Pistol Packing is an unmarked quest in Fallout: New Vegas.
Quick walkthrough[]
| Unmarked Quest: Pistol Packing | |||||
| Talk to Quartermaster Knight Torres. | |||||
| Talk to the Brotherhood of Steel paladin who is sitting at the desk at the firing range right outside Torres' station. During the night, he is sleeping in the closest room. | |||||
| Talk to Initiate Stanton. | |||||
| Go to scorpion gulch. | |||||
| Retrieve the missing laser pistol. | |||||
| Return to Quartermaster Torres. | |||||
| Reward: Tri-beam laser rifle Brotherhood of Steel fame | |||||
Detailed walkthrough[]
Knight Torres, the quartermaster for the Brotherhood of Steel in the Hidden Valley bunker, will mention that she is missing one laser pistol from her inventory, which the Courier can volunteer to help find. After speaking to her, head next door to the firing range and speak to the paladin sitting at the desk there (if the paladin range master isn't at the firing range desk, try going down to the deck below and stepping into the large bedroom where he should be sleeping and speak to him). Mention the laser pistol, and the paladin will mention that Initiate Stanton was the last one to check it out, but signed it back in afterward. It is necessary to do this before talking to Stanton, or else he will claim that he doesn't know anything about it.
Initiate Stanton[]
Stanton can be found wandering around the first floor of the bunker or in the classroom during the daytime. At night, Stanton will be inside the initiate barracks, which is opposite of the long, oval-shaped hallway from the firing range. When speaking to him, mention the laser pistol he checked out. He will admit about how he and Apprentice Watkins went out to the scorpion gulch for a "training exercise." Once he and Watkins realized the scorpions were more than they could handle, they ran away and he dropped the laser pistol in the confusion. If mentioning that the laser pistol has been checked back in, he tells the Courier that he falsified the records. From here, the Courier may volunteer to retrieve the laser pistol (the laser pistol will not spawn in the gulch until the Courier speaks with the paladin at the firing range and then Stanton).
Scorpion gulch[]
Scorpion gulch is just southeast through a broken fencing line from the bunker. After going through the gulch, the missing laser pistol will be on top of a rock, in the middle of the lowest part of the gulch. The gulch will usually have various scorpions roaming around the area.
Conclusion[]
Once the laser pistol has been obtained, return to Torres. She will have a tri-beam laser rifle and will give it to the Courier as a reward for services rendered. The Courier will also receive Brotherhood of Steel fame.
Notes[]
- Fast traveling to scorpion gulch will land the Courier near the missing laser pistol, but also very close to a number of scorpions, depending on the Courier's level.
- The missing laser pistol is susceptible to being thrown off to other locations with explosives.
- There is actually a misspelling in the subtitles during this quest. If asking Stanton where he specifically dropped it, he will say "I remember dropping it as we ran," but the subtitles will display "I remember dropping in as we ran."
Behind the scenes[]
The quest title is a reference to the 1943 song "Pistol Packin' Mama" by Al Dexter, who adapted it from the traditional folk song "Boil Them Cabbage Down."
Bugs[]
At the end of the quest, the tri-beam laser rifle received as a reward will be bugged. Do not place it in the same inventory with another tri-beam laser rifle, as it will be replaced by the one received from Torres.[verified]
The "dead" wastelander could potentially be alive and fight the scorpions that occupy the gulch with an invisible varmint rifle. He will still drop the normal loot upon death.[verified]- A corpse may not actually be present to mark the rock. If not, it's the large one at the bottom of the "bowl."[verified]
- After speaking with Quartermaster Knight Torres to begin the quest, if asking Initiate Stanton where the laser pistol is before speaking with the paladin at the firing range desk, Stanton denies any knowledge of the laser pistol, and the paladin at the firing range desk can't be found to correct the quest. Exiting the bunker entirely and re-entering may correct the missing quartermaster's dialogue.[verified]
- The icon of the missing laser pistol on the Pip-Boy will show that of a plasma pistol instead of a laser pistol.[verified]
- The Search and Mark perk does not highlight the missing laser pistol.[verified]
- If deciding to assist Edgar Hardin in his attempt to become the elder, this quest will automatically be removed. The missing laser pistol will still appear on the rock. The Courier will have to initiate a conversation with Torres, exit that conversation, and start a new one in order to be prompted to return the laser pistol.[verified]
- The laser pistol may not appear on the rock, therefore voiding the quest. It may be found somewhere else in the gulch (as if a radscorpion moved it).[verified]
- Upon getting the missing laser pistol and returning to Hidden Valley, the dialogue options to return the missing laser pistol may not appear. Restarting the game followed by equipping then unequipping the laser pistol may fix this.[verified]
- Having more than one missing laser pistol in the inventory, by using console commands for example, may bug the quest, by not showing the proper dialogue options with Knight Torres to give the pistol and complete the quest. The bug can be fixed by removing the excess items from the inventory, using console commands.
