Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

I've got three Fiends I want dead, and I don't give a goddamn how it gets done. That sound like something that interests you?Major Dhatri

Three-Card Bounty is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Overview[]

Major Dhatri has been running into some problems with the raider gang known as the Fiends, who are terrorizing the area outside Camp McCarran. Aside from Motor-Runner in Vault 3, the Fiends have three known leaders operating out in the wasteland: Violet, Cook-Cook, and Driver Nephi. They have killed many NCR troopers from the camp; those they did not kill, they left traumatized. Dhatri wishes for them to be assassinated so that he can put a major dent in the Fiends' leadership and morale.

Quick walkthrough[]

Side Quest: Three-Card Bounty 
Speak to Major Dhatri about bounties. 
Kill Violet and acquire her head. 
Turn in Violet's head to Major Dhatri. 
Kill Cook-Cook and acquire his head. 
Turn in Cook-Cook's head to Major Dhatri. 
Kill Driver Nephi and acquire his head. 
(Optional) Enlist the help of Lieutenant Gorobets and his First Recon snipers to take down Driver Nephi. 
Turn in Driver Nephi's head to Major Dhatri. 
Reward: 250 caps per bounty
100 XP per bounty
NCR fame
500 caps (after all three)
500 XP (after all three) 

Detailed walkthrough[]

Once the Courier offers help, they are tasked by Major Dhatri to assassinate the three Fiend leaders operating around the South Vegas ruins. Dhatri will advise against killing them in any way targeting the head since he needs them decapitated and in recognizable shape to ensure proof of death. As a result, the Courier only receives the full reward for an intact head.

Violet[]

Unlike the other Fiend leaders, Violet doesn't have any Fiend henchmen; instead, she has a pack of Fiend dogs, including a particularly vicious one named Violetta. Her camp is due south of the Poseidon gas station, which is a short distance southwest of Cook-Cook's camp, built on top of an abandoned trailer park, allowing both Violet, who will herself stand on the first floor of the middle structure, and her dogs to see the player character from a fair distance. The number of dogs may vary. There is a Nuka-Cola Quartz in a box on a shelf, up the ramp and to the left.

Violet is dressed in standard raider armor, and almost has the same amount of health as standard Fiend raiders. She is armed with a hunting rifle and is fairly accurate with it. Once her head is acquired, collect the bounty from Major Dhatri.

Cook-Cook[]

Cook-Cook is the closest of the bounties to the airport, located just north of the South Vegas ruins west entrance in a makeshift camp built out of a broken-down building. He is surrounded by four to eight Fiends gang members, and a small brahmin herd. Cook-Cook himself is distinguished by his use of metal armor and an incinerator, as well as a flamer.

In his camp, there is a recipe for his signature stew on a shelf or on the ground near a campfire. Most of the necessary ingredients can be found around there too (except beer).

Little Buster, a soon-to-be-retired bounty hunter found in McCarran, has been known to scout Cook-Cook. If one talks to him, he will reveal to the Courier that Cook-Cook has a brahmin pet named Queenie, and that killing it can make him careless. True to his word, if the Courier kills Queenie without being seen, Cook-Cook goes on a rampage and wipes out his own henchmen, making for a somewhat easier fight.

Once Cook-Cook's head is acquired, turn it into Dhatri for the reward. Additional rewards can also be gained by speaking to Corporal Betsy at McCarran (or Forlorn Hope if Nephi is already killed) and Pretty Sarah in Westside (in the Casa Madrid Apartments), who will reward the player character for their "service to humanity."

Driver Nephi[]

Driver Nephi is the farthest away of the three, located northwest of the Samson rock crushing plant. He will be guarded by some unfriendly Fiends, usually more than Cook-Cook would have. Like Violet, Driver Nephi is not particularly tough because he wears raider armor and is armed with a melee weapon. However, Nephi's skill with his namesake golf club is considerable, likely to kill a low-level or weak-armored Courier with a few swings.

Prior to this portion of the quest, one can speak with Lieutenant Gorobets to request that he assemble Alpha Team of NCR First Recon at the Samson Rock Crushing Plant. They will take up a position at the plant, and will fire upon Nephi if he is lured into range. Merely assembling them is enough to get a 300-cap bonus, even if they do not take a shot at Nephi. However, they tend to kill with headshots and this may prevent the player character from getting the full reward if hired. They will set five frag mines along their path to the plant. Once Nephi's head is acquired, claim the bounty from Major Dhatri.

