Fallout: New Vegas unique weapon locations — every one-of-a-kind gun, melee, unarmed, and energy weapon
Fallout: New Vegas hides a ridiculous number of unique weapons — bespoke versions of standard gear that hit harder, crit better, or just look cooler. A bunch of them will help you delete Deathclaws; a few are stashed behind Deathclaws. To keep you from wandering in circles (or reloading a quicksave every five minutes), use the maps and location notes below to track them all down.
From the Mojave proper to Zion, Big MT, and The Divide, here’s where to find every unique weapon in Fallout: New Vegas.
Every unique weapon in the northern half of the Mojave Wasteland
This covers The Strip, Jacobstown, and everything north of Hidden Valley.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chance’s Knife | Melee | Dig up Chance’s Grave on the hill just south of Tribal Village. Bring a shovel (you can buy one at the Goodsprings store). Great early pickup for new players. |
| 2 | Love and Hate | Unarmed | Bonnie Springs. Loot it from a Viper Leader (there can be more than one). |
| 3 | Greased Lightning | Unarmed | Hidden Valley bunker with “Peace” painted in red next to the door. Buy from Knight Torres. You may need to complete “Still in the Dark” first. |
| 4 | Annabelle | Explosive | Black Mountain. Loot the nightkin sniper on the ledge below the radio tower. |
| 5 | Paladin Toaster | Unarmed | Black Rock Cave. On a dead prospector near the back. |
| 6 | Mysterious Magnum | Gun | On the road north of El Dorado Gas & Service, at a Sunset Sarsaparilla billboard. Pickpocket or kill the Lonesome Drifter. Or start “Talent Pool” at The Tops (talk to Tommy Torini in the Aces Theater) and recruit the Drifter with 50 Barter. |
| 7 | Blade of the East | Melee | Defeat Legate Lanius at the Legate’s Camp near the end of the main quest. You must side with Mr. House, the NCR, or Yes Man to access this fight. |
| 8 | Q-35 Matter Modulator | Energy weapon | REPCONN HQ. Pick the Average door to the right, then a Very Hard door (Lockpick 100), turn left to the gun. Alternatives: hack a Very Hard terminal (100) or get a security keycard to drop in from the floor above. |
| 9 | Nephi’s Golf Driver | Melee | Fiend’s Rock ruins northwest of Samson Rock Crushing Plant. Clear the area, then loot Driver Nephi’s body. |
| 10 | Pew Pew | Energy weapon | Sunset Sarsaparilla HQ. Speak to the animatronic to start “The Legend of the Star,” resolve it (you’ll technically fail it as part of the story), then talk again to begin “A Valuable Lesson.” Use the right hallway, left double doors, climb through the collapsed ceiling, cross to the south hole, drop down, go through the red double doors, and loot the body with the gun. |
| 11 | Dinner Bell | Gun | The Thorn in Westside. Finish “Bleed Me Dry” for Red Lucy to receive it. |
| 12 | The Humble Cudgel | Melee | Deep in the Sealed Sewers. Drop into the manhole in The Thorn, take the far-left corner path to the North Sewers, head southeast, then right into Central Sewers. Behind the red-lit door, loot “Luke’s Find” from Blind Luke. Backtrack, go left then right along the long corridor to a barricade with enemies. Through the door behind them, upstairs, use Luke’s Find to open the Sealed Sewers. Loot a Prospector’s body. |
| 13 | Vance’s 9mm submachine gun | Gun | Wins Hideout northeast of Westside south entrance. Open the safe (Lockpick 100) or convince Pauline Wins to hand over the code (Speech 55). |
| 14 | Golden Gloves | Unarmed | Lucky 38 on The Strip. Inside, turn left, go upstairs, and check the cabinet by the “VIP Lounge” sign. |
| 15 | Two-Step Goodbye / Sleepytyme / Medicine Stick / Gehenna / Bozar / Esther | Unarmed / Gun / Gun / Melee / Gun / Explosive | Sold by the Vendortron at Gun Runners. |
| 16 | La Longue Carabine | Gun | Camp McCarran. Loot or pickpocket Corporal Sterling as he patrols the tents. If you don’t want to kill him, steal his ammo, fast travel away to reset, come back, and pickpocket the rifle once it appears in his inventory. |
| 17 | Cram Opener | Unarmed | Camp McCarran. Take it from Little Buster (he usually hits the training dummy by the old trucks). If you finished “Three-Card Bounty” and he’s gone, his body (and the weapon) will be at the end of the Freeside railroad next to Old Mormon Fort. |
