Sierra Madre is the most beautiful, most luxurious and majestic casino in America. Its construction took long years- and everything was ready for the amazing opening ceremony, but... But on the day when the casino doors were supposed to open, instead of fireworks, the sky was lit up by flashes of nuclear explosions.

The casino was enveloped in a strange, rusty cloud. An unknown gas rose from the ground, turning those who fell into it into strange ghostly creatures, but leaving buildings and mechanisms unharmed.

Hundreds of years have passed since then. The Sierra Madre still stands in the middle of the desert in clouds of rusty fog, keeping its secrets and treasures - the most luxurious, odious and deadly trap in America...

Start over

The beginning of the first addition to Fallout: New Vegas is not striking in its originality: after loading, a message appears that the level limit has been increased by five, and the pip-boy picks up a radio signal inviting you to visit the “pearl of the desert.” Signals from nowhere - how familiar, right? The current one comes from a radio receiver in the previously tightly closed “abandoned bunker of the Brotherhood of Steel.” If you get too close - gas, blurred vision, lost consciousness, woke up... Where am I? Where did all the things from the backpack go, who is that “talking head” above the fountain and what does it want?

Welcome to Sierra Madre!

Father Elijah is a fugitive elder of the Brotherhood of Steel who disappeared in an unknown direction after the defeat of the Brotherhood at the Helios-1 power plant. This, it turns out, is where the old man ended up... I would like to give him a couple of affectionate words from his old acquaintances, but I will have to wait a bit: the bribes are smooth from the hologram, and something is rubbing my neck badly...

The collar with an explosive charge, which our courier acquired against his will, will poison his life for a very long time (and very strongly, it should be noted). The collar explodes if you try to remove it or refuse to cooperate with Elijah. And the worst thing is: the collar really doesn’t like it when there is a working radio nearby - it beeps for a few seconds, warning of danger, and then boom!

To get rid of an explosive item, you will have to follow orders - and there is nothing you can do about it. And they are, in principle, simple: find the rest of those wearing collars, gather everyone at the fountain, wait for further instructions. Well, let's look. And at the same time, let's see where this takes us.

Phantom people

The surrounding area of ​​the casino is a labyrinth of streets, alleys and alleys. After the usual expanses of the Mojave, it feels noticeably crowded here. You have to navigate almost by touch: the cloud of rusty gas does not transmit sunlight well, and there is constant semi-darkness everywhere in the town. The map in the Pip-Boy is of little help - you can only understand what is depicted on it with great luck. And task markers are not always placed precisely.

Gas has one more property: in its dense accumulation, health begins to deteriorate at an alarming rate. And this is if you do not have hardcore mode enabled... and if it is enabled, the life scale will decrease constantly— and, accordingly, you need to constantly think about how to recover. The simplest method - sleeping for an hour - almost doesn’t work in Sierra Madre. The hero will not sleep on the beds and mattresses inside the Cloud, so all hope is to obtain water, food, stimulants and anti-radicals to cope with the consequences of eating contaminated products.

The situation is simplified a little by the vending machines located throughout the town, which produce food seemingly out of thin air. But not for nothing, but for chips from the Sierra Madre casino. Moving deeper into the city, you can find new “issue codes” for vending machines, which expand the range and allow you to feed the machines all sorts of junk (ancient clothes, packs of cigarettes) in exchange for chips.

But everything would be too simple if the dangers here were limited to the Cloud and possible death from starvation. Former builders still roam the streets, turned into strange creatures hostile to all living things. The Ghost People - hunched figures in chemical protective suits - can be very dangerous opponents due to their manner of moving with unexpectedly high and fast jumps that make it difficult to aim properly, as well as incredible survivability. To reliably put a ghost to rest, you need to deprive him of some part of his body. Arms, legs or heads - it doesn't matter. Only after this can you be absolutely sure that the enemy will not rise again.

Under the Cloud

All the prisoners of the Sierra Madre are assembled.

Looks like inspiration from the developers Dead Money drawn from the series Silent Hill“The cloud is very similar to the fog there, and the ghostly inhabitants of the Sierra Madre are very similar to the cultists from the fifth part.” And each of your involuntary companions (those three collars that Elijah demands to find) has his own reason why he found himself in an abandoned city. The company is, to put it mildly, unusual: a super mutant with a split personality, a mute and scarred girl, and Dean Domino - once the star of the stage, the “king of swing”, and now a sarcastic and intemperate ghoul.

The fate of this trio can turn out very differently, depending on the actions of the player. Would you like to understand what brought them to the Sierra Madre? Do you have the patience and skills to help all three? Or just use them, as Elijah's head advises from the holographic cloud, and solve their problems with the old in an effective way: no person - no problem.

There are quite a lot of options for the development of events, and after completion storyline you will find a traditional set of slides telling you what happened in the end - and, perhaps, very transparently hinting at events that are yet to happen. However, there is also an option in which after the end of the Dead Money story, the courier’s story also ends.

Unraveling the mysteries of the abandoned casino did not take too much time - but solving them was interesting. An unusual environment, a gloomy abandoned city where danger lurks around every corner, unusual companions, an unusual story... A kind of game within a game, a break from the fussy running around with shooting and talking and the usual showdowns between the NKR and the Legion.

MANAGEMENT

Prisoners of the Cloud

The three characters you'll meet in Sierra Madre and with whom you'll have to work together to get out can both help in battle and teach the courier new abilities.

Dog/God

A super mutant suffering from a split personality. Two completely different minds are trying to coexist inside one body. And although the body is large, they are very, very crowded there, so for the most part you will communicate with them in turn, independently choosing who you need most.

Dog- a loyal soldier of the Overlord from the first Fallout, always ready to carry out any order of his master. When the Lord was destroyed, the Dog lost the meaning of life. Or rather, this concept for him was reduced to the word “food”.

Changes in the “dog’s” life came with a man named Elijah. The former elder of the Brotherhood replaced the Dog’s master - and now the old man’s voice invariably brings to the surface precisely the “dog” layer of consciousness.

God- in contrast to the Dog, he is selfish, reasonable and calculating. Where his other half rushes forward, not understanding the path, he makes cunning plans. And the main one: how to completely take possession of your own body and how to get rid of the old man, whose voice inevitably awakens the Dog.

