Once you've purchased and downloaded the expansion, start Fallout 3 and log into Live (both online and offline). After entering, a message will notify you that the expansion has been loaded. At this point, load a previous game or start a new one, since to start the mission introduced by the expansion you just need to be in the Wasteland of the Capital. Wait a few seconds in the Zone until you are notified of the presence of a radio help signal, which will take you to experience Operation Anchorage.
Premilinary Notes
Even if the expansion does not require any particular requirements to be started, it is still good to take into account the difficulty it could represent if you are not well prepared. The simulation has a medium difficulty and although it can be understood as soon as the exit from Vault 101, it is advisable to have at least a level of 10 or more and at least one combat skill at high level. As happens in the normal game, even in the simulation there are more or less widespread weapons. There are 5 light weapons, suitable for all types of combat, mines and fragmentation grenades, an unarmed weapon, a melee weapon, a missile launcher and an unprecedented energy weapon. It is therefore understood that, in any type of weapon we have specialized in the Contaminated Zone, we will be able to exploit all our skills even in simulation, with a marked advantage for small arms. The other skills you will use are Stealth, Speech in a couple of conversations, Science and Burglary on some terminals and locks. Medicine and Repair are useless in simulation. Also in the simulation there will be no recovery objects such as Stimpak and droge, you can recover the energy through distributors that will recharge it every time you use them. Same goes for most of the ammunition.
Aid to the Forsaken
Reach the place marked on the map as shown:
Upon arriving, Defender Morril will ask you to follow him to the Forsaken outpost. Help Morril and the others fight the super mutants until you reach the elevator that will take you inside the base. When fighting the super mutants, be careful not to hit the renegades. In fact, a single shot will make them all enemies and you will not be able to complete the mission.
Inside the outpost you will be welcomed by Defender Sibley, who will accompany you to Protector McGraw, who will explain what you have to do. At the end of the chat McGraw will send you, again with Sibley, to Specialist Olin. Talk to us to receive the Neural Interface Suit, which when worn will allow you to enter the simulation pod.
The weapons of Anchorage
Once the simulation begins, you will find yourself in an Alaskan rock face with Sergeant Montgomery. You will have to infiltrate the Chinese artillery site by yourself, while Montgomery will reach you inside by climbing the wall on the left. All your items have been removed at the start of the simulation and you will be equipped with winter combat armor and have a bayonet and a silenced pistol as weapons. Given the meager equipment, the stealth approach is recommended, but if your namesake skill is low you can still penetrate the base with bullets.
Continue ahead until you find a Chinese soldier with his back to you. The flashing red tank you see next to it is a Health Dispenser, which will fully recharge your health every time you use it. Keep going until you get to a booth where you will find a Chinese assault rifle and an Ammo Dispenser, which works similarly to the health dispenser. In addition, most likely near the distributors, you will find other ammunition and explosives that are not given by the latter, but are limited to those that you will find throughout the simulation. Before entering the cage, check to the right, going down the ladder, where you will find a sniper rifle and another health dispenser.
Use the new weapons freely to get rid of the soldiers above the big pipe and in the bridge beyond the cage. Above the damaged bridge above the large pipe, you will find a stealth boy, useful in infiltrating. Return to the pipe and continue along the rock face to the right, climbing along the walkways until you see 2 Chinese soldiers and a red door. Kill the soldiers and enter the outpost through the red door.
Now you need to find Sergeant Montgomery inside the outpost. Continue to a huge cave where, near some sandbags you will find the Gauss Rifle, the only energy weapon within the simulation. In the room on the right you will find the distributors, some explosives and some ammo for the Gauss Rifle. Continue along the caves until you find the sergeant. From now on the sergeant will follow you like a normal follower helping you in the fighting. Exit the outpost using the door beyond the room where you found Montgomery. Return to the rock walls to reach the cage beyond the large gray tube. In the room there is a door to open with burglary (very easy level), inside which you will find a terminal with some information and a briefcase. The latter is the first of the 10 that you will have to recover to get, at the end of the simulation, the perk * that permanently increases your Light Weapons, Science and Burglary skills by 3 points.
Go back to the door you came out of the outpost and continue to the right until you find another locked door as well as a bridge, in an area with 4 Chinese soldiers. Inside you will find the second suitcase and a holotape. Now enter the nearby metal structure to the right to find an ammo dispenser. Outside the property you will find the entrance to the Chinese artillery outpost. Except that before you can enter you will be forced to face several Chinese soldiers, including one with a flamethrower, and an automatic turret. To avoid certain death, enter the door before exiting the structure which will take you to a cave. You will come out on the right side of the mountain from which you can eliminate most of the enemies with the sniper rifle or the gauss rifle.
Before entering the outpost make sure you have taken the 2 briefcases and all the weapons that have been mentioned before, as once you enter the outpost you will never be able to go back.
Enter the outpost, eliminate the Chinese resistance and go right to find the dispensers and various ammunition. Continue along the staircase to the right of the vending machines and instead of following the corridor go left to find another door closed with a briefcase. Go through the corridor mentioned previously by eliminating 4 Chinese soldiers and open the closed door to find the last suitcase present in this first part of the simualzione.
Reload the ammo in the nearby dispenser and climb the ladder to find a health dispenser as well. Continue battling some Chinese soldiers until you find more health and ammo dispensers. Before entering the next area save as you will find in the next room some of the most powerful Chinese units: the Red Dragons. They wear Chinese stealth armor, which makes them invisible until hit. The advice, at least for those in the next room, is to use the bayonet knife, so that they can hit and parry the blows of the Chinese officer swords they use.
