Broken Hills

"Vats of Goo"
Broken Hills is a location in New California . Before the Great War, it was a mining town, but has since become a safehaven, inhabited by humans, super mutants and ghouls, living together in relative harmony, led by Marcus. However, in 2241, this peace is threatened by a conspiracy aiming to destroy the mutants, leading to the involvement of the Chosen One.
==Background==
Shortly after the Master's defeat, a super mutant named Marcus wandered aimlessly until he encountered Jacob, a Brotherhood of Steel knight in powered armor who had pledged himself to the extermination of all mutants. Marcus and Jacob fought for a period of time, but soon realized the futility of their battle.The Chosen One: "{107}{}{Who are you?}"Marcus: "{124}{mcs7}{I’m Marcus. Helped build the place. Now I’m sheriff.}"The Chosen One: "{125}{}{You helped build this place? That must have been a long time ago…}"Marcus: "{128}{mcs8}{Long story. Want it short or the whole thing?}"The Chosen One: "{130}{}{Hell, I’m not too busy. Let’s hear it all.}"Marcus: "{136}{mcs10}{Right...After the Master and the vats were destroyed, I wandered a bit. No place to go. One day got attacked by this fool wearin’ power armor.}"The Chosen One: "{137}{}{Really?}"Marcus: "{138}{mcs11}{That was Jacob, from the Brotherhood of Steel. He’d sworn some oath to destroy muties. We tussled for a while – probably a day or two. After a while, we just started laughing. What was the point?}"The Chosen One: "{139}{}{Then what?}"Marcus: "{140}{mcs12}{We became friends. Headed off together. Then other people started following us. Guess they figured if they weren’t safe with a mutie and a Steel Knight, safe just wasn’t going to happen. }"The Chosen One: "{141}{}{So you set up here. Why?}"Marcus: "{142}{mcs13}{Uranium mine. I knew there was one around from old maps. Now anybody’s welcome here – ‘long as they act right. Others might not think much of us, but nobody’s more free than we are. There ya go.}"(Marcus' dialogue) They became friends, even though Marcus still thought that Jacob would have been improved by a dip in the FEV vats.The Chosen One: "{143}{}{Wait… you were friends with a guy from the Brotherhood?}"Marcus: "{216}{mcs32}{Damn right. Best friend I ever had.}"The Chosen One: "{217}{}{Yeah, right, you would’ve dipped him just like everyone else.}"Marcus: "{219}{mcs33}{Hell, yes, I would've. What a great mutant he would’ve been.}"The Chosen One: "{220}{}{I don't think he'd be happy to hear you say that.}"Marcus: "{222}{mcs34}{(laughs) We had this argument all the time. (sigh) I miss that hard-head.}"(Marcus' dialogue) As they wandered through the wastes, they attracted a small following of war refugees. The refugees believed that Marcus's strength and Jacob's power armor offered them a certain level of protection from the hazardous wasteland. Eventually, Marcus and Jacob led the refugees to settle in Broken Hills to exploit the uranium mine there.
The mine in Broken Hills provides all the uranium that Vault City and Gecko need for their atomic power plants. The ghouls and mutants that live and work in Broken Hills make ideal uranium miners since they are not affected by exposure to radiation in the mine. Since Vault City will deal only with humans, the miners must use human traders as their intermediaries. These traders charge the miners excessive commission for their work. Tensions in this multiracial community over time have greatly increased and the human merchants have been accused of outright theft.Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.150: "Broken Hills provides all the uranium that Vault City and Gecko need for their atomic power plants. The radiation-resistant ghouls and mutants that live and work in Broken Hills make ideal uranium miners since they are not affected by exposure to radiation. Unfortunately, since Vault City will deal only with humans, the miners must use human traders as their intermediaries. These human salesmen charge the miners an exorbitant commission for their work. Tensions in this multiracial community have risen to a fever pitch because the human merchants have been accused of outright theft of the fruits of the miners' hard-earned labor."
At some point after 2241,Fallout 2 begins in 2241:Fallout Bible 0: "2241 July 25 Fallout 2 Begins: Chosen One begins his mystic test, descending into the Temple of Trials." the Chosen One puts an end to the conspiracy to destroy the mutants, and Broken Hills began to thrive for a time, until the uranium ran out. Without the income from the mine, the town slowly dispersed, leaving the place an empty ghost town.Fallout 2 endings; Broken Hills: "With the destruction of the conspiracy to destroy the mutants, Broken Hills began to thrive. Then the uranium ran out. The city, having lost its sole reason for existing, slowly dispersed. The residents carried their riches with them, leaving the place a wind-swept, desolate ghost town. A few hold-outs remained, attempting to eke out a pathetic existence, but eventually, they too, disappeared."The Courier: "Tell me more about the tribal."Marcus: "We were looking for a to save the village of . Eventually, we did. Nuked an oil rig in the process. We went separate ways after that. I went east into the Rockies, looking for other mutants like myself. Don't know what happened to my friend. "(Marcus' dialogue)
==Location==
Broken Hills can be found twenty squares east and fifteen squares south of Arroyo.
