Wasteland Survival Guide (quest)

 is a multi-part Fallout 3 quest. It is also a Xbox 360/PC achievement and PlayStation 3 Trophy.

Moira Brown, the owner of the Craterside Supply in Megaton, wants you to do some dangerous research for a book she is writing entitled "".

Objectives and walkthrough
Though each chapter is generally a unique quest, they all share common attributes for their rewards. All non-unqiue item rewards are given in proportion to the player's level, meaning the player will receive more of the item at higher levels. The player is also given special dialogue options based which of their SPECIAL stats are above 7: the more stats above 7, the more dialogue options. This will affect the overall outcome of the quest. The player can also lie to Moira to skip portions of the quest, which negatively affects the outcome.

Each portion of the chapter can be done in any order. The order will not affect the overall outcome.

Chapter 1
Chapter one focuses on the basics: finding food and medicine, dealing with radiation, and avoiding land mines.

Find food at the Super Duper Mart

 * Main Objective: Find food in the Super-Duper Mart
 * Optional Objective: Find medicine in the Super-Duper Mart.

Moira wants you to look for food and medicine (should you chose) at the nearby Super Duper Mart. Moira will mark it on your map. The mart is filled with raiders. For more information, consult the Super-Duper Mart page.

At the front of the Mart, opening the refrigerator will fulfill the first part of the quest, as will finding any food inside. After this, the player can venture inside to finish the optional objective. There is a first aid box in the back room (next to the Mini Nuke and Protectron) in the left-hand corner of the store. Looting it will fulfill the objective, but will also summon several more raiders. The intercom will transmit their voices to warn you.

Moira will reward you with Iguana Bits and a Food Sanitizer if you complete the optional objective. If you only complete the main objective or if you successfully lie to her, she'll just give you the food.

After completing the questand the optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Endurance, Intelligence, or Charisma is above 7; Strength, Agility or Intelligence apply if you didn't. The standard or snide responses are available by default.

Contract radiation sickness

 * Main Objective: Contract 200 Rads
 * Optional Objective: Contract 600 Rads

Moira wants you to contract radiation sickness in order to test her radiation sickness remedy on you. 200 rads is considered the minimum, while 600 is necessary for the optional objective. Moira will heal your radiation at the end of the quest, so there is no reason not to go for the optional objective.

Depending on how far the player has traveled at this point, there are any number of highly irradiated areas will easily fulfill the objective. The closest option is the nuclear bomb right outside the shop. After you have reached the desired rad amount, speak to Moira to complete the mission.

After you complete the mission, your rad count will be reduced to 0. Moira will give you some Rad-X and Rad Away and she will also start selling them. If you completed the optional objective, Moira remarks that you now have a "teeny, tiny, um, mutation" after curing you, which manifests in the form of the Rad Regeneration perk. Alternatively, should you have a high enough Science skill (at least 50), you will be given the option of simply explaining the effects of radiation poisoning. However, you don't get the perk this way. The optional objective still counts as complete towards the quality of the final reward perk.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Endurance, Perception, or Charisma is 7 or better. Getting the Endurance option may be difficult, since you will be suffering Critical Radiation Poisoning (-1 ST, -2 AG, -3 EN) when you complete the quest. Assuming you weren't already making use of it, Buffout can counter the Endurance loss (+3 EN). There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Intelligence, or Agility.

Traversing a Mine Field

 * Main Objective: Travel to the playground in the center of Minefield.
 * Optional Objective: Retrieve and return a Frag Mine to Moira.

Moira wants you to reach the playground in the center of Minefield, aptly named, as the streets have many Frag Mines planted on them. She would also like you to retrieve a mine, if you are able.

Minefield is far northeast of Megaton. The mines can be disarmed and collected, thereby fulfilling the optional objective, or simply avoided. Minefield is home to sniper Arkansas, who adds to the challenge of this quest by shooting at the player and surrounding cars.

