Lucky 38

The Lucky 38 Resort and Casino, typically shortened to just the Lucky 38, is an unmarked location within the New Vegas Strip in the Mojave Wasteland .
==Background==
Serving as the most prominent element of the Vegas skyline, having been built as early as 2024,Viva Las Vegea! 2025! Poster the Lucky 38 is a Pre-War resort and casino, and an enduring monument to the glory days of Las Vegas. It was privately acquired by Robert House sometime prior to 2077 after which he turned it into his personal residence overlooking his home city.Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "Mr. House's Lucky 38 casino towers over the New Vegas Strip, mysterious and impenetrable to visitors and locals alike."
On July 13, 2072, the Lucky 38 was reportedly involved in the aftermath of a mob shootout that took place in the nearby Ultra-Luxe casino. One of the alleged perpetrators of a recent heist took refuge in the casino with the stolen money and was able to escape her room within the Lucky 38 through a window.Shanghai Sally: Chapter Closed
Aside from the varied and colorful past of the establishment, many other developments were occurring in the years leading up to the Great War. House spent a fortune and then some thoroughly modifying the building in preparation for the upcoming apocalypse predicted by his calculations. Long-range laser cannons and networked mainframes were installed in the tower to defend against nuclear warheads.The Courier: "What preparations did you make to save Las Vegas?"Mr. House: "On the day of the Great War, 77 atomic warheads targeted Las Vegas and its surrounding areas. My networked mainframes were able to predict and force-transmit disarm code subsets to 59 warheads, neutralizing them before impact. Laser cannons mounted on the roof of the Lucky 38 destroyed another 9 warheads. The rest got through, though none hit the city itself. A sub-optimal performance, admittedly. If only the Platinum Chip had arrived a day sooner..."(Mr. House's dialogue) A massive underground storage facility for his army of Securitrons was built into the foundation.Mr. House: " The Securitrons policing the Strip are a fraction of the total number manufactured. The rest, I stored here."(Mr. House's dialogue) But the greatest marvel was the reason behind Mr. House's withdrawal from society: sequestered above the penthouse, an antechamber was created, intended to serve as both command center and life support chamber as House hid his real flesh-and-blood body inside, additionally wiring his mind directly into the Lucky 38's computer systems and the Securitron network, at the cost of being permanently sealed inside the chamber, never to interact with the outside world again.The Courier: "You appear to be a computer, not a man."Mr. House: "Don't let the video screens and computer terminals fool you. I'm flesh and blood, not silicon."The Courier: "The lifespan you're claiming is impossible, except for ghouls and super mutants."Mr. House: "[SUCCEEDED] I see you've made a study of the topic. My knowledge of the science of longevity would fill several text books... Perhaps, after a decade or two of economic reconstruction, I can commercialize these technologies and offer to others, such as yourself."The Courier: "How have you stayed alive all this time?"Mr. House: "Let's just say it was very... . But I was willing to make the sacrifices longevity entailed, financial and otherwise."(Mr. House's dialogue) However, despite all his preparations, even House made a crucial error in miscalculating the bombs' arrival by a factor of 20 hours. His defenses relied on an inferior Mark I OS, and the upgrade to the superior Mark II required the delivery of the platinum chip from Sunnyvale where it was being manufactured.
As a result of House's error, the chip never left the manufacturer as it, along with the rest of Sunnyvale was levelled by the breakout of the Great War. Forced to work with an inferior OS, House nevertheless managed to destroy a majority of the warheads aimed at Vegas and the Mojave. Eventually, however, a multitude of system crashes due to the fault software resulted in House being forced into a decades-long coma.The Courier: "How did you nearly die, defending Vegas?"Mr. House: "Software glitches set off a cascade of system crashes. I had to take the Lucky 38's reactor offline, lest it melt down. For nearly five years I battled power outages and more system crashes until I finally managed to reboot my data core with an older version of the OS. I spent the next few decades in a veritable coma. But I survived, obviously - and eventually thrived."(Mr. House's dialogue) Without the oversight of its benefactor, the Lucky 38 fell silent and for nearly two centuries, lay dormant amidst the Vegas ruins as they were taken over by overgrowth and later picked over by raiders and tribals.
