Hobbies And Interests
National Guard Depot
This armory is in the northeastern area of the Washington, D.C., ruins, though you reach it without entering the ruins or the metro system; its entrance is south of Vault 108 and east-southeast of Rock Creek Caverns. Exercise caution in the ruins of the building; they're difficult to maneuver, they contain explosive gas leaks and several hostile robots. If you explore around enough you will locate the door to the training wing in the southeast corner. There's great loot in this area, especially near the shooting range, and on the far side of the range is the entrance to the bottom-floor offices. The offices' exit leads you to an otherwise inaccessible portion of the armory ruins you started in, and if you flip the switch on the wall about 30 feet ahead of you, the armory's bunker will open. After defeating the sentry robot inside, you can flip one last switch to enter the armory for some fantastic loot, though the inner armory area is only accessible if you find all five Keller family holotapes throughout the wasteland.
Republic of Dave
If you know where to look, you can find this location fairly easily; otherwise you might never stumble across it. This tiny settlement is in the farthest northeast location on the map, and a strange group lives there claiming to be their own independent nation. Their leader is Dave, who instituted a republic form of government after overthrowing his dictator father, though Dave's leadership goes unquestioned and uncontested. You have opportunity to influence the upcoming election by encouraging Rosie or Bob -- or both -- to run against Dave; if you then steal the votes for Dave from the ballot box, he will lose the election and leave the republic. The election winner will give you the key to the republic's safe, and inside is the powerful gun "Ol' Painless." You can also obtain the gun before the election by passing a speech check with Dave and convincing him you're an ambassador; if you succeed, he will give you the key then. You could also just let the election run its course, and of course Dave will win. Make sure you grab the perception bobblehead in the Republic of Dave Museum.
Deathclaw Sanctuary
As its name indicates, this location is overrun with Deathclaws, so use extreme caution here. Until you're a high-level character, you should probably avoid this place altogether. You can find the sanctuary in the northwest area of the map, east of the Potomac and west of Paradise Falls. You will of course gain plenty of Deathclaw Hands in combat, but you will also find some quality items. The endurance bobblehead is in the first area you enter on a stand, and throughout the cave you will find more loot, including Vengeance, a unique gatling laser in the southeast corner of the cave. After you complete the main quest "The Waters of Life," you can find dead Enclave soldiers near the center of the cave. One of them has the unique ripper Jack, which is a tremendously powerful melee weapon.
Fort Constantine
This location is closely tied to the quest "You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head," which Mister Crowley gives you in Underworld, the ghoul city in the Museum of History not far from the Washington Monument. You can visit the fort anytime, but some of its best loot is only available by completing some of the quest's objectives. Throughout the buildings of the fort you'll find skill-boosting magazines, Chinese assault rifles and the big guns bobblehead, which is in an open safe in the CO quarters basement. If you collect all the keys in Mister Crowley's quest, you can gain access to the unique T-51b power armor and some additional weapons, like a "fat man," an assault rifle and a few grenades. If you give the keys to Mister Crowley during the quest, he will take the power armor for himself.