Quarry Junction is a location in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas.
Background[]
Following the First Battle of Hoover Dam in 2277, the quarry was taken under the ownership of the New California Republic, serving as the primary source of limestone used in mixing cement to make the concrete used by NCR engineers in construction, primarily military fortifications along the Colorado River to defend against attacks by Caesar's Legion.
The limestone mined at Quarry Junction is sent to Boulder City for mixing by railroad and from there to the various construction sites along the river. The workers employed by the NCR have benefitted greatly from the pre-War draglines present and still functional on-site, increasing their output tremendously despite the technology's age necessitating some percussive maintenance from time to time.[1] According to Chomps Lewis, the only drawback to their operations is that workers are paid in NCR dollars, rather than the Hub's bottle caps; the former is a somewhat less stable fiat currency after a history of the NCR being unable to sustain its original gold reserve backing, whereas the latter is still backed by exchange for fixed amounts of fresh water by the merchants of the Hub.[2]
In 2281, the breakout at the NCR Correctional Facility placed a heavy burden on continued operations at Quarry Junction when members of the Powder Gangers stole the workers' supply of dynamite used for blasting. The workers believe that the resulting lack of noise and activity at the quarry led to a pack of deathclaws moving in and taking over the quarry. The combination of dangerous wildlife and lack of dynamite left the workers without work and prospects for the future, waiting for a solution from the republic or a miracle.[3] Left with nothing to do but sit around, the workers took steps to prevent others from accidentally wandering into danger by constructing makeshift warning signs and stopping any northbound travelers along Interstate 15 heading toward New Vegas.[Non-game 1]
Layout[]
The quarry has two entrances, including one entrance that is found by traveling on the road northeast of Sloan. Another entrance is next to the Great Khan encampment to the west of Quarry Junction, between Goodsprings Cemetery and Quarry Junction. This entrance has members of the Great Khans nearby, waiting to complete a drug deal. The rest of the quarry has natural borders made of large mountains and limestone deposits that prevent entry. The workers and residents of Sloan have even posted signs near the quarry warning travelers that there are deathclaws in that area, even as far as Goodsprings Cemetery.
There are many deathclaws guarding both entrances, and the inside contains even more. There are also young deathclaws, a deathclaw alpha male and the deathclaw mother with her litter of babies. She's walking around at the back of the quarry near her den, which includes human remains and a super stimpak.
Notable loot[]
- Fat Man - Near a human skeleton in the southern pool of water.
- Two mini nukes - One found just submerged a few feet into the pool of water from the Fat Man and one found in the den.
- Pile of deathclaw eggs - In the den on the northwest side of the quarry. Relevant to a certain part of Bleed Me Dry
- One light machine gun - Also in the den.
Related quests[]
Notes[]
- The deathclaws, mother deathclaw and deathclaw alpha male are variants of the regular ones found in the Mojave, with double to triple health, much more powerful attack and faster pace.
- Even after killing the deathclaw alpha male and deathclaw mother, any remaining deathclaws will remain there for a couple of in-game days.
- Once the area is clear of deathclaws, bark scorpions occasionally appear in Quarry Junction.
- Even after the area has been cleared of deathclaws, it is not unusual for a lone deathclaw to spawn on the outskirts of the quarry.
- Chomps Lewis in Sloan mentions that the draglines sitting around Quarry Junction were used by the quarry workers before the deathclaw infestation, but none can be operated by the player character.
Appearances[]
Quarry Junction appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
Behind the scenes[]
- The in-game Quarry Junction is located in the same geographical area as the real-world Sloan Limestone Quarry in Sloan, Nevada.
- The concept of Quarry Junction came from project director Joshua Sawyer, though it was fully designed and implemented by Jeff Husges.[Non-game 2]
- Josh Sawyer has also addressed criticism that the presence of Quarry Junction, as well as Black Mountain and Scorpion gulch, was to simply gatekeep the player from the New Vegas Strip. He stated that the common strategy to get past these areas by sneaking past is not a glitch but an intended solution and a further test for "players to Git Gud or Die."[Non-game 3]
- Greg Ruddick, the main weapons tester on New Vegas at Bethesda Softworks said that his test for whether a weapon was too powerful was to take it to Quarry Junction, and if he could eliminate the deathclaws before they could get to him, the weapon was modified to be less strong.[Non-game 4]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The Courier: "What does the NCR need with the cement?"
Chomps Lewis: "It all gets shipped by rail over towards Boulder City and Hoover Dam. The NCR's probably building fortifications with it all."
The Courier: "What's a dragline?"
Chomps Lewis: "It's a big machine which moves rocks around, piles at a time. It's Pre-War tech, so you need to thump it once in awhile to keep it running."
(Chomps Lewis' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "You don't get paid in caps?"
Chomps Lewis: "Nope. The NCR's been trying to switch over to using paper money, like in the Pre-War days. Trouble is that the exchange rates ain't exactly fair. For example, a hundred bucks in NCR money is valued at roughly half that in caps around here. Seems like a rotten deal for us, but work is work."
(Chomps Lewis' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Where'd the Deathclaws come from?"
Chomps Lewis: "They moved into the quarry after the Powder Gangers came through and made off with most of our dynamite. We shut the quarry down while we waited for the NCR to get us some more blasting sticks, but now the Deathclaws have shown up. The NCR's a no-show, and my men and I have got nothing to do but sit on our asses all day. It's damn frustrating."
The Courier: "Have you had problems with Deathclaws before?"
Chomps Lewis: "We'd see them occasionally, but they didn't seem too keen on getting too close to the quarry. Not sure if it was the noise or all the workers. I can't believe that an entire pack moved into the quarry. I thought that kind of bad luck only happened in New Vegas."
The Courier: "I could take care of your Deathclaw problem."
Chomps Lewis: "Have you even seen a Deathclaw? They're taller than a man and far, far stronger and faster. And, there's a whole pack of them out there. You'd have to be the meanest, toughest, roughest bastard in the wasteland to have any chance against them, and I don't think that's you. You'd need to take out the pack leaders - the Mother Deathclaw and the Deathclaw Alpha Male. Kill 'em, and the pack will scatter. Pretty tough job."
The Courier: "I could take care of your Deathclaw problem."
Chomps Lewis: "I don't what it is about you, but I think you could actually pull it off. Deathclaws are tough bastards, but you might be even tougher. Nobody here's any use to you in a fight against Deathclaws, but take these medical supplies. You'll probably need them. To do the job right, you've got to get rid of the pack leaders - the Mother Deathclaw and the Deathclaw Alpha Male. Should run the rest of 'em off."
(Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition pp. 380-381: "[4.03] Quarry Junction
Arguably the most dangerous are of the Mojave Wasteland, and the reason the Long 95 is currently closed to all but the bravest (or most inept) wanderers. Quarry Junction is a massive, sprawling rock quarry with numerous tiers to it, and over a dozen ferocious Deathclaws, including larger entities that require all your stamina (and firepower) to defeat! The workers at Sloan [4.08] live a fearful (and unprofitable) existence with this menace still prevalent. There's a reason warning signs have been constructed as far away as the Yangtze Memorial [4.07]...."
(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland) - ↑ Q&A session with Josh Sawyer during a live charity stream. (reference begins at 8:42:42)
- ↑ Josh Sawyer's Twitter
- ↑ Greg Ruddick's Twitter
