Mesmetron

Fallout 3 weapon
Mesmetron
Requirements
Skill	Energy Weapons
Attack statistics
Dmg/attack	1 (6.1)
Dmg/proj.	1 (6.1)
DPS	1 (6.3)
DPS (reload)	0.6 (3.9)
Crit dmg	0
Crit % mult	x1
Attacks/sec	1
AP	65
Projectiles	1
Spread	0
Effect	Chance of stun, frenzy or head explosion
Ammo & Reloading
Ammo type	Mesmetron power cell
Ammo/shot	1
Shots/rel.	5
Ammo cap.	5
Reload time	3
Other
Weight	2
Value	500
Item HP	100
Repair	Merchants
Quests	Strictly Business
Form ID	00004339
Perk effects
Perks (dam.)	Bloody Mess (+0.1) Ghoul Ecology (+5)

 

The Mesmetron is a unique weapon in Fallout 3.

Background

The Mesmetron is an experimental pre-War "non-lethal pacification" weapon that was being tested in the months immediately preceding the Great War. It operates by sending a signal pulse into a human target's brain that scrambles higher-level mental functions, leaving the target extremely susceptible to suggestion. Still in its testing phase, the weapon was found to have the potential to trigger two undesirable side-effects: extremely increased aggression, or spontaneous cranial eruption.

Characteristics

When used on the specified quest non-player characters, it puts them into a hypnotic stupor, allowing the player character to rob and enslave them (by putting a slave collar on them) and send them to Paradise Falls. It also appears to work on many other non-player characters (aside from quest related ones), but can simply send them into a berserk frenzy in which they turn hostile to the Lone Wanderer and every other non-player character in the area. Occasionally, victims will run several steps before their heads explode.

It uses Mesmetron power cells as ammunition, starting out with 50 power cells. Grouse will also sell additional power cells, but at the fairly high price of 200 caps for 10 power cells. This gives the opportunity to make an additional 2500 caps every time one purchases more power cells (provided all 10 slaves were successfully captured). An additional 71 Mesmetron power cells can also be found in the underground lab in the Point Lookout add-on.

Durability

The Mesmetron can fire a total of 2500 waves, or 500 full cells, from full condition before breaking.

Using the Mesmetron

As previously mentioned, using the Mesmetron on a non-player character can have 3 different outcomes. These effects vary and are generally unreliable, so it is advised to save before using this weapon on anyone important. Due to the fact that using the Mesmetron is considered assault, it is advised to "mezz" someone while undetected (Stealth Boys and the Chinese stealth armor will come in handy here). Be aware that mezzing anyone who is already wearing a slave collar will cause the collar to malfunction and explode, killing the victim. Hostile non-player characters who were mezzed can also be turned friendly by being freed by the player character (high Science skill required). An analysis of the Mesmetron's effects:

Mesmerize/Stun (50% probability)

A female raider stunned by the Mesmetron

This effect stuns the target for a few seconds, during which time the victim will stand with their head swaying from side to side and it is possible to engage them in conversation. Some characters cannot be stunned, in which case the probability of the Frenzy effect is raised to 80%.

While in conversation, there are three dialogue options: The first convinces the character to allow having their things taken (by either telling them it's a magic trick, that there is a thief on the loose, that you think they stole something from you, or by just telling them to give you their things) and will open up the victim's inventory (even what they are wearing/using), allowing to remove or add any item. The second slips a slave collar on the character (instantly netting negative Karma). The third simply tells the victim to "walk it off"; this will exit the conversation and make the character resume what they were doing (assuming no onlookers turned hostile).

The second set of dialogue options is unlocked by slipping a collar onto the victim: The first is the "cruel" way to tell the victim that they are now a slave ("...your head will explode!"), the second option allows access to the slave's inventory, and the third option is a slightly friendlier way to inform the victim of their "new occupation" ("...nothing personal").

If the character is not spoken to before the stun effect wears off, they will turn hostile towards anyone they can see, that includes the player character.

Frenzy (30% probability)

This second effect causes the victim to go into a state of frenzy, attacking anyone nearby (most likely the player character), and causing all other characters to turn on them. The onlookers may also turn hostile to the PC if caught stunning the victim. This method can also be a reliable way to get rid of victims without attacking them or getting negative Karma. This is dangerous, however, especially if one of the enemies has any high-damaging weapons.

Spontaneous cranial eruption (20% probability)

This final effect of the Mesmetron may not be the most useful, but is definitely the most spectacular. When victims are affected by the Mesmetron in this way, they will turn hostile (and either run, stand still, or attack) for just a moment before their heads literally explode. This effect will instantly give negative Karma (if the victim was good/neutral) and make any nearby non-player characters who were not hostile to the victim become so to the player character.

Variants

• Microwave emitter - A similar weapon designed for killing targets as opposed to stunning them, found in the St. Aubin Medical Facility at Point Lookout.

