Talk:The Power of the Atom/Archive 1

Story precedent
Is anyone else strongly reminded of Richard Matheson's short story, "Button, Button" (especially now that the film "The Box" has hit theatres)? Some plot points are similar: a person is given the option to become very wealthy at the expense of innocent lives. Dracosummoner 04:53, November 10, 2009 (UTC)

Your own Shack
Ok, from the wiki I got this much: you disarm the bomb on request of lsimms, and you get your own beautiful shack in megaton. you blow up megaton and get a penthouse suite. but... if you chose to tell simms about burk, and burk kills simms... is there any way to get some nice place for living and... storing your stuff?Yes all you have to do is the disarm the bomb then go around megaton for sometime and talk with luca's son he will give you the key to the megaton house —Preceding. Please sign your posts with ~ !
 * Lucas' son assumes the role of sheriff, so you can still get the reward from him. --Voidvector 07:00, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
 * He doesn't assume the role of the sheriff, he just gives you the key. Moriarity runs Megaton after simms is killed.--95.88.230.190 18:27, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

Fast Travel From Megaton
I think it should be noted that it is impossible to fast travel from Megaton and surrounding areas after the bomb is detonated. However it is still possible to fast travle to Megaton and surrounding areas. If this is a standard bug/note, then it should deffinately be included. If it's something only I have encountered, then desregard this. --{unsigned|65.74.215.183 02:59, 12 April 2009 (UTC)}

CHURC
How many donate churces is existing in the game? (fallout 3)

I have blowed up Megaton and killed the father in Rivercity. But I want to be good now by donating money to the church, but sense they are all dead I wonder if it existing any more churces in the game, pardon my english, is from Norway.


 * See Church Donations. There are only two. Duncanxxxx 20:32, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Also, to get good karma give Carlos purified water. --Killchain 21:26, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Megaton Shack
Whenever I leave a repairable item in the Megaton Shack it gets repaired to one hundred. This might work in any other place but I have not tried. If anyone would look into this that would be nice.Jay480 07:05, 7 December 2008 (UTC)

Where do you leave it? I have a locker full of weapons and armor that merchants don't have enough money to buy and none of it has become 100%. (This is the Xbox.) I also have some weapons on display around the place and they don't get repaired.

I believe if you purchase the repair bench and leave the weapon/armor on top of it said item will be repaired to 100% after you zone back in. Skitz470 03:39, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Seducing Mr. Burke
It is correct that if you are playing a female character with the Black Widow perk and seduce Mr. Burke into leaving the town alone, you will still run into Talon Company Mercs hired by Mr. Burke as if you flat out refused to help him.
 * After seducing Burke you have the option to tell about his proposition to sheriff Simms. It should be confirmed if this is not the trigger that causes Mercs to spawn. RDGST 15:45, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Can you get the power of the atom quest,seduce Burke for the love letters,but then not dissarm the bomb?Burke says he'll "send for you" in the letters,but i wonder that if you didn't dissarm the bomb,would Burke really send for you?I'd really like to know.Leea 23:29, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

The article states that a female with Black Widow can seduce Burke into getting someone else to do the job and getting her out of the city. How does this happen? I've only seen the other two options.

Getting money from Megaton Settlers
I already added this in the notes, but after disarming the bomb, when I walk around in megaton every few days a Megaton Settler approaches me and gives me something, wether it's a stimpack,bottle caps, some ammo. Can anyone confirm this?Melankh 15:32, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Having "Very good" karma will have the Megaton settlers give you stuff.

Removed from main article: This is a Karma effect not directly related to the quest. If you're Very Evil an NPC in Paradise Falls does the same trick every 24 hours. Superhauler 16:08, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
 * When I saved megaton, every few days when I walked into the town a random megaton settler would approach me and randomly give me an item, be it a stimpack,caps,some ammo. Is this because of disarming the bomb?


