Hunter for Hire

Hunter for Hire is a main quest

Background
Duchess would prefer for her bar to be left alone by the various raiders that started plaguing Appalachia as people start returning in droves. She hires the veterans from Vault 76 to put a stop to the attacks for good - but first, they need to know who they're stopping. With only a name to go on it will require a bit of subtlety.

Walkthrough
The quest starts immediately after dealing with the unruly customer from the previous quest, as Duchess offers the player character a job in getting rid of the group that has been pestering her about Crane to stop the attacks for good. To figure out his whereabouts, she instructs one to construct a special radio beacon that doubles as an advertisement post for Crane Treasure Hunting. By impersonating Crane, she hopes they'll be able to learn the whereabouts of whoever is in charge of the guys who have been bothering the Wayward. Mort can offer instruction tapes on how to use a C.A.M.P. for the uninitiated.

Constructing the beacon requires two steps. First, build the beacon itself at a C.A.M.P. (available under the quest category). The beacon does not have to be powered for this quest. Second, load the broadcast tape into the terminal at relay tower EM-B1-27. Afterward, return to the C.A.M.P. and wait for arrivals.

The first arrival will be a treasure hunter and the player character can name-drop the Wayward, though it has to be done before the Free Radicals show up, or the treasure hunter will flee, not wanting to pick a fight with them under belief they've come for the player character thinking they are Crane. The second group will consist of Free Radicals (Davey and an unnamed member), who can be traded with, intimidated (Strength 2+), or tricked (Luck 2+) to give up the location of their main camp at WV Lumber Co. The Free Radicals carry the Bring me Crane! note, so killing them immediately will also suffice to find the location of their hideout, though this happens anyway through the Luck conversation option as the other Free Radical thinks Davey double-crossed them and turns hostile. If Davey survives by the player's intervention in killing the other Free Radical, he will turn hostile and will need to be killed anyway, whether by the player character or their C.A.M.P.'s defensive turrets. However, if asked if the player character can join the Free Radicals, Davey will only accept if the player character tells them what they want to know. A Charisma +2 check with telling Davey the so-called treasure is in Washington, D.C. will convince him to give up the location of their main base before he and the other Free Radical retreat to give the bad news to Roper and pray he doesn't put their heads on spikes when they tell him the treasure is not in Appalachia and is all the way in the U.S. capital instead.

After reporting back to Duchess, the next goal is to clear out the location. Mort will suggest alternative approaches, such as visiting Anchor farm and the Tyler County Fairgrounds to find information that would allow for a less violent confrontation at the lumber yard, especially after mentioning that the last time he was over near WV Lumber Co., the place was crawling with Super Mutants. If the Free Radicals were able to clear out the super mutants from the lumber yard and fortify it as their own new base of operations, they may be tougher than everyone thinks. At Anchor farm, talk with Daniel and pass a Perception 3+, Charisma 3+, or Strength 3+ check to learn about his deal with the raiders and the password to the hideout. Alternatively, take the Agreement with Radicals holotape from the floor safe underneath the stairs.

Next, find Liebowitz at the Tyler County Fairgrounds for three Stealth Boys. He will ask one to retrieve a deathclaw egg from Deathclaw Island. With an Intelligence check of +4, one Stealth Boy can be obtained to use while obtaining the egg. The entire task can be avoided with a Strength 8+ check. After giving the egg to Liebowitz, the player character will receive the promised Stealth Boys.

Lastly, the player character must go to WV Lumber Co. to confront the Free Radicals. They can either be killed, or with the password (it can be guessed with Luck 4+), the player can talk with the leader over the intercom to gain access to the compound, rendering the Free Radicals non-hostile for the moment. In conversation, Roper can be convinced to leave the Wayward alone with Strength 8+ or by promising him to find the treasure for him as part of joining the Free Radicals. After this, returning to Duchess completes the quest.

Rewards
Player:
 * 50 (75 if bartered sucessfully with Duchess)
 * 400 XP
 * Two Stimpaks
 * Random consumables (food, alcohol, chems) or explosives
 * Plan: Hunting rifle if not yet learned.

Teammates:
 * 10, 100 XP

Behind the scenes
The Free Radical over the intercom in this quest was voiced by Neil Kaplan.