Fallout 3 Achievement Guide

Alas!  We have found a Fallout 3 Achievement guide for all you happy go lucky nuke dodgers! Thanks to GameSpy for the guide!

Quest Achievements
Vault 101 Citizenship Award: Got the Pip-Boy 3000. – 10G
The G.O.A.T. Whisperer: Took the G.O.A.T. – 10G
Escape!: Completed “Escape!.” – 20G
Following in His Footsteps: Completed “Following in His Footsteps.” – 20G
Galaxy News Radio: Completed “Galaxy News Radio.” – 20G
Scientific Pursuits: Completed “Scientific Pursuits.” – 20G
Tranquility Lane: Completed “Tranquility Lane.” – 20G
The Waters of Life: Completed “The Waters of Life.” – 20G
Picking up the Trail: Completed “Picking up the Trail.” – 20G
Rescue from Paradise: Completed “Rescue from Paradise.” – 20G
Finding the Garden of Eden: Completed “Finding the Garden of Eden.” – 20G
The American Dream: Completed “The American Dream.” – 20G
Take it Back!: Completed “Take it Back!.” – 40G

You’ll be able to obtain all of these achievements by simply playing through the single-player campaign, although it should be noted that there is at least one you can talk your way out of if your Speech skill is high enough. If you do this, you won’t get the achievement unless you reload your game and complete the quest.

Big Trouble in Big Town: Completed “Big Trouble in Big Town.” – 20G

In order to find this side quest, you’ll either need to track down Sticky (who’s kicking it around Main Quest location Little Lamplight) or wander into Big Town itself, which is right along the Potomac near the middle of the map.

The Superhuman Gambit: Completed “The Superhuman Gambit.” – 20G

This highly amusing side quest can be found in a sleepy little trading town called Canterbury Commons, which is located right along the eastern side of the map. A character named Ernest “Uncle” Roe will approach you, thrusting you into the middle of a war between two slightly insane super-people.

The Wasteland Survival Guide: Completed “The Wasteland Survival Guide.” – 20G

One of the first towns that everyone comes across is Megaton, and talking to Moira Brown in Craterside Supply will unlock this long side quest. If you’re feeling chatty, you can potentially persuade Moira to give up on her guide, unlocking the achievement with a minimal amount of work!

Those!: Completed “Those!.” – 20G

Old-school horror movie fans will recognize this as an homage to the classic nuclear cautionary tale “Them!” about a town that’s overrun by massive ants. You’ll bump into a lad named Bryan Wilks somewhere around the town of Grayditch, which is just a few hundred yards from the Super-Mart put on your map by the aforementioned Moira Brown. Be warned: The Fire Ants are tough!

The Nuka-Cola Challenge: Completed “The Nuka-Cola Challenge.” – 20G

As you play through Fallout 3, you’ll likely find dozens of Nuka-Cola bottles in vending machines and abandoned stores, but this side quest tasks you with finding the more elusive, bright purple Nuka-Cola Quantum bottles. It actually pays to just collect the Quantum bottles as you play through the rest of the game, then head to the small town of Girdershade in the southwest corner of the map directly north of the Dunwich building. There, you’ll be asked by Sierra to find 30 bottles from the Nuka-Cola bottling plant, but she’s happy to take any other ones off your hands if you want to stock up before visiting.

Head of State: Completed “Head of State.” – 20G

By heading to the Temple of the Union that’s directly northwest from the town of Canterbury Commons, you’ll meet a group of escaped slaves who want to restore the Lincoln Memorial to its former glory. There are a couple of different ways to complete this quest depending on where you want your karma levels.

The Replicated Man: Completed “The Replicated Man.” – 20G

As you complete the main story, you’ll enter the floating town of Rivet City. Once you’re there, talk to the morally dubious Dr. Zimmer. He’ll ask you to track down a rogue android that doesn’t know it’s not human (“Blade Runner” anyone?), but you’ll have to chance to decide its fate for yourself.

Blood Ties: Completed “Blood Ties.” – 20G

Anyone who played through Oblivion will notice the similarities to the vampire quests in that game, although you get a nicer reward for your troubles this time out. When you make it to Megaton, have a chat with Lucy West about the status of her family in Arefu. She’ll mark the town’s location on your map. If you can play nice with The Family, you’ll be rewarded for your negotiating skills.

