Can You Maintain Relations with NCR While Pursuing Yes Man Questline?
As any player seeking an independent New Vegas knows, Yes Man offers a path to claim total control by activating an army of Securitrons and seizing Hoover Dam for yourself. However, some couriers wonder if they can walk this autonomous route while preserving their reputation with the New California Republic in the earlier quest stages. I‘m here to offer my insights on whether (and for how long) you can balance moving forward with Yes Man against keeping the NCR as allies before ultimately turning against them further down the line.
The Short Answer:
Yes, it is possible to largely maintain positive relations with NCR…for a while. Complete quests, gain reputation perks, profit from trading — all without fully burning that bridge. But once certain irreversible decisions happen in the Yes Man plot, hostility will occur so be prepared!
Managing the Prolonged Balancing Act:
Having spent over 250 hours roaming the Mojave myself, I’ve experimented extensively with tactics for keeping the NCR close while furthering Yes Man‘s goals early on. For anyone also pursuing Mr. New Vegas’ favor, here are some tips:
- Safely work with NCR until midway through Yes Man’s quests when asked to eliminate House and/or upgrade the Securitrons. Saying “yes” starts severing ties!
- Take care when completing NCR quests like King’s Gambit or For the Republic once you have Yes Man. Failing speech checks accidentally lowers reputation.
- Put off fully upgrading the Securitrons even after accessing the bunker. Delaying this retains more flexibility with NCR.
- Even at the point you must oppose NCR, if reputation is “Liked” or better you can still salvage other quests like You’ll Know It When It Happens and Arizona Killer. So carefully manage all interactions with NCR members well beforehand!
If playing skillfully, you can walk the tightrope maintaining neutral or even positive NCR relations for up to 75% of Yes Man‘s total quest line depending on choices. While tedious, this allows ample time to exploit other NCR quest perks before eventually needing to cut ties. So get your reputation up early!
Weighing the Choice – NCR vs Independence:
When the pivotal moment arrives where you must turn Yes Man against the NCR, consider the broader consequences on New Vegas. Review this comparison table I assembled to reflect on what future you desire:
| Faction | NCR | Independent Vegas (Yes Man) |
|---|---|---|
| Stability | Steady unified governance under NCR constitution. Rule of law minimizes chaos. | Lack of established leadership makes maintaining order difficult. High risk of instability. |
| Protection | NCR provides external muscle ensuring regional security against major threats. | Must rely purely on reactivated Securitrons left behind in Vegas as solitary line of defense. |
| Conflict | As expanded territory, resistance attacks and insider sabotage against NCR a constant nuisance. | Wide open to outside factions like Legion pushing into undefended borders. Internal subversion also an issue. |
| Trade | Established trade routes with California and wider NCR territory prove a boon for merchants and citizens. | Independent Vegas faces trade embargoes and sanctions from NCR as a rouge state, hurting the economy. Less commercial support. |
| Fiscal Policy | Taxes and tariffs imposed by NCR syphon away profits. However, also allows NCR investment into infrastructure and amenities. | Windfall profits by owning full share of casinos & ventures. But must self-fund all of Vegas’ development without NCR budget. |
| Final Word | External oversight provides support plus restrictions. Corruption hinders full potential even as “status quo” continues. | Full control yet also full responsibility. Keep profits but chaos abounds if you fail at the reins. |
As you can see, each pathway offers its own appeals along with distinct complications that a responsible Vegas ruler must reconcile. Getting the chance to reshape your home’s destiny is a rare thing indeed, so let your conscious guide your hand when deciding how to proceed once the die is eventually cast!
In Closing
I hope this guide gives vital awareness of the winding road towards an unshackled New Vegas as well as spells out how to postpone burning bridges with the NCR up until truly necessary. While they impose their share of stifling governance, do utilize their quest perks and protections early on while you focus on more covertly laying the groundwork for the showdown to come! With some creative balancing early and then conviction when push comes to shove, Vegas may yet earn its independence under new management!
Sources: Personal gameplay experience, J.E. Sawyer’s Formspring archive, "Yes Man" Fallout Wikia page
