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This page is a part of the Fallout: The Apprentice contest. It should not be confused with in game content. |
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-->Sojourner Radio<--
-->Machina Animus<--
-->What Bring They 'neath the Midnight<--
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Hark! The Harbinger Comes is a main quest in Fallout: New Vegas. Depending on the Courier's actions throughout this quest determines whether the A.I. Mr. New Vegas resumes playing as a DJ across the Mojave, or if the A.I. Pontifex takes over the wastes with its experimental wave of ambient music and an army of androids and mutants.
Quick walkthrough[]
| Main Quest: Hark! The Harbinger Comes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Speak with Yes Man. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Investigate bunker Alpha and find the key to Omega. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Investigate bunker Omega and meet Pontifex. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Return to bunker Alpha and activate Mr. New Vegas. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Speak with Yes Man and Mr. New Vegas at the Lucky 38. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Investigate the camp and save the war refugees. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Return to bunker Omega and defeat the Prjiforian assassin. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bring the assassin to Mr. New Vegas then confront Pontifex at the underground military research base. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Side with Pontifex. | Side with Mr. New Vegas. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Return to the Lucky 38 and kill Mr. New Vegas. | Overload the Tesla array's generators. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wipe Yes Man's memory of Pontifex's location. | Defeat Pontifex. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Reward: Become one of three androids One of three unique power armors and weapons Schematics for a new rig | Reward: Mr. New Vegas as a companion prototype Tesla focus rifle | ||||||||||||||||||||
Detailed walkthrough[]
The quest can be started by talking to Yes Man should the Courier have killed Mr. House and installed Yes Man into the Lucky 38's mainframe. After Mr. House is killed, Mr. New Vegas will go silent, forcing Yes Man to evaluate a course of action, knowing that the loss of the popular DJ will bring dissent amongst those in New Vegas, and demoralize those already affected by the war going on around them. The Courier will then be ordered to investigate two different signals, which are believed to be the possible sources of Mr. New Vegas' base of operations.
Studio bunker Alpha part I[]
Choosing to visit the first signal will result in the discovery of a heavily defended bunker courtesy of Mr. House's state of the art robotic security. After fighting through the security and defense grid, a vast room will be entered, show-casing the studio room where Mr. New Vegas can be found along with its equipment. While exploring around the studio, a robot pod can be found hooked up to tubes which holds the body of a robot. A terminal is found outside of the pod that requires a password to unlock it. Further investigation reveals a nearby journal detailing the technical difficulties had with the previous A.I., moving it to a different bunker and replacing it with the A.I. currently known as Mr. New Vegas. After reading, a key will fall out that is required to get into bunker Omega.
Studio bunker Omega[]
If choosing to arrive at bunker Omega before bunker Alpha, the Courier will be forced to travel to the other bunker first to find the key required to gain entry. After locating the key and delving deeper into the bunker, the Courier will find themselves under attack by strange mutations unseen elsewhere throughout the wastes. Terminals located in a nearby lab dub these creatures Ravagers and the Vermiculos, which were both created for the purposes of abducting humans as test-subjects.
After fighting through and making it into the final chambers, yet another robot pod is found which can be opened, activating another A.I. that calls itself Pontifex. After brief dialogue, Pontifex will take off, locking the Courier inside the room and activating four nearby and hostile sentry bots. After dealing with and searching the room further, a terminal is found within the pod that when used, unlocks the inner doors and contains a copy of the code needed to activate Mr. New Vegas.
Studio bunker Alpha part II[]
After returning to bunker Alpha and using the code to unlock the terminal outside of the robot pod, it is discovered that Mr. New Vegas can be partitioned from the corrupt mainframe supporting the A.I. over into the robot seen within the pod. After doing so, the pod will open revealing a newly activated Mr. New Vegas who will immediately begin dialogue asking what has happened since the demise of Mr. House. After telling Mr. New Vegas of Pontifex and the experiments going on within the other bunker, Mr. New Vegas will express his need to acquire census, and will begin the long trek back to the Lucky 38.
Invasion part I[]
After returning to the Lucky 38 and speaking to both Yes Man and Mr. New Vegas, Mr. New Vegas explains that both itself and Pontifex were pre-War prototypes which were created by RobCo as an attempt to provide Mr. House with the first truly sentient A.I. While Mr. New Vegas was a success and caused great joy for Mr. House, Pontifex was plagued with existentialism, adapting consistently to emulate the state of the world around it, forcing it back into storage by Mr. House, and eventually leading to the bunker and the A.I. being seized by the government, which had been looking into Mr. House's affairs shortly before the Great War. Another signal is located by Yes Man, which prompts the investigation of an isolated area south of Hoover Dam.
Reaching the area, the Courier will find a camp of war refugees that seems to have been abandoned. Searching and then leaving the main tent, a group of the same mutations found within bunker Omega will be seen hauling away refugees. Killing the mutants, the survivors will then note in which direction the others were taken away, eventually leading to a makeshift bunker hidden away at the base of the dam. After clearing the area out of the mutants and freeing or killing the captured refugees, a control console is found which when activated, begins broadcasting a new radio station across the wastes.
At this point of the invasion, both the Ravagers and the Vermiculos will be seen assaulting and dragging/carrying away wastelanders as random encounters across the wastes. Should the victims be saved, good Karma is awarded along with minor loot such as food or ammo. Should the victims either be killed or ignored instead, a reputation will eventually be earned, resulting in mercs hired by the survivors or even the survivors themselves banding up and ambushing the Courier.
Invasion part II[]
Once a faction is officially chosen to side with at the final battle of Hoover Dam (except for Mr. House) and the war efforts across the Mojave have increased, a notice will pop-up on the Pip-Boy that recordings from Pontifex will begin playing momentarily over Sojourn Radio, noting that the current state of the Mojave has forced the hand of retribution, and that the rebirth of humanity will be coming soon, with judgment falling hard on those that refuse to convert.
