Avowed's Fallout New Vegas Easter Egg Is Also One Of Its Funniest Quests

Avowed includes a quest that is a clear reference to one of Obsidian’s other action RPGs, Fallout: New Vegas. New Vegas is easily one of Obsidian’s most beloved titles, so it’s not too surprising to see the game referenced in Avowed. However, while the Easter egg itself isn’t too subtle, Avowed’s designers did a good job including the reference to the world of Eora without making it feel out of place. Players not familiar with Fallout: New Vegas therefore won’t feel like the quest is strange or out of place.

Aside from New Vegas, Avowed also references the Pillars of Eternity games somewhat frequently. This isn’t a huge surprise, since they take place in the same world, but it’s still nice to see that Avowed’s developers took time to sprinkle in references for fans of the series. Similar to the Pillars references, Avowed shows that it understands the source material it's referencing intimately when it comes to New Vegas. In typical Fallout fashion, the Easter egg is one of the funnier quests in the game.

The Wasteland Courier Quest Is A Fallout New Vegas Easter Egg

The Courier Was Fallout: New Vegas' Protagonist

The Courier standing by the New Vegas sign in Fallout: New Vegas promo art.

One of the quest names in Avowed is a clear reference to Fallout: New Vegas. The quest is called “The Wasteland Courier” and also happens to take place in the desert portion of Avowed’s map. For those unfamiliar with Fallout: New Vegas, the protagonist of the game is called the Courier, and New Vegas takes place in the Mojave Wasteland.

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At first glance, the only similarity between the quest and New Vegas might seem to be the title. After all, the titular courier in this case is far less competent than the Fallout protagonist. However, Avowed chooses to go for a more subtle reference, by capturing the spirit of Fallout: New Vegas with the quest’s tone. For anyone who wants to experience the quest for themselves, the next section will cover how to start the quest, but not spoil any of its plot details.

How To Start The Wasteland Courier Quest

The Wasteland Courier Quest Can Be Started In Thirdborn

Marker for the Wasteland Courier quest in Avowed

The Wasteland Courier quest is available in the third region of Avowed, Shatterscarp. To start the quest, players will first need to travel to the city of Thirdborn, which is the main hub in Shatterscarp. Once there, they will need to look for Daiko in the Leviathan Market. Head straight from the main gate and under the leviathan skeleton, then take a left. Daiko will be standing near the stairs to the Fleet Master’s Perch.

To start the quest, talk to Daiko and agree to find his suspicious shipment for him. Players who are trying to play a virtuous and upstanding Envoy don’t need to worry about doing this quest. Although Daiko seems shady, he is ultimately harmless, and retrieving his goods won’t have any negative impact on the people of Shatterscarp. Although it is low stakes and doesn’t affect much, it’s worth taking the time to do The Wasteland Courier quest as it is a nice tonal break from the often bleak happenings in the Living Lands.

Avowed's Wasteland Courier Quest Feels Tonally Similar To Fallout

The Quest Shares The Sense Of Humor Fallout Games Are Known For

The Wasteland Courier quest starts by tasking the Envoy with following a path of graffiti arrows. The arrows themselves feel like they could potentially be a subtle New Vegas reference. The Dead Money DLC included graffiti arrows that pointed players to helpful items in the Sierra Madre’s Villa. However, apart from the name and potentially the arrows, the quest doesn’t make a lot of explicit references to Fallout: New Vegas. Instead, the Avowed quest’s comedic tone serves as a thematic bridge between the two games.

Avowed is by no means devoid of comedy. The Envoy has plenty of snarky dialogue options that can help add levity to the game, and there are some lighter quests. Still, overall, the tone is more grim than in New Vegas. A good example is the Missing Rangers quest, which starts with the envoy being asked to track down two rookie rangers who have snuck off to “get to know each other.” However, despite some comedic bits in the quest’s opening dialogue, events quickly turn tragic when the Envoy discovers the young lovers are both dying from the Dreamscourge.

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In contrast, the Wasteland Courier quest is pretty entertaining the whole way through. The graffiti map of the courier’s “secret” meeting place is comically not clandestine, something the Envoy’s party members will comment on. When the Envoy meets the courier, Aiko, he is moments away from death after suffering a poisonous spider bite. However, his death is played more for laughs, and the player’s lack of emotional connection to the character allows the moment to be sillier than it is sad.

After retrieving what is meant to be an illicit substance from Aiko, one of the Envoy’s companions will suggest sampling the goods. If the Envoy agrees, they will discover the drugs don’t do anything. However, when returning to Daiko, they can lie about their experience taking them, which presents the players with some comical dialogue options describing their supposed “trip.” The wacky tone of the whole quest feels straight out of New Vegas, without ever breaking a player’s immersion in the world of Avowed, making it one of the game’s best Easter eggs.