| 18 | This Machine | Gun | Camp McCarran — complete the unmarked “Dealing with Contreras.” Hack Sgt. Contreras’s terminal upstairs in the supply shack, grab the manifest, then give it to Lt. Carrie Boyd at the airport (upstairs) for the reward. |
| 19 | All-American / Pulse Gun | Gun / Energy weapon | Vault 34. Fully clear the vault, unlock the necessary terminals, defeat the Overseer, then access the armory and the equipment room beyond. The All-American is on an overturned table; the Pulse Gun is in the nearby gun case (Lockpick 100). |
| 20 | CZ57 Avenger | Gun | The Devil’s Throat. Inside the blue truck at the center of the crater. |
| 21 | Thump-Thump | Explosive | Nellis Array building (northeast corner of Nellis AFB). Grab it in the large southeast room. Picking up Raquel’s “Ant Misbehavin’” first isn’t a bad idea. |
| 22 | Abilene Kid LE BB gun | Gun | EITHER inside the Field’s Shack (southwest of Nellis AFB), OR — if you have the Wild Wasteland trait — inside Jimmy’s Well. With Wild Wasteland, bring Rex to Field’s Shack, ask about something falling in the well, then enter the well opposite the shack. |
| 23 | Alien Blaster / YCS 186 | Energy weapons | Mercenary camp east of Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch and north of Horowitz Farmstead. Clear the camp and loot the tougher enemy. Wild Wasteland gives the Alien Blaster; without it, you’ll get the YCS 186. |
| 24 | AER14 Prototype | Energy weapon | Vault 22. Repair the elevator, ride to Level 5, open the right-hand stairwell door (no Lockpick requirement), and follow the path to the gun. |
| 25 | Pushy | Unarmed | Ruby Hill Mine. Follow the glowing mushroom path to the bottom and loot the corpse by the exit. |
| 26 | Oh Baby! | Melee | Charleston Cave (you’ll also visit here for “Guess Who I Saw Today”). Take the narrow mushroom-lit path down, cross the pool, and find the weapon on the cave floor beyond. |
| 27 | Freeside unique weapons | Various | There are 10 unique weapons tucked into Freeside, directly north of The Strip. See the dedicated list below. |
Every unique weapon in Freeside
Freeside is packed with unique weapons — the trick is knowing where to look.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuka-Breaker / Lil’ Devil / Embrace of the Mantis King | Melee / Gun / Unarmed | Buy from Mick at Mick & Ralph’s (enter through Freeside’s east gate; it’s ahead on the right). If he’s dead, the Vendortron at Gun Runners (just south of the east gate) stocks them. |
| 2 | Euclid’s C-Finder | Energy weapon | Owned by Max, a kid in Freeside. At night he sleeps in the first building on the right after entering through the east gate (easy pickpocket). During the day he runs around the streets. Buy it for 1000 caps, or 20 caps with 45 Barter. |
| 3 | Figaro | Melee | Loot Sergio inside the King’s School of Impersonation. He’s usually in a small back room. Pickpocketing typically won’t work here. |
| 4 | Van Graff Laser Rifle / Van Graff Plasma Rifle | Energy weapon | During “Birds of a Feather,” you can choose one: the Laser Rifle (faster, lower crit) or the Plasma Rifle (slower, higher crit). Start the quest by speaking to Gloria at the Silver Rush (northwest of the King’s School). |
| 5 | The Smitty Special / Sprtel-Wood 9700 / Cleansing Flame | Energy weapons | Buy from Gloria von Graff at the Silver Rush. If she dies, the Vendortron at Gun Runners carries them. |
Every unique weapon in the Mojave Wasteland south
Heading south of Hidden Valley? Here’s where to grab the rest of the Mojave’s unique guns and melee toys.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Bear | Explosive | Long 15 ruins, in a large weapon crate behind Colonel Royez. The crate only spawns if you targeted the NCR (or both NCR and Legion) during “The Apocalypse.” Heavy radiation here — prepare accordingly. |
| 2 | Old Glory | Melee | Carried by Ulysses (Lonesome Road DLC). If he dies in Ulysses’ Temple, loot it there. Otherwise, after finishing the DLC, a footlocker with the weapon appears by a small rock in Canyon Wreckage. |
| 3 | Lucky | Gun | Bison Steve Hotel in Primm. First floor gift shop safe (Lockpick 75). |