 * also, if you talk to bittercup and be nice to her, then say your not seeing anyone, after Big Trouble in Big Town, you can get the same effect from her. the only difference is it's every 13 hours instead of 24. Wrpen-99 16:39, March 2, 2010 (UTC)

Karma question
Why isn't the amount of good karma you receive for disarming the bomb (but for payment) listed in the article?--Niksilp 07:54, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Can the Rigged explosives ever be removed?
I have rigged the explosives, but changed my mind about blowing up Megaton! Ive killed Mr. Burke and Tenpenny, however i now want to disarm the bomb, but it doesnt give me the option :/ Does this mean the quest is incompleteable?!

Burke has unlimited guns?

When he pulled out his gun, i shot it off his hands but he pulled another one and continued shooting, i shot ANOTHER gun out of his hands and he pulled out another one...

Its a good glitch to exploit if you need extra repair guns Werewolfhell 11:45, 18 January 2009 (UTC)


 * guys were talking about wether or not the quest is comepleteable if you decide not to blow up megaton after installing the Fusion Pulse Charge.Wrpen-99 16:42, March 2, 2010 (UTC)

Explosives Check?
I think the speech check with Lucas Simms to get more money for disarming the bomb is bugged (at least on the PC version). I think the game checks your explosives skill instead - can someone confirm 81.86.49.1 23:20, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm on the xbox and its definitely a speech check

Burke/Simms speech check difficulty
Is it worth noting that (at least to me) it seems easier to get extra money from Burke than from Simms?

Evil deeds pay better I guess. :P --Killchain 21:30, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

VGCats Comic
I realize this is kinda off-topic, but the VGCats comic here references the destruction of Megaton along with the Watchmen film that came out recently. Raan0001 14:43, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

No Nuclear Explosion Effect
After opening the case & triggering the Megaton bomb there's no explosion effect. Just bright light flashes & loud booming noises. Anybody else having this problem too?

Found out what is causing this problem. I've been using Old Phalanx version. The latest update fixed this.

No Leo Stahl sidequest prompt when trying to disarm the bomb.
Lucas Simms mentions something abouth chems if you are unsure about disarming the bomb, but it does not start the optional objective regarding Leo.

According to the official guide, making Burke mention Leo or making Simms mention chems would trigger that event...so any enlightment would be nice because this kind of small inconsistencies drive me crazy. 190.232.254.4 23:32, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Try a speech option with the Doctor. I know for a fact Burke will do it on the 360. --Killchain 21:32, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Bugs
Removed a redundant entry about the ability to save Simms by shooting Burke in time. Also, it was listed under Bugs and not under Notes.--Gothemasticator 21:43, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually...I have saved him several times. EnclaveSupporter 02:23, January 24, 2010 (UTC) i have had problems keeping him alive i will shoot burke in time simms will walk out side and i will follow him out. when i ge out side he will bee dead

I just encountered a bug with my game (no addons) where when I begin to talk to Mr. Burke, it crashes. It has happened about 7 times already. Are there cheats that I can use to get the detonator and make the game think that I've started the quest? I don't know the IDs for them. None223 13:32, June 15, 2010 (UTC)

Walkthrough Section: Rigging the Bomb
I am inclined to move the list of loot to collect before blowing up Megaton to the Discussion page. It could be a useful list, but it is not really part of the quest. Another option would be to move it down to the Notes section, but it seems to me that section would get really long. Any thoughts?--Gothemasticator 18:58, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Done.--Gothemasticator 07:43, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Things To Do In Megaton Before Blowing It Up
After rigging the bomb (and before leaving Megaton for the last time), there are several things that the player is advised to do:


 * Get the Bobblehead - Strength from Lucas Simms' House. This can be done by either visiting the Simms' House when they are home (and therefore the door is unlocked), or pickpocketing the key off Lucas and breaking in. You can just walk right in and take the Bobblehead with them watching; it does not have a red caption, so they will not react. If you pickpocket the key and nobody is home, you can take everything.


 * Acquire Doc Church's key for his Clinic's Inventory (This can be done by either killing or pickpocketing him). His inventory consists of a large amount of chemicals.