Oasis: Completed “Oasis.” – 20G

Like the Painted Troll quest in Oblivion, Oasis should be one of the Fallout 3 side quests that fans remember most fondly. It’s a tough one to find and reach, as you’ve got to walk all the way to the northernmost area of the map, where you’ll find a path leading into the hills. Be sure to say hi to Harold for us!

The Power of the Atom: Completed “The Power of the Atom.” – 20G

You’ve probably all heard and read stuff about the town of Megaton and the moral quandary that you’re thrust into soon after arriving in town. It’s a fairly black-and-white ethical decision, but you should be happy to know that you’ll have a sweet new pad no matter which karmic direction you choose.

Tenpenny Tower: Completed “Tenpenny Tower.” – 20G

The easiest way to find Tenpenny Tower is to speak with Mister Burke in Megaton, then agree to blow up the town. If you want to be a nice guy or gal, just head to the southernmost part of the map and look for the tower rising over the Wasteland — you can’t miss it. When you get there, speak to the Ghoul at the gate before heading inside and talking to Gustavo.
Strictly Business: Completed “Strictly Business.” – 20G

There’s a very good chance that you’ll find Paradise Falls naturally as you play through the story, but in order to get this side quest you’ll need to speak with the slaver at the gate and ask what needs to be done in order for you to enter the compound. There are a number of different ways to get this achievement, most of them fairly evil.

You Gotta Shoot ‘Em in the Head: Completed “You Gotta Shoot ‘Em in the Head.” – 20G

In downtown Washington D.C., you’ll find the Museum of History near the Washington Monument. After going inside, simply head upstairs to find the ghoulish Mr. Crowley any time after 10 p.m.. As an added bonus, you can kill Mr. Crowley after performing the deeds requested of you, then head off to steal the sweet gear he was after.

Stealing Independence: Completed “Stealing Independence.” – 20G

Abraham Washington is a man who knows what he wants. As the curator of the American history museum in the floating Rivet City, he’s got his mind set on the holy grail of historical documents: The Declaration of Independence (sorry Magna Carta fans!). This is a relatively painless side quest, and it pays to take your time to grab other potentially important historical objects as you play, as Honest Abe will pay you good money (er, caps) for them.

Trouble on the Homefront: Completed “Trouble on the Homefront.” – 20G

After you’ve done “The Waters of Life” in the main story, head back over to the general vicinity of Vault 101 if you want to pop back in for a not-so-friendly visit with your old friends. Apparently things haven’t been running so smoothly since you left, but thankfully you can fix things without having to resort to violence… unless that’s your thing, of course.

 

Agatha’s Song: Completed “Agatha’s Song.” – 20G

Not everyone in the Wasteland is trying to get ahead or have people killed. Some folks just want to live a quiet life and live out their days in peace. Agatha is one of these people, and all she wants is to play her beloved violin music. Unfortunately, her “homemade” violin just isn’t cutting it, so she tasks you with finding a Stradavarius. You’ll be able to find Agatha’s crib just across a rope bridge to the northeast of Meresti station, but you should make sure you’re well-stocked with ammo and stimpaks before you take on this challenging side quest.

Reilly’s Rangers: Completed “Reilly’s Rangers.” – 20G

Speaking of challenging side quests, this one can be brutal for low-level players, as you’ll be thrust into a hornet’s nest of Super Mutants. To start it, chat with the injured Reilly at the Underworld clinic in the Museum of History. While it’s a tough one, you’ll get some of the best armor in the game for completing it!

Psychotic Prankster: Placed a grenade or mine while pickpocketing. – 10G

Be sure to save your game before attempting this one, as it’s a surefire way to turn an entire town against you or lower your karma. You can perform this even with a low pickpocketing skill, as all you’ve got to do is crouch behind your target, pickpocket them, then move a grenade or mine from your inventory to theirs. After you finish, take a few steps back and watch the hilarity unfold!

The Bigger They Are…: Kill all the Super Mutant Behemoths. – 20G

You’ll naturally run into one of these massive mutants near Galaxy News Radio while playing through the story, but you’re going to have to head to the following locations to find the other four: Evergreen Mills, Takoma Park, the Capital Building, and Jury Street Metro Station. Be sure to bring your buddy the Fat Man!

