Wild Wasteland

Trait
Wild Wasteland
Fallout: New Vegas
benefits	Adds additional "wacky" content and modifies existing content and random encounters
penalties	YCS/186 becomes unobtainable
Form ID	000ED568
Wild Wasteland theme tune

The following is based on the Wild Wasteland trait.

“Wild Wasteland unleashes the most bizarre and silly elements of post-apocalyptic America. Not for the faint of heart or the serious of temperament.”— In-game description

Wild Wasteland is a trait in Fallout: New Vegas.

Characteristics

Taking this trait adds and/or changes certain random encounters and locations which would not appear the same in-game without the trait. Events and locations modified/added by the trait are indicated as such by a unique sound effect and an on-screen "..." message with an image of the Vault Boy with spirals for eyes, identical to the trait's icon.

There are 15 major Wild Wasteland encounters throughout Fallout: New Vegas. Besides encounters, the trait also has effects on a few other things, such as dialogue options, that occur in the base game which are not accompanied by the Wild Wasteland "..." message. The Appendix XIV: Wild Wasteland Oddities section of the Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide describes the main encounters in more detail and is where the main encounters are named.

Main encounters

That Fridge Was a Death Trap!

Also known as We Named the Dog Indiana. Occurrence: Slightly southeast of Goodsprings, along the road out of town, there is a refrigerator lying on the desert ground, wherein a curled up skeleton exists... and a suave gambler hat.

This is a reference to the fourth Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which Jones survives a nuclear test facility blast by climbing into a lead-lined refrigerator and being catapulted miles away. Additionally, the name of the incident is a reference to a line spoken by General Robert Ross to Indy a few minutes later in the movie: "Indy, thank goodness you're all right! Don't you know better than to climb into a refrigerator? Those things can be death traps!"

Hovering alien ship

The ship, hovering

Also known as Hovering Anomaly. As one closes in on the area just north of the Horowitz farmstead, what looks like a mercenary camp from a distance turns into an extraterrestrial landing, complete with a broken spacecraft and three stranded aliens. Looking closely at the UFO, one can see cables and tubes hanging out from a hatch. The UFO is exactly the same in appearance as the crashed recon craft Theta in Fallout 3 that initiates Mothership Zeta.

The alien captain has the unique alien blaster (though they cannot use it) along with over 100 alien power cells. The other two aliens carry tri-beam laser rifles along with some energy cells and drained small energy cells.

Without Wild Wasteland, this area instead is a mercenary camp where four hostile mercenaries can be found, one of whom carries the unique weapon YCS/186. As a result of being replaced by the aliens, the unique Gauss rifle is unobtainable, and vice versa for the alien blaster without the trait.

What Is It, Boy?

Little Jimmy's remains

This encounter will only appear with Rex as an active companion. At some point, Rex will speak to the Courier with an "aroo!", who then determines that Little Jimmy may have fallen into a well, the location of which is marked on the Pip-Boy's world map (east of New Vegas, underneath the overpass). The well contains a child's skeleton, a mole rat, an Abilene Kid LE BB gun, 200 BBs, a rawhide cowboy hat, as well as a super stimpak.

This is a reference to a similar quest in Fallout 2, where the Chosen One is looking for a boy named Jonny, and learns from his dog Laddie that Jonny may have fallen into the town well and likely been eaten by a mole rat, dropping his BB gun. Jonny is later found to be alive at the end of the quest if the Chosen One discovers the truth about his disappearance.

This, in turn, is a reference to the 1954 Lassie TV series, where the character Timmy was frequently rescued from dangerous situations after Lassie warned somebody. On the TV show, Timmy never fell into a well, though he did get into a lot of similar predicaments.

Maud's Muggers

Main article: Maud's Muggers

Maud's Muggers

When leaving Cerulean Robotics, a group of three elderly women (known as Maud's Muggers, also known as Granny's Gang) named Irate Ida, Rancorous Ruth and Malefic Maud wearing pre-War spring outfits, while armed with rolling pins or switchblades, will strike. They often have a small amount of caps, showing the success of previous muggings. Freeside drunks and locals may also occasionally mention the gang.

This is a reference to a Monty Python sketch titled "Hell's Grannies," about "gangs of old ladies attacking fit, defenceless young men."

You're getting too close, shamus!

