Fallout 3is over a decade old, yet is still continually celebrated as one of the best first-person open-world RPGs ever made. It succeeds where others fail by having fewer side quests, but ensuring each one makes significant changes to the world and characters.
Nothing feels useless or superfluous. Every side quest is incredible, but the ones that are discussed below stand head and shoulders above the rest.Bethesda’s take on theFalloutseries has never been more well-received than it was uponFallout 3’srelease, but we are hoping whatever the company has in store for the series' future brings back some of that old glory.
Updated July 22, 2025 by Ewan Selmes:One of the big strengths of Bethesda’sFalloutfranchise is its rich world with its memorable cast of characters. This is a world that feels lived in, with many stories happening around the player completely off the beaten track. These side-quests inFallout 3offer a lot of cool interactions, interesting stories, and obscure lore and, perhaps most importantly, some nice rewards.
22Protecting the Water Way
Basic, But With Great Rewards
Protecting the Water Way is a side-quest from theBroken Steelpost-game add-on, and it expands the lore ofFallout 3’sCapitol Wasteland in some nice ways. It offers players a change to see how the world has changed since the end ofFallout 3,but perhaps more usefully than that, it contains some nice rewards too.
Tasked with protecting the trade routes for the new, purified water, the player can even be rewarded with a set of Enclave Power Armor, a Gatling laser, and a plasma pistol. Not bad for a simple tour around previously-visited Wasteland hotspots.
21Our Little Secret
There Is Something Off With Andale
Players that are looking more for an “experience” rather than a reward will want to check out Our Little Secret. This unmarked quest shows up for players when they enter Andale and speak to an NPC named Old Man Harris. He will warn players that they should keep away from the town of Andale, and speaking to the residents there hints that something is definitely “off” about the area. Players that persist through the quest and find the keys to either the Garden Shed or the Smith House Basement (or lock pick them, although they’re very difficult locks to pick).
Once players discover the horrors hidden within the town, they’ll have a choice to make. They can either walk away with goodies in hand or fight back against the evils lurking in the village. This is definitely one for those looking for some narrative hidden among the wasteland.
20Nuka-Cola Challenge
This Side Quest Is Time-Consuming But Worth The Effort
There are a lot of strange individuals sprinkled throughout the wastelands of Fallout 3. During their travels, players may come across a tiny settlement nestled under a crumbling overpass called Girdershade. This particular settlement is incredibly small and actually only houses two residents. One of them, Sierra Petrovita, is a connoisseur of all things Nuka Cola. After taking a tour around their museum-like surroundings, they will task players with collecting 30 Nuka Cola Quantum.
Most players that have explored the wastelands a bit likely know that Nuka Cola Quantum isn’t nearly as easy to find as its “original flavor” counterpart, but there is a way to boost how many that players can find. The Quantum Chemist perk can make this task much easier as it will automatically convert any 10 normal Nuka Cola into one Nuka Cola Quantum. Sierra will pay 40 Caps for each bottle the player returns, but the real reward is the Nuka Grenade schematics the player will receive for giving up 30 bottles total.
19You Gotta Shoot ‘Em In The Head
Just Because the Quest Giver Wants Something Doesn’t Mean Players Should Listen
SomeFallout 3quests are a lot more involved than others and some are much more lucrative if players don’t blindly do as the quest-give says. This is especially true in the side quest, You Gotta Shoot ‘Em In The Head. Players will be given a task from Mister Crowley, a ghoul resident of Underworld. Players will be sent on a quest to retrieve multiple keys from a few different figures found in various locations. Mister Crowley will not alert the player as to what the keys are for, and will give the player a hefty sum of caps in exchange for them. Players who simply do as they’re told without discovering what the keys open will miss out on the T-51b Power Armor.
If players open the location and take the armor for themselves they will upset Crowley who will no longer speak with them for the duration of the game. Those that want to keep his good graces can always unlock the door, hand the keys to Crowley, and then simply return to grab the armor at a later time.
18Wasteland Survival Guide
A Long Side Quest With Different Outcomes
Moira Brown is one of the sweetest, most cheery characters inFallout, so helping her out is no problem at all. “Wasteland Survival Guide” is not only fun because of her, however. The quest is great to take on early in the game because it sends the player to all different corners of the map,forcing them to explore and discover areas in a natural, organic way. It also steadily gives supplies during the course of the long quest.
The most interesting thing about this side quest is the outcome and how characters react to the book that players helped Moira with writing. There is even a random encounter that can occur based on how useful the book ends up being, along with radio commentary from Three Dog.
17Agatha’s Song
Retrieve a Violin From A Vault
Where so many of the quest’s involve the player solving problems through violence or helping people in extremely dire situations, “Agatha’s Song” is a more mellow, low-stakes mission.Players simply head to Vault 92to find a valuable violin for Agatha, an old woman living alone in a small house.
Of course, Vault 92 is not exactly the safest location, but at least the violin is well guarded by radioactive wildlife. After retrieving the instrument, a new radio station unlocks with Agatha playing classical music, a fun respite from the kitschy pop classics from the 1940s and 1950s. Having some new music to listen to is certainly a great reason to do this side quest.
16The Amazing Aqua Cura!
Find The Truth Behind A Great Deal
From theBroken Steelpost-game expansion, The Amazing Aqua Cura! gives players a look into how some of the Wasteland’s denizens are approaching life after the end ofFallout 3’s main story. This is cool in and of itself, but the quest is responsive to the player’s choices at the end of the game too, which is always nice to see.
In The Amazing Aqua Cura! players need to figure out the truth behind one vendor’s water sales. Simple enough, but the quest has multiple outcomes - and if the player chose to infect the water with FEV during theFallout 3endgame, there’ll be evidence of that at the end of this quest too. The rewards aren’t all that great, but it’s nice to see player choices represented, and there’s some good opportunities for extortion and a decrease in Karma too.
15Holy Water
The Holy Water Tastes Funny
This post-gameBroken Steelside quest takes players back to Megaton - but only if Megaton hasn’t been destroyed. This quest is reasonably simple to complete but has some fun lore, and gives a great look into the Church of Atom. Apparently, Megaton’s Aqua Pura shipments have been going missing, causing the town to request more off-schedule.
It turns out the shipments have been stolen by the Church of Atom and turned into irradiated ‘holy’ water as part of a plot by the Church. What’s fun about this quest is that it can be responsive to other choices made - if Megaton is destroyed during this quest, several key quest NPCs can be found as hostile ghouls in the remains of Megaton.
14Oasis
A Side Quest Featuring A Character From Previous Games
Fallout 3has few connections to other games in the series, mostly because it takes place across the country and many decades afterFallout 2. However, the “Oasis” quest features Harold, a man who fans encountered in the older games with a tree growing from his head.
ByFallout 3, he is more tree than human, and asks the players to destroy him and the tree. The only problem is the cult of people who worship Harold. The weird situation harkens back to the older games’ dark humor, and serves as a great reference for veteranFalloutplayers.
13The Replicated Man
A Small Reference To The Institute
This quest, found in Rivet City, became more relevant withFallout 4’srelease, since the fourth game in the series deals with The Institute and synths. A scientist from this organization asks the player to track down a synth who escaped the institute and lives in Rivet City. The player can choose to either bring the robot back to the scientist or side with the android.This idea is the foundation ofFallout 4’splot, and players will appreciate it even more after having playedFallout 4.