Conclusion[]

Major Dhatri, with all the major Fiend leaders gone, will express his relief and thank the Courier heavily for undertaking a task that seemed nearly impossible. As a result of not needing more manpower to keep the Fiends in check, Dhatri will move Alpha Team to Camp Forlorn Hope.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
5 Major Dhatri has bounties available. Speak to him about receiving a mission or turning in a bounty.
10 Kill Violet and acquire her head - preferably intact.
20 Kill Cook-Cook and acquire his head - preferably intact.
21 (Optional) Kill Cook-Cook's favorite brahmin, Queenie, to cause him to go berserk and attack friends and foes alike.
22 (Optional) Speak with Little Buster about Cook-Cook.
30 Kill Driver Nephi and acquire his head - preferably intact.
31 [Optional] Enlist the help of Lieutenant Gorobets and his First Recon snipers to take down Driver Nephi.
40Quest finishedReturn to Major Dhatri with Violet's head and collect the bounty.
50Quest finishedReturn to Major Dhatri wtihIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar Cook-Cook's head and collect the bounty.
60Quest finishedReturn to Major Dhatri with Driver Nephi's head and collect the bounty.

* The assassinations can be performed in any order, which will change the order of the journal entries.

Notes[]

  • Though each section of this quest is distinct in that Dhatri assigns each portion individually, the player character can kill any of the Fiend leaders at any time. Dhatri will accept their heads and give out the reward even if he didn't specifically ask the Courier to hunt them down.
  • Having the Bloody Mess perk might prevent the player character from getting an intact head and thus not get the full bounty, since the perk increases the chance of dismemberment. One can circumvent this by having companions be the one to ultimately kill the current target, though companions still have a chance of damaging or smashing the bounty’s head; Rex is a good example, as he is only capable of using melee attacks, and may mangle the target’s face.
  • Violetta, the unique hound among the pack of Fiend dogs Violet keeps with her, has slightly more health than the rest of the dogs. Once killed, the Courier can take Violetta's brain as part of the quest, Nothin' But a Hound Dog (before or during that quest as it is a quest item and will remain in the inventory until possibly used).
  • If one decides to bring Alpha Team along when going for Driver Nephi, most of the team's members will have alternating dialogue depending on whether they get in the killing shot:
    • Betsy: "You did good out there. Glad you let me have a piece of Nephi."
    • Bitter-Root: "That's one less drugged-out waster. Best part of the job - shootin' folks who deserve it."
    • Sterling: "Nothing like a job done right. I wish I had a cigar."
  • Dhatri will move Alpha Team to Camp Forlorn Hope immediately after turning in Driver Nephi's head, even if he is not the last to be taken out. If wanting to listen to Betsy's dialogue from Cook-Cook's death conveniently, consider saving Nephi for after that.
  • Driver Nephi's body disappears a while after killing him, so it is best to kill him when the quest is given, or a quest marker to the railroad track northwest of Samson Rock Crushing plant will be placed there forever, rendering the quest impossible to finish.
  • If Driver Nephi is killed before speaking to Major Dhatri about the bounty and without looting his head, Lieutenant Gorobets will be aware that Driver was killed by the Courier's hand (he behaves as if the bounty had been completed and the head turned in). The same is true for Cook-Cook and Little Buster.
  • Dhatri will applaud the Courier for taking down all three bounties alone even if they had help from companions.

Behind the scenes[]

The title of this quest is a play on the name of the confidence game, Three-card Monte.