==Layout==
The Broken Hills uranium mine is worked by the town's super mutant population. The radiation in the mine has minimal effect on them and their great strength aids in the physically taxing labor. The mine does require an air purifier, however, as toxic gas build-up makes the mine inoperable unless it is regularly filtered. The town's lifeblood comes from the uranium mine. 
Broken Hills has its own operational refinery operated by ghouls. If uranium ore is purchased from a caravan, the refinery will produce refined uranium in return. The town is powered by a small reactor that runs off of uranium slugs and produces ample power for the community. The uranium trade runs to the NCR and Vault City as well as trafficking brahmin herds across the wastes. The uranium trade is so important to so many towns' existence that even Vault City will check their unrelenting bigotry for outsiders and mutants and trade valuable medical supplies and money for uranium ore. Ever since the mine's air purifier broke down, uranium production has halted, leading to an economic crisis in Broken Hills.
Random encounters in the Broken Hills area feature Unity patrols of humans, ghouls, and mutants which are friendly to player characters with positive karma. 
 	 	Broken Hills mine
 	 	↑
Broken Hills Downtown	→	Broken Hills Residential
 	 	↓
 	 	Broken Hills underground
===Downtown===
If anything, Micky's presence well indicates a broken Broken Hills economy. Ghouls operate the uranium plant which is located downtown. Marcus can be found in front of the jail, and player characters in need of work can visit the caravan office, operated by Bill. Liz runs the general store in town.
===Residential===
Broken Hills offers a resort-like setting for unprejudiced, mutated, and motivated individuals looking to make a fortune mining for uranium. Once threatening, dangerous mutated cacti from the wastes have been placed into pens to make attractive lawn-spaces along the length of the main street. The residential area houses ghouls and super mutants, as well as one scientist, his chess-playing radscorpion, and a talking spore plant.
===Mine===
The Broken Hills uranium mine is worked by the town's super mutant population. The radiation in the mine has minimal effect on them and their great strength aids in the physically taxing labor. The mine does require an air purifier, however, as toxic gas build-up makes the mine inoperable unless it is regularly filtered. The town's lifeblood comes from the uranium mine.
===Underground===
The underground is a base home to rats, but super mutants, such as Francis, claim to have seen people in the underground. The Chosen One discovers that many people died here due to their own super mutant prejudice by completing the quest Find the missing people for Marcus.
==Conflict==
It's not always easy for humans, ghouls, and super mutants to live together. This has culminated in a conspiracy to rid Broken Hills of its mutated citizens, led by human purist and store owner Jacob. The conspiracy has resulted in the arrest and incarceration of several of Joseph's supporters as well as the murder of several civilians. Their bodies have been dumped in the town's caves and sewers in hopes of destabilizing Broken Hills and starting conflict. Jacob also sabotaged the mine's air purifier, temporarily halting mine operation. He ultimately hoped to detonate the purifier and bring the whole mine down on all the super mutants working inside.
In opposition to Jacob are the mutants, mine foreman Zaius, and the arm wrestling champ Francis. There is also a conspiracy on the mutant side, instigated by Francis, which the player discovers upon finding a note on the corpses in the secret tunnel system under Broken Hills. The note proves that the mutants hoped to frame the anti-mutant faction in the town for the deaths of the townspeople.
==Inhabitants==
==Related quests==
==Notes==
* Uranium ore can be obtained either from a wandering merchant in a random encounter in the Broken hills area or from the hidden cave to the right of the entrance just inside the uranium mine.
