Nellis Air Force Base

The Nellis Air Force Base, also known as the Nellis homeland,Raquel: " "(Raquel's dialogue) is a location in the Mojave Wasteland .
==Background==
===Pre-War===
Nellis served as the United States Air Force's warfare center with the motto "Testing, Tactics, Training."FNV Nellis front sign nifskope renderThe Courier: "What's the next step?"Robert House: "Outside New Vegas, at what was once called Nellis Air Force Base, resides an unusual tribe known as the Boomers. They are, shall we say, ? They have several howitzers they fire at anyone who dares approach the base. Artillery of this sort has a range of several miles. If it's going to fire on Hoover Dam, I want it firing at my targets. If not, then I want to make sure that the Boomers don't sign similar treaties to fire their guns in support of the NCR or Caesar's Legion."(Robert House's dialogue) At the onset of the Great War, a great many fighters and bombers were scrambled from the base in response to the missile launches. None of them would ever return. The advanced defenses set up by Mr. House at the Lucky 38 also couldn't prevent all of the missiles from hitting their targets, including Nellis, which was hit by several nuclear weapons, leaving the base highly radioactive.Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.43: "BoomersAt the beginning of the war, Nellis Air Force Base scrambled an enormous number of fighters and bombers to respond to the missile launch. None of those planes ever returned. Additionally, despite the best efforts of a man named Mr. House, some of the missiles that struck the greater Las Vegas area impacted Nellis. As a result, Nellis was not an attractive site for scavengers for over a hundred years after the war.Fifty years ago, a group of Vault 34's dissidents struck out on their own and started using Nellis as a base. Over a long period of time, they eventually decided to call Nellis their home. They learned a great deal of information from the records at Nellis and used that information to open the weapons storehouses at (currently unknown locations called) Area 2 and the Hawthorne Army Depot. The result of their efforts was an enormous stockpile of heavy ordnance, artillery, and small nuclear weapons.Due to the tribes paranoia, hostility, and excessive reverence for explosives, the New Vegas locals started calling them 'Boomers.' The Boomers didn't mind the name as long as it meant people kept their distance. No matter who approaches them (Mr. House, the Vegas families, NCR, or Caesar), the Boomers have the same response: artillery. While the Boomers' attitude has kept away trouble, all of the major players around New Vegas want to get on the tribe's good side. People simply have no idea how to accomplish that. As far as all intelligence indicates, the Boomers have a clean water supply from Lake Mead, power from solar panels inside the base, and thriving farms that they've learned to develop 'the hard way' over the decades they've been in the base. Once, the NCR attempted to shut off the Boomers' water supply. The Boomers' response was to shell sections of the NCR's water pipeline in eastern New Vegas. The NCR promptly restored the flow.In the months that followed that experiment, no one has tried to approach the Boomers, which is just how they like it."(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles) Over the following decades, wastelanders and scavengers avoided Nellis by habit due to the lethal radiation levels, leaving it empty and desolate.The Courier: "I'm surprised Nellis was empty when your people found it."Pete: "Several atomic warheads detonated here hundreds of years ago, leaving the base highly radioactive. The savages of the wastes, ignoramuses, all avoided Nellis by habit."(Pete's dialogue)
===Post-War===
Around five decades before 2281, a splinter group from the population of Vault 34 close to the base, the tribe that would be called the Boomers, left the underground bunker and walked out into the wasteland. Despite achieving great success in killing hostiles with their limited weapon supply of firearms and explosive ordnance, the tribe collectively decided they needed a homeland to safeguard and be safe within. They eventually found and settled in Nellis.The Courier: "Tell me about the Boomers."Robert House: "They occupied Nellis Air Force Base a little over 50 years ago. One of my Securitrons got some video of their arrival - and then... exploded. Odds are they were Vault dwellers. That's everything I know about them, really."(Robert House's dialogue)Pete: "Ages ago, long before I was born, we lived underground. Everyone had guns but the overseer wouldn't let us explode anything, not even a hand grenade. We left and wandered the wastes. There were savages with knives. We blew them up with frag mines and grenades, burned them with flamethrowers. It was neat, but there was a downside. For every 43.6 savages we killed, we lost one of our own. We needed a new home. We needed Nellis. Nellis, glittering like shrapnel in the desert sun. Nellis, bursting with missiles, warheads, and bombs. Nellis had waited. Just for us. Here, we have prospered and multiplied. Here, our mighty guns destroy any savages who might try to harm us before they can even reach our gates! Nellis has revealed many secrets. It has taught us how to fly the bombers once based here. And it has taught us where to find one! And that is our story so far, for this last image is our future. To restore the bomber, to fly the open skies in armored safety, raining high-explosive ordnance upon ignorant savages - this is our destiny! I'm pleased that you listened to the entire story! Perhaps there are details you'd like to know more about? Let me know."