| 4 | Mercy | Explosive | Dead Wind Cavern, deep inside. Expect Deathclaws. |
| 5 | Chopper | Melee | Wolfhorn Ranch. Sitting on the stove. |
| 6 | Tesla-Beaton Prototype | Energy weapon | Next to the Crashed Vertibird on the ground. |
| 7 | Big Boomer | Gun | Old Lady Gibson at Gibson Scrap Yard. Steal it or loot it from her. |
| 8 | That Gun / Paciencia / MF Hyperbreeder Alpha | Gun / Gun / Energy weapon | Buy from Cliff Briscoe inside Dinky the Dinosaur in Novac. “That Gun” can be stolen from the storage room if you pick the lock. |
| 9 | Liberator | Melee | Nelson. Dead Sea carries it (often near the barracks). Either follow “We Are Legion” or kill him and loot the body. |
| 10 | Ratslayer | Gun | Broc Flower Cave. At the very end, leaning on a desk in the lab. |
| 11 | Knock-Knock | Melee | Camp Searchlight fire station, upstairs bathroom stall. Get the key from Logan via “Wheel of Fortune” (church basement) or kill him and take it. |
| 12 | Holy Frag Grenade | Explosive | Camp Searchlight church basement on the east side — only if you have Wild Wasteland. |
| 13 | Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle | Gun | Sniper’s Nest weapon case. Lock is Very Hard (Lockpick 100). |
| 14 | Recompense of the Fallen | Unarmed | Cottonwood Cove HQ, second floor. Inside Aurelius of Phoenix’s desk. |
| 15 | Red Victory Grenade Rifle | Explosive | In a crate under the tent frame west of Dry Wells. Only appears if you targeted the Legion (or both factions) during “The Apocalypse.” |
Every unique weapon in Zion Canyon
The Honest Hearts DLC drops you into Zion Canyon with five unique weapons to claim.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Light Shining in Darkness / Salt-Upon-Wounds’ Power Fist | Gun / Unarmed | Loot the pistol from Joshua Graham and the power fist from Salt-Upon-Wounds. Or finish Honest Hearts and collect both from a footlocker by the Southern Passage. |
| 2 | Survivalist’s Rifle | Gun | Red Gate. In a duffel bag at the top of the hill, behind three trees, next to a skeleton. |
| 3 | Compliance Regulator | Energy weapon | Fallen Rock Cave. In the workbench room on the left, on the ground. Watch for traps. |
| 4 | She’s Embrace | Unarmed | Complete “Rite of Passage” in Honest Hearts. Speak to Waking Cloud at the Sorrows Camp after “Deliverer of Sorrows.” |
Every unique weapon in Big MT
Old World Blues (Big MT, aka the Big Empty) also hides five unique weapons worth your time.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | X-2 Antenna | Melee | Climb through the X-2 transmitter building to the roof. It’s stuck to the glowing tip on the tower. |
| 2 | Dr. Klein’s Glove | Unarmed | Higgs Village, House #101. Top floor on the ground. |
| 3 | Christine’s CoS Silencer Rifle | Gun | Old watchtower just north of Little Yangtze. Top floor, leaning in a corner. |
| 4 | Dr. Mobius’ Glove | Unarmed | Forbidden Zone dome entrance. On a table left of the stairs ahead. |
| 5 | Elijah’s Jury-Rigged Tesla Cannon | Energy weapon | Elijah’s Watch. Look northwest for a wooden crate between rocks. |
Every unique weapon in The Divide
Lonesome Road adds two more uniques in The Divide.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blood-Nap | Unarmed | After finishing “The Launch,” head to the Path to the Courier’s Mile south of the Hopeville Missile Silo Bunker. It’s stuck in the lamp post straight ahead. |
| 2 | Fist of Rawr | Unarmed | Craftable with Unarmed 75+ and Rawr’s Talon. To get the talon, defeat Rawr the Deathclaw in the cave near the Boxwood Hotel Roof, behind the large pipe draining into a radioactive pool. |
Every unique weapon without a specific location
A few uniques don’t live in any one place — here’s how you get them.
| No. | Name | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broad Machete / Weathered 10mm Pistol / Sturdy Caravan Shotgun / Mercenary’s Grenade Rifle | Melee / Gun / Gun / Explosive | These are in your inventory when you start a new game of Fallout: New Vegas. |
| 2 | Maria | Gun | Carried by Benny. Pickpocket or kill him — often during “Ring-a-Ding-Ding!” or “Render Unto Caesar,” though you can steal it earlier if you’re bold. |
| 3 | Holo Rifle | Energy weapon | Automatically granted at the start of the Dead Money DLC. |