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A cannibalism problem? Really? I'm so glad you weren't eaten!Yes Man

Beyond the Beef is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Synopsis[]

Well known brahmin rancher Heck Gunderson asks the Courier to track down his son Ted, who has disappeared in the Ultra-Luxe Casino Hotel. Ted was kidnapped by agents of Mortimer of the White Glove Society, in an attempt to return the White Glove Society to cannibalism.

Warning: This quest is tied to Pheeble Will. If choosing the vengeful way to kill Heck Gunderson and/or his son, depending on your choices, it is possible to fail one of the two quests.

Quick walkthrough[]

Side Quest: Beyond the Beef 
Go to the Ultra-Luxe casino and speak with Heck Gunderson
Speak with Marjorie and then Mortimer, the managers of the Ultra-Luxe. 
Sort out everyone's problems by either: 
Help return Heck Gunderson's son to him alive, curing the White Glove Society cannibalism in the process. 
Help return Heck Gunderson's son to him alive and help Mortimer return the White Glove Society to cannibalism by killing one of your human companions or a man named Carlyle St. Clair III
Kill and cook Heck Gunderson's son, blame his father for the murder, and help the White Glove Society return to cannibalism. 
Kill every White Glove member you see on the way to Ted and lead him out alive. 
Reward: 100 or 500 XP, 250 or 500 caps and the Strip fame or White Glove Society fame. 

Detailed walkthrough[]

In the Ultra-Luxe casino, the Courier finds Heck Gunderson, a wealthy brahmin baron, sitting at the bar and upset about his missing son. After questioning the purpose of his visit, one can offer assistance in finding his son, Ted Gunderson. Then go talk with Marjorie, one of the managers of the Ultra-Luxe Casino & Hotel, located at the Gourmand restaurant and learn that a bride went missing in the hotel, which is damaging their reputation. At some point in the conversation she will inform you that the White Glove Society were cannibals, but this practice is now forbidden. You have the option to tell her that you are a cannibal too, as a lie (unless you have the Cannibal perk), which does not impress her and will lead to White Glove Society infamy.

After you inform her that you are looking for another man, much to her disbelief, she will tell you to find the other manager, Mortimer. When talking to Mortimer you have several options.

  • You can lie, with a Speech of 62, or use the Cannibal perk, to tell him that you are a cannibal too (no infamy gained), he will be euphoric and explain his plan to return the White Glove Society to cannibalism, by killing or arranging a substitute for Ted Gunderson.
  • You can just ask him directly if you have evil Karma and non-neutral Strip reputation.
  • You can follow Marjorie's advice and ask him about an investigator searching for clues about a missing bride in the hotel.

Working with Mortimer[]

Mortimer is very displeased that the Society is denying their basic impulses and wishes the return of the old practices. For this, he will arrange a banquet in which members will be served meals prepared with human flesh. For this purpose he arranged a kidnapping, but the victim was able to escape. Having to find a substitute at the last minute, those loyal to him kidnapped Ted Gunderson, son of Heck Gunderson, a very powerful brahmin baron.

Mortimer wants to get rid of Ted in a way that doesn't leave any suspicion of the Ultra-Luxe; or, if it's not possible, kill Ted and use him as a meal, framing his father for the death. If you want to spare Ted's life you have to provide a substitute for the banquet, which can be one of your human companions if you give this suggestion to him or the original victim that was able to escape, Carlyle St. Clair III. Note, that you can't use imitation strange pie for this task. He then will provide keys for the Ultra-Luxe freezer, Gourmand kitchen and Ultra-Luxe Penthouse, as well as a cattle prod.

Return Ted to his father and find a substitute for the banquet[]

  • If you want to return Ted alive to his father, go to the Gourmand restaurant and use the elevator to go to the basement.
  • A White Glove Society guard will ask what you are doing there. Inform him that Mortimer wishes to get rid of the kid without arousing suspicion if he cooperates, with a 55 Speech check.
  • Open the freezer and talk to Ted. You have to lie about the people who did this to him and pass a 38 Speech check, indicating that maybe it was some competitors trying to screw his father's negotiation about brahmin with the "White Pants Society" (in Ted's own words).
  • Leave with him through the Gourmand restaurant kitchen. If you try to use the members-only door everyone in the basement will turn hostile (even if you don't open the door).
  • Guide Ted to his father, who will be furious and demand to know who did this to Ted. Lie that you don't know and receive 500 caps from him, as well as some White Glove Society fame.

The next step is to find a substitute for the banquet.

You may either:

  • Sacrifice one of your human companions (either Craig Boone, Veronica Santangelo, Rose of Sharon Cassidy or Arcade Gannon) by going to the kitchen and locking them in the freezer. This will end the quest. Note: you will lose anything they are carrying.
  • Travel to Carlyle St. Clair's house and convince Carlyle to go to the Ultra-Luxe, or knock him unconscious and put his body in a dumpster close to his house. His home is located close to Freeside North Entrance; travel to the gate and follow the road between north and northeast in a straight line.

