Birds of a Feather quest patch "update"

[BooneoftheWasteland]

Update: Patch 1.2.0 makes it impossible to complete both Birds of a Feather and Heartache by the Number. Completing the latter turns all Van Graffs hostile to the player.

 

Just read that on a wiki. Well that kinda sucks. The second you walk into Freeside, Atomic Wrangler area, the crier and Simon attack you. I don't know about that, it's kinda stupid. Anyone know away around this? I'd like to complete Birds of a Feather still. Thanks.

[zerrodefex]

Update: Patch 1.2.0 makes it impossible to complete both Birds of a Feather and Heartache by the Number. Completing the latter turns all Van Graffs hostile to the player.

 

Just read that on a wiki. Well that kinda sucks. The second you walk into Freeside, Atomic Wrangler area, the crier and Simon attack you. I don't know about that, it's kinda stupid. Anyone know away around this? I'd like to complete Birds of a Feather still. Thanks.

 

That's rather stupid, especially if you snuck in and stole the note from the Van Graff's without them knowing it was you.

 

I sense a "fix" mod in the works.

[secksegai]

Update: Patch 1.2.0 makes it impossible to complete both Birds of a Feather and Heartache by the Number. Completing the latter turns all Van Graffs hostile to the player.

 

Just read that on a wiki. Well that kinda sucks. The second you walk into Freeside, Atomic Wrangler area, the crier and Simon attack you. I don't know about that, it's kinda stupid. Anyone know away around this? I'd like to complete Birds of a Feather still. Thanks.

 

I've never had that problem - at least in regards to getting all the aggro after completing "Heartache by the Number". I've never completed Birds of a Feather since it requires Cass dying, but I've always started it to not have to deal with weapon checks every time I walk in.

[BooneoftheWasteland]

Wiki also says it is likely unfixable. I had Save Cass mod installed and ready to go, it allows you to do Cass' quest and Van Graffs. However the updated patch makes that mod useless unless you do Van Graffs first. I was already long past Cass' quest to bother reloading an old save so I took them out and looting the store...with regret. :wallbash:

[Ivanish]

I completed Birds of a feather by looting the responding notes at both the van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan. I went down to the Mojave Outpost and asked the NCR there to take this up with its goverment back west, which I guess means that it will be one of those side stories with its own cut scene in the end of the game. Cass is very much alive and she's satisfied with the outcome. There were some Speech checks to pass I think, but everything worked out in the peacefull manner. If it wasn't for the Crimson Caravan being tied with NCR rep I'd have tried the shoot first approach. :smile:

 

Now, here's the kicker: In order to actually end the game with Birds of a feather completed you have to stay away from attacking the van Graffs. Any attack, as in a single shot either from or at an NPC from the van Graffs (I think the crier is an exception), will render the quest FAILED. But if you do "finish" the quest (I use the " because the quest is not actually finished, read above) by turning the van Graffs over to the NCR you will be marked as hostile to the van Graffs. This means that any travel to the Kings, the strip, the Wrangler or (obviously) the van Graffs is pretty much out of the question. At least if you want to keep playing the game and not busting the whole Birds of a feather questline.

 

Is anyone else getting a Catch 22 feeling here? :rolleyes:

 

Am I missing something here or is this as dumb as it seems?

Edited June 26, 2011 by Ivanish

[kevkiev]

I completed Birds of a feather by looting the responding notes at both the van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan. I went down to the Mojave Outpost and asked the NCR there to take this up with its goverment back west, which I guess means that it will be one of those side stories with its own cut scene in the end of the game. Cass is very much alive and she's satisfied with the outcome. There were some Speech checks to pass I think, but everything worked out in the peacefull manner. If it wasn't for the Crimson Caravan being tied with NCR rep I'd have tried the shoot first approach. :smile:

 

Now, here's the kicker: In order to actually end the game with Birds of a feather completed you have to stay away from attacking the van Graffs. Any attack, as in a single shot either from or at an NPC from the van Graffs (I think the crier is an exception), will render the quest FAILED. But if you do "finish" the quest (I use the " because the quest is not actually finished, read above) by turning the van Graffs over to the NCR you will be marked as hostile to the van Graffs. This means that any travel to the Kings, the strip, the Wrangler or (obviously) the van Graffs is pretty much out of the question. At least if you want to keep playing the game and not busting the whole Birds of a feather questline.

 

Is anyone else getting a Catch 22 feeling here? :rolleyes:

 

Am I missing something here or is this as dumb as it seems?

 

Its Heartache by the Numbers that involves turning the Van Graffs over the to NCR, not Birds of a Feather. No catch 22 in that you're unable to complete either quest, it's just that the quests are mutually exclusive. I completed HbN by turning in the Van Graffs, and later killed the crier and the guards when I was attacked on my return to Freeside. I failed BoF (I think upon turning in the VGs), but HbN stayed completed.

 

As an aside, there's a mod that changes the VG's hostility thing (search "hostility") so you can at least keep them as vendors. I guess installing it before returning to Freeside would probably also avoid the firefight with the crier and the guards (but who would want to do that?!)

[Ivanish]

Failing Birds of a feather is instant upon being attacked by e.g the van Graff guard outside their shop, not upon returning Heartache by the numbers. I know that because that is why I started to Google my way through this new weird mess. I guess the van Graffs is no big loss since they are crap at dealing weapons anyway, they can't even sell the stuff they have stocked for christs sake! :biggrin:

 

 

EDIT: Nice to see a fellow Waits fan btw, kevkiev. 8)

Edited June 26, 2011 by Ivanish

[kevkiev]

EDIT: Nice to see a fellow Waits fan btw, kevkiev. 8)

 

:cool:

[x80n3s]

If you have the Save Cass Mod you can still complete both quests. Get the evidence against the Van Graffs and Crimson Caravan company, but do not tell Cass about it or go to Ranger Jackson. Then complete the Birds of a Feather quest as you normally would, then give the evidence to Ranger Jackson, completing Heartache by the Number. When you travel back to Freeside the Van Graffs will be hostile, but if you kill Simon and the Silver Rush Crier you can still move around Freeside freely.