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Intro
Bobbleheads are a relatively new, albeit classic element of Fallout found in every Bethesda Fallout game. Introduced in Fallout 3, these served as Vault-Tec promotional items.
After the war, these bobbleheads have become collectibles that possess potent beneficial effects for any Lone Wanderer who can find them. There is a bobblehead for every S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute and skill, for a total of 20 bobbleheads.
The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. bobbleheads increase their attribute by 1 (Unless it is level 10). The skill bobbleheads increase their skill by 10 points (Unless said skill is level 100).
Some are extremely easy to find, while others have noticeable obstacles to climb, defeat, or avoid. Today, we’ll look at the Fallout 3 bobblehead locations and I’ll show you how to obtain all of them. Let’s get started.
Strength
The Strength bobblehead is an easy one to find. It’s in Megaton in Sheriff Lucas Simms’ house, which is the house to the immediate right of Megaton’s entrance. Head up to the second floor, and you’ll find it on a desk in the bedroom on the left.
If you’ve yet to disarm the bomb in Megaton, you won’t be able to enter Simm’s house without picking the lock on his front door. Unless that is, you engage in some terrible, albeit possible, platforming.
Head past the entrance of his house to the right side of his house. Drag a barrel near the railing close to the side of his house. Jump on the barrel, then jump onto the roofing of his house. You’ll be able to enter the upper entrance/exit and won’t need to use your lockpicking skills.
If you decide to blow up Megaton, get this bobblehead before doing so. Otherwise, it will be unobtainable.
Perception
The Perception bobblehead is in the Museum of Dave in the Republic of Dave northeast of Old Olney, the deathclaw deathtrap. The Perception bobblehead is on a bookshelf on the right side of the Museum.
Endurance
The Endurance bobblehead is in a thematically-appropriate location, inside the Deathclaw Sanctuary. After all, you have to be a tough son of a gun to get it.
The Deathclaw Sanctuary is slightly southeast of Broadcast Tower KB5. If you’ve completed The Waters of Life, an easy way to tell you’re in the right place is the nearby Enclave encampment. And the deathclaws.
The Endurance bobblehead is lying on a pedestal near a pile of corpses. You’ll find it at the bottom of the first slope. You can also snag a mini nuke and a copy of Nikola Tesla and You. It’s possible to use a Stealth Boy (Or not) to grab it without any deathclaws detecting you.
If you have a Dart Gun, it’s a great way of crippling deathclaws’ legs to prevent them from using their lunging attack on you.
Charisma
Where else would the Charisma bobblehead be if not in the Vault full of people who can only say one word?
The Charisma bobblehead is in Vault 108. Or as some like to call it, the Gary Vault. It’s almost due south of Canterbury Commons, home of the Superhuman Gambit quest.
The bobblehead itself is in the Cloning Lab on a table. There are a lot of Gary clones down here, but they’re all weaklings. Even a low-level Lone Wanderer can get this bobblehead early on with little trouble.
Intelligence
The Intelligence bobblehead is an easy one to get. It’s on a table in the Science Lab in Rivet City on the far southeastern side of the map.
Many players opt to obtain this bobblehead immediately after leaving Vault 101 to maximize their skill points upon leveling up.
Be careful not to speak to Madison Li while down in the Science Lab if you want to complete the main questline in the proper order.
Agility
The Agility bobblehead is in the Greener Pastures disposal site southwest of Vault 92 and Old Olney. This general area is a hotspot for Yao guai, and the exterior of the Greener Pastures disposal site is hot with radiation.
Inside the office is the Agility bobblehead on a desk next to an Average-locked terminal.
Luck
The Luck bobblehead is easy to miss since many players gloss over Arlington Cemetery.
To get your hands on the Luck Bobblehead, make your way to the Arlington Wasteland Metro south of Wilhelm’s Wharf. After exiting the Metro, travel to the center of the cemetery. You’ll find the Arlington House on a hill.
Head down into the basement with the Abraham Lincoln shrine. The Luck bobblehead is on a shelf on the western side of the basement.
Be advised that if you have selected the Lawbringer perk, a raider named Junder Plunkett will be inside Arlington House. Plunkett wields a unique set of spiked knuckles called Plunkett’s Valid Points.
