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Megaton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Megaton's front gate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Megaton is a sprawling settlement in the Capital Wasteland, set in and around a crater made when a bomber plane crashed, and is mostly built from parts salvaged from that aircraft in the early days, with a Megaton class unexploded nuclear bomb at its center, giving the location its name. The town is protected by large metal walls made from and reinforced by various scavenged materials, primarily the scraps of old pre-War airplanes, which were assembled and reforged together several decades ago by the founders of Megaton in an effort to make the town safer. With 28 named inhabitants and 14 unnamed Megaton settlers, (excluding a varying number of clinic patients) it is rivaled only by Rivet City in population.
Background[]
Beginnings[]
Megaton's crater was first settled by a large group of people who either worshiped the undetonated bomb or sought shelter in Vault 101, but were denied access because the vault dwellers were not allowed to leave or let anyone in as part of the vault's experiment. Locked out of the vault, these settlers, including Manya Vargas' great grandfather, simply settled into the crater for protection against dust storms. After the storms died down, some people began to wander the wastes, but would return to the crater to trade their scavenged goods. A generation later, the crater had turned into full on trade hub.[1] Vargas' father became wealthy on these caravan routes and eventually convinced others to build the scrap metal wall surrounding the town to repel raiders.[1]
Construction on the wall started in 2241. Early that year, raiders attacked the town, resulting in the death of the 14 year old Colin Moriarty's father. After the raid, Moriarty inherited his father's wealth and his bar, Moriarty's Saloon.[2] [3]
Over the course of a couple months, the residents of the town built the walls out of necessity; aircraft debris from an air station a few miles from the crater was the only material that remained and was readily available.[4][5][6] The bomb in the center of the crater remained there; when the wall was being erected, the settlement needed as much manpower as it could get and removing the bomb would have upset those that worshiped it, pushing them away. That is not to say a lot of other people felt it was best to not disturb it; it was not hurting anything and it could have adverse effects if transferred to another location.[7]
First contact with Vault 101 and raider attack[]
In February 2241, an expeditionary party of Vault 101, led by Anne Palmer and sent by the Overseer of the Vault, made contact with the residents of Megaton. Initially, the locals were cautious of the strangers before eventually accepting and welcoming them into their settlement. Palmer appointed two vault residents, Agnes Taylor and Lewis, as vault ambassadors to Megaton.[8]
By the time of the expedition, the front gate of Megaton had been completed.[9]
Present day[]
In 2277, space is limited in the town, forcing many residents to live in the common house, a building that would usually be reserved for meetings and voting.[10] Lucas Simms is the self-appointed town sheriff and does not hesitate to throw anyone out if they cause trouble.[11][12] On the subject of trouble, Colin Moriarty runs the town saloon and has a less than decent reputation, keeping the drunks drunk and and his employees in servitude. Moriarty has a line on everything that happens in Megaton and it all eventually gets back to him.[11][13]
In early 2277, a gang of raiders occupied nearby Springvale Elementary School, intending to tunnel from the school basement into Vault 101. A group, led by Boppo, staged a raid on Megaton, but the attack was foiled when Boppo was shot in the head and killed by Lucas Simms. The raiders did not leave the area, though, choosing to remain at the Springvale School. Their mining operation stopped when they opened a nest of giant ants.[14][15]
Project Purity's activation[]
In the years following Lyons' Brotherhood's victory over the Enclave and recapture of Project Purity, Megaton prospered immensely. Following the death of Sheriff Lucas Simms, his son Harden took on the role. Moira Brown published and distributed her Wasteland Survival Guide across the expanse of the American wasteland by way of traveling caravans. By October 10, 2297, Brown was working on a new book, a compilation of "the best and most useful tales of the Lone Wanderer for the next generation."[16]
Layout[]
View of Megaton from the entrance
The city of Megaton has been built in a steep-walled crater around an undetonated atomic bomb which rests in a small puddle of radioactive water at the bottom of the depression. This gives the city two roughly circular levels centered on the bomb. The main gate consists of two old aircraft wings and a jet engine which can be opened and closed to protect the only entrance/exit to the town.
If a visitor follows the entry path to the bottom of the depression, the Megaton Clinic will be on their right and The Brass Lantern on their left. Just past the bomb to the right is the Church of the Children of Atom and past it to the left lies Mister Burke's house. Confessor Cromwell can usually be found here sermonizing from the puddle to random settlers.
