An Antique Land

An Antique Land is a side-quest in the Point Lookout add-on for Fallout 3.

The quest starts aboard the USS Ozymandias, a beached research vessel east of shore, on a rocky outcropping. Inside the boat, there is a key-locked safe, which can only be unlocked from a nearby terminal. To do this, you will need to retrieve three soil samples from locations across Point Lookout. The quest may also start if you find a muck hole and pick up one of the holodisks, before even finding the boat.

Collect the soil samples
The soil sample tapes are located within the Excavated muck holes. Each hole is surrounded by radioactive muck and feral ghouls. All 3 are also filled with flammable gas. If you enter the muck holes with a fire weapon such as the flamer or Heavy incinerator equipped, you and the area around you will burst into flames, but it doesn't cause very much damage. Inside each are several bio-gas canisters, and the soil sample, contained on a holodisk. Once they are collected, return to the Ozymandias.

Soil sample #1 is inside an excavated muck hole north of the trash heap. (Lower middle of the topmost subdivision row, sixth column on the world map) Also, this place has a few Swampfolk around, so watch out for them rushing you.

Soil sample #2 is inside an excavated muck hole east of Lil' Tyke Playhouse. This location is guarded by 2 Feral ghouls and a Glowing One (a Feral ghoul reaver might also be present if Broken Steel is installed, depending on character level).

Soil sample #3 is inside an excavated muck hole northwest of the Jet Crash Site. This location is also guarded by feral ghouls and another glowing one.

Unlock the expedition supplies
Each sample will unlock a corresponding entry on the terminal, releasing the safe door. Once all three are entered, the safe opens. Inside are ten bio-gas canisters, radiation suits, rad-X bottles, and radaway packets. You are awarded 50 XP for finishing this quest.

Behind the scenes
The quest makes frequent references to English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley - the Bysshe company in the quest receives its name from Shelley's own middle name. The USS Ozymandias is named after one of Shelley's most prominent sonnets, and the quest's name is taken from this sonnet's first line: "I met a traveler from an antique land".

In the computer logs the expedition is said to be working under the authority of the "Isla Negra Real Estate Company." Isla Negra is the Spanish translation of Black Isle, the developer of the first two Fallout games.

Bugs

 * When trying to acquire soil sample #1, north of the trash heap, the game will crash. It will occur right after you have traveled a few feet into the water, north right after the sewer entrance manhole.

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