Barter
The Barter bobblehead is one of the toughest to get in Fallout 3. To obtain it, you have to make your way through Evergreen Mills.
Evergreen Mills is east of Smith Casey’s garage and southwest of Jury Street Metro Station.
Evergreen Mills is one of the largest raider encampments in the Capital Wasteland and also home to one of Fallout 3’s five super mutant behemoths. Be careful if approaching via the train tracks, as they have a bunch of frag mine traps.
The best way to take out the raiders here is to pick them off from a distance. Circle the perimeter of Evergreen Mills to give yourself better assault positions.
Alternatively, you can shut down the electric generator to the gate of the super mutant behemoth’s pen. Once free, the behemoth will kill most of the raiders on the ground. Focus on knocking off the raiders on the upper levels.
Once all the raiders outside are dead, head inside and fight through the foundry and into the bazaar. There will be nearly a dozen raiders to kill in here.
On the right side of the bazaar is Smiling Jack, a non-hostile raider vendor. Jack possesses the powerful Terrible Shotgun. But we’re here for the Barter bobblehead. It’s on a shelf behind and to the right of the workbench.
If you want, it’s possible to use a Stealth Boy to obtain this bobblehead without fighting anyone. Just make your companions wait outside Evergreen Mills. I never do this as I love the exp you gain from killing everyone here. But if you’re looking to get the Barter bobblehead as quickly as possible, this is the best option.
Big Guns
The Big Guns bobblehead is another toughy. Getting it requires traversing Fort Constantine.
Fort Constantine is in the northwestern part of the map, northeast of Deathclaw Sanctuary and northeast of SatCom Array NW-05a. Bring plenty of pulse grenades for this one, as Fort Constantine is full of the strongest robot foes in Fallout 3, like Mister Gutsy and Sentry Bots.
The Big Guns bobblehead is in the CO Quarters in the northwest part of the fort. You’ll find it in an open safe in the basement near the Fort Constantine launch codes.
Energy Weapons
The Energy Weapons bobblehead is a bit of an annoying one. You can find it at Raven Rock, which is only accessible during the main quest, The American Dream.
In other words, you must rush the main questline to get it.
The Energy Weapons bobblehead is in Colonel Autumn’s bedroom in Sector 2C. You’ll have to fight through waves of Enclave soldiers to reach it, so this isn’t a bobblehead you’ll want to rush getting. It’s also best to hold off on The American Dream until you’re at a relatively high-level, so Enclave soldiers’ armor and weapons have good conditioning and high value.
You’ll find the Energy Weapons bobblehead on a desk in Colonel Autumn’s room. You have one chance to get this bobblehead, as you won’t be getting inside Raven Rock again. Make sure to grab it before speaking to President Eden, or you’ll miss out on it.
Explosives
The Explosives bobblehead is the one I’ve missed the most over the years. It’s in an unmarked cistern near the WKML Broadcast Station.
To find it, first head for the WKML Broadcast Station south of Fort Constantine and southeast of the Deathclaw Sanctuary. From the entrance of WKML Broadcast Station, head along the right side of the building and jump down the rocky cliffside.
After jumping down, turn left and look for a manhole cover tucked in close to the cliff. Once inside, you’ll find the Explosives bobblehead on the ledge next to the radio.
Lockpick
The Lockpick bobblehead is in the somewhat maze-like Bethesda ruins south of the Scrapyard (Where you find Dogmeat) and east of Big Town.
There are several interior locations to explore in the Bethesda ruins, but the one that matters most is the Bethesda offices east. The bobblehead is on the second floor in the southwest corner of the room next to a wall safe.
Fun fact: The raider boss inside Bethesda offices east drops a U.S. Army: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes skill book and respawns like other generic raiders. In other words, you have an unlimited supply of Big Guns boosting skill books. As an early game method of raising your Big Guns skill, this is much safer than going to Fort Constantine.
Medicine
The Medicine bobblehead is the first obtainable bobblehead in the game. It’s on your Dad’s desk inside his clinic in Vault 101. Your first chance to get it is after the intro dialogue of the Future Imperfect quest. You can also grab it while on your way out of Vault 101 during Escape!
If you don’t grab the Medicine bobblehead during Future Imperfect or Escape!, your last chance to get it is during Trouble on the Homefront.
