The King's School of Impersonation is an unmarked location within Freeside in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas.
Background[]
Prior to the Great War, the building was host to an Elvis Presley impersonation school that served the greater Las Vegas area. It included the use of holotapes and outfits to teach how to mimic his voice and fashion as well as a classroom curriculum that taught how to replicate his speech patterns and catchphrases, and even what kind of foods he liked to eat.[1]
Following the nuclear apocalypse, the building, like most of the area around Vegas was left to rot and ruin until 2274, when Mr. House emerged from the Lucky 38 with his Securitrons to establish New Vegas ahead of the arrival of the New California Republic. He issued an ultimatum to the tribals and raiders living in the ruins, ultimately recruiting those who became the Three Families while the rest were either evicted or killed.
One of the tribal groups tried to eke out a living in the slums but found firsthand how rough living could be. They eventually came across the King's School of Impersonation and learned about the image and ideals of one called "the King" (they never learned his real name as all evidence had been unintelligbly degraded). Inspired, the tribals reinvented themselves as the Kings, led by The King, based around the anarchic ideal of complete personal freedom, where "every man is a king in [their] own right."[2]
Layout[]
Situated southeast of the Atomic Wrangler Casino in the south section of Freeside, the building interior is sizable and consists of three floors. All items in the building are considered owned and in taking them, Karma will be lost. The sole exception are the beds which can be freely used to sleep. It can be entered through a door on the northmost corner of the building into a reception area.
First floor[]
In the reception room, couches line the wall, empty whiskey bottles litter the floor, and Kings gang members mill about the room, sitting on barstools around a semicircle countertop. An inoperable coffee machine sits on the counter and a broken freezer behind contains empty Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles.
There are two directions to proceed from the reception area. To the left of the counter is the entrance to a theater of sorts, with a stage, spotlights, and seating. Pacer will stop the Courier upon approach, requiring payment of 50 or 500 caps to speak with The King. The Courier can offer 5 caps, which he will refuse unless a 60 Speech check is passed, or pay no caps by passing the initial 60 Speech check. No matter what amount is given to Pacer, if the Courier tells The King, he will reimburse the player character and have unique comments on each differing sum. Inside the stage room, a Kings gang member performs for The King, who sits in front of the stage joined by his cyberdog, Rex.
A locked door on the southside of the stage room can only be opened with The King's key, obtainable only by pickpocketing. The area behind the door is accessible immediately by following the hallways of the first floor, and therefore pickpocketing the key is unnecessary to explore the building in full.
The second way to proceed from the reception area is a door directly opposite the main entrance. It leads to the living areas of the building, of which there are three floors. Each floor contains bedrooms, recreation rooms, and storage areas. Rooms on the first floor include a storage closet full of wire music stands, and two bathrooms. There are three bedrooms containing nine total beds and two dressing rooms on the first floor. In one of the rooms, cups alongside three ping pong balls are set up as if to play beer pong. In one of the dressing rooms, Sergio can be found. He is the gang's hairstylist. If the Courier becomes a member of the gang, they can change their hairstyle here. The staircase to the second floor is located in the west corner.
Second floor[]
The second floor has two bathrooms that are larger than those on the preceding floor. The lefthand bathroom has three stalls and two sinks, while the righthand stall has two stalls, two urinals, and one sink. All of the water in these bathrooms is radiation-free. In the righthand bathroom, a straight razor can be found on the edge of the sink with a pool of blood on the floor, presumably from a botched shaving attempt. A first aid box is mounted on the wall in each bathroom.
Apart from the bathrooms, this floor is comprised entirely of bedrooms. There are six bedrooms containing 21 beds on the second floor. The bedrooms have various personal effects within, including switchblades, cherry bombs, and alcohol bottles. One bedroom has a battery-powered light on the ground next to scrap metal, a hammer, and a wrench. Another bedroom has a chessboard propped up on cinderblocks. A bedroom in the north corner has a mattress lying on a desk, with a bottle of wine balanced on top. The Kings have turned another bedroom into a putting green, lining up squares of carpet underneath a cup on its side, with four golf balls and a 9 iron. The staircase to the third floor is located in the south corner of the building.
Third floor[]
By proceeding in a clockwise fashion, the Courier will first find Pacer's bedroom, with a lit cigar on the end table next to a queen-sized bed. This bed will grant the Courier the Well Rested effect, as will the other beds on the third floor. The next room is a storage room filled with desks. To the right of the storage room is the bedroom of The King. A Kings member stands guard outside.
The bedroom is large, with windows extending to the top of the tall, coffered ceiling. Looking at the building from outside, the third-floor windows on the recessed walls above the main entrance belong to this room. The bedroom is occupied by two King groupies wearing sexy sleepwear. They cannot be engaged in dialogue but will say various things about The King or ask if the Courier is supposed to be there. The room has a unique heart-shaped bed, a pool table, jukebox, and a Sunset Sarsaparilla vending machine. The King can be found sitting in the chair next to the jukebox at times, next to Rex, behind a table with a Boxing Times skill magazine and harmonica. Connected to The King's bedroom is the bedroom belonging to the groupies, fitted with two queen-sized beds, a vanity, and a bathtub.
The last room on the third floor is filled with clothing items, including Kings outfits and Jailhouse Rockers. If the Courier joins the gang, they will be given an outfit of their own. There is a large chalkboard on the wall with faint writing. Upon closer inspection, the Courier can read a "King Impersonation Checklist" with instructions to "move hips," "say 'uh huh'," "say momma," and "peanut butter & banana sandwiches" as well as "This week's homework" including "(illegible) girls (illegible)," "gyrate," and "aint nothin but a hound dog" written across the bottom. Other chalkboards can be found throughout the building featuring similar scribbles, including "make $$$." The hallway leads back to the stairway in the south corner.
Notable loot[]
- 32 Kings outfits and three Jailhouse Rockers - On the third floor.
- Three ping pong balls - In a first-floor bedroom.
- Figaro - a unique variant of the straight razor, carried by Sergio.
- Viva Las Vegas - Carried by The King.
- Four golf balls - In a second-floor bedroom along with a 9 iron.
Related quests[]
Appearances[]
The King's School of Impersonation appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
Behind the scenes[]
The in-game King's School of Impersonation is based on the real-world location of Four Queens Hotel and Casino, located in the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many aspects of the casino bear resemblance to the in-game equivalent, including the building's structure, name and design.
Bugs[]
When playing as a female character, random members of the Kings will occasionally say the usual "Ever heard of personal space guy?" but if subtitles are turned on they will read "Ever heard of personal space lady?", other times the gang members will say "lady."[verified]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The Courier: "Is that what you guys do, pretend to be this guy?"
The King: "Somethin' like that, yeah. There were some working tapes here when we first got here, so we know what he sounded like. Sadly, they stopped working a few years back, so I sold them to a junk merchant who was passing through, otherwise I'd play some for you. All the outfits you see my guy wearing around were originally found in here, too. Along with more hair gel than you can shake a stick at.
(The King's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Tell me about the Kings."
The King: "We're different than other gangs, and not just because we dress better. We're not just a group of thugs looking for our next fight. The Kings are about an idea, you see? Where every man is free to follow his own path, do his own thing. Where every man is a king in his own right."
(The King's dialogue)
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