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Caesar's Legion attacked us near Searchlight. The rangers say they probably took my family to Cottonwood Cove.Frank Weathers

Left My Heart is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Side Quest: Left My Heart 
Speak with Frank Weathers in the tent at Aerotech Office Park or
with any of the Weathers in the caged pen near the HQ at Cottonwood Cove
Pay 300 caps (150 with 50 Speech) to Canyon Runner for the key to the family's collars. 
Pickpocket the key from Canyon Runner or
pass a 50 Explosives check to unlock the family's collars. 
Kill the family by attacking or
pass a 35 Explosives check to set off their collars. 
Given by Frank
Return to Frank. 
Given by the Weathers
Freed the Weathers: 300 XP, 50 caps
Killed the Weathers: Quest failed. 
Tell Frank his family's whereabouts. 
Pass a 35 Speech check to convince Frank to deal with his addiction before reuniting with his family. 
Pass a 35 Speech check to convince Frank to commit suicide. 
Reward: 1000 XP
50 caps 
Reward: 1000 XP
50 caps
Karma gain 
Reward: 1000 XP
50 caps
Karma loss 

Detailed walkthrough[]

Note: Depending on one's reputation with both the NCR and Caesar's Legion, the ease of access to the two locations involved in this quest may vary, whether able to roam freely or be attacked by hostile enemies and may require the use of faction disguises.

Family in danger[]

The quest is started by speaking to an NPC in one of two locations:

  1. Frank Weathers can be found at the Aerotech Office Park, under the jurisdiction of Captain Parker of the New California Republic Army. The Weathers patriarch can be asked about why he came to New Vegas and he says that he was one of many who thought they'd strike it rich on the Strip, trying to help his family. At the mention of his family, though, he breaks down and reveals that they were captured by slavers of the Legion close to Camp Searchlight; passing a 6 Intelligence attribute check leads to him revealing he escaped alone by running away like a coward. He pleads with the player character to save them from living as slaves and gives all the information he has on where to find them, triggering the quest.
  2. One can instead go directly to Cottonwood Cove and speak to any of the three Weathers family members in the caged pen near the HQ building; only speaking to Mrs. Weathers will actually trigger the quest. Starting this way also prevents speaking with Frank about his family and thus making the rewards from him inaccessible.

However one gets to helping the Weathers at the cove, there are a few methods for freeing them from captivity:

  • Pay the 300 caps price for their freedom to the Legion slavemaster, Canyon Runner.
  • Pass a 50 Speech skill check to convince Canyron Runner that the family is diseased, causing him to reduce the price to 150 caps.
  • Pickpocket the key to the Weathers' collars from Canyon Runner or looted from his corpse and the cage can be broken into.

If the quest was given by Mrs. Weathers, she can be asked about how they were captured and will mention her husband Frank and how his alcoholism and abuse forced them to flee, ending up captured in the process. If the quest was given by Frank, mentioning his name will garner the same information along with a request not to tell him where they are going once freed.

Note: If the player character has the Mark of Caesar but has not gone to see Caesar during Render Unto Caesar, Canyon Runner's only dialogue will be to tell them to speak with Cursor Lucullus and travel to the Fort. His quest-related dialogue will only be available after speaking with Caesar and returning to the cove.

Upon acquiring the key, enter the cage with the key and talk to Mrs. Weathers to use it to set them all free; the Weathers' children's collars will automatically unlock this way. If one does not have the key or does not wish to use it to deactivate their collars, a 50 Explosives check can be passed to do so, garnering Karma gain.

One can also attack and kill the family or pass a 35 Explosives check to set off their collars as they leave the cage, however, these options will fail the quest if it was given by Mrs. Weathers and garner Karma loss.

If the player character frees the Weathers family members without killing them, they will express their gratitude and mention that they are headed to the Followers of the Apocalypse at the Old Mormon Fort. If the quest was given by Mrs. Weathers, this will complete it and garner 300 XP and 50 caps.

If the quest was given by Frank Weathers, the quest remains active and one must return to him at Aerotech. Upon informing him that his family is alive or dead, the quest completes and garners 1,000 XP and 50 caps. Subsequent dialogue gives three options to determine the outcome for Frank's relationship with his family:

  • Pass one of two 35 Speech checks to convince Frank to either clean up his act and hope to reunite with his family or admonish him into committing suicide, garnering Karma gain and loss, respectively.
  • Tell Frank directly that his family went to Freeside, to which he will choose to not reunite with them since he is not allowed into the Old Mormon Fort and does not want to go into rehab.

Note: Regardless of what option is chosen, Frank will never actually leave the Aerotech Office Park, and his post-quest dialogue will be either happy, angry, or neutral depending on the outcome.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
10 Find Frank Weathers' family
50 Free the Weathers from slavery.
55 [Optional] 'Free' the Weathers from slavery.
100Quest finishedReturn to Frank Weathers.

Notes[]

  • There is a truck perched on a precipice at Cottonwood overlook, used as part of the quest Eye for an Eye. If the door is opened, a large number of radioactive waste barrels tumble out, killing everyone below. If the Weathers have not been freed by this stage, they will die as well and one will not have any other option than to tell Frank that they are dead, thus completing the quest, provided the quest was started by talking to Frank. Also, the Weathers family will need time to escape the camp before opening the door or they may still die.
  • If freed and they make it to the Old Mormon Fort, the Weathers will be found standing unmoving around the middle of the fort courtyard for the rest of the game. They do not move at all because they do not have NPC AI packages assigned to them in this state.
  • If the player character has a negative or mixed reputation with the NCR. Frank Weathers will attack and will not give the quest.
    • He will only attack if the NCR officer at the Aerotech Office Park, Captain Parker, initiates combat. Sneaking by the captain will make it possible to still get the quest.
  • If the player character has a negative reputation with the Legion, there will be at least one enemy that may need to be killed after saving the Weathers family or they will try to kill the family first.

Behind the scenes[]

The quest name is a reference to the song "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," made popular by Tony Bennett and released as a single in 1962. It eventually became known as Bennett's signature song.

Bugs[]

  • PCPC The Weathers family may not be wearing collars. This makes the quest reasonably easier as the player character doesn't have to worry about remembering to deactivate the devices. However, this bug does remove the option to detonate them prematurely.[verified]
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Sometimes, if you begin the quest by talking with the Weathers, you can pick the lock to the cage, disarm all three collars, kill all guards in the area, then tell the Weathers to run for it. They survive but you lose Karma.[verified]
    • Taking the key from Canyon Runner and giving it to Mrs. Weathers, despite having no need for it, will bypass the Speech check and complete the quest with no Karma loss.
  • PCPC Xbox 360Xbox 360 Canyon Runner will sometimes stand in one place, unable to be interacted with, and can be walked through, preventing completing the quest. One solution is to use the nearby door into Aurelius' office or the storage room, then exiting again, upon which he can be talked to again.[verified]

Gallery[]

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 · 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
Cut contentCut questsAuto-Inject Quest · Bright and Shiny · Chip Provenance · Debug Topics · Exploring Vault 74 · Jailhouse Rock · Meat of Champions (quest) · TempMan · Underpass Water Purifier · Viva Las Vegas! · Welcome to Fabulous New Vegas · World Changes Post-Endgame
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 · Return to the FountainCut content
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