NW until you find the gap right after the train. From the gap go south to the top of the hill. The event is downwards, SW of the highest point of the hill.
 * W of Vault 101: On the top of the hill westwards near the highway, there is a farmhouse with the event. Any approach will work.
 * Jury Street Metro Station: go south for the broadcast tower, then go exactly SW. The event is down in the canyon.
 * Meresti Trainyard: approach from SE, quicksave at the corner of the fence. The event is between the tunnel exits.
 * Broadcast Tower LP8 1: any approach should work, the event is there.
 * Broadcast Tower LP8 2: N-NW, under the turning highway.
 * Broadcast Tower LP8 3: NW, up on the hill with a lot of trees W of turning highway.
 * Broadcast Tower LP8 4: Even more NW, W of the train wreck. The event is there where the whirlwind is.
 * WKML Broadcast Station: Event is in front of station, approach it from the stairs.
 * W of Roosevelt Academy: where trainwreck is.
 * SW of Sewer Waystation: Go SW to the Talon HQ, then continue south. The event is in the next - destroyed - building.
 * Wilhelm's Wharf: Go NW, the event is behind the building W of Wilhelm's Wharf.
 * Anchorage Memorial: Any approach will do, in front of the statues.
 * Fort Bannister: East of it, nearly in line with the northern fence of Fort Bannister. N-NW of Enclave Camp.
 * Tenpenny Tower: There is a red rocket east of it. South of the rocket there is an abandoned building, the event is there.
 * Alexandria Arms: in front of it. Approaching it from Arlington Library will not trigger, so come from Citadel or Flooded Metro.
 * Flooded Metro: Approach it from W, event is next to the escalators.
 * Red Racer Factory: between it an the building W of it. Any approach will do.
 * S of Evergreen Mills, NW of VAPL-84 Power Station: N of the ruined part of the highway. Any approach will do.
 * MDPL-05 Power Station: in front of it. Approach it only on road, descending on cliffs will not trigger.
 * Raven Rock: southwards on the road. Event is about SW of MDPL-05 Power Station.
 * Chryslus Building: at the ruined buliding SE of it. Approach from Farragut West Metro Station!
 * Old Olney: at the red rocket SW of it. Any approach will do.
 * Broadcast Tower KB5: Approach from NW!
 * Mount Mabel Campground: Go N-NW until you see a suspension brigde above. Enter the canyon under it then keep north. Quicksave under the bridge.
 * NW of SatCom Array NW-05a: Go N until you find the second fallen tree. (That one is lying exactly W to E.) Quicksave, then continue NW to hilltop until you see the power pylons. The event is down, westwards.
 * Fort Constantine: This is very tricky. There is a water tower north of Fort Constantine. Keep NE from there, until you are able to climb up to the car wrecks. From there, head west. The event is exactly north of the water tower.
 * N of MDPL-21 Power Station: Go north following the power lines until you find a bent power pylon. Keep north in the canyon jumping down. After passing the suspension brigde, keep NW through the water.
 * SW of SatCom Array NW-07c: Go south from the scavenger's fallen dish, then keep SW direction. The event is about halfway between the Array and the destroyed elevated railroad, S-SW from the dish.
 * Bandit camp: there is a small radioactive pool SW of SatCom Array NW-05a. Any approach will do.
 * S of VAPL-66 Power Station: W of a Dot's Diner, where the radioactive pools are.
 * Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal: Any approach will do. Event is in front of the eastern building.
 * NW of Yao Guai Tunnels: Go NW, up the hill. Event is in the canyon at the radioactive pool.
 * In front of Rockopolis: Any approach will do.
 * W-SW of Megaton: Go W until the road under the fallen highway. Then follow that road SW until the Enclave advertisement board (quicksave before the tree). Event is behind the board, down there.
 * S-SW of Megaton: Get to the southernmost outer part of Megaton. Then go SW, the event is between the highway remnants and the other road above in the rocks.
 * Nuka-Cola Plant: Approach from Andale. Event is W of the plant, E of the blue car.
 * Vault 106 entrance: S of it, upwards.
 * W of Bethesda Ruins: at the red rocket. Fast travel to Bethesda ruins then go W.

FFETriggerB. Possible encounters:
 * Cannibals selling meat
 * Cannibals hunting their "prey"
 * Sniper blows away his bait, then targets you.
 * "Human bomb" trap and raiders lying in wait.
 * Guy fleeing from Grayditch
 * Reilly's Rangers post-quest encounter
 * Trouble on the Homefront post-quest encounter with Susie Mack
 * Mad Brahmin

Locations:

thumb|300px|left|Manipulating random encounters
 * RobCo Facility: Go E on the road, until the advertisement board, then go back to the SW corner of the building.
 * W-SW of VAPL-84 Power Station: Follow the pylons W-SW, then turn south at the whirlwind after the broken pylon and go back to power station SE then NE.
