You have at least two reasons to go south. First, the men we’re chasing apparently were heading to Novac, and stopped at Nipton along the way. Also, it can’t hurt to keep your options open by talking to Knight at the Mojave Outpost. Both are to the south, but there are a few areas to discover and search along the way.

Canyon Wreckage¶

West and slightly north of Primm you’ll find the Canyon Wreckage map marker, which itself isn’t too interesting. It’s just the way to reach The Divide, which is where the Lonesome Road DLC takes place… which is not a place you need to go just yet. On the other hand, you can search an over-turned truck along the way and loot some crates inside. There’s a Duffle Bag near the entrance to The Divide with some goodies you can loot. Lastly, in a Coyote den along the cliffs to the south of the entrance to The Divide you can find a dead NCR Trooper and a pair of Ammo Boxes. As for enemies… you might tangle with the odd Coyote, but nothing too threatening.

California Sunset Drive-in¶

South-west of Primm you’ll find the California Sunset Drive-in, a fairly non-descript area with some Garbage Cans to loot for random - if mundane - goodies. Along the northern end of the drive-in you can find some discarded Empty Sunset Sarsaparilla Bottles, near which are two Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Caps.

Nevada Highway Patrol Station¶

Head south from Primm along I-15 to find the Nevada Highway Patrol Station building, which is now occupied by Convicts. Great job protecting the roads south of Primm, NCR. Enter the building by going through the door laden with lovely profanity, then wash out the mouths of the Jackal Gang Members inside with some death. Just be wary, as they can be packing more serious heat than the Convicts you’re used to facing. Once they’re dead, loot the various objects in this room… especially the copy of Guns and Bullets off the desk. Go through a door to the south to reach a hallway and unlock another door [Very Easy] to the west, where you’ll interrupt a Giant Mantis Nymph using the bathroom. Flush the bug, loot a First Aid Box, then continue south to find the humble jail room, where more Mantises await. Smash them, grab some Hydra off the desk, then search the Dead Prospector in the cell. Near his body is another Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Cap.

Ivanpah Dry Lake/Ivanpah Race Track¶

East of the Nevada Highway Patrol Station you’ll find some arid low-lands marked as the Ivanpah Dry Lake. The only note-worthy thing to see here is a blue car lying just east of Nevada Highway Patrol Station. East of this car you can find a Stash Toolbox half-buried in the sand. Along the southern end of the dry lake you’ll find Ivanpah Race Track; a circular loop of road that now surrounds an ant hill. Kill the Giant Worker Ants and Soldiers for their delicious XP then head south from the finish line to find a Duffle Bag lying near some rocks. Other than that, if you completed the mission Ghost Town Gunfight you may be ambushed by three Powder Gangers in the hills immediately south of Primm… even if your reputation is merely “Shunned”. Just avoid the hills or flee from the encounter if this occurs.

Jack Rabbit Springs¶

East of the Ivanpah Dry Lake you’ll find some heavily irradiated ponds in the hills east of the dry lake. If you’re still low-leveled or otherwise lack resources, it’s probably best to avoid this area for now, as catching 6-7 RADS per second is not healthy, and will necessitate a visit to Doc Mitchell (if he’s still alive) to remove your RADS… or failing that, popping some Rad-X and RadAway. Along the western end of the hills you can find a modest hill surrounded by springs, on which are two metal poles. Near them you can score a Stealth Boy, some Hydra and two Ammo Boxes. If you continue east into the hills you can find a camp site occupied by a Super Mutant Master; a most dangerous foe. Not only is its Damage Threshold high, but it’ll probably be armed with a heavy weapon. Again, if you’re low-level, you’re probably not a match for this beast. There are also plenty of Centaurs and Evolved Centaurs lurking around these hills.

The Prospectors Den¶

North of Jack Rabbit Springs, in a mountain pass that will lead you to the tracks we follow south during the New Vegas Medical Clinic Run, you can find The Prospector’s Den. You’ll know you’re close when some Jackal Gang Members commit suicide by attacking you. Loot a Dead Prospector near the entrance to the den, then head on inside. As the gangers outside suggested, the prospectors who kept camp here are now quite dead. Kill two more Jackal Gang Members and loot the bodies of the dead Prospectors, then go through a door to the west.

Kill three Jackal Gang Members then explore the first (eastern-most) room to the north, loot some cabinets and grab a Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Cap on a chessboard. In the next room over you’ll find a Dead Prospector to loot, some Footlockers and an issue of Tumblers Today on the floor near some beds. Finally, in the last room you can score some booze, meds and ammo on some metal shelves, loot a First Aid Box and make use of a Reloading Bench.

Mesquite Mountains Crater¶

Return to the Nevada Highway Patrol Station and head west into the hills where you’ll encounter some Feral Ghouls. Kill the ravenous irradiated former-humans and make your way north-west into the hills to find the Mesquite Mountains Crater. This area is dominated by a radioactive pond that’s slightly less dangerous than the irradiated pools around Jack Rabbit Springs, but it makes up for it by being the home of several Feral Ghoul Reavers, who are congregated to the west, near a small building call “Hell’s Motel”. Feral Ghoul Reavers aren’t nearly as dangerous in Fallout: New Vegas as they were in Fallout 3, but they can still be pretty rough. With a bit of luck and the Super Slam perk, they’re beatable, but you should expect to take some serious damage and/or a hefty dose of RADS.

Fight your way into Hell’s Motel, inside of which is a Crazed Mister Handy, which isn’t as strong as combat models. After it’s been deactivated, loot the body of Doctor Rotson then grab a Weapon Repair Kit and a D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine on a desk to the north. There’s also a Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Cap on a table in the room to the west.

Mesquite Mountains Camp Site¶

In the hills south-west of the Nevada Highway Patrol Station you will find the Mesquite Mountains Camp Site… another area that might be worth avoiding if you’re low-leveled, as it’s occupied by a cluster of Giant Radscorpions. If you can defeat them, search the southern of the two tents to find a copy of the Wasteland Survival Guide lying on the dirt behind a Toolbox. In the northern tent you can grab a Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Cap off a Metal Box.

Nipton Road Reststop¶

Return east to I-15 and follow it south until you find Nipton Road Reststop along the road west of I-15. Kill the Radscorpions lurking around the gas station, then loot the garage to score some crates. Head into the building - Nipton Road General Store - and search around to find minor food items lying around. Near the cash register you’ll find Mayor Steyn’s Journal 2/2, which will give you the note “Guess Whose Luck Keeps Rolling?”. If you read it, you’ll learn that the mayor of Nipton is… well, an untrustworthy bastard. and that he’s stored away a stash somewhere between here and the Mojave Outpost… which actually happens to be the loot in this shop. Be sure to grab the Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottle Cap by the register, find a BB Gun and some ammo behind some sacks (which are also lootable), search an Ammo Box, then unlock and loot a Gun Cabinet [Average]. The best bit of loot here, however, is the copy of Pugilism Illustrated , which can be found on a bookshelf along the southern wall.

Leave the General Store which was so generously endowed with loot and, if all that’s not enough, you can also find another Ammo Box in the collapsed building south of the General Store. Once that’s been looted, follow a road south from the General Store to find an inert truck along the road, in the back of which are two more Ammo Boxes to loot. Keep following the road south, then west up a steep hill littered with useless vehicles until you spot two huge statues at the top of the hill which marks the Mojave Outpost.