Lucky 38

The Lucky 38 is an abandoned hotel and casino on the New Vegas Strip in 2281. It is the base of operations for Mr. House, the ruler of New Vegas.

Background
The most prominent element of the New Vegas skyline, the Lucky 38 is a pre-War relic and an enduring monument to Mr. House's vision of Las Vegas: luxury without decadence, refinement without elitism, class without snobbery. But to assume that it was just a casino is erroneous, as in the years leading up to the war, Robert House thoroughly modified the building in preparation for the upcoming nuclear war. Accurate long range laser cannons linked to the massive processing centers inside were installed on top of the tower to defend the Mojave against nuclear warheads. An expansive underground storage facility for Securitrons was built into the foundations. But the greatest marvel was the reason behind Mr House's withdrawal from society: a preservation chamber built into the core of the penthouse floor, where the potentate sacrificed his mortal shell in return for immortality. Wired into the Lucky 38's mainframe and its power core, House was ready to face the coming apocalypse, save for one last item: an OS upgrade for the Lucky 38 contained on the platinum chip.

The chip never arrived. Forced to work with an inferior OS, Mr House nevertheless managed to destroy a majority of the warheads aimed at the Mojave, but eventually suffered a critical system crash and was forced into a coma. The Lucky 38 fell silent and for nearly two centuries lay dormant amidst Vegas ruins. Only the odd Securitron, controlled by Mr House after he awoke in 2130, left the premises occasionally to survey the wasteland and bring news of the developments.

The tower came to life in 2274, as Securitron agents detected NCR scouts at Hoover Dam. An army of Securitrons poured out of the Lucky 38, quickly destroying hostile tribals on the Strip and securing the location. Mr House then struck a deal with the three largest tribes, providing them with clothes, tools and supplies from stockpiles in the Lucky 38 in return for renovating the city and preparing for the arrival of the NCR. The Lucky 38 once again became a symbol of New Vegas, as the domain of its mysterious leader. No one set foot inside the tower ever since.

As of 2281, the Lucky 38 remains closed. No one knows what is inside, while Robert House prepares his bid to make Vegas into an independent wasteland superpower. Key to this plan is the Securitron army and the Lucky 38's reactor, which, if given a proper jolt of energy, can become an essentially limitless supply of power for the entire city of New Vegas, making it independent of power deliveries from Hoover Dam.

Basement
Only entered during a brief presentation, by either Mr. House or Yes Man, of the Mk II Securitrons' equipment, the Lucky 38 basement holds the on-site nuclear reactor and an in-door firing range for Securitrons. This area is largely walled off by force fields except for a spectator section.

Casino
Inside the front door is the casino floor, with gaming tables and slots that cannot be played. The empty cashier's room is to the left. The many gun cabinets within are safe storage, which provide an alternative to the storage in the Presidential Suite (since your companions will take items from those). Above the cashier's room is a VIP lounge, where a terminal can be found that is used in the quest The Moon Comes Over the Tower.

In the center of the floor is the elevator. Victor must be spoken to in order to use the elevator so long as House is alive, but otherwise the player can operate the elevator directly.

Cocktail lounge
The cocktail lounge is near the top of the Lucky 38, beneath the penthouse. Companions are not allowed inside, and will be left waiting in whatever room you entered from. The room is filled with empty tables, cash registers with small amounts of pre-War money, unplayable slot machines, and other assorted miscellaneous items. There is a Average-locked safe with some decent loot inside, and a hard locked briefcase. The Test Site Snowglobe can also be found here, tucked behind one of the cash registers. There is also a Hard locked briefcase containing C-4 plastic explosive x3, detonator and a silenced .22 pistol with some ammunition. This could be related to a pre-War plot to take over or even blow up the Lucky 38.

Penthouse
The penthouse is the highest level of the Lucky 38. Companions are not allowed inside, as with the cocktail lounge. Mr. House's control center is located here, down the stairs to the left of the elevator. Jane is right in front of the elevator, waiting to accept any snowglobes you've found. To the right is a bedroom. The shelves are stocked with numerous pre-War books.

Unlike the cocktail lounge, there is a wall which prevents people from circling the entire room; this conceals the elevator to the control room. A terminal to open it is to the left of House's control center, which requires either a Science skill of 75, the Platinum Chip, or the Lucky 38 VIP keycard to operate. Inside are two Securitrons which will be hostile, since using the terminal turns all the Securitrons against you.

Presidential suite
The Presidential Suite is made available to you as soon as you've spoken with House the first time. It's fairly spacious, consisting of five rooms. There is the master bedroom (this holds your owned bed), the guest bedroom (the two beds here are not owned), the kitchen and dining room, the study, and the bathroom (which has clean water). The fridge has some food in it, and various drinks are present. All of the storage within is safe. Through a terminal to the left of the master bedroom, additional storage can be purchased, as well as a workbench.

The Presidential Suite will become your base of operations, since all inactive companions can be sent there in lieu of their original homes. Idle companions will wander around, talk to each other, and occasionally sit in the chairs or sleep. Most notably, however, they will help themselves to anything you leave inside, so long as the items aren't considered stolen and you're in the suite to see them do it. This includes taking items from containers. This is usually limited to food and drink, but they may also take weapons.

Notable loot

 * Snowglobe - Test Site - in the cocktail lounge, behind one of the three cash registers.
 * A large amount of alcohol, as well as one of the greatest sources of absinthe in the game (next to the Atomic Wrangler), on the center shelves of the cocktail lounge.
 * Golden Gloves - at the VIP section, near the access point terminal.
 * 2x Boxing Times - one at the VIP section, near the access point terminal, sitting behind the Golden Gloves, and the other on a table in the cocktail lounge.
 * 2x Future Weapons Today - one in the games room of the presidential suite, and the other on a table in the cocktail lounge.
 * 2x Today's Physician - in the bathroom and master bedroom of the presidential suite.
 * True Police Stories - on a table in the cocktail lounge.
 * 2x Jake Juice – on a table in the presidential suite.
 * (hard) Locked Brief-case; In the Cocktail Lounge from elevator entrance, third table & couch set-up to the right, in front of the circular window. Items in briefcase: .22LR ammunition, .22 silenced pistol, ¡La Fantoma! mag, C-4 explosive, detonator, pre-War money, psycho.

Appearances
The Lucky 38 appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * The Lucky 38 main floor assets (including lighting, meshes, texturing, props such as chairs, barstools, wall light fixtures, potted plants) as well as their placement were done by Kristen Altamirano.
 * David Lieu created the tileset and handled the propping and lighting in House's penthouse.
 * The name "Lucky 38" is a reference to the 38 numbers on a roulette table. The sign looks like a stylized roulette wheel and betting layout, and the tower top is modeled after a roulette wheel. Pre-War posters for the Lucky 38 have the slogan; "Take her for a spin!".
 * The building resembles the real-life Stratosphere Las Vegas and the Space Needle, as well as the now demolished Landmark Hotel and Casino.
 * Interestingly, the Landmark Hotel and Casino was bought in 1969 by billionaire Howard Hughes who was the basis for the personality of Robert House.