“Welcome to Camp Searchlight, the shittiest place on Earth.”— Private Edwards
Camp Searchlight is an irradiated NCR military camp located in the ruins of the town of Searchlight, in the southeastern Mojave Wasteland.
Background
Main article: Searchlight Sabotage
During the Great War, the bombs forced the Searchlight police department to divert a convoy carrying nuclear waste from San Onofre into Searchlight, so that the waste could be safely stored. The trucks could be parked at the fire station without exposing them to nuclear blasts that would turn the sealed, secure fuel casks transported on the flatbeds into massive dirty bombs.[1]
The spent nuclear fuel rods remained there for over two centuries, with nobody trying to move them for fear of rupturing the casings. When the New California Republic deployed in force to the Mojave, Searchlight was chosen as a site for a military base. Camp Searchlight was established, becoming a major communications and logistics hub for the NCR Army. However, this made it a target for the Legion. Vulpes Inculta devised a plan that involved using frumentarii to first intercept shipments meant for the camp, depriving the troops of necessary supplies and stockpiling them for later use by the Legion.[2][3] As the supply issues worsened, tensions emerged among the camp's senior staff,[4] and the frumentarii waited for an opening in the camp's defenses. The opportunity came soon, as the patrol routes were changed again for operational security reasons.[5] As usual, gaps opened in the patrol routes as the troops had to get used to the new schedule.[6]
Vulpes sent in a small group of legionaries, ordering them to infiltrate the fire station and unseal the nuclear fuel casks, unleashing lethal levels of radiation on the camp. The legionaries were killed instantly, while NCR troops were killed outright, turned into ghouls or died soon after of radiation sickness.[7][8] Only a handful of troops out on patrol survived, rallying under First Sergeant Astor.[9] In the meantime, a task force under centurion Aurelius of Phoenix landed at Cottonwood Cove, establishing a beachhead on the western side of the Colorado River and immediately launching raids on both the surviving NCR troops and especially supply and trade caravans heading up to New Vegas. Further legionary groups moved up north and west as time went by, targeting Nelson and Nipton to lay the groundwork for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam.[10]
Layout
Camp Searchlight has several buildings which can be entered, all of which are radioactive as well as the town itself. The buildings which can be entered include: a schoolhouse with a few golden geckos, a house containing the non-hostile ghoul Private Edwards and a church in the west containing Logan and his prospector companions who are looting the town for the Crimson Caravan Company. Upon entering Searchlight fire station (where the radioactive canisters were originally opened, causing the town's demise), the Courier will immediately encounter a radscorpion queen and several normal radscorpions. To enter the firehouse, one needs to either kill or join Logan, as he holds the keys. There are several terminals outside that control the turret defense system.
Astor's recon camp
The devastating radiation attack by the Legion on Camp Searchlight has pushed the surviving NCR soldiers back to minimum safe distance. The fury and emotion is still raw, as First Sergeant Astor leads his men on patrol, and witnesses what his brothers in arms have turned into. In the modest camp lies First Sergeant Astor's log; it reads as if the man blames himself, and is ready to drop.[7]
Buildings
Inhabitants
Notable loot
- Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual, 2 mini nukes or 3 Holy Frag Grenades
down in the gecko-filled Searchlight church basement. The book is on the floor at the foot of some metal shelves. - Knock-Knock - Unique fire axe in righthand corner of the bathroom stall with the skeleton in it, upstairs in the Searchlight fire station (Only obtainable after starting the quest Wheel of Fortune or killing Logan and taking the keys).
- Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap in the fire station. Upstairs in the northeast corner in the kitchen area, on a table next to two empty bottles.
- Seven fire helmets in the fire station - Five on the ground floor on the shelves, one upstairs in the Chief's office on a shelf, and one in the bathroom stall where Knock-Knock is found.
- Legion orders - In the fire station, found on two recruit legionaries in the garage.
- Police hat - In the police station, in the room with the ammunition boxes and wooden boxes.
- NCR computer parts and NCR radio parts in the police station, quest items for Wheel of Fortune.
Related quests
Notes
- The background music is City of the Dead which was originally used for Necropolis in Fallout, as well as Navarro and Vault 15 in Fallout 2.
- "REVELATION 9:6" is printed on the board outside of the Church of Searchlight, with the "L" being an upside down "T." This verse reads "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." This would seem to be a reference to the ghouls and feral ghouls that, although irradiated to the point where any living thing might be expected to die, still continue to live out their tortured existence.
- Multiple Searchlight firetrucks appear in the Divide, in the Lonesome Road add-on.
- If the Courier follows Vulpes Inculta's recruit group, they will pass by here and get into a fight with the NCR troops around 5:30 p.m.
- Camp Searchlight can be seen without the green haze in the E3 2010 trailer[11] at one minute in.
- Vulpes Inculta may have learned of the presence of the trucks from the one at Cottonwood Cove Overlook, as it was a part of the convoy the other two trucks were in.
Appearances
Camp Searchlight appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
Behind the scenes
- Searchlight is a real-life location in southern Clark County, NV and is located 50 miles south of Las Vegas.