Also known as Getting Too Close. During the quest I Put a Spell on You, if the player unwittingly divulges to Captain Curtis that they know a mole is using the control tower during the night and then stake it out, they get ambushed by him. Right before the ambush occurs, Curtis says "You're getting too close, shamus!"

This phrase is taken directly from the Carmen Sandiego series of video games, specifically the 1989 version of Where in the U.S.A. Is Carmen Sandiego?, where it would be said by in-game NPCs to indicate the player was close to apprehending a criminal. "Shamus" is an early 20th-century slang expression for a private detective.

R.O.U.S.

In certain underground locations, such as the New Vegas sewers, the broc flower cave or Vault 11, there are rats one-and-a-half to two-times larger than normal. These are rodents of unusual size. They are mentioned by Lady Jane.

This is a reference to The Princess Bride and the R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Size) that inhabit the Fire Swamp. Similarly, the town of Klamath in Fallout 2 had a problem with large rats that were referred to as "R.U.S," wherein "of" is simply omitted.

Owen and Beru

Located just in front of a ruined Nipton house containing a Mister Gutsy, to the right of the town hall, there are two skeletons. One looks to be a male human, while the other is female, lying next to each other. They look like they have been charred. Looking at the burned skeletons will reveal the male to be named "Owen" and the female "Beru."

This is a reference to Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where Luke Skywalker's uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru Lars, are burned to death and their charred corpses are shown in the same pose as in the game.

Holy Frag Grenades

The Holy Frag Grenades

Also known as Holy Hand Grenades. In the basement of the Searchlight east church of Camp Searchlight, there are three Holy Frag Grenades on a table. The writing on a box beside these grenades reads "Pull pin and count to 5 3."

This references the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Holy Hand Grenade is also referenced by two special encounters in Fallout 2, King Arthur's Knights and King Arthur's Knights fighting a rat. The second encounter was never implemented, however.

Romanes Eunt Domus

"Romans go home"

Occurrence: Scrawled on the north wall of Cottonwood Cove HQ in Cottonwood Cove, some upstart has scrawled the graffiti Romanes Eunt Domus.

This is a reference to a scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian, in which Brian is writing graffiti on a palace wall and uses the same incorrect inflection, trying to write "Romans go home" but instead writing "People called Romanes, they go, the house." He is then corrected by a Centurion (John Cleese), who forces him to write the correct version on the wall 100 times by the next morning or have his "balls [cut] off."

Crusoe Sucks as an Investigator

During the side quest Beyond the Beef, a dead investigator is discovered inside an Ultra-Luxe hotel room. Further investigation of this crime scene reveals the corpse's name to be "Crusoe," with a shock of red hair, sunglasses and a business suit. Without Wild Wasteland, the dead investigator is a different character named Jay Barnes.

This is a reference to the TV series CSI: Miami, and more specifically, its main character, Horatio Caine, played by David Caruso.

The Future of Law Enforcement

If Heck Gunderson is framed during the side quest Beyond the Beef, one of the arresting securitrons says, "Dead or alive, you're coming with me." Any generic securitrons may also say "Your move, creep." as a floating dialogue line.

Both of these lines are quotes from Paul Verhoeven's 1987 movie RoboCop, spoken when the protagonist confronts a criminal with whom he has a personal history.

The One

The One

Main article: The One

Also known as The Big One. Slightly northwest of the Devil's Throat is a large, unexploded atomic bomb known as The One. Amid the crackle of their Geiger counter, the player can open up the bomb and scavenge some energy weapon ammunition. There is a super mutant encampment in very close vicinity to the bomb. Usually, there are 4 or 5 super mutant masters lingering around, plus a few assorted ghouls.

Johnny Five-Aces

During the unmarked quest Barton the Fink, Barton Thorn instructs the player to investigate an overlook south of Goodsprings. There is a dead Prospector up there named Johnny, wearing glasses, with a glass pitcher next to him, and five aces on the table. On the cliff are four balls in a line. Without Wild Wasteland, a generic dead prospector will be at the site instead of Johnny.

This is a reference to the failed game project Zybourne Clock, more specifically to one of its characters, "Johnny Five-Aces," as well as a metaphorical explanation of time travel involving four balls placed on the edge of a cliff. Initially announced on the Something Awful forums, this project featured questionable artwork and somewhat convoluted plot material, and eventually became a forum inside joke.