There are many ways to deal with Carlyle St. Clair. You can convince him to go to the Ultra-Luxe with a 65 Speech check; if you have the Black Widow perk you can propose to have sex with him in the dumpster; with 45 guns you can pistol-whip him; asking him about himself will reveal he was black-labeled by his family and with a 45 Speech you can convince him that the White Glove Society can clean his name; asking about a pain he has in the neck will lead to a 7 Strength, 45 Medicine or 45 Unarmed check that will knock him unconscious. If you don't have any of these skills, use a cattle prod that Mortimer provided to you (make sure that your companions are away, if not they may accidentally kill him). Drag his body to the dumpster and place him inside. If the player has the Cannibal perk, St. Clair will fail the quest.

Go back to Mortimer after dealing with St. Clair, or your companion, and gain 500 XP and a huge boost of Strip and White Glove Society fame. This concludes the quest and the White Glove will return to cannibalism after the 7 p.m. banquet.

ALTERNATIVELY:

You can steal or gain through dialogue a recipe from the head chef, Philippe, that will let you create a human flesh alternative to fool Mortimer and all the White Glove members (55 Barter check will get you his recipe, 55 Medicine check will get you his recipe and the key to the freezer where they're keeping Ted). This will result in Mortimer revealing himself at the banquet without the player having to kill anyone, not even the cook. This is possible if the player can pass a Barter, Medicine or Speech check to get the recipes and remove the cook without having to kill him. Create the dish, and wait until 7 PM for the banquet to begin. Use the intercom to call the head waiter. When the waiter arrives you must either be disguised as a member of the White Glove Society or hidden out of sight, otherwise he will become hostile.

If you plan on freeing Ted and exposing Mortimer, talk to him only after the head waiter has left the room, preferably the area, because he will be hostile if Ted is following you. Use the direct route to the banquet hall, and sneak while you enter, because the White Glove members will be hostile to you. Wait for Mortimer to finish his speech, walk up to him, stand up and quickly talk to him, because otherwise your companions and Ted will attack the bouncer, causing the entire room to become hostile to you (if you find you are unable to avoid this, open the console, click on Ted, and type in "tai" and press Enter. This will disable his AI and prevent him from attacking. Do the same for any companions. Be sure to do it again to re-enable their AI once you have dealt with Mortimer). Expose Mortimer's plan, and talk to Marjorie for your boost to White Glove Society fame. You also gain Strip fame if you persuade (35 Speech) Heck Gunderson not to stop selling brahmin meat to White Glove society.

Quest stages[]
StageStatusDescription
10 Ask around the Ultra-Luxe for information regarding Ted Gunderson's disappearance.
20 Inquire with Mortimer at the Ultra-Luxe about the investigator.
80 Get Ted back to his father if he is still alive.
100 Talk to Ted Gunderson, who's being held in a room beneath the Gourmand.
105 Return Ted to his father at the Ultra-Luxe's Top Shelf Bar.
110 Secure an acceptable replacement for Ted Gunderson as the White Glove Society's main course.
120 Talk to Carlyle St. Clair at his residence north of the Strip.
125 (Optional) Lock one of your human companions in the Ultra-Luxe kitchen freezer as replacement for Ted.
130 (Optional) Take the recipe-book from the cook, non-violently (optional) and make a human-flesh alternative and let Mortimer expose himself to the people, while they dine on a meat that's not human-flesh.
200Quest finishedReturn to Mortimer in the Ultra-Luxe

Kill Ted, and frame his father for the murder[]

If you want to complete the quest Pheeble Will and receive a very nice reward from both Mortimer and Walter Phebus, killing Ted is advantageous.

Accept the quest from Walter but don't accept any of the Barter checks. Go back to the Ultra-Luxe and tell Mortimer that you want to help him (you may have to lie to him). Mortimer will give you a key that lets you enter the kitchen basement. A White Glove Society guard will ask what you are doing, inform him that Mortimer wishes to get rid of the kid. Open the freezer and talk to Ted. You have the option to talk a little or simply tell him that you are finishing what the White Gloves started, which will cause him to turn hostile. After killing Ted, collect a bit of blood and some remains from the corpse to frame his father.

Note: This option is still available if you lie about your intention when agreeing to help Mortimer, but keep in mind that you mustn't agree to help Heck Gunderson find his son when asking what he is doing in the Ultra-Luxe in the quest Pheeble Will or the option to help Mortimer frame Heck will not appear. But even then it is still possible to go with this option by simply going about the quest to help Mortimer and kill Ted anyway, as the quest will simply advance to the part of framing Heck as soon as Ted is dead.

With the false evidence in your inventory, go to the Ultra-Luxe Penthouse. The penthouse can be accessed from an elevator located in a room behind Mortimer's desk. Two bodyguards working for Gunderson, his hired hands patrol the suite and are hostile, but can be killed without Karma penalty. Distribute the blood and remains of Ted in the bed and in the bathroom sink. Then go to the Strip and inform a securitron that a murder happened in the Ultra-Luxe. After making a surreal and mocking speech about the law, the securitron will proceed to arrest Heck Gunderson, who will resist and end up being killed.

Proceed to Mortimer for your reward of 500 XP, Strip and White Glove Society fame, and the result of the White Glove Society returning to cannibalism after the 7PM banquet.