You can reach the consciousness of God by playing a recording of his own voice in front of a mutant.

Like each of the companions, a super mutant, if accepted into a group, gives the hero special ability. But since one mutant has two personalities, there are also two abilities. If God travels with you, the hero stealth will improve and on him traps will stop responding. The dog eats your enemies, preventing them from getting back on their feet. When he eats at least one ghost, ask how exactly he deals with them, and during the conversation you will receive the ability that allows you to kill ghostly people without tearing off their arms and legs.

Dean Domino

The old ghoul remembers a lot and can tell a lot to anyone who wants to listen to him. After all, he was present during the construction of the Sierra Madre casino and was supposed to perform at a concert in honor of its opening, but things did not work out at all as he expected.

Over the many years of living inside the Cloud, Dean has learned to deal with gas - and he will pass on some of this knowledge to the courier if he is near him. When Domino is in a group, Cloud damage is reduced by a quarter. Plus Dean can teach you how to mix Martini "Sierra Madre"- a drink that temporarily increases the hero’s strength, endurance and maximum health. In order for the dead man to share the recipe, you need to talk to him about his secret reserves scattered throughout the town.

Christine

The mute girl was once a knight of the Brotherhood of Steel and had to kill Elijah, and now she is forced to obey him. To communicate normally with her, the courier will need high intelligence and perception (both parameters are at least six units). But for those who can understand her gestures and facial expressions, Christine will tell us a lot about the places we have yet to visit and the people we will meet in future additions.

As long as she's on your team, the collar will respond to radios and speakers with a delay and explode a little later. In addition, she can teach the courier counterfeit Sierra Madre casino chips. One nuclear battery and two pieces of scrap metal will give you as much as fifty chips. Unfortunately, nuclear batteries are rare in the vicinity of the casino (which cannot be said about the Mojave Wasteland). And if you remember that in Elijah’s abandoned bunker there is a vending machine that accepts chips, the ability to produce them yourself will come in very handy.

Weapons of the Sierra Madre

All the equipment that we are used to in Mojave remains in the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker and inside the Cloud and, alas, will not help the courier in any way. You will have to search and use what comes to hand.

Police Pistol- The standard weapon of the Sierra Madre security forces. Uses .357 caliber cartridges commonly available in the Wasteland. It differs from its relative from the Mojave (revolver .357) in increased damage per shot by one and faster reloading - the drum is reloaded not one cartridge at a time, but immediately with a clip. Most likely to be the faithful companion of a hero who specializes in firearms, - there is quite a lot of cartridges for it, and there are enough pistols themselves, so there shouldn’t be any problems with repairs.

Outside the abandoned city, it becomes a purely collectible rarity, because even fanatical fans of revolvers will prefer more powerful and large-caliber models.

Automatic Rifle- a fully automatic rifle that uses .308 cartridges, and in batches, and the required cartridges in Sierra Madre are extremely limited. And, in general, there are no enemies worth spending them on... But when you return to the expanses of the Mojave, the ability to shoot large-caliber bursts may come in handy. This rifle is more accurate than the other automatic weapons in the game and at medium distances it will quickly feed the enemy with lethal doses of lead. But, firstly, it very quickly becomes unusable even with an established improvement in the safety factor, and secondly, it can only be repaired with the same rifle, a repair kit, or from repairmen for money. The first option is unlikely - you will not find such a trunk anywhere except Sierra Madre.

Cosmic Knife- high technology in the service of the national economy, a knife made from material intended primarily for use in spacecraft. It cuts rather weakly - better than a regular knife, but worse than army models. There isn't much choice in Sierra Madre, so fans of stabbing will have to make do with what they give. However, characters with a repair skill of 25 units can take knife and two packs of Abraxo cleaner- and at the workbench, clean the blade from rust to increase damage and the chance of causing critical damage.

Unique scheme Cosmic knife super-heated can be obtained by hacking one of the terminals in the casino (for example, in the room with the workbench - so you don’t have to go far). The blade, heated to 451 degrees, not only causes greater damage, but also periodically sets enemies on fire. However, it is still weaker than the purified version, but the chance of critical damage is much higher.

Knife spear- a common weapon of the ghostly people, a spear, the tip of which is the same “cosmic” knives. In terms of damage, it is almost equal to the large sword found in the Mojave. But the hero acts faster with a spear. To assemble a more powerful version, you will need a repair skill of at least fifty, a roll of adhesive tape, a regular spear, three purified space knives, three packs of Abraxo purifier and a free workbench.

Throwing knife spear- is interesting only because it is the most powerful weapon of this class in the game. With 42 units of damage, it is almost ten times better than a regular throwing spear. But, as always, except in the vicinity of the Sierra Madre, there is nowhere to get spears, and even there they are found only in the clutches of ghosts. You can try to collect them in reserve, but is it necessary? One is enough for the collection.

Gas bomb- one of the varieties of ghostly people likes to throw such things. Explodes powerfully and sets enemies in its radius on fire. With an explosives skill of 40 units, these bombs can be produced at the workbench yourself. To do this, you will need a sensor module, electronic waste, adhesive tape and an igniter. How all this turns out to be a fire extinguisher with a piece of C-4 screwed to it is not clear, but somehow it still works.

The disadvantage of the bomb is that it cannot be used in V.A.T.S mode. Due to an unobvious whim of the developers, it is considered more of a mine than a grenade, and to use it correctly you will have to get the hang of throwing a heavy cylinder correctly.

Bear trap fist- An excellent weapon for lovers of hand-to-hand combat. The bear trap attached to the glove contracts upon impact and literally tears the enemy to pieces. Its increased damage to limbs is especially useful in fights with representatives of the ghostly people, because if you seriously damage a ghost’s arm or leg, he will instantly fall dead.