As Frag Mines are quite prevalent in the game, it is possible to lie to Moira about visiting Minefield and still complete the optional objective to complete the quest. If you already visited Minefield before doing this task, you can inform Moira of this, but you will not be able to complete the optional objective.

Moira will reward you with Frag Grenades upon completion of the quest, and will throw in Bottlecap Mine schematics if you completed the optional objective.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Endurance, Perception, or Agility is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma.

Completion
Once all three quests are completed, the first chapter will be done. Moira will reward you with some Stimpaks and 100 experience points for finishing the first chapter of.

Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of the guide centers on dealing with some of the many dangerous creatures that are known to inhabit the wastelands, and also how to handle injuries.

Test the repellent on Mole Rats

 * Main Objective:Test the Mole Rat Repellent on 3 Mole Rats.
 * Optional Objective: Test the repellent on 7 more Mole Rats

Moira wants you to test out her new Mole Rat repellent, which she has placed on the end of a stick, on some Mole Rats. Three is enough to finish the quest, while ten is preferred for a more thorough test of the repellent. Contrary to the name, the Mole Rat repellent does not repel Mole Rats. Instead, it causes their heads to explode. One hit causes a delay of a few seconds, while two hits will kill them instantly. Moira will not be happy about this.

Moira will direct you to the Tepid Sewers, located near the Anchorage Memorial, which will have enough Mole Rats for the main objective, but any Mole Rats, which are plentiful throughout the wastes, will count toward completion of the quest.

The reward for this quest is some doses of Jet and Psycho. If you completed the optional objective, you get to keep the Repellent Stick. If not, Moira will take it back and you'll have to buy it if you wish to keep using it.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Endurance, Intelligence, or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Perception, or Agility.

Place an observer unit inside a Mirelurk nest

 * Main Objective: Place an observer unit (provided by Moira) inside a Mirelurk Egg Clutch in the Anchorage Memorial.
 * Optional Objective: Complete the main objective without killing a Mirelurk.

Moira wants you to gather data on Mirelurk behavior by placing an observer inside the Mirelurk nest at the Anchorage Memorial. So as not to upset her data gathering, she would prefer you do this without harming any of them.

The optional objective only applies to Mirelurks killed during the quest. The game will not fault you for killing any Mirelurks in Anchorage before that point.

If the player completes the quest with the optional objective, they'll receive some Stealth Boys and a Shady Hat.

After completing the quest, you can get special conversation paths if your Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Endurance, Perception, or Agility.

Return to Moira with injuries equaling more than 50% of your health

 * Main Objective: Return to Moira with less than 50% of your total health.
 * Optional Objective: Return to Moira with a crippled body part.

Moira wants to see you when you are badly injured, so she can see how people deal with various injuries. She would prefer you to have at least one crippled limb before returning. Any injuries, self-inflicted or otherwise, count toward completing the quest.

With a high enough Medicine skill, you are considered "a good enough doctor to just explain" about injuries, and you receive credit for the quest and bonus objective. Be aware that this qualifies as a "smart" response and as a result may have an effect on the perk you receive upon completion of the quest as a whole.

The reward for the quest is some doses of Med-X, and an Environment Suit if the optional objective is completed.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Endurance, Intelligence, or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Perception, or Agility.

Completion
Once all three quests are completed, you are awarded 100 XP and some ammo, the exact quantities depending on luck. If the Wanderer is between levels 12 and 15, they will have a chance of receiving various quantities of any of the small arms bullet types.

Chapter 3
Chapter 3 revolves around how towns and cities came to be after the Great War and also dealing with pre-war technology.

Research Rivet City's history

 * Main Objective: Find out the history about Rivet City.
 * Optional Objective: Find out Rivet City's true history.

Moira would like to know the history of Rivet City, preferably as accurate as possible.

Almost every citizen of Rivet City is unfamiliar with its history. Most will point you in the right direction. Note that when you first start this quest the optional objective does not appear. It only appears until after you talk to a citizen of Rivet City. Upon speaking to any citizen about the history of Rivet City, you will complete the main objective and the optional objective will appear. Bannon is the first person people will point to; he will claim that he helped found the city. You can return to Moira at this point for normal completion, or fact check his story for optional completion.

