Wang Dang Atomic Tango is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.
Quick walkthrough[]
| Side Quest: Wang Dang Atomic Tango | |||||
| Speak with James Garret at the Atomic Wrangler Casino to start the quest. | |||||
| Find a 'cowboy' ghoul: Beatrix Russell in the Old Mormon Fort. | |||||
| Find a "smooth talker:" Santiago or Old Ben. Santiago can be found at the back of the abandoned building right across from Mick & Ralph's shop, and Old Ben near the gate to the Strip. | |||||
| Find a "sex-bot:" Fisto, can be found at Cerulean Robotics. If the player character does not have a Science of 50 or higher, there is an access card inside a tool cabinet on the opposing wall of the terminal. Speak to Ralph at Mick & Ralph's about a holotape for the robot, then upload it into the terminal at Cerulean to activate Fisto. The robot can also be programmed with a Science check of 60, bypassing the need to buy the holotape altogether. | |||||
| Return to James to finish the quest. | |||||
| Reward: 150-400 caps, and 450 XP | |||||
Detailed walkthrough[]
The quest begins by speaking to James Garret, one of the Garret Twins, who are the owners of the Atomic Wrangler Casino in Freeside. Ask James if he has any work, and he will propose the Courier to find him suitable "escorts" for clientele with very specific interests. He has three unique requests: A ghoul dressed up in a cowboy suit, a smooth talker and a robot. James will agree to pay double if the Courier can pass either a Speech or Barter check (40).
Recruit a real ghoul cowboy[]
The ghoul wearing a cowboy outfit is Beatrix Russell at the Old Mormon Fort. Convincing her requires either a Speech check (35) or a Barter check (35), otherwise one can bribe her with a bottle of absinthe. When she agrees, the Courier can either head to the Atomic Wrangler to get paid for the first escort or find the other two first.
Recruit a suave talker[]
The smooth talker can be either Santiago, one of the dead beats Francine Garret hires the player character to find in the quest Debt Collector, or Old Ben, the chatty stranger standing outside the North Gates to the Strip. To recruit Santiago, just ask. For Old Ben, the Courier will need 50 Speech or the Confirmed Bachelor or Black Widow perk. It is possible to get both smooth talkers to agree, however, only one will give the player character the reward. If one chooses Santiago and Old Ben, Ben will show up at the Wrangler, but they will receive no reward nor can they receive his services.
Recruit a sexbot[]
The robot, Fisto, is found at Cerulean Robotics (see that page for directions). There are a few giant rats inside and the large assembly room contains a robot in stasis. The terminal is an Average hack (50 Science). There is a keycard to unlock the terminal, located behind an Average lock on the far right cabinet in the assembly room. The key to this cabinet is on the floor in front of the television under the decayed corpse. Once access has been gained to the terminal, one must upload a programming routine via holotape or program it themselves (60 Science).
To get a holotape program to upload to the robot, the Courier must visit Ralph at Mick & Ralph's. He will mention the robot at Cerulean, and then agree to write the program for 150 caps, advising the player character that it will take a couple days. If one has 50 Speech, he will make it for free, or with 35 Speech or 35 Barter, it will only cost 100 caps. It will take about 24 in-game hours to be ready. Take the program back to Cerulean and upload it to the robot.
After the robot has been programmed, the Courier will have a chance to "test it out." The screen goes dark and a drilling sound can be heard. Once the "testing" has ended, the Courier experiences numbness, which "is normal." Whether one decides to test the bot or not, the sexbot is informed that its owner is James Garret and it heads to the Atomic Wrangler.
With all three escorts found, head back to speak to James about payment. This will finish the quest.
Quest stages[]
Notes[]
 | The following is based on the Wild Wasteland trait. |
|---|
- When exiting Cerulean Robotics, the Courier is set upon by Maud's Muggers, three old ladies wearing pre-War spring outfits, armed with rolling pins. They will attempt to kill the Courier. This is a reference to the Monty Python skit "Hell's Grannies," a gang of elderly women.
| End of information based on the Wild Wasteland trait |
|---|
- James' dialogue upon being informed about Fisto implies that it is for his own "interests."
- If the Courier has low reputation with Freeside, they cannot complete this quest via holotape, as Ralph will refuse to talk to them, therefore not letting the Courier buy the holotape. This can be combatted through paying James to boost the Courier's reputation. This can be circumvented by having a Science skill of 60.
- When the Courier reports back to Garret and selects Old Ben as the suave talker, they will get an additional 500 XP.
- Upon completion of the quest, the Courier may enlist the services of the newly recruited escorts (except for Old Ben).
- There is no need to protect or follow the acquired escorts; they will arrive without being harmed.
- Upon informing James that one has found a cowgirl ghoul, he tells the Courier that the customer would have preferred a male. Despite fitting perfectly into the desired characteristics, especially if during Old School Ghoul, he was convinced to wear his vaquero outfit, there is no mention of, nor method to recruiting Raul for the escort job
Behind the scenes[]
The name of this quest is a reference to "The Wang Dang Taffy-Apple Tango," a pop song written by J. Leslie McFarland and Aaron Schroeder. Pat Boone recorded and released the song in 1959.
Bugs[]
If one asks Ralph for the holotape and then uploads the program to Fisto by passing the Science check, the holotape will become stuck in the Courier's inventory as a quest item. It displays a weight of 1, but it does not add any weight, like all other quest items. [verified]- If one has obtained Fisto the sexbot, every time it is spoken to, but his "goods" are not purchased, 10 bottle caps will be added to the Courier's inventory. [verified]
- Once Fisto has left the building, if one attempts to head to the Old Mormon Fort, the game may start lagging heavily and eventually freeze, forcing you to restart the console. [verified]
- Solution: Go through a door leading to Freeside first and then head to the Old Mormon Fort. This should prevent any lagging or freezing.
- If one recruits Santiago before Old Ben but still recruits Old Ben afterwards using the 50 Speech option, he will make his way to the Atomic Wrangler yet will not work there, and payment cannot be received for recruiting him; however, if one talks to Old Ben, they will see another opportunity to choose the same 50 speech option which in turn gives 50 XP, and can be repeated as many times as desired.
- If one kills the Garret's, it is still possible to recruit Beatrix. She will agree to work for them and one will get XP by passing either a Speech (35) or Barter (35) check. One can continuously talk to her and pass the checks to gain as much XP as desired. [verified]
