Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis Air Force Base is a location approximately 7.1 miles (11.4 km) northeast from New Vegas in the Mojave Wasteland. It is a pre-War air force base that once was the US Air Force Warfare Center and after the war became a home for the xenophobic Boomers, who were former occupants of Vault 34.

Background
In 2077, during the Great War, Nellis was struck by several atomic warheads, killing all the inhabitants and leaving the base highly radioactive. Over the following decades, wastelanders avoided Nellis because of their fear of the radiation.

In 2231, the Boomers, who had departed from Vault 34 and walked the wastes seeking a new refuge, came across the Nellis Air Force Base and settled there. Their Pip-Boy Geiger counters indicated that the base was radioactive, but not dangerously so, unbeknownst to the wastelanders. They began using the bases' remaining defensive structures and their own stockpile of heavy arms, retrieved from Area 2, to keep any strangers from setting foot anywhere nearby ever since their arrival.

Layout
Nellis' location is discreet and well-defended, most accessible by a cracked and cratered road littered with signs suggesting that entrance in to the area is strictly forbidden to all outsiders. The front gate is vigilantly guarded day and night by a howitzer team. Nellis Air Force Base main entrance can be approached from two different locations, most notable via the old road leading east from Fields' Shack. Approaching from this direction you will encounter George who provides the Courier with Nellis artillery timing details. The second approach can be accessed by the unmarked Train tunnel (that has a very hard lock) location east of Raul's Shack which avoids the dangerous artillery range entirely.

Upon entrance to the base, the most obvious structures are the control tower and hangars, to the west. Two runways run parallel to the east, occupying a majority of the bases' territory. The Boomers have made good use of the land between them, converting a parcel into an irrigated farm plot. The pipes are connected to an inaccessible shack, implying they have access to reclamation facilities. North of the farm is the Nellis Array, which provides power for the entire facility via solar panels. Along the northeast corner of the fencing is an unlootable graveyard.

One hangar houses the remaining parts of a B-29 bomber, while the other is used to house the VR terminals, used to train pilots, mess hall and storage. During the day, several important members of the Boomers can be found gathered here.

Quonset huts and shacks provide living quarters, medical and educational facilities on the west side of the base. Pearl and Loyal have their own homes, while the rest of the Boomers make do with segregated barracks. Also, the Boomer Museum is located amongst the eastern Quonset huts. Of note is a bio-diesel storage hut near the crane and tracks, giving the player a hint of what the Boomers are capable of, despite their isolation.

Notable loot

 * Nellis Air Force Base snow globe - inside Nellis Boomer museum.
 * Howitzer firing mechanism - in one of the gun cabinets inside Nellis Workshop.
 * Duck and Cover! inside Pearl's barracks among the books on bookshelf behind her.
 * Fat Man and 3 mini nukes - can be pick-pocketed from a Boomer while they are sleeping in one of three tents south-east of the Mess Hall & Munitions Storage hangar. Two more mini nukes can be found on the bottom floor of the Nellis array on the shelves. Another mini nuke can be stolen from the Boomer's munition store. It is inside a wooden box on the top shelf.
 * Thump-Thump - can be found in the Nellis array generator building bottom floor next to a skeleton and to the left of the ant mound.
 * The base bio-diesel refinery has 102 maize inside. Located north-north-east of the Nellis Boomer museum.
 * Two Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps - can be found on the north-eastern most table in the mess hall among other bottle caps.
 * A key to a locked gun case (very hard) in the armory of Vault 34 that can open the gun case for the pulse gun can be found in a filing cabinet in Pearl's barracks.
 * Several suits of combat armor can be stolen from the hanger where Loyal is found during the day. They are in metal boxes marked as armor case.
 * Dean's Electronics inside Loyal's house.
 * There are at least 9 skill magazines on the base, including 6 in the Nellis schoolhouse (3 on the teacher's desk and three more in the desk).

Appearances
Nellis Air Force Base appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Nellis Air Force Base was named in honor of Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Pilot 1st Lieutenant William Harrell Nellis, who was killed in WWII during the famous Battle of the Bulge.
 * The real world Nellis Air Force Base has a large solar panel array allowing it to be almost completely self-sufficient in terms of electricity.

