You’re standing in the middle of a dusty, wind-blasted Mojave outpost. The air smells like radiation and desperation. To your left, a woman named Cass is drowning her sorrows in cheap whiskey, mourning a caravan that got wiped off the map. This is where New Vegas Heartache by the Number begins. It isn't just another "go here, kill that" objective. It’s a messy, morally gray deep dive into corporate greed and the slow rot of the New California Republic. Honestly, if you haven't played this quest, you haven't truly experienced what makes Fallout: New Vegas a masterpiece.
Most games give you a clear hero path. Not this one.
Cass—Rose of Sharon Cassidy, if we’re being formal—is the daughter of John Cassidy from Fallout 2. She’s tough. She’s foul-mouthed. She’s also completely broken when you find her at the Mojave Outpost. Her caravan company, Cassidy Caravans, is gone. Her papers are stuck in bureaucratic hell. She’s a character that feels real because her problems aren't just monsters; they’re legal and financial. When you start the quest New Vegas Heartache by the Number, you’re helping a person reclaim her soul, but the cost of that reclamation is entirely up to you.
The Setup: Bureaucracy and Blood
To even get this quest moving, you usually have to deal with Alice McLafferty at the Crimson Caravan Company. She wants Cass’s name off the books. She wants the competition gone. It’s cold. It’s corporate. If you’ve already started "You Can Depend on Me," the threads start intertwining immediately. You have to convince Cass to sell her name, which requires either a high Barter or Speech skill.
Wait. Why are we selling her soul to the people who might have killed her friends? That’s the central tension.
Once Cass is traveling with you, the quest properly shifts gears. You aren't just wandering. You’re investigating crime scenes. You visit the wreckage of Griffin-輸re-Not-Actually-Dead-But-Wiped-Out and find evidence that this wasn't just a raider attack. Raiders use bullets and machetes. They don't use high-end energy weapons that leave distinct ash piles.
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The visual storytelling here is incredible. You see the ash. You see the plasma burns. You realize that the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan aren't just competitors; they’re a cartel. They are systematically erasing anyone who threatens their monopoly on the Mojave trade routes.
The Peaceful Path: Paperwork as a Weapon
Some players hate the "peaceful" ending to New Vegas Heartache by the Number. I get it. This is a wasteland. You want to see heads roll. But there is something incredibly satisfying about taking down a corporate empire using the very laws they think they’re above.
To go the non-violent route, you have to find physical evidence of the conspiracy. This means breaking into the Crimson Caravan main office and the Silver Rush in Freeside. If you aren't a stealth build, this is a nightmare. The Van Graffs are twitchy. One wrong move and the whole room turns into a laser light show that ends with you as a pile of goo.
- Find the "Contract" in the Crimson Caravan safe.
- Steal the "Letter" from the Van Graff safe.
- Bring them to Ranger Jackson at the Mojave Outpost.
If you turn the evidence in to the NCR, the villains don't die. Not today, anyway. They get slapped with massive fines and lose their trade monopolies. Cass gets a permanent perk called "Calm Heart," which boosts her Damage Threshold. It’s the "good" ending, but it feels hollow to some. You’re trusting a corrupt government to police its own. It’s realistic, which is why it’s frustrating.
The Violent Path: Vengeance in the Mojave
Then there’s the other way. The Cass way.
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If you decide that the NCR’s courts move too slowly, you can just go in guns blazing. You and Cass walking into the Silver Rush and painting the walls with the Van Graffs’ blood is one of the most cathartic moments in the game. It’s messy. It’s loud. It makes you an enemy of two of the most powerful factions in the region.
Taking this route grants Cass the "Hand of Vengeance" perk. Her damage with guns goes up significantly. She isn't peaceful anymore; she’s a killer. And the game doesn't judge you for it, but the world changes. You’ll find the Silver Rush empty or filled with hostile guards. You’ve changed the economy of the Mojave because you felt like a specific person deserved to die.
The genius of New Vegas Heartache by the Number is that it forces you to choose between justice and vengeance. Justice is slow, bureaucratic, and keeps the status quo. Vengeance is fast, satisfying, and chaotic.
Why This Quest Breaks People (The Bugs)
Let's be real for a second. This quest is notorious for being buggy. Obsidian Entertainment made a legendary game in eighteen months, and it shows in the scripting for Cass. If you do things in the wrong order—like killing the Van Graffs before the quest tells you to—you can soft-lock the entire thing.
I’ve seen players get stuck where Cass won't talk to them, or the "investigate the caravan" markers won't disappear even after you’ve clicked on every ash pile in the desert. It’s the one part of the experience that isn't "human-quality"—it's pure, unadulterated 2010-era jank. If you’re playing on PC, you basically need the Unofficial Patch or the console command SetStage ready to go.
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The Moral Weight of the Ending
What most people miss is how this quest affects the ending slides of the game. If you took the peaceful route, the NCR eventually uses the evidence to squeeze the Crimson Caravan and the Van Graffs, leading to a more stable but heavily regulated trade environment. If you killed them, the trade routes become more dangerous, but the "monopoly" is broken through sheer violence.
It makes you think. Is a corrupt law better than no law?
Cass is the heart of this. She’s one of the few companions who will leave you if your Karma gets too low. She has standards. Even in a world where people eat iguanas of questionable origin, she cares about right and wrong. Helping her through New Vegas Heartache by the Number feels like the most "human" thing you can do in a world filled with robots and mutants.
Tactical Insights for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re planning on tackling this quest again, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make it smoother. First, don't rush the Crimson Caravan tasks. Take your time. Talk to everyone.
- Bring a Stealth Boy: Breaking into the Silver Rush safe is nearly impossible at low levels without one. The guards don't sleep.
- Check Your Karma: If you’re playing a "bad" character, Cass will eventually give you a warning. If you don't shape up, she's gone, and the quest fails.
- The Perks Matter: Think about your playstyle. If you use Cass as a tank, the Damage Threshold from the peaceful ending is objectively better. If you want her to be a sniper, go for the vengeance route.
The quest is a microcosm of the entire Fallout philosophy. It starts with a simple drink and ends with the restructuring of a post-apocalyptic economy. Whether you choose the ledger or the lever-action rifle, you’re leaving a mark on the Mojave that won't wash away with the next radioactive rainstorm.
To maximize your experience with Cass, ensure you have completed the "Birds of a Feather" quest up to the point where Jean-Baptiste asks you to bring Cass to him. Do not actually hand her over unless you want the quest to end in her permanent death. Instead, this is the perfect moment to pivot back into the investigation. By playing both sides for as long as possible, you gain the maximum amount of XP and loot before finally committing to the legal or lethal route.
Once you finish the quest, keep Cass with you. Her dialogue changes based on how you handled the situation, and she remains one of the most reactive companions in the game. Her story is a reminder that in New Vegas, the smallest personal vendettas often have the biggest consequences for the world at large.