Fact-checking this information requires meeting with Pinkerton. Belle Bonny in the Muddy Rudder bar will point you to his home in the broken bow of the ship. You may also receive information about Pinkerton by talking to Vera Weatherly, who will mention that Seagrave Holmes has lived there since he was a boy. Talking to him will tell you that Pinkerton may have left information in the bow. If you try to engage Pinkerton in conversation about Rivet City's history before talking to Belle, he will claim to have been one of the founders but you won't complete the optional part of the quest, as he does not care enough to give you proof. However, he will allow you to access his terminal which will contain information to complete the optional part of the quest. The dialogue option "Bannon claims to have founded the city" is required for him to give you the proof directly. Even if you haven't spoken to Bannon, using his terminal is enough to finish the quest, though you must get the password for it from Pinkerton.

To get to Pinkerton, you have to exit Rivet City proper, and travel to the other "uninhabited" half of the ship, where there is a walkway leading to a door. It is a Very Hard lock (level 100 lockpick), and if you're unable to pick it you must jump into the water to the left of the door and swim alongside the ship until you turn the corner, where you will find a door underwater. There is a long swim, but no underwater combat. An alternative to swimming around the corner is to jump off the ship from the marketplace entrance and take a short swim to the underwater doorway. It's much shorter and results in less rads. There are several Mirelurks inside, as well as booby traps set by Pinkerton. Pinkerton's lab is on the top level, behind a door that, if you try to open the first time, will say that it has to be opened from a different terminal. There is a rectangular yellow box in the same room hanging on a wall which you have to activate in order to open the door. If you took the underwater route to get to Pinkerton, you can walk out the Very Hard locked door by activating a switch right next to it (from inside).

At the end of the quest, Moira will reward you with some Mentats, as well as a permanent 10% discount with Rivet City's merchants (if you achieve the bonus conditions). You can also, as a joke, tell Moira that Rivet City was originally an underwater city. She will then talk about how it might have been part of Atlantis. You will receive Mentats and bad Karma but you won't receive the 10% discount. This option will also worsen the guide, eliminating the chance to get the Guru level perk.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Endurance, Perception, or Agility.

RobCo Production Facility Mainframe

 * Main Objective: Install the processor widget in the RobCo production facility mainframe.
 * Optional Objective: Hack the RobCo production facility mainframe

Moira would like to study robotics technology at the RobCo factory. Ideally, she would also like to examine how the robots are controlled. You have (humorous) special dialog options when speaking with Moira for this quest if you previously obtained The Mechanist's Costume.

To complete this quest, you must travel to the RobCo Facility and install the processor widget in the mainframe. The mainframe is on the very top level.

Upon reaching the mainframe and installing the widget, every robot will become hostile. To complete the optional objective, you need a Science skill of at least 50. You have to hack the mainframe you just started up and deactivate the third protocol that makes the robots hostile towards you. Of the other two available protocols, the first orders the robots to clear the area of Radroaches while the second 'stress test' option makes them attack each other (a good way to get a lot of ammo and Scrap Metal).

Alternatively, if you have the Robotics Expert perk, you get the option to just tell Moira about the technology in question, successfully completing the quest and the optional objective immediately; however, this will only work if you have the perk when you start the quest.

Moira will reward you with some Pulse Grenades if you complete the quest, and a Big Book of Science if you complete the optional objective.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Endurance, Perception, or Agility. Also note that the 'snide' response is considered negative if the bonus objective is not completed, thereby reducing the quality of the final perk.

Arlington Public Library

 * Main Objective: Access the card catalog at the Arlington Public Library.
 * Optional Objective: Retrieve complete Library Archive.

Moira would like you to retrieve library data from the Arlington Library. Retrieving the card catalog is enough, but also finding the library archive tape would be a bonus.