Comparison

Legend
	- Weapon name (melee or unarmed)			- Attacks in V.A.T.S.
	- Weapon name (gun, energy or explosive)			- Action point cost
	- Damage per attack (damage per projectile)			- Damage per action point
	- Damage per second			- Weapon spread
	- Area of effect damage			- Magazine capacity (shots per reload)
	- Effect damage & duration			- Durability (number of attacks before breaking)
	- Bonus effects			- Weight
	- Attacks per second			- Value in caps
	- Critical chance % multiplier			- Value to weight ratio
	- Critical damage			- Skill required
	- Critical effect damage & duration			- Strength required
	- With all mods attached

Mesmetron	1	1	Chance to mesmerize(50%), frenzy(30%), or head explode (20%)	1.03	x1	0	65	0	0.0	5	2500	2	500	250
Microwave emitter	60	62.1	Ignores DR	1.03	x2	100	30	2	0.2	5	375	8	500	62.5

Location

The Mesmetron is given to the Lone Wanderer by Grouse, the Paradise Falls entrance guard, upon starting the quest Strictly Business.

If deciding not to take the quest, the Mesmetron can be obtained by killing Grouse and looting his corpse. It cannot be stolen from him, meaning he needs to be dead to get it. If this is done, it's no longer possible to purchase any mesmetron power cells nor slave collars from him, thus one can't enslave non-player characters. The Mesmetron can still be exploited to frenzy or stun and rob non-player characters, however.

Related quests

• Strictly Business
• Strictly Profitable

Notes

• Robobrains have this weapon built-in.
• Enslavable targets are based on a faction list of 672 members, filled mostly with generic non-player characters. There's a shorter faction list of non-player characters who can always be mezzed, and this initially includes the four objectives of the Strictly Business quest and one generic leveled slave. Essential non-player characters may be immune.
  • A (possibly incomplete) list of enslavable non-player characters is located on the Strictly Profitable page.
  • After a non-player character is successfully mezzed they are added to a faction list that can never be mezzed.
• A slave collar is required to enslave someone. Only one collar can be carried and therefore only one person may be enslaved at a time.
  • It appears that unarmed (or disarmed) non-player characters are more likely to be enslaved by the Mesmetron. Attacking a non-player character's weapon or arms and then switching to the Mesmetron may be an effective technique.
  • Using the Mesmetron in V.A.T.S. can result in the Mysterious Stranger appearing if having the perk. The Mysterious Stranger will not fire on the target if they were successfully stunned, though V.A.T.S. will remain active for the usual period of time.
  • Non-player characters can be enslaved even if all of the slavers in Paradise Falls are dead.
• Any enslaved raiders will almost never get to Paradise Falls alive even if you fast travel there.
• For each non-player character you successfully enslave:
  • Grouse pays 250 bottle caps per slave.
  • Enslaving anyone deducts 100 Karma, regardless of how evil they are. As Three Dog exclaims, "the selling of live human beings is completely fucked up!".
  • A good way to offset the Karma loss (if wishing to be good or neutral), is to donate 100 caps to either Confessor Cromwell of Megaton or Father Clifford of Rivet City.
  • The game will keep track of how many characters were "mezzed". This information can be accessed on the Pip-Boy.
• Generic non-player characters (such as raiders) who are enslaved and successfully sent to Paradise Falls will not respawn.
  • One must consider if they want to interact with the character again before enslaving them.
  • Significant use of the Mesmetron in a specific area can therefore permanently clear that area of human enemies.
  • Additionally, enslaving a generic, hostile non-player character and then subsequently removing the slave collar will cause the non-player character to turn friendly to the Lone Wanderer and companions (other alliances/hostilities, e.g. Brotherhood of Steel vs. Enclave, are not affected). This change persists even if the non-player character is killed and later respawns. Affected non-player characters will attack their usual allies (e.g. other Enclave members) if those allies attack the player character.
  • When used in conjunction with the Animal Friend and Robotics Expert perks, players that repeatedly use this weapon to enslave NPCs and then free them can be exploited to gain control over entire factions, even those that are hostile or otherwise unjoinable, such as Raiders, the Brotherhood Outcasts, and even the Enclave. However, doing so will net the player a high amount of negative Karma, and some named/non-humanoid members (e.g. Enclave-controlled deathclaws, sentry guns. etc.) of these factions will still be potentially hostile towards the player.
• From time to time a mesmerized and collared target won't make it to Paradise Falls. This causes the collar to be lost and as no slave was turned in, the collar must be re-purchased from the slavers. To ensure success, fast-travel to Paradise Falls if possible. (see bugs for more)
• Followers may briefly attempt to attack a non-hostile non-player character once that NPC is stunned; this is because the non-player character will temporarily turn hostile to the Lone Wanderer before the stun effect kicks in.
• "Mezzing" anyone in the Citadel Laboratory will automatically frenzy them (after the quest "The American Dream"). Witnesses will not turn hostile to the PC.
• If the Mesmetron is used on an unfreed captive and they are then freed, it is then impossible to interact with them again, except to mezz or kill them.
• It is to be noticed that in third person the Mesmetron has no trigger.
• The Mesmetron's light is visible when the stealth field of a Stealth Boy or the Chinese stealth armor is in use. It will not be on, however, if it is equipped (not unholstered) after the stealth field kicks in. (The light is always on during 1st person. In 3rd person, it can vary depending on how you equip it.)