Weaponsmith: Made one of every custom weapon. – 30G

As you progress through the game, you’ll find or be rewarded with schematics that will allow you to build your own weapons out of everyday objects. While we can’t tell you where to find these schematics (and especially can’t tell you where to find all of the stuff to build them), here’s a handy list: Shishkebab, Bottlecap Mine, Dart Gun, Nuka-Grenade, Railway Rifle, and the always excellent Rock-it Launcher.

Doesn’t Play Well with Others: Killed 300 people. – 20G

This one’s fairly self-explanatory, although it’ll probably take you quite a while to get it if you’re playing as a good character. Of course, you could always save it and go on some killing sprees…

Slayer of Beasts: Killed 300 creatures. – 20G

Like the one above, this one’s pretty self-explanatory. Basically, if it’s anything other than a human, it’ll count. That includes Ghouls!

Silver-Tongued Devil: Won 50 Speech Challenges. – 20G

You’ll have to work pretty hard at this one, as it’s tough to win a lot of them without a high Speech skill. If you save often, you can always reload the game and retry them until you succeed. Also, wearing apparel that boosts your skill helps a lot.

Data Miner: Hacked 50 terminals. – 20G

As was the case with the Silver-Tongued Devil achievement, you’ll need to focus on building up your Science skill and doing whatever you can to boost your core attributes. Also, don’t be afraid to hack into terminals that turn your reticule red, as you won’t get busted unless someone sees you.

Keys are for Cowards: Picked 50 locks. – 20G

Again, you need to start gunning for this one early, as it’s not an easy achievement to get if you don’t put at least some of your experience points into the Lockpicking skill. You can also pick locks without getting in trouble as long as you don’t take anything that’s inside whatever you’re breaking into.
One-Man Scouting Party: Discovered 100 locations. – 20G

While you could get this achievement simply by spending hours and hours wandering the Wasteland, there’s an easier way. Once you hit level 20 (you are going to play until you hit 20, right?), you can select the Explorer perk, which puts every location in the game on you Pip-Boy. All you need to do is walk around to eventually get this one.

Yes, I Play with Dolls: Collected 10 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads. – 10G
Vault-Tec C.E.O.: Collected 20 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads. – 30G

Each one of the 20 bobbleheads in the game will boost whichever skill it represents, so there’s a good reason to search them out. The first one you come across is in your Dad’s laboratory, so be sure to grab it on the way out of the Vault! While that one is important to completing the latter achievement, the most vital one is found in Lucas Simms’ house in Megaton. If you decide to blow up the town, you’re S.O.L. for the rest of the game… something I unfortunately found out the hard way. Looks like I might be stuck on 970 points for quite some time!

Reaver: Reached Level 8 with Bad Karma. – 10G
Mercenary: Reached Level 8 with Neutral Karma. – 10G
Protector: Reached Level 8 with Good Karma. – 10G
Harbinger of War: Reached Level 14 with Bad Karma. – 20G
Pinnacle of Survival: Reached Level 14 with Neutral Karma. – 20G
Ambassador of Peace: Reached Level 14 with Good Karma. – 20G
Scourge of Humanity: Reached Level 20 with Bad Karma. – 30G
Paradigm of Humanity: Reached Level 20 with Neutral Karma. – 30G

Last, Best Hope of Humanity: Reached Level 20 with Good Karma. – 30G

Alright, this is where things get a little bit sketchy. While you could get each of these achievements by playing through the entire game three times and focusing on a particular karmic alignment, that would take a very long time. We know that you’re busy people with busy lives, so we wanted to offer you an alternative. When playing through Fallout 3 for the first time, save your game multiple times while you’re at levels 7, 13, and 19. Once you hit the level needed to unlock the achievement, save again and reload your game to a previous save. From there, you can replay for a little while, doing whatever it takes to change your karma.

The most painless way to do this is to play through the game as a good character, since it’s much easier to quickly lower your karma by murdering innocents than it is to be nice to them. Also, killing innocent people in cold blood won’t give you any XP, so you don’t have to worry about inadvertently leveling up too early. Once you hit the karma level that you desire, start gunning down any guards or soldiers that are trying to save their helpless flock. Best of all, you can tell your unsuspecting friends that you’ve already beaten the game three times!