Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

All right now. We're gonna be making something folks on the trail call Healing Powder.Sunny Smiles

By a Campfire on the Trail is a tutorial quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Tutorial Quest: By a Campfire on the Trail 
Find broc flower and xander root 
Collect xander root by the tree trunk outside of Goodsprings schoolhouse
Collect broc flower at Goodsprings Cemetery 
Bring the broc flower and xander root to Sunny Smiles and use the campfire to make healing powder
Reward: 30 XP 
Next Quest: They Went That-a-Way 

Detailed walkthrough[]

Upon completing Back in the Saddle (if it wasn't completed early at any stage), Sunny Smiles will offer to show the player character how to utilize resources and the campfire to create supplies on their own to help survive in the Mojave Wasteland. If the previous quest was finished at any stage before clearing the Goodsprings source, this quest will not be available.

If one agrees to learn more, Sunny will ask the player character to find and retrieve at least one sample of two kinds of plant: xander root and broc flower. Map markers for both place the former near the Goodsprings schoolhouse and the latter within the Goodsprings Cemetery.

The marker-relevant plants only spawn during the quest. At the schoolhouse, a new xander root is added to the patch where only two had grown near the building's east entrance, along with two giant mantis nymphs that now guard the area. The cemetery has a broc flower stalk added near the open grave at the back, as well as four bloatflies and a bark scorpion. The new plants are permanent and will respawn after being picked, but the creatures will not. Going up to the cemetery is also a good time to retrieve at least one of the distinctive cigarette butts that will become important later as well as the snow globe near the northwest direction of the circular area.

After retrieving both items, the player character must return to Sunny who has relocated to a campfire close to the third water source. She will congratulate them on their find and direct them on how to use the campfire to produce a single unit of healing powder. Sunny further explains the same principle of gathering the right resources and having higher skills will also benefit using a workbench and reloading bench.

At the end, Sunny will direct the player character to return to the Prospector Saloon to talk to Trudy, saying she will help them start looking for the man in the checkered coat.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
10 Find a broc flower and a xander root
30 Use the campfire to make healing powder
40Quest finishedGo and meet Trudy at the Prospector Saloon.

Notes[]

  • If the Courier acquires the marked plants, then sells or consumes all the broc flowers and xander root in their inventory before giving them to Sunny Smiles, the waypoint will disappear, but the ingredients will respawn every 72 hours.
  • If healing powder is already in the Courier's inventory, Sunny will move on with the quest as if they had created it using the campfire.
  • Some unmarked broc flowers and at least one xander root can be found on the cliff where Barton Thorn sends the player character as part of Barton the Fink.

Behind the scenes[]

  • As well as acting as a crafting tutorial for the player, retrieving broc flowers and xander roots is also a reference to the start of Fallout 2, particularly Hakunin who will make healing powder upon returning to him with the same two ingredients.
  • The title of the quest is a reference to the song "By a Campfire on the Trail" by The Sons of the Pioneers.

Bugs[]