Bugs
2nd after having fast travel out from the front gate. I fast travel back in later and Raquel was waiting right next to george. Conclusion: Raquel might be around the few last places you fast travel right after you met the boomer guard for the first time. If you went to their gate went away and came back later. Try to remember where you fast travel after getting bored of waiting at the gate, Raquel might be somewhere around the places you travel to. In two tests she was nowhere far from nellis, either at the metro or nearby George ( guy who bets with you about crossing the artillery barrage). Look for her around the destroyed town, the metro and surrounding areas. She might be there.... "might".
 * The guard that opens the gate may stand with his back turned and will not interact with the player.
 * This can be fixed by opening the console (~), selecting the gate by left clicking it and type unlock into the console, this will unlock the gate and allow you to walk in initiate conversation with the guard yourself and proceed normally from there.
 * Shelling may continue when near the Nellis fence and just inside the base.
 * If the player attacks the guards and Mr. Gutsies near the fences, a guard may become glitched so that he is invincible, and no new guards will spawn to let you into the gate. FIX: While standing at the gate go into V.A.T.S. and disarm one of the roaming patrols. The (non-glitched) guard with the rocket launcher seemed to be the easiest. When successfully done a fight will ensue, but holstering your weapon will end the fight, and the glitched guard who should interact with the player will freeze in whatever position he was in when the fight ended. Get the fight to end with the guard near enough to the fence, and the player may speak to him through it. Play should proceed normally.
 * At times the textures and layout maps fail to load correctly, leaving any character or robot that wanders into the afflicted area stuck in the ground if it reverts to normal.
 * There is a greenhouse that has planks nailed to the main door. The player may activate it, but nothing happens.
 * If the gate to the entrance of the air base is left open, some of the mini boomers may walk out and get attacked by the mortars. They don't die or even get affected by the missiles, they just keep walking and never come back. When the player walks with them the mortars do not fire, but if 2 - 5 steps are taken away from them, the mortars will begin firing again. This for some reason can lead to the mortars firing huge distances, potentially all the way to the outer walls of New Vegas and beyond.
 * At times, the guards at the front gate or in guard towers will randomly attack the player, even at accepted status.
 * Boomers will pile up just inside the west entrance/exit door of Mess Hall & Munitions Storage, vibrating and stuttering off of each other. Companions get 'lodged' inside the cluster upon entrance, and it takes several minutes for them to work free. Sometimes upon exit the Boomers will all 'burst free' and exit at the same time as the courier & companions, to then roam the base normally.
 * Sometimes, after completing most or all of the quests for the Boomers and then making a trip back to the Base, you may incur a random infamy gain with the Boomers for no reason in particular. None of the Boomers will be hostile towards you, and no evidence or bodies of what could have happened can be found. (It could possibly be caused by the completion of Heartache by the Number and choosing to kill Alice McLafferty, which in turn can turn Janet from the Young Hearts quest (if you chose to have her come to NFB) hostile and force the Boomers to put her down at your expense).(Tested on Xbox, when approaching the museum infamy is gained, entering the museum triggers Pete to enter dialogue, in which he complains that the player walked off without listening to his speech.
 * If you go near the base, discover it, and leave without approaching the Boomer who was shooting at you, Raquel will appear later at some point (usually after fast traveling) and asks you to go meet Mother Pearl. You will be forced to go back to the base with her to see Mother Pearl.
 * Female Boomers at Nellis AFB may have facial hair despite being female.
 * Sometimes no one ever comes to the gate, making this portion of the game un-completable.
 * Possible work around this bug: Sometimes the woman (Raquel) who did not come to the gate might have tried to chase after you when you fast travel. 1st time I arrived at the gate and the boomer guard told me to wait or I would get shot until someone arrived. I waited a few minutes then fast traveled to the secondary entrance point through the metro station. Finished it came out the other side. When I fast travel back to the metro entrance and entered Raquel was waiting for me inside the metro.