May contain spoilers.


I thought maybe this belonged in the speculation thread, but as it concerns an actual vanilla character, and only the things he says, I thought I should open this.

I noticed something extremely interesting from the conversation with the Legate, as few have Barter 100, or even use it, I figured not many had noticed this before.

When one of the Barter paths is taken in the final confrontation with the Legate, Lanius will reveal an extremely well-placed allusion to the possible conflict the player has with Ulysses.

If (Barter 100) "Where you see death, I see change. And I see it as a strength"

Legate will respond "Hnm, my coming would have saved you, set your people free in ways they cannot see. War would have tested them. Broken the weak with its violence, yet allowing the strong to arise. violence gave you strength, awakened you - I can see it on your face, where two bullets left their mark".

As the player was only shot once by Benny, this is either an oversight, or perhaps explains something of the players past, and implies that an procedure has been done to the player that allows them to survive being shot in the skull, perhaps inside the big empty, and/or by Ulysses himself?

besides that, this is likely the best written line in the game, so the developers atleast put a reward for having such a useless level of Barter, just my opinion.

1. Spoilerific.
2. Nice find! Does this mean our poor courier was shot in the head twice? Talk about brain damage. Or maybe The Courier is just The Terminator? :blink:

Sorry but I think Benny actually shot you twice. Cant recall where I got the info from however.
And yes Benny is that a lousy shot!

As this is the DLC content area, and not the Fallout New Vegas one, I cant see how an ending line is that much of a spoiler, still ill add that this contains some.

Dont know what it means, being shot in the head can also mean a clean wound, i.e. it only grazed the courier. still, i found it interesting.

But it shows Benny shooting his gun once... (in that little movie y'know... Before the game?)

This is mentioned by some other character too because it did sound familiar to me. I have no idea which one though, maybe Doc Mitchell, Benny, Johnson Nash or Victor.. I don't know but it sounds really familiar..
However, I never really payed attention to it like you did! It really just slipped past me, and I bet it slipped past others too. I'm pretty sure the devs mean something with it, maybe the first bullet was a test? Anyway, great find!

Thats what I remembered too. Maybe he got you once when the player was in the grave, but then why would the developers put such a well-placed line into the game. Really, the way he says it, and how it is written, has a huge impact when you experience it. I suggest playing it to see for yourself.

I wish I knew what character also.

Im thinking that Ulysses was visitng the big empty for this reason, the player being shot. Perhaps the player has been there before! and that is where they were altered like this...dont know thats my guess.

The Forecaster (also known as the drunk kid at 188 Trading Post):

Your face does the thinking - two to the skull, yet one gets up. Odds are against you... but they're just numbers after the two-to-one.

You're playing the hand you've been dealt, but you don't let it rest, you shuffle and stack, and a gamble... a gamble that may pay off? But how?
Forecast: Rapidly changing conditions.

From the vault wiki: ulysses

"He was to deliver the Platinum Chip, an offer he was about to accept until he saw the Courier's name down next on the list. He asked Johnson Nash if the Courier's name was for real, as if he'd expected the Courier to be dead. Nash informed him that the Courier was still kicking, and the messenger flat-out turned down the job, and the caps that it was worth."

perhaps ulysses thought he had killed the player earlier? maybe he shot him in the head? Dont know, there are so many well placed allusions, can we find them all?

you sir, are a saint.

Thats two known references to the player being shot twice. And another ambigious one about him being thought dead, from three different characters. and theyve been exactly typed here, so there is something to this after all.

Interesting... Maybe that's why Ulysses was said to be looking for Courier 6 (by Christine in DM)? To finish him off? Is this the huge showdown we'll be expecting in Old World Blues? Oh the suspense!

idunno what the two-to-one could mean.. Benny was with two Khans. Or maybe he was referring to Benny and Ulysses.

That's an interesting thought, are you suggesting that the two-to-one odds means that both Benny and Ulysses tried to kill the player, and therefore the player had to deal with them?

well, with 'Benny was with two Khans' I meant that 'two-to-one' couldn't refer to the incident at Goodpsrings Cemetry, because it was a three-to-one there. With the two he may indeed be referring to Benny and Ulysses..

Benny and Ulysses shot him in the head, then they parted ways, and Benny then shot the Courier again.

Benny & Ulysses working together? But Benny only needed the Platinum Chip from Courier 6... And Ulysses turned down the request to deliver the chip and asked the job to be given to Courier 6. So IF Benny and Ulysses worked together, would Ulysses just take the chip and give it to Benny himself?

yeah, what i said kind of misconstrued what you had. Still, you had a very valid point. So that's two known sources and two ambigious ones.

I dont think they were together. the earlier comments were that both had at some point attempted to kill the courier this way. The Two-to-one maybe means that both tried, not neccessarily together, adn the player had to face each, ie, benny during the main quest, ulysses in lonesome road.

Now that clears things up...
We know why Benny shot The Courier, but we don't know why Ulysses shot The Courier.

If ulysses did, well find out in lonesome road.

I would just like to know if there are any other comments in the game like this?

got to be a few more.

I think the Forecaster is reffering to the past; Someone already shot the Courier.
For the rest I agree with you, the one strange thing is that Ulysses doesn't use a gun; he uses a flagstaff (reference to Caesar's Legion's capital?).

Oy, someone just edited the Forecaster's page on the wiki after he read this thread. I say oy.

Ulysses refused it and told Benny to go kill him so Ulysses could get what he wanted and so Benny could get the Plat chip. Win Win, right?

First of all, we don't know IF it was Ulysses.
Second of all, we know Ulysses hates the Courier, like, a lot. The reason is hinted nowhere in the game, and maybe the devs won't give the reason in any DLC before Old World Blues (or whatever DLC features Ulysses).
also, Johnson Nash: ''He (Ulysses) looked at me and asked me if your name was for real. I said sure as rain you were still kickin'.''

using a flagpole?

Could always carry a gun, for those times when the pole wont work.