Bugs

• PC Freshly enslaved non-player characters will often be reported by Grouse to have died once the Lone Wanderer arrives at Paradise Falls. This is caused by a condition in the Mesmetron effect script which automatically moves the slave to Paradise Falls—indirectly marking them as dead in the process—once the non-player character is no longer being actively rendered. Aside from leaving the non-player character's immediate vicinity, numerous actions have a random chance to cause an non-player character to stop being rendered, including accessing the Pip-Boy, facing away from the non-player character for a certain period, or even accessing the game menu. ^[verified]
  • A third-party bugfix has been released which addresses this issue: Mesmetron and Enslavement Fixes at Fallout 3 Nexus
• PC "Mezzing" characters who are seated, leaning on a wall or lying down may cause them to spin rapidly in place before their heads explode. ^[verified]

See also

• Slave collar - Used to enslave non-player characters once they are mezzed.

Sounds

Gallery

FO3 Mesmetron.JPG

Concept art of the Mesmetron.

Alternative Mesmetron concept art by Adam Adamowicz.

Mesmetron concept art by Adam Adamowicz.

Weapons in Fallout 3 Unarmed Brass knuckles (Steel knuckles) · Deathclaw gauntlet · Power fist (Fisto!, The Shocker) · Spiked knuckles (Plunkett's Valid Points) Melee Weapons Bladed Auto axe, Steel saw (Man Opener, The Mauler) · Axe (The Dismemberer) · Chinese officer's sword (Jingwei's shocksword, Samurai's sword, Vampire's Edge) · Combat knife (Occam's Razor, Stabhappy, Trench knife) · Knife (Ant's Sting, Slasher knife, Ritual knife, Toy knife) · Ripper (Jack) · Shishkebab · Shovel (Fertilizer shovel) · Switchblade (Butch's Toothpick) Blunt Baseball bat · Lead pipe · Nail board (Board of Education) · Police baton · Pool cue (The Break) · Repellent stick · Rolling pin · Shock baton (Electro-Suppressor) · Sledgehammer (The Tenderizer) · Super sledge (Fawkes' super sledge) · Tire iron (Highwayman's Friend) Small Guns Pistols .32 pistol (Wild Bill's Sidearm) · 10mm pistol (Colonel Autumn's 10mm pistol) · Chinese pistol (Zhu-Rong v418 Chinese pistol) · Dart gun · Silenced 10mm pistol · Scoped .44 Magnum (Blackhawk, Callahan's Magnum, Paulson's revolver) Shotguns Combat shotgun (The Terrible Shotgun) · Double-barrel shotgun · Sawed-off shotgun (The Kneecapper) SMGs 10mm SMG (Sydney's 10mm "Ultra" SMG) Rifles Assault rifle (Infiltrator, Perforator) · BB gun · Chinese assault rifle (Xuanlong assault rifle) · Hunting rifle (Ol' Painless) · Lever-action rifle (Backwater rifle) · (Lincoln's repeater) · Railway rifle · Sniper rifle (Reservist's rifle, Victory rifle) Big Guns Direct fire Drone cannon (Drone cannon Ex-B) · Flamer (Burnmaster, Rapid-torch flamer, Slo-burn flamer) · Gatling laser (Precision Gatling laser, Vengeance) · Heavy incinerator · Minigun (Eugene) · Rock-It Launcher Area of effect Fat Man (Experimental MIRV) · Missile launcher (Miss Launcher) Energy Weapons Pistols Alien atomizer (Atomic pulverizer, Captain's Sidearm) · Alien blaster (Firelance) · Laser pistol (Colonel Autumn's laser pistol, Protectron's Gaze, Smuggler's End) · Mesmetron (Microwave emitter) · Plasma pistol (MPLX Novasurge) Rifles Alien disintegrator (Destabilizer) · Gauss rifle · Laser rifle (Metal Blaster, Wazer Wifle) · Plasma rifle (A3-21's plasma rifle) · Tesla cannon · Tri-beam laser rifle Explosives Grenades Bio-gas canister · Cryo grenade · Frag grenade · Nuka-grenade · Plasma grenade · Pulse grenade Mines Bottlecap mine · Cryo mine · Frag mine · Plasma mine · Pulse mine Cut content Accessible (Black Bart's Bane) · (Breaker) · (Clover's Cleaver) · (Curse Breaker, Excalibat) · (Discharge hammer) · Fists · (Gauss rifle (Beta)) · (Grenade launcher) · Katana · (Law Dog) · (Lightning gun) · (Love Tap) · Mirelurk bait grenade · (O'Grady's Peacemaker) · (Pa's Fishing Aid) · Signal flare · Smoke grenade · Spanner · (Tesla cannon (Beta)) · (Wanda) Parentheses () denote unique weapon variants, italics denote weapons available through add-ons.