 * Breaking into the armory with either a very high lock picking skill or by pickpocketing Lucas Simm's key. The key is titled as being the one for his house, but also opens the armory door. However you should be aware that inside the armory is guarded by Deputy Steel, who can be quite a challenge for low-level characters. However, Deputy Weld is easier to kill, and killing Weld will result in Steel leaving the armory to take up Weld's post at the front gate. After the robot is taken care of, feel free to loot the area. ( I have killed Deputy Weld several times, each time shortly after his demise he revives and resumes his guard duty. I have yet to have Deputy Steel take over as gate guard yet. I have also disabled Deputy Steel with the robotics expert perk and Deputy Steel still hasn't come out of the armoury. On the X-Box 360)


 * Hack the computer in The Brass Lantern(very easy) to open up the safe next to it which contains 300 caps.


 * Steal everything. These people are doomed anyway, so go nuts!


 * If you have not yet recruited Jericho, now would be the time to do it. If you have no intention of keeping him but would like to have the option open, hire him (this will cost 1000 caps and require bad Karma), then lead him away from the town, at least until you've blown it up.


 * Get the 4 Pre-War Books from Billy Creel's house. There is also a floor vault located in the house. It is locked and secured by a very hard lock (if you have the Child at Heart perk and talk to Billy's "daughter," she will tell you the combination to this safe).


 * Get the key for Leo Stahl's stash.
 * Grab the Grognak the Barbarian skill book from Jericho's house.
 * Talk to Lucy West to start the Blood Ties quest, you do not have to talk to her to start or complete the quest.
 * Through the main quest series, talk to Moiriarty about finding your dad. You'll be given the option to do a job for him (get some caps from an old "employee") and can result in a extra 400 caps in your pocket. It helps when trying to recruit Jericho!
 * If you have 30 repair or over, go to the Water Purification Plant and speak to Walter. Offer to find the three leaks and fix them. Do so (the locations are fairly easy to find) and you'll receive 200 caps and some experience, and an additional 10 caps and more experience for every piece of Scrap Metal you bring to Walter.


 * Plan C: Simply kill everyone in the town and loot the place dry! Though it is advised to not kill Moira Brown, as she survives the blast and can continue the Wasteland Survival Guide quest or act as a repair woman and still sell to you as if she still had a store.

Disarming hte nuke without Talon Company Mercs
On one of my characters (one that was fiercely neutral, though tilting more closely towards good but has a ways to go). I managed to disarm the bomb without upsetting Talon Company. I even managed to kill Burke while protecting Lucas Simms. I've been playing for a long time since then, in fact gotten up to Take It Back! (this was my first quest after the vault to be honest), and I've visited just about every hotspot for Talon Company/Regulators that I encounter on my other character.

Should this be considered a glitch or just a normal part of the game? Even then, has anyone else getting this?

Talon Company won't come after you if you have Neutral Karma. Neither will the Regulators. --Killchain 21:37, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Not always the case. I've gone from good to evil then to neutral and then to good, and right now I have talon all over me. What happened on a couple instances was talon and regulators spawning in the same place and fighting each other. Talon always wins. - anon

Youtube video
Video:Fallout 3 - Megaton bomb detonating at night|thumb|500px|left

No more hitmen if Black Widow used on Burke
The main page correctly states:

Using the Black Widow Perk to seduce Burke still results in him putting a hit out on you.

To fix this bug, open the GECK (Construction set) and change the following quest node:

Quest FFEUniqueCond->Quest stage 14->add a second condition:

GetQuestVariable MS11Fin.BurkeCharmed ==0

this will ensure that the hitmen will only spawn if BW wasn't used on Burke.

Do not confuse Burke's hitmen with regular hitmen (counterpart to Regulators, spawned if player has positive karma). WRFan 03:45, November 16, 2009 (UTC)

easy gear when starting out
i find this quest very helpfull when you start out so i wondered if you should add this:if u take the explosives from burke then tell simms simms goes to burke to arrest him,you see burke pull out his pistol,but wait let him kill the sherifff then you kill him and u can grab yourself the sheriffs hat, duster and rifle+ammo with no karma and by firing like 3 shot from a basic 10mm,then u can go about disarming the bomb etc. it helps loads when u start out.

