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Kings' Gambit is an NCR faction quest in Fallout: New Vegas.
Quick walkthrough[]
| Main Quest: Kings' Gambit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach the King's School of Impersonation in Freeside. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kill Pacer without implicating the NCR. | Persuade the King to cease hostilities with the NCR. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Optional) Frame the Van Graffs by using an energy weapon. | (Optional) Spike Pacer's Jet supply with Psycho. | Peacefully resolve the Kings-NCR conflict by completing G.I. Blues and using the King's favor. | (Optional) Talk to Col. Moore about ending the Kings-NCR conflict. | (Optional) Talk to Col. Hsu about resolving the Kings-NCR conflict. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Return to Ambassador Crocker in the NCR Embassy. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reward: 1300 XP 0-600 caps NCR Fame | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leads to: For the Republic, Part 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Detailed walkthrough[]
After completing Things That Go Boom, Ambassador Crocker requests the player character's assistance again, though asks them to wait until the next day. Sleep or wait 24 in-game hours, then return to Crocker in the Embassy. With a brand-new day, Crocker lays out the next step to helping the NCR's prospects: investigating recent reports of violence against civilians in the slums of Freeside, with the primary suspect being a member of the Kings gang, Pacer as the instigator. Crocker offers the options of taking Pacer out in a manner that can't be tied back to the NCR, or going over him to approach the gang's leader, a man known as the King and hope that he would be open to a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The deadly solution[]
Initially, the only quest marker and objective points to Pacer while he's residing in the King's School of Impersonation. To find out other methods of how to take him out discreetly, one can talk to the ghoul beggar Rotface; he typically resides to the right of Mick & Ralph's near Freeside's east gate. Among the tips he can give, two important ones are about Pacer's heart problem as a result of a Jet addiction and his long-standing feud with the Van Graffs. If one cannot access Rotface's tips for any reason, the former option can also be discovered by stealing Pacer's patient record from Julie Farkas' filing cabinet in the Old Mormon Fort; enter the tower door to the right of the gates upon entering (same place one finds the snow globe - Mormon Fort) and approach the cabinet near the gurney; the latter option can be discovered by completing Birds of a Feather for Gloria Van Graff to find out that she has a vendetta against Pacer for past transgressions. Finding out one or both parts of information will add optional objectives to the quest, one to kill Pacer by adding Psycho to his Jet and one to kill Pacer in a way that implicates the Van Graff family.
Frame the Van Graffs[]
Forging a note[]
- Locate Pacer's stash of Jet, appearing as a cigarette carton under his bed in the King's School of Impersonation (third floor, same area as the King's bedroom). Interact with it to receive a prompt stating that one should obtain a note to pin the blame on someone else. Return to Ambassador Crocker to discuss the option.
- Talk to Ralph at Mick & Ralph's, choosing the option to ask him to forge a handwritten note from Jean-Baptiste Cutting. The note can only be obtained if the player character has at least a 50 Speech skill level, if they are a member of the Kings via using the King's favor to join the gang, or if Rotface tipped the player character about the feud between Pacer and the Van Graffs.
- Return to Pacer's room and replace the stash of Jet with the handwritten note.
- Wait for Pacer to check his stash. Once he does, he will immediately run over to the Silver Rush where he is highly likely to be killed by the Van Graffs' energy weapons.
This method works even if one killed the Van Graffs beforehand (independently or during the violent path of Heartache by the Number). Just follow Pacer to the Silver Rush after planting the note in his room, then kill him with a plasma or laser weapon to frame the Van Graffs.
It is important to talk to The King before returning to Ambassador Crocker after using this method. If the quest does not progress after leaving the note, head to the Silver Rush and watch Pacer get killed.
Posing as a Van Graff guard[]
- Go to the Silver Rush and talk to Gloria Van Graff to start Birds of a Feather.
- Deal with all other visitors to the Silver Rush (make sure not to let the fourth one enter or the Van Graffs will be killed). When Pacer comes as the fifth visitor, use hostile dialogue options to pick a fight with him such as the third option in the first dialogue and "Care to back that up?" in the second.
