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The Bowie knife is a weapon in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road.

Characteristics[]

Compared to a combat knife, a Bowie knife deals higher damage at a slightly higher rate of attack, so having a higher damage-per-second (DPS) value. It deals higher critical hit damage though with a lower critical chance multiplier, costs more AP, has higher durability, and has twice the caps value. It does require 75 Melee Weapons to wield effectively, compared to the combat knife's 50, but shares a requirement of 3 Strength. It is considered an improved holdout weapon.

Visually, the weapon is a large clip-point blade with a riveted brown handle. Small contact marks mar the edge, and streaks of what appears to be blood or rust can be seen running across the sides of the blade and the hilt. The blade is stamped with the serial number 02280.

Special attack[]

The weapon has a special "Dirt-Nap" attack, which does 80% damage in V.A.T.S. at the cost of 8 fewer action points (requires a Melee skill of 50).

Legend
Type of attack- Type of attackSkill required- Skill required
Damage per attack in V.A.T.S.- Damage per attack in V.A.T.S.Action point cost- Action point cost
Damage per action point- Damage per action pointAdditional effects- Additional effects
Type of attackSkill requiredDamage per attack in V.A.T.S.Action point costDamage per action point
Normal046202.3
Dirt-Nap5036.8123.07
Note: Melee weapons do double normal damage in V.A.T.S.

It is possible to execute "Dirt-Nap" outside of V.A.T.S. (without the required Melee skill of 50 to perform the move) by initiating a power attack (hold attack button) while moving forward.

Durability[]

The Bowie knife can successfully strike about 495 times from full condition before breaking.

Variants[]

Comparison[]

Legend 
Weapon name (current weapon is highlighted)- Weapon name (melee or unarmed)Attacks in V.A.T.S.- Attacks in V.A.T.S.
Weapon name (current weapon is highlighted)- Weapon name (gun, energy or explosive)Action point cost- Action point cost
Damage per attack (damage per projectile)- Damage per attack (damage per projectile)Damage per action point- Damage per action point
Damage per second- Damage per secondWeapon spread- Weapon spread
Area of effect damage- Area of effect damageMagazine capacity (shots per reload)- Magazine capacity (shots per reload)
Effect damage & duration- Effect damage & durationDurability (number of attacks before breaking)- Durability (number of attacks before breaking)
Bonus effects- Bonus effectsWeight- Weight
Attacks per second- Attacks per secondValue in caps- Value in caps
Critical chance % multiplier- Critical chance % multiplierValue to weight ratio- Value to weight ratio
Critical damage- Critical damageSkill required- Skill required
Critical effect damage & duration- Critical effect damage & durationStrength required- Strength required
With all mods attached- With all mods attached
Weapon name (current weapon is highlighted)Damage per attack (damage per projectile)Damage per secondAttacks per secondCritical Chance % multiplierCritical damageAction Point costDamage per action pointDurability (number of attacks before breaking)WeightValue in capsValue to weight ratioSkill requiredStrength required
Bowie knife 23
79.63.46x1.535202.3495110001000753
Blood-Nap 30
110.83.69x1.545173.5495120002000504
Note: Melee damage is doubled in V.A.T.S.

Locations[]

Notes[]

  • Like the teddy bear, the Bowie knife behaves erratically when picked up (when placing it on a table, etc.).

Behind the scenes[]

  • The weapon is based on the Bowie knife, popularized by, and named for Colonel James Bowie, an American pioneer and soldier who famously participated in the Texas Revolution in the early 19th century.
  • The weapon's special attack "Dirt-Nap" refers to the phrase, "take a dirt-nap" which is slang among organized crime groups for executing a target and burying them in an unmarked grave, similar to "sleeping with the fishes," when the body is submerged in deep bodies of water, intending to hide evidence of the kill from potential discovery by authorities. In the Fallout series, the term "dirt-nap" is used many times by Set in Fallout.
  • The Bowie knife's special VATS attack Dirt-Nap would have had more depth to it on release if it was not for an oversight. In the GECK, there is an unused actor effect, NVDLC04BowieKnifeVATSAE, that if were correctly assigned, would've allowed the player to perform non-lethal, stealth takedowns in VATS, as long as they were sneaking and undetected. The stealth takedown would be limited to all non-robot creatures only, and a message box would appear every time it was used, displaying whether the attack was successful, a failure, or performed on a robot. If performed successfully, the enemy would be hit with 1000 points of Fatigue damage, knocking them out. Oddly, in the messages the Dirt-Nap attack is called the "Let's Dance" attack.

Gallery[]

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