Klamath

Fallout 2 Walkthrough  → Klamath

A small town where most of the residents make a living by hunting lizards. Upon entering town, search the chests, boxes, and shelves in every house. You'll find a firearms magazine and enough other junk to trade for leather armor, which you might find useful. Vic's abandoned shop (you'll recognize it by its sign) has a single-shot homemade pistol, a broken radio, and several flasks from Vault 13. It's highly recommended to take the radio with you—you'll need it later.

At the entrance to town, on the corner near Buckner's, hangs a local drunk. Give him five coins for a drink, and you can ask him about Klamath, and at the same time, gain "sympathy" from the locals for his generosity. By the way, he has a Molotov cocktail in his inventory—does that really happen?! 

The Golden Lizard Tavern

A man named John Sullivan hangs out in the Golden Lizard Tavern. Talk to him, and he'll offer to teach you hand-to-hand combat and melee weapons skills for free (+150 exp and 10% to both skills). 

The tavern owner always has something "expensive and pre-war" for sale - either anti-radiation medications or pistols and ammunition. However, he doesn't sell such things to just anyone, so you should subtly hint at his "special sources" during the conversation. If the man feigns incomprehension, say that "he can give a real price for them" - it should work. Besides the two taverns, the town also has a butcher shop run by the Danton brothers (not a few rogues) and a brothel run by their sister, Sally.

Include Sulik in your group

In the Buckners' pub, you'll find a savage named Sulik. Slavers kidnapped his sister, and he came to Klamath to look for her, but when he couldn't find Vic, he got drunk and started a riot. Now he has to work for 350 coins—a hefty sum by local standards. If you talk to Maida Buckner and pay for Sulik, he can join you:

He's a decent companion—quite durable, can carry a fair amount of cargo, and is proficient with any melee weapon. However, it's best not to pay for him yet—you'll soon have the opportunity to free him.

Making Moonshine

A man named Whiskey Bob is sitting behind the counter nearby. He's broke right now, so give him some change for a drink. He'll offer you a job in return—stoke his moonshine still outside of town. He'll pay 50 coins, but you can haggle for more. 

Head south to the "trapper's pen." Bob's hut is there, but the path is blocked by several hungry lizards. You can sneak past them, or you can kill them—it doesn't matter. Go inside, stoke the still (+100 exp.), and return. 

After this, you can go to Whiskey Bob for your reward, or you can go to the owner of the Golden Lizard and, in answer to his questions, tell him where the still is. He'll give you 50 coins, and your karma will decrease by 15 points—this bartender has connections with the Den's alcohol dealers and is interested in destroying the still. Bob will understandably be furious after this and won't pay you anything...

Help Torr with the Brahmins

There's another guy hanging around the Buckners' pub—his name is Torr, he's Mrs. Buckner's son, and he's a bit of a wacky guy. The poor guy is scared that the "bug-men" are stealing brahmins at night and asks for your help. Well, go with him to the pasture. If you kill all the scorpions there, you'll get experience points for saving the brahmins and karma after leaving the location (+250 exp, +50 karma). But did you notice the Danton brothers in the pasture? 

If you talk to the scorpions without killing them (!), and if they aren't bothered by your good reputation, they'll ask you to help them steal the brahmin. You can even negotiate with them beforehand—when the brothers arrive at the Golden Lizard in the evening, offer to test their strength—winning will increase your chances of getting the job. 

In this case, you might even be able to talk them out of stealing the brahmin by going with them to the pasture (+50 karma). Then, kill all the scorpions, be sure to talk to Torr, and you're good to go—the quest to protect the brahmin is complete, with karma and experience added.

But let's say you still decide to steal the brahmin. The scorpions are alive, and you're wondering what to do with Torr, who's guarding the brahmin. An idea! Approach Torr and tell him you saw the bug-men "over there" and you'll guard the cattle while he runs off for help. Torr escapes (-10 karma), and the brahmin are yours. Approach the Dantons and receive a reward, experience, and another karma penalty (+150 experience, -50 karma). That's it, you can return to town. Mrs. Buckner will complain that Torr has disappeared. 

It turns out that after you stole the brahmin from him, this weirdo fled into the canyon to the northwest. At the entrance to the location, you'll be met by a broken robot. Finish it off, avoiding close contact. Deep in the canyon lies a crashed helicopter, and a completely distraught Torr wanders around it, terrified to death of the robot.

Take Torr with you and return (+200 exp., +50 karma). After talking with Mrs. Buckner, you can take some money or ask them to free Sulik, then your karma will increase again (+75 points). And in general, it’s more profitable than paying the full amount for him.

