Fallout: New Vegas has a somewhat hidden trick for dealing with Caesar's Legion at Cottonwood Cove by overwhelming local legionaries with radioactive barrels. This easy-to-miss detail has recently surprised even some longstanding Fallout: New Vegas fans.
The only entry in the Fallout franchise made by Obsidian Entertainment will celebrate its 15th anniversary on October 19. Despite being a decade and a half old, Fallout: New Vegas still enjoys an active player community, with just its Steam version peaking at over 5,000 concurrent users on June 22.
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In the latest testament to the game's replayability, some Fallout: New Vegas fans were recently surprised to learn that there's an easier way of dealing with Caesar's Legion at Cottonwood Cove than simply charging the local patrols. As highlighted by Reddit user Vile35, most of the enemies in this area can be neutralized by unlocking a decrepit truck positioned at Cottonwood Overlook—a fittingly named location that sits above the cove. Doing so releases a cascade of radioactive waste barrels, quickly eliminating the legionaries below.
Vile35's tip amassed nearly 4,000 upvotes within hours of going live in late June 2025, quickly reaching the front page of the r/Fallout subreddit. Even some self-described Fallout: New Vegas veterans chiming in on this discovery admitted they were unaware of this alternative approach to Cottonwood Cove, expressing admiration that the game is still finding ways to surprise them nearly 15 years following its original release.
Fallout: NV's Cottonwood Overlook Barrel Trick Has a Skill Requirement
What Vile35's gameplay footage doesn't make it clear is that unleashing radioactive waste onto Cottonwood Cove comes with a requirement of at least level 50 in the Fallout: New Vegas Lockpick skill. High-Perception builds should have little trouble meeting this threshold, while others can rely on clothing bonuses and temporary PER boosts from consumables like Mentats to unlock the derelict truck carrying the deadly cargo.
Unleashing the barrels triggers a scripted sequence in which even Legionaries not initially near the overlook begin rushing toward the player's location. Most—or all—of them die in the process, a spectacle that can be safely observed from a distance. While Cursor Lucullus, Caesar’s Legion ferryman, typically survives this ordeal, players can still reach Caesar's fort without him by interacting with the raft at the end of the cove’s dock.
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Gamebryo
- Franchise
- Fallout
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
