Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

Ain't That a Kick in the Head is a tutorial quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Tutorial Quest: Ain't That A Kick in the Head 
You wake up in Goodsprings and Doc Mitchell will explain what happened to you. 
Pick your appearance (race, age, appearance and name). 
Pick your SPECIAL points by the Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester
Pick your Tag skills and traits
Doc gives back all possessions, along with a Vault 21 jumpsuit and a Pip-Boy
Reward: Doc tells you to talk to Sunny Smiles, leading to Back in the Saddle
Leads to: Back in the Saddle 

Detailed walkthrough[]

After the intro cinematic in which they suffered a gunshot to the head from a man in a checkered coat, the Courier wakes up with blurred vision and finds themselves inside Doc Mitchell's house. Doc Mitchell himself is sitting at their bedside and is amazed they pulled through. The doctor asks for their name and hands them a Reflectron to examine (and customize) their appearance. To gauge their physical wellbeing, Doc Mitchell helps them out of the bed and has them walk across the room to the Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester to assign their SPECIAL points. The doctor confirms the Courier's attributes, then brings them into a living room where he takes them through word-association, personality profile, and Rorschach blot tests to gauge their skillset and then gives them a form to help identify one, two, or no key personality trait(s).

Once the player character's starting elements are decided, Doc Mitchell walks the Courier to the front door of his house and reveals that they are in the town of Goodsprings, where he will give them a note he found on them while in his care as well as a Vault 21 jumpsuit (his own if male or that of his late wife if female) and a Pip-Boy 3000. He directs them to talk to the other townsfolk about finding the ones who attacked them, Sunny Smiles in particular. He can also be asked about who rescued them and says that it was Victor, a semi-resident of the town who is also a robot.

There is no penalty for taking anything in the house, and everything has a price in caps. The doctor has a fair amount of medical equipment, as well as a laser pistol and ammunition in a metal box. The chemistry set to the left of the bed the Courier woke up on can be used by a character with a Science skill of at least 25 to produce either five stimpaks or a small assortment of chems (Psycho, Jet, Steady, Buffout, Rebound, and Mentats). There is also a broken 9mm SMG laying on a crate near the bed which can be repaired and taken if their Repair skill is at least 25. If the Courier has at least 30 Speech or Medicine and they talk to the Doc a second time, they can convince him to give them an additional 3 stimpaks.

Rewards[]

After meeting with Doc Mitchell at the door to his home, every character receives 4 stimpaks, 18 caps, a couple of bobby pins, and depending on the player character's tag skills, possibly one ranged weapon (a 9mm pistol by default if none of the weapon skills were tag skills), melee weapon or unarmed weapon:

Tagged Skill + Rewards based on the tagged skill. Equipment
Lockpick 12 bobby pins instead of 6
Guns 9mm pistol and 43 9mm rounds (instead of default 15-30 rounds)
Explosives 8 sticks of dynamite (if neither Guns nor Energy Weapons are tagged as well)
Energy Weapons Laser pistol and 20 energy cells (if Guns isn't tagged as well)
Melee Weapons Straight razor (Regardless of other tagged skills)
Unarmed Boxing gloves (if Melee Weapons isn't tagged as well)

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
10 Walk to the Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester.
30 Use the Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester.
40 Sit down on the couch in Doc Mitchell's living room.
50Quest finishedFollow Doc Mitchell to the exit.

Notes[]

  • Once Doc Mitchell finishes his ending dialogue, the game will offer the option to play the game in Hardcore mode. The reward is an achievement/trophy. There is no in-game reward for completing the game in Hardcore mode.
  • If the Courier has a Speech skill of 30 and a Medicine skill lower than 30, it is possible to pass a total of 3 Speech checks receiving a total of 8 Stimpaks and 90 experience points by talking to Doc Mitchell again. After passing the first Speech check, use a Today's Physician to raise the Medicine skill to 30. Then, talk with Doc Mitchell again to pass the Medicine check, followed by a Speech check of 30.
    • Alternatively, if the Speech and Medicine skills both exceed 30, then Medicine can be lowered below 30 (e.g. with the alcoholic drinks usually present in Doc's refrigerator), then the Speech check passed, and then once the alcohol wears off the Medicine and second Speech check can be passed before leaving the house.
  • Doc Mitchell will comment on any extremes in the Courier's SPECIAL attributes (e.g. 8 Intelligence, 1 Luck, etc.).
  • Since the items in Doc Mitchell's house are not assigned to him, they can be collected without losing Karma.
  • In Fallout 3, if the Lone Wanderer says they hate their Pip-Boy and asks how to get it off, Stanley Armstrong says it is impossible. However, in Fallout: New Vegas, Doc Mitchell took his off somehow to give to the Courier and later in the game, Mick at Mick & Ralph's is able to freely swap it out for the Pimp-Boy 3 Billion if one resolves his problem.
  • No matter what name the Courier gives Doc Mitchell, he will always say, "Huh. Can't say it's what I'd have picked for you. But if that's your name, that's your name."
  • During the segment deciding tag skills, replying to Doc Mitchell's last question "Mother" with "Human Shield" results in him making a unique comment about it.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

  • "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" is the name of a popular Dean Martin song. The song is also featured on the in-game radio station Radio New Vegas and played in the casinos.
  • The final ink blot shown to the Courier is an exact copy of an ink blot used in the Quantum Leap episode "Shock Theater."

Bugs[]

  • PCPC While using the Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester, clicking on the up/down arrows to increase or decrease a statistic, or the left/right arrows to shift between statistics, may not work. If this happens, it may be that the game thinks that the arrow is somewhere else, in which case clicking elsewhere on the screen will produce the desired result. Another workaround is to use your keyboard's arrow keys (not the wsad keys) to increase/decrease statistics and shift between statistics.[verified]
  • PCPC If you start to use console commands, the game will completely freeze and when reloaded it will restart. Do not use console commands for this quest at any time.[verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 After gaining the ability to move, you might walk slowly and not be able to sit. Just restart the system and make a new save to fix this.[verified]

References[]

  1. Doc Mitchell: "Hmm. Sometimes when you give tests like this, you learn more than you was hoping for, and I reckon that ain't always the best thing. But I guess maybe it explains a thing or two about your predicament."
    (Doc Mitchell's dialogue)
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
Advertisement