Powder Ganger Powder Gangers are members of the Powder Gangers gang living in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281 . Background . The Powder Gangers were prisoners brought into Nevada by the NCR to rebuild the railroads . Housed in the NCR Correctional Facility , the prisoners were subjected to extremely harsh discipline , leading some to plan a revolt . Having been supplied with dynamite for the purposes of breaking up rocks on the railroad , a small number of prisoners proceeded to sneak small portions back into their cells and used it to start a prison riot . The revolt was successful and the prisoners took over the facility , killing most of the former guards . Since then , they have set up numerous camps that shake down or kill unsuspecting passers - by . They have taken to calling themselves " Powder Gangers " , in reference to the explosives they use as weapons . Ringo , a caravan trader , once escaped an attack by Powder Gangers , killing three of their men in the process . He then beat a hasty retreat to Goodsprings to escape their overwhelming numbers . let him take shelter at an abandoned gas station in the town . The Ganger Joe Cobb followed him to Goodsprings , but has not been successful in finding his hideout . While Ringo is not afraid to face the Powder Gangers again , he knows that he needs some support to ensure success . There are two options for the Courier to choose from : help the Powder Gangers take over Goodsprings or get the town together and fight off the invaders . Interactions with the player character . Other interactions . Prior to the most recent patch , Powder Gangers encountered at Powder Ganger camps or at random in the Wasteland would initially be hostile towards the player , unless the player receives a positive reputation with the Powder Gangers . The Powder Gangers at their NCRCF headquarters would initially be neutral , as would Powder Gangers at certain other locations , such as the traincars south of Sloan . Note that killing Powder Gangers , even those who attack unprovoked , will cause infamy with the faction unless done from sneak mode or at long range . After the most recent patch , all Powder Gangers in the Mojave Wasteland will start out neutral towards the player at the beginning of the game , although they will turn hostile if the player garners negative reputation with the faction . Killing a Powder Ganger at one of the camps , or at most of the other locations , is likely to garner the Courier some infamy with the faction unless it is performed quietly ( or loudly but from extreme sneak attack ranges ) . The player should be careful of this course of action if they wish to side with Gangers against Goodsprings or to complete some of the Gangers ' missions at NCRCF . The normal powder ganger is very weak , considering their weapons are usually weak and their very low health . The choice of tactics for these thugs are melee weapons at close combat while the riflemen usually stay a distance to shoot the player down . Notes . Powder Gangers are glorified raiders . Their defense is rather weak , unless the Ganger in question is fortunate enough to be wearing the somewhat more uncommon Powder Gang guard armor , which possesses a bulletproof vest and is superior to many early - game forms of armor ( most notably the favored by Fiends ) . Their offense is similarly unremarkable , as most of them are armed with fairly low - level weapons . The noteworthy parts of combat with Powder Gangers are two - fold : 1 ) their extensive use of gunpowder weapons ( such as and powder charge s ) ; and 2 ) their tendency to appear in sizable groups . The Powder Gangers are likely to be the first organized and armed group that the player encounters . Powder Gangers are easily dealt with by most weapons , and are especially vulnerable to explosives and hollow - point rounds . Early - game players are advised to avoid using these rounds on ones with guard armor early on , however , as the damage reduction from the target ' s armor will often eclipse and outperform the damage bonus the ammunition type gives to early guns . Late - game weapons , however , can cheerfully ignore this drawback . Gangers at Vault 19 and the NCR Correctional Facility are better equipped . Most of the personnel at these sites will have the aforementioned guard armor , and will be positioned better with better weapons . Expect guard - tower snipers armed with varmint rifle s and the errant cowboy repeater or . Grunts in these places are more - likely to carry guns like the . 357 Magnum revolver , , and , while melee combatants are more likely to trade - up their knifes and for the likes of s and . Commanders and bodyguard units will be even better - armed , packing s and . Appearances . The Powder Gangers appear only in " " . They were originally going to appear in " Van Buren " , the canceled " Fallout 3 " project by Black Isle Studios .