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Fallout New Vegas plays host to some of the weirdest and wacky questlines that the entire series has to offer. From sourcing sex robots for the local casino in Freeside, to helping cannibals on the New Vegas Strip throw a diabolical banquet, the game has it all. However, many would argue that one questline stands out from the pack as the zaniest and comical of them all. A questline that was actually the first one designed for FNV, and gives players a chance to interact with both the Ghoul and Nightkin communities. I am, of course, talking about the quest, which isn’t the only one to make a subtle nod to Frank Sinatra, Come Fly With Me.
Come Fly With Me is a pretty long quest that will have you investigate what’s going on at the REPCONN Test Site, and it is perhaps a little bit irritating due to the amount of back and forth that happens throughout its run. However, I personally loved this quest due to the amazingly wacky concept, characters like Jason Bright and Chris Haversam, and the branching paths that allow you to complete the quest your own way. FNV is in a league of its own when it comes to quest design, and even in this quest which creator Josh Sawyer states is one of the weakest in the game, you can still see the quality of the writing shine through.
However, you may be one of those lucky sods who have never visited the REPCONN Test Site, and you may be wondering what you need to do to get the most out of this quest. Well, that’s what we are here for. In this Fallout New Vegas Come Fly With Me guide, we will chat through the various steps to complete this quest, will discuss the rewards on offer, and much more. So without further delay, here is Wasteland Gamer’s Fallout New Vegas Come Fly With Me Guide!
Quick Facts
- Key Locations: REPCONN Test Site, Novac, Gibson Scrapyard
- Quest Givers: Manny Vargas, No-Bark Noonan
- Prerequisites: N/A
- Rewards: 800XP + Novac Fame
Checking In Your Bags
Okay, so before we jump into bed with all these ghouls, we need to actually get the quest to begin. There are three ways that we can do this. The first and most straightforward is literally heading up to the REPCONN Test Site of your own accord, mowing down all the Ghouls outside, and making your way to the upper floor where Jason Bright and the gang are hanging out. However, most new players won’t even be aware of the REPCONN Test Site, and may need a nudge in the right direction.
The second option, and the one that most players will make avail of, is beginning this quest by talking to Manny Vargas. Vargas has information on where Benny headed off after visiting Novac, but he’s not willing to give the intel away for free. Instead, he will ask the player to go and do some recon to find out what’s going on at the REPCONN Test Site, and just like that, you’ll have a quest pop up on screen and have a map marker lead you right to the front door of the facility.
Then you have a secret third option. For you see, you sneaky types will already know that if you access Manny’s personal terminal, you can bypass his request and get the info on Benny there and then. However, if you do that before hearing what he has to say about the ghouls, he won’t offer the quest to the player. Instead, you can talk to No-Bark Noonan, who will tell you a farfetched tale about some Commie Zombies who want to hijack rockets and paint Lenin’s face on the moon. Sounds stupid, but he wasn’t too far off.
Of the three options, it’s best to go with Manny Vargas, as this will allow the player to gain Novac fame if you return to him after the quest is complete.
A Nightkin Infestation
So you have accessed the quest, you’ve arrived at REPCONN, and you’ll undoubtedly have a racing heartbeat after being attacked by the army of Ghouls gathered outside the facility. The question is, what’s next? Well, you’ll need to head inside, and when you do, someone will speak to you on the nearby Intercom, telling you to head up the metal walkway to safety. Battle your way through the facility until you reach the stairwell to the upper level. This is where you’ll find the ghouls that aren’t hellbent on eating your face.
You’ll be met by the not so Ghoulish looking Chris Haversam, who will tell you to go find Jason upstairs. He’s a Glowing One, so he’s pretty hard to miss. He will tell you of his mission to reach ‘The Far Beyond’ and will also inform you that invisible demons have trapped them in the upper level of the facility. It all seems a little kooky, but it’ll make more sense when you head down to the Basement and check it out for yourself. Jason asks you to clear a safe path for them, and to do that; you’ll need to contact the Nightkin in the Basement.
Wander on down there, and after delving a little deeper into the Basement, you will find Davison, the leader of this band of Nightkin. Now, if you want to take the less diplomatic approach, you can attack on sight, kill all the Nightkin, and return to Jason with the good news. However, if you don’t want to take the murderous route, there is another option.
Davison will inform you that his ‘friend’ Antler, has led them to the facility in search of a batch of Stealth Boys. Stealth Boys are a means of keeping them hidden and, thus, keeping them sane. The only problem is that Davison believes that all these Stealth Boys are in the one room they cannot search, because they have trapped a ghoul in there, and he’s tougher than the others.
Davison will give you the key, and when you open the door, you will be staring down the barrel of Harland’s rifle. Again, if you want the easy way out, simply kill him where he stands. However, if you want him to go quietly, you’ll need to go and find out what happened to his friend who wandered deeper into the Basement.
If you choose to do that, you’ll have to be pretty sneaky, as all the other Nightkin aren’t as talkative as Davison. In fact, if they see you, you’re in for one hell of a fight. Plus, if you do fight them, you can kiss that peaceful resolution with Davison goodbye.
What you’ll want to do is use the Stealth Boys lying around the place to help you stay hidden as you locate Harland’s friend, and this will also allow you to pickpocket or stealth kill the Jailer. She’s in the jail cells nearby, and sadly, when you find her, she will be dead. Return to Harland with the sad news, and he will vacate without putting up a fight.
When he does this, you’ll be able to search the room, and you’ll find a terminal on the upper deck. Read the entries on the terminal, and you will learn that the shipment of Stealth Boys was sent in error and was returned. Tell Davison this, and the Nightkin will head off in search of this returned shipment.
