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The NCR knows that you are working against its interests and will no longer accept your help.— Quest description

Don't Tread on the Bear![1] is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Side Quest: Don't Tread on the Bear! 
Gain NCR infamy or complete any Legion, Mr. House or Yes Man questlines. 
Continue gaining NCR infamy or continuing aforementioned questlines. 
Reward: NCR infamy
Failure of active NCR quests 

Detailed walkthrough[]

The exact contents of this quest vary per actions. It can result in one of five outcomes:

  • The NCR has a robust network of informants. Continued work with Mr. House makes the NCR refuse the Courier's help.
  • The NCR has a robust network of informants. Same as above, but when working with Yes Man.
  • Little escapes the eyes of NCR Rangers. Continued work with Caesar's Legion gives the NCR's brand of a terrorist.
  • The NCR has declared the Courier a terrorist. Wherever the NCR has jurisdiction, be prepared to be shot on sight.
  • The NCR knows that the Courier is working against its interests and will no longer accept the Courier's help.

The first three actions are the result of aiding an opposing faction. The fourth is a result of continuing to work with Caesar's Legion, gaining general NCR infamy, usually through killing their troops, or launching the missile at Long 15. In the case of opposing faction quests, it will first activate as a warning upon the completion of a certain quest in the series. Completing another quest will fail the mission. The Courier will no longer be able to take on NCR quests once this happens, and any NCR quests active will immediately fail as well. In the fourth action, the entire faction will become enemies with the Courier, giving a preparation to be attacked. The fifth action will result in the Courier no longer being able to further advance through the NCR quest line as a result of continuing to work with Mr. House or Yes Man. In either case, the NCR-based ending is no longer possible to achieve.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
5 Little escapes the eyes of NCR Rangers. If you continue to work with Caesar's Legion, the NCR will brand you a terrorist.
10Quest failedThe NCR has declared you a terrorist. Wherever the NCR has jurisdiction, you will be shot on sight.
15 The NCR has a robust network of informants. If you continue to work with Mr. House, the NCR will no longer accept your help.
20 The NCR has a robust network of informants. If you continue to work with Yes Man, the NCR will no longer accept your help.
25 The NCR has a robust network of informants. If you continue to work with Mr. House or Yes Man, the NCR will no longer accept your help.
30Quest failedThe NCR knows that you are working against its interests and will no longer accept your help.

Notes[]

  • This quest is the NCR's counterpart to the Legion's Beware the Wrath of Caesar! and Mr. House's The House Has Gone Bust!. Failing each one indicates that particular faction's quest line is closed and its ending no longer possible.
  • Each faction quest has a specific trigger and failure point.
    • The Independent path will trigger it upon the completion of either Wild Card: Change in Management or Wild Card: Side Bets, then fail upon the completion of the other.
    • House's path will trigger it after completing The House Always Wins III, then fail it on part IV.
    • Caesar's Legion will trigger it after the third part of Render Unto Caesar, and fail it after the fourth.
    • Like the quest Beware the Wrath of Caesar!, almost anything can be done against the faction before the representative of the faction arrives. As long as the representative comes to no harm, faction reputation should be reset to neutral; if reputation is higher than neutral, it will not be reset. Quests like this are triggered after meeting the faction representative, unless the specific NPC is killed, which will automatically fail the quest.
  • NCR Ranger hit squads will be sent out to warn or kill the Courier.
  • If Ambassador Crocker or Colonel Moore dies, the NCR will instantly be hostile.
  • Failing this quest will remove Ambassador Crocker and Colonel Moore from the game world, to reinforce that the NCR quest line can no longer be continued.
  • As noted in the messages, reputation with the NCR will not be lowered if this quest is completed via House or Yes Man (unlike the Legion, the NCR does not consider them hostile). In fact, so long as nothing else to antagonize them is done, it is possible to breach the El Dorado substation and get them to agree to a truce with the Brotherhood of Steel (in Yes Man's path) without dropping reputation below Idolized. They will even still accept help in preventing President Kimball's assassination.
  • If the Lucky 38 is exited for the first time and the unnamed NCR trooper approaches, it is possible to fast travel before the conversation starts. The trooper will follow the Courier until he is able to tell them that Ambassador Crocker wishes to talk. This can lead to problems if having entered Nellis Air Force Base and the trooper catches up, as when he walks out of Nellis, the Artillery Barrage will annihilate him. This will result in failing "Don't Tread on the Bear!" and may result in the label as a terrorist.

Behind the scenes[]

"Don't Tread on the Bear!" is a reference to the "Gadsden Flag", a historical flag that depicts a coiled rattlesnake over the phrase "Don't Tread on Me."

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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