The repellent stick is a unique melee weapon in Fallout 3.
Characteristics[]
The repellent stick is a simple wooden stick with "mole rat repellent" (a combination of jet and psycho) on it. The stick is exceptionally effective against mole rats, as one hit causes an allergic reaction on mole rats, causing their bodies to smoke and their heads to explode after five seconds, while a second hit will cause the explosion to happen instantly. Do not be fooled by what Moira says when the Lone Wanderer first gets the stick, as it's an experiment gone wrong.
If used on any creature other than a mole rat, it will still cause the "smoking" effect, though it won't cause them to explode.
Durability[]
Due to its very low base damage, the repellent stick can successfully strike about 2000 times from full condition before breaking.
Location[]
This item is obtained from Moira Brown at Craterside Supply in Megaton during the quest Wasteland Survival Guide.
Notes[]
- Upon completing the mole rat portion of the Wasteland Survival Guide quest, if the optional objective of using the repellent on seven more mole rats is fulfilled, the Lone Wanderer can keep the stick for future use. If the optional objective is not fulfilled, or if the quest is completed with a Speech-based lie, Moira takes back the stick but will sell it from that point on, so it will still be possible to acquire it. It can also be found by picking the lock on the upstairs desk (hard difficulty), although this method may cause it to be considered a quest item, making it impossible to remove from inventory without console commands.
- The repellent effect will not register after an instant kill of a mole rat, such as through the sneak attacks afforded by the Chinese stealth armor or Stealth Boy. Credit is not granted toward the completion of the quest unless the repellent has a chance to work on each mole rat before it expires.
- As this is a quest item, it will not be removed during scripted events where all items are taken. Some examples include the Tranquility Lane simulation, being abducted by aliens during the Mothership Zeta add-on, and during the Operation: Anchorage simulation.
- The repellent stick can often be used on dead mole rats for quest credit.
- It does not damage robots. Additionally, it shows a 0% chance to hit them in VATS.
Bugs[]
- Tranquility Lane if hotkeyed beforehand. [verified] It can be used in
- Buying the repellent stick may earn you the quest version and thus cannot be removed from the player character's inventory. [verified]
- It is possible that in the Operation: Anchorage add-on, the repellent stick may transfer into the simulation. [verified]