Fallout 3 has been brought to life by one intrepid Bethesda RPG fan, who has decided to pass the time between now and the Starfield release date by building a treasure hunt using Bobbleheads from the iconic open-world game strategically hidden around Washington DC.
Fallout 3 Bobbleheads are little statues based on the RPG series’ mascot Vault Boy, and collecting them in game provides buffs to various skills, for example making your character more proficient with energy weapons or better at sneaking. The Fallout 3 map is based around the United States’ capital, Washington DC, and its surrounding areas, including the home of Fallout’s creator, Bethesda. Using a 3D printer to make their own Bobbleheads, one Fallout fan has hidden the little statues in locations roughly mirroring where they would be found in the game.
Visiting Arlington Cemetery, Redditor Mafnxxx plants the Luck Bobblehead inside a nearby historical home owned by the family of Robert E. Lee, based on the fact it can be found in Fallout 3 in Arlington Cemetery itself. The Strength Bobblehead ends up at Marymount College, roughly the site of Fallout 3’s Megaton, while Agility is hidden somewhere near the offices of Bethesda parent company Zenimax, which in the game broadly corresponds to the highly irradiated Greener Pastures.
“I took the weekend to visit Washington DC to place Bobbleheads in relation to Fallout 3’s map,” says Mafnxxx. “What I found in real-life compared to the game was vastly different. No Vaults were found. There were luxurious houses in forests. A lot of these places I went to were outdoors and it was harmless. Leaving Luck in Arlington was tempting, but it was more important to respect the land.”
After posting a full gallery of the 20 locations they visited, Mafnxxx has received a range of responses from fellow Fallout fans reporting that they have already started finding the many hidden Bobbleheads. If Fallout 3 has to come to life in any way at all, we would say this is a lot more wholesome than nuclear bombs and Deathclaws.
As Bethesda continues work on its next opus, be sure to check out everything we know about Starfield base building and Starfield ships. You may also want to up your Fallout game with some of the best Fallout 4 mods, or perhaps try out something else from our list of the best RPGs on PC, unless you’re in Washington, in which case we recommend you go track down some Bobbleheads.