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Are you implying I have some kind of secret under-the-table stash I only offer to certain clients? Because that could get a man in trouble.Daniel Contreras

Dealing with Contreras[1] is an unmarked quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Unmarked Quest: Dealing with Contreras 
Speak to either Lt. Boyd or Sgt. Contreras in Camp McCarran.
Note: At least level 12 is required to start this quest for Sgt. Contreras. Hacking the terminal and giving the evidence to Lt. Boyd is possible at any level. 
Side with Lt. Boyd
Side with Sgt. Contreras
Side with Keller
Reward: NCR fame
This Machine. 
Reward: Expand Contreras' inventory
This Machine
150 caps with a Barter check. 
Reward: 80 XP

Detailed walkthrough[]

Siding with Lt. Boyd[]

This quest is started by either speaking to Lt. Boyd in the Camp McCarran terminal building or by proceeding directly to Sgt. Contreras's computer (marked "NCR Supply Database") in the Camp McCarran supply shack and hacking it (50 Science required). The supply shack is located in the back of the terminal building via the Camp McCarran concourse; enter the terminal and go up the escalators then down the hallway to the concourse. When in the concourse bear left down a ramp, and bear right to the door of the supply shack. Contreras's computer will be on the upper level of the supply shack.

Increase Gun Runners weapons shipment and modify manifests to make these numbers match the earlier totals. Boyd is getting too suspicious.— Camp McCarran Weapons Manifest, Sgt. Contreras' computer

Downloading the weapons manifest and returning it to Lt. Boyd will complete the quest. She will reward the player character with This Machine and grant NCR fame. By turning in Sgt. Contreras one will drastically decrease his weapon, ammunition, and apparel stores and he may be found in the far right un-openable holding cell. However, he can still be interacted with by aiming at him in V.A.T.S. first without attacking. Since he is one of the best weapon merchants in the game, and since the quest reward (the unique battle rifle, This Machine) is awarded in two of the three possible conclusions (siding with Keller will not grant This Machine), one should think carefully before deciding. Note that if Isaac at the Gun Runners dies, intentionally or accidentally, one will have no choice but to side with Lt. Boyd.

The player character can also complete this quest if they have sided with Contreras or even Keller. If Contreras's manifest has been downloaded it can be brought to Lt. Boyd at any time to complete the quest and receive This Machine. If one ran his errands up to talking to Blake at the Crimson Caravan and noticed that the "medical supplies" could be used to make chems (Science/Medicine 25 with Blake), after bringing them back to Contreras and getting him to reveal that he's running drugs on the side, the information can be brought to Boyd to end the quest as well. Sgt. Contreras will wind up in a prison cell as a result, and he will still act as a merchant though he will not restock like other merchants.

Siding with Sgt. Contreras[]

Note: One may find that there is no dialogue option to initiate this quest when speaking with Contreras, and that the only two dialogue options are to either buy his merchandise or say goodbye. Though the reason for this is unconfirmed, it is believed that completing previous quests with Lieutenant Carrie Boyd or Colonel Hsu may bar one from completing this quest through Sgt. Contreras (In some cases this can be easily solved by selecting the dialogue option to view his merchandise, exiting his inventory, then selecting the new dialogue option). The quest can still be completed by downloading the weapons manifest, as detailed in Siding with Lt. Boyd. In actuality, Contreras will not give the quest unless the player character meets a minimum level requirement of 12; otherwise he will simply state that they are too inexperienced to handle his jobs.

If one decides to side with Contreras, start this unmarked quest by finding him in the Camp McCarran supply shack. The supply shack is at the back of the terminal building via the Camp McCarran concourse. Enter the terminal, go up the escalators, down the hallway to the concourse. When in the concourse bear left to a down ramp, and bear right to the door of the supply shack.

Speak to Sgt. Contreras about his supply which will lead to a Speech/Barter check of 80. One also has the option to pay 50 caps. Contreras will then ask the player character to speak to Isaac outside of Gun Runners.

Isaac should be located near or at the reloading bench to the right of the Vendortron at the Gun Runners storefront (If not there, he may be in his house directly to the east of Gun Runners, behind the Hostetler home. If he is not there either, check the Bugs section for this quest). Speak to Isaac and one will either have to pass a Speech/Barter check of 80 or give him 100 pieces of junk metal (tin cans, hot plates, metal pots, pots, pans and scrap metal). If one chooses to scavenge the metal pieces, the Aerotech Office Park (suite 200) has over 100 tin cans (bent and regular). Boulder Beach Campground and Broc flower cave each have around 50 tin cans (bent and regular combined); the latter area's tin cans can be found in a corner of the makeshift lab where the Ratslayer is found. REPCONN test site has around 30 tin cans and 40 scrap metal. Once enough have been gathered, return to Isaac.

