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Drink. Tea is strong. Tea is bitter. Wisdom is strong. Wisdom is bitter. You see? You go to cave. Find Ghost of She. Lay ghost to rest. This your quest. Bring peace where was strife. Go!— White Bird

Rite of Passage is a side quest in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts.

Quick walkthrough[]

Honest Hearts side quest: Rite of Passage 
Collect 3 sacred datura roots
Return to White Bird
Go to the Ghost Den
Kill the Ghost of She
Loot the corpse for its paw
Return to White Bird. 
Reward: Variable XP
She's Embrace 

Detailed walkthrough[]

The quest is triggered by asking Waking Cloud about her yao guai gauntlet when first meeting her during Deliverer of Sorrows. She will also automatically start it (if not asked the first time) when she joins the player character as a companion after completing Deliverer of Sorrows. Either way, she tells them to speak to White Bird, a shaman of the Sorrows and marks White Bird's cave on the map.

Going to speak with White Bird, he asks the player character to return to him with 3 sacred datura roots. The plant can be found along almost any road or riverbank in Zion Canyon even before speaking to White Bird. They can also be bought in small quantities from Joshua Graham at any point after meeting him, and Daniel if he agrees to trade by passing a 50 Barter check or 65 Speech check. Large numbers of datura plants can be found along Route 9 between the Old Rockville Bridge and the North Fork Bridge. It is possible to find some inside White Bird's cave within the various campfire sacks, but their contents are randomized so it is not guaranteed that enough, or any, datura roots will be spawned. Additionally, three datura plants will spawn around the Narrows once this stage of the quest is reached, with objective markers directing the player to them.

After the roots have been collected and brought to him, White Bird will offer to make a tea from them, giving the option of accepting or declining if they are not ready; the quest remains active if declined. Once the tea is consumed, the screen goes blurry and chromatically distorted until the rest of the quest is completed. White Bird then sends the player character to kill the mythical Ghost of She and bring back its paw as a trophy, marking its lair at Ghost Den on the map. If one speaks to White Bird again and asks about the Ghost of She, he says to speak with Waking Cloud for details. Talking to her will get the midwife to tell the tribe's story of the beast.

To reach the site of Ghost Den, one must follow the river to the northeast corner of Zion Canyon. After reaching Caterpillar's Mound out The Narrows, walk along the river heading east. Towards the northeast corner of the map, there is a pathway that leads to the site of the Vault 22 dwellers' guard camp. Reaching the location to find the Ghost of She involves getting past giant spore plants, spore carriers and cazadores that may be found along the way near the camp whereas Ghost Den itself is occupied by several yao guai cubs and/or giant yao guai.

Going towards the point of the narrow valley west of Ghost Den, if Waking Cloud is the current companion, she will speak right before one enters the beast's den. Walking further in will cause the Ghost of She to appear as a giant fiery yao guai, followed by a flash of light that blinds the player character. Once the beast's health has been dropped to 50%, the Ghost of She divides into four copies, though the three fakes are noticeably weaker compared to the original. If the original is killed before any of the copies, they will disappear.

After defeating the beast and looting its corpse for the paw, travel back to White Bird in his cave. Upon speaking with him and handing over the paw, the tea's effects will be removed, and the player character will be rewarded with She's Embrace, a unique yao guai gauntlet, and a level-dependent amount of XP.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
5 Speak to White Bird the shaman.
10 Pick the roots from the 3 Sacred Datura plants.
20Quest finishedReturn the roots to the Shaman.
25 Pick the roots from the 3 Sacred Datura plants.
30 Return to the Shaman to start the ritual.
40 Retrieve the paw from Ghost of She.
50Quest finishedReturn to the Shaman.

Notes[]

  • Once the tea is accepted, strange visual effects such as blurring, discoloration, blinding lights and major motion blur will persist until the quest has been completed.
    • If Gathering Storms is completed while Rite of Passage is ongoing, the effect will be canceled and the quest failed. However, the normal message telling the player that they have failed a quest does not appear.
  • Drinking White Bird's tea made from sacred datura root causes an effect that differs from that of regular datura poison.
  • According to Joshua Sawyer, while the creature named the Ghost of She is real, its strange physical characteristics like being perpetually ablaze are potentially a result of the player being under the influence of a datura derived drug.[1][2]
  • The quest cannot be completed after the add-on's completion as White Bird, along with all other non-hostile NPCS, will disappear from Zion Canyon.
  • If talking to White Bird for the first time with the Wild Wasteland trait, asking what he is talking about will cause him to reply "Take drugs. Kill a bear." This is a reference to the "Advice Animals" internet meme.

Behind the scenes[]

A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one stage of their life to another, usually the transition to adulthood.

Gallery[]

References[]

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
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