Quick Links
Fallout: New Vegas’ central hub is the greedy, sleazy Strip. It’s an unsavory place, but the Strip is also an extremely important location throughout the game. Whether you are trying to reach Benny quickly or tracking down the notorious Mr. House, there are plenty of reasons to stop off at the sordid settlement.
However, upon arrival, you will discover that getting inside isn’t going to be easy. A Securitron guard will stop you and prevent access unless you can pass a credit check of 2,000 caps. Most players won’t have anywhere near that much when they first arrive at the Strip. Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to gain access. Here’s a full breakdown of every method to gain entry to the Strip in Fallout: New Vegas.
Updated on June 19, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: Some games just don't get old, do they? And if we're writing guides for them, it's our responsibility to check back from time to time, to ensure our formatting and information is as easy on the eyes and accurate as possible.
Convince The Securitron To Let You Enter
The quickest way to make your way into the Strip will be to just ask nicely. In Fallout, there are many opportunities to use skills and abilities in conversations as a shortcut to getting what you need.
If you have your science skill at level 80 or higher, you will be able to trick the Securitron guard. It will move aside and allow you to walk into the Strip unharmed.
Pass The Credit Check
If you already have the 2,000 caps on hand, you can just pass the credit check of course. Don't worry, as the guard will not take any of your caps - the credit check is only done to ensure that you have plenty of caps to spend on the Strip.
This might give you the impression that everyone inside is fancy and rich. You’d be mistaken. For every high spender in there, someone else has gotten in by some other means. Let's look into those.
Buy A Passport From Mick And Ralph’s
Of course, you may not have leveled up your science skill anywhere near enough, and caps might be a little scarce - it will vary from player to player. Fortunately, there are other options.
Go to Freeside, the unsavory town that you may have passed through to get to the Strip’s northern gate. In Freeside, you will find a shop near the Old Mormon Fort called Mick and Ralph’s.
The pair sell many items, including various weapons. However, you can find some of the best weapons in Fallout: New Vegas in and around Freeside, so there's no need to spend your caps.
Inquire about the other services that they offer, and the pair will let you know about a shady side gig of theirs. A fake Strip passport will cost 500 caps, which is much easier to find than the 2,000 required to pass the credit check.
Take the fake passport to the Securitron, and it will allow you to enter the Strip.
Help The King To Earn A Free Passport
If you still don't have enough caps, don’t want to part with your hard-earned money for a shortcut, or if just want to get some extra experience points along the way, then make your way over to the King’s School of Impersonation.
This is another notable location in Freeside and is quite difficult to miss given the neon sign and flashing lights. Once there, go left into the stage room to meet the King. He will ask you to help with some tasks in Freeside, which will proceed as follows:
Task One - Investigate Orris The Bodyguard
Go to the North Freeside entrance and hire Orris as a bodyguard. Follow him through Freeside until he shoots at some thugs. Interacting with the bodies and passing a medicine check of 30 will show that they are not actually dead, but are pretending.
Otherwise, talking to Orris and passing an intelligence check of 6 will also reveal similar details. Either way, Orris will refute the claims. Return to the King with your information and he will give you another task.
If you cannot pass either of the skill checks, Orris will return to the Freeside entrance. Return to the King and he will ask that you hire Orris once more. Doing so will lead Orris to turn hostile, proving that he was, in fact, staging the attacks with the thugs. Give this information to the King to be given another task.
Task Two - Investigate The Attacks
The King will reveal that there are reports of Freeside locals being attacked by the NCR. He will ask you to go speak to some of his friends who were recently attacked. They can be found recovering at the Old Mormon Fort.
Continue with the G.I. Blues quest until you are told to investigate the influx of NCR soldiers into Freeside.
Find and speak with an NCR missionary to learn about a Soup Kitchen being run by the NCR in Freeside. However, first, you must pass a quiz about the NCR. The answers to the quiz are:
- Tandi
- Shady Sands
- Two-Headed Bear
The Missionary will then reveal the location of the Soup Kitchen and the password to enter: ‘hope’. Make your way to the Soup Kitchen and use the password to get inside.
Continue with the quest further. It will end with the dispute between the Kings and the NCR fixed or worsened. Either way, return to the King and he will grant you a favor as a reward.
Ask for a fake passport for the Strip and make your way back to Mick and Ralph’s. They will give you a free passport, allowing you to enter the Strip. Present it to the Securitron at the gate and you can go through.
Use The Camp McCarran Monorail
This final option subverts any interaction with Freeside and offers a completely different way of entering the Strip. For this, you need to disguise yourself as an NCR soldier and enter Camp McCarran, which is located just south of the Strip.
Where To Get An NCR Uniform:
- To find an NCR uniform for your disguise, make your way south of Goodsprings to find Primm. This is one of the earliest places you will go in the main quest. Make your way over to the NCR encampment on the outskirts of the town.
- When you arrive, there will be two tents. One belongs to Lieutenant Hayes, whilst the other is just a generic NCR tent. Enter the second one and look for an armor case inside. Loot it to find a set of NCR armor. When equipped, it acts as a disguise.
Make your way back to Camp McCarran and equip the disguise. Enter the base and go inside the Terminal building. Turn left once inside and head up the stairs. This leads you to the McCarran Monorail, which will transport you directly to the Strip.