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Fallout 3: The Pitt (Games for Windows)
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Publisher: Bethesda Game Studios
Platform: Games for Windows
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)

It's "once more into the breach" for the Lone Wanderer from Vault 101 in Bethesda Softworks' latest Fallout 3 DLC adventure-Fallout 3: The Pitt. The slaves of post-apocalyptic Pittsburg, Pennsylvania need a heroic outsider to find the cure to mutations in a bid to win their freedom. The ruler of the Pitt who holds the cure needs someone who can get close to the leader of the slave rebellion and eliminate him. Either way, the rewards are many and the stakes have never been higher-which side will you choose?

In the Fallout universe, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania was spared a direct strike from the nukes that devastated the rest of the U.S. during the Great War. But the city fell into chaos when the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers that come together into Pittsburg became highly irradiated and began mutating the population in strange and terrible ways. Some declined into barbarism. Others fell ill with hideous skin lesions and died, or "devolved" into hideous mutants. Then Raiders invaded and occupied the town. Pittsburg became The Pitt-a Hell-on-Earth where unimaginable savagery and anarchy was the order of the day, and the only rule of law was kill or be killed.

Decades before the main events of Fallout 3, a Brotherhood of Steel expedition to the East Coast led by Owyn Lyons enroute to the Washington D.C. area (who is now Elder Lyons in Fallout 3's main quest), discovered The Pitt. Faced with a homicidal, mutated adult population gone mad and hordes of blood-thirsty Raiders, they had no choice but to round up every non-mutated child they could find-twenty in all-and raze The Pitt to the ground, killing any and everything in their path that stood against them. When the Brotherhood reached D.C., they discovered The Pentagon, and took it over as a base of operations, renaming it The Citadel. Their assault on The Pitt was recorded in their codex as "The Scourge." Under Lyons' watchful eye, the rescued children became members of the Brotherhood of Steel. About as happy an ending as could be expected in post-apocalyptic America, I suppose. But it certainly isn't the end of the story.

"I see you're prepped and ready to go, madam," Wadsworth said as Savannah Douglas closed the door to the cellar behind her.

"All set," she replied as she adjusted the straps on her backpack and did one quick final check of her Colt M4A1 Assault Rifle. Savannah was dressed in a set of Ranger Battle Armor she had modified to enhance its strength while retaining its light weight.

"You've quite a distance to travel, madam. There's no telling what threats you might encounter along the way. Not to mention any additional hazards travelling to the settlement this Wernher chap is talking about-and those you'll undoubtedly encounter once your arrive. Perhaps Power Armor would be a more prudent choice."

"Well, I'm still scavenging for parts trying to solve that breather malfunction in the T51-b Power Armor," she replied as she tied a bandanna around her head. "The Brotherhood doesn't have anything compatible with it. No luck jury-rigging it with the Enclave stuff either. In fact, I was thinking of turning the Enclave armor over to Scribe Bowditch at the Citadel when I get back. I'm sure he can dig enough out of it to be useful."

"And what of the Colossus XV-20 prototype the Brotherhood Outcasts were gracious enough to allow you to retrieve from the VSS Vault near Bailey's Crossroads?" Wadsworth inquired.

"That would have been my first choice, but I need to get that power fluctuation issue sorted out. Maybe you could take a look at it for me while I'm gone."

"Of course, madam. I'd be happy to."

"Come on, boy!" she called to Dogmeat. The black and silver German Sheppard trotted over to her.

"Madam. A word before you leave." Wadsworth requested.

"Sure Wads. What's on your mind?"

"You have done much good here in the Capital Wasteland in these dark times. Your father would have been very proud of you."

Savannah looked surprised. "Well...thanks, Wads."

"Unfortunately, you've also made more than a few enemies. Raiders. Slavers. Talon Company. And of course, The Enclave."

"What can I say Wads? I'm a popular girl."

"Yes...Well, Mister 'Three Dog' of Galaxy News Radio has certainly seen to that," Wadsworth remarked with annoyance.

"Ummm...your point, Wads?" Savannah asked, trying not to show amusement. For a robot, he could be very touchy at times, she thought.

"My point madam, is that this radio message is being broadcasted from a fixed location near Fort Constantine and SatCom Array NN-03d. Utilizing your Pip-Boy's tap into the old West-Tek Alpha 5 Geospatial Satellite, I was able to use the satellite to perform a rudimentary scan of the area."

"And..?"

