 |
For the Honest Hearts perk, see Eye for Eye. For the Wastelanders quest, see Eye for an Eye (Wastelanders). |
|---|
Eye for an Eye is an NCR side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.
Quick walkthrough[]
| Side Quest: Eye for an Eye | |||||||||||||
| Discover Cottonwood Cove. | |||||||||||||
| Reach Camp Searchlight and speak with First Sergeant Astor. | |||||||||||||
| Return to Cottonwood Cove. | |||||||||||||
| Plant the NCR bug on the ham radio inside the Cottonwood Cove HQ. | Turn the bug over to Aurelius of Phoenix. | ||||||||||||
| Find and retrieve the Legion raid plans and Legion patrol notes. | Acquire the old Legion paperwork, old Legion patrol notes and old Legion raid plans from Aurelius. | ||||||||||||
| Bring back the intel to First Sergeant Astor. | Bring back the outdated intel to First Sergeant Astor. | ||||||||||||
| Reward: 200/250 caps 500/1,000 XP NCR fame | Reward: 150/200/250 caps 500/1,000 XP Legion fame Karma loss | ||||||||||||
Detailed walkthrough[]
Spying on the Legion[]
The quest is started by first discovering the location of Cottonwood Cove, as in activating the location marker on the map, in the southeastern Mojave Wasteland. From there, go west from the cove to find First Sergeant Astor; Astor typically patrols around the perimeter of the irradiated Camp Searchlight, with the main camp on the western side of the town.
When first approaching, he will warn the player character against entering the camp due to the radiation and one can initiate dialogue about Searchlight's fate and the NCR troopers that were ghoulified as a result, triggering We Will All Go Together. Apart from that, one can choose the option to inform Astor about Cottonwood Cove. He will then ask them to perform reconnaissance on the Legion outpost and collect documents concerning their troop movements and raiding operations, as well as planting an NCR bug in their radio communications to help with future monitoring.
Return to Cottonwood Cove. If one has a positive reputation with the Legion, the legionaries including the centurion Aurelius of Phoenix as well as Severus and Canyon Runner won't be hostile as long as one is undetected when stealing the requested items. The Legion raid plans are found in a filing cabinet to the left of the radio intended for the bug (look left while looking at the radio), both on the first floor of the Cottonwood Cove HQ building. The Legion patrol notes are inside Aurelius' desk in his room on the HQ's second floor. Acquiring both documents will incur Karma loss due to them being marked as owned.
Planting the bug and returning the documents to Astor will garner 500 XP. Astor will subsequently offer an additional opportunity to help the NCR by going to the cove again and wiping out the entire Legion garrison there.
Destroying the Cove[]
The objective can be completed by simply entering the cove and attacking and killing all generic and named Legion members there. However, to achieve the highest amount of NCR fame, one must locate the red truck hanging off the cliff at the Cottonwood overlook slightly southwest of the Legion camp, where the Geiger counter will report that the truck is leaking radiation due to its load of waste barrels. Fulfilling the objective via this method requires going to the back of the truck and selecting it (one must have at least 50 Lockpick for the message to appear). Once chosen, the truck door will open, dropping several radioactive barrels into the camp and effectively killing the Legion the same way they had previously killed the NCR forces at Camp Searchlight. Astor will be quite pleased with this outcome, garnering NCR fame, 250 caps, Legion infamy (if they spot the Courier in the act) and 1,000 XP.
Note: It is best to wait for all the barrels to fall into the camp before trying to fast travel back to Astor. If one opens up the truck but fast travels too soon, the game will not count the legionaries as being killed using the radioactive waste.
Betraying the NCR[]
An alternative route is available where the player character can expose the espionage plot to Aurelius of Phoenix by giving him the NCR bug, garnering Legion fame. Aurelius will in turn give the old Legion paperwork, old Legion patrol notes, and old Legion raid plans, and send the player character to deliver them to Astor. If brought back to him, Astor will accept the outdated intel as none the wiser, completing the quest and garnering 500 XP, 150 caps, and more Legion fame.
