Camp Searchlight

"City of the Dead"

Camp Searchlight is an irradiated NCR military camp located in the ruins of the town of Searchlight, in the southeastern Mojave Wasteland.

Background
During the Great War, the bombs forced the Searchlight police department to divert a convoy carrying nuclear waste from San Onofre into Searchlight, so that the waste could be safely stored. The trucks could be parked at the Fire Station without exposing them to nuclear blasts that would turn the sealed, secure fuel casks transported on the flatbeds into massive dirty bombs.

The spent nuclear fuel rods remained there for over two centuries, with nobody trying to move them for fear of rupturing the casings. When the New California Republic deployed in force to the Mojave, Searchlight was chosen as a site for a military base. Camp Searchlight was established, becoming a major communications and logistics hub for the NCR Army. However, this made it a target for the Legion. Vulpes Inculta devised a plan that involved using frumentarii to first intercept shipments meant for the camp, depriving the troops of necessary supplies and stockpiling them for later use by the Legion. As the supply issues worsened, tensions emerged among the Camp's senior staff, and the frumentarii waited for an opening in the camp's defenses. The opportunity came soon, as the patrol routes were changed again for operational security reasons. As usual, gaps opened in the patrol routes as the troops had to get used to the new schedule.

Vulpes sent in a small group of legionaries, ordering them to infiltrate the fire station and unseal the nuclear fuel casks, unleashing lethal levels of radiation on the camp. The legionaries were killed instantly, while NCR troops were killed outright, turned into ghouls, or died soon after of radiation sickness. Only a handful of troops out on patrol survived, rallying under First Sergeant Astor. In the meantime, a task force under centurion Aurelius of Phoenix landed at Cottonwood Cove, establishing a beachhead on the western side of the Colorado River and immediately launching raids on both the surviving NCR troops and especially supply and trade caravans heading up to New Vegas. Further legionary groups moved up north and west as time went by, targeting Nelson and Nipton to lay the groundwork for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam.

Layout
Camp Searchlight has several buildings which can be entered, all of which are radioactive as well as the town itself. The buildings which can be entered include: a schoolhouse with a few golden geckos, a house containing the non-hostile ghoul Private Edwards, and a church in the west containing Logan and his prospector companions who are looting the town for the Crimson Caravan Company. Upon entering Searchlight fire station (where the radioactive canisters were originally opened, causing the town's demise), the Courier will immediately encounter a radscorpion queen and several normal radscorpions. To enter the firehouse, one needs to either kill or join Logan, as he holds the keys. There are several terminals outside that control the turret defense system.

Astor's recon camp
The devastating radiation attack by the Legion on Camp Searchlight has pushed the surviving NCR soldiers back to minimum safe distance. The fury and emotion is still raw, as First Sergeant Astor leads his men on patrol, and witnesses what his brothers in arms have turned into. In the modest camp lies First Sergeant Astor's log; it reads as if the man blames himself, and is ready to drop.

Inhabitants

 * Private Kyle Edwards
 * Logan
 * First Sergeant Astor

Related quests

 * Wheel of Fortune
 * We Will All Go Together
 * Eye for an Eye

Appearances
Camp Searchlight appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Searchlight is a real-life location in southern Clark County, NV and is located 50 miles south of Las Vegas.
 * Searchlight was implemented and written by Denise McMurry, based on a concept outlined by Joshua Sawyer.

Bugs

 * Logan will not talk with the character. Also, he does not have the Firehall key when pick-pocketed or killed, if having already killed other characters involved in obtaining Knock-Knock. Note: if killed before killing Boxcars while on the Wheel of Fortune quest, his body should have both keys on it.
 * If player discovers and raids the supply cave before approaching Logan, it will be impossible to proceed with the quest, only if the 4 radiation suits have been repaired to make one radiation suit already.
 * Two firetrucks, both stationed behind the Camp Searchlight fire station, don't have fully developed physical properties. The back end of each the trucks have no physical properties what so ever (you can walk straight through them) however the front cab on both trucks are like any other vehicle within Fallout: New Vegas.

Gallery
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