Holorifle- you will receive this rifle from Elijah as soon as you get to Sierra Madre. A strange hybrid of a pump-action shotgun, energy weapons and holographic technologies for those whose main skill is energy weapons - a real gift: after all the improvements, the holorifle is second in damage only to weapons using Gaussian technologies, but at the same time fires four shots before reloading, unlike Gaussians, who have to change batteries after each salvo, being distracted from the sight. In addition, the optical sight of the head rifle has the same property as the optics on the Ratfighter - it automatically adjusts to the lighting, allowing you to shoot equally successfully both during the day and in the dark.

Just remember that the gift is given once and you will not find such a rifle anywhere else, so hold tight and try to keep it in the best condition.

Abilities that are always with you

Dead Money allows the character to grow an additional five levels and adds several new abilities, available whether the character has been to Sierra Madre or not.

After installing the add-on, this quest will be activated automatically. You don’t have to work hard, just wait until the pip-boy receives a message that you need to move to the casino, which is called Sierra Madre. You need to go south from the Forlone Hope camp until you come across an abandoned BS bunker. I will immediately warn you that if you do not complete all the quests of the Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money add-on, you will not be able to return to the desert, which is located in the Mojave. Once in the bunker, head to the radio, which is located in the center of the room. You will now fall to the floor and a welcome video will start. After watching, Sergeant Major Elijah will approach you and tell you that you are now wearing a special collar that can tear you into small pieces if you disobey orders. After you talk to the foreman, three quests are automatically activated, which you can complete in any order. And we will begin to consider in this order:

Find collar 8: Great Dane

You will receive this quest from Elijah, for successful completion you will be awarded 560 experience points and getting Dog as your partner. As soon as the conversation with Elijah ends, the task will automatically activate. Start your walkthrough of Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money by moving to the police department. After you make your way inside the building, you will hear the collar you are wearing begin to squeak terribly. This means that the detonation mode has been activated. In order to stay alive, go to the four radios and disable them. Watch the screen carefully and follow the instructions. Then get out of this room and find the steps along which you can go down to the room located below, called the Basement of the Villa Police Station. Once in it, the explosive timer on the collar is activated again. Quickly move forward and go through all the doors. It is worth noting that when you pass through the room in which the terminal is located, find a small staircase there and climb it to the boxes in which you can pick up two magazines and a detoxin.

As soon as you find yourself in the last room, you will see a radio receiver, run up to it and turn it off so that there is no interference with the collar. You can also find the entry “Dog’s Command Feed” here. Take it and go up the steps. Thus, you will find yourself near the cage in which the super mutant sits. Approach it and play the found audio recording using the Pip-Boy. Immediately after the recording ends, the super mutant will begin to communicate with you. After the conversation, release him from the cage using the “hacking 35” combination. As soon as the prisoner is released, the quest will be considered successfully completed and you will receive the promised reward.

Find Collar 14: Dean Domino

This quest will also be given by Elijah, for which you can get 560 experience points and get Dean Domino as your partner. Start the quest in Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money by following the marker until you find yourself near the door with the sign "Residential Quarter". Go through it and start searching for Dean Domino. Open the map and follow the indicated route. It is worth noting that the red dot indicates a cache containing a suitcase with various combat attributes. Highlighted in purple is a passage that can be made above the ground, namely, along a canopy made of boards, which is stretched from above. Be extremely careful, because there will be a lot of traps and enemy attacks on your way. Once you are at the end of the yellow line, climb to the third floor. In the further passage of Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money, you will see a ghoul in glasses sitting in a chair in the room. Go up to him and sit next to him.

After talking with him, be sure to persuade him to go to the fountain with you. It is worth noting that if you want this ghoul to stay alive and take part in all the following quests, then you should not use any skills during the conversation, including Barthe, Speech and Explosives. Only this way there will be no need to eliminate him in one of the following quests. After you successfully reach the fountain, the task will count and you will receive the promised reward.

Find collar 12: Christine

This task will also be received from Elijah's father; for completing it you can receive 660 experience points and Christina as a partner. Immediately head to the Medical District, which is located near the fountain. Open the map and follow the route indicated on it. In the further passage of Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money, you will need to deactivate the explosive timer on the collar, so go to the blue intercoms that are hung on the wall and shoot them. Then you can move to the hospital, along the way taking with you another suitcase with useful things, which can be found near the entrance to the hospital on the left side. Take everything you can from him, and don’t disdain the Assassin’s attire. Then you can go up to the second floor and go through the hologram. It is worth noting that this must be done carefully, since when you approach it, it will start firing at you, but you yourself will not destroy it. Therefore, quickly move to the blue emitter located in the middle of the corridor and deactivate it. Then move to the room opposite the emitter. There you need to find the key and pick it up from the table. Then go down to the basement, which can be opened using the found key. Then go to the terminal and find the Disengage Main Power button on it, and then hold it down. After this is done, go to the stairs and climb it.

Thus, you will find yourself in a corridor that you need to follow until you find yourself near the last room in which you can find an autodoc. Go to it and open it. In front of you will be an exhausted girl who has lost her speech. But you will still manage to get her to talk. After communication, you can move with her to the fountain. At this point, the passage of this quest in Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money is considered complete. After you receive a monetary and human reward, you can head to the autodoc, where you can improve your health. It's worth noting that you will now receive the Assemble Your Crew achievement for assembling all your teammates.

Lights in the sky

This quest will be given by Elijah and will reward you with 800 experience points. Approach the fountain and chat with the foreman. After the end of the conversation, the next three quests will be activated automatically. You need to go through them one by one. Since "Lights in the Sky" will be first on the list, start there. Go to the fountain and talk to Dog, and take him with you. Move to the southern part of the Salida del Sol location, the path to which can be found by opening the map. Once there, go into the room in which there are five switches (by the way, it can also be found on the map). Don’t rush to close the map with the route, because it also shows a cache containing a suitcase with useful things. To get to it, you need to go down. Once in a room full of switches, you will meet Dog. Approach him and chat. Your goal is to persuade him to stay here. But certain difficulties will arise because your partner will refuse this. Take out the audio recording and play it on your Pip-Boy. The following options for the development of events in the passage of Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money are then possible:

1) If your character's intelligence is at a level higher than 7, then simply select the appropriate branch in the dialogue. After this, completing this task will be considered completed.

