The RobCo Research Center, also known as the RobCo Research Facility,[1] is a location in the Cranberry Bog region of Appalachia.
Background[]
Located in Virginia,[1] this RobCo Industries facility was the primary employer of Watoga's residents, many of whom commuted via the Appalachian monorail system with its terminus at the research facility,[2] RobCo aspired to develop the technologies underpinning Watoga and to work on other joint research projects with regional and national powerhouses like Hornwright Industrial and General Atomics International.[3] The Voice of Watoga and MAIA AIs were developed at the facility,[4][5] alongside military prototypes.[6] It also developed further variants of the Mister Handy line, including torture robots ("improved interrogation" in company speak).[7]
A large part of the facility was also dedicated to the investigation and manufacturing of robobrains. At some point, the Encephalon Extraction Program was created by Doctor Dorothea Dias and approved by RobCo, even with the opposition of the ethics department. This project ensured that the entire research team of the facility would have their brains scooped and suspended in a biomedical solution that would keep their cognitive functions intact and ready to be used for several lifetimes. So many complaints were reported to management that the report database overloaded.[8]
The company also decided to hold company tours for Pioneer Scouts and their parents, led by one particularly disgruntled researcher, Dr. Clara Song, who took advantage of the matter by showing them parts of the building not meant to be seen in an attempt to get her superior fired.[9][10]
By the year 2103, the facility was used by a Vault Dweller from Vault 76, aided by United States Army Sergeant Radcliff, to retrieve several RobCo tools to help get past the defenses in Vault 79, especially several RobCo-built automated turrets. To that end, they had to recover one of the preserved brains from the staff of the facility and install it in a Robobrain to help build the tools for them.
Layout[]
Along Route 65, near the northeastern border between The Mire and the Cranberry Bog, are a couple of RobCo signs and a guard station. From there, a road littered with delivery trucks and guarded by robots leads up to a parking lot. Past this parking lot is both the RobCo Research Center and a walkway that leads to Station 01 of the Appalachian monorail system. The area surrounding the research center is mostly filled with various junk items, with a random plan found in a tool case on the southern side of the property.
There are three entrances to the main facility, one on the southeastern side, another on the southwestern side, and an elevator entrance that leads down to the Robotics Technology Facility. The first room after entering the southwestern side is the reception area, which has a receptionist terminal that gives some introductory information about RobCo. Past the front desk and up some stairs are two doors and an elevator. One door leads to the research wing, while the other goes to facilities management, and the elevator goes to the basement. The two wings, however, are not separated and consist of three different floors.
The first floor is home to the robobrain R&D Department, where a power armor station is available; the Robobrain Assembly Department, which is where the engineering terminal is found; a storage area and a couple of bathrooms. The second floor is made of various offices, a lab, a kitchen and dining area, two exits, and the research labs. In the research labs, there are two power armor stations, a weapons workbench, and an elevator that leads to a third exit. The third floor consists entirely of offices, including HR, and the quality control office.
The basement, accessed via the elevator in the back of the foyer, contains the testing facilities for a custom variant of the flagship Mr. Handy, the Mr. Torturer. A chemistry station can also be found to the left of the elevator. It also has spawn points for a potential bobblehead and a potential magazine and holds the location's steamer trunk.
Notable loot[]
- Holotapes and notes
- Betsy Spinelli's holotape - Holotape, on a desk in the robobrain assembly room.
- Enola Walker's story, part 2 - Holotape, in the gatehouse.
- Mr. Torturers - Holotape, on a desk in the basement.
- Tinkering - Holotape, in the robobrain research and development department.
- Robot virus - Holotape, obtained from a terminal during the quest Mayor for a Day.
Note from management - Note, in Clara Song's office, on the desk.- Prepared transcript - Note, on a printer in the research labs, spawned during the quest Duty Calls.
- Quickly scrawled note - Three notes in the robobrain assembly room, spawned during the quest Duty Calls.
- Note 01 is found on the desk which also contains Betsy Spinelli's holotape.
- Note 02 is found on the counter next to the brain cooker.
- Note 03 is found on another desk in the corner of the room.
- Collectibles
- Three potential Vault-Tec bobbleheads:
- On the ground floor of the research wing, at the south end of the locked laboratory, under the red wrist sill of the mainframe computer.
- On the western side of upper curved balcony chamber, in the office just left of the Protectron pod, in the bottom desk shelf under the terminal.
- In the upper laboratory area, in the southern corner, to the right of the elevator, by the locked safe.
- Three potential magazines:
- In the basement, to the left of the elevator, on a desk.
- In a blocked room on the first floor, accessed by jumping high inside the robobrain assembly room on the first floor through the ceiling. Or via falling down a hole on the second floor from a second-floor office. On top of a broken library terminal next to a Picklock level 3 safe (may clip through the terminal's screen).
- In an office on the second floor, on a table next to a withered potted plant.
- Other loot
- Power armor - At one of the power armor stations inside the robotics technology facility.
- Potential plan - In a large toolbox in the robobrain assembly room on the first floor.
- Two fusion cores:
- On a metal cart in the robobrain assembly room.
- Outside, in a fusion generator northeast of the site.
- Mini nuke - On the ground next to the first console to the left of the entry to the robotics technology facility.
- Two hazmat suits:
- In a box in-between the robobrain research and development and storage rooms.
- In the robotics technology facility, on a shelf.
- Robot models
- Two Eyebot models - One on a desk near the sentry bot in a office and one on a filing cabinet in another office.
- Mr. Handy model - In facilities wing, inside the HR office (east) on the top floor, underneath a small table shelf.
- Three robot parts models:
- Inside a lab in the basement.
- Within the women's restroom, inside a toilet.
- Inside the robotics technology facility, near the power armor spawn.
- Sentry bot model - In an office (a pioneer scout junior roboticist tour speaker at the door and a laser turret inside) on the second floor.
Related quests[]
Notes[]
"Robotics Technology Facility RB-2851" is the proper, pre-War name of the facility that became the Mechanist's lair in the Fallout 4 add-on Automatron. Although the entrance to the research labs used this sign before patch 1.3.0.23, there is still a sign for RB-2851 in the backroom behind the labs.
Appearances[]
RobCo Research Center appears only in Fallout 76.
Behind the scenes[]
Level designer Craig Bernardo worked on this location's design and creation.[Non-game 1]
Gallery[]
.png "FO76 RobCo Research Center (Betsy Spinelli's holotape).png (2.48 MB)")
.png "FO76 RobCo Research Center (Mr Torturers).png (1.8 MB)")
.png "FO76 RobCo Research Center (Tinkering).png (2.12 MB)")
.png "FO76WA RobCo Research Center (Note from management).png (2 MB)")
.png "FO76 Sign K 1 (12).png (1.3 MB)")
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 RobCo Research Center terminal entries; saboteur's terminal, Personal Message 5.5.77
- ↑ Watoga Transit Hub terminal entries; Monorail station terminal, RobCo Research Center
- ↑ RobCo Research Center terminal entries; receptionist terminal, Welcome to Robco
- ↑ RobCo Research Center terminal entries; engineering terminal, Voice of Watoga Project
- ↑ RobCo Research Center terminal entries; engineering terminal, MAIA Project
- ↑ RobCo Research Center terminal entries; engineering terminal, Military Prototypes
- ↑ Mr. Torturers
- ↑ RobCo Research Center terminal entries; immobile weapons research terminal
- ↑ Possum Junior Roboticist Tour
- ↑ Note from management
Non-game