The Brotherhood of Steel is guarding the library, so the player will have to be nice to Scribe Yearling in order to be let through. Use the terminal at the front desk and to get the Card Catalog Holotape. In order to get the optional objective, you have to reach the archive terminal. Raiders and Radroaches are plentiful, but two Brotherhood of Steel soldiers will help in cleaning up the enemies. The terminal used to download the archives can be found on the third floor of the library, in a room just off of a short hallway which can be accessed from the room containing a ceiling turret.

Moira will pay you bottlecaps for completing the quest, and will give you a Lying, Congressional Style if the optional objective is completed.

After completing the quest and optional objective, you can get special conversation paths if your Endurance, Intelligence, or Agility is 7 or better. There are no conversation paths for high Strength, Perception, or Charisma.

Final reward
Completing the third chapter is considered the completion of the entire quest. You are rewarded with 100 XP, a Mini Nuke (Moira comments how she planned to use it to dig a well), a copy of The Wasteland Survival Guide, and the Survival Expert perk. The perk will vary depending on your conversation choices with Moira. See the perk page for more details.

Alternative solution
Instead of completing the chapters of the book you can persuade her into not writing the book at all, should you have a high enough Speech skill. As a reward, you will get the Dream Crusher perk, a variable amount of XP (depending on how many chapters have been completed - essentially the quest gives the same amount of reward XP whichever course the player chooses), lowered prices at the Craterside Supply, and Moira's Repair skill will increase to 75% from the standard 25%. Doing this rewards negative karma and permanently dampens the mood of the normally cheerful Moira. It is an achievement for PC/Xbox 360 or the trophy for the PS3 system.

Bugs
If you return to the Arlington library after completing that portion of the question, you can get another copy of the Card Catalog Holotape and the Media Catalog Holotape, but they just clutter up your inventory (PC)


 * (v1.4) After completing the Rivet City History Quest and its optional objective but before receiving the Survival Expert Perk, if the player asks Pinkerton for proof of Rivet City's history the second time, a glitch will cause Moira's conversation to revert back to the Rivet City History Quest. Since the player has already completed the quest, the only option to continue the Wasteland Survival Guide is to Lie. The player will still be able to receive the Survival Expert Perk (Rank: Survival Expert) upon completion of the quest. However, whether the player can receive the Survival Guru Rank is unclear.

If you find yourself stuck on this stage it is possible to complete the quest with console commands in any order. setstage 14e96 70 setstage 14e96 80 setstage 14e96 90

Note that this will only work if you are on the final chapter stages and is only an alternative way of bypassing the bugged dialogue. It is possible to use extra commands to receive Survival Guru before completing the quest, but the commands to simply add the perk are easier. example: player.addperk 331DD for Guru with +6% Damage and Rad and Poison Resistance

Another thing to note here is that this glitch is caused by a single quest variable being reset by Pinkerton's dialogue script (if anyone from Bethsoft reads this, please put a conditional check in his script). If you feel like being pedantic about keeping your save as unfudged as possible you can create a plugin using the G.E.C.K. which resets this value. It just takes 1 line of script: Set MS03.MS03c1 to 4

This should be added to Moira's on-end script for the dialogue option "I can't get a straight answer out of these folks." Then all you do is load the plugin and choose that dialogue option and it will unglitch your save - then you can re-save, disable the plugin again and continue playing as normal. (Ignore the warning about the save depending on a plugin, since it was such a minor change it doesn't matter, and the warning should go away next time you save). Also note that this plugin will almost certainly break the quest if you aren't already experiencing this bug, so be sure to disable it once you have unglitched your save so that you don't end up breaking your other saves.


 * Finishing the main quest while in the middle of the RobCo Facility subquest may make the RobCo Processor Widget to disappear from your inventory, making it impossible to complete (without lying to Moira). To get it back, write in the console: player.additem 0003D3B4 1

Behind the scenes

 * The Wasteland Survival Guide was the name of the hint and walk through book for the game Wasteland (game), considered the inspiration for the first Fallout game.
 * This guide is also included as booklet with at least some of the retail versions of the game.