Fallout 3 random encounters

Throughout your adventures in the world of Fallout 3, you'll encounter random happenings in the Wastelands. There are certain places where random encounters can happen, but once you "activate" a random encounter in a particular area the spawn won't change, even if you come back days later.

What you can do is save outside the area before the event spawns, and that way if you don't get the spawn you're looking for you can revert. What is so significant about these random events? For one, rare weapons such as the Firelance has a chance of appearing.

Random encounter locations
These are the known locations so far:


 * Just outside of the entrance to Rockopolis. Fast-travel to Smith Casey's Garage and go in and come back out.  From the entrance, turn West and a teeny-bit North you'll be there in about 30-40 seconds.


 * Fast-travel to Jury Street Metro Station and head Southwest down the road towards the radio tower. From there travel Southwest and you'll run into a small canyon.  In the canyon is where the event spawns


 * In front of the Super-Duper Mart.

Different Types of Random Encounters
The following random encounters can occur at the above locations:


 * Three Giant Worker Ants fighting a Giant Radscorpion.
 * Two Wasteland Settlers and two Escaped Slaves fighting over a refridgerator of 10 purified water.
 * Two Wastelanders and an Enclave Eyebot.
 * Four Mole Rats fighting a Wastelander.
 * Two Giant Worker Ants (one bigger than the other) and a toxic barrel.
 * Laszlo Radford (He's hostile and will open fire on you with his Railway Rifle).
 * A Scavenger with his Brahmin and his dog. He'll offer you a Nuka-Cola Quantum for 100 caps.  You can talk him into reducing the price.
 * A Wasteland Doctor.
 * Three Giant Soldier Ants and a Giant Worker Ant fighting a Giant Radscorpion.
 * Two Giant Worker Ants fighting a Giant Radscorpion.
 * Two Mole Rats attacking a Wastelander (if you save her she'll give you a small amount of caps).
 * Two Hunters attacking a Giant Worker Ant.
 * Another Scavenger with just his dog who will also sell you a Nuka-Cola Quantum and you can talk him into reducing the price.
 * A Deathclaw with very low health and a dead Wasteland Settler with the schematics for the Deathclaw Gauntlet.
 * A man named Mel who is basically like a Highway Man from Oblivion. You have the choice to do what he says, attempt some speech challenges depending on your Speech skill and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, or kill him.
 * Another Scavenger with his Brahmin and a trained Yao Guai who you can also barter for his Nuka-Cola Quantum.
 * A dead Scavenger
 * A Scavenger and his dog fighting a Protectron. If you go near the Protectron after you kill it and the Scavenger is still alive, he'll attack you.
 * Another Scavenger and his dog fighting a Robotbrain. If you go near the Robotbrain after you kill it and the Scavenger is still alive, he'll attack you.
 * Three Radscorpions attacking a Wastelander.
 * A UFO exploding overhead and spilling a bunch of Alien Power Cells and a Firelance all over the area.
 * You'll receive a Chinese Radio Beacon over your Pipboy and you'll find a Dead Chinese Commando.
 * Two Wastelanders fighting a Giant Radscorpion over a fridge of 8 purified water.
 * Five Mole Rats attacking a Wastelander.
 * Three Mole Rats attacking a Wastelander.
 * Two Hunters fighting a Yao Guai.
 * A Giant Worker Ant and three Giant Soldier Ants (one being bigger than the rest) around a toxic barrel.
 * Four Vicious Dogs attacking a Raider.
 * Two Frag Mines (looked around and didn't find anything else).
 * A Scavenger and her Brahmin and trained Yao Guai around a flaming barrel.
 * Three Hunters attacking a Vicious Dog.
 * A Giant Soldier Ant fighting a Giant Radscorpion.
 * A Hunter fighting a Yao Guai.


 * Four Megaton survivors (If you destroyed Megaton) who will immediately turn hostile upon noticing you.
 * Sydney and Emaline Will be wandering and if spoken to they will become Hostile (If you left Sydney out on the Stealing Independence quest).