If they turn right when they first enter so that they are still on the lip of the crater, the "path" will take them past Lucas Simms' house, around the water processing plant, down to Craterside Supply, then back up to the Men's restroom, Moriarty's Saloon and Billy Creel's house. Going down the ramp from there will take them around Nathan and Manya's house (a bus) and to the Women's restroom. Craterside Supply can also be easily reached by taking the ramp directly to the right of the Megaton Clinic.
When one turns left at the upper lip, they'll find a locked house (which can be acquired by the player if they deactivate the central atomic bomb), followed by Jericho's house. From there, going down will take them to Lucy West's house while going around to the left will get them to the end of the right hand path.
View of Megaton from the common house
The Megaton armory (very hard lock) can be reached by going up the ramp and around the Church of the Children of Atom to the right or by going down the hill starting from the back door of Moriarty's Saloon. There are strong enemies inside. Prepare with strong weapons and armor before entering.
The common house can be reached by going around the Women's restroom to the right or by passing behind Moriarty's Saloon rather than going around the front past the entrance to the Men's restroom.
In front of the city, outside the walls, there's a caravan stop, Micky the water beggar, and Deputy Weld. Behind the city, near the south west corner is the hollowed-out rock.
Megaton ruins[]
If player revisits Megaton after blowing it up in The Power of the Atom quest, Deputy Weld's head with an orange (or purple) eye will be nearby, sticking out of a pile of debris. He says, ironically, "Welcome to Megaton. The bomb is perfectly safe. We promise. Please hold," in a garbled voice that sounds broken. The sky will be green, and, if the player started the Wasteland Survival Guide quest, Moira Brown will survive as a ghoul and appear to tell them that she is relocating to Rivet City. If the player has not started the quest, Moira can still be found in Underworld. However, the Strength Bobblehead will be unobtainable if the player detonates the bomb before retrieving it.
Buildings[]
- Billy Creel's house
- Children of Atom
- Common house
- Craterside Supply
- Jericho's house
- Lucas Simms' house
- Lucy West's house
- Megaton armory
- Megaton clinic
- Men's restroom
- Mister Burke's house
- Moriarty's Saloon
- My Megaton house
- Nathan and Manya's house
- The Brass Lantern
- Water processing plant
- Women's restroom
Inhabitants[]
- Andy Stahl
- Billy Creel
- Colin Moriarty
- Confessor Cromwell
- Doc Church
- Gob
- Harden Simms
- Jenny Stahl
- Jericho
- Leo Stahl
- Lucas Simms
- Lucy West
- Maggie
- Manya Vargas
- Megaton settlers
- Micky
- Moira Brown
- Mother Maya
- Mister Burke
- Nathan Vargas
- Nova
- Rory McLaren¹
- Silver
- Deputy Steel
- Stockholm
- Wadsworth
- Walter
- Deputy Weld
- ¹ after being released from Paradise Falls
Notable loot[]
- Bobblehead - Strength inside Lucas Simms' house, on a desk in a bedroom on the second floor.
- Grognak the Barbarian and a Chinese officer's sword in Jericho's house, on the floor, between a teddy bear and a red pylon along the right wall.
- Nikola Tesla and You in your Megaton home after buying the Science Theme from Moira Brown.
- Lying, Congressional Style in your Megaton home when you buy the Love Machine Theme from Moira Brown.
- 4 pre-War books in Billy Creel's house (must be stolen) and a scoped .44 magnum in the floor safe.
- Sniper rifle, Stealth Boy, .308 caliber rounds, 2 stimpaks and the As Requested note in the hollowed-out rock located outside Megaton along its southern wall. Look for the rock with three small trees in a triangular pattern around it.
- 300-700 bottle caps in The Brass Lantern. A terminal (very easy) unlocks a floor safe which is otherwise locked (average).
- Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual and an ammunition box can be found in a ruined farmhouse to the east, between Megaton and Super-Duper Mart.
- A rolling pin, a rather hard-to-find and mostly cosmetic weapon (low-damage) can be found in the water processing plant.
Related quests[]
Notes[]
- If you intend to obtain the Strength bobblehead, you should do so before blowing up the town in The Power of the Atom quest as the explosion will destroy Lucas Simms' house, rendering the bobblehead inaccessible.
- If you have very good Karma, a Megaton settler will approach you each day you are in Megaton (after around 8am) and give you a random item of loot, saying something like, "I wish there were more people like you in the world." The gift can range from ammunition (around 10 to 20 of any standard type) to medical supplies (stimpaks, Rad-X, etc.) to packaged food. She will sprint from wherever she happens to be in town to reach you; occasionally this action will not be triggered, but finding and talking to her will produce the appropriate dialog. If you have very bad Karma, the same settler will approach you and mutter insults instead of giving you something.