- Kill him once he turns hostile with the energy weapon given by the Van Graffs.
Killing Pacer with this method will not make the Kings hostile and will successfully complete both Kings' Gambit (since the player character killed him with an energy weapon while working for the Van Graffs) and Birds of a Feather (killing him doesn't immediately fail this quest). However, killing Pacer will fail G.I. Blues, therefore it is advisable to finish that quest first.
Planting an explosive[]
- Acquire a plasma grenade or plasma mine.
- Sneak into Pacer's room around 8-10 pm. He will only lie down on his bed after one has talked to Ambassador Crocker about framing the Van Graffs for Pacer's death.
- Plant the explosive in his inventory via reverse-pickpocketing.
- Back up REALLY quickly.
Killing Pacer with this method will not make the Kings hostile.
Arranging a medical mishap[]
After learning about Pacer's Jet-addled heart, whether from Rotface or acquiring his patient records from the Old Mormon Fort, one must first speak with Ambassador Crocker and inform him about the information, then pass a 50 Medicine skill check, which will then add an optional quest to kill Pacer by spiking his Jet stash with Psycho. This can be accomplished via the following steps:
- Acquire a sample of Psycho and bring it to Pacer's room in the King's School of Impersonation.
- Add the Psycho to the cigarette carton under his bed containing his Jet (roughly between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.). The stash will only appear after speaking with Rotface or finding Pacer's patient records (see above).
- Pacer will die immediately after checking his stash once going to his room (the earliest time he can be found in his room is about 7 p.m.)
Just shoot him[]
While using an energy weapon to kill Pacer will allow one to accomplish this quest, using any conventional weapons will result in failing the quest. In this case, one will still get a reward after returning to Crocker and still able to continue helping the NCR if they are apologetic about their actions. Otherwise, Crocker will offer no reward while sending the player character to talk to Colonel Moore, triggering For the Republic, Part 2.
The diplomatic solution[]
Rather than butchering his right-hand man, one can instead go to the King himself. He will initially refuse to stop violence against the NCR in Freeside, unlocking the below optional objectives, but one can still achieve a peaceful ending by starting and completing the quest G.I. Blues via learning about the misunderstanding between the Kings and the NCR led by Major Kieran and informing the King about it. He will grant a single favor that one can then use to ask him to cease the conflict. Crocker will be pleased to hear the news and informs the player character that Colonel Moore at the Hoover Dam garrison has requested they visit her for additional assignments helping the NCR, triggering For the Republic, Part 2.
However, if the favor was already used for another purpose, the King will again refuse and one must return to Ambassador Crocker to tell him that The King will not stop the violence. Crocker will then propose two options (along with the option to kill Pacer): talking to Colonel Moore at Hoover Dam or to Colonel Hsu at Camp McCarran to gain armed support in forcing the Kings to back down.
Get Colonel Moore's support[]
- Find Colonel Moore in the Hoover Dam offices. She will immediately push for putting the King and his gang down by force and offers to send in a squad for backup.
- Return to the King's School of Impersonation, where NCR troopers and Rangers will be in the auditorium with the King.
- Anything said to the King at this point will turn him hostile and cause a fight to break out. The quest will fail after returning to Crocker. However, no Freeside infamy will be gained if one lets the troopers do all the shooting. The King's unique suit can be obtained in this path, as well as a reward of 300 caps from Crocker and the ability to continue supporting the NCR if one apologizes. If Rex has not been obtained as a companion via completing Nothin' But a Hound Dog beforehand, he may be killed by the NCR.
Get Colonel Hsu's support[]
- Find Colonel Hsu in the Camp McCarran terminal building. He will advocate for a peaceful resolution as well, though troopers and Rangers will still be sent into the School.