2) If the level of intelligence has not reached “7”, then you will need to approach Dog and talk to him. During the conversation, he will ask you to bring the bodies of the Ghost People. Now you will see three markers, but only two of them are needed. Therefore, head towards any two of them and finish off the two enemies that block the road. Then pick up their corpses and deliver them to Dog. After this, the quest will be considered completed, and you will replenish your balance with another 800 experience points.

Play the orchestra

You will receive this task again from Elijah, for completing it you will be rewarded with 800 experience points. Now you will need to escort Dean Domino to the southern part of the Puesta del Sol location. Start completing this quest in Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money by going to the fountain and there taking Dean as your partner by selecting the appropriate branch in the dialogue. Then take out the map and follow the given route. Once you find yourself in the northern part of Puesta del Sol, you need to go to the southern one, using the map back.

When you find yourself near the ladder, climb up it. Now you can do one of the following:

At the very beginning, persuade Dean to stay. For persuasion to be convincing, you need to use branches in the dialogue in the following order: 1-4-1-1-1 or 1-4-2-2-2.

Or convince him to stay, but with the choice of other branches in the dialogue, for example, 1-1-1-2-3-2. After the selected actions, Domino will ask you to activate the holograms, thus turning on his protective field. You can activate the holograms by approaching the terminal. The first one you will find behind Dean. Go through the door and you will see steps leading down. Having gone down, you will find yourself in a room in which there is a table with a terminal. Approach and activate the spotlight. Continue through Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money and move around in search of the second terminal. To do this, you must first go to the Ruined Cafe, which can be found by activating the map. In it, go up to the second floor and go into the room, the door to which will be open. Then find the green door and get out. Be careful because you might fall off.

After you make your way through the hole made in the wall located on the left side. You will find yourself in a room with another terminal. Approach him and activate the spotlight. Then find Dino Domino and talk to him, giving priority to the first line of dialogue. Then you can ask him to stay again. It is worth noting that if you have Repair at level 30, Barter at level 20, and Speech reaches 80, then feel free to choose the penultimate speech. The end result from all answers will be the same, but I advise you to choose 1,2 or 3, because this is the only way you can add experience to yourself.

Mixed signals

You will receive this task again from Elijah and 700 experience points in addition for successful completion. Start the quest in Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money by finding Christina, who is waiting for you near the fountain. Approaching her, select the desired answer in the dialogue. Then take out the map and head to the northern part of the Puesta del Sol location. You've been there before with Domino. As soon as you get close to the Switching Station in this territory, the following scenarios are possible:

1) If the repair level is at level 60, then find the switch hanging on the wall and click on this option: “Jury-rig the circuit breaker”.

2) If there is no such repair indicator, first find three fuses. Open the map and determine their location using the markers. Once you have all the fuses in your hands, you should select the following option: "Fix the circuit breaker using parts". After this, everything will be considered repaired and the doors will automatically open.

Go through the doors and look carefully around. You should see an arrow on the wall, following which you can go to the intercom. It is with its help that the collar on your neck beeps. Continue this quest in Fallout game: New Vegas - Dead Money and find the intercom, and then shoot it. Then go to the steps and go down them. Along the way you will see another intercom, which also needs to be disabled. Then you can open the door and turn to the right. Approach the stairs and you will see a toxic cloud. Go into it and find a white arrow there. Start walking in the direction she points. I just advise you to watch your step carefully, because along the way you can fall into four bear traps.

After walking a little, you will see steps leading up. Climb it and go to the turn leading to the left. I don’t recommend turning left, because your companion will be blown up. You can generally leave it near the entrance to the room, and move into the room yourself and pick up the loot. Then head to the door with the "Utility" sign on it. Go inside and open another door. There you will see cabinets, near which you can pick up an automatic rifle. Don't forget to check the contents of all the cabinets, what if you find something interesting there? It is worth noting that in the cabinet that has a complex lock, you will be able to pick up the code from the terminal.

After the code is in your hands, go to the computer hanging on the wall and activate the ventilation. This way you will get rid of the toxic cloud. You can continue the passage of Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money and go down to look for useful things in the rooms. It is worth noting that in the very last room in the house you can find a book about the order of battle of the Chinese special forces. Then you can navigate to the terminal called Remote Maintenance. Christina is waiting next to him, with whom you definitely need to talk. It is worth noting that you can apply any conversation options. Simply activate the terminal and select Transfer Control To This Station. Then go up to your accomplice and chat with her. After this, the quest will be read and the reward will be received.

Creating add-ons for RPGs is not an easy task. On the one hand, the developers need to preserve the mechanics and lore of the main game, on the other hand, they need to throw something fresh into the gameplay plus offer a story that will organically fit into the events of the series, but at the same time will have a certain self-sufficiency and its own charm. Plus, it is also necessary to at least partially take into account the expectations of the gaming audience - in general, a truly suitable DLC must meet a lot of conditions and combine many important aspects.

It is not surprising that fans of the series were awaiting the release of Dead Money with such tension: after all, it was in many ways that it was supposed to “set the bar” for all subsequent additions to New Vegas. I’ll say right away: the DLC was made at a quite decent level, although it cannot be called ideal.

The adventure, as usual, begins with receiving a radio signal; it comes from an abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker. Go there, and you will soon be drawn into the history of the Sierra Madre - a casino that was predicted to become the most famous and prosperous gambling establishment in America, but bad luck: on the eve of its grand opening, a nuclear war broke out. After this, the Sierra Madre became a real legend and was overgrown with rumors and stories about the untold riches stored there - these stories still excite treasure hunters, forcing them to embark on a dangerous journey.

Have you ever heard of the Sierra Madre Casino? We have all heard the legend about him and his curse. Tales of a casino in the middle of a city of the dead, covered with a blood-red cloud. A bright, shining beacon that lures treasure hunters to their doom.

Of course, you have to find the casino and uncover its secrets. The task is complicated by ghost people who live in a red cloud that long ago shrouded the Sierra Madre. Under the influence of the toxins emitted by it, the inhabitants of this area gradually mutated and went crazy. Armed with primitive but eerie weapons—for example, “Bear Fist” brass knuckles made from hunting traps—ghost people are very aggressive and uncompromising.