- If you are wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit when you enter Megaton for the first time, Lucas Simms and the other named settlers will comment on it during the initial greeting. This special greeting does not occur when wearing the Vault security, utility jumpsuits and Vault scientist coat.
- Megaton will occasionally be attacked by various enemies when you approach or leave it. These are usually one or two raiders or giant ants, but can be more dangerous enemies such as giant radscorpions. Usually, Deputy Weld can easily dispatch them, with the help of Stockholm and any merchant caravan that happened to be in front of Megaton when the fight happens.
- If you look up during Megaton's daytime you will see a flock of birds circling the settlement.
- If you choose to blow up Megaton, the fast travel point will be renamed 'Megaton Ruins.'
- If you travel to Megaton Ruins, an eerie green glow will surround the wreckage and will still be evident when you travel to places like Super-Duper Mart.
- You cannot enter Megaton after destroying it, and getting very close will result in a hefty dose of radiation.
- If you destroy Megaton you are likely to be encountered by Megaton refugees; they are hostile at first sight.
- The first time you come to Megaton the gate is closed but opens as you approach it. The gate never closes again after that.
- Nathan and Manya's house appears to be made up of a bus, as does the bridge near their house, rather than planes like the rest of the town.
- Even if you gain access to your own Megaton house, perform various tasks for the locals and spend a significant amount of time in Megaton, the settlers will still qualify you as an outsider if you approach conversations with them. As a matter of fact, nobody besides the Simms' family and Moira comments on anything remotely related to the fact that you have a permanent house there.
- Megaton is the only settlement in the Capital Wasteland in which airplane components were used as building materials.
- Because it is an open environment, you can fast travel into and out of town without going through the gate.
- There are additional unused sniper towers seen on the inside perimeter of the town, although they cannot be seen from the outside and there is no visible way to enter them.
- It is possible to get to Stockholm by entering Lucas Simms' house, going through the trapdoor on the second floor, jumping on the fence on the roof, running along the fence, getting on top of the plane, running along the left side of the plane, and making a jump at the perfect time to land on the city walls. From here, carefully walk along the edge until you get to his platform.
- When you are out of the city walls (outside of Megaton) and look through the holes in the walls you may see only a large crater with nothing in it.
- Despite that fact that Manya tells the story of her father and others scavenging from an airport, and the buildings were claimed back by the waste, there is no evidence at all to a nearby airport; no runway or large area in the vicinity that seems realistically in range.
Appearances[]
Megaton appears only in Fallout 3 and is mentioned in Fallout 4.[17]
Behind the scenes[]
- The bomb in the center of the town and the people worshiping it are likely a reference to Beneath The Planet of the Apes, which features a cult worshiping an undetonated nuclear weapon after the modern world has been destroyed.
- A Megaton is used to measure an explosion equivalent to the force of a million tonnes of TNT- A fitting name to a town with a nuke in the center of the town.
- In the Japanese version of Fallout 3, Burke is completely gone, and therefore, the quest to blow up Megaton has been completely removed due to its "parallels to real historic events",[18] referring to the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Bugs[]
Right after leaving Vault 101 the sky and surrounding area may look as if the bomb has already exploded.- After Broken Steel is installed, if you pick-up the note from your door, after completing quest Holy Water, the note will respawn every day. This can be very annoying, and it is recommended to achieve the note from a settler.
- Upon leaving Vault 101 Megaton may not spawn. To fix this, restart your console.
- Occasionally the player will be shot at by the settlers of Megaton upon first entering, which can be rather troublesome for a low level character.
- Occasionally upon entering Megaton with Fawkes accompanying you, he will randomly start shooting everyone in sight.
- In front of Megaton, where merchants are usually standing, if you drop a small item (such as stimpak) it will seem to disappear, but will not fall through the map.
- Sometimes when entering Craterside Supply, All the people in there will fall through the ground.(including you)
2 Enclave soldiers accompanied by an Enclave eyebot have been seen spawning outside megatons front gate not hostile to megatons citizens, the fact that they are only hostile to the player and not the citizens can be explained by the radio broadcasts of colonel autumn stating to stay out of the way of the enclave.
Gallery[]
Sky view.
Inside Megaton.
Outside Megaton.
Megaton at night.
Depending on the player's actions, Megaton's nuclear bomb might end up being detonated.
Lucas Simms, Sheriff of Megaton.
The end result of blowing up Megaton.
Mister Burke and the Lone Wanderer looking at Megaton's Nuke explode.
The namesake of town and source of trouble.
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
References[]
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