Fuelling For Take-Off
After returning to Jason when the Nightkin have been taken care of, he will leave for the ‘Sacred Site’ and ask you to follow him. This is an area that is accessed deep in the Basement of the facility. Follow him down there and speak to him as he stands by the rocket control panel. He will thank you for your efforts and urge you to help Chris gather the extra components needed to fuel the rockets for take-off.
Speak to Chris, and he will inform you what you need. You will need the following:
- Thrust Control Modules
- Isotope Igniting Agent
Here is a quick rundown of how to gather both of these items:
Isotope-239 Igniting Agent
The player has a little bit of flexibility when it comes to gathering the Igniting Agent. There is a waypoint that is given to the player after a discussion with Haversam, which will take you southeast of Novac. Along the road, you will find a dead Scavenger who is wearing a Radiation Suit. Search Mr. RADical’s body, and you will find the Isotope-239 Igniting Agent you need.
However, you may find that you already have already encountered the Igniting Agent on your adventures through Novac. Do you remember that huge Dinosaur lookout that Boone and Manny use? Well, it also functions as a gift shop, and inside said gift shop is loads of rocket replica souvenirs. Why is this relevant? Well, it turns out that the glowing substance inside the replicas is none other than Isotope-239 Igniting Agent. Not exactly the safest kid’s toy on the market, but grabbing five of these replicas will do the trick.
Thrust Control Modules
You would think that finding a custom-made set of modules for a rocket would be impossible in post-apocalyptic Nevada, but against all odds, you can find these controls just north of Novac at the Gibson Scrapyard, of all places. So you’ll want to head out there and talk to Old Lady Gibson. From there, you will be faced with two options.
- Purchase the Thrust Control Module for 500 caps, or 250 caps if you pass a speech check.
- Head into the Gibson Scrapyard Garage, and you’ll find an average locked Metal Box. Pick this lock, and you can steal the Thrust Module.
Take-Off or Turbulence?
After you have gathered all the items needed, Chris will inform Jason that all is ready for the Great Journey to begin. Jason will then hold court and deliver a speech to everyone, and within that speech, he will drop the bombshell that Chris is indeed a human, and that they have used him to get what they wanted. The penny finally drops for Jason, and he is shellshocked by the news that he is human, and that he is being left behind by his flock.
This leads to a choice for Jason that you will need to coach him through. You can either ask him to sabotage the rocket launch controls to take revenge on the Ghouls. Or you can convince Jason that he should not hold animosity for the Ghouls as they were only protecting him by not taking him on the voyage. If you choose to help him sabotage the rockets, you will lose karma. However, if you choose to convince him otherwise, he will become a permanent resident of Novac.
After you deal with Haversam, the fun isn’t over yet. Make your way up to the Observation Deck, where you will be in charge of pushing the launch button and sending those crazy Ghouls into the Far Beyond. You can simply press launch, but you will also have two other options. If your Science skill is 55 or higher, you will be able to alter their flight path by 12.5%, and this will reward the player with good karma. Or alternatively, the player can bash keys on the launch pad and rig the launch to go terribly, which will unsurprisingly give the player bad karma.
After this, the scene where the rocket takes off plays to the tune of Ride of the Valkyries, and the quest is complete. As mentioned above, players can also head back to Novac to speak to Manny Vargas and get an extra boost of good karma for taking care of the Ghoul issue.
The Spoils
So after all that work to send Jason as his ghouls to the Far Beyond, what does the player actually get for their efforts? Well, to be honest, the rewards are pretty terrible, considering how much time you invest into this quest. The player will receive the following:
- 800 XP
- Novac Fame
It’s an early-game quest, so I can understand why the rewards aren’t as amazing as the quests you get wrapped up in later down the line. But it would have at least been nice to get Jason’s Lab Coat or something to show for our efforts. All in all, though, that XP bump is reason enough to complete this quest.
FAQ Section
Question: How Long is Come Fly With Me?
Answer: The quest is a relatively long quest. Especially if you aren’t quite sure what the solutions to the diplomatic approaches throughout are. However, you should be able to get this quest done and dusted in about 45 mins to an hour. Maybe even a little quicker if you have lots of nearby fast-travel locations unlocked, and let your weapons do the talking.
Question: Does Harland Always Die?
Answer: No, Harland doesn’t always die if you talk him down from his defensive position. On some occasions, he may be chopped down by the hostile Nightkin in the hall leading to the exit. However, he is just as likely to get out there unscathed. If he does survive, he will be in attendance for Jason’s speech on the Launch Pad.
Question: What’s A Smoothskin?
Answer: This is a term that Ghouls tend to use to describe humans that have not suffered through the trials and tribulations of becoming a Ghoul. This is because, in contrast, Ghouls are withered, zombie-like creatures with horrifying, rough, decaying skin.
We Hope You Enjoyed Your Flight
As you can see from the information above, Come Fly With Me is a pretty nuanced quest with a lot of small decisions that can end up being a big deal when it comes to the grand finale. What I love about FNV quests is that usually, there isn’t a clear good or bad decision. In this case, I was genuinely torn. Do I let this delusional mad burn up in the atmosphere? Or do you need to be cruel to be kind, forcing him to be left behind?
Honestly, neither was a great choice in my book, so I let Chris Haversam fly off into the sunset with his ghoul pals. As they say, ignorance is bliss. However, with the help of this guide, you will be able to make that choice for yourself and decide what to do with those crazy, rocket-obsessed ghouls. As always, thanks for reading Wasteland Gamers!