"I detected Enclave energy signatures. The kind generated by portable, plasma-based generators typically used at their base camps."

"So you think the S.O.S. from Wernher is bogus and it's an Enclave trap."

"It is a strong possibility, madam. The Enclave will stop at nothing to achieve your capture for the information your father passed on to you concerning Project Purity before his death."

"What if the S.O.S. is genuine? What if this Wernher guy really needs help, and the scientific information he's offering in exchange could help save lives-or help the Brotherhood of Steel against the Super Mutants or the Enclave?"

"That also is a possibility, madam. Given the current situation with the Enclave increasing their presence in the Capital Wasteland, the odds are against it."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out."

"Madam?"

Savannah turned in the doorway and looked at the robot as she and Dogmeat started to leave.

"I'm not going to ask you to be careful, because knowing you, you won't. But I will wish you luck and that you return safely as soon as possible."

"Don't worry Wads," Savannah assured him with a smile. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Of course, madam," the robot said as the door closed behind her and her four-legged companion.

The Pitt begins when you receive a radio message broadcasted across the Capital Wasteland from a man name Wernher, who is offering information on an important scientific discovery in exchange for aiding his people. As with the Operation: Anchorage DLC, you can tackle The Pitt as a new character straight out of Vault 101, or as a Level 20 badass with more than a few Wasteland quests under your belt and skills up your sleeve. If you are well into Fallout 3's main quest and have talked with Brotherhood of Steel Paladin Kodiak (who happens to be the only surviving child from The Scourge), then you will already have some idea of what you'll be going up against. It won't be long until you find out there's more to it than that, but that's always the case, isn't it?

After you've listened to Wernher's S.O.S. and pinpointed the location on your Pip-Boy, it's time to take the long trek up north near Fort Constantine and SatCom Array NN-03d-unless you've already discovered at least one of those locations and can fast-travel to them to save yourself some time. Whether hoofing it or fast travelling, I strongly recommend that you go as light as possible in terms of armor, aid and weapons.

Your Pip-Boy will lead you to a Radio Tower in the northern mountains of the Capital Wasteland, where you'll find Wernher under attack by a group of Pitt Raiders. Help him take them out, then get the full story from him. Turns out that the Brotherhood of Steel's mop-up operation in The Pitt ultimately did little more, in Wernher's words than "quiet things down" just enough for a mysterious figure named Ashur to set-up shop. Ashur has gained complete control over The Pitt. Not only has Ashur enslaved what was left of the indigenous population to keep The Pitt's Steel Mill running. His army of Pitt Raiders and their Slaver allies have been abducting people from every corner of the Capital Wasteland to toil in the mill.

Each day, exposure to the toxic environment of The Pitt brings everyone there closer to madness, barbarism, horrific mutation or death, and no one can escape it-no one except Ashur that is, who has found a cure. Wernher needs an outsider who has a chance of getting close enough to Ashur to steal it, so that he can use it as a bargaining chip to gain freedom for his people.

Of course, the "getting close" part is where things get "interesting" in true Fallout 3 fashion. Going into an unfamiliar town single-handedly with guns blazing, against a massive Raider presence is obviously not an option. Wernher advises you to disguise yourself as a slave, which should make it a lot easier for you to infiltrate The Pitt and ultimately, get close enough to Ashur to get your hands on the cure. As luck would have it, there's a camp not far from the Train Tunnel to The Pitt where Slavers are holding people they've captured to be sold to Ashur's Raider Overseers. Whether you use charm or bullets, dealing with the Slavers and getting the required outfit from one of the slaves, shouldn't be much of a problem. Wernher advises that now would be a good time to get whatever you think you need for the trip. Better still, if you're taking my advice, return home and leave anything behind that you can do without, and can only slow you down later. Fast travelling to and from your home or your favorite merchant, then back to the camp where Wernher will patiently wait for you, shouldn't be a problem now. You also have the opportunity to have Wernher "fill in the blanks" on the current situation inside The Pitt, and learn as much about him as he's willing to tell you. When you're ready to go, meet him inside the tunnel, where the two of you will make the long journey to The Pitt via a Rail Hand Car.

Several caveats when you activate the Hand Car to travel to The Pitt. First, you will not be able to return to the Capital Wasteland until your mission in The Pitt is complete. So you have one last opportunity to take whatever you think you might need or leave behind anything that you feel you won't-and again I emphasize anything that can slow you down later on.