Fallout: New Vegas is held in high regard by many fans for its excellent writing and branching quest design. Its combat and visuals haven't aged as gracefully, yet the game still lives on as a fan favorite for many.
The great quest design of New Vegas permeates its main quest, side content, and even unmarked quests that most players never notice. Some of New Vegas' most memorable and unique quests are hidden from you, whether that's because of specific prerequisites or bugs. For diehard New Vegas fans and newcomers alike, let's look at some of the game's most hidden and forgotten quests that are worth your attention.
Updated December 20, 2021, by William Quick: Even though it's been quite some time since Fallout: New Vegas has been released, people continue to play it both casually and professionally. There are many things hidden across the Nevada Wasteland, including numerous quests that don't activate unless you seek them out.
30 A Final Plan For Esteban
"A Final Plan for Esteban" is one of several small, unmarked quests in Fallout: New Vegas. It’s also pretty well hidden. To start this quest, you must talk to Christina Morales, a private in the NCR sitting in the concourse of Camp McCarran.
Morales tells you that her husband perished in a fight with some nearby Fiends. Unfortunately, the NCR is so overrun they can’t even retrieve his body. She asks you to go in, clear out the Fiends, and bring his body back to a nearby NCR encampment. Completing the quest will grant a discount for Doctor Kemp's medical supplies and services at Camp McCarran.
29 Bleed Me Dry
Bleed Me Dry is more of a forgotten quest than anything else. This quest is tied to Westside's Thorn arena, a location that most newer players often overlook. If you explore this underground arena, you'll come across the arena's caretaker, Red Lucy.
She'll ask the Courier to scour the Mojave in search of various creature eggs. As you progress through the quest, the eggs you're asked to hunt become more and more dangerous, leading towards a confrontation with one of the game's toughest creatures. If you can deliver every creature egg that Lucy asks for, you'll be awarded the powerful Dinner Bell shotgun.
28 A Team Of Moronic Mercenaries
The Vikki and Vance Casino is yet another place that is quickly forgotten about. There's virtually no reason to return here after you finish your business in Primm at the start of the game, save for one.
Once you've completed "My Kind of Town," wait a few days before returning to Primm. Enter the Vikki and Vance. As soon as you enter the casino, a group of NCR deserters will try and rob you. In typical New Vegas fashion, you have a few ways of handling this confrontation.
27 Keith's Caravan Charade
Aerotech Office Park, located north of REPCONN HQ, is a rather barren location. It's devoid of businesses or any action, which is what makes this unmarked quest somewhat unique.
Speak to Captain Parker when you arrive at the park. He suspects that a caravan player, Keith, is running a gambling and drug operation and asks you to investigate. Let's just say that his suspicions are well-founded.
26 Three-Card Bounty
Bounty hunting is nothing new in Fallout, but there's something about New Vegas' "Three-Card Bounty" quest that's strangely unique. If you tend to side with Caesar's Legion in your playthroughs, there's a good chance you missed this quest. Speak to Major Dhatri at Camp McCarran to get started.
Dhatri will task you with killing three Fiends: Violet, Cook-Cook, and Driver Nephi. Each Fiend has a unique personality that you can exploit. Violet loves dogs, Cook-Cook enters a frenzy if his prized Brahmin dies, and Driver Nephi can be taken down by assembling an NCR sniper team.
If you're playing New Vegas on PC, you can also install a mod that enables dialogue with these three Fiends. They have some interesting things to say, to put it lightly.
25 I Love Bananas
Don't let the quest's name fool you. "I Love Bananas" has very little to do with bananas. Located in the Fiend-ridden Vault 3, you'll stumble across three members of a caravan imprisoned by the Fiends. You can help them escape the Vault by finding a key to their holding cell. If you free the caravan members, they'll give you the password to the Overseer's computer. Be sure to give the password a read.
24 Classic Inspiration
The apocalyptic wasteland can make for some great views, something that Sheldon Weintraub agrees with wholeheartedly. Travel to Michael Angelo's shop on the far side of The Strip. Speak to a character named Michael Angelo. He'll give you a camera and ask that you take photos of signs you find throughout your travels. It's a great change of pace from most of New Vegas' quests.
23 Coming Out Of Her Shell
"Coming out of Her Shell" is a marked quest tied to the Old World Blues DLC, although most players tend to miss it due to its specific requirements. Once you've completed the "Picking Your Brains" quest, you'll be able to speak to each scientist individually. Talk to Doctor Dala. You'll need to have a Perception score of 8 or higher, the Lady Killer/Cherchez La Femme perk, or a teddy bear to start the quest. She'll start asking you some interesting questions that give the quest's name a whole new meaning.
22 Old School Ghoul
Raul Tejada is arguably the most overlooked companion in New Vegas, held hostage by Tabitha at Black Mountain. Rescuing him is hardly a secret, but his unique companion quest has such specific progression triggers that very few players get to experience it.
With Raul in your party, travel to Nelis Air Force base. Speak to Loyal. Raul will then speak to Loyal, starting the unmarked quest chain. After speaking with two more NPCs scattered across the Mojave, Raul will give his backstory. You can convince him to return to his old ways or stay as-is. He gets a unique outfit and perk if you choose the former, making Raul a much more combat-oriented character.
21 Wind-Brahmin Wrangler
Tucked away in the far top right corner of the map is Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch and a unique encounter that most players miss. If you go out back to the fenced-in area, you’ll be approached by an unnamed Nightkin. He’ll tell you that he has “Wind-Brahmin” he wants to sell you.