A terrible red dragon in a rare moment of visibility.
Follow the walkways above to get to the north room where you will find distributors and ammunition. Go through the door near the petrol stations to go back outside. Now you will have to buy the last objective of this first part of the simulation: to destroy the artillery guns.
As you exit, go right towards the first cannon. Go down the stairs and kill all the soldiers you find including snipers in the distance. Retrieve health and ammo from the bunker and place the charge in the command box at the foot of the cannon. You will have 20 seconds to get as far away from the cannon as possible before it explodes. Destroyed the first cannon, take the stairs behind it to reach the second one. Quickly take out the sniper and the hell unit in range using the sniper rifle. Reached the second cannon, recharge in the dispensers and place the charge. To reach the last cannon, follow the path behind the second, get rid of the Chinese resistance and place the charge. Once the last cannon is destroyed, you will be taken to the headquarters of the operation.
Prepare the way
In this second part of the simulation you will be placed in command of a small attack team that will have to cross the enemy lines and complete 2 strategic objectives. After the conversation with the general, choose the composition of the attack team in the terminal near the exit. You will have 5 indicators and 3 total places to make up the team. You can choose:
| Components | Indicators required | Features |
| Infantry soldier | 1 | Useful on medium distance in all situations. |
| Grenadier | 1 | Useful at medium range against groups of enemies. |
| Missile unit | 2 | Useful at medium to long range against groups of enemies |
| Sniper | 2 | Useful in all situations, recommended. |
| Ardito | 3 | Armed with flamethrower and plasma pistol, very fragile. |
| Sentry robot | 4 | Armed with missile launchers and machine guns, more powerful than the Bold but still very fragile. |
There is no ideal team composition that fits all situations, it is however not recommended to take robots as they are easily destroyed by Chinese troops.
After choosing your squad, examine the nearby terminal to select the weapon pack that best suits your skills. Save before accessing the terminal since due to a bug selecting some packages you get completely different ones. Since you only have 2 choices of weapons, reload the previous save in case the selected package contains the wrong weapons.
Exit the tent and talk to Montgomery and the Quartermaster. Montgomery will accompany you for the rest of the simulation and will allow you to replace the team members who fell in battle simply by talking to them. From the Quartermaster you will get the weapons of the chosen package in the terminal and if you win the test of eloquence to get "something more", you can take back the Gauss Rifle.
When the preparations are finished, return to Montgomery and order them to go to the mines with the team. From the mines you can reach the Chinese Listening Post, your first goal. Follow the squad to the mines and order them through Montgomery to attack the Chinese soldiers in the area. Watch out for the snipers and the soldiers with missile launchers, take out all the enemies with the help of the squad and check inside the large destroyed house on the left to find both distributors and the fifth case.
Continue north into a building full of Chinese where you can free an imprisoned American soldier in exchange for experience. Follow the road north past the building to a square full of snipers. Kill them and talk to Montgomery to replace the dead team members and order them to go to the Listening Center. Follow the team to the structure and, after killing the Chinese outside, enter the center. You will have to free the center from all the Chinese present, especially paying attention to the numerous invisible red dragons present in the structure. Before leaving the structure, remember to take the briefcase in the central room, under the stairs, which would otherwise be lost. Completely cleared the listening center you will be transported to the general quarter.
Now you have to complete the second objective: destroy the tanks in the Chinese fuel depot. Reconstitute the team and order Montgomery to go to the Chinese Camp. Arrived at your destination attack the field and reached the second group of tents recover the seventh suitcase inside the one on the left. Continuing, free the two American soldiers held prisoner near an ammunition distributor. Follow the road through the mountains, paying attention to the explosive robot spiders scattered all over the path.
Finding the fuel depot, immediately enter the booth to the left of the entrance to retrieve health, ammunition and the eighth case. Get rid of the Chinese soldiers including the Monster tank (quite easy to destroy) and place the charges in the 2 tanks to complete this objective as well.
Operation: Anchorage!
In the last part of the simulation you will have to help your allies with T-51b power armor to get through the pulse field so that they clear your way to the refinery, where the last Chinese defense bulwark is located. Accompanied only by Montgomery, reach the tricee outside the headquarters and, in the first room in the trenches you will find, free the imprisoned American soldier and recover the penultimate suitcase. Fight through the trenches and the last buildings full of Chinese aided by some allies until you reach the pulse field. Now you will have to deactivate the field so that the soldiers in power armor can take down the armored door of the refinery. Go to the booth to the right of the bunker where you can turn off the power to the camp and retrieve the last suitcase.
Inside the refinery you will have to eliminate General Jingwei to complete the simualzione. The enemy is armed with a very powerful electrified Chinese officer's sword and in addition has a high amount of energy, so close combat is not recommended. A winning tactic is to take the most powerful ranged weapon you have and, as it spins around the battlefield continuously, shoot VATS at the head of the genral. Another strategy is to place fragmentation mines all over the ground and lure the general onto the explosives in order to avoid attacks and still deal big damage. Killed Jingwei, talk to Chase to complete the simulation and find yourself in the renegade outpost.
Once out of the pod, interact with the terminal to open the armory and recover your well-deserved prizes.
You will be fully rewarded by the labors of simualtion.
Be careful because shortly after you unlock the armory the defender Morril and some renegades will revolt against you and McGraw. Kill all the enemies and continue looting the armory.