After talking to Mortimer, go back to Walter for an additional reward of 200 XP and 1,500 caps or 110 XP and 400 caps.

Extra info: This method will permit the Courier to complete the entire line of tasks in Render Unto Caesar.

Quest stages[]
StageStatusDescription
10 Ask around the Ultra-Luxe for information regarding Ted Gunderson's disappearance.
20 Inquire with Mortimer at the Ultra-Luxe about the investigator.
80 Get Ted back to his father if he is still alive.
100 Talk to Ted Gunderson who's being held in a room beneath the Gourmand.
150 Kill Ted Gunderson.
160 Collect samples of Ted's corpse for use in framing his father.
170 Distribute your samples around Heck Gunderson's bed and sink in his Ultra-Luxe penthouse suite.
180 Send a Securitron from the Strip to investigate Heck Gunderson's suite.
200Quest finishedReturn to Mortimer in the Ultra-Luxe

Following the Investigator[]

There is also a way to save Ted and prevent the White Glove Society from returning to cannibalism:

When you talk to Marjorie about the disappearance of Ted, she tells you that an investigator was looking for clues about a missing bride who had stayed at the hotel, then she directs you to Mortimer. After inquiring Mortimer about the investigator, he gives you a key to the investigator's room. If you ask about the White Glove Society's reputation of cannibalism, you have the opportunity to lie with 62 Speech or use the Cannibal perk to tell him that you are also a cannibal. Mortimer will reveal his plan to you and request that you help him. If you agree to help without lying, you will not be able to obtain the note Matchbook from the dead investigator or meet with Chauncey. If you lie about helping, Mortimer will give you the Penthouse key, kitchen key, and freezer key.

Go to the investigator's room, located in the Ultra-Luxe Hotel rooms. You will discover that the investigator is dead. Search his body for the matchbook note, which will tell you that he had a meeting with someone in the Ultra-Luxe steam room at 4PM. Two White Glove Society members will appear and attack with dress canes. After dealing with them, head to the steam room and wait until 4PM.

In the steam room, you will meet Chauncey, a member of the White Glove Society who wants to stop Mortimer from returning to cannibalism. He tells you that a banquet at 7PM will serve a meal made with human flesh and that Mortimer is behind the disappearance of Ted Gunderson. Mortimer's plan is to make a speech telling the White Glove Society what they ate so they will pass the taboo and return to cannibalism.

Chauncey doesn't know where Ted is, but he suspects that he is being held in the Members-Only section of the Ultra-Luxe. Chauncey warns you that if Ted is seen in the hotel, the other members will attack to protect their secret. He gives two suggestions for freeing Ted:

  • You can spike the wine with a Med-X and 25 Medicine to create drugged wine, then escape with Ted while the members are comatose (if you need a Med-X, you can try to find one in a first aid kit, although it is rare. There are three kits in the basement: one in each of the two adjacent basement kitchens, and one in the storage room next to the bathroom).
  • You can cook up a fake meal that will trick Mortimer into exposing himself without corrupting the rest of the White Glove members. According to Chauncey, at the end of Mortimer's speech, you can enter the banquet hall with Ted alive and cause the Society to expel Mortimer.

Chauncey recommends the second approach, since the first would only be a temporary solution, and it would not prevent Mortimer from trying again in the future. Right after you say bye, an assassin will appear and kill Chauncey. Note: Chauncey is scripted to die. Even if you kill the assassin before a single shot is fired against Chauncey, he will still die instantly as if he had been shot.

After dealing with the assassin, proceed to the Gourmand. If your reputation on the Strip is "accepted" or better, Marjorie will sponsor you as a member and give you formal wear and a key to the Members-Only section. Behind the bar is a door to the kitchen that can be lockpicked, or use the key if it was provided by Mortimer earlier (or take the long way from the casino floor to the Members-Only section and through the door behind the bar to the kitchen.)

In the upper level are two White Glove members torching meat with flamers. There are 6 pieces of infected brahmin meat on the counters. Use the elevator or head down the stairs to the basement. There is a White Glove Society member patrolling the hallway. If he sees you and asks what you are doing in the basement, you can lie with 55 Speech and say that Mortimer wants to move the kid, or you can choose a 35 Repair check to convince him that you are a plumber checking for leaks.

Go down the hall and look for the kitchen where the executive chef, Philippe, is located (there is a Recipes - Brahmin Wellington on the counter). To free Ted, you can use either the freezer key or the terminal next to the freezer door (at a loss of Karma,) but you must deal with Philippe first. There are several things that can be done:

  • You can pickpocket Philippe for the note Philippe's recipes and the freezer key.
  • You can kill and loot him. This gains White Glove Society infamy unless it is a stealth kill. You also gain Karma since he is evil.
  • You can antagonize Philippe through dialogue until you have the opportunity for several skill checks. (Note: you can do multiple checks if you talk to him again afterwards.)
    • Speech check: With 55 Speech, you can tell him you saw a Radroach. He will run into the pantry, at which point you can use the terminal to close the door, trapping him inside. However, you need 75 Survival to make imitation strange meat pie without a recipe, or create drugged wine with a Med-X and 25 Medicine.
    • Barter check: With 55 Barter, you can say you are major publisher looking for a cookbook. Then there are two options: pay him 100 caps for an advance on the book, or pass another 55 Speech check to tell him to give you his recipes. However, you still need to find a way to get rid of him and a way to get into the freezer (if you don't want to use the terminal).
    • Medicine check: With 55 Medicine, you can tell him "harebrained psychobabble" until he has a breakdown. He gives you his recipes and freezer key before fleeing.

