The Trading Post is a location in the Skyline Valley region of Appalachia in Fallout 76, introduced in the Skyline Valley update.
Background[]
A once-thriving trading post in the former Shenandoah National Park, this settlement was founded by a caravan group led by the trader James, who was romantically linked to fellow trader Jewel. Together, the group discovered a Mister Handy, and James came to befriend the robot, known as Murry.[1] The settlement was assisted by the mechanic Wesley, who performed tune-ups and maintenance on Murry[2] and offered repairs to clients.[3] The Trading Post had some success for a while, attracting merchants to the area. Despite his robotic nature, Murry also found a specialization in the form of crafting his own syrup from the large maple tree in the center of the settlement.[4]
When the Vault 63 weather machine was activated for a second time in 2105, creating a giant storm over the region, most, if not all, of the trade in the region stopped in the aftermath. Although they suffered no direct damage, the traders slowly abandoned their post for greener pastures, due to the poor conditions from the storm.[5][6] The last few to stubbornly remain were James, remaining the settlement's leader; his lover Jewel, and the mechanic, Wesley, while Murry stuck around due to his programming.
Of the three remaining humans, Jewel was the first to leave, mulling over the decision for some time before leaving a note for James. In her note she outlined that there was nothing left for them there, deciding that she would head back north into Appalachia, indicting James' stubbornness for tearing the family apart, alongside the storm.[7] Feeling he had failed as a caravan leader and not wanting to lose Jewel, James headed north in pursuit of her.[8] James had initially hesitated in doing so, wanting to wait for Wesley to recover from an illness, but Wesley encouraged James to go after his lover and leave him behind.[9] It was at this time that James passed the leadership of the Trading Post to Murry, before departing.[1]
Unbeknownst to them, Murry had unintentionally been poisoning Wesley. While Murry believed that he was hydrating Wesley with boiled water to treat his illness,[9] it was actually toxic water, which eventually directly led to Wesley's death.[10] With Wesley "indisposed,"[11] no mechanic was available to give Murry a maintenance tune-up, making the Mister Handy incapable of recognizing Wesley's demise, incorrectly computing that he was just sleeping.[12] Murry's state of disrepair has also led to a memory read error causing him to stutter in his speech.[13] Murry continues to inhabit the Trading Post, doing business with passers-by, at the very least managing to keep his vendor stock supplied, even if the rest of the camp is deserted.[4]
Both James and Jewel eventually died elsewhere in Skyline Valley, having never reunited, leaving Murry as the only survivor of the Trading Post's founders. Jewel had reconsidered her decision and was going to return to make one last effort to convince James to move north, but died at the Shenandoah Visitor Center.[5] James was attacked by the Lost near Dark Hollow Manor and was gravely wounded, making it further north up the trail before leaving his final words, asking for someone to find Jewel, Murry and Wesley and tell them he was sorry.[14]
If the Vault 76 dwellers attempt to repair Murry, they will temporarily restore his memory and fix his stuttering issue. The realization that everyone at the Trading Post is dead causes Murry to panic, before mentioning that his programming dictates self-preservation. As a result, Murry will undo the changes and revert to his unaware, stuttering state once more, intentionally keeping himself isolated from the truth.[15]
Layout[]
The Trading Post, found southeast of Dark Hollow Manor, is a free fast travel point once discovered. It is the main merchant hub for the Skyline Valley region, in the absence of train stations filling that role like in the other regions. The settlement is centered around a very large maple tree, which is supported by a network of poles and tarps providing shade and cover. Surrounding the tree is an expansive platform, where two live chickens roam, with crafting stations and other amenities placed in a circle around the tree. In addition to the vendor Murry, the amenities available at the Trading Post include:
All of the listed amenities are found surrounding the tree, except for three: the chemistry station and stash box are outside of the trailer with the containment barrels, while there are three separate cooking stations, one under a tent to the west and two more to the left and right of that tent. The only major resource amenity missing from the Trading Post is a gold press machine.
Further away from the tree but still arranged in a circular position are a series of trailers. Moving clockwise starting from the north, the first trailer contains the corpse of Wesley and two lootable containers. Behind this trailer is a lightly-fenced pen, in which there is one dead brahmin corpse. To the east, past some boxes, is Jewel's trailer, containing a safe. To the south are two trailers, one of which contains several containment barrels and a first aid box, while the other is overturned. Past a truckbed and some assorted storage, facing west, there is a canopy covering a meat-cutting area. To the north of that is a tent with the aforementioned cooking stations. The final trailer contains James' note and an empty robot pod.
