Fort Independence is the headquarters of the Brotherhood Outcasts in the Capital Wasteland, located west of Fairfax ruins and north of Andale. Upon first arrival, the Brotherhood Outcasts fortifying Fort Independence are being ambushed by raiders from Fairfax ruins.
Layout
The Outcasts have adapted the old fort to their needs and restored much of its internal facilities. All of the technology they gather is stored within the fort, as are their research findings.
By default, the Outcasts inside are hostile to any trespassers. The fort is guarded on the outside by Defender Morgan, Defender Rockfowl, and an automated defense turret. After the player character speaks with Defender Morgan about a job, Protector Casdin will open the perimeter fence's gate and encourage the Lone Wanderer to bring scavenged technology to them in exchange for supplies.
In the eastern section (the offices) on the main floor there is a computer named "Field reports" with 2 audio logs that can be downloaded (Fort Independence Field Report no.1 and 2). The first audio log speaks about "the increased raider activity in Fairfax ruins" and the second about "3 entrances into underground utility tunnels and a small weapons cache situated in the southeast section of the tunnels." The voice in the first recording seems to be unique, the other one is that of Defender Sibley.
Related quests
Notable loot
Once inside Fort Independence, there is nearly no notable loot until you reach the lower levels. Down the stairs in the room left of the exit door is the entrance to the basement. Inside the desk within the first room is the password to the hard locked wall terminal which opens the door; continue down until you reach a room full of research terminals. Activating them adds notes on various weapons, namely the missile launcher, minigun, Enclave power armor, plasma rifle, pulse grenade, and laser rifle. In this room there is a hard locked door, a key to this is available in the bunk-bed-filled room nearby within an easy locked footlocker. Through this door is the unique Miss Launcher and various other loot.
High level weaponry in the lower level basement
- Miss Launcher in the basement, along with a minigun, laser rifle, plasma rifle, 6 boxes of ammunition which include quite a number of alien power cells, as well as 2 mini nukes.
- There is a Nuka-Cola Quantum and a Stealth Boy in the central room on the main floor, next to some bunk beds.
- Alien power cells can be obtained from the locked storage room, next to the room with the research terminals.
- A rare rake is found in the lower level of the fort. After descending the first staircase you encounter, there will be a room halfway down. It is located to the right of some piping, leaning against a bookshelf.
- Two unusually large empty syringes and one forceps are located in the medical room of the lower level.
Notes
- If any of the Brotherhood Outcasts with names are killed all other Brotherhood Outcasts will become hostile. If the Operation: Anchorage! quest is not yet completed, the Outcasts there will still be friendly while others will not.
- There is an Outcast Patrol spawn point on the western side of the bridge with the turret under it. Upon spawning, the patrol will proceed westward along the road.
- Up the highway there is an Enclave outpost. It is possible that Enclave patrols may attack and kill the Outcasts.
- As mentioned above, the Outcasts might fight with Enclave patrols, so check your fire; you don't want to fight a large group of Outcasts and Enclave soldiers at once.
- The Fort's unnamed Brotherhood Outcasts will yield fingers if killed by a player who has acquired the Lawbringer perk. Named ones, such as Protector Casdin, in contrast, will have ears if they are slain by a player with the perk Contract Killer.
- Often if the Lone Wanderer is seen coming in or out of Fort Independence without Protector Casdin giving permission to enter, as a reward for collected tech, all Outcasts will become hostile.
- Sometimes, if the character attempts to pickpocket an Outcast soldier inside Fort Independence and gets caught, they will become hostile while all the other Outcast soldiers will remain friendly.
- You can enter the fort before gaining permission without any Outcasts becoming hostile by pickpocketing the key from Defender Morgan and disabling the turret using robotics expert. Use the door near the computer and the Outcasts will not be hostile, even though no technology was given.
- Sometimes an Enclave Vertibird will perform a bombing run and most likely kill Protector Casdin and the other Outcasts guarding Fort Independence, allowing the player to loot the bodies without Karma loss. Several large explosions can be heard while traveling near Fort Independence when this happens.
- The name of this location is thematic, since Outcasts are liberated from Lyons' Brotherhood.
- As related by Defender Morgan and Protector Casdin, the Outcasts are seeking to acquire technology to take back West to help the original Brotherhood of Steel in its conflicts there. While the Lone Wanderer can help with this by trading technology, they never abandon the Capital Wasteland and begin moving west (so this location will always remain populated by the Brotherhood Outcasts).
Appearances
Fort Independence appears only in Fallout 3.
Behind the scenes
- The name Fort Independence was also the name of a real fort in California, used during conflicts such as the Owens Valley Indian War.
Bugs
After hacking the turret controls under the bridge to remove its targeting system and then disable it, sometimes the turret under the bridge will at first look stretched into the ground and allow you to walk through it, and then if reactivated will appear high above the bridge and be hard to see, even if aiming through a sniper scope. [verified]- Defenders Morgan and Rockfowl will respawn right next to their corpses after you've killed them. This glitch applies to several of the unnamed Outcasts. [verified]
- When initially discovering the Fort, the Brotherhood Outcasts outside may shoot at the player if the player attempts to attack the approaching raiders with melee/unarmed weapons. [verified]
- Sometimes upon discovery of the Fort, the Brotherhood Outcasts may be hostile for no apparent reason. [verified]
Gallery
