Fallout New Vegas I Put A Spell On You Quest Guide
Navigating the complex political landscape of the Mojave Wasteland often requires completing high-stakes missions that can change the course of regional history. In Fallout: New Vegas, the side quest titled I Put a Spell on You serves as a premier example of investigative intrigue, testing your loyalty to either the New California Republic or the Caesar's Legion. This mission tasks players with uncovering a dangerous double agent operating within the crowded terminal of Camp McCarran.
Investigating the NCR Mole at Camp McCarran
To begin the quest on behalf of the New California Republic, you should speak with Colonel James Hsu inside the main airport terminal. He will express deep concern over recent intelligence leaks that continue to compromise troop movements across the region. Hsu requests your assistance in quietly investigating potential insider threats without alerting the general staff.
Your primary point of contact during this delicate investigation will be Captain Curtis, who can typically be found patrolling the ground floor of the terminal building. Curtis will point you toward various leads, including recent unauthorized terminal entries that occur late at night. Gathering clues from around the airport will help you piece together the exact timing of the security breaches.
Staking Out the Control Tower
The definitive breakthrough in this investigation requires patience and careful timing as the midnight hour approaches. Players must wait near the airport concourse until roughly midnight to witness the suspect sneaking toward the restricted control tower. Maintaining a safe distance is absolutely crucial to prevent spooking the target before they broadcast their encrypted transmission.
Once inside the control tower, you will overhear a clandestine radio conversation that reveals the identity of the traitor. It turns out that Captain Curtis himself is the deep-cover Legion spy responsible for the recent devastating leaks. You must act quickly to eliminate or confront him before he can trigger a backup plan that threatens the monorail system.
Preventing the Monorail Sabotage
Defeating or disarming the traitor triggers a race against the clock to secure the vital transportation infrastructure connecting the camp directly to the New Vegas Strip. Curtis has already planted an explosive device on the active monorail train parked just outside the upper level. You must sprint up the terminal stairs and board the train immediately to locate the hidden bomb container.
Defusing the explosives requires either a sufficiently high Explosives skill or a high Science skill level to successfully override the remote detonator. Succeeding in this task saves countless lives and earns you immense reputation rewards with the New California Republic faction. If you fail to reach the train or defuse the device in time, the monorail will destroy itself in a spectacular cinematic explosion.
Siding with Caesar's Legion
For players executing a dedicated Legion playthrough, this mission offers an entirely different set of dark objectives. Instead of stopping the sabotage, you can work alongside Captain Curtis to ensure the destruction of the republic's infrastructure. This alternative path requires framing an innocent soldier and personally helping to facilitate the monorail bombing.
Choosing to assist the Legion will severely damage your standing with the republic, effectively locking out several late-game NCR questlines. However, it drastically improves your favor with Caesar, unlocking exclusive rewards and shifting the balance of power in the upcoming battle for the Hoover Dam. Balancing these conflicting rewards allows players to experience the deep narrative consequence that makes the game a classic.