On top of that, Elaya (the former elder of the Mojave Brotherhood who sent you on this dangerous expedition) put an exploding collar on you with remote control and took away all the equipment.

Disarming you and setting you on a dangerous journey, Dead Money offers you three major standalone adventures. The first of them is Elaya's task: the Courier must find three fellow sufferers wearing the same collars and wait for further orders. First, Elijah advises finding the super mutant Dog. This unusual companion suffers from a split personality: he alternates between the cruel and undeveloped Dog and the erudite and sensible God. The second partner is the ghoul Dean Domino, a former showman and casino star. Elijah's third victim to find is mute girl Christine Royce, whose backstory is perhaps the most interesting of all.

It should be added that the prudent Elijah programmed the collars so that if any member of the group dies, the other three collars will also detonate - so the team really turned out to be very united. I won’t tell you about her attempts to break into the casino and what Elijah’s captives found inside, so as not to spoil your enjoyment of the game.

In general, before us is a huge adventure for 8 hours or even more; this of course depends on your playing style. Of course, you can run to the end, forgetting about dialogues, loot, and other interesting and important details - but then why do you need Fallout at all? That's what Call of Duty is for, after all...

So: did Dead Money manage to become an organic part of the main game, without turning into its twin and demonstrating its own charm? Yes, it is quite.

Sierra Madre

Sierra Madre is a mythical place in the Wasteland, and travelers risk their lives in search of it. Only one person actually "found" him and survived. After the defeat on HELIOS One, Father Elijah of the Mojav Brotherhood of Steel set out to find a new weapon in order to exterminate the NKR. He entered the Big Mountain, where he tried to find the necessary technology. There he came across the Little Yangtze, which contained several unactivated collars and one broken detonator. Without thinking twice, he took a large batch of these collars with him and planned a plan to escape from Big Mountains using a tunnel. While traveling through the Mojave, he heard about the Sierra Madre, figured out its location and went there.

Sierra Madre is a whole little universe with its own economy and its own currency: instead of caps, they use chips, instead of traveling merchants and shops there are vending machines. Initially, their range is limited to products intended for casino visitors, but during the process you can get codes that activate both the issuance of steam packs and the return of cigarettes and clothes to vending machines in exchange for chips.

Wearing an exploding collar makes the game fun, although, of course, it adds a lot of hassle. The collars are assembled from ancient pre-war components, and therefore can react to any random signal, be it a radio broadcast or loudspeakers installed in a casino, but it is not always possible to interrupt the signal or destroy or block its source.

The toxic red cloud also takes full effect and reduces your health at an alarming rate. If you play on high difficulty, then outdoor air is always dangerous for you, even in relatively clear weather. However, you can use the toxicity of the cloud by collecting its condensed particles in a jar. From this new component you can prepare a martini (a kind of analogue of buffout), poison (including a fast-acting one), and a drug that allows you to see in almost complete darkness.

Dead Money has interesting new enemies - holograms standing guard over the casino. Their range of action is small, but they are armed with lasers, and they can only be destroyed by turning off the emitters.

At first, all these obstacles and difficulties look quite exciting, but over time they begin to get boring. Yes, when you first discover that you only have a few seconds to locate and destroy the radio before your collar explodes and your head explodes into bloody pieces, it's exciting. And the second time is also impressive. But after several repetitions it begins to tire; The constant need to save, just in case, and then load saves, really spoils all the fun of exploration.

Well, in the end, this “trinity” - holograms, deadly radio signals and a toxic cloud - begins to frankly get on your nerves: interference is interference, but in Dead Money there is a clear overkill with this.

I would especially like to note the stories found here: they are wonderful. Almost every mission has fragments that unfold before you self-contained and fascinating (and sometimes epic) stories. In addition, the add-on forces you to alternately act in tandem with each of three “comrades in misfortune”, so it feels like you are really playing in a team of four - although you only have one companion at your disposal at a time.

Dead Money is literally packed with all sorts of backstories - both about the past life of your partners and about the mythical Sierra Madre. Ordinary dialogues give a very superficial idea of ​​the things that interest you, but intelligent questioning of your interlocutors and hacking of terminals can reveal many secrets.

However, even if you carefully monitor the cues, after the denouement you will not have the feeling that all the “i’s have been dotted.” I thought I was very attentive to detail and didn't miss anything, but when I found myself back in the Mojave Desert, I discovered that many things that were directly related to the main plot still passed me by.

If we talk about the amount of content presented by the add-on, there’s probably nothing to complain about. But you can make specific complaints about the quality, especially to the second part of the story: there both the plot and the gameplay openly “sag” due to weak quests that need to be completed in order to force your partners to act in a certain way. And, of course, wandering through the streets poisoned by a toxic cloud, the constant squeak of a radio-controlled collar, reminiscent of a random signal ready to finish you off - as already mentioned, such “adventures” quickly become boring; I don’t think there should have been such a clear and constant emphasis on them.

However, all these nuances do not make the addition boring or not exciting enough - rather, they deprive it of the right to be considered impeccable. I am sure that, overall, the first addition to New Vegas will not disappoint fans of the main game.