When Mr. House eventually managed to reawaken from his coma in 2138, he took a measured, cautious approach, with only the occasional Securitron leaving the premises of the Lucky 38 to survey the surrounding wasteland and bring news of any developments.The Courier: "What is this place?"Jane: "This is the Lucky 38 Resort and Casino - or, it used to be. Mr. House has kept the place locked up tight for ages now, nobody comes in or out."(Jane's dialogue) After another period of decades, the tower saw new life in 2274 when Mr. House's agents reported on the arrival of NCR scouts at Hoover Dam. Realizing the existence of a stable post-War society, House swiftly put his plan to resurrect Vegas into action.
An army of Securitrons poured out of the Lucky 38, quickly tearing through all hostility on the destitute Strip and securing the location. Rather than wipe them all out, Mr. House negotiated with the three largest tribes, making them offers of a life of luxury in his city of "New Vegas" in return for their allegiance and assistance in renovating the city ahead of the arrival of the NCR.The Courier: ""Mr. House: "We can discuss this in greater detail at another time. Suffice it to say that when my Securitrons detected NCR scouts at Hoover Dam, I took action. I recruited a tribal force to supplement my Securitrons and renovated the Strip just in time to welcome the NCR as it marched into the region."(Mr. House's dialogue) Under the newly formed city-state of New Vegas, the Lucky 38 once again became a symbol of wealth and extravagance, serving as the domain of its mysterious martial lord.
As of 2281, the Lucky 38 still remains closed off to all visitors to the Strip, guarded fiercely by House's Securitrons.Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "Mr. House is the mysterious overlord of the Strip. He controls his small empire from the confines of the Lucky 38 casino, where no other living person has set foot for over two hundred years."
==Layout==
===Casino===
Directly inside the front door is the main casino floor, fit with gambling tables and slot machines that cannot be played. The cashier's room is to the left. Above the cashier's room is a VIP lounge, where a terminal used in the quest The Moon Comes Over the Tower can be found. In the center of the main floor is the elevator. Victor must be spoken to in order to use the elevator so long as House is alive, but otherwise, the player character can operate the elevator independently. Additionally, there is a large blood stain on the carpet towards the center of the area.
===Cocktail lounge===
The cocktail lounge is near the top of the Lucky 38, beneath the penthouse. Companions are not allowed inside. The room is filled with empty tables, cash registers with small amounts of pre-War money, unplayable slot machines, and other assorted miscellaneous items. There is an Average locked safe with some decent loot inside, and a Hard locked briefcase containing C-4 plastic explosives, a detonator, and a silenced .22 pistol with some ammunition. The Test Site snow globe can also be found here, tucked behind one of the cash registers.
===Penthouse===
The penthouse is on the highest level of the Lucky 38. Companions are not allowed inside, similar to the cocktail lounge. Mr. House's control center is located here, down the stairs and to the left of the elevator. Jane is found directly in front of the elevator, and can exchange snow globes for caps. To the right is a bedroom. The shelves are stocked with numerous pre-War books.
Unlike the cocktail lounge, there is a wall that prevents circling the entire room. This conceals the elevator to the control room. A terminal to open it is to the left of House's control center, which requires either a Science skill of 75, the platinum chip, or the Lucky 38 VIP keycard to operate. Inside are two Securitrons. Using the terminal opens a hidden door, causing the Securitrons guarding the room to turn hostile. However, upon exiting the room and taking the elevator either downstairs or upstairs, the Securitrons will revert to non-hostile status.
