The Sierra Army Depot is located northwest of New Reno in Fallout 2.[1]
Background
Once a regional storage area for the military's arms and munitions, a significant amount of its holdings were depleted in the Great War, although there are remaining gems of pre-War hardware that can still be salvaged for those that can brave the still functional automated defenses.[Pub 1] During World War II, the Sierra Army Depot was intended to be a storehouse of defensive ordnance, which would be used to defend the United States in tandem with nearby military installations and units to ensure adequate, unbroken supply lines in the event of an invasion by foreign entities.[2] Falling under the control of the U.S. Army's Industrial Operations Command (IOC), its activities were overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).[2]
Layout
The Sierra Army Depot is broken up into four levels, plus the exterior:
The exterior
The surface facilities of the Sierra Army Depot are extensive, and the base itself is well protected. Automated sentry turrets maintain the perimeter, secured behind a double chain-link fence. Topside hangars and warehouses store ordnance and equipment left from before the Great War.
The main entrance, apart from the structure leading to the underground sections of the base, also held an explosive munitions storage next to it (a field station, like the one used to conceal Lost Hills' access elevator), the base's power generators (has a small room with power switch beneath it), and a maintenance depot.
Level 1, personnel
The first level of the base, at ground level, houses the personnel facilities, where entry-point security controls the single entry into the base, while the rest of the level holds the barracks, a gym with two special punching bags that each grant +5% to the Unarmed skill for a total of +10%, and the infirmary with some medical supplies.
| Sierra Army Depot personnel loot: |
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Entry checkpoint: Infirmary:
Barracks: |
Level 2, storage
The primary storage warehouse of the Sierra Army Depot, level 2 contains the bulk of the depot's stores, as well as the quartermaster's office. Level 2 is also home to the armory, a high-security vault protected by force fields, shock-plate floors, and a small army of security robots.
| Sierra Army Depot storage loot: |
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Crates:
Breakroom:
High security armory:
Armory control room:
Security checkpoint: |
Level 3, robotics
One of two maximum-security levels, level 3 is home to the robotics division, the commanding officer's office, and an experimental robotics lab.
| Loot in Sierra Army Depot Command Center |
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Security checkpoint:
Robotics lab:
Commanding officer's quarters: Command officer's office: |
Level 4, bio storage and research
The deepest level of the Sierra Army Depot, and also the one under the highest security restrictions, holds the biological research facilities and their associated storage systems. Little more than a series of prison cells adjacent to a surgical suite and a cryogenics storage facility.
The contents of the cryogenic storage include various brains and other body parts (most long since turned to soup), Private Dobbs (an experiment in the biorestorative properties of the bio med gel) and cryogenically frozen virus specimens such as Anthrax, Black Plague (Strain 238), Small Pox (Strain 1025), Ebola, and Hantavirus (Strain 304).[3] The skeletal body of a large round-headed creature can be found in the room attached to the bio storage room.
| Loot in Sierra Army Depot Biostorage |
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Security Checkpoint:
Destroyed Prison Cell: Genius Experiment Cell:
Lector's Office:
Organ extractor: Sierra Depot experiment log (desk) Cryogenic storage: |
Appearances
The Sierra Army Depot appears only in Fallout 2.
Behind the scenes
- The Sierra Army Depot is based on the real world location of the same name, a United States Army post and military equipment storage facility built in 1942, located near the unincorporated community of Herlong, California.
- The location is mentioned in the Fallout Bible.[Dev 1]
Bugs
It is possible to get stuck on Level 4 of the base. The retina scanner on the elevator will not work when using the eye on it, despite the message "Access granted for Level 4". The elevator door simply does not open. The only solution is to pick the lock on the other metal door that leads to the second elevator, but unfortunately, this requires a very high skill in Lockpick. If all else fails, a save game editor can be used to temporarily increase your Lockpick skill, another option is to blow the door of the second elevator away, three frags will do the trick.[verified]
Gallery
Room beneath the exterior power generators
Alien in bio storage and research
Three skill books
Big Book of Science, level four
Gun and Bullets, barracks
Cat's Paw, second floor
References
- ↑ Sign on the building
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sierra mission statement
- ↑ Bio storage control terminal: "{125}{}{Virus Menu
Anthrax
Black Plague (Strain 238)
Small Pox (Strain 1025)
Ebola
Hantavirus (Strain 304)}"
(WSTERM4C.MSG)
- ↑ Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.172: "The Sierra Army Depot
The Sierra Army Depot was once a regional storage area for the military's arms and munitions. Although a significant amount of its holdings was depleted in the War, there are still gems—of prebomb hardware—to be found here. However, the base is not easy to find, and its automated defenses are still fully functional."
"The Path of the Chosen One
It's possible to complete the game without visiting the Sierra Army Depot. However the arms found here, including all plasma weapons, will make your future tasks that much easier. You can also build yourself a loyal and useful companion here—the Robobrain.
If you learned about the location of the Sierra Army Depot from Mr. Wright in New Reno, you'll be able to accumulate an additional reward from him if you make certain that the Depot is left open and available to his men. The weapons that he can glean here will almost certainly turn the tide—in his family's favor—in the battle for control of New Reno."
- ↑ Fallout Bible 6: "X. I've read all the updates and still I'm curious about one thing. Why the Sierra Army Depot is not mentioned at all? I think the Sierra Army Depot is not an insignificant part of the game's plot. Just on the contrary I believe that it has something to do with the F.E.V. experiments or with development of futuristic weapons and armor. It doesn't look like it's just a weapons storage facility. Otherwise why was it inserted into the game if it has no particular reason?(or a place where one can find some stuff to sell and gain an NPC(probably one of the best)) So my question is: What is the role of the Sierra Army Depot in Fallout and what it has to do with the F.E.V. experiments and weaponry development or maybe some kind of an artificial intelligence development?"
"First of all, the Sierra Army Depot was intended to be a bonus location for the game, just a place to adventure that wasn't tied to the main plot (kind of like the EPA, Abbey, and the Primitive Village were supposed to be), except it made it in (as did Modoc, New Reno, and to an extent, the Military Base, which, while it helps support the plot, isn't critical path)."
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