* Unlike the Den,The Chosen One: "{120}{}{Why the glum flace?}"Stacy: "{134}{}{Oh, nothing really. Just sometimes I get thinking about my mom and cat. I miss them so very much.}"The Chosen One: "{135}{}{Cat?}"Stacy: "{137}{}{Yeah, Cuddles. She was such a sweet cat. I really don't feel like talking about it... Well, unless you'd like to buy me a drink. That might help.}"The Chosen One: "{139}{}{Of course I will. I'd love to hear about it.}"Stacy: "{146}{}{I hear there used to be ones that were as big as you and me. They used to eat animals as big as a brahmin. Now that's scary stuff.}"The Chosen One: "{148}{}{Yeah, it is.}"Stacy: "{149}{}{The kind I'm talking about is a small cute animal, bigger than a rat but smaller than a dog. Some are fluffy, like my Cuddles, but others have short hair.}"The Chosen One: "{150}{}{Really?}"Stacy: "{151}{}{They like to be pet like a dog does, but cats make this wonderful relaxing sound when you pet them.}"The Chosen One: "{152}{}{Strange.}"Stacy: "{153}{}{Cuddles always used to help me go to sleep at night. I think of her every night when I try to go to sleep.}"The Chosen One: "{155}{}{Go on.}"Stacy: "{156}{}{I had her when I was a kid, but she disappeared. I didn't know then what happened to her, I was too young.}"The Chosen One: "{157}{}{Why?}"Stacy: "{158}{}{Well, food was awfully scarce back then and people had to eat. It's quite sad really...}"The Chosen One: "{159}{}{What?}"Stacy: "{160}{}{People would hunt them because they were such easy prey. None of them are around anymore because of it.}"The Chosen One: "{162}{}{I can understand that.}"Stacy: "{163}{}{Those were the wild ones, but I'm sure that's what happened to mine. Now I know why Mom always kept a close eye on her.}"(Stacy's dialogue) Broken Hills is still home to cats.Broken Hills citizen: "{261}{}{My cat’s breath smells like cat food.}"(male and female Broken Hills citizen's dialogue)
==Vault City travel log==
==Appearances==
Broken Hills appears only in Fallout 2 and is mentioned by Marcus in Fallout: New Vegas.
==Behind the scenes==
* Designer Colin McComb worked on content for Broken Hills, including the character of Marcus.Fallout Bible 7: "2. In the Fallout Bible you have written, then FEV cause ghouls and supermutants sterile but in the F2 in the Broken Hills in the Old Ghouls House (or something like that) lives a son of Set. Set cannot have a son because he's a ghoul, so cause FEV sterile or not? (Or is it only a joke?)"Chris Avellone: "According to designer Colin McComb (who is so tough that [1] he did design on Planescape and [2] lives in Detroit), Typhon was Set's son before they became ghouls and became sterile and mutated and all gross-looking."Colin McComb on Twitter@AnalogBeatdown: "Hi @ColinMcComb! I'm a big Fallout fan and I noticed you were credited with working on Broken Hills in Fallout 2!That being said, I was curious if you were the original writer for Marcus, and if so, what you thought of his depiction in New Vegas. Thanks!"@ColinMcComb: "I am generally an Obsidian fan, and more specifically a fan of Josh’s thoughtful work. It’s been a while since I looked at FNV but I recall being quite happy with the deepening of Marcus’s history and future."
* Broken Hills is based on the real-world location of Broken Hills, Nevada, a ghost town with a gold and silver mine of the same name.
** McComb confirmed that Broken Hills was based on the ghost town and stated that it produced uranium because the design team was looking for a plausible source of the element.Colin McComb on Twitter: "Broken Hills was based on the mining ghost town, and produced uranium mainly because I didn't know jack about geology and the design team was looking for a source for uranium.(again, my memory on developing a lot of this is super-bad!) /end"
* Broken Hills could also be a reference to Broken Hill, a town in Australia known for its silver, lead and zinc mining, and also the namesake for the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, the largest mining company in the real world. This could be a reference to Mad Max, as The Road Warrior (known as Mad Max 2 in Australia) was shot on location near Broken Hill. This would be yet another in a long line of Mad Max references featured throughout the Fallout series.
==Bugs==
* Access to the normally inaccessible section of the map on the westernmost edge is possible, on the square adjacent to the fence on one side and the red exit grid on the other. By clicking on the other side of the fence, the Chosen One will walk offscreen, and come back on the other side of the fence. There are footlockers in this new area containing the town's store's inventories. 
** If explosives are armed with an extended wait period and placed into the first footlocker, returning to speak with a shopkeeper will result in that individual now having lit explosives in their inventory. 
** Even if Jacob is in jail, his inventory in the new room will still restock.
** Refrain from saving, reloading or changing from one zone to another while the armed explosives are waiting to go off, as this can cause crashes. 
* An infinite money exploit exists at the uranium refinery behind the caravan office. Bring uranium ore to the glowing white ghoul. If the player character agrees to have the ore refined for $1000, which takes one in-game day, the ghoul will ask to buy it back for $1500. At the dialogue screen where the ghoul buys the refined ore, repeat the conversation to sell repetitively, using the relevant number keys to speed the process. 
==References==
Non-game
 
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ru:Брокен Хиллс
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uk:Брокен Хіллс
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