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For the contents of the terminals, see Fallout 3 terminal entries. For locks in Fallout 3, see Lock (Fallout 3). |
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Hacking is a gameplay mechanic used to gain access to terminals in Fallout 3.
Characteristics[]
A list of words will be presented, all of the same character lengths, interposed with random characters. The length of the words is determined by the difficulty of the terminal. The number of words is determined by how high one's Science skill is. One of the words is the correct password, and the goal is to guess it by clicking on it.
If incorrect, the terminal will display "x/y correct" where x is the number of correct letters, and y is the word length. There will be four attempts to select the correct password, at which point the player character will be permanently locked out. With the Computer Whiz perk, an additional try is available.
Symbols[]
Aside from the words on the screen, the player will also be presented with several symbols. If the player can find groups of symbols in between sets of brackets, such as []. {}. (). and <>, selecting them will remove duds, or incorrect passwords, and replenish the number of attempts the player has before being locked out.
When selecting a bracketed text string when there is only one selectable word left it will have no effect and say "Entry Denied." Previous choices are displayed on the right-hand side of the terminal. To get to the hacking mini-game quickly, click the startup screen on the terminal to skip to the next screen. Click once more to load the hack screen instantly.
Requirements[]
Terminal level | Science skill requirement |
Password length | XP reward |
---|---|---|---|
Very Easy | 15 | 4-5 | 20 |
Easy | 25 | 6-8 | 30 |
Average | 50 | 9-10 | 40 |
Hard | 75 | 11-12 | 50 |
Very Hard | 100 | 13-15 | 60 |
Locations[]
Place (or closest map marker) | Location in place | Skill level | Purpose | How Many | Bad Karma? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexandria Arms | Second floor | Average | Unlocks door to Storeroom | 1 | No |
Arlington Library | Library lobby | Easy | Information | 4 | No |
Arlington Library | Arlington Library Media Archive middle floor | Average | Turret control | 4 | No |
Arlington Library | Arlington Library Media Archive top floor | Average | Turret control | 4 | No |
Arlington Library | Arlington Library Media Archive top floor | Average | Unlocks safe | 4 | No |
Anacostia Crossing Station | near Seward Square exit | Average | Protectron | 1 | |
Anchorage War Memorial | At the top of the steps leading to the Anchorage Memorial Facility Bay | Average | Unlock Door | 1 | |
Bethesda ruins | Bethesda Offices East | Average | Turret control | 2 | |
Bethesda ruins | Bethesda Offices West | Average | Turret control | 2 | |
Capital Wasteland | Southeast of the Arlington Library at a Talon Company checkpoint | Average | Turret Control | 1 | |
Capital Wasteland | Southeast of flooded metro on a bridge near a raider encampment | Average | Turret Control | 1 | |
Citadel | In the Clinic, Ring B | Very Hard | Information | 3 | Yes |
Citadel | Squire Maxon's Room, Ring B | Very Easy | Information | 3 | |
Citadel | Elder Lyons' room, Ring B | Very Hard | Information | 3 | |
Dunwich Building | Forsaken Dunwich ruins | Easy | Story Infos | 1 | |
Dunwich Building | Forsaken Dunwich ruins, second level, behind Average locked door | Easy | Story of a scavenger who holed himself up in the room waiting for a 'Billy'. His corpse and gear can be found at your feet. | 1 | |
Dupont Circle station | In the room before the cavern, behind a door | Average | Turret Control | 2 | |
Dupont Circle station | South of the collapsed car tunnel exit. | Very Easy | Protecton robot control | 2 | |
Crater Camp | Just west of Fort Bannister | Average | Information | 1 | |
Fairfax ruins | Southeast of, halfway to Andale | Average | Turret control | 1 | |
Franklin Station | Near the entrance of Franklin Metro utility | Easy | Unlocks Door | 1 | |
Farragut West station | Office near entrance | Very Easy | Protector Robot control | 1 | |
Foggy Bottom station | Near the entrance of Dupont Circle | Average | Protectron Robot control | 1 | |
Fort Bannister | Fort Bannister Bunker | Easy | Turret Control System | 3 | |
Fort Bannister | Commanding Officer's Quarters | Average | Unlocks door | 3 | |
Fort Bannister | Commanding Officer's Quarters | Average | Turret Control System | 3 | |
Fort Independence | Fort Independence Lower Level | Average | Turret Control System | 2 | |
Fort Independence | Fort Independence Lower Level | Hard | Unlocks Door | 2 | |
Franklin Metro utility | Right after entering | Hard | Unlocks safe | 2 | |
Franklin Metro utility | Below of first room | Hard | Turret Control | 2 | |
Germantown police HQ | Ground Floor | Very Hard | Unlocks jail cell doors | 4 | |
Germantown police HQ | Ground Floor | Very Hard | Unlocks contraband closet | 4 | |