(Pete's dialogue) The Boomers' Pip-Boy Geiger counters indicated that by the time of their arrival, the base was still somewhat radioactive, but not to a deadly degree, as enough time had passed for many of the isotopes to have effectively degraded. They commandeered the base's remaining defensive structures and later added to their stockpile by retrieving heavy arms including several howitzers from Area 2, the first and last time the Boomers ever set foot outside of Nellis since arriving there,The Courier: "What are howitzers doing at an Air Force Base?"Pete: "You're right, they weren't here when we discovered Nellis! We found the guns at a huge weapon depot called Area 2, many miles from here! It took many weeks to drag the guns and their ammunition back to Nellis - and it was the last time any of us set foot beyond our homeland!"(Pete's dialogue) putting them to use keeping outsiders, considered "savages," away from Nellis. Their blast-first, question-never approach quickly garnered them a notorious reputation around the rest of the Mojave.
The Boomers have worked hard to make the base mostly self-sufficient, growing their own crops using water pumped from Lake Mead, with basic nourishment provided by grains and green vegetables, while protein is provided by soy and legumes.The Courier: ""Pete: "[SUCCEEDED] Indeed we do! Very impressive."(Pete's dialogue)The Courier: "I guess poor nutrition could explain a lot of your behavior."Pete: "Our nutrition is not deficient! We supplement our diet of grains and vegetables with soy and legumes for protein."(Pete's dialogue)The Courier: ""Pete: "[FAILED] We are certainly not cannibals! We're not savages, like some people! We supplement grains and green vegetables with soy and legumes - that's how we get our protein!"(Pete's dialogue) In addition, maize is also used to produce fuel in the on-base biodiesel refinery, while power is provided by the Nellis solar array and its generator. The tribe also has a schoolhouse in which the younger members receive a rudimentary education, covering self-sufficient farming and combat with heavy weaponry,The Courier: "What happens when they come of age?"Boomer teacher: "All of us are trained in combat and farming from a very early age. When we reach adulthood, we serve in whatever capacity we are best suited."(Nellis teacher's dialogue) and makes use of access to the base's medical facilities to tend to injuries.The Courier: "How do you survive, totally cut off from the world?"Pete: "Nellis is a completely self-sufficient community! We draw water from Lake Mead, solar arrays provide power, and we grow our own crops!"(Pete's dialogue)
The tribe had held a collective dream for many years, to take to the skies in aerial combat against their enemies, to the point they have made use of the base's in-house virtual reality (VR) training simulators to teach the necessary skills to pilot a bomber plane.The Courier: "How has Nellis taught your people to fly?"Pete: "Once we restored power, we learned that some elaborate chairs we'd been sleeping in were actually virtual reality simulators. Before you ask, I'm afraid there's no way you can be allowed to use the simulators. They are for our use only. Sorry."(Pete's dialogue) This dream stems from the discovery of a file concerning the story of the crashed B-29 bomber in Lake Mead, which the Boomers saw as the fulfillment of their fascinations and prepared for the day when the bomber, which they've dubbed "The Lady in the Lake," would able to rise from her watery resting place.The Courier: "How did you learn where to find an old bomber?"Pete: "Loyal found a file somewhere on the base, with magazine articles, photographs, a map, even. It seems that a bomber, apparently the 29th of its kind, crashed in Lake Mead on July 21st, 1948. Just imagine - that's over 300 years ago! The photographs showed that it was basically intact, and the map tells us exactly where to find it. Except we haven't left Nellis in decades."(Pete's dialogue)
==Layout==
Nellis' location in the greater Mojave Wasteland is discreet and well-defended, mostly accessible by a cracked and cratered road littered with signs suggesting that entrance into the area is strictly forbidden to all outsiders. The front gate is vigilantly guarded day and night by a howitzer team, meaning that Nellis' main entrance can only be approached from two different locations, with one being via the old road leading east from Fields' shack. When approaching from the old road, the Courier may encounter George, who provides the Nellis artillery timing details note. The second approach can be accessed by an unmarked train tunnel (with two Very Hard locks) located east of Raul's shack.