After completing the Waters of Life quest, Amata will message you and ask you for help stopping the Overseer. Upon returning to Vault 101, the Medicine bobblehead will be on a cart in the backroom of the clinic.
You must claim the Medicine bobblehead during one of these three quests, or it will become unobtainable.
Melee Weapons
The Melee Weapons bobblehead is in the Dunwich Building, one of the best and creepiest locales in Fallout 3. It’s in the southwestern part of the map, south of Girdershade.
The Melee Weapons bobblehead is actually easier to get sooner rather than later. Dunwich Building is full of feral ghouls.
At higher levels, your Lone Wandering risk running into Glowing Ones, or worse, Feral Ghoul Reavers. The ghoul mask from Roy Phillips (If you side with him during the Tenpenny Tower quest) is handy here.
Once inside, head straight then through the first door on your right. Head up the stairs, walk through the hallway on the right, and take the first door on the left. Drop down the second hole in the center of this room, open the door on the left, then go through the door inside into the Forsaken Dunwich Ruins.
Go up the stairs and head straight through the doorway. Ignore the vision, head left through another open doorway, and go up these stairs.
Make your way through the hallway, heading past the room with all the holes in the floor. Go through the doorway here and take two lefts. Another room with a bunch of holes in the floor will be to your right.
Drop down into the center of this room and go through the two doors to enter the Virulent Underchambers. Be careful of the radiation here.
Drop down and go through the door on the upper left side of the room. Make your way through the Underchambers, down the stairs, and through another door. Continue down this path, then go through yet another door and up the set of stairs.
After one last set of stairs and door, you’ll finally reach the Melee Weapons bobblehead sitting on the floor amongst tin cans and soda bottles.
Repair
The Repair bobblehead is in Evan King’s house in Arefu. Arefu is the starting point of the Blood Ties quest, southeast of Paradise Falls and northwest of Moonbeam Outdoor Cinema.
Evan King’s house is the second-to-last house to the back of the overpass. You’ll need to pick the house’s Average lock to get inside.
Don’t worry if you roleplay as a goodie-two-shoes Lone Wanderer; you don’t lose Karma for picking this lock. Considering Evan King almost blows you up when entering Arefu for the first time, I say that’s fair play.
The Repair bobblehead rests on a table to the left of the house’s entrance.
Science
The Science bobblehead is in Vault 106. Because where else would a Science bobblehead be if not in one of the greatest/worst creations of one of Fallout’s most evil companies?
Vault 106 is southeast of Arefu and northwest of Megaton. The Vault’s experiment has turned the residents into insane survivors who will attack you on sight. Like the Gary clones in Vault 108, these survivors are weak and of no threat to you despite their numbers.
Bethesda makes you work for this one. Like with the Melee Weapons bobblehead, it’s pretty much in the deepest part of Vault 106.
From the Vault entrance, head straight, then take the first set of three doors on your right. Go down this hallway, then go down the stairs on your right. Go down another hallway and another set of stairs, then travel down the corridor until you reach the door leading to the Vault 106 Living Quarters.
Cross the bridge and take the second doorway on the left. Go through a hallway and one final door. The Science bobblehead is on a shelf at the back end of the room.
Small Guns
I never prioritized the Small Guns bobblehead as I typically get to level 100 Small Guns within a few levels. That’s probably for the best since it’s in an annoying location.
The Small Guns bobblehead is inside the National Guard depot. Like Fort Constantine, there are a lot of dangerous robots here. Bring as much pulse weaponry as you can spare.
The National Guard depot is northwest of the Vault-Tec Headquarters and the Vernon Square area. It’s also due south of Vault 108 which is probably the safest way to get here. Vernon Square is a combat hotspot.
Once inside, head up the stairs to your left, then cross the broken door walkway to the right side of the upper floor. Go through the doorway, then another on the right, past some cubicles.
Go through another door at the end of the office. Go to the furthest end of the room and down some stairs. Head through the door in the cafeteria to the Depot Training Wing.
Head through one of the holes in the wall and take the door to your left. Take a left, then another left, then a right through the door. Take the double doors leading to the firing range, then head through the door at the bottom right end. Enter the door inside this room to get to the Depot Offices. From here, head straight through the first door, drop down, walk through the cubicles and go up the stairs on the other side of the room. Go through the doorway on the left and up a flight of stairs.