  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 When following Sunny Smiles and talking to her at the campfire, the quest will become marked as done on the Pip-Boy. Sunny will go back to the Prospector Saloon without teaching the Courier how to make healing powder and no broc flower nor xander root will appear on the hill south of the campfire. So it's better to go to the Goodsprings Schoolhouse and to the Goodsprings Cemetery and talk to Sunny with all the ingredients. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Once the player has collected sufficient ingredients, if they interact with a campfire before they have talked with Sunny, even if they haven't actually made anything (just exited), she will approach the player, tell him/her they have enough, then immediately enter the dialogue as if you just crafted healing powder. [verified]
Main quests
Act 1Ain't That a Kick in the Head · Back in the Saddle · By a Campfire on the Trail · They Went That-a-Way · Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
Act 2Wild Card (Wild Card: Ace in the Hole, Change in Management, You and What Army?, Side Bets, Finishing Touches) · The House Always Wins (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII) · Render Unto Caesar · Et Tumor, Brute? · Things That Go Boom · Kings' Gambit · For the Republic, Part 2 · You'll Know It When It Happens/Arizona Killer
Act 3No Gods, No Masters · All or Nothing · Veni, Vidi, Vici · Eureka!
Side quests
New California RepublicAnywhere I Wander · Back in Your Own Backyard · Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues · Boulder City Showdown · Can You Find it in Your Heart? · Climb Ev'ry Mountain · Don't Tread on the Bear! · Emergency Radio · Eye for an Eye · Flags of Our Foul-Ups · Hard Luck Blues · I Don't Hurt Anymore · I Put a Spell on You · Keep Your Eyes on the Prize · Medical Mystery · No, Not Much · Pressing Matters · Restoring Hope · Return to Sender · That Lucky Old Sun · The White Wash · There Stands the Grass · Three-Card Bounty · We Will All Go Together · You Can Depend on Me
Caesar's LegionBeware the Wrath of Caesar! · Caesar's Favor · Caesar's Foe · Caesar's Hire · Cold, Cold Heart · I Hear You Knocking · The Finger of Suspicion · We Are Legion
The StripBeyond the Beef · Bye Bye Love · Classic Inspiration · How Little We Know · Pheeble Will · Talent Pool · The House Has Gone Bust! · The Moon Comes Over the Tower
Freeside & Outer VegasBirds of a Feather · Bleed Me Dry · Debt Collector · G.I. Blues · High Times · Someone to Watch Over Me · The Coyotes · Wang Dang Atomic Tango
BoomersAnt Misbehavin' · Sunshine Boogie · Volare! · Young Hearts
Great KhansAba Daba Honeymoon · Cry Me a River · Don't Make a Beggar of Me · Oh My Papa
Powder GangBooted · I Fought the Law · Run Goodsprings Run · Why Can't We Be Friends?
Brotherhood of SteelEyesight to the Blind · Still in the Dark · Tend to Your Business
OtherCome Fly With Me · Crazy, Crazy, Crazy · Ghost Town Gunfight · Guess Who I Saw Today · Left My Heart · My Kind of Town · The Legend of the Star and A Valuable Lesson · Unfriendly Persuasion · Wheel of Fortune
Companion questsED-E My Love · For Auld Lang Syne · Heartache by the Number · I Could Make You Care · I Forgot to Remember to Forget · Nothin' But a Hound Dog · One for My Baby
Unmarked questsA Bit of Slap and Tickle · A Final Plan for Esteban · Access Powers · All Fired Up! · An Ear to the Ground · Andy and Charlie · Arachnophobia · Arizona Scavenger · Barton the Fink · Bear Necessities · Big Winner (Atomic Wrangler, The Gomorrah, The Tops, Ultra-Luxe, Vikki & Vance) · Bounty Killer (I, II) · Brotherhood Bond (I, II) · Caching in at the Cove · Cajoling a Cudgel · Claws Mended · Claws Out · Dealing with Contreras · Defacing the Humble Stone · Democracy Inaction · Don't Poke at the Bear! · Eddie's Emissary · Exhumin' Nature · Fight Night · Flogging a Dead Corpse · Friend of the Followers · Gland for Some Home Cooking · Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger · Hat's Entertainment · Help for Halford · Hidden Valley computer virus · Highway to the Danger Zone (I, II) · Honorary Rocketeer · I Love Bananas · Iron and Stealing · Keith's Caravan Charade · Laurifer Gladiator · Lenk's Bad Debts · Lily and Leo · Long-Term Care · Malleable Mini Boomer Minds · Maud's Muggers · Meeting an Equal · Missing a Few Missiles · Most Wanted · Not Worth a Hill of Corn and Beans · Old School Ghoul · A Pair of Dead Desperados (I, II) · Papers, Please · Pistol Packing · Playing on the Old Joana · Powder to the People · Power to the People · Razzle Dazzle! · Reach for the Sky, Mister! · Rest and Resupply · Ringo's Caravan Rules · Rotface's Loose Lips · Saving (or Savaging) Sergeant Teddy · The Screams of Brahmin · Silus Treatment · Short-Term Treatment · Smooth-Talking Criminal · The Star Showdown · Strategic Nuclear Moose · Straus Calls · Strip Search · Suits You, Sarah · Tags of Our Fallen · A Team of Moronic Mercenaries · Thought for the Day · Tourist Traipse · Trudy's Radio Repair · A Trusted Aide · Useless Baubles or Fancy Trinkets? · We Must Stop Beating Like This · We Must Stop Meeting Like This · Wind-Brahmin Wrangler · You Gotta Break Out a Few Eggs · You Make Me Feel Like a Woman
Add-on quests
Dead MoneySierra Madre Grand Opening! · Find Collars (8: "Dog", 12: Christine, 14: Dean Domino) · Fires in the Sky · Strike Up the Band · Mixed Signals · Trigger the Gala Event · Put the Beast Down · Last Luxuries · Curtain Call at the Tampico · Heist of the Centuries · Big Winner, Sierra Madre
Honest HeartsA Family Affair · Arrival at Zion · Bighorners of the Eastern Virgin · Chaos in Zion · Civilized Man's Burden · Crush the White Legs · Deliverer of Sorrows  · Departing Paradise · Flight from Zion · Gathering Storms · Gone Fishin' · Happy Trails Expedition · Prisoners of War · Retake the Bridge · River Monsters · Rite of Passage · Roadside Attraction · Sanctity of the Dead · The Advance Scouts  · The Treacherous Road · The Grand Staircase · Tourist Trap
Old World BluesAll My Friends Have Off Switches · A Brain's Best Friend · Coming Out of Her Shell · Field Research · He Came... And Went · Influencing People · Midnight Science Fiction Feature! · Old World Blues · On the Same Wavelength · Picking Your Brains · Project X-13 · Sonic Emitter Upgrade · Welcome to the Big Empty · What's in a Name? · When Visitors Attack! · X-2: Strange Transmissions! · X-8 Data Retrieval Test · X-8: High School Horror! · X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!
Lonesome RoadThe Reunion · The Silo · The Job · The Launch · The Tunnelers · The Divide · The Courier · The End · The Apocalypse
Advertisement