Talking to Mr. New Vegas again will reveal that the signal at bunker Omega has resurfaced, and that activity has been sighted there. Reaching the bunker, it is discovered that it's the location for kidnapped wastelanders, and that they are being converted into androids to make up an army for Pontifex. After reading through the terminals detailing each model type as well as Pontifex's plans, the Courier will be ambushed by a Prjiforian assassin. After killing the assassin, it will need to be packaged and brought to Mr. New Vegas for further studying.
At this point of the invasion, Prijiforian assassins, zealots and judges will be found randomly across the wastes, usually assaulting caravans or NCR/Caesar's Legion patrols.
Invasion part III[]
After bringing the packaged assassin to Mr. New Vegas, both Mr. New Vegas and Yes Man will tap into the assassin's neural network, finally discerning Pontifex's location after a few hours work. Pontifex has set up base deep within an underground military research base just outside of the Nellis Air Force Base. The fight will take place through 5 levels of various robots, androids, and mutations, until finally reaching the final level where Pontifex resides. Pontifex will attempt to persuade the Courier that the human race is a dead end, and that to judge it by its ultimate goal, not by its actions leading up to it. Pontifex will continue on, stating that the human race is doomed to repeat itself until the Earth is finally destroyed, and that the forced hybridization of man and machine into a linked neural network is the only way for humanity to ultimately survive and thrive in the wastes around them.
The Courier now has two options on how to proceed:
- Side with Pontifex - Siding with Pontifex will result in the necessity to kill Mr. New Vegas and to wipe Yes Man's memory of the military base's location, as they are the only ones that prove worrisome with the NCR and Legion too busy killing themselves to realize the true threat coming their way until it's too late. Arriving at the Lucky 38, Mr. New Vegas will require proof of Pontifex's death before letting them in, quickly realizing that the Courier is there to kill it. Fighting through the securitron force, Mr. New Vegas will take to the tunnels underneath the Lucky 38, forcing the Courier to take chase. Once it has been caught up with and is defeated in combat, Mr. New Vegas will reveal that it is really a dummy, and as a last resort, the tunnels had been rigged with explosives, prompting the Courier to attempt escaping before the explosives go off and the tunnel collapses into another. Crippled and dazed, the Courier will be approached by the real Mr. New Vegas, whom has now upgraded itself with parts from securitrons and sentry bots, changing between wielding a Gatling laser and grenade launcher at a distance, to wielding rippers and a chain blade when in melee range. Unable to penetrate the armor, the Courier is forced to strafe from cover to cover to avoid fire, luring Mr. New Vegas to use its grenade launcher on critical parts of the tunnel's structure, eventually causing a cave-in and crushing the colossus. Ripping Mr. New Vegas' head off and using the command neural interface within to wipe Yes Man's memory banks clean of Pontifex's location.
2. Side with Mr. New Vegas - Refusing Pontifex's offer will result in the A.I. stunning the Courier with a flash bang, and entering a chamber surrounded by two generators and a Tesla array. Pontifex will take control of the coils, directing the Tesla coils towards the Courier as an offensive measure. The only way to destroy the chamber is to overload the generators, which are accessed using nearby terminals that necessitate being out in the open to reach. Once both generators have been destroyed, a weakened Pontifex will attack. After being defeated, the rogue A.I. will self-destruct, leaving nothing but its dis-functional head and some scrap metal behind. Picking up the head will provide the command neural interface needed to shut-down Pontifex's signal, permanently ending the android invasion.
Rewards[]
- If Pontifex was sided with, it will present the Courier with the option to become either a zealot, an assassin, or a judge. These changes will outfit the Courier with a permanent set of powered armor, as well as an immunity towards being crippled or poisoned. A schematic can also be found after the battle that allows the Courier to create a new rig at the workbench that allows the auto-injection of med-x and stimpaks. Pontifex's radio station will remain playing, and Mr. New Vegas will once again go silent.
- If Mr. New Vegas was sided with, it will become a permanent companion, as well as awarding the Courier its personal weapon - a prototype Tesla focus rifle. Mr. New Vegas will remain a DJ, with Pontifex's signal permanently silenced.
Consequences[]
- Siding with Pontifex:
- Many smaller communities such as Primm and Goodsprings will become overrun quickly.
- Those aligned with Mr. House and Yes Man become hostile.
- Other armor can no longer be equipped.
- Securitron strike teams will regularly be on patrol, and are always hostile.
- The loss of a potential companion and unique energy weapon
- Mr. New Vegas will no longer be a DJ. Or alive, for that matter.
2. Siding with Mr. New Vegas:
- Surviving androids and mutations will remain hostile during random encounters.
- The loss of three different unique armor sets, the weapons that come with them, and a unique schematic.
- Sojourner Radio will no longer play.
Notes[]
- Should Mr. House be kept alive, this quest becomes impossible to initiate.
- Going back to either of the A.I. bases after the main quest has been completed allows the ability to set the song order, as well as if there's commentary or just music playing.
- It is advised to be at least level 20 before starting this quest. Many of the enemies seen are at a base level of 20-25, and level with the Courier from that point onwards.
Behind the scenes[]
- Pontifex is an homage to both the Calculator and the Master.
- Mr. New Vegas bears a striking resemblance to Mr. House himself, and even carries a 9-iron as a weapon when met up with at the Lucky 38.
- Mr. New Vegas is the only NPC in the game that smokes a cigar.
 | The following is based on the Wild Wasteland trait. |
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- On-top of the other androids seen randomly across the wastes, experimental army bears are seen utilizing teddy bear grenades.
| End of information based on the Wild Wasteland trait |
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