Second Battle of Hoover Dam

The Second Battle of Hoover Dam is the conjectural name applied to the second offensive mounted by Caesar's Legion against the New California Republic forces entrenched on Hoover Dam in 2282, as well as on the surrounding Mojave Wasteland.The Courier: "What should I expect at the dam?"Robert House: " It'll be a pitched battle, that's a certainty. Perhaps the greatest battle the Earth has seen since the human race nearly made itself extinct."The Courier: "Any speculation on Legion tactics?"Robert House: "The Legion will mount a ferocious and determined frontal assault from the east, that much is certain. Still, Caesar is a capable strategist. I'd be surprised if he hasn't found some way to infiltrate the dam, or the NCR's rear areas."The Courier: "Any speculation on Legion tactics?"Robert House: "With Caesar dead, it's hard to know what to expect. The Legate, Lanius, is renowned as a brutal man, not a subtle tactician. Frontal assaults, wave attacks - these are the sort of tactics one would expect from such a man."The Courier: "How will the NCR defend Hoover Dam?"Robert House: "General Oliver's - or 'tunnel vision,' as I like to call it - has been to mass troops at Hoover Dam. He wants to out-fight the Legion in a straight-forward slugging match, and then, when they rout, pursue and destroy them in detail. A crushing, decisive victory of this sort would overshadow the tactical ingenuity of Chief Hanlon's defense four years ago, you see."The Courier: "What's your battle plan for the Dam?"Robert House: "A good deal should be obvious to you by now. I won't spoil the rest by talking out of turn."(Robert House's dialogue)
==Prelude==
After the First Battle of Hoover Dam, Mr. House knew that as soon as either the NCR or the Legion became victorious at the dam, they would turn their attention to New Vegas. In an attempt to stop this and allow the city to remain under his control, he had Victor hire a courier to retrieve his platinum chip, a data storage device capable of upgrading the city's defense systems and activating a massive army of Securitrons.The Courier: "How do you intend to enforce your claim on the city?"Robert House: "To enforce, one must have force - a position of strength. Years ago, when I detected NCR scouts roaming the Mojave, I could tell from their uniforms that these were no mere tribesmen. I knew it was only a matter of time before an army appeared, to take control of the dam. And I knew my Securitrons wouldn't be enough to oppose them. And so I recruited the Three Families. Vegas belongs to me because I mustered enough strength to bring the NCR to the bargaining table."(Robert House's dialogue) This would give House the ability to single-handedly crush the Legion and intimidate the NCR into a retreat.The Courier: "What will you do with your Securitrons?"Robert House: "My army will do what an army does best - defend territory from invaders... and maintain order."(Robert House's dialogue) However, the leader of the Chairmen, Benny, learned of this plan and ambushed House's courier outside of Goodsprings, shooting them in the head and leaving them for dead in a shallow grave, taking the platinum chip and throwing House's plans into disarray.
The Courier survived, however, and began a journey to the New Vegas Strip to find Benny and get revenge, in the process of learning the true purpose of the platinum chip and its power. The Courier was faced with the choice of either giving the chip to House or destroying the Securitron army or even using it to create an army of their own. The Courier's journey attracted the attention of the NCR and the Legion, both wanting such an influential individual on their side. Also in preparation, the Courier traveled the land looking for other tribes and factions to ally with.
==Battle==
===Hoover Dam===
The Courier's role in the battle depended greatly on which faction they sided with. If the Courier sided with House or Yes Man, the battle played out in a similar fashion, both involving the activation of the Securitron army. From there, the Courier was forced to fight their way across the dam and into the Legion camp. The NCR questline had the Courier perform the same basic task: fighting through enemy forces to get to the Legion camp on the other side of the dam.
While traversing the dam, any aid the Courier had enlisted would have been acted upon by the corresponding faction. Once the Courier reached the other side of the dam and entered the Legate's camp, they would face off against Legate Lanius. The resulting confrontation would either have had the Courier fight and kill the legate, or solve the confrontation diplomatically. After dealing with the legate, the Courier returned to the main gate, at which point General Lee Oliver and his men destroyed it. If siding with the NCR, Oliver would have congratulated the Courier; however, if siding with Yes Man or Mr. House, the Courier would have been forced to confront General Oliver, either fighting and killing Oliver and his men or solving the issue through diplomacy.
