The Fallout series is no stranger to Easter eggs. Fallout: New Vegas is no different, and it contains a ton of references to TV shows, movies, and even other video games. Stumbling across one of these inside jokes is always a delight when exploring the Wasteland, and sharing the location of these Easter eggs is a great way to build a fandom community.
The Easter eggs in Fallout: New Vegas come in the form of characters, encounters, or the names of missions and achievements. The Mojave Wasteland is so big that even seasoned players might have missed a few of the major Easter eggs in New Vegas. The Wild Wasteland perk adds even more wackiness, including some very funny references to other properties.
Updated July 28, 2022 by Declan Lowthian: The Fallout games have always been incredibly cavalier about referencing other properties, and New Vegas had that in spades. We've added even more references to this list, including those that don't even require the Wild Wasteland perk to trigger.
12 A Familiar Detective Is Found Dead In A Casino
To encounter this reference, players will need to have the Wild Wasteland trait selected. During the quest Beyond the Beef, players will be told there is an investigator at the Ultra-Luxe Casino. Going to his room will reveal he is dead and that the White Gloves are responsible for the murder.
After getting rid of the attackers, players can loot the body of the investigator. What they might realize is his name is Crusoe, a reference to actor David Caruso from CSI: Miami. In the show, Caruso plays a detective named Horatio Caine. He also previously played a police officer in the series NYPD Blue.
11 Seymour Is Still Frozen In Place & Waiting For The Player
Walking through the Cave of the Abaddon in Fallout: New Vegas's Lonesome Road DLC, players might stumble across a fossilized dog. The dog's name is Seymour, a reference to an episode of Futurama named "Jurassic Bark." In the episode, the cast finds the fossilized remains of Fry's old dog, also named Seymour.
"Jurassic Bark" is famously one of the saddest episodes of Futurama. But since Seymour weighs nothing, players can carry him around for the rest of their Wasteland Journey without any concern.
10 A Tiny But Strong Deathclaw Fights Players Behind A House
This Easter egg can be found in Higgs Village in the Old World Blues DLC by anyone with the Wild Wasteland perk. Behind Dr. Borous's house, players will encounter a dog house. Instead of a friendly pup, a miniature Deathclaw named Stripe lies in wait.
Stripe is as strong as a legendary deathclaw, but with slightly less health. Anyone stumbling across him without being prepared is in for a difficult fight. Luckily he will not follow the player outside of the yard. Stripe's doghouse used to house Dr. Borous's dog Gabe, but his name has been replaced with Stripe's.
9 The Iconic Range Monument Will Be Buried In Sand In One Ending
During the Lonesome Road DLC, players will have the option to launch nukes at the NCR or Caesar's Legion. Launching nukes at both factions and having the Wild Wasteland trait will give a unique ending slide. The slide will show two NCR soldiers at the Ranger monument, but the monument is buried in sand.
This framing of this shot is a reference to the movie Planet of the Apes, where one of the main characters sees the Statue of Liberty buried in sand. A similar ending can be achieved without the Wild Wasteland perk, but that version is far more self-serious.
8 Dogs Will Be Gathered Around A Table Playing Poker
During the Old World Blues DLC, players will need to go through a cyberdog testing area that resembles a high school. After exiting this area, looking through a window in the hallway will reveal a group of cyberdogs.
Normally they are looking at the blackboard. But with the Wild Wasteland perk, they are sitting around a table with cards, alcohol, and poker chips scattered around them. This is a reference to the paintings of dogs playing poker made popular in the early 1900s by the company Brown & Bigelow as part of a cigar advertising campaign.
7 A Familiar Man Can Be Found In A Fridge Near Goodsprings
To the southeast of Goodsprings, players can stumble across a fridge with a skeleton in it wearing a fedora hat. This is a reference to the fourth Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull wherein Indiana Jones hides out inside a lead-lined fridge to avoid being struck by a nuclear blast.
In the film, Indiana Jones finds himself in a mock town designed for nuclear testing. Similar settings have appeared in numerous Fallout games, though Goodsprings isn't one of them.
6 The Wasteland Is Constantly Referencing Star Trek
Star Trek Easter eggs can be found all over Fallout: New Vegas. The "Set Lasers for Fun" perk, unlocked by dealing 16,000 damage to enemies with one-handed laser weapons, is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the common phrase "set phasers to stun."
Another famous Star Trek quote is referenced in a conversation with Ambassador Crocker in the NCR Embassy. If the Wild Wasteland perk is enabled, Crocker will exclaim "Damn it, I'm an ambassador, not a doctor!" This is a reversal of Dr. McCoy's famous habit of declaring he's a doctor, not whatever profession Jim Kirk needs him to be at any given moment.
5 A Challenge Makes Reference To Andrew Ryan From Bioshock
The Gun Runner's Arsenal DLC contains a number of unique challenges to spice up a normal playthrough of Fallout: New Vegas. One of these requires the player to kill Mr. House with a golf club. This might seem over the top, but it is in fact a reference to the first Bioshock game.
In Bioshock, the player kills the founder of Rapture with a golf club. While being beaten, Andrew Ryan repeats again and again that "a slave obeys." After killing Mr. House with the golf club in New Vegas, players will complete a challenge called A Slave Obeys.
4 Players Can Find Some Holy Hand Grenades In A Church Basement
Players exploring near Camp Searchlight should look in the basement of the church. With the Wild Wasteland perk, players can find a crate of Holy Frag Grenades. These items are a reference to the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, specifically the scene where King Arthur uses the grenade in battle against the Rabbit of Caerbannog.
There are only three grenades, meaning players will need to use them wisely. The Holy Frag Grenades, which have crosses painted on them, are very strong, dealing 800 base damage compared to the regular frag grenade's 125.
3 Two Familiar Farmer Corpses Appear In Nipton
When players first approach Nipton, the whole town has been burned to the ground by Caesar's Legion, and all its residents have been killed or enslaved. Players will find the man responsible for the attack at the town hall, though he leaves soon after.
Hovering over the skeletons will reveal they are named Owen and Beru. This is a reference to the first Star Wars film when Luke's aunt and uncle are murdered by Imperial stormtroopers.
2 A Gang Of Grannies Will Try To Mug The Player Outside Of A Store
During the quest Wang Dang Atomic Tango in Freeside, players will need to go to Cerulean Robotics to reprogram a Protectron. When players with the Wild Wasteland perk leave the store, a group of old women will greet them. A woman named Malefic Maud will tell her friends that they have found another "unsuspecting ponce."
The group of grannies, which also includes Rancorous Ruth and Irate Ida, will attack the player using items such as knives and rolling pins. This interaction is a reference to a 1971 sketch by Monty Python called "Hell's Grannies."
1 Doctor Who References Abound Throughout The Wasteland
Numerous references to Doctor Who are scattered throughout Fallout: New Vegas, even without the Wild Wasteland perk enabled. The Securitron robots often shout "EXTERMINATE" in combat, mimicking the famous battle cry of the Daleks.
The Dead Money DLC includes hazmat-suited "ghost people," and a reference to the similar Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" can be found in a wine cellar. Graffiti in the clear says "I am not your mummy," a reference to the catchphrase uttered by the gas-masked creatures in that episode.