Contreras' next errand will be to obtain medical supplies from Blake in the Crimson Caravan Company. Blake can be found around the center of the camp, next to the shelves with items on them, during daylight hours. With 25 Science or Medical skill one can observe for Contreras that the supplies he is acquiring could be used to make chems, or one can point the same thing out to Blake; however, doing so to either man will have no effect on the quest whatsoever. Once the supplies have been acquired, return to Contreras. At this point one can tell him about the chems and threaten (no Karma loss) to tell the NCR, resulting in him giving the player character 100 caps to keep silent, after giving him the medical supplies he will say that he needs a "couple days" before he has another mission. Waiting for 26 hours is sufficient to trigger the next quest.

Contreras will then ask one to deliver the medical supplies to a man named Price in Miguel's Pawn Shop. He will also provide a pass phrase: "I'm looking for some betting advice" to speak to Price, and he will tell the player character what pass phrase Price should say to them in return. Upon entering the pawn shop though, Price is nowhere to be found; instead, speak the pass phrase to Keller. Keller will not know the correct response. From here, there are a few options:

  1. End the conversation immediately with "Um, well... Nevermind." Return to Contreras to inform him of Price's absence/Keller's ignorance of the pass phrase. Regardless of which he is told, Contreras will tell the player character to kill Keller and he will take back the medical supplies (which the player character would not otherwise be able to remove from their inventory as they are marked as a quest item). One cannot barter for extra caps for killing Keller. Upon returning to Keller, one can enter into dialogue, but the only option is to say "Goodbye." One must kill him to complete the quest.
  2. Inform Keller he said the wrong response. With a Perception AND an Intelligence score of 7 (which always shows as fails even if successful - see 'Bugs'), Keller informs the player character that Price is in custody and attempts to place them under arrest as well for being involved.
    • With a hidden Speech check of 70 the player character can bluff their way out via dialogue. When one exposes him to Contreras afterwards, he will ask the player character to kill Keller. One can barter for extra caps, get This Machine and the expanded inventory.
  3. Give Keller the package. One can do this immediately, or after attempting the INT/PER check above. Once Keller has the package, he exposes himself as an undercover NCR ranger attempting to shut down Contreras' operation and threatens to place the player character under arrest. If Speech is too low, and one wants access to Contreras' inventory or This Machine, the only option now is to kill Keller. This can be done at virtually any point in the conversation, as there is always a <Draw Weapon> option from this point on.
    • Passing a Speech check of 60 will convince Keller that the player character is innocent and he will let them go.
      • a) With an additional Speech check of 80 or a Barter of 70 (and 250 caps), one can convince Keller to work with Contreras to take down the drug ring. However, this option will not award the player character with This Machine or access to Contreras' extra inventory.
      • b) Alternatively, the player can then return to Contreras who will be in jail, but can be spoken to. Do this, barter for extra caps or not, return to Keller, kill him, return to Contreras, and This Machine can then be obtained. However, since he is in jail his inventory is empty except for what is sold to him.
  4. Kill Keller before returning to Contreras. This saves a trip back to Contreras. Choosing this option will not remove the medical supplies from the player character's inventory and Contreras' dialogue will say that they worked things out with Keller instead of killing him. As Keller is already dead, one cannot barter for extra caps for killing Keller now.

If the player character returns to Contreras before killing Keller, they can get 150 extra caps upfront with a Barter check of 50. This option only presents itself if:

  • the player character informed Keller the passphrase was wrong (option 2 above);
  • the player character gave Keller the package and does not convince Keller to work with Contreras (option 3 b) above).

Killing Keller[]

If the player character choose not to make a deal with Keller, they will be forced to kill him to finish the quest in Contreras' favor. Killing him will result in NCR infamy. To avoid this:

  1. Attack Keller then leave the shop. Lure him somewhere where there will be no witnesses to his death.
  2. Sneak while behind him and reverse-pickpocket a grenade or mine into his inventory.
  3. Kill him quickly with a silent weapon so that Miguel does not notice. Hiding while using a Stealth Boy helps.

Return to Contreras after killing or making a deal with Keller.

Settling things in Contreras' favor, he' will hand over This Machine and the next time his inventory restocks he will have a wider selection of items.

