Your next objective is to meet up with Cato Hostilius, who has a humble camp north-west of Ranger Station Delta. Before you seek him out, however, it’s best to be prepared for your assassination attempt. Ratslayer, some NCR clothing and perhaps some C-4 Plastic Explosive and a Detonator will give you plenty of options for dealing with President Kimball. You don’t need to be subtle with this quest, and a more straight-forward assassination attempt is certainly possible, but that’s best left for a secondary option, rather than a primary one. Hoover Dam is going to have lots of Rangers around, and it’s easy enough to take out Kimball without having to fight them all off afterwards.
When you’re ready make your way over to Cato Hostilius’s campsite and tell him you’re ready to get started. You’ve got a tight schedule, and the first order of business is… to take a nap! In the morning he’ll ask you about your plan and offer some intel of his own. The takeaways? The NCR Troopers will be fooled by the NCR disguise Cato will give you, but the Rangers probably won’t be, so you’ll have to keep your distance from them. Hacking terminals might get you more detailed information about the security and the president’s itinerary. Also, if your explosives skill is good, pass an [Explosives 50] check to convince him to give you a Vertibird Bomb, which you can plant on Kimball’s presidential vertibird; Bear Force One.
Prove that you’re not incompetent with Explosives and Cato Hostilius will give you a bomb you can plant on the President’s vertibird (left). Whatever you do, stay away from NCR Rangers patrolling around the Hoover Dam (right). Normal NCR Troopers may not see through your disguise, by Rangers will.
After Cato is done talking make your way north-east to Hoover Dam. Give all Rangers a wide berth - there’s no reason you shouldn’t be sneaking around them - keep your weapons holstered, and don’t kill any Rangers. There are multiple ways to kill Kimball, a few of which will be discussed below:
C-4 Surprise!¶
If you can sneak up to the metal, elevated speaker’s platform where Kimball will give you speech (north of the Visitor’s Center) you can plan some C-4 Plastic Explosives on the stairs. Just wait for Kimball to arrive and walk near them, then detonate them with a Detonator. He uses the eastern-most stairs to reach the speaker’s platform, so plant the C-4 near the edge of the dam.
Sabotaging the Flight Controls¶
Sneak into the Visitor’s Center (watch out for the Ranger with a guard dog patrolling outside!) and hack the Terminal [Average] inside. Here you can select the “Hoover Dam Security Report”, “Security Duty Roster” and “Engineering Report” options to gain more intel on security placements and the condition of Kimball’s vertibird. More importantly you can select the “Flight Control Update” entry then pick the option to “Modify Update Settings” to rig Kimball’s vertibird. This is the easiest way to end this quest, requiring no further commitment on your part and a modest Science score of 50. Just wait until Kimball gives his speech, departs, and subsequently crashes.
Hacking a Terminal in the Visitor’s Center will allow you to sabotage the flight controls on the President’s vertibird (left). You can alternatively find an Engineer wandering around in here, who can be sneakily killed and looted for their NCR Engineer Jumpsuit (right). This will allow you to reach the President’s Vertibird and plant the bomb on it.
Bombing Bear Force One¶
Should that last option be too simple for you, however, you try to stealth-kill an NCR Engineer in the Visitor’s Center (the one standing alone north of the entrance makes a prime target). Take their NCR Engineer Jumpsuit and put it on, then head upstairs and out a door to the south to reach the observation deck outside of the Visitor’s Center. Talk to Cato, who is standing in the crowd north of the Visitor’s Center and tell him you’re ready to go to get the President to show up in his Vertibird.
Once the President is incoming, head back up to the Visitor’s Center and make your way east around the building past an NCR Trooper standing guard near some barricades (be wary of patrolling Ranger Grant back here!) and climb a ladder to reach the top of the Visitor’s Center, upon which the president’s vertibird will land (You’ll need the Engineer Jumpsuit to get access to this area, which is why you “acquired” it). Once up here, just stay on the south-eastern part of the roof, away from the patrolling Ranger and wait for the Vertibird to land, discharge its precious cargo, then approach the machine and “Plant the bomb”, which requires an [Explosives 50] check. If you were able to get the bomb from Cato, however, you should be able to plant it now. Just wait for the President to give his speech and watch the fireworks happen when he leaves.
Sabotage the anti-aircraft gun to rig it to explode during the President’s speech (see him flying through the air on the right side of the left photo? That’s one dead bear!) (left). You can also activate the gun, which will cause it to shoot down the President’s vertibird (right).
Not-So-Friendly Fire¶
Still not enough options? Right then, enter the Visitor’s Center, head upstairs and exit out the southern door on the second level to reach the observation deck outside of the Visitor’s Center. From here, turn east, north-east to find a Console. Mess around with it and pick the option “Examine Gun Controls” to rig it to shoot down President Kimball’s vertibird (requires a [Science 50] check) or pick the option “Examine the gun circuit board” to rig it to explode ([Repair 50] required).
If it Was Good Enough for JFK…¶
Finally, there’s the good old shoot-em in the head option. You can do this either covertly or brazenly, but considering all the NCR Rangers around, you may want to try some long-distance love. Getting atop the landing pad (see the text under the header “Bombing Bear Force One” for how to get up here without raising the alarm) is a good first step, as it provides a fine perch. Just be warned that the second you pull your gun out, Kimball and his escort will bolt, whether you’re detected or not. Fortunately, he has to run towards you to reach the safety of his vertibird, and one good shot from Ratslayer will take care of him. This also has the added benefit of not alerting the rest of the NCR to your presence.
Thats One Dead Bear¶
However you manage it, there are some things to note. President Kimball will not show up until you talk to Cato Hostilius, so rig whatever trap you want, then talk to Cato. After President Kimball has been shot or blown up, simply leave the Hoover Dam area as expediently as you can. Once you’re in the clear fast-travel back to The Fort (take off your NCR disguise before you go!) and report back to Caesar.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For assassinating President Kimball | 1000 XP |
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