Fiends The Fiends are a local raider operating in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281 . Background . Vault 3 was once an ordinary , happy vault operating perfectly to its intended pre - war standards . The vault was one of the few vaults not connected to any experiments , purely functioning to protect its residents . However , Vault 3 was one of several vaults designed to only operate for 20 years , after which it was intended to have been opened . Residents of the vault , scared of what may exist outside , remained locked up in the vault for 200 years , until an accidental water leak occurred in the vault — forcing the inhabitants to open up the vault and trade with locals . The success of the trading caught the attention of raiders , who easily attacked Vault 3 as they had not set up any security . After the original residents of the vault were either slaughtered or had managed to flee , the raiders took over Vault 3 , which essentially became their " capital " . Calling themselves the Fiends , the vault was left wide - open , practically being a feral den for the raiders and their huge pack of dogs . Unfortunately , the capture of the vault gave the raiders a safe haven to operate from , allowing them to also take over the entire south - western part of the New Vegas area . Composed largely of violent , mentally unstable drug addicts , individually they are unexceptional in every way , but their large numbers have made them a dangerous organization for settlements and travellers in west New Vegas . Whether it is murder , rape , or shooting innocents for sport , the Fiends are more than happy to bring anarchy to the areas under their control . Organization . The Fiends have little organization except for their occupation of Vault 3 and a few central leaders : Violet , Cook - Cook , Driver Nephi , and Motor - Runner . With Motor - Runner being the one running Vault 3 , he is presumed to be the main leader of the Fiends , while Violet , Cook - Cook and Driver Nephi control smaller crews of their own . Like many other raider groups , the Fiends split into small war - parties , usually between 3 - 4 members , which allows them to operate in an enormous portion of the outer New Vegas area aside from their main area of west and south - western New Vegas . Outside , they are usually gathered around campfires , where much of their scavenged items such as first aid and ammunition boxes can be found scattered around . Many raider camps are protected by makeshift walls and littered with graffiti . At times , they utilize traps in order to protect their shelter , evident in the many traps found inside Zapp ' s Neon Signs . Relations with the outside . The Fiends appear to attack anyone except the Great Khans , who are their main suppliers of chems . With a Speech skill of 64 , you can tell the Fiend guarding Vault 3 ' s entrance that you are a chem supplier , which you can sell for 20 each ( 22 with a Barter skill of 65 ) , also allowing the Courier to roam the vault without the raiders being hostile towards them . The Fiends are a constant problem for the NCR particularly , as Camp McCarran is located a short distance from Vault 3 , making it especially prone to Fiend attacks . The problem became such an issue for the resource - strained NCR that Major Dhatri put bounties on the Fiend leaders ' heads , offering these contracts to private mercenaries . While the Fiends are openly hostile towards almost all groups in the Mojave except the Great Khans , they do seem to co - operate with a few certain wasteland inhabitants . Cook - Cook is known to have bought slaves from Saint James and Dermot , while Caesar ' s Legion frequently provides the Fiends with information on NCR troop movements , helping them set up ambushes and traps . Equipment . The Fiends , being mentally unstable raiders with little organization , make use of what is available in their surroundings . They wear ragged clothes with minimal armor which allows them to move around quickly just like other raiders , however Fiends are distinguished by their unique headpieces made from animal skulls . Cook - Cook and Duke are the only Fiends who do not wear these headpieces . Fiends have a variety of different weapons , from basic melee weapons such as and , to high - tech range weapons like Laser RCWs and . They are mostly found carrying basic guns like caravan shotgun s , varmint rifle s , and silenced . 22 SMG s . Some Fiends can occasionally be found carrying weapons like chainsaw s , , and . Due to the wide range of different weapons varying from Fiend to Fiend , it is assumed that they are either stolen or looted off people the raiders had killed . Appearances . Fiends only appear in " " and the graphic novel " All Roads " . Bugs . When you have dealt with Motor - Runner and the Fiends in a friendly way during Aba Daba Honeymoon or by passing a Speech Check at the entrance to Vault 3 the Fiends might become permanently friendly . Entering in the console will make them hostile again .