RobCo Facility

The RobCo Facility, owned by RobCo Industries, is located slightly northeast of Tenpenny Tower. The many Protectrons scattered across the D.C. area were once manufactured here.

Inhabitants include many Mole Rats and Radroaches that offer good experience for new players. There are a number of unused Protectrons which remain in their charging stations and several Nuka-Cola machines on the various levels.

The Protectrons may be looted once while inactive. They will then respawn energy cells and possibly fission cells and scrap metal later when the mainframe processor is installed, allowing them to be looted again after being killed. Note that grabbing any inactive Protectron to move it will cause that robot to not become active later, so to maximize loot do not grab any robots before installing the mainframe processor.

After you install the Mainframe Processor, you have the option to reconfigure the Mainframe to stop all the Protectrons in the facility from attacking you, as long as you have at least 50 Science Skill. To do this, hack the mainframe and select "Cease Total Liquidation". Also, you can activate "Pest Eradication", which will make all Protectrons start killing the radroaches and mole rats. If you do not have a high enough Science Skill to hack the computer, another way of avoiding confrontation is to equip a Stealth Boy before inserting the processor.

Preferred Weapon of Choice: 10mm Pistol or Repellent Stick

When you hack the mainframe, you will have a few options:
 * Basic Functions: The robots will just walk around normally
 * Pest Eradication: Kill radroachs and mole rats
 * Total Liquidation: on/off attack humans
 * Stress Test: Causes robots and turrets to attack each other. This is applied to on top of any other command (ie if you did not turn off liquidation, robots will still attack you) However, turrets will be hostile regardless of other settings.

Loot of note

 * D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine - Offices and Cafeteria first floor, southernmost room, left before the stairs going up. On a desk next to the Protectron Pod.
 * Nikola Tesla and You - after Offices and Cafeteria door head through the right hand doorway, head straight, second cubicle on the right.
 * Big Book of Science - Factory floor, by the Protectron Pod area to NE, on console. Also, a Pre-War Book and RobCo Jumpsuit.
 * Lying, Congressional Style - Factory floor, on large desk at back of foyer.
 * Three Pre-War Books:
 * 1 in the main entrance area, on a shelf along the backwall. This is near where the Lying, Congressional Style book (mentioned above) can be found.
 * 1 in room where you attach device to mainframe
 * 1 in room containing Big Book of Science. It is on the same console where the Big Book of Science can be found, a little to the right.
 * Four Stealth Boys:
 * Same room as D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine
 * Same room as Nikola Tesla and You
 * In room where you attach device to mainframe
 * In cubicles in room just to the left of the bathrooms near main entrance
 * If you don't have the Vault 101 Utility Jumpsuit for some reason, be sure to pick up the RobCo Jumpsuit. It gives +5 to Repair. Found in a utility room across from the main entrance, near the bathrooms. It is grey and on a small pile of rubble, so it is difficult to spot. Look to the right of two six-door lockers, on the ground.
 * Bottlecap Mine on shelf of workbench in room off the factory floor, bottom floor connecting hall, eastern end. Two Sensor Modules for making Bottlecap mines are on the metal shelves - make more mines with Lunchboxes and Cherry Bombs, elsewhere in the building. There is also another RobCo Jumpsuit here.

Related quests

 * The Wasteland Survival Guide

Bugs

 * All Protecterons destroyed inside the area with the mainframe can be looted twice, once the first time you enter the area, and when you have attached the device to the mainframe all protecterons can be looted again. (this does not count for the protecterons on the factory floor)
 * There are numerous "Garage Doors" you can open (look like Food Dispensers, but bigger), but nothing actually happens. They register as open and closed, and can be activated to toggle between the two - but there is no accompanying animation, sound, or passage to go through. With some tricky jumping, the ones on the walls can do the same.