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Believe me, I would love orders to take Cottonwood Cove apart and kick the Legion back across the river. But, the brass at McCarran doesn't want us to waste resources on something they consider a minor target. So we just get to watch.Green

Cottonwood Cove is a location in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background[]

Once a small resort location before the Great War, circa. 2281, Cottonwood Cove was selected as the site of an outpost by Caesar's Legion, under the command of the centurion Aurelius of Phoenix. The Cove became a staging area where captives taken by the Legion are then sent by boat over the Colorado River into Arizona to be processed as slaves, as well as a launching point for Legion raids in the southern areas of the Mojave.[1] It has since become the largest single encampment of Legion forces on the western side of the Colorado River and is their foothold into Nevada, using the river to transfer troops and supplies to Fortification Hill on the east bank.[Non-game 1] The Legion was able to prevent retaliatory conflict from their enemy, the New California Republic through the actions of the frumentarius Vulpes Inculta. He orchestrated the collapse of the NCR's closest stronghold of Camp Searchlight via the unsealing of several barrels of nuclear waste that had been stored in the old fire station, enshrouding the entire area in radiation.[2][3]

When the camp fell and the NCR's presence in the region waned, Aurelius crossed the Colorado and put down the Legion's roots in the Cove before beginning to arrange for raiding parties to continue disrupting NCR-allied caravans and troop movements.[4] Rather than risk sending couriers that could be intercepted, the centurion had all communication to and from Cottonwood Cove done over ham radio. Relying on the martial strength of the two contubernia at his command, Aurelius has accomplished killed and capturing a number of NCR soldiers over four times as much as that of his own forces.[5] Aurelius himself thinks of the camp's presence as a modest one, "a single finger of the Legion reaching across the river's narrows," but with his forces on hand, they equate to "an iron knuckle."[4]

Layout[]

The Legion camp is concentrated among the former resort buildings on the edge of the bay. Legionaries patrol the area around the buildings and up to the edge of the resort, near the welcome sign adorned with heads on pikes, while Legion explorers accompanied by Legion mongrels cover the entry points.

There is a hollowed-out rock to the left of the fast travel point to Cottonwood Cove. The rock will be marked with the phrase "the sun is killing me" and is located in the path between the two crucifixes. Centurion Aurelius of Phoenix maintains his command post at the headquarters set up in the concrete building overlooking the bay, with legionaries quartered in red tents surrounding it. Most of the resort buildings are boarded off, with the exception of the mess hall. A shack set up by the overlook is used as a supply dump.

The Cottonwood overlook overlooks the area and contains a truck packed with nuclear waste barrels leaning over the cliffside.[2] One can elect to dump the radioactive contents from the transport truck into the camp below, killing all occupants. This action will not deny access to the Fort. Cursor Lucullus will wear a radiation suit, and if he is otherwise dead, the Courier can take the barge independently. A 50 Lockpick skill level is required to open up the back of the truck.

On the eastern shore is the dock used by Cursor Lucullus to ferry to and from the Fort, serving as the only access point to the Legion's main encampment. A trio of overturned canoes rest on the shoreline, and next to them is where the boat to Dry Wells will spawn if the corresponding choice is made in the Lonesome Road add-on

Buildings[]

Inhabitants[]

Notable loot[]

Related quests[]

Notes[]

  • When approaching Cottonwood Cove with Boone as an active companion, he will stop the Courier and state that it is a Legion slave camp, that he has been here before, and if he continues to follow them, he will kill everything in it. After every Legionary in the camp is killed, Boone will sometimes express disappointment that there were not more of them.
    • Boone's statement of having been to the Cove before implies that it was the location where he was forced to execute his wife Carla before she could be sold into slavery.
  • If the Courier elects to release the radioactive waste on the area, and one already has (or subsequently obtains) the Mark of Caesar, Cursor Lucullus will still wait to ferry them up the river, but he will be wearing a radiation suit. If Lucullus has been killed, it is still possible to travel to the Fort by simply activating the raft at the end of the pier.
  • If the radioactive barrels were released upon Cottonwood Cove without freeing the Weathers family, the family will be killed and Left My Heart will fail.
  • Although the individuals in the area are killed instantly by the radioactive waste, the subsequent radiation level in the area is very low and does not prevent anyone from entering the area afterward.
  • Looting Aurelius' office will result in negative Karma.

Appearances[]

Cottonwood Cove appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Cottonwood Cove is based on the real-world location of Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina, located on the Colorado River in Clark County, Nevada. The resort features a similar layout that is mirrored in the in-game equivalents.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. The Courier: "Consider it done."
    Astor: "What?.. Really?! You're mad, but I like it! According to the notes you gave me, all of the southern raiding parties come from that camp. Caesar regularly sends fresh squads to relieve patrols. Killing their Centurion and leadership would be a start, but finding a way to permanently shut down that dock is what we really need."
    (Astor's dialogue)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Legion orders
  3. Camp Searchlight terminal entries; Chief fire officer terminal, Chief Fire Officer Report No. F1-218
  4. 4.0 4.1 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)
  5. The Courier: "Does the Legion see much action here?"
    Aurelius of Phoenix: "As much as the Profligates' cowardice will allow. They haven't found the balls to attack us here, but we catch them out on patrols. With two contubernia at my command, I've killed and captured four times my numbers."
    (Aurelius of Phoenix's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.423-424: "[6.20] Cottonwood Cove
    The largest encampment of Legion forces on the western side of the Colorado River, these Arizonan slavers have a foothold in Nevada, and use this position to bring in troops and supplies from Caesar's main base on Fortification Hill. As you approach, you can see a once-picturesque river camp, you're stopped by a Legionary explorer, who wants to know why you're here. You can: ... Soon afterword, you can pass by some crucified Wastelanders, and all are beyond help. If Side Quest: Aba Daba Honeymoon or Oh My Papa are active, one of the slaves is a man named Anders who you can rescue as part of either Quest. Now enter the camp."
    (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland)
  2. Life of Brian on YouTube
Cottonwood Cove
CaesarLegionSymbol
Caesar'sLegionVexillum
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