===Presidential suite===
The presidential suite is made available immediately after the first interaction with Mr. House during The House Always Wins I. The suite is fairly spacious and consists of five rooms, including a master bedroom (which contains an owned bed), the guest bedroom (the two beds here are not owned), the kitchen and dining room, the study, and the bathroom (which has clean water). The refrigerator contains some food, and various drinks are present throughout the area. All of the storage within are safe. Through a terminal to the left of the master bedroom, additional storage and other house improvements can be purchased, as well as a workbench.
All companions can be dismissed to the presidential suite in lieu of their original homes. Idle companions will wander around, talk to each other, and occasionally sit in the chairs or sleep. Companions will utilize anything stored in containers or present in the rooms so long as items are not considered stolen or if the Courier is present in the suite at the time.
==Notable loot==
* Golden Gloves - In the casino's VIP section, to the left upon entering, near the access point terminal.
* Test Site snow globe - In the cocktail lounge, behind one of the three cash registers.
* Copies of ¡La Fantoma! and C-4 plastic explosive - In a Hard-locked briefcase in the cocktail lounge. From the elevator entrance, third table, and couch set-up to the right.
* Jake Juice – On a table in the presidential suite.
* A large amount of alcohol, as well as one of the largest sources of absinthe in the game (next to the Atomic Wrangler) - On the center shelves of the cocktail lounge.
* 40 bundles of pre-War money - Found throughout the casino.
==Notes==
* After meeting Mr. House for the first time, Victor explains that companions are not allowed to visit the penthouse. This holds true even if Mr. House is killed or incapacitated for any reason. This also applies to the cocktail lounge. The companions will remain wherever the player character left them (usually the casino level or the presidential suite) in "wait" mode. The player character must return to them and request that they follow using the companion wheel before they will follow again.
* The poster of the Lucky 38 in 2025 shown in the game's opening sequence is not present in-game.
* Most of the items in the casino can be taken without Karma loss.
* The design of the Lucky 38 makes it impossible for the second elevator to Mr. House to exist.
* The whole casino can be used as player housing beyond the presidential suite as all storage containers on all levels are safe.
* When the doors of the Lucky 38 are shot at, it makes the same noise as when shooting glass.
* Upon leaving the Lucky 38 for the first time, all non-player characters in the Strip will gather around, watching the player character exit, and will comment on how they were the first to be seen coming out from it. This also results in a small dose of Fame with the Strip.
* One can see that the Lucky 38 sign near the Las Vegas Boulevard Station on the Strip has been defaced. The second "V" in "revolving" appears to be crossed out and replaced with a "T," so it says "revolting" cocktail lounge instead of "revolving" cocktail lounge.
* The basement is only accessible for the duration of Mr. House or Yes Man demonstrating the Securitron upgrades and has no door in the location that can be used to return to it.
* In the presidential suite, there is a pool table with 5 pool balls in the shape of an arrow. The ball numbers add up to 38, and the arrow points to a Lucky 38 poster.
* If the Securitrons are killed, Mr. House's screen will say "connection lost."
* The Lucky 38 is the tallest structure in the Mojave Wasteland and can be seen from most parts of the map.
* The design of the Lucky 38's entrance door is different when looked at from the interior.
* The interior of the Lucky 38 is the only casino that does not play background music, instead, only playing ambient music.
==Appearances==
The Lucky 38 appears in and briefly in "The Beginning", the eighth and final episode of the Fallout TV series. It is mentioned and the Fallout 76 update Wastelanders.
==Behind the scenes==
* The in-game Lucky 38 is similar in appearance to the real-world Stratosphere Las Vegas as well as the former Landmark Hotel and Casino. The Landmark was owned for some time by Howard Hughes, the inspiration for Robert House, who had a history of psychological traits that resemble those of House and lived in a (different) Las Vegas casino for some time.
* The casino's name "Lucky 38" is a reference to the 38 numbers on a roulette table. The sign looks like a stylized roulette wheel and pre-War billboards for the Lucky 38 have the slogan "Take her for a spin!"
