Fallout Wiki
Fallout Wiki

Arachnophobia[1] is an unmarked quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Unmarked Quest: Arachnophobia 
Reach Camp Searchlight east of Wolfhorn Ranch and speak with First Sergeant Astor to start the side quest We Will All Go Together
Locate and enter the Searchlight home in the southwest side of the town
to speak with the ghoulified Private Kyle Edwards;
choose questioning dialogue options to find out about his fear of radscorpions keeping him from leaving. 
Agree to wipe out the radscorpion pack for Edwards. 
Pass a 60 Speech skill check to lie that the radscorpions are already dead and he can leave. 
60 XP
Karma loss 
Assist Pvt. Edwards in deciding a new course of action. 
Choose dialogue options to convince Edwards to wander the wasteland. 
Suggest talking to 1st Sgt. Astor about Edwards rejoining the NCR
Choose questioning dialogue options to ask Astor about other NCR posts Edwards can join
OR
pass a 50 Speech check / 7 Intelligence attribute check to convince Astor that the non-feral Edwards is safe to join his squad. 
Pass a 60 Speech check to lie about Astor accepting Edwards' help and he can leave to join them. 
Karma gain
50 bottle caps 
60 XP
Karma loss 

Detailed walkthrough[]

The quest is started by first traveling to Camp Searchlight and starting the side quest We Will All Go Together by speaking with First Sergeant Astor at the camp west of the town overpass road; he will request the player character recovered 10 irradiated NCR dogtags from the ghoulified remnants of the former NCR garrison. The tenth and final of these tags is in the ghoulish hands of Private Kyle Edwards, residing in the Searchlight home in the southwest side of the town; there will be a couple of radscorpions outside that attack. While that quest has several methods for acquiring Edwards' dogtag, this quest is only triggered by specifically following the dialogue chain to learn more about Edwards' situation and reasons for continuing to live in the irradiated house (Why are you still here -> There must be someplace you can go -> Is that the only thing you're afraid of? -> The radscorpions are gone).

Once Edwards reveals that he is hiding due to a fear of radscorpions, one will have a couple of options for proceeding:

  • [Speech 60] Lie to Edwards about having killed all the radscorpions, resulting in him thinking it is safe to leave, however, radscorpions will spawn outside the house and attack him once he exits. Choosing this option leads to acquiring the dogtags via conversation no longer being possible. Once the player leaves the house, Edwards' corpse will be close by and three giant radscorpions will attack. One will garner 60 XP for the Speech check and incur Karma loss.
  • Volunteer to kill the radscorpions for Edwards. The three giant radscorpions will spawn like in the above; kill all of them, then return to Edwards. One can then suggest that Edwards no longer needs his dogtags since he is now free to go. He will agree and hand them over.

After the radscorpions are eliminated, Edwards himself will still not leave without knowing somewhere he can go from Searchlight. One can accomplish this via the following options that intertwine with completing We Will All Go Together:

  • Choose passive dialogue options to tell Edwards that there are plenty of places in the wasteland that he can discover for himself. He will agree and leave, with no Karma change or reward.
  • Suggest that Astor might take him back in; this then leads to the following additional options:
    • [Speech 60] Lie by telling Edwards that Astor would be happy to see him unexpectedly. Choosing this option incurs Karma loss, and Edwards will then run to the NCR camp, where Astor's group will likely gun him down, as they are operating under the assumption that all ghouls coming from Searchlight are feral.
    • Make an offer to speak with Astor on Edwards' behalf to find out how to help him. One will then have the following options to amend Edwards' situation:
      • [Speech 50] Suggest that Edwards can be of help. Passing leads to Astor agreeing to take him on as a squad member.
      • [Intelligence 7] Explain that Edwards is not showing any signs of going feral. Passing leads to Astor agreeing to take him on a squad member.
      • Ask for suggestions on where Edwards as a ghoul can go in the NCR. Astor will then mention Ranger Station Echo and its majority ghoul staff, which can be reported back to Edwards.

Any of the non-lying outcomes will garner Karma gain and Edwards leaving the house safely. If Astor is convinced to take Edwards into his squad, the private will gift 50 caps for helping him reclaim his former life.

Behind the scenes[]

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and other arachnids including scorpions and ticks, derived from the Greek words "arachne" and "phobia" related to the mythological figures Arachne (a weaver who challenged the goddess Athena to a contest, lost and was turned into a spider) and Phobos (god of fear and son of the god of war Ares).

References[]

  1. Quest name from the GECK
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 · 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
Cut contentCut questsAuto-Inject Quest · Bright and Shiny · Chip Provenance · Debug Topics · Exploring Vault 74 · Jailhouse Rock · Meat of Champions (quest) · TempMan · Underpass Water Purifier · Viva Las Vegas! · Welcome to Fabulous New Vegas · World Changes Post-Endgame
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 · Return to the FountainCut content
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