His asking price? All of your Bottle Caps. It doesn't matter if you have one or a million; the Nightkin wants it all. Should you decide to purchase the “Wind-Brahmin,” be ready for a huge disappointment.
20 Thought For The Day
The 188 Trading Post is a rest stop that most players only visit once on their playthrough to pick up Veronica, a companion with a history with the Brotherhood of Steel. Beyond that, there isn't much reason to go back here.
However, there is one NPC at the 188 Trading Post that's worth talking to. Named The Forecaster, this child supposedly has psychic powers and can tell your future. While most of his predictions are vague, he does allude to Veronica's past and Mr. House's interest in Hoover Dam. If psychic powers sound like a stretch, there were psychics in the first Fallout game.
19 Defacing the Humble Stone
Less a quest and more of a neat little detail, “Defacing the Humble Stone” is the name of an interaction you may have with an NCR trooper at Boulder City. The first time you make it to the city, you might run into Private Kowalski viewing a monument. It memorializes all the NCR troopers who perished at the First Battle of Hoover Dam four years before the start of the game.
Kowalski’s brother perished in that battle. Should you deface the monument in any way, be ready for a heated conversation.
18 Help For Halford
"Help for Halford" is a great example of how less is more sometimes. Make your way to Camp Guardian Caves to start this unmarked quest. You'll come across a wounded NCR soldier named Halford.
From a few lines of dialogue and a journal, you can quickly deduce that Halford's men were kidnapped and taken to this place. It's up to you how to handle the situation and whether Halford gets out alive. It's a great unmarked quest that shows the NCR's incompetence in assisting its men in times of need.
17 Hard Luck Blues
New Vegas has quite a few quests that involve a moral dilemma. None are quite as gut-wrenching as "Hard Luck Blues," a short side quest that starts in the NCR Sharecropper Farms. Speak to Morgan Blake to learn about how poorly their crops have been growing lately. She thinks it has something to do with the water.
Without spoiling too much, this quest quickly escalates from a small water inspection to a tough moral decision. While this quest isn't unmarked, its location in the NCR Sharecropper Farms makes it overlooked by most players. Swing by the area on your next playthrough and give this quest your attention.
16 Pistol Packing
Throughout the Fallout series, the Brotherhood Of Steel is consistently viewed as an organization most well-suited to survive in the Wasteland. This is for good reason as they devote their efforts to the development and preservation of powerful technology. Despite all this, they are still human and humans make mistakes.
If you come across Knight Torres in the Hidden Valley Bunker, she will mention that a laser pistol is missing from her inventory and you can volunteer to go get it. This sends you on an investigation to get an idea of where it might be which leads you to an encounter with a bunch of scorpions. Take them all down, get the pistol and return it to Torres for a sweet tri-beam laser rifle and positive fame with the Brotherhood.
15 The Screams of Brahmin
If you enter some of the homes that reside in Novac, you might stumble across Dusty McBride, one of the town's ranchers. His Brahmin are being killed off in the middle of the night, and he has no idea who or what is killing them. If you're willing to watch over the rancher's Brahmin, it'll become clear rather quickly as to why the Brahmin are dying left and right. Instead of dealing with the threat right away, stand around for a while to hear some unique dialogue surrounding you and your companions.
14 Power To The People
Sloan is a small town in New Vegas, inhabited only by workers who are supposed to be digging rock at Quarry Junction. There's just one issue: Chomp Lewis tells you the quarry is full of Deathclaws. But there’s more to Sloan than that. Beyond a few tasks in the town itself, there’s a power generator that's out of commission.
Tucked behind one of the buildings to the point where it’s practically invisible, there’s a power generator you can either repair or strip for parts. You’ll be rewarded with either the parts or $200 NCR dollars from Lewis.
13 Rotface's Loose Lips
Rotface is the homeless ghoul you’ll find sitting in the streets of Freeside, just outside Mick and Ralph’s. For every Bottle Cap you give Rotface, he'll give you a tip in return. If you tip him enough money, Rotface will have an expensive hat equipped the next time you meet him. Listen to all 30 of his tips to finish this unmarked quest.
Originally, there was going to be a follow-up quest called "Rotface to Riches." The more you paid Rotface, the more expensive apparel he'd purchase and wear. Tipping him enough would lead to a final confrontation with Rotface that is fitting for a Freeside beggar. Despite not making it into the final game, all the voice acting was recorded, and most of it was scripted. A modder named MoBurma80 went in and made the short quest available for PC players willing to mod their game.
12 Flags of Our Foul-Ups
If you ignore the NCR on your playthroughs, there's a good chance you missed this quest. A small group of NCR soldiers at Camp Golf are in dire need of a coach and some basic training. Travel to Camp Golf and speak to Sgt. McCredie to start the "Flags of Our Foul-Ups" side quest. While short, this quest has some great dialogue and a surprising number of branching paths for completing this quest. Whether your character is a hardass or empathetic, this quest has something for everyone.
11 Strategic Nuclear Moose
There are only so many industries one can hope to thrive in the Wasteland, but that won't stop people from trying. You'll come across various characters who have made something for themselves through innovation or creative business while others have struggled to get their name out there. This includes Gourd, a man who tried to make his own beer.
While exploring, you may come across a location known as Brewer's bootlegging shack. Once inside, you'll need to use lockpicking to get into his cellar which you can explore to see his operation. There's a Big Book Of Science and a Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap as well as a gun cabinet in the birthplace of the lost beer, Strategic Nuclear Moose.