He is wearing a stained lab coat and a power armor helmet. He has no idea what he’s doing. Honestly, when you first stumble into the Helios One power plant, you expect to find a brilliant mind capable of solving the Mojave's energy crisis, but instead, you find Fantastic in Fallout New Vegas. He is perhaps the most glorious fraud in the history of the wasteland. "They asked me how well I understood theoretical physics," he famously brags. "I said I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard."
It’s a classic Obsidian Entertainment moment.
Most RPGs would fill a high-stakes location like a solar power plant with technical jargon and serious NPCs. New Vegas gives us a guy who is actively sabotaging the NCR’s efforts just by existing. He’s a squatter with a silver tongue. Or maybe the NCR is just that desperate. Probably both. You walk in, and within thirty seconds, it’s clear this man couldn't tell a capacitor from a cantaloupe.
Why Everyone Remembers Fantastic in Fallout New Vegas
The brilliance of Fantastic is that he isn't just a joke character. He’s a scathing critique of the New California Republic’s bloated, incompetent bureaucracy. The NCR is trying to annex the Mojave, but they can't even vet a guy who thinks "pushing buttons" is a valid scientific methodology. While the followers of the Apocalypse are actually trying to help people, the NCR is paying a guy in a dirty tracksuit to stare at a terminal he hasn't even turned on.
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If you talk to Ignacio Rivas, the actual scientist hiding in the building, the contrast is hilarious. Ignacio knows his stuff. He’s careful. He’s worried about the ARCHIMEDES II satellite weapon. Meanwhile, Fantastic is just worried about his "shimmering reputation." It’s a perfect microcosm of the game’s themes: old world tech in the hands of people who don't deserve it.
You can actually side with him, too. Sorta.
If you have a high enough Intelligence or Science skill, the dialogue options allow you to mock him relentlessly, but he’s so thick-skinned (or just plain dumb) that it bounces right off. He’s a survivor. In a world where Deathclaws can rip you in half, Fantastic survived by lying on his resume. That’s a different kind of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skill.
The Quest for Helios One and That God-Awful Lab Coat
The quest "That Lucky Old Sun" is where Fantastic really shines, or fails, depending on your perspective. The NCR wants the power. The Legion wants the power. The Brotherhood of Steel used to have the power but got kicked out during Operation: Sunburst. And in the middle of this geopolitical tug-of-war is a guy who probably thinks a "hard drive" is a long trip in a car.
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When you get to the terminal to redirect the power, you have choices. You can send the power to the strip, to McCarran, or you can trigger the ARCHIMEDES weapon.
If you choose to help Fantastic, he takes all the credit. He tells the NCR he did it all himself. He’s the ultimate "fake it till you make it" success story. What’s wild is that if the Legion takes over Helios One later in the game, Fantastic doesn't die. He just puts on a Legion recruit outfit and claims he’s always been a fan of Caesar. The man is a chameleon of incompetence.
A Few Things You Probably Missed About Him
Most players just laugh at the "theoretical degree" line and move on. But look closer at his character design.
- He’s wearing a modified version of the field scientist outfit, but it looks like he found it in a dumpster.
- His dialogue tree is one of the most reactive in the early game; Obsidian wrote unique lines for players with low Intelligence (the "idiot" playthrough) where you and Fantastic can basically share a single brain cell.
- If you kill him, you realize he has basically nothing on him. No secret notes, no hidden brilliance. He really was just that guy.
It’s easy to hate him because he’s standing in the way of progress. But in a game as bleak as New Vegas, where you’re constantly deciding the fate of civilizations, a guy who is just trying to get a paycheck by pretending to know science is refreshing. He’s the most "human" person in the Mojave. We’ve all felt like we’re faking it at a job. He just took it to a nuclear level.
The Reality of Working With "Experts"
When you look at the game files or the Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide, Fantastic is listed as having a very low Science skill. This is a deliberate mechanical joke. In many games, NPCs have stats that don't match their lore. Not here. Fantastic actually can't do the things he says he can do.
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If you've played the Old World Blues DLC, you see the other end of the spectrum: geniuses who have lost their minds. Fantastic is a moron who has kept his. It’s an interesting flip. He’s the anti-House. Mr. House has a plan for the next 200 years. Fantastic has a plan for the next five minutes, and it usually involves not getting yelled at by Sergeant McCredie.
The writing for Fantastic in Fallout New Vegas was handled by Eric Fenstermaker, who also worked on Pillars of Eternity and South Park: The Stick of Truth. You can feel that satirical edge. He’s not just a meme; he’s a warning about what happens when societies stop valuing actual expertise and start valuing whoever talks the loudest.
How to Handle Fantastic in Your Next Playthrough
If you’re heading back into the Mojave anytime soon, don't just skip his dialogue. There are a few ways to interact with this "legend" that make the Helios One quest way more entertaining.
First off, try the low-Intelligence build. If your INT is below 3, the conversation becomes a masterpiece of misunderstanding. You and Fantastic will basically agree that "me go boom" is the pinnacle of scientific thought. It’s one of the few times in gaming where being "dumb" unlocks the best content.
Secondly, check out his reaction if you decide to overload the plant. He panics, but in a way that suggests he’s more worried about losing his easy gig than the actual explosion.
Lastly, look at his "God-General" ending if you play your cards right. It’s absurd.
Actionable Steps for the Helios One Quest:
- Talk to Ignacio first. Get the real story about the ARCHIMEDES weapon before Fantastic tries to spin you a yarn.
- Repair the solar trackers. You’ll need a Repair skill of 35 or some scrap metal. Fantastic won't help you, obviously.
- Check the back room. There’s some decent loot in the Helios One offices that Fantastic is too lazy to guard.
- Decide the power distribution carefully. Sending power to "Full Region" helps the most people, but sending it to the "ARCHIMEDES II" gives you the C-Finder targeting capability (if you find the kid in Freeside).
Fantastic represents the soul of New Vegas. He's cynical, he's funny, and he's completely full of it. He is a reminder that even at the end of the world, there will still be someone trying to scam a free meal and a title they didn't earn. Next time you see him, just remember: it's not about what you know. It's about how much people believe you know. Or, in his case, just having a "theoretical degree" and a lot of confidence.