The line formed by the four red balls besides Johnny is actually a sign pointing in the exact direction of the deathtrap fridge (another Wild Wasteland encounter) from there. Sometimes, Johnny may not be present, in which case he likely fell off the cliff and may be found below it.

Game over man, game over!

If listening to the NCR Emergency Radio during the final battle for Hoover Dam, among the chatter about positioning snipers and reinforcing positions, one may hear the lines "They're coming out of the walls man! They're coming outta the damn walls." and "Game Over Man! GAME OVER!"

This is a reference to Bill Paxton's character Private First Class William Hudson from James Cameron's 1986 movie Aliens. Hudson says these lines when inside the alien hive and after his team's dropship has crashed on an alien-infested planet, respectively.

Dammit, I'm an ambassador

During the quest Kings' Gambit, there is a Wild Wasteland dialogue option when discussing the Pacer situation with Ambassador Crocker. Telling him that Pacer has a heart condition and is addicted to Jet, and insinuating that Crocker should understand what to do with that information, causes him to reply, "Damn it, I'm an ambassador, not a doctor. You'll have to find some other way."

This phrase is a permutation of the phrase "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a(n) {insert profession here}," often attributed to Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek.

Donnie and Marie

If the Courier warns Motor-Runner that they are there to kill him, Motor-Runner will refer to his dogs (BoneGnash and GhashBone) as "Donnie" and "Marie" before engaging the Courier in combat. There is also a script that would cause BoneGnash and GhashBone to be renamed to Donnie and Marie, but it is unused.

This is a reference to the 1976 TV series Donny & Marie.

Pimp-Boy 3 Billion

After acquiring the Pimp-Boy 3 Billion from Mick at Mick & Ralph's, some disco music will play every time the Pimp-Boy is equipped.

Mr. New Vegas

Also known as Stay Classy, Mr. New Vegas. Mr. New Vegas has a number of special intro lines for Radio New Vegas that only play with Wild Wasteland:

• "You know, I tried to measure my charisma on a Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester once. The machine burst into flames."
• "Stay classy, New Vegas." — a reference to the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
• "Mojave, mo' problems, am I right?" — a reference to The Notorious B.I.G.'s song, "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems."

EXTERMINATE!

While in combat with any character who is trespassing, including the player, the securitrons in Freeside guarding the Strip North Gate will repeatedly shout "Exterminate!" Without Wild Wasteland, the securitrons have a set of four random lines they say during combat with trespassers; with Wild Wasteland, they will only say this line.

This is a reference to the Daleks, a genocidal race of armor-encased aliens who are recurring villains in the science fiction television series Doctor Who.

The following is based on bugged content.

Witch! Witch!

If the Courier's reputation with Freeside is Hated or Vilified, some Freeside locals would tell them "Witch! Witch! You should be burned for all the people you've turned into newts!" This line will not ever be said in normal gameplay because the condition checking whether the player has Wild Wasteland or not is accidentally set to check if the local speaking the line has it, which they never will.

This is meant to be a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where a villager accuses a woman of witchcraft for turning him into a newt, despite the fact that he is still human.

Ain't nothing but a hound dog

If Cass is an active companion while in Freeside, she may be hit on by Kings gang members, leading her to make retorts. One such encounter involves a Kings gang member wolf-whistling at her, to which she would dismissively respond "Ain't nothing but a hound dog." Without Wild Wasteland, she instead says "Somebody's asking for a boot in their fuse-box." However, because the Wild Wasteland line is set to check whether Cass has the trait or not rather than whether the player does, it will not be used in normal gameplay.

This is meant to be a reference to "Hound Dog," a song by Big Mama Thornton which was covered years later by Elvis Presley.

End of information based on bugged content

Dead Money

G is for Ghost People

The companion Dog will say "OM NOM NOM" when eating ghost people.

This is a reference to the sound Cookie Monster makes while eating cookies in the Sesame Street TV series.

Get an Axe!

When Dean Domino kills his first ghost person, he will say, "He's not dead... it's a trick. Get an axe."

This is a reference to a scene near the beginning of Army of Darkness, where the movie's main character, Ash, cautions a knight against touching a seemingly deceased enemy.

Are you my mummy?

In the wine cellar near the bell tower from which the Gala Event is triggered, the phrase "I AM NOT YOUR MUMMY" is scrawled on the central pillar.

This is a reference to the 2005 Doctor Who episodes "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances," where Blitz-era London is infected by a technological plague resulting in humans being transformed into beings permanently fused with gas masks, not unlike the ghost people.

