You’re deep in the Mojave, your inventory is a mess of Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles and bent tin cans, and you’re probably getting tired of that service rifle jamming every five minutes. Most players eventually realize they need something better. Something with a bit more punch. That’s usually when they start hearing whispers about the Fallout New Vegas All American. It isn't just a fancy skin for the Marksman Carbine; it's arguably the most versatile piece of hardware you can lug around the wasteland.
Honestly, it's a beast.
But here is the catch. Getting it is a nightmare. You don't just buy this thing from Vendortron or find it in a locked footlocker behind a gas station. You have to earn it in one of the most radiation-soaked, nightmare-inducing locations in the entire game: Vault 34.
The Absolute Chaos of Vault 34
If you haven't been there yet, Vault 34 is basically a giant middle finger from the developers at Obsidian. It is a labyrinth of irradiated water, glowing ones that won't stop respawning, and a structural layout that seems designed to make you lose your mind. You need the Fallout New Vegas All American to survive the Mojave, but you almost need to survive the Mojave just to get the gun.
The lore here is actually pretty grim. This was the vault with the overstocked armory, which eventually led to a civil war among the residents. The people who left became the Boomers at Nellis Air Force Base. The people who stayed? They turned into the feral ghouls currently trying to eat your face.
To find the rifle, you have to navigate down into the Armory. It’s sitting on a table in the back. Simple, right? Wrong. You’ll be fighting through high-level ghouls while your Geiger counter screams at you. You’re going to need a lot of Rad-X and RadAway. Like, way more than you think. Don't be the guy who runs out halfway through and has to reload a save from three hours ago because your Strength stat dropped to 1 and you can't carry your own boots.
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Why the All American Beats Everything Else
So, why do people obsess over this specific Marksman Carbine variant?
It’s the math. In the world of New Vegas, Damage Per Second (DPS) is king, but Damage Threshold (DT) is the gatekeeper. The All American uses 5.56mm rounds. That's a very common, very lightweight ammo type. Because the All American has a ridiculously high rate of fire and a tight spread, it shreds.
- It has a 24-round magazine.
- The semi-auto fire rate is basically as fast as you can click your mouse or pull your trigger.
- The scope has a cleaner reticle than the standard Marksman Carbine.
- It weighs less than many comparable long-range rifles.
You’ve probably used the Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle or the Anti-Materiel Rifle. Those are great for popping heads from a mile away. But try using an Anti-Materiel Rifle when three Deathclaws are sprinting at you in the Quarry Junction. You'll die. The Fallout New Vegas All American fills that "sweet spot" where it functions as a sniper rifle at medium-long range and a high-speed lead-spitter when things get messy up close.
Basically, it’s the Swiss Army knife of guns.
The Grunt Perk Synergy
If you really want to break the game, you need the Honest Hearts DLC. Why? The Grunt perk. This perk gives a 25% damage boost to a specific list of "soldier" weapons. The All American is on that list.
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When you stack the Grunt perk with a high Guns skill and maybe some Hand Loader ammunition (like the 5.56mm Match rounds), the DPS numbers become honestly stupid. You’re looking at a weapon that can carry you from Level 20 all the way to the end of Lonesome Road. It’s a precision tool that feels like a sledgehammer.
Misconceptions and Troubleshooting the Find
One thing people get wrong all the time is the location within the Vault. They look for a locked safe. It’s not in a safe. It’s literally sitting on an overturned table in the Armory. Because the lighting in Vault 34 is a sickly green mess, it’s easy to walk right past it.
Also, let's talk about the "broken" state of the vault. Sometimes, the door to the Armory won't open because you haven't accessed the overseer's terminal. To do that, you have to find the drowned technicians. You have to swim under the water in the flooded sections to find their bodies and loot their passwords. It's claustrophobic and annoying.
If you’re playing on a console, be careful. Vault 34 is notorious for crashing. The amount of loot, ghouls, and radiation effects in such a tight space can make the engine chug. Save often. I mean it. Every time you clear a room, hit that save button.
Survival Tips for the All American Run
Don't go in there at Level 5. You’ll get melted. Wait until you’re at least Level 15 or 20.
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Bring a companion. Boone is great because he can help pick off the glowing ones before they reach you. ED-E is even better because his sensors let you see the ghouls through the walls of the vault’s narrow hallways. If you’re playing on Hardcore mode, keep an eye on your companion’s health—the radiation affects them too, and they can die permanently if you aren't paying attention.
- Rad-Away is your best friend. Carry 20+.
- The Space Suit. If you’ve done the "Come Fly With Me" quest, grab the space suit from the REPCONN facility. It has great radiation resistance for early-to-mid-game players.
- Don't forget the ammo. You’ll burn through a few hundred rounds just getting to the gun.
Is it better than the Ratslayer?
People love the Ratslayer because you can get it early and it’s silent. And yeah, for a stealth build, the Ratslayer is cool. But the Fallout New Vegas All American is for when you're done hiding. It's for the player who wants to walk into a Caesar's Legion camp and just delete everyone.
The All American has a much higher ceiling. It scales better with your stats. It has a camouflage paint job that looks incredible. It feels like a real military weapon, not a scavenged piece of scrap.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Playthrough
If you want to optimize your run for this weapon, follow these steps immediately. First, prioritize the Guns skill and get it to 75 as fast as possible. This ensures you can actually use the rifle effectively once you find it. Second, head to the Mojave Outpost and talk to Sergeant Kilborn or look for the Grunt perk requirements if you have the DLCs installed.
Once you are ready to enter Vault 34, clear your inventory of everything except the essentials. You are going to find a massive amount of loot in that armory—not just the All American, but also Riot Shotguns, C-4, and Pulse Grenades. You’ll want the carry weight.
After you retrieve the rifle, take it to Major Knight at the Mojave Outpost if your Repair skill is low. He can fix it to 100% condition for a fee. It’s expensive, but a fully repaired All American is a night-and-day difference compared to a broken one. Finally, start crafting or buying 5.56mm Armor Piercing rounds. When you combine the All American’s fire rate with AP rounds, even a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin in T-51b Power Armor becomes a minor inconvenience rather than a boss fight.
Go get it. Just remember to bring the Rad-X.