Rite of Passage (Honest Hearts)



Rite of Passage is a side quest in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts.

Detailed walkthrough
The Courier can begin this quest by asking Waking Cloud about her yao guai gauntlet. She tells them to speak to White Bird, and marks White Bird's Cave on your map.

When the player character speaks to White Bird, he will tell them to return to him with 3 sacred datura roots. The roots can be found along almost any road or riverbank in Zion. If the player character is following their Pip-Boy map to find the sacred datura roots, they will need to pass through Half Mouse Cave to reach the high areas and walkways along which they are located. The Courier can also simply buy the roots from Joshua Graham when they first encounter him, or pick them from along Utah State Route 9 between the old Rockville Bridge and the North Fork Bridge. There are also 6 sacred datura roots in a sack directly behind where White Bird is sitting, eliminating any need for travel.

After the roots have been collected, White Bird will offer to make you a tea from them, and you have the option to accept or to say you are not ready. Be aware that if you accept the tea, your screen will be blurry and strangely colored until you complete the entire quest, so only accept if you intend to finish the quest immediately. Once you drink the tea and are under its influence, White Bird will tell you to kill the Ghost of She and bring back its paw, and will mark the Ghost Den on your map. If you speak to White Bird again, you have the option to ask about the Ghost of She, and he will tell you to ask Waking Cloud. If you ask Waking Cloud about it, she will tell you the tribe's story about the beast.

To reach the Ghost Den, you must follow the river back out of the Narrows. When you get to caterpillar's mound, follow the river east. After a bit you'll see a pathway that leads to the Vault 22 dwellers' guard camp. Take care on the way to the Ghost Den, as giant spore plants, spore carriers and cazadores may be found along the way near the camp, and the den itself contains several Yao guai cubs and/or giant yao guais, depending on the player's level. Once you travel far enough into the Ghost Den, the Ghost of She will appear as a flaming giant yao guai. When you are coming close to the marker on your map, be warned, as a flash of light will blind you for a moment just as Ghost of She appears. Caution is advised, as when her health drops to half she will divide into four copies of herself. If you kill the original, the other three will disappear. One way to figure out the original is to go into V.A.T.S. and check which one has the highest health. After defeating the bear and looting its corpse for the paw, travel back to White Bird. The hallucinogenic effects will be removed from your screen, and you will be rewarded with She's Embrace and a level-dependent amount of XP.

Behind the scenes
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another, usually the transition to adulthood.