Nelson

Nelson is a settlement in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281. Recently, the town was occupied by Caesar's Legion following the Battle of Nelson. It is located southwest of Camp Forlorn Hope and east of Novac.

Origins
Nelson's history dates back to the 18th century and discovery of gold in the Eldorado Canyon. By the middle of the 20th century, the mining activities petered out, turning Nelson into a virtual ghost town. In the decades after the Great War, the closed mines were reopened by enterprising miners in order to exploit what remained of any resources.

NCR occupation
By 2281, the New California Republic occupied the town and had established a military camp. The area was of high value due to its strategic location, between Camp Forlorn Hope and Camp Searchlight, both for logistics planning and to plug the gap between the bases and cover the Colorado River. Shortly after the NCR occupation, before the troopers managed to settle in, the Legion launched an attack. Two contubernia, led by Decanus Dead Sea, attacked and seized Nelson. With Searchlight recently destroyed and Camp Forlorn Hope stretched thin, no counter-attack materialized. The town has remained under Legion control ever since.

Under orders from Caesar to demoralize troops in the area, Dead Sea has ordered the execution of captured NCR troopers by hacking them apart, forcing them to jump off the cliff overlooking the river, and crucifying the remaining three, all within sight of surrounding NCR forces. To maintain pressure after taking Nelson, Dead Sea has launched raids against Camp Forlorn Hope to the north.

Layout
Nelson rests on a mesa on the upper reaches of the Eldorado Canyon, accessed by what remains of State Route 165. The mining camp and town itself is enclosed by a chainlink fence and surrounded by bunkers made from sandbags. The tallest point in Nelson lies up a hill on the northern edge of town where Legion soldiers monitor the area from an overlook. The NCR has established a roadblock on the road leading to Nelson. The town itself is centered around an open-air courtyard, now containing three crucified NCR troopers.

Surviving houses line the perimeter, used for a variety of purposes, including storage, an armory, mess hall, and housing. A small fortified position on the terrace below the town overlooks the Colorado River, with three graves nearby. A pair of barracks face the center of town. The barracks to the west contain the bodies of two NCR troopers and the eastern barracks contain another deceased NCR trooper as well as two recruit legionaries and their leader, Dead Sea.

Notable loot

 * Liberator - Unique machete, carried by Dead Sea in the eastern barracks.
 * Nuka-Cola Victory - In the Nelson house west of the barracks, behind the fridge.
 * NCR dogtags are found on all dead NCR soldiers.
 * C-4 plastic explosive with detonator - In a footlocker at the NCR roadblock with Ranger Milo.

Related quests

 * Back in Your Own Backyard
 * Restoring Hope
 * We Are Legion

Appearances
Nelson appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Nelson is based on the real world town of Nelson, Nevada.
 * Megan Parks was responsible for layout, prop placement, decoration, terrain shaping, and vistas in this location.
 * Cut content

Bugs

 * After the NCR has spawned and the Legionaries are gone, there may be 3 Legionaries running into each other in front of the campfire.
 * When completing a quest for Dead Sea, sometimes when leaving Nelson, near the guard tower facing Forlorn Hope, the Legion guards may attack the player character regardless of reputation. Killing them results in a loss of reputation. If this occurs, reload a save, circumventing the Legion soldiers.
 * Instead of three NCR troopers attacking Nelson, a group of roughly twelve may attack. They will kill any Legion soldiers or mongrels outside, and then stand in a circle in the center of the town.
 * Sometimes the NCR soldiers that are "tied up" are simply standing in front of the crosses. They appear to be "untied" but still need to be untied.