The courier ran out of the elevator, a metal box led him straight to the main square of the Villa. From underground came the roar of explosions that destroyed the vault where the corpse of the insane old man remained. Seriously, his madness had to be stopped. The main gate, wide open, creaked quietly from the light breeze. Familiar wheezing was heard behind me; these ghosts came to the grinding of the elevator. There are too many of them, there is no time to shoot back, you need to run. And the Courier ran. Holding his breath, he rushed through the gate, through the poisonous scarlet cloud. His eyes stung and his lips caught the disgusting taste of copper, such was the smell of the cloud of deadly gas that surrounded the Sierra Madre. The Courier did not remember how long he ran. He woke up in an abandoned bunker, where he had come earlier, guided by a mysterious radio signal. In the very bunker where he was put to sleep, and where this adventure began. In the middle of the room there was still a small table with a radio, but now it transmitted only creaky white noise. Was this really a dream? Was everything that happened just a hallucination caused by sleeping pills? No, this is not a dream. And the courier was immediately convinced of this when he felt the weight of a metal collar with explosives on his neck, with which Elijah shackled everyone he lured into the Sierra Madre. The detonator was disabled, apparently the collar was deactivated when the control panel was destroyed. Although he clearly remembered how the detonator squeaked when the old man fell with a death rattle, and how Christine shouted over the transmitter: “Run!” Having picked the lock, he removed the metal hoop from his neck and threw it aside. However, this was enough to take possession of him completely and completely. Where are they all now? And where is she now? Wait, before you go, I wanted to tell you...“- the same voice that lured gullible travelers here sounded. But now he sounded different. He was gentle and warm, he seemed so familiar that the Courier’s heart beat faster. Now it was she, Christine Royce, speaking in that voice. The one that, like a knife, stabbed into the young man’s heart and settled there forever. He clung to the receiver and began to listen carefully. “ “The recording was looped, and after a few seconds it started over again. The courier could not catch his breath, he was in confusion. His heart was breaking from what he heard, and everything inside hurt as if he had been cut with a circular saw. They're still there. She's still in Sierra Madre! He should have come back for her, they should have left together. But instead he ran away like a coward. Jumping to his feet, the guy frantically began to look around, began going through all the documents, and rummaged through the entire database of the terminal found in the bunker. He was looking for any hint of the location of the mysterious casino. But everything is in vain. No mentions. The recording on the radio continued to play Christine's voice over and over again. At some point, unable to bear the pain of despair, he threw the receiver at the wall. The crashed device fell silent. Realizing what he had done, the Courier fearfully began to examine the parts; the device could no longer be restored. Remembering the Pip-Boy, he tuned it to the desired frequency. The walls of the bunker were filled with Christine's voice again. Coming to the surface, the Courier began to look for traces around the drainage hatch. He was looking for the imprints of Dog's huge feet. After all, it was the super mutant who brought it to the Sierra Madre, and such traces are easy to distinguish and track. But it was in vain, the fierce Mojave winds scattered everything over the past few days. She was afraid that the Courier would not survive that meeting.

... I'm glad that we all met you, and we ... I'm grateful to you for everything that you brought into our lives. It's always hard to break up, believe me, but don't be sad. Come back to your friends, to your family, to those you care about and those who care about you. One person said that in life something new can happen every day, and fate is not only wealth in our hands. Now more than ever I understand what he was talking about. You gave us all a chance to start life over again. I hope you come back again. I would like to get to know you better. Until then, you will forever remain in my heart.

More work by this author 2

Don't look back Fandom: Originals Rating: G- fan fiction that can be read to any audience."> G Genres: Angst- strong feelings, physical, but more often spiritual suffering of the character; fan fiction contains depressive motives and some dramatic events."> Angst, Drama- conflicting relationships of heroes with society or with each other, intense and active experiences of various internal or external conflicts. Both successful and sad resolution of the conflict are possible."> Drama, POV - the narration is told from the first person."> POV Size: Drabble

- an excerpt that may or may not become a real fanfic. Often just a scene, a sketch, a description of a character."> Drabble, 1 page, 1 part Status: finished

Behind you is a nightmare, ahead of you is the unknown. I ran with only one thought: don't look back.

More on the "Fallout: New Vegas" fandom 14

Wake up Fandom: Fallout: New Vegas Pairings and characters: Boone, fem!Courier, Carla and Ulysses are mentioned Rating: PG-13- philosophical reflections on the meaning of life or some other eternal problem."> Philosophy, Hurt/comfort- one character suffers in one way or another, and the other comes to his or her aid."> Hurt/comfort Size: Mini- a little fanfic. Size from one typewritten page to 20."> Mini, 3 pages, 1 part Status: completed

Wake up, Craig. It's time. This nightmare has been going on for too long.

Old World Gold 11

Fandom: Fallout: New Vegas Pairings and characters: Courier, main characters of Dead Money Rating: R- fan fiction that contains erotic scenes or violence without detailed graphic description."> R Genres: Drama- conflicting relationships of heroes with society or with each other, intense and active experiences of various internal or external conflicts. Both a happy and sad resolution to the conflict is possible."> Drama, Warnings: Death of the main character- fan fiction in which one or more main characters die."> Death of a main character, OOC- Out Of Character, “Out of character” is a situation where a character in a fic behaves completely differently than one would expect based on his description in the canon."> OOC, Violence- description of actions of a violent nature (usually not sexual)."> Violence Size: Mini- a little fanfic. Size from one typewritten page to 20."> Mini, 5 pages, 1 part Status: completed Rating: R- fan fiction that contains erotic scenes or violence without detailed graphic description."> R Genres: Drama- conflicting relationships of heroes with society or with each other, intense and active experiences of various internal or external conflicts. Both successful and sad resolution of the conflict are possible."> Drama, Detective- detective story."> Detective, Post-apocalyptic- Stories about a world where some kind of catastrophe occurred that put humanity on the brink of extinction or in very difficult conditions for survival."> Post-apocalyptic, Friendship- Description of a close, non-sexual, non-romantic relationship between characters." > Friendship, Missing Scene- Story-assumption: "> Missed scene Warnings: OOC- Out Of Character, “Out of character” is a situation where a character in a fic behaves completely differently than one would expect based on his description in the canon."> OOC, Obscene language- the presence of obscene language (swearing) in the fanfic."> Obscene language, UST- Characters are attracted to each other, but for some reason do not engage in sexual contact or even open romantic interaction. It can be both mutual and unilateral."> UST, Geta elements- romantic and/or sexual relationships between a man and a woman."> Geta elements Size: planned Maxi- big fanfic. The size is often larger than the average novel. From approximately 70 typewritten pages."> Maxi, written 186 pages, 28 parts Status: in progress

McCready celebrates his 25th birthday under the old sign for Las Vegas, while Boone suppresses the desire to strangle the Courier, who, in turn, saves the world again. Or not.

Dead Money was the first DLC for Fallout New Vegas. The events in it revolve around the legendary treasures of the Sierra Madre Casino - the most luxurious casino in the West, a ghost casino.

Sierra Madre Grand Opening.