Siding with Keller[]

If the player character sides with Keller, they will not be able to obtain This Machine from Contreras, but will still be able to side with Boyd afterward, turn Contreras in and obtain This Machine from her. To complete the quest in Keller's favor the player character must have already completed Contreras' first two missions, then when he sends them to speak to Price in Miguel's Pawn Shop Keller will be there instead. The most direct way to complete the quest in Keller's favor is to give him the medical supplies.

Once this is completed, he will threaten to arrest the player character. The player character must claim that they are innocent and blame Contreras. Keller will be pleased that his suspicions of Contreras have been confirmed. The player character then has to pass a Speech check of 60 or a Charisma check of 7 to convince him that they did not know what they were carrying. Keller will let one go free, but says Contreras will be executed. At this point the player character can leave, which will get Contreras arrested and one will lose access to his expanded inventory.

With a Speech check of 80, Keller can be convinced to have Contreras become his informant. Or, with Barter, he can be bribed with 250 caps to throw his lot in with Contreras - despite the bribe, the plan remains him becoming an informant. Lacking a Barter skill of 60, the bribe attempt will fail, but one can then offer Keller 500 instead. Keller will accept and ask one to bring the deal to Contreras. Return to Contreras and inform him that Price is being held by the NCR and a Ranger has taken his place. If the player character was forced to give Keller the medical supplies, Contreras will demand that they kill Keller (refer to the bug where, even when killing Keller, the dialogue option with Contreras is as though a deal has been cut with the ranger - the relevance of this is regarding Contreras' special stock not seeming to become available).

One could return and kill Keller, in which case consult the "Siding with Contreras" section above. If one is determined to side with Keller, then with a Speech of 80 or a Barter of 70 Contreras can be convinced to cut a deal with Keller. Contreras will ask one to speak to Keller once again; a Speech or Barter check of 80 is required to get Keller on board; otherwise, the only dialogue option left is to attack him. Convincing Keller will complete the quest, awarding one 80 XP but not This Machine; Contreras will still deal with the player character, but it appears that they do not gain access to his special stock.

Notes[]

  • "Dealing" with Contreras is a play on words using the dual meaning of "dealing" and the two ways of completing the mission (through his shady dealings or by dealing with him.)
  • If talking to Contreras does not initiate the quest, the weapons manifest can still be downloaded from his terminal to report his activity to Lt. Boyd, who in turn, will give "This Machine" as a reward.
  • The medical supplies can be used. This will function the same way as a doctor's bag but will limit the options for completing this quest.
  • Siding with Keller and performing the multiple Speech or Barter checks retains the choice of turning Contreras in to Boyd, getting This Machine, but resulting in the same outcome as siding with Boyd (Contreras is imprisoned, and his stock is limited.)
  • If a companion kills Keller, NCR reputation will not be affected.
  • If Isaac died during/before this quest, the Courier will be unable to side with Contreras.
  • By choosing the dialogue option for combat with Keller, he can be lured outside the pawn shop. After he loses track, use a Stealth Boy. Follow him inside and make the kill with a stealthy weapon to avoid gaining NCR infamy.
  • Keller can be sided with for the XP, then Contreras killed while hidden and his body looted for his caps including what was sold to him. Additionally, hacking his terminal and giving the evidence to Boyd will still grant This Machine.
  • After downloading the manifest and discreetly killing Contreras, Boyd still awards the Courier as if nothing changed. Although, his corpse will still appear in the prison cell.

Bugs[]

