Ghost Town Gunfight is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.
Quick walkthrough[]
| Quest: Ghost Town Gunfight | |||||||||||||
| Observe Trudy interacting with Joe Cobb in the Prospector Saloon. | |||||||||||||
| Speak with Trudy about Ringo and the Powder Gangers. | |||||||||||||
| Find Ringo in the gas station. | |||||||||||||
| Recruit Sunny Smiles to help fight the Powder Gangers. | |||||||||||||
| (Optional) Pass a 25 Speech/Sneak skill check to recruit Trudy and the Goodsprings settlers. | |||||||||||||
| (Optional) Pass a 25 Explosives skill check to recruit Easy Pete and get 5 dynamite. | |||||||||||||
| (Optional) Pay 1000 caps or pass a 25 Barter skill check with Chet to equip the milita with leather armor. | |||||||||||||
| (Optional) Pass a 30 Medicine skill check to get 2 doctor's bags from Doc Mitchell. | |||||||||||||
| (Optional) Recruit Victor. | |||||||||||||
| Return to Ringo. | |||||||||||||
| Defend Goodsprings against the Powder Gangers' assault. | |||||||||||||
| Reward: 100 caps 150 XP Goodsprings fame Powder Gangers infamy | |||||||||||||
Detailed walkthrough[]
The quest is started by first completing either Back in the Saddle or By a Campfire on the Trail; at any intermissionary stage during the former, one can choose to end the tutorial. After Sunny Smiles suggests talking to Trudy, the town leader and bartender at the Prospector Saloon, the player character can go and pay a visit to the watering hole. Upon entering, one can hear a conversation between Trudy and Joe Cobb, a convict from the NCR Correctional Facility and member of the outlaw Powder Gangers. Cobb threatens to burn Goodsprings to the ground if they don't hand over a man named Ringo, though Trudy sternly brushes him off. Once Cobb leaves, one can speak with Trudy, both about their mystery attackers and about the recent argument, the latter of which leads to her revealing that Ringo is a trader fleeing from the convicts' ambush that the townsfolk are sheltering in the gas station slightly west of the saloon, though some worry about the damage his pursuers might do when they come around and are near to throwing him out on his own before it happens.
- One can also start the quest by talking to Doc Mitchell in his house after completing the above quests, where he will mention that there is trouble in town.
- If one talks to Joe Cobb near one of the busted buildings south of the saloon and agrees to help the Powder Gangers take over the town, triggering Run Goodsprings Run, going to talk to Ringo next will cause him to refuse help as he claims to have seen them speaking with Cobb and does not trust them, failing this quest.
Helping out[]
From the saloon, follow the road west to the abandoned gas station, to the right of Doc Mitchell's house. Entering the door, Ringo will draw his 9mm, thinking they're an intruder coming for him, but one can assure him they are friendly, and he'll offer a game of Caravan to cool their heads and provide a Caravan deck (serving as an introduction to the game). One can accept or ignore it in favor of asking him about his run-in with the Powder Gangers, to which Ringo clarifies they hit the Crimson Caravan transport he was on, but he managed to take a couple of them out before fleeing to Goodsprings. He offers to give up the remainder of the caps he was carrying as payment for the player character's help getting rid of the convicts, then suggests they recruit some extra hands among the townsfolk, starting with Sunny Smiles.
Gathering a militia[]
Following Ringo's advice, one must return to the Prospector Saloon and speak with Sunny, who will agree to help upfront, no questions asked. She further suggests trying to get the rest of the locals to aid in forming a militia against the Powder Gangers, though notes that some might need special methods of persuasion to work.
There are a total of four marked options, and one unmarked option, the former of which will require passing a myriad of skill checks. If one lacks the necessary skill level(s), the area of Goodsprings has several fixed-location skill magazines that can help reach them, as well as being found randomly in old mailboxes around Goodsprings and in other locations like nearby Primm. Many merchants sell them on a random basis as well.
The options for increasing the strength of the Goodsprings militia include:
- Chet, owner of the Goodsprings General Store has a stockpile of leather armor but refuses to part with it unless compensated appropriately. This requires paying him a sum of 1000 caps or passing a 25 Barter skill check to persuade him to do it for free. Chet will then gift one set of leather armor in ~50% condition to the player character and promises to offer the rest of his stock to the town as well (the generic Goodsprings settlers will be equipped with their own sets of leather armor).
