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That Lucky Old Sun
Helios-one1
S47
Let there be light
Quest data
LocationHelios One
Given ByFantastic
Lt. Haggerty
Reward585 XP
Fame or infamy with New California Republic and/or Followers of the Apocalypse
Big Book of Science
Caps and chems
AchievementThat Lucky Old Sun
Xbox Live gamerscoreIcon gamerscore20PlayStation 3 trophyIcon ps3trophyBronze
Technical
Editor ID?
Base ID000e282d
 
Gametitle-FNV
Gametitle-FNV

That Lucky Old Sun is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas. It is also an achievement/trophy.

Synopsis[]

If Helios One's efficiency is brought up, it could power the Mojave Wasteland; however, Helios One hides a deadly secret deep within the facility as well: Archimedes II.

Walkthrough[]

  1. When asked by Lieutentant Haggerty the nature of the Courier's visit, one can lie with a Speech check of 30, claiming that their brother is stationed at Helios One, or note that the facility's tower is not working correctly and offer to help fix it with a Science of 30. Also, if the Courier has a reputation with the New California Republic, they can walk inside with little issue.
  2. Talk to Fantastic and Ignacio Rivas and get their passwords to access the mainframe. Rivas will only share his password if convinced that the Courier is working with the interests of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Otherwise, it can be pickpocketed off him.
  3. Use the two reflector control terminals outside to connect to the HELIOS One mainframe.
  4. Get to the mainframe and repair its electronics. This can be done by repairing the generator with a piece of scrap metal and a Repair check of 35, or by activating the maintenance robot Python by passing a Science check of 45 or using the Poseidon Energy employee ID card.
  5. Choose where to distribute power and whether or not to arm the ARCHIMEDES defense system and wipe out the NCR.
    1. Distributing power to Camp McCarran and the New Vegas Strip results in NCR fame.
    2. Distributing power to Freeside and Westside pleases the Followers of the Apocalypse, but won't benefit as many people as it potentially could.
    3. Distributing power to the full region, resulting in people getting the same small amount of energy with frequent brownouts. This option results in fame among the Followers of the Apocalypse, as well as a Big Book of Science, three stimpaks, and two doctor's bags from Ignacio Rivas.
  6. Diverting power to Archimedes II allows the Courier to use Euclid's C-Finder to call down an orbital laser once every 24 hours.
  7. Distributing power to the full region at emergency output levels overloads the plant and results in no fame, but Rivas will hand out the stimpaks and doctor's bags, but not the big Book of Science.
  8. Get outside and initiate reflector retargeting from the console.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
1 Talk to the idiot wearing glasses in the back of the HELIOS One plant building.
2 Connect to the HELIOS One mainframe from the western reflector control terminal.
3 Connect to the HELIOS One mainframe from the eastern reflector control terminal.
4 Restore power to the HELIOS One mainframe via an auxiliary generator.
5 Use the HELIOS One mainframe to send power to a destination of your choosing.
6 OPTIONAL: Arm ARCHIMEDES security system to wipe out all nearby NCR soldiers.
7Quest finishedInitiate reflector retargeting from the console on the tower observation deck.
8Quest finishedTalk to Fantastic.
9Quest finishedTalk to Ignacio.

Notes[]

  • In order to avoid glitches and bugs, it is a very good idea to wait by the Reflector Control Panel at the top of the tower until the entire powering up sequence is done, whether the player has elected to activate Archimedes I or not. The sequence ends with a bright white light filling the screen (if Archimedes I was not activated) or a large laser beam coming down from the sky, causing a massive explosion (if Archimedes I was activated).
  • If Arcade Gannon is with the player, he will encourage the player to distribute the power over the Freeside and Westside districts of New Vegas, saying the NCR does not need it. With Intelligence 7 the player can convince Arcade that the NCR needs HELIOS One as a backup. Whatever distribution choice the player makes, he will comment on it. Arming Archimedes I will cause him to get angry and leave permanently.
  • Activating the Archimedes I defense system while having Boone as a companion might cause him to confront the player, and possibly leave or become hostile, depending on the player's current NCR reputation. (This is not special to Helios One; he will confront the player if the player's NCR fame/infamy ratio goes below neutral, or if he's warned the player once about hurting the NCR and their reputation gets worse.)
  • If the player did not arm Archimedes I during this quest, they can come back later and arm it, then walk outside and the attack sequence will play (if they didn't choose option 5 the power during the quest), producing the same infamy gain as if they did it during the quest. However, the NCR troops inside the building will not disappear, nor Haggerty and her troops at the front entrance, and all NCR troops in the area will turn hostile. Activating Archimedes I will not activate Euclid's C-Finder.
  • If the player returns after the Legion have taken over (after activating Archimedes I), Ignacio Rivas will be dead and Fantastic will be wearing a Legion uniform. He has a whole new set of dialogue about his belief that Caesar's Legion is the next big thing.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The title of this quest is a cultural reference to the 1949 song, "That Lucky Old Sun", by Beasley Smith and Haven Gillespie.
  • The passwords to the Eastern and Western Reflector Control terminals can be converted from hexadecimal into ASCII, producing the phrases "My voice is my passport." and "Too many secrets". The phrases are originally from the movie Sneakers (1992), starring Robert Redford. They were used as computer passwords in that movie.
Icon cut contentThe following is based on Fallout New Vegas cut content and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
  • A number of remaining resources indicate that at one point this quest included a method for completing it on behalf of the Brotherhood of Steel, allowing them to take over the facility. Among other resources, the quest includes greeting dialogue for Brotherhood guards, indicating their satisfaction at gaining control of HELIOS One. Other unused resources include the guards themselves (FormID 00143924) as well as the corresponding dialogue faction for these guards.
Icon cut contentEnd of information based on Fallout New Vegas cut content.