Work your way through this room to the bottom right corner, then take the wrapping debris to the upper floor. Head through the doorway on the left, and go back to the National Guard depot.
You’re in the home stretch now. Turn to your left, and you’ll see an electrical switch on the wall. Press it, then drop down and head through the now-unlocked door with the flashing lights.
Press another electrical switch in this room to reveal a set of stairs, and go through the door at the bottom to enter the National Guard Armory. The Small Guns bobblehead is on a shelf on the right past the hazmat suits.
Sneak
Bethesda certainly likes to troll its players. The Sneak bobblehead is in an area you’ll likely want to sneak through. That being the Yao guai tunnels.
The Yao guai tunnels are northwest of Smith Casey’s Garage and due west of Vault 101 near the western border of the map. As with the Deathclaw Sanctuary, an Enclave encampment will be nearby after the Waters of Life. The entrance is a gate in between two rock outcrops.
Once inside, head down the slope and take the right passageway. Take the first right at the first crossway in this chamber, then go through a passage on the right in the next chamber.
Follow the winding path down, then go through the path between the sandbags on the right. Head past the broken fence and down another path to reach the door leading to the Yao Guai Den.
Make your way down the winding path until you reach a massive open chamber.
Stick to your left and look for some worn-down metal shelves. The Sneak bobblehead is atop a metal box near these shelves.
Speech
The Speech bobblehead is one of the most useful in Fallout 3 and also one of the easiest to obtain. It’s inside Paradise Falls.
Paradise Falls is northeast of Arefu. Once you reach the entrance, you’ll come across the entry guard Grouse. You have four options for entering Paradise Falls:
- If you have Evil Karma, pass a Karma check, and Grouse will let you inside
- Pass a Speech check and pay Grouse 500 caps
- Agree to enslave people for Grouse. After enslaving someone, he’ll let you in.
- Go in guns blazing.
Get inside Paradise Falls however you wish, then head inside Eulogy’s pad. The Speech bobblehead is in the main room on a table next to Eulogy’s terminal.
Unarmed
The Unarmed bobblehead is a little tricky like the Explosives bobblehead since it’s in an unmarked location. That location is Rockopolis.
Rockopolis is north of Girdershade and slightly northwest of Smith Casey’s Garage. Despite being unmarked, you’ll know it when you see it. A banner of rainbow triangle pennants marks the entrance.
Head inside and go to the far northeast corner of Rockopolis. The corpse of Argyle, from The Adventures of Herbert ‘Daring’ Dashwood and his Ghoul Manservant Argyle, will be on the ground. The Unarmed bobblehead is beside him.
FAQs
Question: Which Bobbleheads Should I get First After the Medicine Bobblehead?
Answer: In my opinion, Intelligence and Strength bobbleheads. You can pick up the Intelligence bobblehead before you reach level 3, and the Strength bobblehead comes in handy. I like to put 4 points into Intelligence and 1 point into Strength.
I use my level 2 level-up point on Intense Training to bump my Strength to 7. That immediately takes care of all the Strength dialogue checks with Moira when I try to get the Tough Wasteland Survival Guide perk (Which is the best one, in my opinion).
Question: Do I need to get any of the Bobbleheads to Max Out my Skills or S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes?
Answer: Only if you are playing the base version of Fallout 3 and only if you want perfect stats across the board. If you’re playing the GOTY Edition or at least have Broken Steel installed, you can easily max out every skill and stat.
Question: Are there any Achievements by Collecting Bobbleheads?
Answer: Yes. Collecting 10 bobbleheads gets you the ‘Yes, I play with Dolls’ achievement/trophy. Collecting all 20 bobbleheads gets you the ‘Vault-Tec C.E.O.’ achievement/trophy.
Conclusion
I only have good things to say about the introduction of bobbleheads into the Fallout universe. There’s a nice balance between bobbleheads that are easy to find and pretty tough to acquire. Bobbleheads don’t give overpowered bonuses but provide enough incentive to make them worth going after.
While I still think New Vegas is the better Fallout game of that era, I sorely missed bobbleheads in the Mojave (Though snow globes were a solid addition). And bobbleheads are just as popular in real life as collectibles, so yeah. Cheers Bethesda.