Motherlode Acquisition Facility

The Motherlode Acquisition Facility is an unmarked location within the Deep, beneath the Savage Divide region of Appalachia.

Background
The Motherlode Acquisition Facility is located within a massive cavern in the Deep, bellow the hills west of the Whitespring Resort in the Savage Divide. The facility is surrounded by the same liquid found on fissure sites. The area is occupied by communist infiltrators, who use the site as the central hub for their Motherlode operations.

The communists intercepted one of the Hornwright robots and have been using it to drill multiple tunnels beneath Appalachia. While their exact mission is uncertain, the information provided by the security terminal suggests they were working on a project to connect different areas of the region to the Deep via these underground tunnels. So far, four tunnels had been excavated, with a fifth still in progress.

Maintaining a strict secrecy, including standing orders to shoot anyone without clearance, the communists guarded the place fiercely. They managed to acquire some power armor, equipped by their commanders. Isolated since after the Great War, the facility's personnel turned into ghouls, which likely is a result of the emanating radiation from the fissure site liquid surrounding the base. Even 25 years after the conflict, the facility is still visited by external pre-war Chinese assets.

In 2103, the Vault Dweller infiltrated the building in order to obtain a suit of Chinese stealth armor. This caused the communists to wipe out all their collected data and begin Operation Piercing Viper.

Layout
Further inside the Deep tunnels, there is a walkway on the base. The walkway has a few soldiers and Liberators wielding energy weapons. The communists surround the island-like base, which has a moat of ultracite. Two to three soldiers will be on the roof of the base, one with a missile launcher, which can be accessed by stairs on the side.

In the interior of the base, there are three levels including a basement, a first floor, and a second floor. Communist soldiers and two commanders in power armor are inside or nearby the building. At the bottom of the base is an auxiliary control room door on the left. The other door (locked) has a chamber where the Motherlode will appear and will bring the player character to the Mire or several areas within the Savage Divide. The PRC Motherlode access key is found on the commander's body.

Notable loot

 * PRC Motherlode access key - Key, found on the corpse of a communist commander inside the facility.
 * Potential Vault-Tec bobblehead - On the top floor of the facility, on a console along the southeast wall, near a steamer trunk.
 * Two potential armor mod plans:
 * On the top floor of the facility, on a middle bunkbed, facing the eastern wall.
 * On the top floor of the facility, on a green container, facing the southwestern wall.
 * Mini nuke - On the top floor of the facility, on the edge of a green container facing the southern wall.

Appearances
The Motherlode Acquisition Facility appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Wastelanders update.