The Thorn (Fallout: New Vegas)

The Thorn is an underground settlement located within the outer walls of the New Vegas Westside. The R in the sign is pointing to the sewer, letting you know that is the main entrance. The main draw of Thorn is the Arena, where you can bet on the outcome of fights between Wasteland creatures or fight in the Arena yourself. Slightly to the north of the thorn is the entrance to the commercial and residential area of the New Vegas Westside. The access to the area is denied from 1.00 am to 6.00 am.

Layout
In the middle is a large Arena, and surrounding the sides are cages with Wasteland creatures grown & kept by Red Lucy for Arena battles.

If you like you can set up custom fights by talking to Red Lucy. You get to chose what creature and how many of it will fight in red vs. blue team. Since the creatures are expensive to breed, keep and maintain you will have to pay for the fight. If red team wins you get your caps back plus a little extra.

Lucy sends you into the wasteland to find eggs from each time more dangerous creatures, after the last eggs the courier (both genders) can go to bed with lucy. Also, you can fight against the creatures you brought, such as deathclaws or firegeckos.

Bugs

 * Crash-to-Desktops are very common in this area, especially while fighting in the Arena. Save often.
 * This area has been known to crash to the XMB. It's advised to save often.
 * After defeating any animals in the Arena, the doors open allowing you to leave. A second or two later all the gates that just opened for you to leave instantly seal and the only way out is through the side of the Arena, which itself is sealed unless this glitch occurs. This can easily cause you to get caught in between the two doors leading into the Arena with no way out except the console. This doesn't happen every single time but it's extremely common.
 * When fighting any number of Cazadores (1-3) the creatures will turn on each other, stinging each other to death, and the doors will not open after they are dead, leaving you trapped in the arena.
 * When betting on a fight between any creatures, the creatures enter the arena and do absolutely nothing (as if not hostile to each other). Red Lucy is unable to be interacted with and the fight remains a permanent stalemate, unless you want to shoot one and have Thorn turn hostile. (Solution: Kill one of the teams, exit The Thorn, wait a few (game)hours then return, Things should be normal.)
 * Sometimes, when approaching the exit door, it automatically seals, leaving the player trapped inside the Thorn. The only way out is teleporting through the console. (cause not yet determined, any help appreciated)
 * When entering the arena and going to fight the door opens but your cannot get through it. An invisible wall blocks your path.(you can get through it by crouching then jumping or just walk forward and keep jumping)
 * Choosing to fight in the arena may cause any current followers to go missing.
 * When using a Plasma Rifle, or a weapon of the same type, and disintegrating enemies into goo, the goo will not disappear immediately like corpses would - or not at all.
 * It is easily possible to walk through the gate before entering the battle area. Creatures can not walk through their own gate, which proves as a huge advantage when taking on the harder creatures.
 * Sometimes the enemies will back out through the door they came from (before the gate) before it closes or even if it has already closed. This prevents the the battle from being completed, and so stops the courier from leaving. If you're lucky enough, the enemy may reveal itself through the door by walking into it (a giantscorpion's claws, for example), and you may be able to get a few cheap shots at it. It's advised to save before the battles, and not to use explosives on creatures from a distance before they get free as this can throw them back through the door or possibly hit spectators, which will turn them hostile. Though to avoid this altogether the player can hug the right wall of the arena and go around the column (next to the exit gate) to approach them so that they will be too close when engaged in combat and will not run away.

Appearances
appears in Fallout: New Vegas.