Bugs[]

  • PCIcon pc PlayStation 3Icon ps3 Xbox 360Icon xbox360 If Fantastic is killed before the power is restored, Ignacio Rivas may not provide the quest-ending dialogue option after powering up the plant and the quest cannot be completed. If this happens the only way to complete is to kill Ignacio at a loss of Karma, and reputation with the Followers of the Apocalypse.
  • PCIcon pc PlayStation 3Icon ps3 Xbox 360Icon xbox360 If the player leaves the room after activating Python, but before he does the fixes to the generator, he will be deactivated when walking back inside again, and will not perform the fixes.
  • PCIcon pc Xbox 360Icon xbox360 If you obtain the password for the second terminal without talking to Rivas and activate Archimedes II, Rivas will refuse to talk to you afterward and the quest cannot be completed. Alternately, kill Rivas and the quest will complete or fail but no XP or Loot will be given to the Courier.
  • PCIcon pc If you are doing the NCR quest chain and go to Hoover Dam to talk to the Colonel Moore before you finish That Lucky Old Sun, Fantastic will be there instead of Helios One, meaning it is impossible to finish if it tells you to talk to Fantastic. Sometimes, it actually seems to work to go to the Hoover Dam and simply kill Fantastic to complete the quest. The guards will not get hostile if this trick works. Unclear however, how this fix affects any further quests.
  • PCIcon pc If you fast travel away before the sequence after using the switch on the tower finishes, the end quest dialogue with Ignacio is missing from the speech options. You can still finish the quest by killing him.
  • PCIcon pc Sometimes when you go to select your choice of how to distribute power at the mainframe, and you have Gannon in your party, his speech options will not come through. This makes it one unable to retrieve the trust points needed to obtain Gannon's quest.
  • PCIcon pc Sometimes the guard dogs guarding one of the terminals may not appear.
  • Xbox 360Icon xbox360 Choosing to disarm the Archimedes defense system after activating it may not work; the sequence may play anyway.
Main quests
Act 1Ain't That a Kick in the Head · Back in the Saddle · By a Campfire on the Trail · They Went That-a-Way · Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
Act 2Wild Card (Wild Card: Ace in the Hole, Change in Management, You and What Army?, Side Bets, Finishing Touches) · The House Always Wins (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII) · Render Unto Caesar · Et Tumor, Brute? · Things That Go Boom · Kings' Gambit · For the Republic, Part 2 · You'll Know It When It Happens/Arizona Killer
Act 3No Gods, No Masters · All or Nothing · Veni, Vidi, Vici · Eureka!
Side quests
New California RepublicAnywhere I Wander · Back in Your Own Backyard · Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues · Boulder City Showdown · Can You Find It in Your Heart? · Climb Ev'ry Mountain · Don't Tread on the Bear! · Emergency Radio · Eye for an Eye · Flags of Our Foul-Ups · Hard Luck Blues · I Don't Hurt Anymore · I Put a Spell on You · Keep Your Eyes on the Prize · Medical Mystery · No, Not Much · Pressing Matters · Restoring Hope · Return to Sender · That Lucky Old Sun · The White Wash · There Stands the Grass · Three-Card Bounty · We Will All Go Together · You Can Depend on Me
Caesar's LegionBeware the Wrath of Caesar! · Caesar's Favor · Caesar's Foe · Caesar's Hire · Cold, Cold Heart · I Hear You Knocking · The Finger of Suspicion · We Are Legion
The StripBeyond the Beef · Bye Bye Love · Classic Inspiration · How Little We Know · Pheeble Will · Talent Pool · The House Has Gone Bust! · The Moon Comes Over the Tower
Freeside & Outer VegasBirds of a Feather · Bleed Me Dry · Debt Collector · G.I. Blues · High Times · Someone To Watch Over Me · The Coyotes · Wang Dang Atomic Tango
BoomersAnt Misbehavin' · Sunshine Boogie · Volare! · Young Hearts
Great KhansAba Daba Honeymoon · Cry Me a River · Don't Make a Beggar of Me · Oh My Papa
Powder GangBooted · I Fought the Law · Run Goodsprings Run · Why Can't We Be Friends?