Quest stages[]
Notes[]
- If Boone is an active companion, one can complete the quest by helping Astor spy on the Legion and carry out the optional objective to kill the legionnaires by opening the waste barrel truck to earn 2 of 5 required "history" points towards triggering his companion quest I Forgot to Remember to Forget.
- If the legionaries in Cottonwood Cove are already dead, the quest will automatically complete after telling Astor about it. The player character will receive NCR fame, 200 caps, 1,000 XP, and Astor will also call them a "beast." There is no option to plant a bug and steal the intel afterwards.
- To garner the most NCR fame this method, it is advisable to accept the quest in its first stage (planting the bug and stealing the intel) before killing the legionnaires. One can then kill everyone in the camp and still place the bug and steal the intel. When returning to Astor, "I killed everyone in the camp," should not be selected, and instead, the "[Give intel]" option should be. This will progress until "Is there anything else you need done?" becomes available, at which point Astor will mention cleaning out the camp and one can say they already have done so. This results in the full reputation gain possible.
- Astor will have unique dialogue if the player character is female and completes the additional objective by directly attacking and killing the legionnaires at Cottonwood Cove.[1]
- If the radioactive barrels are released into Cottonwood Cove before freeing the Weathers family from captivity, the quest Left My Heart will fail. The Weathers can be found in a locked pen behind the storage building. They are wearing slave collars that need to either be safely removed, maliciously detonated or provided with the key, in which case they will unlock themselves and escape. However, Anders, who needs to be freed as part of Aba Daba Honeymoon, is far enough away not to be harmed by the radiation.
- It is possible to complete this quest and eradicate the entire camp without incurring Legion infamy; if one wears Caesar's Legion armor, makes Boone wait at Ranger Station Echo nearby, and utilizes the radioactive barrels to eliminate the Legion soldiers. This results in no reputation loss for dropping the barrels into Cottonwood Cove if remaining undetected.
- If one stays near the cove after dropping the barrels, they can observe most of the non-unique Legion troops running up to the barrels and dying in a group. The named ones will simply die on the spot.
- Killing the legionaries in Cottonwood Cove, and then releasing the barrels will still give the extra NCR fame.
- If the radioactive barrels have been released, the ferry can still be used to reach Caesar's camp. The Legion ferryman, Cursor Lucullus, will now be wearing a radiation suit and will still grant access to the Fort.
Behind the scenes[]
- The quest name is a reference to the adage "Eye for an eye," dating back to the Babylonian Empire which expanded and thrived under the rule of Hammurabi. Hammurabi created a set of laws called Hammurabi's Code which stated that any crime would be punished equal to the crime perpetrated, though graded depending on social status.
- The principle is also found in the Bible, in Exodus 21:24: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."
- One interpretation of the Bible quote is frequently attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, though there is no documented evidence of him ever saying it. He supposedly said, "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind," reflecting his staunch pacifism and indicating a belief that seeking equivalent retribution will only incur further consequences, both for the victim and society.
Bugs[]
Sometimes, dropping the radioactive barrels will not kill all the legionaries. They will remain standing in front of the barrels without ever succumbing to the radiation. Four legionaries line up at the base of the cliff while the barrels roll right through them. However, the objective is still marked as complete in spite of the fact that the survivors can still be killed, targeted through V.A.T.S., and otherwise interacted with.[verified]- The truck door isn't always locked, making the quest much easier.[verified]
References[]
- ↑ The Courier: "I just killed everyone the old-fashioned way."
Astor: "A single woman slaughters an entire camp of legionaries?! Oh, that's priceless! Considering the way Caesar treats women, that should really put some doubts into his troops' minds. Wait til the rangers hear about this! You've done a fine job, friend. Here's a little something for your work."
(Astor's dialogue)
| |||||||||||||||||