If you wish to cook imitation strange meat pie and expose Mortimer, you will need Philippe's recipes and 6 Intelligence or 75 Survival to improvise one.

If you wish to make drugged wine, you need a Med-X and 25 Medicine. (If you need a Med-X, you can try to find one in a first aid kit, although it is rare. There are three first aid kits in the basement: one in each of the two adjacent basement kitchens, and one in the storage room next to the bathroom.) There is a wine bottle you can examine on a shelf above the stove in Philippe's kitchen, and another wine bottle on a table in the wine cellar room (in the room next to the other kitchen). You only need to drug one bottle, but it cannot be taken despite the red steal message. However, you can pickpocket the head waiter while he is carrying it; the members at the banquet still end up being drugged. (This makes it possible to keep both the drugged wine and imitation strange meat pie in your inventory, if you also cook the fake food and "steal" it.)

After cooking the food or drugging the wine, wait until 7PM (when the dinner guests arrive,) then use the intercom to call the head waiter to come down and collect the wine/meal. If Marjorie did not sponsor you as a White Glove Society member earlier, disguise yourself in White Glove attire before the head waiter arrives, or stay hidden so that he does not become hostile. (For whatever reason, sometimes the waiter stops in front of the kitchen door when told to pick up the wine; to fix this, just close the door, and he'll retrieve the second bottle in the wine cellar.) It's also advisable to free Ted after the head waiter has left, since seeing Ted will turn the waiter hostile. When you open the door, Ted will be very upset, demanding to know who did this to him. You have three options: say there's no time to explain, tell him the truth, or lie and say you don't know who did it. In order to gain White Glove Society fame when the quest ends, don't tell Ted (or his father) the truth, so choose "There's no time to explain" or lie to him.

Have Ted follow you out of the kitchen and to the right, being careful to make sure the waiter isn't still walking back. Follow the stairs up and go through the door to the White Glove private dining area (if you're not a member you'll need to use a key from Marjorie or Mortimer, or pick the lock). If the waiter took the wine, everyone will be comatose. You can loot the bodies, Mortimer being among them. If the waiter took the fake meal, crouch down and hide behind the bar until Mortimer finishes his speech. Note: You must wait for him to finish his banquet speech with the words "bon appetit" before you approach Mortimer. Doing so beforehand will cause the other White Gloves to become hostile to you.

As soon as Mortimer finishes, simply jump over the counter, run over to him and initiate dialogue. Exposing him will cause him to flee, but the other diners - the ones who might otherwise have attacked you - should remain neutral. If you are successfully able to attack Mortimer after exposing him but before he flees the room, the other diners may collectively mob Mortimer and assist you in killing him. Afterwards, talk to Marjorie to receive White Glove Society fame.

At this point you can either return Ted to his father, or you can carry out the revenge path of Pheeble Will as detailed in the section above.

To complete the quest peacefully, return with Ted to his father. If you didn't lie to Ted in the freezer, he will tell his father what happened and Heck will want to impose a blockade of food on the Strip. You have the option to not let this happen with a 35 Speech check, which will lead to Strip fame. If you are unable to pass the check, you will gain infamy. If you lied to Ted in the freezer (or said there wasn't time to explain), his father asks who was behind the kidnapping. If you tell the truth, you have to pass the same 35 Speech check, but this time you will only gain Strip fame. If you lie to him, you will gain both Strip fame and White Glove Society fame.

You also get 500 XP and 500 caps for completing the quest.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
10 Ask around the Ultra-Luxe for information regarding Ted Gunderson's disappearance.
20 Inquire with Mortimer at the Ultra-Luxe about the investigator.
30 Get into the investigator's room at the Ultra-Luxe.
35 Search the Investigator for clues.
40 Meet with the investigator's contact in the Ultra-Luxe steam room at 4pm.
50 Find a way to gain access to the Members-Only section of the Gourmand.
60 (Optional) Find a sponsor to help you join the White Glove Society.
70 (Optional) Alert Heck Gunderson to his son's situation.
75 (Optional) Get rid of Philippe and cook for the banquet using his recipe for human flesh.
76 (Optional) Drug the wine at the White Glove Society banquet.
78 (Optional) Use the intercom to call in the head waiter.
79 (Optional) Bring Ted to the Members Only section to expose Mortimer at the end of his banquet speech.
80 Get Ted back to his father if he is still alive.
90Quest finishedTalk to Heck Gunderson.

The Bloodthirsty Courier[]

You also have the unmarked option to apply Wasteland manners in the pedant face of the White Glove Society, if you don't mind the possibility of being vilified by them.

