Fallout 3 The Wasteland Survival Guide Part 2

This is Part 12 of our complete Fallout 3 Walkthrough, featuring Fallout 3 The Wasteland Survival Guide, Chapter 3.

The Wasteland Survival Guide - Chapter 3

The final chapter of the Wasteland Survival Guide will have you researching all about the history of the Wasteland and its locales.
Moira will once again give you three assignments. You can tackle these in any order, but this walkthrough is going to start with the one dealing with Rivet City's History.

The History of Rivet City:

NOTE: This page will assume that you've already been to Rivet City through the main quest and can therefore simply fast travel to it. If you need help getting to Rivet City, check out the quest "Scientific Pursuits."
Once you agree to take on this assignment from Moira, fast travel over to Rivet City and head inside to gather information.
You'll find that most people you talk to about the history of Rivet City will direct you to Bannon or Vera Weatherly.
Bannon can usually be found at his store in the marketplace while Vera can typically be found at the Weatherly Hotel. Speak with them regarding the history and you'll complete the main objective.
However, if you want to complete the optional objective of finding out the true history of Rivet City, you'll have to dig a little deeper. Seek out Seagrave Holmes in the Marketplace or Belle Bonne in the basement and they'll give you another name of someone who might know about Rivet City's History: Pinkerton.
Unfortunately Pinkerton left Rivet City years ago and is rumored to have made himself a hideout in the broken bow of the boat that Rivet City was founded on.
Head back to the entrance of Rivet City and turn left before you reach the bridge connecting the boat to the mainland.
Travel down this path to the end and look down at the water. You want to jump into the water below and swim southwest until you reach the second part of the split boat. Make sure you have plenty of oxygen when you dive underwater and swim towards the path leading to the broken bow.
As soon as you emerge from the other side of the door, swim straight a few strokes and then come up to get air.
There is a door at the west side of the room. Swim through the door and keep going straight ahead until you reach another door. Open the door quickly and proceed forward until you reach a stair case that will lead you to some much needed air.
Wade through the water and enter the door on your left. Be ready to deal with Mirelurks in these next few areas.
Make an immediate left once you go through the doorway and travel down the hall into another room. Head through the doorway to the southeast and go up the staircase.
Straight ahead in the northwestern room you'll find some supplies including a frag mine, some ammo, and a first aid kit. You can also unlock the door with the nearby switch so you can have easier access to the broken bow from the Wasteland.
Turn around and face the southeastern door now. You'll notice that its full of gas. If you don't want to risk getting blown up, you can stand way back and fire a shot into the corridor. This will make it explode and get rid of the threat.
The other option involves you not firing your weapon as you walk through the area. Just be careful not to activate the trip wire in the corridor, or the shotgun trap in the room to your right.
When the traps are neutralized, proceed down the corridor into the large room. You'll see a terminal in here. Do not activate it. It's one of the few rigged terminals in the game. If you have a high explosives skill you, can examine the back panel and disarm the trap.
Activate the switch directly across from the terminal to open the door.
Head inside and you'll find Pinkerton in his lab. Talk to him regarding the true history of Rivet City and he'll give you the Rivet City Historical Records.
Return to Moira and you'll be done with this section of the guide.

The Robco Facility

The next section of the guide has you traveling to the Robco Factory and placing a widget into the computer mainframe. Doing so will supposedly reprogram the robots to obey your commands.
Once you obtain the objective, you can fast travel over there if you've already been to Tenpenny Tower for either the Power of the Atom quest or the Tenpenny Tower quest.
If you don't have any nearby locations, you'll have to make a fairly long trek southwest of Megaton to the Facility.
Once you reach your destination, enter the doors and bring out a melee weapon. The enemies here are weak so you don't want to waste your ammo.
Head through the doors on your right and go up the various stairs until you reach the top.
Follow the path until you come to a door that leads to the Cafeteria and Offices.
Head south all the way to the end of the room and then make a right.
Take the first left and travel up the stairs. In the room right in front of you at the top of the stairs lies the mainframe you're looking for.
Activate it and all of the Protectrons will come back to life. Unfortunately, they'll all be hostile towards you.
If you have the required skills in Science, you can hack the mainframe and can reprogram the Protectrons to complete your optional objective. You can initiate Pest Extermination to cause the Protectrons to kill all Molerats and Radroaches in the facility, you can Cease Total Liquidation to make the Protectrons docile, or you can Initiate Stress Testing to cause the Protectrons to fire upon each other.
Whatever the case, you need to get out of here, so fight your way back the same way you came in order to reach the entrance of the facility.
When you're out, fast travel back to Megaton to meet with Moira and inform her of your success. Objective Completed

The Arlington Library

The third and final section of chapter three and of the Wasteland Survival Guide itself has you traveling to the Arlington Library in order to recover its records or the card catalog.
The best way to reach the library would to be travel south from the Citadel, but since you don't travel there until late into your main quest, another option would be to travel west from Rivet City. You'll have to swim across the water and maneuver around a couple of buildings, but it may be preferential to walking all the way there from Megaton.
Once you enter the Library, you'll be met by Scribe Yearling, who will ask for your help collecting pre-war books. This is not important to the quest at hand, but if you ever come across pre-war books in your travels, you can come back and give them to the Scribe.
To complete your main objective, you can simply hack the terminal on the desk in front of you and download the card catalog.
You may also be interested in completing the optional objective as well. If that's the case, head straight through the western door, take a left past the restrooms, and follow the path to the end where you'll find a door on your left.
You'll find yourself in the middle of a battle between the Brotherhood and a bunch of Raiders. Help the Brotherhood defeat the Raiders and you can be on your way.
Enter the northwestern doorway to find a door leading to the Media Archive.
Head up the stairs and proceed out into the hallway where a baseball pitcher will start to bombard you with baseballs. Be careful of the mines in the area and of the Raiders that will soon come running to the aid of their beloved baseball pitcher.
Once the hall is clear, proceed to the end of the hallway and make a left to find another stairway.
Make a right once you reach the doorway at the top of the stairs and enter the first door on the left which will lead to more stairs.
Proceed down the next hallway, past the vending machine, and then head into the door on the right.
Enter the southern doorway in this room and take the hallway down to the only doorway you can enter.
Get ready for a large firefight against a group of raiders. The one in the middle has a missile launcher.
Once the room is clear, examine the terminal in the middle of the room to transfer the Library Archives to your Pip-Boy, and you're done!
Get out of the library, return to Megaton, talk to Moira, and you've finally completed the longest quest in the game! Quest Completed