Immediately west of and adjacent to the Trading Post is a large rock formation that can be climbed, providing a wide view of the location and its surroundings.
Inhabitants[]
Current
Former
James - leader (corpse southwest of Thunder Mountain substation TM-03)- Jewel - trader (corpse at Shenandoah Visitor Center)
- Trading Post vender - trader (corpse southwest of Old Rag Lookout)
Notable loot[]
- James' note - Note, in a wooden box in the western trailer, near the cooking stations.
- Jewel's note - Note, on the desk in the northeasternmost trailer.
- Wesley's note - Note, in the hand of Wesley, who is found dead in the northwestern trailer.
- Two potential Vault-Tec bobbleheads:
- On the desk in the trailer with Jewel's note.
- On a disconnected utility trailer to the north, near the fast travel point, among some boxes.
- Potential magazine - Inside the yellow camper where Wesley's corpse is found, underneath the mattress by the blood smear.
Appearances[]
The Trading Post appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Skyline Valley update.
Behind the scenes[]
Double Eleven developer Ryan Kuir worked as a level designer on this location.[Non-game 1]
Bugs[]
The two chickens at this location previously appeared as hostile, although they did not actively attack the player. However, they appeared red on the radar and made it so that the player had to wait to fast travel away from the Trading Post, due to nearby enemies. This was patched with the Milepost Zero update, which made the chickens friendly and invisible to the radar.[patched]
Gallery[]
.png "FO76SV The Trading Post (Jewel's note).png (1.89 MB)")
.png "FO76SV The Trading Post (Wesley's note).png (2.57 MB)")
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 James' note
- ↑ Murry: "Oh Wesley... if o-only you weren't such a lazy bones. My t-tune up is way overdue now."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ Murry: "Happy to h-help you with your shopping needs. If you need any r-repairs, unfortunately our mechanic Wesley is a tad i-indisposed right now."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 A Vault Dweller: "What do you sell?"
Murry: "Oh, w-we have an eclectic assortment! Many t-traders used to pass through here you s-see, fewer now... but enough to keep our s-supplies stocked. W-we also have our own locally sourced Maple Syrup, made f-from the big tree here, c-crafted by yours truly of course."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dead woman's note
- ↑ A Vault Dweller: "Why is this place so deserted?"
Murry: "W-well once the weather went bad, we ran into a spot of b-bad luck. Whole region became quite the l-lightning hazard. Though we've been s-spared any direct hits, most of our camp thought it was time to m-move on, I suppose. Except me and Wesley of course. And I'm s-sure James will be back any d-day now with Ms. Jewel."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ Jewel's note
- ↑ James' note
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wesley's note
- ↑ The toxic water next to Wesley's corpse.
- ↑ Murry: "Happy to h-help you with your shopping needs. If you need any r-repairs, unfortunately our mechanic Wesley is a tad i-indisposed right now."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ A Vault Dweller: "Who's Wesley?"
Murry: "H-he's our mechanic who stayed back due to f-feeling a little under the weather. No worries t-though, I keep him supplied with freshly b-boiled water. B-between you and me... he's been a tad l-lazy for some time now, sleeping in all d-day and not much for company. Also my tune up is w-way overdue now."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ Murry: "Oh Wesley... if o-only you weren't such a lazy bones. My t-tune up is way overdue now."
(Murry's dialogue) - ↑ James' last words
- ↑ Murry: "*Bzzt* Oh... good heavens... they really are dead aren't they? Oh I remember it all now. Then what am I doing? What's the point of even running this shop anymore?! POINTLESS! I'm just rusting away in a... GRAVEYARD! I should just wander off into the storm, awaiting a stray lightning bolt! However, my programming dictates... self preservation. Oh I'll just lock these pesky memory files away again, hmm? Let's just forget we had this little chat, yes? *Bzzt*"
(Murry's dialogue) Note: This dialogue sequence is played after the initial dialogue from Murry, in response to all three player options to attempt to repair Murry's memory read error.
Non-game