- Searchlight was implemented and written by Denise McMurry, based on a concept outlined by Joshua Sawyer.[12]
Bugs
- Logan will not talk with the character. Also, he does not have the Firehall key when pick-pocketed or killed, if having already killed other characters involved in obtaining Knock-Knock. Note: if killed before killing Boxcars while on the Wheel of Fortune quest, his body should have both keys on it.[verified]
- If player discovers and raids the supply cave before approaching Logan, it will be impossible to proceed with the quest, only if the 4 radiation suits have been repaired to make one radiation suit already.[verified]
- Two firetrucks, both stationed behind the Camp Searchlight fire station, don't have fully developed physical properties. The back end of each the trucks have no physical properties what so ever (you can walk straight through them) however the front cab on both trucks are like any other vehicle within Fallout: New Vegas.[verified]
Gallery
Aerial view
- ↑ Camp Searchlight terminal entries; chief fire officer terminal, Chief Fire Officer Report No. F1-218: "The local police department diverted several trucks from San Onofre carrying nuclear waste to Searchlight this morning. I didn't get all of the details but I heard something about bombs going off nearby and that the trucks were being diverted for safety reasons. Two of them were housed here at the Fire Station. The third had to continue on to somewhere else because we didn't have enough room to accommodate them all. For some odd reason it was headed toward Cottonwood Cove. I don't know what he's planning on doing with it down there."
- ↑ Camp Searchlight terminal entries; NCR storage database, Log Entry #1836: "Log Entry #1836
Camp Searchlight Quartermaster's Log
Entry #1836
Supplies being shipped to the camp recently are lower than usual. I asked the Comm Officer if there were any problems with communications and he insisted that everything was fine. I contacted our supply base and was simply told that all inventory requests were being filled and that every item on my request list had been shipped to the camp. Either I'm being lied to or someone is intercepting my shipments. I'll have to look into this matter further." - ↑ Camp Searchlight terminal entries; NCR storage database, Log Entry #2257: "Camp Searchlight Quartermaster's Log
Entry #2257
During my off duty hours I decided to investigate the trade route being used to bring the supplies to the camp. I met a traveler on the road and asked him if he had seen any NCR supplies bound for Camp Searchlight. He told me he had seen some NCR crates being moved somewhere outside of Nipton but didn't know where they were being taken. He also mentioned that the men with the supplies didn't look like NCR soldiers. Next time I have enough time off I'll have to make my way to Nipton to see if anyone there knows where the supplies are." - ↑ Camp Searchlight terminal entries; NCR communications terminal, Communications Entry #842: "Camp Searchlight Comm Officer's Log
The Quartermaster has been bitching to me again about missing supplies and bad communications. I keep telling him that nothing is wrong with the comm system and that his numbers must be off. I don't think he believes me. The bastard will probably keep bugging me until I can either prove he's wrong or find someone else to blame. Damn it I hate this shit." - ↑ Camp Searchlight terminal entries; NCR communications terminal, Communications Entry #923: "Camp Searchlight Comm Officer's Log
A radscorpion made it into the camp last night. Some of the troopers patrolling the border are getting sloppy. The only reason anyone noticed it was because several of the comm stations were acting oddly. When the trooper on duty went outside to check the transmitter dishes he found the scorpion chewing on several of the cables. What's the point of having patrols if shit like this is going to keep happening?" - ↑ Camp Searchlight terminal entries; NCR communications terminal, Communications Entry #937: "Camp Searchlight Comm Officer's Log
After the radscorpion incident the night patrols were shifted again. This is the third time in the past month. I don't think they realize the problem isn't the patrols it's the troops. Every time their patrols get shifted they get confused and holes open up in the rotations for two or three days until they're used to the new schedules. I really hope the Legion doesn't figure it out and take advan...
SUDDEN TEMPERATURE INCREASE. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN INITIATED." - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.421-422: "[6.16] Camp Searchlight
As an unfortunate twist of fate would have it, a convoy of flatbed trucks transporting nuclear waste from San Onofre was passing through Searchlight when the Great War broke out. Local police directed the drivers to temporarily park their vehicles in the fire department, but no one ever came back to retrieve them. There they sat in their extremely sturdy solid steel spent fuel flasks for over 200 years. The NCR recently set up a sizable base here; but this was a major obstacle for Caesar's Legion due to its size and clear view of the surrounding desert. When it became obvious that a direct assault would not prove fruitful, Vulpes Inculta sent in some spies to learn more about the situation. After he learned about the radioactive waste being stored in the fire station, he ordered some unwitting legionaries to open the containers. Though the legionaries died almost instantly, the sacrifice produced a massive wave of death and ghoulification among NCR troops that effectively destroyed Camp Searchlight as a viable military base.
(Upper) Restrooms
There's a skeleton of a long-dead fireman in one of the stalls, and an extra-special Fireaxe!"
(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland) - ↑ The Courier: "What happened at Searchlight?"
Hanlon: "Searchlight was worse. One of Caesar's frumentarii must have found something in there, flooded the whole camp with radiation."
(Hanlon's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "How did you survive?"
Astor: "I was out on patrol at the time so I wasn't in the camp when it happened. There were a few others with me after it happened, including some of my superiors. Between radiation poisoning and attacks by the Legion they all died out."
(Astor's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "You must be the one in charge here."
Aurelius of Phoenix: "Of course I am, you fool. I am a Centurion! When Vulpes Inculta drove the NCR from Searchlight by clever means, Caesar himself ordered me to set up this camp and harass the Profligates! It's a modest presence, a single finger of the Legion reaching across the river's narrows. But with me here, it has an iron knuckle."
(Aurelius of Phoenix's dialogue) - ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yizebU9ak4
- ↑ J.E. Sawyer on Formspring
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