Megaton settler

Megaton settlers are the unnamed wastelanders who have settled, but do not officially reside, in the city of Megaton, in 2277.

Background
Megaton's unusual immigration laws seem to have created a condition where a substantial portion of the population of the town is in this situation. Essentially, new visitors to the town seem to be approved individually by the sheriff/mayor, Lucas Simms. Meeting this approval allows one to remain inside the town's protective walls, but does not constitute citizenship. Non-citizens of the town are not permitted to own housing, and instead must either rent lodging at Moriarty's Saloon, or for the less transient settlers, space in the common house is shared communally. (The PC is, initially, considered to be transient and thus is not welcomed by the other settlers to share the common area in Megaton.)

Upon meeting criteria which are not made exactly clear to the player character, settlers may eventually become full citizens of Megaton; many of the settlers will express a wish that "maybe someday they'll let me buy a house here". The Lone Wanderer may become a citizen of Megaton by disarming the bomb in the center of town during the quest The Power of the Atom.

Effects of player's actions

 * If the player character's Karma is at the "very good" level, once per day while in town, a Megaton settler will come and give them some gift, such as bottle caps (sometimes even only 1 cap), food, a stimpak, or ammunition. The settler can usually be found around the entrance of Megaton and can vary in clothing, as well as change equipment throughout the game.
 * If the player character decides to destroy Megaton with the bomb located in the town's center, any surviving settlers (known as Megaton refugees) that the player character encounters will immediately become hostile towards them.
 * If the player character interacts with a settler after initiating the Holy Water quest, they will complain about the nearby cult and give the player character a Holy water pamphlet allowing one to progress in the quest.

Appearances
Megaton settlers appear only in Fallout 3.