- Both Chet and Trudy sell Salesman Weekly, which boosts the Barter skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension).
- There is a Salesman Weekly in the Goodsprings schoolhouse, under the wooden shelves at the back.
- One of the ranchers, Easy Pete has access to a stash of dynamite, but he won't hand it over to just anyone who asks; he'd prefer the criminals blown up instead of the townsfolk blowing themselves up. This requires passing a 25 Explosives skill check. Sunny Smiles will later hand over 5 sticks of dynamite shortly before the assault begins.
- A Patriot's Cookbook, which increases the Explosives skill temporarily by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension), can be found in the NCR Correctional Facility, cell block A, in the back cell. It can also be found as a random loot from mailboxes or the duffle bag in the Goodsprings cave.
- As the town's de facto mayor, Trudy's voice carries a lot of weight if she were to call for armed support against the invaders. This requires passing a 25 Speech check or 25 Sneak check. Trudy and one or two armed Goodsprings settlers will then appear during the assault.
- Both Chet and Trudy sell Meeting People, which boosts the Speech skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension).
- North of town, behind the Goodsprings General Store, is a white trailer next to a house. There is a Meeting People on the floor under the shelf inside.
- A Stealth Boy (+100 Sneak) can be used to pass the Sneak check with Trudy. One can usually be found in the Goodsprings schoolhouse inside the locked safe (Lockpick skill of 25 required).
- Inside the saloon in the room with a computer there is a Meeting People magazine, along with a Salesman Weekly magazine on top of a Sunset Sarsaparilla crate.
- ¡La Fantoma! magazines may randomly spawn in mailboxes around Goodsprings.
- The risk of injury against the armed, dynamite-tossing convicts means medical supplies from Doc Mitchell will go a long way. The initial request for help will garner three stimpaks and passing a subsequent 30 Medicine skill check nets two doctor's bags in addition.
- A copy of Today's Physician, which boosts the Medicine skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension), can be found inside Mitchell's house, on a desk with a typewriter where the game begins.
- Despite the 30 Medicine requirement, no XP is given for passing the check, unlike with each of the others involved.
The above-mentioned unmarked recruitment option involves enlisting the help of Victor to help in the fight, however, he won't show up. Talking with him again after the quest is complete (but before causing him to appear in Novac), he admits to having "dozed off" but if one passes a 25 Science skill check, it will show that he was remotely disabled by someone else prior to the attack.[1] Note: Sometimes when going to enlist Victor, the option to recruit him will be inexplicably missing. This can usually be worked around by talking to one of the other NPCs for the quest and then returning to Victor.
- A Programmer's Digest, which boosts the Science skill by 10 (or 20 with Comprehension), can be located in Goodsprings schoolhouse near the computer terminal, and there is a second copy on the shelf beside the overturned desks.
Note: Even if one does not directly recruit Easy Pete or Trudy, they will still probably help out in the fight, along with Chet.
Note: It is advisable to ensure Sunny Smiles at the least does not die during the fight, as that will make it impossible to carry on the quest - see the Bugs section below for more information.
Gunfight at the Prospector Saloon[]
Once all possible recruitment efforts have been exhausted, return to Ringo in the gas station to confirm the staging of the counterattack. It comes just in time too as Sunny enters the building and confirms the Powder Gangers are on their way into town, consisting of a six-man group armed for a fight.
All gathered members of the militia will be found in cover positions around the General Store and saloon, with the convicts coming up the road from the southeast. If done at a low level, they will attack with common weaponry like baseball bats and single shotguns (Cobb will be wielding a .357 Magnum revolver). Attacking and killing them will incur Powder Gangers infamy and garner Goodsprings fame. Once all the convicts are dead, Ringo will approach and thank the player character for their help, giving them the caps and promising some extra if they come find him at the Crimson Caravan Company compound near New Vegas. The quest will then complete.
Quest stages[]
Notes[]
- It is possible to kill Joe Cobb before the final attack by the Powder Gangers and several Goodsprings residents will comment on it. He will also be replaced by a generic unnamed Powder Ganger during the final assault, maintaining the six-man group of enemies needing to be killed.