Upon entering the base, the structures seen are the control tower and the hangars to the west. Two runways stretch parallel to the east, occupying the majority of the base's territory. The Boomers have made good use of the land between them, converting a parcel into an irrigated farm plot, and just north of the farm is the Nellis array, which provides power for the entire facility via solar panels. Along the northeast corner of the fencing is a graveyard that cannot be looted.
One hangar houses the remaining parts of a B-29 bomber, while the other is used to house the virtual reality terminals, used to train pilots, and doubling as a mess hall and storage area. Quonset huts and shacks on the west side of the base provide living quarters, as well as medical and educational facilities. The tribe's elders, Pearl and Loyal, have their own separate homes, while the rest of the Boomers make do with segregated barracks. The Nellis Boomer museum is also located among the eastern huts, with a nearby biodiesel storage hut near the crane and tracks.
==Buildings==
==Inhabitants==
==Notable loot==
* Nellis Air Force Base snow globe - Inside of the Nellis Boomer museum.
* Howitzer firing mechanism - In one of the gun cabinets inside of the Nellis workshop.
* Duck and Cover! - Can be stolen from inside Pearl's barracks, among the books on the hanging bookshelf behind the sofa.
* Dean's Electronics - Can be stolen from inside Loyal's house on the table.
* A Fat Man and three mini nukes - Carried by a Boomer near one of three tents southeast of the mess hall and munitions storage hangar. Two mini nukes can be found on the bottom floor of the Nellis array on the shelves, while another mini nuke can be stolen from the Boomers' munition store, inside of a wooden box on the top shelf.
* Thump-Thump - Can be found in the Nellis array generator building bottom floor next to a skeleton and to the left of the ant mound, along with 12 rounds of 40mm grenade ammo.
* The base's biodiesel refinery has 102 maize inside - Located north-northeast of the Nellis Boomer museum.
* Two Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps - Found on a table in the mess hall among other bottle caps.
* A key to a Very Hard-locked gun case for the Vault 34 armory, used to open the pulse gun's gun case - Located in a filing cabinet within Pearl's barracks.
* Rebreather - Made by Jack during Volare! (requires a pressure cooker or passing a 40 Science skill check).
==Related quests==
==Notes==
* On the way to Nellis by the old road (before the bombardment), a man named George will approach the Courier and make a wager of 300 caps should they survive the bombardment. If a Barter check of 40 is passed, he will only need to be given 200 caps, although the new wager nets fewer caps upon completion (600 vs 400).
** Optionally, upon returning back after the bombardment, if a Speech check of 60 is passed, the Courier may threaten to have the Boomers change their target trajectory, causing George to add an additional 100 caps to the wager. 
** If the Courier bets 300 caps, returns to George from Nellis, and has a Speech check of 60 without the use of a skill magazine, the Courier may convince George to front 1,000 caps, a profit of 700 caps.
* There are several ways to safely get past the artillery, see Highway to the Danger Zone.
* If Jack is given scrap metal, it will increase fame with Nellis. Should enough be given (about fifty units), an instant Idolized status with the Boomers will be gained without needing to complete any of their side quests.
* If the Boomer with the Fat Man is killed, they will eventually respawn, acting as a source of infinite Fat Man launchers and mini nukes.
* There is one Brotherhood of Steel paladin carrying a mission statement that Elder McNamara requests during Still in the Dark.
* With Veronica as a companion during Pete's narration of the Boomers' history, she will comment on the similarities between them and the Brotherhood, with the Boomers recognizing her affiliation with the group.
* If the Courier boasts to the front gate guard that they safely ran through the artillery field, the Boomers will comment on it.
* With Cass as a companion, Boomers will walk up to her and say, "Whatever you're selling, we have plenty of it."
* With ED-E as a companion, both Boomers and the Mister Gutsies in the base will comment "I can take care of your robot problem. Just saying."
