The Highwayman is your trusty vehicle in the harsh post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 2, and upgrading it is crucial for efficient travel and survival. Finding the right Fallout 2 Car Part can significantly enhance your journey across the wasteland. This guide will walk you through obtaining three essential upgrades for your Highwayman, making it faster, more fuel-efficient, and offering more storage space.
1. Fuel Cell Regulator: Double Your Fuel Efficiency
The Fuel Cell Regulator is the first major fallout 2 car part you should aim for. This upgrade dramatically improves your fuel economy, doubling the distance you can travel on a single tank. Acquiring it involves a trip to Klamath, your first destination after Arroyo.
In Klamath, head to Trapper Town on the west side. Look for a dilapidated Highwayman resting on blocks, just past a fence. Inspecting it reveals a potentially valuable part in the backseat. To reach it, you’ll need to navigate the Rat Caves.
The entrance to the Rat Caves is located among the buildings in the Northwest of Trapper Town. If it’s your first visit, Slim Picket, near the entrance, can provide the key to the locked door. Prepare yourself, as the Rat Caves are infested with, you guessed it, rats.
Navigate through the interconnected buildings towards the northern passage and descend the ladder into the caves. Follow the eastern path until you find another ladder leading deeper into the Rat King’s chambers. You can choose to deal with the Rat King if you wish. From the Rat King’s chamber, stick to the north wall, moving northeast until you find another ladder ascending upwards.
Continue through the caves until you reach a locked door on the north side. This door leads to the surface, near the broken Highwayman in Trapper Town. If you lack lockpicking skills, dynamite provides a readily available solution. Locate the conveniently placed shelf next to the door, grab the dynamite, set the timer, and clear the blast radius. The explosion will open the path.
Ascend the ladder, and you’ll emerge inside a garage in Trapper Town, a short distance from the broken Highwayman. Activate the car to claim your Fuel Cell Regulator! Returning to Klamath town requires retracing your steps through the Rat Caves. Once back in Klamath, a Nuka Cola machine near the exit offers refreshment.
After leaving Klamath, visit Smitty in The Den. For $750, he will install the Fuel Cell Regulator. You can recoup this cost by selling salvage to Smitty. With the Fuel Cell Regulator installed, your Highwayman’s fuel efficiency doubles, saving you valuable resources on your extensive travels across the Fallout 2 map.
2. Chop Shop Upgrade: Speed and Trunk Space Boost
The second significant fallout 2 car part upgrade involves a slightly unconventional method: having your car stolen. This leads you to the Chop Shop in New Reno, which offers upgrades that enhance both speed and trunk capacity.
Travel southeast from The Den, past Redding, towards New Reno. Upon arriving in New Reno, park your Highwayman and then briefly leave the town area or move to a different district within New Reno. Returning to the parking lot will reveal your car is missing. Tire tracks leading out of town provide a clue. Follow these tracks to discover the Chop Shop.
Confront T-Ray, the Chop Shop leader. He will claim your vehicle, intending to sell it to Mr. Bishop. Your interaction with T-Ray is crucial. While eliminating him might be tempting, negotiating is necessary to acquire the upgrade. You’ll need to buy back your stolen car for $500 to $1000, and then pay an additional fee for the Chop Shop upgrade, which can be negotiated down from $500 to $300, or alternative methods might be available for female characters.
The Chop Shop upgrade from T-Ray increases both the Highwayman’s travel speed and trunk capacity. It’s important to understand that trunk capacity in Fallout 2 is based on item size, not weight. Larger items like weapons and armor will occupy more space than smaller items like chems or holodiscs.
T-Ray also offers another upgrade, Grav-Plates, but it requires your car to be stolen in New Reno after completing the main game. Due to scripting issues, acquiring this upgrade is complex and often missed, so focusing on the initial Chop Shop upgrade is more practical.
3. Claudia Blower: Unleash Maximum Speed
The final fallout 2 car part upgrade, known affectionately as Claudia, is a blower that further increases your Highwayman’s speed. To obtain Claudia, journey to the southeastern part of the map to the New California Republic (NCR). Enter the NCR area, specifically the NCR Bazaar just outside the city limits.
Navigate past Buster’s Tent and the slave pens until you encounter Ratch, a seemingly unassuming character amidst junk piles. Ratch is the key to acquiring Claudia. For a one-time payment of $1000, Ratch will install Claudia on your Highwayman. After paying Ratch, a time transition will occur, and your Highwayman will receive a second speed boost.
With all three of these fallout 2 car part upgrades, your Highwayman will be transformed into a wasteland-ready machine, capable of traversing the map quickly and efficiently, with ample storage for all your loot and equipment. These upgrades are essential for any serious Fallout 2 player looking to maximize their gameplay experience.