Germantown police HQ | Top Floor | Very Hard | Information | 4 | |
Germantown police HQ | Top Floor | Easy | Unlocks safe | 4 | |
Grayditch | Doctor Lesko's Shack | Average | Information related to Those! | 2 | |
Grayditch | Brandice's House | Easy | Information | 2 | |
Greener Pastures disposal site | Offices | Average | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
Jefferson Memorial | Jefferson Museum and gift shop | Average | Turret Control System | 1 | |
Jefferson Memorial | Jefferson Museum and gift shop | Very Easy | Scribe Bigsley's terminal, Only in Broken Steel | 1 | |
Jury Street Metro station | Jury St. tunnels | Very Easy | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
Little Lamplight | The Great Chamber, northwest corner | Average | Opens Vault 87 Reactor Door (see Joseph) | 1 | |
L.O.B. Enterprises | East Wing, northwest corner | Very Hard | Info on unique pistol | 1 | |
Lucky's | Inside, on a counter | Hard | Unlocks scavenger's safe | 1 | |
Marigold station | Left of behind subway car near flashing light | Easy | Unlocks door | 2 | |
Marigold station | Dr. Lesko's Office | Average | Unlocks access door and notes | 2 | |
MDPL mass relay station | Inside Power Station | Very Hard | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
MDPL-13 power station | Derelict Power Plant, inside upper office | Average | Unlocks safe | 3 | |
MDPL-13 power station | Derelict Power Plant, inside lower office | Hard | Turret Control | 3 | |
MDPL-13 power station | Inside power substation, on desk | Hard | Unlocks safe | 3 | |
MDPL-16 power station | Power Substation | Average | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
MDPL-21 power station | Power Substation | Hard | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
Megaton | Children of Atom | Very Easy | Information | 5 | Yes |
Megaton | Craterside Supply | Very Easy | Information | 5 | Yes |
Megaton | Megaton armory | Hard | Deactivating Deputy Steel and Weld | 5 | Yes |
Megaton | Moriarty's Saloon | Average | Information (Finding out where dad went) | 5 | Yes |
Megaton | The Brass Lantern | Very Easy | Information and unlocks safe | 5 | Yes |
Meresti service tunnel | Meresti Trainyard Station Entry terminal | Very Hard | Information | 1 | |
Meresti Metro station | The Family's terminal | Very Hard | Information | 3 | |
Meresti Metro station | The Family's terminal #2 | Very Hard | Information | 3 | |
Meresti Metro station | Vance's terminal | Very Hard | Information and Unlock safe | 3 | |
Museum of History | Lower Hall - Top of Staircase on right | Average | Turret Control | 2 | No |
Museum of History | Offices - Go left at the top of the stairs, then go left after the Very Hard door | Average | Turret Control | 2 | No |
Museum of Technology | Atrium, In the Security Station | Average | Turret Control | 4 | |
Museum of Technology | West Wing, In the Security Station | Average | Turret Control | 4 | |
Museum of Technology | West Wing, In the Security Station | Average | Information | 4 | |
Museum of Technology | West Wing, in the Planetarium Control Room | Easy | Unlocks planetarium exit door (if you have less than 50 lockpick and cant unlock it) | 4 | |
National Archives | Next to archives sub-basement door | Easy | Unlocks door | 1 | |
National Guard depot | Offices Wing, behind a locked door (average) on the other side of the wall (go up the stars and down the other side) there is an unlocked door that goes to the same room. | Average | Disable turrets | 4 | No |
National Guard depot | Training Wing | Average | Disable turrets | 4 | No |
National Guard depot | National Guard depot | Average | Disable turrets (#1) | 4 | No |
National Guard depot | National Guard depot | Average | Disable turrets (#2) | 4 | No |
Northwest Seneca Station | Inside Grocer, on counter | Easy | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
Nuka-Cola plant | South East of Wasteland | Very Easy | Activating Convoy Belt for Nuka-Cola Quantum's | 2 | |
Nuka-Cola plant | Storage and Mixing V.A.T.S. | Very Easy | Activating security Protectron | 2 | |
Olney Powerworks (Broken Steel Add-on) | Olney Powerworks | Very Hard | Unlocks Door to Tesla Coil | 2 | No |
Olney Powerworks (Broken Steel Add-on) | Olney Powerworks | Hard | Machine Fail safe for Electrical Field around Tesla Coil | 2 | No |
Our Lady of Hope Hospital | First floor | Average | Information (Nurse Station 01) | 4 | |
Our Lady of Hope Hospital | First floor, north | Average | Information (Nurse Station 02) | 4 | |
Our Lady of Hope Hospital | Inside entrance, near reception | Average | Turret Control System | 4 | |
Our Lady of Hope Hospital | Second floor, dead end to the east | Average | Information (Nurse Station 03) | 4 | |
Outcast outpost | In Protector McGraw's chamber. (Operation: Anchorage) | Very Easy | Information | 1 | |
Paradise Falls | In Eulogy's Pad, on the table with the Speech bobblehead near the heart bed | Average | Use in quest Rescue from Paradise | 1 | |