  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Completing this quest may cause Contreras to stop updating his stock. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 If one buys the medical supplies from Blake and also get him to give the player character medical supplies, their inventory will show a quantity of 2 medical supplies. This makes Contreras not have the appropriate speech option until the quantity one is carrying goes to 1. The "use" button is disabled for the medical supplies in the inventory, which will prevent the player character from dropping them, however one can still use one of them to reduce the quantity to 1. Then Contreras will have the speech option that moves the quest forward. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 After delivering the medical supplies/chems, when Contreras tells the player character to 'come back in a few days', they are given the dialogue option to say "So where was I supposed to meet Price, again?" even though they have not been given that part of the quest yet. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Third errand: Though Contreras has a 70 Barter check option to convince him to offer a deal to Keller, the speech option for Keller to accept the deal is mistakenly set to 80 Barter, not 70 as with all other Barter checks. Keller's requirement is not listed as with normal speech challenges, but instead causes the option to explain the deal to not appear at all if the player character does not have the appropriate Barter skill. This can easily cause the one to try and propose the deal, only to find themselves with no dialogue option but to attack Keller — not even the option to exit the conversation. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 Contreras after completing the third task and obtaining "This Machine" will still sell to the player character, but will not give them the goods they purchase, but will gladly take one's caps. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Third errand: After Keller replies to the passphrase (or the player character giving the incorrect passphrase), there is a 7 Perception check to allow the one to determine that Keller is a Ranger in disguise. However, the speech option is set to check the Perception of Keller, not the player character. Since Keller's Perception is below 7, the dialogue choice will never be successful. The option is also mistakenly tagged "[PER/INT]", even though Intelligence is not checked for any part of the challenge. [verified]
    • Workaround: This can be fixed by entering SetSPECIALPoints Perception {or} Intelligence 7 in the console command while clicking on Keller.
    • Workaround: Entering the command SetAV Perception 7 after clicking Keller in console mode before entering dialogue will pass the check.
    • Workaround: Since Keller's armor is damaged and has a DT of 5, it is possible to reverse-pickpocket Dr. Mobius' or Dr. Klein's scrubs, as well as the Advanced Riot Helmet onto him, thereby raising both his Intelligence and Perception to 7. This is a way of passing the check.
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Third errand: If one passes the 70 Barter or 80 Speech check with Keller before convincing Contreras to work with the Ranger, Keller will tell them to go back to Contreras and offer him the deal, but Contreras will have no more dialogue options, and one will be locked out of completing the quest and receiving This Machine. [verified]
    • Console command can be used to enable the necessary dialogue with Contreras (the quotes must be included): set "e7363".iNCRAgent to 1
    • Workaround: If one chooses to just kill Keller at this point, the dialogue option to get "This Machine" should still become available. He can be killed stealthily without gaining NCR infamy. Talking to Boyd does nothing, as there is no longer an option to rat Contreras out after making the 70 barter check deal with Keller.
    • Workaround: Before talking to Contreras for the last time, hack his computer and report him to Boyd. The player character will still get This Machine and the NCR fame, just as if they had reported him in the first place. He will still end up in jail though.
    • Workaround: If all else fails (and the goal is to get Contreras' expanded inventory, but Keller has been killed and there is no special dialogue options with Contreras), the following sequence will allow for the quest to complete the quest. Enter the console, click on Keller and type resurrect, followed by ResetDialogueFlags and set e7363.iSuppliesNCRAgentStatus to 1. Return to Contreras. Reopen the console, click Contreras, type ReDialogueFlags and talk to Contreras. (One should see all the dialogue options that were previously available.) Choose the first speech option to turn in the Medical Supplies, then choose the option "I'm ready for the next task". Finally, choose the option where one warns Contreras about Keller being an NCR agent. Agree to do so, and return to Keller in the pawn shop. If the player character talks to him, they will only have the 'draw weapon' option, after picking it he will turn hostile. Once Keller is dead return to Contreras. The option should now be available to inform him that his partner is in jail and the NCR agent is dead. If not, return to the console and click Contreras, then use ResetDialogueFlags again. Upon choosing that option, Contreras will expand his inventory.
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 It is possible for the NCR troopers to attack the player character upon returning to Camp McCarran even if the one killed Keller while remaining hidden the whole time and if they have a positive reputation with the NCR. This usually happens when trying to kill Keller via pickpocketing a grenade in to his inventory but can also occur if a companion kills him. Walking from a different location to Camp McCarran can fix the hostility. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 It is possible not to receive This Machine as a reward if one set up the deal between Contreras and Keller. If Keller has been killed though, BEFORE speaking with Contreras and AFTER setting up the deal, one still get the setup dialogue ("I convinced the Ranger to work with you. You're safe, but be careful.") and This Machine as a reward. It seems that Keller's fate is sealed anyway if one choose to side with Contreras. The single possibility of obtaining This Machine without killing Keller in aforementioned situations, is to turn Contreras in to Lt. Boyd. [verified]
  • PCPC Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 Xbox 360Xbox 360 Killing Keller will at times have the dialogue option to tell Contreras that one "convinced the Ranger to work with you." Even if one immediately choose to back out of Keller's conversation, then kill him after he did not know the passphrase. This seems to happen more often if his demise is done silently. However, even though it is the incorrect dialogue, choosing it will still allow one to receive the improved inventory and This Machine. [verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Sometimes when going back to Contreras and telling him about Keller he will not take the Medical Supplies from the player character's inventory, though the quest will continue as if he had taken the supplies from them. [verified]

References[]

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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