 * Warrington Trainyard: Go W-NW by the norhern fence, then up the hill a bit. There should be some enemy around. Then you can go back for the event, as it is around the rocks looking like a cavern / vault entrance (without the door) east from you, north from the broken parts of the fence.
 * Greener Pastures Disposal Site 1: Head south from Office building, then up west at the second truck. After going up go back and go SE until the whirlwind.
 * Greener Pastures Disposal Site 2: Head E-SE from Office building until the southeastern pool. From there go SE and S near the rocky wall.
 * W of Clifftop Shacks 1: Cross the bridge and go SW almost until the highway. Descend and go north into the canyon. (That will likely trigger an A-type encouter further away, too.)
 * W of Clifftop Shacks 2: Descend to the canyon near the bridge and go SW, W, NW, N so you are almost at the bridge again.
 * SW of Minefield: Follow the road until the blue car at the unnamed power station, then turn and head back to the large boulder next to the power station.
 * E of MDPL-13 Power Station: go exactly E from the center chimney on the rocks. When the rocks end, go down S and E around the rocks.
 * N of Regulator HQ: Head exactly north until you'll see a fallen tree. Go just as much as you have came since the HQ. You are in position, if there is a large rocky hill in front of you and another fallen tree near NE. Go to there and N upwards. Event is just up.
 * Chaste Acres Dairy Farm 1: Go NW to the red rocket, then follow the road starting eastwards, leading NE. As soon as you are seeing the blue car, the event is right of you, W of the building.
 * Chaste Acres Dairy Farm 2: Go SW and pass under the highway where the truck is. Then go S by the highway, until the gap with the half pillar. The event is at the east of that pillar.
 * S of Relay Tower KX-B8-11: Go to the nearby end of a road where the small car wreck is, then head to the water tower S-SE. The event is down the cliff east of the water tower.
 * S of Temple of the Union: Go south staying on the road. Pass the advertisement board, the truck. The event is behind the rocks SE at the NE fence of the corral.
 * N of Canterbury Commons: Go W from Joe Porter's diner until the traffic circle, then follow the nearest rut passing the house on your right. The rut leads north a while then turns left and right. Follow the rut, the event is behind the second large group of rocks on the right.
 * SE of Temple of the Union: Go S until there is a fallen tree on left. Go E-NE, pass the heap of beton blocks until you find the remains of a small pillar. Turn S-SE there, where is a lone tree. Keep heading that way and pass it keeping the same direction. The event is at the rocks.
 * NW of SatCom Array NW-05a: There is a larger radioactive pool with three cars next to it. From there go exactly N for a while where there is a canyon leading up NE, the event is there.
 * S of Vault 101: Follow the road south until passing between the highway remains and the pillar, where the road turns W. Then go back on the road, the event is halfway between Vault 101 and the water tower.
 * W of Corvega Factory: Go NW where a blue and a brown wreck is north of the houses. Take the road S to another blue and brown wreck at the square. The event is just there SE-wards on the road.
 * S of Corvega Factory: Go the E wall of the building where the blue truck and car is. From the car go S to the white truck under the railway. Follow the road; the event is behind the destroyed building right of another blue car.
 * S-SE of Vault 108: Head S to the two trees then keep heading S-SE until you can climb up through a short ridge. After climbing up, go back down and go E, the event is there at the whirlwind.
 * NE of National Guard Depot: Go N, pass the trucks and the car and stop on the W-E road. Go E, cross the circular traffic and go N behind the destroyed house. The event is at the top of the cliff.
 * N of Rock Creek Caverns: Go W, then N for the destroyed house, but stop on the road and follow it eastwards. The event is behind the car.
 * SE of VAPL-58 Power Station: Go to the NW corner of the station's fence. Then go SE, pass the shack, the event is SE from there.
 * NE of Charnel House: Head N-NE, until you are on the road, and follow it N. Pass the blue car but go exactly W after it and before the shack. Event is on the top of the hill.
 * E of Fort Bannister, in the crater near the Enclave Camp: descend the crater and go to the front of the truck. Then exit the crater eastwards through the canyon, the event is at the end of it.
 * N of Paradise Falls: go the northern bounds of Paradise Falls, where a road leads to North. Follow it. After the crossing, keep going north, following the rut N, NW directions and stop when it turns W. Turn back and go exactly in SE direction, the event is around at the second tree.
 * N of F.Scott Key Trail & Campground: head exactly north, and just as you have passed the narrows, go E, the event is there.
 * W of Northwest Seneca Station: Head W-SW, until you find a lot of car wrecks near the water. Then go NW by the water until the boat. Then enter the canyon under the highway N-NE, the event is at the wrecked train.
 * W of Chryslus Building: Go E from the entrance then N following the road. At the crossing turn left following the road leading SW. The event is behind the destroyed building on the right.
 * S-SW of Jury Street Metro Station: Take a circle around the metro entrance, then head to the destroyed house with a car and a sewer entrance in S-SW direction, the event is behind it.
 * SW of Scrapyard: Exit Scrapyard to south and go to Enclave advertisement board. Then head W by Scrapyard's fence until the rock after the SW corner of Scrapyard. The event is behind it.