- In the School, inform the King that the NCR have offered their support. If one is rude to him at this point, his gang will open fire and the quest will fail. He will also open fire if one just tells him to calm down, taking it as a challenge. Like with Colonel Moore, The King's unique suit can be obtained here, as well as a reward of 300 caps from Crocker and the ability to continue supporting the NCR if one apologizes.
- If the Courier is polite, The King agrees to peace with the NCR. Pacer will enter and become angry, attempting to stage a coup within the Kings. He and a few loyal Kings gang members will start a gunfight with the NCR troopers, the King, and his own loyal gang members. Pacer and the men who side with him will most likely be killed while The King agrees to go ahead with peace between the Kings and the NCR.
After this, return to Crocker.
Note: If one attacks Pacer or any other Kings, even after they turn hostile and open fire, it may result in a gain of infamy with Freeside and both groups of Kings as well as The King himself turning hostile. The best way to avoid this is to let the NCR troopers and any companions do the shooting, which results in no infamy gained for the player. Pacer and his men are heavily outnumbered by the NCR troopers alone, meaning there is little chance The King will die in the gunfight.
Reward[]
The reward received by the player character will be determined by the outcome of the quest:
- Kill Pacer and frame the Van Graffs - 1300 XP, 600 caps (An additional 200 by passing a 60 Barter skill check) and NCR fame.
- Kill Pacer with spiked Jet - Received 1200 XP, received 600 caps (Barter skill check for 200 more).
- Use the diplomatic solution via the King's favor - 1200 XP and 600 caps (Barter skill check for 200 more).
No reward is given if Pacer was killed with conventional or non-energy weapons or if the Kings were wiped out by the NCR.
Quest stages[]
Notes[]
- If one chooses to go the diplomatic route and get Colonel Hsu to help resolve the issue, be aware that shooting Pacer and his entourage may cause one to lose considerable fame with Freeside, and/or turn the rest of the Kings against them.
- If one chooses to go the diplomatic route and get Colonel Hsu to help resolve the issue, the NCR troopers sent to the King's School of Impersonation will remain there for the rest of the game, and will help the Kings fight Freeside thugs.
- If the forged note is placed in Pacer's stash but one does not witness him die, and then goes on to complete the diplomatic solution via Colonel Hsu, nothing will happen when talking to The King and he accepts their offer for peace, because Pacer will not be in the room. If one waits for a few minutes, there will be gunfire and several Kings will be dead. The Courier will still have the option to stop Pacer. One must then walk to the Van Graffs and witness Pacer being killed. Upon returning to the ambassador, both Speech options to complete the quest will be available (diplomatic and killing Pacer/framing the Van Graffs).
- If The King has died prior to the start of this quest, this quest cannot be done. It will not even appear in the Pip-Boy. One must return to the ambassador and tell him The King is dead. He will gift 300 caps if they apologize and can continue supporting the NCR.
 | The following is based on Fallout: New Vegas cut content. |
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- Originally, if the diplomacy option was chosen with Hsu bringing the soldiers into the King's School of Impersonation, when Pacer protests towards The King about refusing to work with the NCR, he would not have instantly gone hostile and tried to kill everyone, instead he would face the player character and begin criticizing them about their deal. One could have at this point talked Pacer down with a 75 Speech skill check, or killed him playing out the same way in the final game. If Pacer was talked down, he would disappear, being disabled in the game world for the rest of the game.[1]
| End of information based on Fallout: New Vegas cut content |
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Behind the scenes[]
- The quest name is a reference to the chess strategy of the same name. In chess, the "Kings' Gambit" is an opening strategy where a pawn is sacrificed in exchange for rapid development and control of the center.
- Pacer's drug-affected heart condition (and the path where he dies by taking a mix of drugs) and being a member of a gang of Elvis impersonators serve as a reference to how the real-life Elvis Presley is believed to have died of a drug-induced heart attack due to underlying heart problems.