If the Courier sided with the polar opposite, the Legion, the battle played out in a similar fashion to the battle involving the Courier siding with the NCR, only it would play out in reverse; the Courier started at the Legate's camp, and then fought their way across the dam to reach the NCR's position, confronting General Oliver. Once again, the Courier was forced to choose between killing the general or convincing him to leave through diplomacy.
Various factions from across the Mojave Wasteland may participate in the battle in support of the NCR, the Legion, or the Free Economic Zone of New Vegas under Mr. House or Yes Man. Other aspects of the battle are also changed depending on the Courier's previous actions.
* The Brotherhood of Steel sends several paladins to assist the NCR if a formal truce was declared in For the Republic, Part 2, only possible by the Courier completing Still in the Dark by siding with Elder McNamara.
* The Boomers will support whoever the Courier ultimately opposes, if their aid was enlisted. They attack the Legion forces when siding with any faction except the Legion, or the NCR when siding with the Legion. If the B-29 Superfortress was not salvaged in Volare!, the Boomers fire their artillery at the opposing forces atop the dam. If the B-29 was salvaged, then the plane will fly over the dam, dropping bombs on the Courier's foes instead.
* The Enclave remnants appear to support the NCR or Legion if they are assembled during For Auld Lang Syne, depending on who the Courier asked them to fight for. Cannibal Johnson will outright refuse to participate when told to assist the Legion, and Orion Moreno will initially refuse if told to aid the NCR, but unlike Johnson, he can be convinced. If the Enclave remnants are told to fight alongside the NCR, and Arcade Gannon decided to join the remnants during the aforementioned quest, he will appear beforehand assisting the NCR as well. If the Courier attacks General Oliver or fails to convince him to back down when siding with Yes Man or Mr. House, Cannibal Johnson will turn on the Courier and their party, if he survived thus far, to assist Oliver's forces.
* The Great Khans assist the Legion if the Courier did not break their previously established alliance. If the Courier broke the alliance and convinced Papa Khan his tribe has no future during Oh My Papa, the Great Khans indirectly assist the NCR by staging a suicidal last stand against the Legion, dying to almost the last man. If the Courier sides with the NCR, and the Great Khans pledged support to the NCR under Regis or the Courier's leadership after Papa Khan's death during For the Republic, Part 2, the gang assists the NCR. However, if the Courier sides with Yes Man or Mr. House, the Great Khans will not arrive to fight if they pledged support to the NCR.
* The Followers of the Apocalypse will provide medical supplies to the frontlines for NCR forces if the Courier sides with the NCR or Yes Man, and enlists the Followers' help.
* If the Courier repaired the howizer at the Fort during I Hear You Knocking, the Legion uses it to attack NCR sniper positions from range.
===Elsewhere===
The details of the battle at Hoover Dam are unclear. However, the fighting was not just limited to that relatively small location; violence engulfed the entire Mojave Wasteland as Caesar's Legion and its allies attacked NCR targets and locations across the region, with varying levels of success.
* A coup (Operation Racket) may have been staged on the New Vegas Strip by the Omertas, financed by the Legion, and potentially assisted by the White Gloves. The coup is successful if the Courier aided the Omertas in finalizing their plans to aquire more weapons during How Little We Know, regardless of the allegiance of the White Gloves. Albeit weakened, the coup still occurs if the Courier did not finish aiding the Omertas, or failed to thwart their plans instead. However, in this case, they were stopped by the coalition of Chairmen, Securitrons and NCR MPs. The White Gloves also joined the effort to stop the Omertas if they were not recruited by the Legion. If the Courier foiled the Omertas' plans, even if the White Gloves were recruited by the Legion, Racket never happened and the NCR Embassy was bombed in turn. The bombing was possibly the work of the Legion's frumentarii, or the White Gloves if they were recruited, in an attempt to cause at least some disruption on the Strip after their initial plan failed. (NCR Emergency Radio)
* The Legion spy at Camp McCarran will execute their plan to bomb the monorail connecting the base to the Strip if the Courier did not catch them for the NCR during I Put a Spell on You. If the Omertas' coup occured, the monorail's destruction prevented the NCR from sending more reinforcements to help stop them, likely causing more casualties on the Strip as a result. (NCR Emergency Radio)
