Viper gunslinger

Viper gunslingers are members of the Vipers gang living in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Background
Along with the Jackals and Khans, the Vipers were one of three legendary raider gangs that emerged from Vault 15 in the years following the Great War. Although once a great scourge on the Wasteland, the Vipers have since been reduced to a very weak group of raiders by the lawbringing forces of the emerging NCR.

Viper gunslingers in the Mojave Wasteland are very similar to their Jackal gang member counterparts; low-level raiders equipped with poor weapons and armor. Most wear merc outfits or less commonly leather armor, while a few wear metal armor. About half of them carry weak melee weapons such as knives or tire irons, while the rest carry firearms such as 10mm pistols or 10mm submachine guns. After the latest patch, Vipers will occasionally be equipped with a grenade rifle. While generally weak, Vipers armed with grenade launchers can deal heavy damage, and those wearing metal armor can resist weak firearms and pose a threat to low-level player characters.

The greatest difference between Viper gunslingers and Jackal gang members is that Jackals mostly wear wasteland outfits while Vipers mostly wear merc outfits. Vipers are also slightly better equipped than Jackals, being more likely to carry firearms, although their armament is still fairly poor and many of them still only have melee weapons.

Viper gunslingers are sometimes lead by a Viper leader, who is significantly tougher and better equipped than his/her minions.

Viper gunslingers are hostile towards the majority of the Mojave Wasteland's other inhabitants, including Traveling merchants and Prospectors, both the NCR and Caesar's Legion, and even other raider groups such as the Jackals and the Fiends. They are allied with the Wasteland's mole rats, with whom they share some overlapping territory.

Locations
Viper gunslingers primarily control the stretch of Highway 95 between Nipton and Novac, and are typically first encountered ambushing the player in the highway canyon area east of Nipton. Viper camps can be found at the Hidden supply cave, the train tunnels southwest of Ranger station Charlie, the Highway 95 Viper's encampment, inside the Searchlight East Gold Mine, on the highway near the El Dorado Gas & Service north of Novac, and at the Horowitz farmstead north of New Vegas. A large ambush of several Viper gunslingers will appear at the Raided Farmstead once the player enters the home/trailer there.

Appearances
Viper gunslingers only appear in Fallout: New Vegas.