* Nellis has the highest number of child NPCs in one location in the game, at a total of eight.
==Appearances==
The Nellis Air Force Base appears only .
==Behind the scenes==
The in-game location is roughly around the same spot as the real-world location of Nellis Air Force Base, located in northeast Las Vegas, Nevada.
==Bugs==
* The guard that opens the gate may stand with his back turned and will not interact with the player character.
** To work around this, the player character can first provoke the Boomers by shooting the pacing guard and try to lure the guard that normally triggers the Boomer dialogue near the gate. If done quickly enough, the player character may then put away their weapon and be forgiven by the Boomer guards, and afterward talk to the guard near the fence to trigger the dialogue and proceed normally.
** This can be fixed by opening the console (~), selecting the gate by left-clicking it and typing unlock into the console. This will unlock the gate and allow the player character to walk in and initiate a conversation with the guard, then proceed normally from there.
* Artillery shelling may continue when near the Nellis fence and just inside the base.
* The script for artillery shelling may become bugged. Shelling will begin without a warning sound shortly after passing George near Fields' shack, and aside from brief reloading periods, will not end even when reaching the gate guard at Nellis. Fast traveling to Nellis thereafter will always result in shelling.
* At times, the textures and layout maps fail to load correctly, leaving any character or robot that wanders into the afflicted area stuck in the ground if it reverts to normal.
* There is a greenhouse that has planks nailed to the main door. It may be activated, but nothing will happen.
* If the gate to the entrance of the base is left open, some of the Mini Boomers may walk out and be attacked by the mortars. They will not die or even be affected by the missiles and will keep walking and never return. When the player character walks with them, the mortars do not fire, but if 2-5 steps are taken away from them, the mortars will begin firing again. This can lead to the mortars firing huge distances, potentially all the way to the outer walls of New Vegas and beyond.
* At times, the guards at the front gate or in the guard towers will randomly attack, even at Accepted status.
* Boomers will pile up just inside the west entrance/exit door of the mess hall & munitions storage, vibrating and stuttering off of each other. Companions will be "lodged" inside the cluster upon entrance, and it takes several minutes for them to work free. Sometimes, upon exiting, the Boomers will all "burst free" and exit at the same time as the player character and their companions, to then roam the base normally.
* Sometimes, after completing most or all of the quests for the Boomers and then making a trip back to the base, a random infamy gain will be incurred with the Boomers for no reason. None of the Boomers will be hostile, and no evidence or bodies of what could have happened can be found. It could possibly be caused by the completion of Heartache by the Number, and choosing to kill Alice McLafferty, which in turn can turn Janet from the Young Hearts quest (if she was brought to Nellis) hostile and force the Boomers to put her down at the player character's expense.
* By going near the base, discovering it, and leaving it without approaching the Boomer who was firing the missiles, Raquel will appear later at some point (usually after fast traveling) and ask the player character to meet Mother Pearl. They will then be forced to go back to the base with her to see Mother Pearl.
* Female Boomers at Nellis may have facial hair, despite being female.
* Sometimes, nobody will ever come to the gate, leaving the rail tunnel as the only viable entrance.
==Gallery==
FNV Nellis Entry Monument Closeup.png|Close-up of the entry monument
Nelliswarning1.jpg|Restricted area warning sign
Nelliswarning2.jpg|"Danger! Do not enter. Any military may kill you" warning sign
Nelliswarning3.jpg|No trespassing sign
Nelliswarning4.jpg|Keep out sign
Fat Man Boomer farmer.jpg|Boomer farmer with the Fat Man
FNV loading bulletinboard09.jpg
SnowglobeNellisAFB.png
NellisAirbase map.jpg
FNV Nellis front sign nif.png
Nvnellissign d.png|Texture file
Nvnellisdangersigns.png|Danger signs texture file
Nvnellisbordersigns.png|Nellis border sign texture file
==References==
Non-game
Category:Fallout: New Vegas locations
 
de:Nellis Air Force Base
es:Base aérea de Nellis
it:Base aeronautica di Nellis
pl:Baza Lotnictwa Nellis
pt:Nellis Air Force Base
ru:Авиабаза Неллис
uk:Авіабаза Нелліс
zh:奈利斯空軍基地