Bugs[]
Ambassador Crocker may not give you a reward when you complete the quest, yet will oddly give you a 300 cap reward when you fail it and apologize. [verified]- Ambassador Crocker doesn't continue with the conversation when you give him the update from Freeside after Pacer's death. [verified]
- When attempting to lace the stash with Psycho, the dialogue won't allow it, saying "You could lace it... if only you had some Psycho" despite having numerous Psychos in inventory. [verified]
- Possible fix: Though it might be no bug, after discovering the stash (and The King refusing your request) try talking to the ambassador first. With a Medicine skill of 60 or higher you can suggest poisoning the Jet, which activates the option.
- No Jet stash under Pacer's bed (you must get the rumor tidbit from Rotface for the stash of Jet to spawn.) On the Xbox 360 sometimes whether or not you get the rumor tidbit the stash still doesn't appear under his bed. [verified]
- Possible bug fix: Type the following into the console: prid 001205BC, enable. This should cause the stash of Jet to spawn under Pacer's bed.
- Talking to Rotface and stealing Julie Farkas's files may cause the Jet stash to spawn.
- It is possible that if the player does try doing the "Kings' Gambit" quest before completing the "G.I. Blues" quest that the quest will be impossible to turn in to the NCR ambassador after you have completed everything for the quest. [verified]
- After completing Kings' Gambit the Courier may be locked out of the Strip (you no longer have the key). There are several remedies to this bug: [verified]
- Go to Camp McCarran and use the monorail to get to the Strip. It is recommend that the player be on good terms with the NCR and have NCR armor. Otherwise, use a Stealth Boy (you may need to leave companions behind if you use a Stealth Boy).
- Take the key from one of the robots. To do this make sure you are [HIDDEN] and snipe the robot from a distance.
- After accepting the quest you may be approached by an NCR MP who will accuse you of an unidentified crime on the Strip and attack you. Re-loading a previous (auto)save just before accepting the quest seems to reset the environment and prevents it from happening a second time, but won't always work. Another choice is to wait outside before going in to talk with Ambassador Crocker, and the NCR MP will come to you, asking for a bribe (200 caps) rather than just attacking on sight. If you are inside, he will not ask for a bribe and will just attack. On PC, this seems not to work. [verified]
- Other possible fixes: Just leave the Embassy before the MP approaches you. Outside goes the dialogue in normal way without the accusation and attacking. As an alternative, if the game was saved after taking the quest or you don't have enough time to get out of the building, use a "Stealth Boy" as soon as possible (only works with PC). For Xbox. let the MP come to you and give his speech then turn hostile. Let your companion(s) kill him and he might die without everyone else in the room turning hostile.
- After talking to Colonel Hsu about NCR help, the option to talk to The King about finishing the quest will be unavailable. [verified]
- The marker that is pointing to Pacer's location after the NCR arrive at the King's School of impersonation, Pacer may not be standing there at all, even if he hasn't been killed in previous missions, and he will not go check his stash. But if you talk to The King he will talk as if the situation has been dissolved. [verified]
- If you have the patch installed, delete it and load a previous save. Pacer will be by the Kings' side.
- After killing Pacer using spiked Jet, conversation with Crocker stops. No options in conversation with either Col Moore or Col Hsu to finish quest either. To solve the problem enter the following reset command using the console: resetquest 0011f95b. [verified]
- If you start the quest Birds of a Feather before going back to Crocker to notify him the diplomatic approached failed, access to the NCR Embassy may crash the game. This is a game crippling bug and there does not seem to be any way around it. [verified]
- If you follow the story line to create a deal, even after Pacer becomes hostile, The King and all the other Kings will become hostile if you shoot or kill him. A fix is to stand still and let the NCR deal with him and the rogue Kings. [verified]
- Initiating Kings' Gambit after getting all the gossip from Rotface and killing all of the Van Graffs may cause the framing the Van Graffs option to become unavailable (only the one where you need to forge a letter with the help of Ralph; using an energy weapon and killing Pacer when no one's looking still seems to work). [verified]
- When going to tell Crocker that The King has refused to stop the violence, Crocker may not be in his chair and he may not appear again. No amount of waiting will make him appear in his spot again. [verified]
