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The Moon Comes Over the Tower
The moon 2
Emily Ortal outside Lucky 38
Quest data
LocationNew Vegas Strip
Given ByEmily Ortal
Reward500 XP
Followers fame
Various medical supplies
Technical
Editor IDvfreeformlucky38
Base ID0011a0c5
 
Gametitle-FNV
Gametitle-FNV

The Moon Comes Over the Tower is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Synopsis[]

Emily Ortal, a computer specialist with the Followers of the Apocalypse, wants to gain access to Mr. House's data network in the Lucky 38 and figure out what technology he uses to stay alive. She can't gain entry into the Lucky 38, but who better to ask than the Courier, the only known living person to have stepped foot inside the Lucky 38?

Walkthrough[]

  1. Bug an access point to the Lucky 38's data network for the Followers of the Apocalypse.
  2. Return to Emily Ortal on the New Vegas strip with news that the tower has been bugged.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
1 Bug an access point to the Lucky 38's data network for the Followers of the Apocalypse.
2Quest finishedReturn to Emily Ortal on the New Vegas strip with news that the tower has been bugged.

Notes[]

  • Emily Ortal won't appear until after Benny has been dealt with and the Platinum Chip is back in your possession.
  • You can tell Mr. House that you've been given a bug before you try to install it, and he will tell you to go ahead and try, but he will find it and disable it within 30 seconds. After the quest it is possible to tell Mr. House that you bugged his network, he will say that he "already noticed it, and removed it in 39.739 seconds", indicating that it is useless to bug his network.
  • The Barter check during this quest is one of the few times your character's name is mentioned.
Icon cut contentThe following is based on Fallout New Vegas cut content and has not been confirmed by canon sources.
  • "Lucky 38 Executive Override" is an option available from several terminals across the Mojave wasteland. It was originally designed to be part of this quest. A quest stage (still in GECK) would have required the player to perform the override on all three terminals before bugging the terminal in the casino level. That quest stage is now skipped, and the player can just talk to Emily and continue. There are three terminals with this option:
  • Furthermore, the player would have at one point had to go down into the Lucky 38's basement and inspect the reactor. The terminal for the reactor is still in-game and has options to turn it off and on, with the ladder requiring a Science check of 80. The context for the player going to the reactor has been removed, however, and is unknown what purpose this would've served.
    • It's possible that this was related to the The House Always Wins, VII and was scrapped for that quest entirely, but for one reason or another, it's associated with Moon Comes Over the Tower in its current form.
Icon cut contentEnd of information based on Fallout New Vegas cut content.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The title of the quest is a cultural reference to the song "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain" published in 1931 and written by Howard Johnson, Harry M. Woods, and Kate Smith.
  • Originally the quest 'The Moon Comes Over the Tower' was vastly longer and would presumably supply the player with the information needed to solve the above problem. There were originally three further quest stages; two are deleted but their quest markers exist (one simply links to the terminal, the other to a waypoint in the casino ceiling). A further unused stage still exists, in which the player must "Disable the Lucky 38's network encryption from three executive consoles.". On accessing the terminal in the Lucky 38, a message would presumably alert the player the terminal could not be accessed. The player would then have to go to the House Tools Office, New Vegas Steel and Camp Golf to find computer consoles that would allow the Lucky 38 to finally be bugged. It's likely at this point that the data would reveal how to get into the secret room, and presumably reveal the existence and use of the VIP keycards, which are located nearby. In the final game the items are still there, but are not checked by the secret room terminal - only the platinum chip is.[1]
  • There is no extra dialogue from Emily on the subjects above, but she does allude to possible problems with "network encryption". In the final game there are two versions of what was left; originally the player must have had a science skill of 50 as WELL as the bug to complete the objective. What was eventually used was a guaranteed win with no science check at all, making the quest pretty much redundant as it doesn't even have any meaningful outcome.[1]
  • There are also a couple of unused markerheadings for this quest placed in seemingly random parts of the Lucky 38 casino. Possibly they were destination markers for stuff on other floors (i.e. the terminal in Mr House's room) before someone else fixed it up and just used conditional markers for the actual doors etc.[1]
  • Emily Ortal also has lots of extra intended functionality that is never used. She was supposed to a) go into a "sandbox" mode and sleep in Vault 21 if the player turned down her request to bug the Lucky 38, and b) return to the Mormon Fort once her quest is complete. Once 'The Moon Comes Over the Tower' was finished she has a new greet line that lets you once again talk to her about her run in with Benny and her life with the Followers. This only kicks in once she is in the Mormon Fort Worldspace - as She merely stands around the Lucky 38 once the quest is finished, she can never say this line. She's also disabled for good once Mr House is dead as a way of cleaning up her quest if it was not started, which would also wrongly disable her if the quest was completed so the above could never occur. There's a marker named after her in the Mormon Fort where she'd presumably walk to, and there's also an odd patrol route in the Strip that leads to this marker at its end. It's strange as the patrol route starts outside the Strip station, somewhere she never normally goes.[1]
  • During production, The Moon Comes Over The Tower was passed to several designers over the course of the Fallout: New Vegas' design, however, the quest never received focus attention from anyone which is why it feels unfinished in-game.[2]

Bugs[]

  • PCIcon pc PlayStation 3Icon ps3 Xbox 360Icon xbox360 After completing the quest Emily will remain outside the casino and you can talk to her to learn about the first attempt on hacking Mr. House's network. A 35 speech level dialogue option eventually becomes available that will remain in the dialogue list even after granting the player the reward for selecting (experience, completion of speech towards challenges). This allows the player to get credit for completing speech challenges (the experience points for completing the speech option is only given once however). Note that ending the conversation will block any further communication (and thus exploitation) although Emily will remain in front of the Lucky 38.
  • PCIcon pc Xbox 360Icon xbox360 Once you have bugged the terminal and you exit the Lucky 38, Emily Ortal may not be outside.
  • PlayStation 3Icon ps3 Xbox 360Icon xbox360 This quest can be given twice, but the second time the quest is given the player will not be able to access the terminal behind the bar in the VIP lounge. Therefore, the player cannot continue the quest.
  • PCIcon pc Even if you have installed Yes Man on Mr House's computer system, Emily will still tell you Mr. House disabled the bug 30 seconds after installing it.
  • Xbox 360Icon xbox360 After bugging the computer, Emily may enter the Lucky 38 casino to ask the player if they have completed their task.

References

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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