Honest Hearts

Two-Bears-High-Fiving

A member of the Dead Horses named Two-Bears-High-Fiving will rush out of Angel cave and pump the air with his fist.

This refers to a mod from the New Vegas Nexus that adds an option to select the dialogue "Two bears high-fiving" while being tested with Rorschach inkblots by Doc Mitchell at the beginning of Fallout: New Vegas.

Take drugs! Kill a bear!

When speaking to White Bird during the Rite of Passage quest, he will shout, "Take drugs! Kill a bear!" when giving the Courier the quest objective.

This is a reference to the "Advice Dog" Internet meme.

Old World Blues

Walking eye

In the magnetohydraulics complex, four robots are named as walking eyes and can be seen throughout the building. One can be seen directly to the left, on the ground; two others are in the flooded room to the left - one on the ceiling above the door frame and one on the desk; the last, perched on top of the flooded room on the left corner.

This references the "Walking Eye" from The Venture Bros. episode "Fallen Arches."

Wash the walking eye!

While wandering through the crater, one may hear a message over the intercom from Doctor 0 shouting, "Attention: Lobotomites! Do not neglect to wash the walking eye!"

Like the walking eyes themselves, this line is a reference to The Venture Bros. episode "Fallen Arches." Doctor 0 is voiced by James Urbaniak, who also voices Dr. Venture in the TV show.

Stripe

Behind Dr. Borous' house in Higgs Village is a dog house containing a miniature deathclaw named Stripe. Stripe is hostile but will only go as far as the village fountain before retreating. A "chicken leg" can be found on the ground in front of the dog house. Without Wild Wasteland, the dog house is instead the former dog house of Gabe.

This scene is a reference to Stripe, the main antagonist of the film Gremlins. The "chicken leg" is a reference to the Gremlins' preferred food, chicken, and Stripe's avoidance of the fountain is a reference to the way he dies at the movie's end.

...And then Explode and Die

Inside the X-7a "Left Field" artillery launch, the Courier will hear a garbled intercom message that ends with "...and then explode and die."

This is a reference to the film Serenity, in which a similar announcement is made by the captain of the titular ship over the intercom while they are crash-landing.

Dogs Playing Poker

In the X-8 research center, after exiting the high school testing area, there is a room with a window that looks into another room containing five police cyberdogs sitting around a table littered with cards, poker chips and alcohol. Without Wild Wasteland, the cyberdogs are instead sitting and looking at the screen with the Vault Girl image.

This is a reference to the famous Dogs Playing Poker series of paintings by C. M. Coolidge. A similar scene appears in the Fallout Tactics special encounter Brahmin Poker.

Wolverines!

In the X-8 research center's high school testing area, the word "Wolverines" has been spelled out on a wall.

This is a reference to the film Red Dawn, in which high school students fend off an invasion of the United States by Soviet forces, organizing themselves into a guerilla group and calling themselves the Wolverines.

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! It's off to work we go!

At the construction site, there are seven intact garden gnomes positioned around the large red crystals, along with pickaxes and lanterns.

This is a reference to the titular seven dwarfs from the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Hey, who turned out the lights?!

At multiple locations, including the X-12 research center and the Z-43 innovative toxins plant, it is possible to hear a Y-17 trauma override harness say "Hey, who turned out the lights?!"

This is a reference to the 2008 Doctor Who episodes Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead. The episodes featured an alien species known as the Vashta Nerada, which consumed people inside their spacesuits and then operated the suits with the original occupant's skeletal remains inside, similar in premise to the trauma harnesses. One of the spacesuits repeats this phrase.

Rokit 88

Slightly northeast of the Big MT west tunnel is an abandoned military truck that has been cut in half by a hill. The truck's cargo bed contains several barrels of radioactive waste and it has a New Jersey license plate that reads "Rokit 88."

This is a reference to the film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, in which the titular protagonist drives a vehicle with that plate through a solid mountain. The plate, in turn, is a reference to the Ike Turner song "Rocket 88."

Plan 9

When speaking to Dr. Mobius, he will mention having to implement Plan 9. Without the trait, he says "Plan C."

This is a reference to the film Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Kilroy Was Here

As one exits the Think Tank or the Sink, turn left and follow the dome's wall. On the wall is a piece of graffiti that reads "Kilroy was here" alongside a depiction of a face with a few hairs and a prominent nose peeking over a wall.

