Oldest Trick in the Book is a main quest in Fallout 76, introduced in the Skyline Valley update.
Quick walkthrough[]
- Speak to Audrey.
- Go to Old Crimora Mines.
- Find and equip a disguise.
- Speak with or kill Alex.
- Clear the mine of cultists.
- Report back to Hugo.
Detailed walkthrough[]
Immediately after completing Seeking Shelter, Audrey Stolz walks up to the Vault Dwellers to comment on the repairs. Hugo Stolz suddenly runs in and interrupts the conversation to say that Cassidy has been kidnapped by cultists. Based on the knowledge from the previous quest that the leader of a branch of the Cult of the Mothman is named Alex, Audrey realizes that it may be her former love interest Alex Guerra. When Hugo lets it slip that he tried to have Alex assassinated, Audrey becomes dismayed and leaves. Hugo suspects that the cultists are holed up at Old Crimora Mines, and suggest infiltrating the cult to kill Alex. If one replies not wanting to kill Alex, he changes his mind and gives the player character Audrey's book, to be given to Alex as a peace offer. Alternatively, if one is open to killing Alex, Audrey's book is not given.
Travel to Old Crimora Mines. Make sure to follow the objective to retrieve a disguise; cultist's garments are found in the small shack to the right of the mine entrance, retrieve them before going into the interior. Otherwise, the cultists will recognize the player character as agent of Vault 63 and turn hostile. Once the outfit is equipped, enter the mines and keep walking until reaching Disciple Blair. One can speak to him and with Perception 4+, notice that he is an infiltrator as well, much like other cultists populating the mine. Blair explains that the non-believers in the mine are trying to enact a revenge plot against Hugo, under Alex's leadership. Additionally, read his notes on the crate behind him, which will update the quest objective to investigate the upper area.
Before doing so, take a right to reach a small altar, and pick up the cultist prison key from the duffle bag against the cave wall to the left of the altar. Turn around, take a right, head deeper into the mine, and take the stairs. Speak to Elder Pepper, who requires a password to advance. If one is violently inclined, Elder Pepper can be killed to proceed into the tunnel. Otherwise, cross the bridge eastward and walk past Adept Scarlet into Alex's room, read the password sheet to learn the password, return to Pepper, and tell him the password.
Keep walking until reaching a downward slope. Halfway down the slope, open the second prisoner door using the key that was picked up earlier, and enter the room to find Cassidy. Continue down the slope, and head deeper into the mines before reaching a large ritual chamber with a bonfire surrounded by cultists, and Alex to the left. Walk up to Alex, and either kill her then and there, or talk to her.
If one chose to talk with the cultists, the fact that many secretly do not worship the Mothman and are only interested in taking revenge on Hugo is apparent. Alex outright says this if not learned before, and claims that Hugo had displaced the Shenandoah population to build Vault 63, promising them shelter in the vault. However, he walked back on his promise before the Great War. Additionally, Hugo tried to have Alex assassinated because he believed her to be a risk to Audrey and her work for her father, but failed because the Great War happened as the would-be assassin tried to kill Alex.
What happens next is based on earlier dialogue options with Hugo. If one expressed openness to killing Alex and never received the book, she can be asked questions, including ones that reveal Hugo's true nature, but ultimately the only option left to take is to say "Sorry, but I'm going to have to kill you."
If one showed hesitance to killing Alex and received the book, the player character can also ask questions, but the conversation eventually circles back to giving Alex the book. Upon handing Audrey's book to Alex, she will open it, activating a poison trap and killing her almost immediately. In both scenarios, the cultists will turn hostile, and must be killed. The quest does not proceed until all cultists have been killed, even those that are not hostile. Fight your way out of the cave and return to the Vault 63 atrium.
Talk with Hugo to give a report on what happened. Audrey, apparently having overheard the conversation, walks in and directs a tirade toward Hugo, holding both Hugo and the Vault Dwellers accountable for Alex's death, before leaving again. Hugo stoically gives out a reward, completing the quest. Once both this quest and James Oberlin's Double-Crossed Wires have been completed, Gathering Clouds will begin.
Quest stages[]
Bugs[]
Once the objective to kill all cultists has been reached, and some but not all named cultists (Blaire, Pepper and Scarlet) are killed, then the quest becomes soft-locked. Upon re-entering the cave, the quest will incorrectly think that no named cultists have been killed and place quest markers above each of them, even though those that were killed are still dead. To resolve the issue, join a different server.[verified]- Although all of the cultists are supposed to turn hostile once Alex dies, this may not happen immediately, giving the impression that currently non-hostile characters must be killed in order to advance the quest. The cultists should turn hostile eventually, but named cultists (such as Scarlet) may be able to be engaged in conversation unti then, at which point the conversation will be force exited, with the character turning hostile.[verified]
- The cultists killed during this quest may not be able to be looted.[verified]
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