As with many additions before and after Dead Money, when you load the game you will receive a new radio signal heralding the grand opening of the magnificent Sierra Madre Casino.
Trying to track this signal will lead you to the Abandoned BoS Bunker northeast of Nelson.
Once in the bunker, go down the stairs. There you will see a door. Keep in mind that once you get through it, there is no going back.
When you're ready, come in. The first thing you will see will be an old radio. Come boldly and watch the story cutscene that opens the Dead Money add-on.
When you wake up, you will find Father Elijah nearby, who will explain what happened. Almost immediately you will discover that you are wearing a collar that will explode if you resist Eli's words, so be obedient.
Your first task will be to attract three more assistants to your side. You can collect them in any order.

Find Collar 8: Dog.

Go to the police station in Villa. Along the way, it's a good idea to check out the fountains. So you can find a certain amount of very useful items.
Once inside the site, you will immediately see Dog sitting in a cell opposite the entrance.
Keep in mind that as long as you stand at the entrance, you are safe. However, take a few steps and your collar will start beeping. If this goes on for too long, your life has the potential to end prematurely. To prevent this from happening, you just need to periodically return to the entrance.
To avoid danger, you need to disarm the radios in the room - one on the table opposite you, one on the left on the terminal and one on the floor opposite the camera. In addition, another such radio is located on the other side of the building, but you still need to get to it.
When all radios are turned off, you can feel calm and explore your surroundings.
After exploring the area, go down to the basement. Follow the corridors, following the voice. Quickly cross the room where the collar will start beeping again, and you will find yourself on the opposite side.
Keep moving forward until you reach the last room, in which you will find the last radio and Dog's Commands Holotape.
Return upstairs to free Dog. By the way, this super mutant suffers from split personality. With the help of a control record, you can make him consider himself either a devoted servant of Elijah, or a God - seeking to be freed from slavery.
In any case, the super mutant will join you as a companion.

Find collar 14 "Dean Domino" (Find Collar 14: Dean Domino).

Dean Domino's lair is located in a residential area. Leave the police station and head to the mission marker.
Be careful - along the way you will have to fight more than once with Ghost People. Keep in mind that if you fail to dismember them, disintegrate them, or Dog does not eat them, the enemies will rise and attack again.
Before you sit down in the chair, talk to Dog - send him to wait near the fountain. The thing is, you can only have one companion, and Dean is also vying for that role.
Sit down next to Dean and start a heart-to-heart conversation. However, the ghoul will almost immediately report that the chair in which you are sitting is mined. With enough explosives skill, you can convince him that the explosion will destroy both of you.
Invite Dean to join you and he will agree. Such a company, among other things, will allow you to stay longer in the area of ​​toxic gases.

Find Collar 12: Christine.

The last companion you will find is in the Medical District. The quest marker will lead you west of the central fountain.
The medical district is a dangerous place, and quite often your collar will beep in warning. This is due to loudspeakers, some of which can be disarmed with a shot.
Once you reach the Clinic, go inside. Very soon you will discover a holographic security system. These “ghosts” cannot be killed, so don’t even waste your ammo.
Go up to the second floor using the stairs on the left, but first reset the security system using the terminal next to the entrance. Send guards to the first floor and quickly run to the second - this way you will miss the holoramas.
Search the second floor. Be sure to go into the room in the middle - in the table you will find the key to the basement.
Go down the stairs opposite the entrance to the basement. Run along the dark corridors until you find a terminal. With its help, you can turn off the power in the entire building, which means you are no longer afraid of security and loudspeakers.
Return to the first floor and examine the situation. At the far end of the hall you will find Christine.
On the one hand, Christina is mute, and it will be difficult for you to communicate with her. On the other hand, she is an extremely useful companion.

Fires in the Sky.

Once all three companions have joined you, you can return to the central fountain of the Villa. After talking with Elijah, you will learn about the Gala Event. You will need to place your three companions at certain points so that they activate the devices at the right time. Only in this case will the Gala concert begin.
The first step is to take Dog/God to the substation in the southern part of Salida del Sol (Substation in Salida del Sol South).
Head to the southern entrance, following the quest marker. There will be some fighting along the way, so don't relax.
To complete the task you will need to strain your brain a little, so you will have to say goodbye to Dog. God will first have to find food to keep him in place.
Go hunting and kill a couple of ghost people. Their remains will definitely please God. This will solve the first problem.
To start the next quest, you need to return to the fountain again.

Play the orchestra (Strike Up the Band).

Your next companion should be Dean.
Head west and through the door you will enter the northern part of Puesta del Sol (Puesta del Sol North). Follow the marker and you will soon move to the southern part.
Uncover your weapons - ghost people and traps await you.
On the way to the marker, you will have to overcome a passage filled with gas. Quickly run through it and go up the stairs.
On the balcony above you will find five electrical wires. Dean's task will be to connect the wires at the right time. However, he will be very dissatisfied with his role.
Please note that simply clearing the area of ​​ghost people will not be enough. You need to find holograms that attract and distract them.
Once you share your plan with Dean, the location of two computer terminals will appear on the map. One of them is very close. The other is on the second floor of the building opposite. However, if you go through the courtyard, you will not find the passage to the right place. You need to walk around the area until you find the entrance to the Cafe.
Go inside, go up the stairs and you will see a door to the southern part of Puesta del Sol.
After passing through it, you will find yourself on the balcony adjacent to the room you need. Get over there and through the hole in the wall you will get to the terminal.
Return to Dean. Tell him that he must trust you, because if he dies, then you will die.
Leave Dean near the wires and return to the fountain.

Mixed Signals.

Only Christine remained. Return to the fountain, call her with you and go to the task marker at the Switching Station.
To get inside, you will have to go through several areas filled with toxic gas. Inside, you should also be careful and listen carefully to see if the collar beeps.
First of all, you will need to collect several items and repair the fuses (fuse box).
When you're done, go through the next door. The arrows painted on the wall will point to the loudspeakers, which will activate our collar. Destroy the two in the hall. The third one can be found if you go down the stairs.
Further your path will pass through a large room filled with gas. The exit you need is on the opposite side, but you don't have the strength to run that distance. However, you can find a side door to a small room with a terminal that turns on the ventilation. This will solve the gas problem.
After going through the next room, you will find an elevator. You can either force Christina to use it despite her fear, or set up remote access through a nearby terminal. The second option, by the way, will bring you some good karma.
This concludes preparations for the concert.