Follow the quest as detailed in the "Following the Investigator" section above, but after discovering from Chauncey the plans regarding Ted, the Courier has the unmarked option to tell Heck Gunderson what's happening.

After you have given Heck the news, he offers a different solution: simply shoot everyone in your way and return Ted to him. He provides you with a sawed-off shotgun and some shells.

Note that if you do this, you can kill all of the White Gloves in the casino with no Karma loss and never have your weapons taken again. You can even go into the cashier's office and clean it out to get your possessions back, suffering only minor Karma loss for opening/stealing things. Then you will have all your weapons and can continue the quest uninterrupted, although you may want to disguise as a White Glove to prevent unwanted attacks. Just be sure not to kill Marjorie or Mortimer or the quest will fail. Even after all the killing, once you complete the quest you may still go from hated to idolized by the White Gloves.

Once you return Ted to his father the quest is completed, and you gain 500 XP and 500 caps from Heck.

Notes[]

  • It is possible to skip almost all of this quest, while still receiving the XP points and reward from Heck. After speaking with Heck for the first time and agreeing to help find his son, simply sneak into the Gourmand kitchen via the locked door behind the bar. It is possible to do this undetected. Once inside, sneak past the two White Gloves roasting the brahmin meat and head down the stairs. There is another White Glove on patrol in this hallway. If he detects you he will confront you and you can pass a Speech check to convince him that Mortimer told you to move the boy or tell him you're there to fix some leaky pipes. If you pass one of these Speech checks he will let you continue. Any of the doors on the left side of the hallway will lead you to where Phillipe is standing. He will be facing the wall and it is possible to sneak past him undetected. Behind him is the door to the freezer room. Hack the terminal (accessing the terminal will cause you to lose Karma) to gain access to the freezer. This is where Ted is being held. Talk to Ted and he will follow you out. It is possible to sneak past Phillipe again. If you are detected by Phillipe after freeing Ted he will become hostile, along with all the other White Gloves in the kitchen area. The White Glove in the hallway will not confront you even if he sees Ted with you. Sneak back upstairs and out of the kitchen. Once you're out of the kitchen, find Heck and speak with him. You will have all the dialogue options as you would normally.
  • The decision to help the White Glove Society or not does not have any repercussions in the game or in the quest Render Unto Caesar other than giving some Legion reputation and a lot of bad Karma to the player. This is the only quest in New Vegas that doesn't carry any repercussions between factions, towns, locations or non-player characters. This is also one of the few quests that allows you to subvert the entire progression and kill almost everyone in it without damaging your reputation or Karma.
  • The player can both expose Mortimer and kill Heck and Ted without framing Heck. To do this, expose Mortimer as detailed in the above walkthrough, then kill Ted in an abandoned area of the casino so you are not seen. Report to Heck that Ted is dead and tell him the White Glove Society kidnapped him, which leads into the same 35 Speech check to not stop supplying the Strip meat as though the player brought Ted back alive. Heck will remain at the bar after dialogue ends, simply draw your weapon and kill him, then put your weapon away and the White Glove Society members and other patrons should go back to friendly. You can then report to Walter to conclude Pheeble Will. This path earns you the title "Good-Natured Rascal", as you will be idolized by the White Glove Society but are guilty of breaking their rules by carrying a weapon and attacking Heck in their view. Or, kill him stealthily, e.g. with the silenced .22 pistol, which is a holdout weapon. Hiding in the casino behind a table is quite doable, you may have to fire two or three times to kill him before he turns around.
  • If you chose to drug the wine, after the head waiter picks up the drugged wine, you can pickpocket it off him with no change in the current objective (the White Glove Society members will still become comatose).
    • Also, when you enter the White Glove Society gathering, you have the option to talk to the members. Attempting to talk to them actually opens up their extended inventory (the clothes they are currently wearing will be listed), which you can loot without loss of Karma or reputation. Even after finishing the quest, the members will not replace their clothing or masks, and they will walk around in their underwear. Also, if you wake them up when they are drugged by hitting one and then putting your fists away they all will walk around the room and you can still pick their pockets as if they were unconscious and the player will be unable to talk to them until they leave.
