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After NCR captured Hoover Dam, it took them a while to fully reinforce the river to the south. The first camp that was established was Camp Forlorn Hope; an improvised mess of tin shacks, salvaged rubble from Boulder City, tents, and lots of sandbags, it is the most pathetic-looking of all NCR’s camps, but the one that sees the most action. It only exists at all because of the natural spring there (in fact the camp is named for the spring). Recently, Caesar’s Legion captured NCR’s logistical/planning forces in the ruins of the small, ruined town of Nelson, a disaster that has disrupted Forlorn’s Hopes attempts to patrol the western coast of the river.[1]
Camp Forlorn Hope has tents, shacks, and abandoned truck hulls scattered throughout. It is divided by a freshwater creek running through the middle. The camp is near destitute, and generally lacks items for looting, beyond personal possessions to include forlorn hope letters written by soldiers that can be found all over the camp, or a few more critical supplies found generally under lock and key locations.
Entering from the North, one of the first places of note would be the medical center. Dr. Richards is usually located here. On the path to the right is a shack, that houses NCR troops and across is the jail, with a lone NCR trooper and a jail cell. Further south is the barracks where Private Stone usually hangs out. Just south of the barracks across the creek is the mess hall. Down the path to the right of the mess hall is a campfire at the end of a long row of tents. To the north of the campfire is the Quartermaster's tent, with a Camp Forlorn Hope storage shed (with a Very Hard Lock) across from it. North of that across the bridge is the command center. Major Polatli is here along with Tech Sergeant Reyes.
If standing in the graveyard the Courier will hear ghostly voices. Turn off all music and his/her radio for maximum effect.
The ammo boxes found in the back of the tent that Quartermaster Mayes is in will always have either Microfusion cells or Energy cells even though the NCR does not use this ammo type.
If Raul is the Courier's companion when you visit the camp he may say "Sheesh, these soldiers look how I feel, Boss!"
Camp Forlorn Hope may periodically be attacked by a squad of legionaries from Nelson, crossing over the no-man's land between the two camps. The squad can be as small as 3 Legionaries to as large as several at once. This is triggered by the player visiting the no-man's land area after triggering the quest Restoring Hope. The soldiers at Forlorn Hope will usually be able to repulse the attack (especially if 1st Recon is also present), but some of the named characters inside the camp may potentially die during the assault.
Unlike many other NCR camps and communities, Camp Forlorn Hope does not have a reputation marker on the world map (but you still gain NCR fame for completing the quests here). The Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide incorrectly states that it does have a reputation marker.
A palette de-saturation effect has been applied to the entire camp, with colors being muted and more sepia-toned; most likely an aesthetic effect designed to reflect the overall morale.
Between Camp Forlorn Hope and Nelson will be a small battlefield littered with dying NCR troopers. Laid near their bodies will be frag mines - most likely traps Legionaries have placed should the Courier or other NCR troopers wander too close to help them. Regardless of whether the Courier is able to disarm the mine quickly enough before it damages him and kills the trooper, they are either too weak or too wounded to actually be saved. Attempting to talk to them will only have them ask the Courier to perform a mercy killing. Oddly enough, performing a high profile kill upon one will turn both the other dying troopers in the field and the active NCR Troopers within Camp Forlorn Hope hostile. (Though the dying troopers will still remain on the ground, just marked as hostile) It is suggested to perform low profile mercy kills upon them with silenced weapons, should the player not want to damage his/her reputation with the NCR. These mutilated soldiers have been removed in recent patches (Dead Money onwards) due to problems with console memory use.
If the Courier completes the quest We Are Legion, Legion troops will comment that Forlorn Hope has fallen. Despite this the Legion does not actually take over the camp and NCR troops will continue to spawn.
If Camp Forlorn Hope has been overrun by the Legion (i.e. completing the quest We Are Legion), Dhatri will say that he has heard the camp has been overrun, and will keep 1st Recon in McCarran.
Depending on your actions during the quests We Are Legion or Restoring Hope, during the battle of Hoover Dam the NCR emergency radio will report on the status of Camp Forlorn Hope. Either the town is destroyed by the Legion, hold their ground against the invasion, or provide support for Hoover Dam.
When the player is a higher level, NCR heavy troopers will spawn here and NCR Rangers clad in ranger combat armor will replace NCR troopers on the sniper posts.
After the Battle of Nelson, Camp Forlorn Hope became the only remaining NCR forward base of operations.
Sometimes, if you don't kill the bloatflies fast enough, essential characters may run far away from the camp and be killed.
The NCR troopers at Forlorn Hope will usually spawn with two NCR dogtags in their inventory. This can be just a bug, or intentional with the reasoning that they took a dogtag off of a fallen soldier.
Many quest NPCs serving with the NCR will relocate to the camp once the Courier has completed their specific quest (such as Lieutenant Hayes).
A "forlorn hope" is a body of troops chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position or as defending a hazardous position, where the risk of casualties is high. The term comes from the Dutch verloren hoop, literally "lost hope," and adapted as "lost troop."
There is an actual location in the Mojave Desert called Forlorn Hope Spring, located south of Boulder City and north of Nelson.
ps3pc The first time traveling to Camp Forlorn Hope, if approaching from the south, sometimes a Legion patrol will spawn inside the base, resulting in a battle between the NCR and Legion - if the Legion patrol kills any quest non-player characters during the battle, this result in failed missions. Reloading and approaching from a different direction (north or west) seems to prevent the Legion troops from spawning inside the base.[verified]
xbox360ps3 After accepting any mission at the Camp Forlorn Hope whenever you're outside everything appears in a violet haze very similar to that of Camp Searchlight's green haze.[verified]
xbox360ps3pc Members of the 1st Recon, after arriving at Camp Forlorn Hope, may continue to speak as if they were still at Camp McCarran fighting Fiends.[verified]
xbox360ps3pc During the quest "Restoring Hope", there is a part when Major Polatli asks you to help Dr. Richards. Dr. Richards will ask you to examine the patients (20 medicine required) but when attempting to diagnose the patients, nothing happens. You can still continue the quest without helping him.[verified]
xbox360 Soldiers killed here may respawn with more than one dog tag, they may even initially spawn with more than one.[verified]
xbox360 After examining Dr Richards patient closest to the door of the medical center, a Powder Ganger and two Great Khan soldiers may enter the tent, attacking Dr Richards and the player depending on reputation. They stay in the tent and no more can be seen else where in the camp.[verified]
xbox360 The rangers that spawn in the east facing sniper nest and the south facing sniper nest occasionally will not be armed.[verified]
xbox360 Sometimes, when you fast travel, everyone at the camp will become hostile.[verified]
xbox360 Just west of the camp where the Courier must find the supplies during the quest Restoring Hope, the same Nightkin from the one in Novac might spawn in a rock.[verified]
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