Launch of the Gala Concert (Trigger the Gala Event).

When all three companions are in place, it is time to begin the show.
Leave the substation and return to Villa, then head to Salida del Sol North.
Go through the door to reach another part of the area. Proceed further with extreme caution - ghost people have filled this area with various traps.
After making your way through the dangerous area, you will find yourself far to the east. The path will eventually lead you to a large covered courtyard. Continue your way until you reach the Bell Tower.
Use the control panel to signal Dean, Dog and Christina to start the Gala.
As soon as the fireworks go off, leave the bell tower. Be careful, what is happening has attracted a lot of ghost people, so you will need a lot of ammo.
Return to the Villa to the central fountain, and from there go north to meet the next task.

Put the Beast Down.

As soon as you enter the casino, you will be poisoned, and when you wake up, your companions will disappear. The first thing you need to do is restore the power supply.
Enter the casino through the double doors. Opposite you will see a security hologram.
Quickly move right to the computer terminal. Program the hologram with the second order, and the stairs will become free.
Go upstairs and head left to the balcony. Shoot the radio to the right of the back door, then enter.
Down in the hall you will see a security hologram. Climb the stairs exactly opposite the door and move along the corridor. Access the terminal and reconfigure the hologram to the first order.
Return to the place where you saw the hologram and go down. This way you will find a computer through which you can open the distribution cabinet. Now all you have to do is get to it and restore power to the casino.
From now on, all security holograms are disabled, so you can explore the casino in peace. Once you're done, head to the Cantina Madrid restaurant.
When you go inside, don't forget to pick up the Emergency Door Key on the right. It is difficult to find, so be extremely careful.
Return to the casino. Go upstairs to the balcony and from there even higher until you find a metal door. Open it with the key - this will be the entrance to the kitchen.
Dog will be waiting for you in the kitchen. He sniffed a little gas, so he became not quite adequate. You need to approach him very quickly and start a conversation before he gets into an argument with himself, which can end very badly.
Communication skill 50 will allow you to convince Dog to remove his collar, which will kill him.
Communication skill 75 will allow you to mentally suppress the Dog, which will lead to the death of this person, and God will prevail.
Communication skill 85 will allow you to combine the personalities of Dog and God into one.
And of course, you can simply kill the super mutant in battle.
Whatever you choose, this task will end.

Encore at "Curtain Call at the Tampico".

Return to the Lobby, go up the stairs and to the left - there you will find the entrance to the Tampico theater. However, the double doors will be blocked, so you will have to find another way.
Go left into the side hall. Quickly destroy the loudspeaker in the blue light on the right wall. The entire theater is literally filled with loudspeakers that will activate your collar. However, there are also safe zones.
At the front of the stage you will find a music stand. Take Vera's Partitures and the backstage key.
At this moment, Dean will appear from behind the scenes. But this time he won't be too friendly.
Regardless of the outcome of the dialogue, run through the door on the right - this way the security holograms will not notice you.
Go forward along the corridor, along the way destroy the radio in Dean's Dressing Room and around the turns of the corridor. Take Dean's Blackmail holotape and the key from the table.
Carefully move further along the corridor. In the large room on the right you will find another loudspeaker. It's not difficult to guess what needs to be done with it.
Go into Vera's dressing room at the far end of the corridor - there is another key and another recording (Dean Holotape) waiting for you.
Return to the theater and climb the stairs located in the near corner. Open the door and destroy the loudspeaker. All this must be done as quickly as possible.
Play Dean's song using the holoprojector. This will turn off the security holograms, and you can safely get behind the scenes.
Return to our favorite corridor and go through the door opposite Vera’s dressing room. There you will find Dean. You can just shoot him, or you can talk first. Either way, you'll end up having to kill him.
After this, all that remains is to leave the theater.

Remnants of former luxury (Last Luxuries).

So I came through Christine. To do this, you need to go to the Executive suites sector. You can get there through the door on the second floor of the foyer.
Walk along the corridor and turn left at the fork, since both doors on the right are locked.
As you move forward, you will soon find doors on the right and left. The door on the right can be opened if you have enough skill. The door on the left basically leads there, but through a room with a security hologram.
Move forward through a series of corridors until you find a computer. With its help you will open the door.
On the table next to the computer you will also find small key. With its help you can open the door from the first corridor to the Lux sector.
Once inside, you will notice that the metal door on the left, which was previously locked, is now open.
Explore the new area and head to the rooms on the left. Through them you will find yourself in another corridor with several double doors. Behind one of them you will find Christina.

Heist of the Centuries.

Final quest DLC will start as soon as you find Christine. During a conversation with her, you will receive Vera's Key.
Return to the foyer, and from there go to the kitchen. Turn off or destroy the radio on the floor, then fix the gas leak in the right corner. Now you can open another metal door. With its help you can quickly return to the foyer.
Please use the computer at the desk at the main entrance. Gain access to control the music of each of the three zones - this is how you learn the secret phrase.
Head back to Vera's apartment and talk to Christina. Tell her the code and she will open the vault for you.
Once you enter the vault, find the terminal on the right and gain access to the Maintenance Area.
Move forward quickly but carefully, destroying the loudspeakers along the way. A real labyrinth of corridors and passages awaits you, and in the end you will find yourself in a room with gold bars. Don't get too excited - they are quite heavy, so you can only carry a couple. Please note that you will not be able to leave the casino if you are overloaded.
Save your game and use the terminal in the center of the room. If you read the letter from Dean, you will find yourself locked in the shelter, which will be fatal for you. So choose Vera and then you will be able to contact Elijah. Tell him that he can come to the vault and take the treasure.
Next, you can act in two ways - stay in the vault, wait for him to appear and kill him (note, in order to get the achievement, you will need to kill him with your own hands, and not with the help of turrets). After this, you need to leave the shelter as quickly as possible, otherwise the explosion will kill you.
You can also simply escape from the vault, leaving Elijah free to explore the area on his own. By taking the elevator up, you will thus doom Elijah to death.