Save the Trappers from Rats

There’s another problem - the trappers in the western part of Klamath are suffering from a rat infestation. Head there. In one of the buildings, you’ll find a lonely man named Slim Pickett. You can talk to him, and he’ll tell you a lot of interesting things. Ask him for the key to the door leading to the abandoned part of town. 

Tell him that you want to deal with the rodents - then he won’t refuse you. You can also get the key in another way - by feeding the dog in the eastern part of Klamath. You can do without this key at all - break down the locked door, blow it up, or simply pick the lock. 

In the abandoned neighborhood, you'll see an outbuilding with "GUNS" written on the wall. No, there won't be any weapons there, but the crates will contain two pairs of boots and a handful of ammo. You'll probably find both useful. The rooms across the street are full of rats. Killing any rats you encounter, make your way through the rooms and you'll find yourself at a hatch leading downwards. Ah, something interesting! Go down.

You've found yourself in a dungeon of unknown purpose—it used to be a bomb shelter, a warehouse, or some kind of factory. The empty barrels with radiation signs scattered here and there give you pause. Don't worry—if there was ever radiation here, it's all gone now. But rats are everywhere... 

Methodically clear the corridors of them until you reach another hatch. Descend further. Here you'll encounter larger rats, and deeper into the dungeon, you'll encounter a huge pink rodent—the king of the rats.

Defeating it isn't all that difficult: although it's tenacious and can deliver a powerful bite, this creature, like all rats, is sensitive to blows to the eyes and head. After killing it, you'll receive 300 exp for completing the quest. 

In one of the corridors lies the devoured body of a trapper—you'll find a 10mm pistol in his pockets! Then look for the second staircase leading up—it will lead you to the third part of the dungeon. Kill two grizzly moles (these are the largest rodents) and all the remaining rats there, and then pick up a pair of pliers from the floor in one place (they're quite useful for repairs). 

The path to the final staircase will be blocked by a locked door. It's difficult to break into, but there's some dynamite on the shelf nearby, which can easily blow it up. Now, get out into the fresh air. Ahead of you is a completely fenced-off area. Nearby, you'll find an old car on chocks.

Take the fuel controller from the backseat—you'll need this part later. That's it, you can return the same way to the inhabited part of the city...

Find the trapper Smiley

Talk to Ardin Buckner and you'll learn that the trapper Smiley has gone missing. She'll give you the coordinates of the Toxic Caverns, where he went to find the lair of the golden lizards. Leave the city and head there. These caves are full of lizards, mostly golden ones—rather nasty opponents early in the game. Be careful, their bites can also cause minor radiation exposure! You'll often encounter acid puddles along the way—if you have rubber boots in your inventory, you can safely walk through them. 

However, be careful: the boots may eventually dissolve! Near the cave entrance, there's a small room where you can find another pair of boots and other items. Once you've cleared the upper floor, head downstairs and continue on. Eventually, you'll find another room, where Smiley is hiding:

There's a locker nearby containing some anti-radiation medication. A broken generator powering the elevator winch is located in the room. It can be repaired, but the elevator door is still locked and can only be opened with an electronic master key, which usually appears near the end of the game. The elevator leads to the lower floor, where a lone guard robot with a rocket launcher stands alone and there are many boxes with useful items. 

Either way, go up with Smiley. At the cave entrance, he'll say goodbye and suggest you make your way to Klamath separately, and your quest will be considered complete (+1000 exp.). Before that, you can, if you wish, either steal his fourth pair of rubber boots or exchange them for one coin (they're worthless).

Return to Klamath and talk to Smiley. In gratitude for saving him, he will teach you how to skin lizards (this is the "Gecko Skinning" perk). Ardyn Buckner will offer you a small reward, but if you haven't freed Sulik yet, this is another chance to do it for free. That's basically all the quests in the city. 

Find out the location of the Den

If you have a pleasant time with Jenny in the brothel, there is a chance that you will receive the carmic trait "Gigolo" ("Gigolo" or "Spermpert"). It only affects the words of prostitutes after you sleep with them. Jenny can also tell you the location of another nearby town - the Den, or, as it is also called, "the Pit". 

Finally, there are four "Cat's Paw" magazines in the city:

 - the first is in the toilet in the northwest.

 - the second should be bought from the Dantons or taken from their corpses.

 - the third can be stolen from one of the prostitutes.

 The fourth one is in the closet in the locked room at the Dantons'. 

The door there is very difficult to break down; it's easier to kick it down or blow it up. You'll need these magazines later, along with many other things. Well, that's it – let's move on to  The Den!