Brotherhood of SteelEyesight to the Blind · Still in the Dark · Tend to Your Business
OtherCome Fly With Me · Crazy, Crazy, Crazy · Ghost Town Gunfight · Guess Who I Saw Today · Left My Heart · My Kind of Town · The Legend of the Star and A Valuable Lesson · Unfriendly Persuasion · Wheel of Fortune
Companion questsED-E My Love · For Auld Lang Syne · Heartache by the Number · I Could Make You Care · I Forgot to Remember to Forget · Nothin' But a Hound Dog · One For My Baby
Unmarked questsA Bit of Slap and Tickle · Access Powers · All Fired Up! · Andy and Charlie · Arachnophobia · Arizona Scavenger · Barton the Fink · Bear Necessities · Big Winner (Atomic Wrangler, The Gomorrah, The Tops, Ultra-Luxe, Vikki & Vance) · Bounty Killer (I, II) · Brotherhood Bond (I, II) · Caching in at the Cove · Cajoling a Cudgel · Claws Mended · Claws Out · Dealing with Contreras · Defacing the Humble Stone · Democracy Inaction · Don't Poke at the Bear · Eddie's Emissary · Exhumin' Nature · Flogging a Dead Corpse · Friend of the Followers · Getting a Leg Up from Andy · Gland for Some Home Cooking · Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger · Hat's Entertainment · Help for Halford · Hidden Valley computer virus · Highway to the Danger Zone (I, II) · Honorary Rocketeer · I Love Bananas · Iron and Stealing · Keith's Caravan Charade · Laurifer Gladiator · Lenk's Bad Debts · Lily and Leo · Long-Term Care · Malleable Mini Boomer Minds · Maud's Muggers · Meeting an Equal · Missing a Few Missiles · Not Worth a Hill of Corn and Beans · Of Boomers and Education · Old School Ghoul · A Pair of Dead Desperados (I, II) · Papers, Please · Pistol Packing · Playing on the Old Joana · Poor Meat Never Makes Good Soup · Powder to the People · Power to the People · Proper Burial · Razzle Dazzle! · Reach for the Sky, Mister! · Rest and Resupply · Ringo's Caravan Rules · Rotface's Loose Lips · The Screams of Brahmin · Silus Treatment · Short-Term Treatment · Smooth-Talking Criminal · Strategic Nuclear Moose · Straus Calls · Strip Search · Saving (or Savaging) Sergeant Teddy · Stocking Up · Suits You, Sarah · A Team of Moronic Mercenaries · Team Spirit · The Thorn Mayhem · Thought for the Day · Tourist Traipse · Trudy's Radio Repair · A Trusted Aide · Useless Baubles or Fancy Trinkets? · We Must Stop Beating Like This · We Must Stop Meeting Like This (I, II, III, IV) · Wind-Brahmin Wrangler · You Gotta Break Out a Few Eggs · You Make Me Feel Like a Woman
Cut contentIcon cut Cut questsAuto-Inject Quest · Bright and Shiny · Chip Provenance · Debug Topics · Jailhouse Rock · Meat of Champions (quest) · TempMan · The Thorn Mayhem · Underpass Water Purifier · Viva Las Vegas! · Welcome to Fabulous New Vegas
Add-on quests
Dead MoneySierra Madre Grand Opening! · Find Collars (8: "Dog", 12: Christine, 14: Dean Domino) · Fires in the Sky · Strike Up the Band · Mixed Signals · Trigger the Gala Event · Put the Beast Down · Last Luxuries · Curtain Call at the Tampico · Heist of the Centuries · Big Winner, Sierra Madre
Honest HeartsA Family Affair · Arrival at Zion · Bighorners of the Eastern Virgin · Chaos in Zion · Civilized Man's Burden · Crush the White Legs · Deliverer of Sorrows  · Departing Paradise · Flight from Zion · Gathering Storms · Gone Fishin' · Happy Trails Expedition · Prisoners of War · Retake the Bridge · River Monsters · Rite of Passage · Roadside Attraction · Sanctity of the Dead · The Advance Scouts  · The Treacherous Road · The Grand Staircase · Tourist Trap
Old World BluesAll My Friends Have Off Switches · A Brain's Best Friend · Coming Out of Her Shell · Field Research · He Came... And Went · Influencing people · Midnight Science Fiction Feature! · Old World Blues · On The Same Wavelength · Picking Your Brains · Project X-13 · Sonic Emitter Upgrade · Welcome to the Big Empty · What's In A Name? · When Visitors Attack · X-2: Strange Transmissions! · X-8 Data Retrieval Test · X-8: High School Horror! · X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!
Lonesome RoadThe Reunion · The Silo · The Job · The Launch · The Tunnelers · The Divide · The Courier · The End · The Apocalypse
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