The Power of the Atom

Fallout 3 Guide - Miscellaneous Quests

The Power of the Atom

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|HOW TO UNLOCK: Talk to Sheriff Lucas Simms in Megaton, or talk to Mr. Burke at|
|               Moriarty's Saloon in Megaton.                                  |
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|ITEMS: [] Strength Bobblehead, {} Hunting Rifle.                              |
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|QUEST REWARD: Bomb Disarmed: [] 100 Caps / 500 Caps (with Speech),            |
| (300 EXP)                   [] My Megaton House Key, [] Megaton House,       |
|                             []  200 Karma (if offered to disarm for free).   |
|              Bomb Explodes: [] 500 Caps / 1000 Caps (with Speech),           |
|                             [] My Tenpenny Tower Suite Key, [] Tenpenny Suite|
|                             [] -1000 Karma.                                  |
|ENEMIES: ---                                                                  |
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When visiting Megaton, ask Lucas Simms about the Atom Bomb and tell him you can handle it.  A speech challenge can increase your reward from 100 caps to 500, which is needless to say quite a lot.  Equip the Vault 101 Jumpsuit for a small increase ( 2) in Speech, and reset until he gives in with 500 Caps.

Now visit Moriarty's Saloon on have a chat with the business man sitting on the right of the entrance.  His name is Mr. Burke and he wants the exact opposite of Lucas Simms: He wants you to blow up Megaton.  Err, that isn't advisable, as there is enough for you to do in Megaton.  If you're truly evil, do everything in Megaton first, then follow his instructions.

Note: If you are female and have the Black Widow Perk you can seduce Burke out of blowing Megaton up - an interesting option to say the very least.

A better idea is to tell Lucas Simms that Mr. Burke wants to blow up Megaton and he'll holler to the saloon.  Head after him and be on your guard.  As soon as their chat is over, shoot Mr. Burke before he can assault the Sheriff.  He'll be thankful.  Loot his body and continue with the quest.

If you already have a high enough Explosives Skill (25 ) you can disarm the bomb right away, but you can still do the optional part if you feel like it.  Talk to Leo Stahl at the Brass Lantern (food store near the bomb) and talk to him about his addiction.  1. If you succeed at the Speech Challenge, he'll hand you the [LEO'S STASH KEY] to the box in the Water Processing Plant.  2. Threaten to tell his family and he'll agree to sell you some after his shift.  Meet him past 20.00 hours in the Water Processing Plant, where he'll sell you Mentats among other things.

Mentats increase your INT (and PER) by 5, which should be more than enough to crank an average (17) Explosives Skill to above 25.  Head over to the Bomb and disarm it.  Report to Lucas Simms to receive your caps, plus your own residence in Megaton where you can store your items.  You can also make a visit to Lucas Simm's House now.

Note: Did Lucas Simms die by the hands of Burke? No worries! You can loot a Chinese Assault Rifle off his body, along with the key to his house.  As for the quest's reward, you ask?  Locate Simms' Son (a small boy) and he'll hand over the reward instead.
Enter and go upstairs. The door to the NE leads to a room where you can find the [STRENGTH BOBBLEHEAD], which permanently increases your STR by 1.  Nice!  You can also steal the {HUNTING RIFLE} from the other room, but it's a weapon that you'll come across soon enough during your journeys.  You can also find a Toy Car in his house.