OR if your a bad karma person, you can kill everyone (but burke) take everything from Megaton and blow them back to the stone age
 * You only have to talk to Burke; it's not necessary to agree to blow up the nuke. When you talk to Simms, the dialogue is different if you refused to blow up the town than if you agreed and then doublecrossed Burke. Kris (talk) 21:05, July 21, 2010 (UTC)

Base ID
Does anyone know the base id for the detonator? Cloudstrife133 18:29, January 10, 2010 (UTC)

WWED? (What Would the Enclave Do?)
Would The Enclave blow up Megaton? I am roleplaying as an Enclave Supporter and I am stumped. So...Would they? I mean, considering the fact that it was one of the targets in BS.... EnclaveSupporter 00:39, January 24, 2010 (UTC)


 * I doubt it, considering Megaton isn't a direct threat to the Enclave. They tend to only get rid of their threats, explaining the Citadel as a possible target in Broken Steel. Tzaro the Outcast 16:31, January 24, 2010 (UTC)

� �  �  �  �  �  �  �  See the problem is though, that the Enclave have it as a target in their base. They are planning to destroy it soon. That would explain why Nathan is in Raven Rock, because they wouldn't want to kill him. Also, Nathan is apparently an Officer in Take It Back! Nathan has a clone in megaton not the real him. (It's revealed in the wiki) If you think about it, John Henry Eden would want Megaton dead because its a gathering of impure freaks....damn Wastelanders. Maybe I should use the MIRV. :) EnclaveSupporter 00:47, January 26, 2010 (UTC) They probably had it in case of a second holocaust kind of like how the bomb in the centre of town is of american design

Mr. Burke
Ok so i never saw burke, and i disarmed the nuke, and i also killed tenpenny before the You got to shot them in the head, Can i find Mr. Burke? iv seen his house but he is no where, please helpp
 * I'm pretty sure Burke disappears when you disarm the bomb. Try reading this.  No  vii 15:56, June 21, 2010 (UTC)

Is it just me?
Or is Megaton not visible from Tenpenny Towers' balcony? That mountain ridge that includes the Vault 101 enterence seems to completely block it from view. Even with a sniper rifle scope I wasn't able to see it.

removed from notes/bugs
Notes

"If you decide to blow up Megaton, you can encounter Megaton Refugees in the wasteland, who are hostile towards you." Already in article.

Bugs

"After disarming the bomb, Lucas Simms will not give you 500 caps if you had a before successful speech attempt sometimes".

Doesn't make sense.

18:06, July 14, 2010 (UTC)

Actually, that paragraph's point is valid, just poorly written.

I recommend rephrasing it to: "Sometimes Lucas Simms will only grant the 100 cap reward for disarming the bomb regardless if you passed the speech check for a greater reward of 500 caps."

removed from notes/bugs
"If you decide to blow up Megaton, you can encounter Megaton Refugees in the wasteland, who are hostile towards you." Already in article.

Doesn't make sense.
 * After disarming the bomb, Lucas Simms will not give you 500 caps if you had a before successful speech attempt sometimes.

18:07, July 14, 2010 (UTC)

Where do I go from here?
I saw burke and agreed to arm the bomb. I went up to it and planted the charges, but forgot about the quest soon after. Much later I went to Tenpenny to activate it, but had second thoughts and killed Burke and Tenpenny with a combat shotgun. I went downstairs and left without a hitch, but I don't think I have any way of beating the quest without activating the bomb, since I already planted the charges. Can I disarm it still? Thanks! - SPS Harbinger  00:22, July 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Not sure. Can't hurt to try. Kris (talk) 00:32, July 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Damn! Didn't work :( - SPS Harbinger  17:03, July 15, 2010 (UTC)

FIST
There's a fist in the achievment picture in the mushroom cloud XD

TAKE IT BACK!
Can I do Take it Back and Holy Water before destroying Megaton?--201.127.161.211 04:35, September 28, 2010 (UTC)me

Hostile mistake in article
So this makes the third time on this wiki that I read that a certain action will not cause people to become hostile and yet it does. Killing the sheriff outside WILL make the people of megaton hostile.(24.33.85.168 19:01, October 23, 2010 (UTC))
 * Go ahead and make the change, then. It's a wiki after all, and we all need people like you to increase the accuracy of articles.--Gothemasticator 19:06, October 23, 2010 (UTC)