Old Nuclear Test Site

The old nuclear test site is a location in the Mojave Wasteland.

Background
This ancient location served as a test range for nuclear weapons for over a century, until the Great War turned the whole world into a thermonuclear proving grounds. The decades of testing left the entire area highly irradiated due to nuclear fallout and other debris scattered across the grounds. Though hazardous to humans, this made it a natural home for the endless hordes of feral ghouls that infest the wasteland, especially in the wake of the attack on Camp Searchlight in 2281.

Layout
The old nuclear test site is a highly radioactive area of the desert inhabited by feral ghoul reavers and glowing ones. Feral ghouls also wander the surrounding hills.

Although the site is mostly fenced off and inaccessible, the nuclear test shack within the compound can be entered. On a nearby hill, northwest towards Caesar's Legion safehouse, a sandbagged observation area with five chairs and five pairs of authority glasses overlooks the location.

Appearances
The old nuclear test site appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes
The test site is a based on the real world location Nevada Test Site, located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas. During the detonations in the early 1950s, a host of politicians, military leaders, and distinguished individuals were allowed to observe the tests from wooden benches, located several miles away. The authority glasses are a reference to these nuclear spectators, who would wear eye protection. Such detonations could be also felt and seen from hotel balconies and other establishments in Las Vegas, creating another tourist attraction in the process.