Megaton

 is a sprawling settlement set in a crater and surrounded by walls made of various scavenged materials. It is one of the two largest settlements in the Capital Wasteland, with 28 named inhabitants and several Megaton settlers, rivaled only by Rivet City in sheer size of population.

Megaton will often be the first populated town the player encounters after leaving Vault 101. Its proximity to Vault 101, its distinctive silhouette, and the relatively straight route and signing make it extremely difficult to miss, and it will very likely be the first trace of civilization the Lone Wanderer encounters.

Background
Megaton was built by a large group of people who sought shelter in Vault 101 but were denied access because the residents of the Vault were not allowed to leave or let anyone in as part of their subterranean installation's policy. Locked out of the Vault, the people settled down around a large crater created by an aircraft that crashed during the war. These settlers, led by Manya Vargas' father, constructed their homes using aircraft debris from a nearby air station. There is an undetonated bomb at the center of the crater, but because the town's construction was aided by the Children of the Atom, who worship the undetonated bomb, the settlers had no choice but to leave it unmoved in exchange for their help.

First contact with Vault 101
In February 2241, an expedition party sent by the Overseer of Vault 101 contacted the residents of Megaton. Initially, the residents were cautious with these strangers before they eventually accepted and welcomed them into the settlement. Two Vault residents, Agnes and Lewis, were appointed as Vault ambassadors to Megaton by the expedition leader Anne Palmer. A record of this expedition was archived in the Overseer's terminal.

Boppo's raid
A gang of raiders is based in the Springvale Elementary School, with the purpose of mining their way into Vault 101. Some of these gang members, led by Boppo, attempted a raid into Megaton. The attack ran afoul of Megaton's defenses, and the town's sheriff, Lucas Simms, shot Boppo in the head, killing him.

Layout
Megaton is roughly circular, with a central plaza around an atomic bomb resting in a puddle of radioactive water. Starting in the north and proceeding clockwise, the plaza is ringed by The Brass Lantern, Mister Burke's House, Children of Atom, and Megaton Clinic. Pathways lead from the plaza to the gate of Megaton, Craterside Supply and the common house. A major attraction of the plaza are the sermons of Confessor Cromwell.

Around the central buildings, a ring of buildings is built higher up in the crater. The Water Processing Plant and Moriarty's Saloon can be found here along with most of the inhabitants' private houses.

The left side of town is mostly residential, whereas the right side is mostly commercial.

Outside and around the back of the city is the Hollowed-Out Rock.

Notable loot

 * Bobblehead - Strength inside Lucas Simms' House, on a desk in a bedroom on the second floor. To avoid bad karma from picking the lock, wait until Lucas or his son are in his home or by entering the house through a hatch on the roof, or take the key from his dead body.
 * Grognak the Barbarian in Jericho's House, on the floor, between a teddy bear and a red pylon. You have to steal this item.
 * Nikola Tesla and You in your Megaton home after buying the science theme from Moira Brown.
 * Lying, Congressional Style in your Megaton home when you buy the Love Machine Theme from Moira Brown.
 * 4 pre-War books in Billy Creel's House.
 * Sniper rifle, stealth boy, .308 caliber rounds, stimpaks and As Requested note located outside Megaton along it's southern wall. Look for a hollowed-out rock with three small trees in a triangular pattern around it.

Related quests

 * Following in His Footsteps
 * The Power of the Atom
 * The Wasteland Survival Guide
 * Blood Ties
 * The Replicated Man
 * Holy Water (Broken Steel)
 * Treatment
 * Walter's Scrap Metal
 * Church Donations
 * Leo's Drug Habit

Appearances
Megaton only appears in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * The bomb in the center of the town and the people worshiping it are likely a reference to Beneath The Planet of the Apes, which features a cult worshiping an undetonated nuclear weapon after the modern world has been destroyed.
 * A Megaton is used to measure an explosion equivalent to the force of a million tonnes of TNT- A fitting name to a town with a nuke in the town center.

Japanese version
In the Japanese version of Fallout 3, the quest to blow up Megaton has been completely removed due to its "parallels to real historic events" quotes Official Xbox Magazine. They are referring to the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Gallery
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