  • If all the securitrons on the Strip were killed previously, it can be difficult to finish this quest via framing Gunderson as the quest markers will simply point to empty spaces and the securitrons can take a very long time to respawn. This can be detrimental when playing on Hardcore as you will most likely have to wait for over a week, during which time you will have to keep sleep, dehydration and hunger levels down. On the PC version accessing the console, targeting a dead securitron and entering the command "resurrect" will restore the securitron to life and allow you to complete the quest.
  • If you are working for Mr. House after the quest is completed, you have the option to tell him that the White Gloves are now cannibals. He will then tell you to deal with them in any way you see fit, as this is a breach of their contract.
  • If you choose to frame Heck Gunderson, the securitron that comes to deal with him will be a securitron MK I, regardless of whether or not the Courier upgraded Mr. House's securitrons to MK II.
  • If you want to complete both the Pheeble Will and Beyond The Beef quests with the most experience, the best option is to, if you have the appropriate Barter skill level, get Phebus to agree to pay 400 caps for your help first. Then, go talk to Heck Gunderson and find out his son Ted is missing. After that, speak with Phebus again and tell him what you've found out; he'll pay you and the next set of dialogue options will appear. Just choose 'Goodbye', and then talk to his wife. Tell her you'll try to talk Phebus out of it, and then do so by whatever methods are at your disposal. He and his wife will leave without you having to kill Ted or Heck. This will give you 413 XP, but only 400 caps. It also requires Speech 75. This way you can bring Ted back to his father Heck and receive 589 XP, as well as 500 caps. You do, however, need Speech 35 to ensure you get the Strip and White Glove Society fame. Also, killing Mortimer after you show him up will give you 55 XP. But if you complete this quest peacefully first will fail the Pheeble Will quest. If you already took Ted to Heck, finish the former quest before talking to Heck.
  • If you bring Ted back to Heck and then kill Heck, the White Glove Society will shun you, but Heck's hired gun will help you fight them.
  • Picking the lock to the door that leads to the cashier's booth will result in negative Karma, and upon approaching the cashier, he will become hostile. However, if you simply pick the lock then shut the door, there will be no resulting hostility.
  • The only way to receive Strip fame is currently to dissuade Heck Gunderson from imposing a food blockade, which is possible ONLY if you return Ted to his father, thus failing Pheeble Will. Helping Mortimer promotes you to Idolized with the White Gloves, but has no effect on your Strip reputation. (You can also just kill Ted and lie to Heck that you only found him and don't know who did it, that will also give you Strip fame, as well as White Glove fame).
  • As of version 1.4, neither Mortimer nor Marjorie have lines about cannibalism or Ted Gunderson until an offer is made to Heck to find his son, making that the only way to start the quest.
  • The only way to kill a companion outside of Hardcore mode is by making them the replacement for Ted.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Beyond the Beef was designed by Eric Fenstermaker.
  • Beyond the Beef took a very long time to finish during development, as it took many milestones to complete. It was never under consideration to be cut from the game, despite its bugs, because of the quality of the quest - instead, the internal discussions were more along the lines of emphasizing the need to wrap up development of the quest so the team could focus efforts elsewhere.[1]
  • If the Courier has the Wild Wasteland trait, then after framing Heck Gunderson, the securitron sent to arrest him will say the line "Dead or alive, you're coming with me" just before shooting him. This is a quote from the 1987 movie RoboCop. The voice and inflection sound similar to that of Robocop as well.
  • Also, if the Courier has the Wild Wasteland trait, the deceased investigator will be named "Crusoe." This is in reference to Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist of the classic novel of same name. In the novel, Crusoe is marooned on an island where he encounters cannibals. The investigator is modelled to resemble David Caruso's character from CSI: Miami.
  • The name of this quest is another play of words that most likely refers to the song "Beyond the Reef," written by J. Pitman in 1948 and made popular in 1950 by Bing Crosby. The song was covered by Elvis Presley and The Ventures, along with many other artists.