* The Fiends, in the event at least one of their four leaders remained alive, launched an attack on the NCR at Camp McCarran. If Cook-Cook, Motor-Runner, Violet and Driver Nephi all died beforehand, the gang were unable to coordinate themselves properly and the attack never occurred. If Motor-Runner is killed, but at least one of the other Three-Card Bounty leaders remains alive, they stage a disorganized assault. If the Courier sided with the NCR or Mr. House, the Fiend attack is repulsed with only minor NCR casualties. Even if only Motor-Runner remained alive, his leadership allows the Fiends to lead a brutal attack on Camp McCarran. If the Courier sided with Mr. House, the gang will overrun McCarran and deal devastating losses to the NCR. If the Courier sided with the NCR, they are repelled, albeit at the cost of heavy casualties for the NCR. If the Courier sided with Yes Man and the Fiends launched their attack, no matter the strength, they successfully defeat the NCR. If the Courier sided with Caesar's Legion and the Fiends launched their attack, no matter the strength, they are repelled by the NCR. (ending slides)
* Riots broke across New Vegas outside of the Strip. If the Courier escalated tensions between the NCR and the Kings into all-out war during G.I. Blues, the damage in Freeside was worsened by the latter staging targeted attacks on both NCR soldiers and civilians in the area. However, if a formal truce was declared in Kings Gambit, tensions were eased without a formal truce in G.I. Blues, or the situation was left unresloved, the outcome is unclear. The Kings' reaction likely ranged from helping to contain the riots in Freeside, to abstaining and allowing the NCR to deal with them. The Fiends' actions during the battle play a significant role in the outcome of the riots. If the Fiends failed to assemble an attack on Camp McCarran, the NCR are able to divert enough additonal troops across New Vegas to successfully quell the rioting. (ending slides)
* Camp Forlorn Hope was attacked by the Legion. If the Courier did nothing for either side, the Legion was able to take it with some difficulty, with some NCR troops managing to retreat. If Alpha Squad of First Recon was present or the Courier managed to solve the camp's many problems, the NCR soldiers were able to defeat the attack with very few casualties. If the Courier aided the Legion, the camp was totally overrun. If the Courier solved the camp's problems and Alpha Squad of First Recon was present, then the engagement was such a crushingly one-sided NCR victory that an officer says it will "surely be the most decisive victory in this entire battle." (NCR Emergency Radio)
* Camp Golf was attacked by the Legion. If the Courier did nothing for either side, the NCR Rangers defeated the Legion, throwing back their attack with moderate casualties. If the Courier trained the Misfits, the Legion was defeated more easily, with the Misfits distinguishing themselves. If the Courier aided the Legion, then the camp fell and Chief Hanlon and the other rangers stationed there were killed, many by crucifixion. (NCR Emergency Radio and ending slides)
* Novac was attacked by the Legion. If the Courier sided with any faction except the Legion, the townspeople fended off the Legion assault at the cost of many citizen's lives. If the Courier sided with the Legion, Novac was overrun following repeated Legion attacks. If the Courier assisted the Bright Brotherhood in their pilgrimage during Come Fly With Me, the group returned in time to aid the settlement, facilitating the successful evacuation of many of Novac's citizens before the Legion overwhelmed the town. If the Courier killed or did not assist the Bright Brotherhood, Novac's citizens were massacured in the Legion takeover. (NCR Emergency Radio and ending slides)
* HELIOS One is attacked by the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel if the Courier sided with Yes Man without activating the Securitron army, and Still in the Dark was completed by siding with Hardin, or left unresloved. The Brotherhood claimed victory over the NCR or Legion forces stationed there, and inflicted heavy damage to retreating NCR forces in the surrounding area. (ending slides)
==Aftermath==
===Independent===
===Mr. House===
===Caesar's Legion===
===New California Republic===
==Notes==
* Yes Man and Mr. House's participation in this battle are mutually exclusive; if the Courier chose to support an independent Vegas, then they would already have had control of the Securitron army and House would have been long-dead (or irrevocably disconnected from the Lucky 38's mainframe computers) by the time the battle started.
* If the Courier accidentally shot their allies during the battle, no penalty would have been given.
==Appearances==
The Second Battle of Hoover Dam occurs .
==Gallery==
SecondBattleOfHooverDam.jpg
;Magic The Gathering
Fallout Magic Battle of Hoover Dam.png|Magic: The Gathering card
Fallout Magic Battle of Hoover Dam Extended Art.png|Extended Art
==References==
Category:New California Republic conflicts
Category:Caesar's Legion conflicts
pl:Druga bitwa o Zaporę Hoovera
pt:Segunda batalha de hoover dam
ru:Вторая битва за дамбу Гувера
uk:Друга битва за дамбу Гувера