Main quests
Act 1Ain't That a Kick in the Head · Back in the Saddle · By a Campfire on the Trail · They Went That-a-Way · Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
Act 2Wild Card (Wild Card: Ace in the Hole, Change in Management, You and What Army?, Side Bets, Finishing Touches) · The House Always Wins (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII) · Render Unto Caesar · Et Tumor, Brute? · Things That Go Boom · Kings' Gambit · For the Republic, Part 2 · You'll Know It When It Happens/Arizona Killer
Act 3No Gods, No Masters · All or Nothing · Veni, Vidi, Vici · Eureka!
Side quests
New California RepublicAnywhere I Wander · Back in Your Own Backyard · Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues · Boulder City Showdown · Can You Find it in Your Heart? · Climb Ev'ry Mountain · Don't Tread on the Bear! · Emergency Radio · Eye for an Eye · Flags of Our Foul-Ups · Hard Luck Blues · I Don't Hurt Anymore · I Put a Spell on You · Keep Your Eyes on the Prize · Medical Mystery · No, Not Much · Pressing Matters · Restoring Hope · Return to Sender · That Lucky Old Sun · The White Wash · There Stands the Grass · Three-Card Bounty · We Will All Go Together · You Can Depend on Me
Caesar's LegionBeware the Wrath of Caesar! · Caesar's Favor · Caesar's Foe · Caesar's Hire · Cold, Cold Heart · I Hear You Knocking · The Finger of Suspicion · We Are Legion
The StripBeyond the Beef · Bye Bye Love · Classic Inspiration · How Little We Know · Pheeble Will · Talent Pool · The House Has Gone Bust! · The Moon Comes Over the Tower
Freeside & Outer VegasBirds of a Feather · Bleed Me Dry · Debt Collector · G.I. Blues · High Times · Someone to Watch Over Me · The Coyotes · Wang Dang Atomic Tango
BoomersAnt Misbehavin' · Sunshine Boogie · Volare! · Young Hearts
Great KhansAba Daba Honeymoon · Cry Me a River · Don't Make a Beggar of Me · Oh My Papa
Powder GangBooted · I Fought the Law · Run Goodsprings Run · Why Can't We Be Friends?
Brotherhood of SteelEyesight to the Blind · Still in the Dark · Tend to Your Business
OtherCome Fly With Me · Crazy, Crazy, Crazy · Ghost Town Gunfight · Guess Who I Saw Today · Left My Heart · My Kind of Town · The Legend of the Star and A Valuable Lesson · Unfriendly Persuasion · Wheel of Fortune
Companion questsED-E My Love · For Auld Lang Syne · Heartache by the Number · I Could Make You Care · I Forgot to Remember to Forget · Nothin' But a Hound Dog · One for My Baby
Unmarked questsA Bit of Slap and Tickle · A Final Plan for Esteban · Access Powers · All Fired Up! · An Ear to the Ground · Andy and Charlie · Arachnophobia · Arizona Scavenger · Barton the Fink · Bear Necessities · Big Winner (Atomic Wrangler, The Gomorrah, The Tops, Ultra-Luxe, Vikki & Vance) · Bounty Killer (I, II) · Brotherhood Bond (I, II) · Caching in at the Cove · Cajoling a Cudgel · Claws Mended · Claws Out · Dealing with Contreras · Defacing the Humble Stone · Democracy Inaction · Don't Poke at the Bear! · Eddie's Emissary · Exhumin' Nature · Fight Night · Flogging a Dead Corpse · Friend of the Followers · Gland for Some Home Cooking · Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger · Hat's Entertainment · Help for Halford · Hidden Valley computer virus · Highway to the Danger Zone (I, II) · Honorary Rocketeer · I Love Bananas · Iron and Stealing · Keith's Caravan Charade · Laurifer Gladiator · Lenk's Bad Debts · Lily and Leo · Long-Term Care · Malleable Mini Boomer Minds · Maud's Muggers · Meeting an Equal · Missing a Few Missiles · Most Wanted · Not Worth a Hill of Corn and Beans · Old School Ghoul · A Pair of Dead Desperados (I, II) · Papers, Please · Pistol Packing · Playing on the Old Joana · Powder to the People · Power to the People · Razzle Dazzle! · Reach for the Sky, Mister! · Rest and Resupply · Ringo's Caravan Rules · Rotface's Loose Lips · Saving (or Savaging) Sergeant Teddy · The Screams of Brahmin · Silus Treatment · Short-Term Treatment · Smooth-Talking Criminal · The Star Showdown · Strategic Nuclear Moose · Straus Calls · Strip Search · Suits You, Sarah · Tags of Our Fallen · A Team of Moronic Mercenaries · Thought for the Day · Tourist Traipse · Trudy's Radio Repair · A Trusted Aide · Useless Baubles or Fancy Trinkets? · We Must Stop Beating Like This · We Must Stop Meeting Like This · Wind-Brahmin Wrangler · You Gotta Break Out a Few Eggs · You Make Me Feel Like a Woman
Add-on quests
Dead MoneySierra Madre Grand Opening! · Find Collars (8: "Dog", 12: Christine, 14: Dean Domino) · Fires in the Sky · Strike Up the Band · Mixed Signals · Trigger the Gala Event · Put the Beast Down · Last Luxuries · Curtain Call at the Tampico · Heist of the Centuries · Big Winner, Sierra Madre
Honest HeartsA Family Affair · Arrival at Zion · Bighorners of the Eastern Virgin · Chaos in Zion · Civilized Man's Burden · Crush the White Legs · Deliverer of Sorrows  · Departing Paradise · Flight from Zion · Gathering Storms · Gone Fishin' · Happy Trails Expedition · Prisoners of War · Retake the Bridge · River Monsters · Rite of Passage · Roadside Attraction · Sanctity of the Dead · The Advance Scouts  · The Treacherous Road · The Grand Staircase · Tourist Trap
Old World BluesAll My Friends Have Off Switches · A Brain's Best Friend · Coming Out of Her Shell · Field Research · He Came... And Went · Influencing People · Midnight Science Fiction Feature! · Old World Blues · On the Same Wavelength · Picking Your Brains · Project X-13 · Sonic Emitter Upgrade · Welcome to the Big Empty · What's in a Name? · When Visitors Attack! · X-2: Strange Transmissions! · X-8 Data Retrieval Test · X-8: High School Horror! · X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!
Lonesome RoadThe Reunion · The Silo · The Job · The Launch · The Tunnelers · The Divide · The Courier · The End · The Apocalypse
Advertisement