Bugs[]

  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you choose to cook the imitation meat pie and then take it, when you call the head waiter over he will stand in front of the oven and will not move. [verified]
    • On the Xbox 360, if you put it back then wait 24 hours, he will have taken it. Make sure it is still around 7 PM when you leave the kitchen or you will encounter the bug mentioned below where Mortimer doesn't make his speech.
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Ted Gunderson may become stuck in combat mode, and will not follow you through area transitions. To correct, wait one hour or fast travel to The Strip North Gate, Ted should appear shortly. When re-entering the Strip, be cautious as Ted does not have a passport and will be shot by security if you do not make it to the gate fast enough. Taking the monorail from Camp McCarran will also work. Alternatively, if you do not want to risk Ted dying, you can slowly and carefully walk into him, pushing him towards Heck. This is assuming you do not have to travel through any doors. You can also use the 'resurrect' command on him from the console if you're playing the PC version, and it will reset him. Waiting two to three hours on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 also works. Also, if you have a full party, dismissing your humanoid companion on the spot, causes him to act normally (Tested on PC). [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you prepare the meal, call the waiter, and then go up to the private dining room without Ted, Mortimer may never begin his speech. If you try to return later with Ted, the room will become hostile toward you. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you are working with the Legion, and leave Boone in the freezer as a substitute meal, make sure you kill him before locking him in. "Back" him up into the freezer, kill him, return the Gunderson kid to his father, and then tell Mortimer. If you do not kill Boone first, even if you hire another companion after he's been eaten, when you go to the Legion camp, you will be perceived as hostile and attacked on sight. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you are confronted by a waiter in the basement where you have to explain why Ted is with you prior to making it to the members only room with Ted Gunderson with you, Mortimer will begin to walk toward the door and end up leaving the room before he finishes his speech. If you confront him before the speech ends, you will fail to expose him since he did not yet say anything about eating humans. However, once he leaves the room you may not expose him. When this happens the only solution is to walk back through and reunite Ted with his father, though the White Glove members will be hostile. [verified]
    • This actually may depend on the time player spent down in the kitchen. If this bug occurs, you may reload from save and wait until it's 7 PM next day. When you go out of the kitchen, Mortimer should no longer be walking away. Alternatively, you can leave the members only section while remaining undetected into the Ultra-Luxe kitchen, wait a whole day until 7:00pm the next day, and Mortimer will be standing behind the podium. He won't say anything, having already given his speech the day prior; however you can rush towards him and initiate the dialogue exposing his plans, thus completing that particular objective for Beyond the Beef.
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 If you choose to leave Boone in the freezer, you will not receive his ending, making it as if you had never met him. This happens regardless of whether he is dead or alive when locked in. May be true for the other human companions as well; only tested with Boone. [verified]
  • PCPC If you complete the request and kill Mortimer and/or Marjorie but without drugging the wine, you can go to the kitchen afterwards, drug the wine and both will respawn for some reason, but will only offer non-quest related dialogue. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you go into the Penthouse Suite upon completion of the quest, two identical 'Gunderson's Hired Hand' non-player character's will be inside. They will follow you around the suite with their guns drawn, but will not attack, and they will not retaliate even when attacked by the player. Killing them does not result in negative Karma. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 There is a possible bug where if the player completes "The Courier Who Broke the Bank" trophy/achievement, and becomes hostile to the White Gloves, upon entering the Ultra-Luxe casino floor the game will freeze every time. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 Entering the Ultra-Luxe and immediately attacking can result in a very interesting questing experience. There is no conversation option to leave the casino - the player must either surrender their weapons or attack the guard. If the player chooses to attack the guard, the casino section will become hostile and attack - but not the rest of the hotel. All quest non-player characters will remain friendly. The player can proceed with the quest normally, although Marjorie may become hostile at random, causing some resolutions to be impossible. Additionally, Heck Gunderson will not have the conversation options necessary for him to give you the shotgun and proceed to kill the White Gloves. The player can bring Ted Gunderson back to resolve the quest, but cannot convince Heck to rampage through the casino. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Choosing to pistol whip Carlyle St. Clair [Guns 45] can cause him to die and the quest to be marked as a failure. [verified]
  • PCPC When waiting to meet the investigator's contact, Chauncey, in the bath house, the game crashes. Use wait and quick save frequently to work around it. It's confirmed that with or without companions this is likely to happen for different reasons, so quick save often and try to stay as little as possible in the steam room (enter the room only at 4PM or little after and go straight to him).
  • PCPC Completing the conversation with Chauncey and attempting to leave the Bathhouse through the north-eastern door to the Casino Floor locks the game en route. Loading an older save (prior to entering the Ultra-Luxe) and going through the quest again from the beginning did not resolve the issue. Somehow circumvented by either constantly quick-saving or not looting either Chauncey or the assassin, or both. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you sneak into the kitchen of the White Glove Society prior to starting Heck's quest, it still allows you to drug the wine and call the head waiter down. If you do this, and then start the quest, you will be unable to do a few of the optional objectives that involve drugging the wine and calling the head waiter down. However, the quest can still be completed. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you don't pick the dialogue option when speaking to Chauncey asking about "other suggestions for freeing Ted" you will NOT get the additional option to prepare the fake meal to oust Mortimer. The oven will not be accessible to make the fake strange meat pies and you will not be able to call down the head waiter to pick up the fake strange meat pies. The only options left will be to kill everyone on your way out or drug the wine to sneak past. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you left your companions in the kitchen area and attempt to go back to retrieve them without taking Ted to his father first, Ted's AI might bug out and he'll go retrieve a weapon in the basement. Then stand still in an attack pose refusing to follow you. And if you bring your companions up to the White Glove Society room without being a member (after dealing with Mortimer) they will be hostile to your companions and begin attacking. [verified]
    • A fix is to simply "Wait" (T) for one hour before you try to bring him through a door, as he will then temporarily holster his weapon and proceed through doors normally.
    • PCPC If Ted cannot follow you (you enter a different room and he does not follow) simply go to the room where his father is and type the following into the console: prid 0010d4f0 and hit enter. Then type moveto player and Ted will appear.
