Custodial Compulsions is a side quest in Fallout 76, introduced in the Expeditions: Atlantic City update part two, America's Playground.
To begin this quest, players will have to examine a poster near Jeremiah Hopkins. However, it appears that the poster will only appear if other Atlantic City related quests are done first; which ones they are is unclear currently.
Quick walkthrough[]
- Head to the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
- Find Saltwater Sam in his shop on the Boardwalk.
- Follow Sam to the Showman's Pier.
- Clean up trash piles (x3), wipe away blood (x6), and pick up stage props (x3). Additionally, find clues (x6) to uncover what really happened on stage.
- Dump a suspicious trunk in a disposal chute to the ocean.
- Follow Sam and witness his exchange with the client.
- Return to Sam's shop and head into the back room.
- Speak to Stratton, then Sam again, and decide on how to tie up loose ends.
- Take the payment (a bag on the shelf) to end the quest.
Detailed walkthrough[]
Travel to the Whitespring Refuge and locate Jeremiah Hopkins's kiosk in the interior. Beside it, there is a pillar with a noticeboard. Inspect the poster bearing the words "help wanted!" and a drawing of a mop and bucket will start the quest. A man named Saltwater Sam wants discrete, outsider help with a clean-up job on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Upon traveling to the Boardwalk, meet with Sam in his shop, which is located halfway between the landing point and the end of the Boardwalk, marked by a sign for "Sam's Saltwater Taffy."
Sam will ask the player to tell him something about themselves, and one can reply with one of various options, depending on previous quests completed and the accomplishments within. Afterwards, he will ask the player to follow him to the scene of the "incident." When asked, he will say that an "unfortunate accident" occurred during a final dress rehearsal for a play put on by the Showmen. Sam works for the Showmen and cleans up their "messes," and wanted an outsider to help with this job, as he was unable to garner interest and newcomers have no "preconceived notions" about him.
Follow Sam as he runs over to the Showman's Pier. Upon entering, he will stand off to the side of the main stage; talk to him again to receive further instructions. The objective is the same no matter one's response to Sam's question: pick up trash piles (x3), wipe away blood on the stage (x6), and pick up stage props (x3). However, there is also an optional objective to find clues (x6) in order to uncover what happened during the failed production.
The clues are as follows:
- The holotape Stella meets Stratton, on the table of a diner booth to the south of the main stage.
- The note Method acting mandate, on a bench near the main stage, next to one of the trash piles.
- The note Big, dumb nuisance, on a pew to the east, near a cigarette machine.
- The holotape A special surprise, on top of a black amplifier on a far end of the main stage.
- The holotape The final scene, on a counter behind the snack bar facing the main stage.
- The note Curtain call, on the counter of a concession stand to the north, near a yellow cash register.
The clues indicate that the three members of the cast were in turmoil; while their method acting mandate put a new level of seriousness on things, it also appears that they were being messed with by an outsider inflaming the drama: Sam himself. He does not confirm or deny any involvement when confronted.
Once the cleaning is complete, the player is prompted to put the stage props away. Go through the arcade door behind the main stage, and enter the second door on the left. The props are placed on a shelf in the bathroom-turned-dressing room. Now speak to Sam again, who requests the player to lug something heavy to a disposal chute headed for the Atlantic Ocean. As it turns out, this item is a "suspicious trunk" with bloodied handprints across its surface. After interacting with it, the player will pick up the trunk and their movement speed will be reduced. Enter through the door immediately next to the stall where the trunk is picked up, and interact with the broken planks at the hole in the floor to dispose of the trunk.
Speak to Sam again, who asks if the assignment was fulfilling. If the player then asks him what was in the trunk, he does not give a specific answer, just that it held "discarded parts of lives long past." After answering Sam's own question, follow him to meet the client. Exit the Showman's Pier and head past the shopping plaza to the southwest, before reaching a back alley loading dock. While waiting for the client to arrive, speak to Sam again: one can ask him if he is going to murder them, either as a genuine question or in a flirtatious manner (regardless of player character gender). There is also a Perception 4+ check to note that there are dumpsters nearby for easy disposal.
The client arrives shortly after; she is none other than the director of the canceled play and gives Sam her payment for his services. Follow Sam back to his shop, ostensibly to conclude business. While standing beside an "employees only" door, Sam asks the player to wait a moment in the back room while he handles some paperwork. Again with Perception 4+, one can note that paperwork is odd for what is supposed to be a discrete job. Nevertheless, Sam insists on them waiting in the back room, and hands the player a key.
There, a blood trail leads to a startling discovery: the actor of Stratton has been kidnapped and held in this back room. After speaking to Stratton, Sam arrives and proposes one final task: tying up loose ends. He believes the player to be the person he has been looking for to finish the job and let the client start anew. From here, the player has three main choices:
- Kill Sam and stop his grandiloquent approach to murder.
- Side with Sam and kill Stratton, putting an end to the story of the play.
- Walk away from the situation entirely.
If the third option is chosen, one can optionally kill Sam or Stratton anyway, but the main objective is to take Sam's payment (a bag on the shelf nearby) and leave. Regardless, upon interacting with the bag, the quest is completed and the rewards are distributed.
Quest stages[]
Gallery[]
.jpg "FO76AP Saltwater Sam at Showman's Pier (2).jpg (1.86 MB)")
.jpg "FO76AP Saltwater Sam (talk with client).jpg (1.85 MB)")
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