How Much Money Can You Get from The King in Fallout: New Vegas

I‘ve spent over 200 hours roaming the Mojave Wasteland, and in my experience, The King and his gang can be one of the most lucrative early-game factions if you play your cards right. But exactly how many caps can the big man himself fork over?

The Maximum Direct Payout from The King is 348 Caps

If you successfully complete The King‘s quest "G.I. Blues" by getting the NCR soldiers out of Kings territory in Freeside, The King will directly pay out 348 caps upon completion.

This is the maximum amount of money The King himself will hand you. However, there are several other ways to squeeze some extra caps out of Kings gang members if you dig a little deeper!

Earning Over 500 Extra Caps from Kings Gang Members

While The King caps out at 348 caps personally, I‘ve managed to earn over 500 additional caps from his gang members by:

• Blackmailing Pacer for evidence of his scheming – 300 caps possible
• Returning the cyberdog Rex to The King – 100 caps
• Selling Kings gang outfits looted from their hangout – 150 caps

Blackmailing Pacer for 300 Extra Caps

Pacer, The Kings‘ second-in-command, tries to get you to help him sabotage the peace between Kings and NCR.

With a Speech skill check, you can convince Pacer to pay 200 caps for your silence. Or if your Barter skill is 50+, you intimidate an extra 100 caps out of him!

So reporting Pacer‘s conspiracy to The King and then blackmailing him leads to 300 extra caps with high Barter.

100 Caps for Returning Rex to The Kings

If you rescue Rex from the Fiends or buy him from the Old Mormon Fort, returning this cyberdog to his owner The King will net you an easy 100 caps reward.

And finding Rex again later on gives you the chance to replace his brain for combat bonuses!

Selling Looted Kings Outfits for 150 Caps

Head to the King‘s gang hideout in Freeside and there is a room packed with various Kings jackets and outfits. Loot them then sell to vendors for around 150 caps total.

With high Barter skill, the payout is potentially even more. So capitalizing on all these opportunities pays out over 500 extra caps on top of The King‘s direct 348 caps!

Max Caps from Kings vs House vs Yes Man Factions

So in total from the King directly + extras from his gang, you can obtain around 850 caps. How does this compare to siding with other factions like Mr. House or Yes Man?

Mr. House definitely pays out the most for completing his faction questline. After finishing "All or Nothing" and dealing with Benny at The Fort, House rewards over 2500 caps!

Meanwhile, The Kings pay out the most early on when caps are more scarce. And they provide ways to earn caps on the side like blackmail.

So while House is the ultimate money-making faction, The Kings are your best bet for an early caps boost to get that shiny new plasma rifle!

Optimal Early-Game Faction Choice for Caps and Gear

Based on stats alone, siding with The Kings initially then switching to House or Yes Man seems optimal for earning caps fast.

But we also need to factor in reputation impacts…

If you care about NCR relations down the line, wiping out their soldiers for The Kings in "G.I Blues" hurts your standing. Blackmailing Pacer also backfires long-term.

So if going the House or NCR route later, focus just on Rex and looted outfit caps from Kings at the start.

My recommendation?

• Early game: Earn quick caps from Kings outfits & Rex return while keeping NCR reputation intact
• Mid-game: Help House and Yes Man so more lucrative opportunities open up
• End game: Finish House questline for the huge 2500 caps payout!

This balances early profitability with end-game rewards, while preserving faction relations. The Kings provide great starter caps, gear like the gang outfits, and unique allies, while House questline gets you the most money.

My Journey: Lessons Learned from Kings and Freeside

As someone who‘s sunk endless hours into New Vegas and its DLCs, here are my key takeaways from all my adventures around Freeside and with The Kings:

• Help out The Kings at the start for quick caps, cool outfits, Rex as a companion
• But don‘t wipe out NCR soldiers for caps & loyalty if you want to keep their faction open
• Always help out vendors like Mick and Ralph using Barter checks for discounts! My energy weapon skill got a kickstart from their store early on in my playthroughs
• If playing Hardcore mode, stay on The King‘s good side so the Aerotech Suite 200 ENV armor found near their gang hideout provides lifesaving RAD resistance when going north!
• Don‘t rely just on The King for caps — capitalize on early profits, but ultimately House and Yes Man yield higher quest rewards

The Kings can jump start your wandering the wastes with some fast cash and sweet leathers. But calculated decisions are vital early on to maximize long-term profits and gear!

Now get out there, make The King proud, help the people of Freeside, and most importantly — collect those caps!

What has your experience been with earning money in Freeside from The King and his followers? Let me know if these tips help you maximize your profits!