    • Or type the following into the console: set "0010d2c6".bTedFollowing to 1 and hit enter.
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you kill everyone and find Ted in the kitchen, when you bring him back to his father, you'll get the same dialogue as if you were starting the quest. This may be due to the fact that Ted stays behind which calls for another initiation of conversation to have him follow you again. Additionally, you may be able to gain ammo from Heck if you haven't already mentioned that Ted is within the confines of Ultra-Luxe. Therefore, you may talk to Heck, gain weapon(s) and ammo, then return to find Ted. Reinitiate dialogue, and then have Ted return with you to his father. [verified]
  • PCPC After framing Heck Gunderson, when the securitron confronts him, if you leave the area during their conversation and come back they will not finish it and just stand together from then on. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Just after starting the quest, when the Courier is sent to talk to Marjorie, she can become "stuck" in the Members Only Section dining area, preventing quest progression. [verified]
    • PC fix: Type into the console: prid 0010D4F1, moveto player
    • Multisystem fix 1: Killing a White Glove Society NPC (if done while hidden there are no negative faction penalties) allows for looting of White Glove Society attire, White Glove Society mask, and White Glove Society members key (unlocks the Members Only Section); this can easily be achieved with a silenced gun while hiding (for instance, target the idle NPC in the far corner of the restaurant). Equipping the White Glove Society attire and White Glove Society mask allows the character to enter the Members Only section without being killed on sight (the White Glove Society members key unlocking the door to the area). Inside the Members Only section Marjorie can be spoken with as normal, after which she is triggered to commence roaming the casino once more (her normal non-bugged state).
    • Multisystem Fix 2: It is possible to get Marjorie out of the members' section by throwing a grenade while in the members' section under cover of Stealth Boy. If done right, no one becomes hostile and your relationship with the White Glove Society remains unaffected.
    • Multisystem fix 3: Pickpocket a White Glove and take their members key. Then get a Stealth Boy and sneak into the Members Only section. Although it is filled with enemies, Marjorie remains friendly, so sneak over to her, leave sneak and immediately initiate speech, then drop back into sneak mode after the conversation is finished. Leaving sneak mode will cause all enemies in the area to get up from their seats and immediately start searching for you, but if you use a Stealth Boy it is possible to remain hidden until "Caution" is replaced by "Hidden", allowing you to leave the area and continue the quest as normal (talking to Marjorie causes her to return to her welcome desk outside the Gourmand).
  • PCPC Sometimes the remains from Ted Gunderson are not provided after killing him. You can add the samples via the console with: player.additem 00125AF1 1. [verified]
  • PCPC If you choose to cook the imitation meat to expose Mortimer and you have killed White Glove Society guards in the kitchen area, Mortimer may never make his speech. The entire dining room (except Mortimer) will become hostile to you and Ted unless you are wearing a White Glove Society disguise (there is one guard who will still recognize you and become hostile). In this case, you will need to return to the main lobby (guards will attack you) and once all the guards are dealt with, Ted and Heck will meet, allowing you to talk to Heck and finish the quest. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Sometimes, when reuniting Ted and Heck a White Glove Society member behind a roulette table will be knocked unconscious. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you convince Ted to follow you, and go to the Ultra-Luxe Penthouse, he will immediately turn hostile. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Upon confronting Mortimer after his speech and revealing his plans, the other White Glove members in the dining hall may become hostile to the player's companions but not to the player character. This will most likely result in their death, as your assistance will turn the members hostile to you. This can be solved by leaving the dining room, having the companions wait, then returning and completing the objective. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 After becoming Idolized with the White Glove Society, both your Caesar's Legion & Powder Gangers reputation (both good & bad) will reset to neutral. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 After completing the quest there is a small chance to encounter a glitch causing it to repeatedly say "Optional: Find out more about the White Glove Society by talking to Marjorie". This can be fixed by speaking to Yes Man and telling him how you wish to deal with the White Glove Society. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 It is entirely possible that the assassin will not spawn to kill Chauncey after you talk to him. Chauncey will simply sit on the bench for a few minutes until he gets up and goes to the main building of the Ultra-Luxe. He is then most likely to act like a random gambler, sitting at the tables and smoking. If the player attempts to converse with him, it will repeat the same conversation that happened when the player first talked to him. The player may do this as many times as they please, as the conversation automatically ends when the player reveals that Jay Barnes (or Crusoe) is dead. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 It is possible that after you finish the quest and you're siding with the Legion if you go and talk to Mortimer you will be in a neverending speech with him and you will have 2 options 1. "Did you succeed in turning the White Glove Society back to cannibalism?" and 2. "Goodbye.". So far there is no way to fix this if you want to ask them to side with the Legion then you have to go ask Marjorie. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If Heck dies while you are leading Ted to him, Ted will stay where he is and not follow, leave and ask you to bring him to his father, or he will continue to follow with a weapon drawn until you reach Heck's corpse.[verified]
  • PCPC If you exit the conversation with Chauncey in the steam room before asking him how to free Ted, he will be killed and the optional side quests for drugging the wine or using the recipe won't appear in your Pip Boy. For PC, use the console command to summon Chauncey and activate the dialogue option. [verified]
  • PCPC After framing Heck, it is possible that Mortimer will not have any dialogue that completes this quest. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 If you choose to escort Ted Gunderson from the freezer to his father, while he follows you, you can lock him back in the freezer room with the terminal, sometimes he will still manage to open the door to get to you but when you go back to the door it will have no collision detection or a prompt to open it allowing you to walk right through it; you can still lock the door with the terminal but it does nothing.[verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 If you complete the Ted portion of the quest before asking Mortimer if your companion would be a suitable replacement the option will no longer appear. Should you put your companion in the freezer anyway your quest log will update but you cannot tell Mortimer the deal is done.[verified]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 2:23:15)
    Joshua Sawyer: "'Did I mean to cut Beyond the Beef?' No, Beyond the Beef... there were quests that we cut for complexity or, like, they got out of control really quickly. But Beyond the Beef... even though it's buggy, is a very good quest. No... Beyond the Beef did take multiple milestones to finish, which was frustrating, because there was a lot of content to make. But it was a very good quest, so we never talked about cutting it, but there was always like 'we gotta wrap up Beyond the Beef so we can do other quests in the game.' That was more of the discussion."
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
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