 * N of Hallowed Moors Cemetery: Go to the 3-way road crossing between the Enclave and "Stop the red menace" billboards N-NW of Hallowed Moors Cemetery. Go north from the Enclave billboard, the event is after passing the house at the rocks on the left.
 * N of Red Racer Factory: head north by the other building, follow the curve. The event is under the scavenger's bridge.
 * E of Farragut West Metro Station: Head east, it is just around the corner.
 * SE of Springvale School: Head SE for the water tower, but stop on the road, then follow it eastwards. Event is behind the big rock.
 * E of Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal: Follow the road E, event is behind the "Stop the red menace" billboard near the power station.
 * SW of The Overlook Drive-In: Go SW to a pond then W from it under the cliff. Then turn back, the event is about in NE direction.
 * NW of National Guard Depot: Go to the water tower, then circle the house behind it. The event is at the SW corner of the water tower.
 * Reclining Groves Resort Homes: Walk to Reclining Groves Resort Homes from Germantown Police HQ. Event is left of the shack with the car at the N-NW part.
 * E of VAPL-58 Power Station: Travel to Arefu then go S to the car billboard. Go SW from there, the event is on the road.
 * E of Fairfax Ruins: Head E, event is behind the building of Car Dealership. (If coming from Grayditch, event is at the red rocket.)
 * N-NE of Grisly Diner: Follow the road with the wrecks N, event is in the highway gap.
 * N of Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel: Go to the shack at the 3-way crossing, then follow the road north.
 * W of Chryslus Building: Follow the road to the red rocket, event is behind the building N of it.
 * NW of Arefu: Go to the boat under Arefu, then head NW. Event is on the left bank after a while.
 * S of Jury Street Metro Station: Go exactly S for a long time until you find a rad pool with shacks and a lot of car wrecks. N-NE of it there is a crater-like place with a tree in the center, go there. The event is upwards at the cliffs, in NW.
 * N-NW of Broadcast Tower LP8: Go far up north where the last white train wreck is. Descend W in the canyon, and head NE, the event is there, under the railroad line.
 * NW of SatCom Array NN-03d: Go W to the shack, then head north, the event is where the rocks end at your left.
 * NW of Fort Constantine: Go E, then up N when you can. After the 4 fallen trees, turn and keep NE through the trees. Pass the large tree, cross between another two and keep to the large cliffs at your left. The event is up there, you can approach it from NE, where the cliff ends.
 * SW of Broadcast Tower KB5: Go SW where the road turns by the water near the pond. Cross between the pond and the water, then head W-SW under the highway, go up a bit then turn back, the event is between the pond and the highway.
 * NE of SatCom Array NN-03d: Head NE where you can go up NE through a narrows. Go up, then turn back, the event is E-NE of the array, under the cliffs.
 * NW of Vault 87: Find the pond NW of Vault 87. Go N through the canyon, then turn E, the event is there.
 * SW of The Silver Lining Drive-In: Circle the drive-in starting NE through the SE canyon. Event is behind the movie screen.
 * N of Broadcast Tower KT8: Descend the canyon N of it, try heading NE. When crossed the narrows and could go N and E, turn back, and go N to the bent tower, the event is there.
 * N of Dunwich Building: Go NE then NW until you are east and a bit nort of F.Scott Key Trail & Campground. The event is there.
 * N of Bandit Camp NW of SatCom Array NW-05a: Circle the blue car near the dock, then head N to the pond.
 * W of Girdershade: Follow the highway until it touches the rocky cliffs, and cross between its pillars. Event is at north, left of trees.
 * S of Yao Guai Tunnels: Go S to the large lonely tree. There turn back and head to N-NE, the event is about halfway between the tree and Yao Guai Tunnels.
 * N of Yao Guai Tunnels: Go N, the event is not far from there.
 * N of Smith Casey's Garage: Head N on the road, pass the trucks and the roadblocks, the event is at the car.
 * N of Cliffside Cavern: Head up E, then leave the path to N when you are able to do it. Go N-NW, and follow that path leading to a canyon with the event.
 * NE of Broadcast Tower KT8: Head exactly E until you find a N-S path. Follow it to north; when it forks, keep right where the event is.
 * W of Rockbreaker's Last Gas: Follow the road NE, event is SW of the pond.
 * N of Broadcast Tower LP8: Head exactly N until there are two small patches of rad brain fungus. Go under the highway to NW, then turn NE, cross the bridge and head N to the event.
 * N of Oasis: Go to the edge of the map, there is a 3-way crossing on the W-E road to up south between two whirlwinds. Go up, then right at the next 3-way crossing.
 * S of Fordham Flash Memorial Field: Go S-SE where the whirlwind is behing the big rock, cross the road, then head back W by the road until the gap, where the event is.
 * SE of Relay Tower KX-B8-11: head S-SE for the water tower, stop at the car wrecks. Head E, the event is down there NE of water tower.