Queen ant's hatchery | Accessed from Marigold station | Average | Use in quest Those! | 1 | |
Raven Rock | Level 1B, Delivery terminal | Average | Unlocks Cage #364 | 3 | |
Raven Rock | Level 1B | Average | Disables Force Field | 3 | |
Raven Rock | Level 2C, same room as Bobblehead - Energy Weapons | Average | Disables Force Field | 3 | |
Red Racer factory | CEO Offices | Average | Disable chip broadcast | 3 | |
Red Racer factory | CEO Offices | Average | Surgeon's Notes | 3 | |
Red Racer factory | CEO Offices | Average | Surgeon's Notes & disable chip broadcast | 3 | |
Rivet City | Midship Deck, Abraham Washington's room | Average | Information | 8 | Yes |
Rivet City | Midship Deck, Seagrave Holmes's room | Average | Information | 8 | No |
Rivet City | Tower (2 terminals) | Very Easy | Information | 8 | No |
Rivet City | Upper Deck, Clinic | Average | Information | 8 | Yes |
Rivet City | Upper Deck, Doctor Li's room | Easy | Information | 8 | Yes |
Rivet City | Upper Deck, Bannon's room | Easy | Information | 8 | Yes |
Rivet City | Upper Deck, hotel lobby | Very Easy | Information | 8 | Yes |
RobCo facility | Upper Level - Offices and Cafeteria | Average | Robot control | 1 | |
Roosevelt Academy | Ground Floor - Admin Office | Very Easy | Protectron | 2 | |
Roosevelt Academy | Ground Floor - Nurse Office | Hard | Open safe | 2 | |
SatCom Array NN-03d | Tower C | Very Easy | Open Door | 1 | |
SatCom Array NW-05a | Southeast of Raven Rock | Average | Turret Control | 1 | |
Steelyard | In front of a line of 4 Protectron's | Hard | 4 Protectron's | 1 | |
Super-Duper Mart | In a storage area the back of the store, next to the Protectron. | Very Easy | Protectron | 2 | |
Super-Duper Mart | Office at the back of the store. | Easy | Opens door to the storage area to the right of the terminal. | 2 | |
Taft Tunnel | Before the flood door | Very hard | ? | 1 | |
Tenpenny Tower | In Boutique Le Chic, 1st Floor | Average | Unlocks safe | 4 | Yes |
Tenpenny Tower | In New Urban Apparel, 1st Floor | Average | Unlocks safe | 4 | Yes |
Tenpenny Tower | In the Federalist Lounge, 1st Floor | Easy | Store Discount | 4 | |
Tenpenny Tower | Metro Access & Generator around back of the tower | Easy | Unlock containment door for Tenpenny Tower | 4 | |
Tepid sewers | To the left of the entrance | Average | Control automated turrets | 2 | |
Tepid sewers | Outside Rocksalt's storage room | Easy | Unlocks Rocksalt's storage room | 2 | |
Underworld | Winthrop's Room | Average | Information/Unlocks safe | 4 | Yes |
Underworld | The Chop Shop | Very Easy | Information | 4 | Yes |
Underworld | The Ninth Circle | Very Easy | Information/Unlocks safe | 4 | Yes |
Underworld | Underworld Outfitters | Very Easy | Information | 4 | Yes |
VAPL-58 power station | Inside building | Very Hard | Unlocks safe | 1 | |
Vault 87 | Living Quarters | Average | Information/Unlocks safe | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Isolation Room 01 | Hard | Unlocks Door | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Isolation Room 02 | Hard | Unlocks Door | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Isolation Room 03 | Hard | Unlocks Door | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Isolation Room 04 | Hard | Unlocks Door | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Isolation Room 05 | Hard | Unlocks Door | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Lab Tehnician | Average | Unlocks Door | 8 | |
Vault 87 | Test Labs, Medical Wing Maintenance | Average | Unlocks Door(s) | 8 | |
Vault 92 | Living Quarters | Average | Women's Dorm Security terminal | 5 | |
Vault 92 | Living Quarters | Average | Men's Dorm Security terminal | 5 | |
Vault 92 | Living Quarters | Hard | Data Storage Entry | 5 | |
Vault 92 | Living Quarters | Average | Security terminal | 5 | |
Vault 92 | Atrium | Average | Supply Shop | 5 | |
Vault 101 | Interrogation room during Trouble on the Homefront | Average | Opens cell, Information (this terminal is unlocked during Escape!) | 3 | |
Vault 101 | Overseer's office | Very Easy | Opens tunnel, Information | 3 | No |
Vault 101 | Sub-Level | Hard | Information | 3 | |
Vault 106 | Entrance, security room | Very Easy | Information | 2 | |
Vault 106 | Living Quarters, Overseers office | Very Hard | Information | 2 | |
Vault 112 | Tranquility Pod Floor | Hard | Unlocks door to Supply Room | 1 | |
Vault-Tec headquarters | Vault-Tec Administration, Lower Floor, northeast corner | Average | Disable turrets | 2 | |
Vault-Tec headquarters | Vault-Tec Administration, Upper Floor | Average | Disable turrets | 2 | |
Wheaton Armory | Bottom of missile silo | Average | Turret control | 2 | |
Wheaton Armory | Bottom of missile silo | Very Hard | Unlocks Door | 2 | |
Greener Pastures disposal site | In the offices of the disposal site on a table when you walk into the offices | Average | Unlocks safe | 2 |
Notes[]
To gain the Data Miner achievement/trophy, 50 terminals must be hacked.