- Ringo will not accept the player character's offer to help him if they have a negative reputation with Goodsprings, thus rendering the quest impossible to complete.[2]
- If the player character does not personally kill any Powder Gangers during the fight or performs only stealth kills, the most negative reputation they can earn with the Powder Gangers is a Shunned reputation, which is not low enough to cause any Powder Ganger locations to be hostile to the player character, should one also wish to enter the NCR Correctional Facility and complete I Fought the Law for Eddie.
- Alternatively, one could complete that quest first, then return to Goodsprings to complete this quest. However, leaving Goodsprings triggers the one-time menus for redoing the Courier's SPECIALS, Skills, etc. However, before telling Ringo the fight is on, a player character could leave and return to Goodsprings since a redo of specs should not affect the final gunfight.
- Using a weapon that inflicts Fatigue damage to knock out Powder Gangers is a way to help Goodsprings win the fight without earning a Vilified reputation with the Powder Gangers.
- If one steals the single shotgun found in one of the houses in Goodsprings before entering the gunfight, Trudy will not have a weapon in the fight.
- When attacking Joe Cobb, he may run into Easy Pete's house to hide.
- The roof of the Prospector Saloon can be reached using the wooden barrels and crates nearby and offers a good vantage point during the fight.
- If the player character shoots any Goodsprings residents during the fight, everyone on their side will turn hostile after defeating the Powder Gangers unless the player's gun is holstered.
- Both Ringo and Joe Cobb will talk about Ringo's relative safety hiding out, saying that Ringo could shoot Cobb through the windows. However, the windows on the outside of the gas station are boarded up, and there are no windows in the interior of the gas station through which Ringo could shoot or see anyone coming.
Bugs[]
Sunny may die before the Courier talks to her, thus rendering the quest impossible to finish. [verified]- When returning to the gas station after talking to the townspeople, the door may be locked, requiring a key to open. However, this key does not appear to be obtainable until the mission is over. [verified]
- Upon entering the gas station to report to Ringo, the Courier may find the door unable to be interacted with thus trapping the player character in the gas station. [verified]
- It is possible that the quest may not show up as active in the Pip-Boy, and it will be impossible to progress in it (the non-player character dialogue will not show up). [verified]
- After completing the quest, the inhabitants of the town who assist in the quest disappear. Using the player.moveto console command finds them in the Goodsprings home nearest the schoolhouse. [verified]
- When doing the optional quest to recruit the help of the Goodsprings Locals, Easy Pete may be at Black Mountain for no apparent reason. [verified]
- If the Powder Gangers attack started, but the Courier kills all of them en route, or Joe Cobb is killed by an unrelated NPC or by a mine, being previously weakened by Courier attack - the quest does not complete, making the quest impossible to finish. This can be fixed by re-killing one of the Powder Gangers or respawning Joe and allowing him to walk into the gunfight range: [verified]
- One can spawn a new Powder Ganger with the console command "player.placeleveledactoratme 00104c6a 1", which creates a new Powder Ganger at the Courier's location. However, this may cause savegame bloating.
- One can also resurrect an already-killed Powder Ganger: Click the corpse of one of the Powder Gangers that showed up for the Ghost Town Gunfight. It is correctly selected if the top of the screen shows the target's name and refID. Use the console command "resurrect".
- Kill the Powder Ganger again.
- When the Courier goes to tell Ringo that they are ready to fight, Sunny Smiles will come in and say something along the lines of "I'll be watching the Powder Gangers for when the time comes." Ringo will not go outside but stay in the gas station, and the only way to fix it is to restart. [verified]
- Joe Cobb's corpse never disappears from the game. [verified]
- At random times after completing the quest one may be given it again, everyone will respawn and XP is granted after beating the quest again. [verified]
- If the player character has completed I Fought the Law first (betray Eddie), then return to Goodsprings to take this quest, they will not be able to complete it. The quest will not appear in the Quests log, one will not be able to start the fight.[verified]
References[]
- ↑ The Courier: "Figures. Someone shut you down deliberately, but there's no record of who."
Victor: "That's a puzzle, all right. I'm sure it's nothing. I truly am sorry I couldn't help you, pardner. Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"
(Victor's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Maybe I can help."
Ringo: "No thanks. I think we'd need some of Goodsprings on our side, and I hear you're not exactly friendly with them."
(Ringo's dialogue)