* James Garcia created the 3D model of the Lucky 38 neon sign.James Garcia's portfolio
==Bugs==
* Speaking with Victor does not bring up a dialogue prompt. Bringing a companion into the casino and dismissing them fixes the issue.
* Upon exiting the Lucky 38, the game freezes or crashes and the autosave file becomes corrupted. This may be worked around by using the command to bypass using the casino door and teleport to the target of the quest marker.
* At the Lucky 38, the automatic doors before the real doors will not open, barring entrance. Speaking with Victor does not solve the issue.
* The casino and presidential suite may appear very dark when screen effects are set to "none" or "bloom." Choosing HDR fixes this.
* If the player character uses the complimentary voucher bug to climb the front of the Lucky 38 above the entrance, it is possible to go under the casino and a terminal will be present, named "Tops Radio," with only introductory and leaving dialogue.
==Gallery==
Lucky 38 vista.jpg
Lucky 38 vista at night.jpg
Fallout New Vegas Lucky 38 Casino.jpg|The main floor casino
Lucky 38 Cocktail Lounge.jpg|The cocktail Lounge
Lucky38 Presidential Suite.png|The Lucky 38 presidential suite
FNV Lucky 38 header casino.jpg|Panel on the casino floor
Fallout New Vegas Lucky 38 Sign 2.jpg|The Lucky 38 seen from the outside
Lucky 38 at night.jpg|As seen from the Strip at night
Lucky 38.jpg|Opening scene of Fallout: New Vegas
Securitron outside of lucky 38.jpg|A Securitron outside of the Lucky 38
Lucky38ControlRoom.jpg|The Lucky 38 control room
Tops radio.jpg|Tops radio
Lucky 38 VIP bar.jpg
Lucky 38 inside balcony.jpg
Lucky 38 dawn.jpg
Lucky 38 bar.jpg
Lucky 38 upward look night.jpg
Lucky 38 from Fabulous sign.jpg
The Lucky 38 Gomorrah view.jpg
Lucky 38 penthouse.jpg|The Lucky 38 penthouse
Courier end slide 04.png|The Lucky 38 as seen in an ending slide
===Miscellaneous===
FNV loading billboard04.jpg|Lucky 38 advertisement on a loading screen
FNV loading desktop05.jpg
FNV Intro poster.png|Intro slide poster
FNV-CE-PlayingCard-Lucky38.png|The Lucky 38 playing card from the Collector's Edition of the game
FNV Wallpaper 15 1900x1200.jpg|
FNV Caravan card back - Lucky 38.png|Back of Lucky 38 Caravan cards found in game
Lucky38New.png|A newspaper article about the Lucky 38
Nvlucky38poster04 d.png|A newspaper article about the Lucky 38
Lucky38Ad.png|A Lucky 38 advertisement poster
Lucky38Ad2.png|A Lucky 38 advertisement poster
FNV_Lucky_38_rug.png|Carpeting
Lucky38Ad3.png|A Lucky 38 billboard advertisement
FNV Lucky 38 Postcard.png|A pre-War postcard featuring the Lucky 38
Lucky38sign.png|Texture file
Fallout Magic Command Tower.png|Magic: The Gathering
Fallout Magic Command Tower art.jpg|Card art
Fallout Magic Command Tower behind the scenes.jpg|Behind the scenes
Fallout Magic All That Glitters.png|Magic: The Gathering
File:Fallout Magic All That Glitters art.jpg|Card art
FOTV credits New Vegas sign.png|In the credits of "The Beginning"
== See also==
*Spare Us the Cutter: Lucky 38 cut content
== References==
Non-game
 
de:Lucky 38
es:Lucky 38
fr:Lucky 38
pl:Lucky 38
pt:Lucky 38
ru:Лаки 38
uk:Лаки 38
zh:幸运38赌场