"Kilroy was here" is a meme which was popularized in graffiti art by Allied soldiers during the Second World War.

Lonesome Road

Seymour

A petrified corpse of a dog named Seymour can be found in the Cave of the Abaddon on the right side from the entrance next to Sunflower Summers' corpse on top of a turned over cabinet.

This is a reference to the dog Seymour Asses from Futurama, who is introduced in the episode "Jurassic Bark" as having been petrified and fossilized.

North Rawr

When crafting the Fist of Rawr, it will be renamed Fist of the North Rawr.

This is a reference to the post-apocalyptic anime and manga Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken).

Try "Guest"

The password to the "Office of the Treasurer" terminal on the second floor of the Third Street Municipal Building is "Guest," which references a trope where passwords in various media are overtly simple, i.e. "password," "12345," etc.

Credits

The credits are significantly changed with Wild Wasteland. Most names will carry a rather silly nickname, and other nonsense messages from the developers are interjected semi-randomly. This is a holdover from the developer comment credits from the first two Fallout games. Also, most instances of the name Dead Money are replaced with "Dead Monkey." The "wacky" credits can be read without the trait inside the game's files listed as "CreditsWacky.txt."

Notes

• If Wild Wasteland was taken by using the Auto-Doc in the Sink, rather than during initial character creation, all the encounters can still be experienced even if they were already visited earlier. However, the alien blaster cannot be obtained after taking the YCS/186. The mechanics still apply for some areas with the trait (e.g., the disco music will be played while equipped with the Pimp-Boy 3 Billion during the encounter even if it was previously visited without the trait; and if the Abilene Kid LE BB gun was previously obtained, another one can be found in Jimmy's well).
• If Wild Wasteland was removed via the Auto-Doc in the Sink, then the previously visited sites of occurrence will stay in the Wild Wasteland form.
• When at the alien landing site near the Horowitz farmstead, the Wild Wasteland face and theme will not appear, even when the alien blaster is acquired.
• The mini nukes in the Searchlight church basement and the YCS/186 unique Gauss rifle will be unobtainable in normal gameplay if the Wild Wasteland trait was chosen.
• The "..." message cannot be turned off and will appear every time a new Wild Wasteland encounter is seen. It will not play upon encountering a Wild Wasteland encounter for the second time.

Behind the scenes

• In an interview on Gametrailers, Chris Avellone noted that the Wild Wasteland trait adds more references to older content in Fallout and Fallout 2, in regards to special encounters.
• According to Joshua Sawyer, the trait was added as a compromise between members of the team who suggested "wacky" content and those who thought such content would be out of place within the game's tone. Sawyer was also worried that if it was flipped on and off through the use of console commands, it would cause bugs, so he made the decision to have Wild Wasteland as an optional trait.
• Justin Bell was responsible for creating and implementing the Wild Wasteland musical sound effect.

Bugs

• PC Playstation 3 Xbox 360 The special dialogue on the NCR Emergency Radio channel may be processed while there are no radios tuned in to the station, causing the "..." message to appear for seemingly no reason.^[verified]
• PC Playstation 3 Xbox 360 The "..." message will not appear when finding the "I am not your mummy" message.^[verified]

Gallery

Magic: The Gathering card

Extended Art

See also

• Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide; Wild Wasteland Oddities section

References

Non-game

Traits Fallout/Fallout 2/Tactics Bloody Mess · Bruiser · Chem Reliant · Chem Resistant · Fast Metabolism · Fast Shot · Finesse · Gifted · Good Natured · Heavy Handed · Jinxed · Kamikaze · Night Person (FO1/FOT) · One Hander · Skilled · Sex Appeal (FO2 only) · Small Frame Fallout Tactics only Super mutants Ham Fisted · Vat Skin Ghouls Fear the Reaper · Glowing One · Tech Wizard Deathclaws Domesticated · Rabid Robots Beta Software · EMP Shielding · Targeting Computer · Tight Nuts Fallout: New Vegas Built to Destroy · Claustrophobia · Early Bird · Fast Shot · Four Eyes · Good Natured · Heavy Handed · Hoarder · Hot Blooded · Kamikaze · Logan's Loophole · Loose Cannon · Small Frame · Skilled · Trigger Discipline · Wild Wasteland Italics in Fallout: New Vegas traits denote traits available through Old World Blues.