The Lonesome Drifter

The Lonesome Drifter is a solitary singer and guitar player camped out north of El Dorado Gas & Service in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
The Drifter was born in 2253 in a small town in Montana. His childhood was marred by the sudden departure of his father, a real "mysterious feller" even while he was with his mother. As a result, his mother was forced work her fingers to the bone in order to provide for the family as the Drifter mastered the guitar. However, she eventually buckled under the burden. To help her, the Drifter found work in Montana's coal mines at fifteen and worked the black seams until his mother passed away after a life of hardship. Angry and frustrated, the Drifter packed his guitar and the Mysterious Magnum, the only memento of his father, and took to the road to find him and get some answers.

For years he traveled the wasteland, not knowing what he'd do if he found him. Ask questions? Punch his clock out? He did not succeed in his search, but found numerous audiences for his singing talents across the wasteland, including the Dead Horses at Zion Canyon, where his singing charmed a young tribesman. By 2281, however, he started to tire of the nomadic lifestyle, realizing that his quest will likely end in failure. Camping out on the shores of the El Dorado Dry Lake, the Drifter is pondering his options and getting ready to settle down.

Quests

 * Talent Pool: The Drifter is one of the acts the player can recruit for Tommy Torini's Aces Theater at The Tops. Once recruited, the Drifter will appear at 10 PM (22:00) and perform Streets of New Reno, Home on the Wastes, and New Vegas Valley (sung by the game's director, J.E. Sawyer.
 * The player can obtain the unique Mysterious Magnum while recruiting him, if they use Barter 50.

Other interactions

 * Lady Killer unlocks a special dialogue option with the Drifter, where the player can establish that they visited Montana 17 years prior and slept with a woman there, likely conceiving a child.
 * Meeting the Drifter allows the player to mention to Follows-Chalk in Honest Hearts that the Courier has met or helped the Drifter find a job.

Behind the scene

 * Due to time constraints, it was impossible to code the Mysterious Stranger to kill the Courier if they attempt to kill the Drifter in VATS or prevent the Stranger from appearing in VATS to kill his son.

Bugs

 * Assassinating the Drifter after hiring him breaks the Aces Theater scripting, looping the next performer infinitely.

Appearances
The Lonesome Drifter appears in Fallout: New Vegas and is mentioned in the add-on Honest Hearts.