Fallout 3 Player Encounters a Raider Wielding the Rare Firelance

A Fallout 3 player recently shared a surprising encounter with a raider wielding a weapon they should not have had access to. This unexpected confrontation initially spelled trouble for the player but led to a rare and exciting discovery.

The Unique Sandbox of Fallout 3

The open-world sandbox of Fallout 3 has long been praised as one of the game’s greatest strengths. Bethesda’s immersive world-building allows for unexpected encounters and unique experiences, keeping players engaged even 16 years after the game’s release.

A Raider With a Mysterious Weapon

Reddit user XumetaXD initially believed they had encountered a raider wielding the Alien Blaster, an already rare find in Fallout 3. However, after being swiftly eliminated, they reloaded the game, took down the raider, and discovered that the weapon in question was actually the Firelance—a more powerful variant of the Alien Blaster. Normally, this weapon is obtained through the UFO debris random encounter, making its presence in the hands of a raider highly unusual.

A Rare Encounter at Super-Duper Mart

This random encounter is one of the rarest in Fallout 3, typically occurring much later in the game. However, as some players pointed out in the discussion thread, there is a small chance that the Firelance event can trigger near Super-Duper Mart. In this case, that’s exactly what happened, leading to a nearby raider NPC picking it up and using it against the player at Level 5. While some users in the thread noted that XumetaXD can now "enjoy the gun," they also pointed out the challenge of finding its rare ammo, which may limit its usefulness in the early game.

Fallout’s Future and Bethesda’s Priorities

Later this year, it will have been a decade since the last mainline Fallout game. Given the franchise’s ongoing popularity, it’s surprising that Bethesda has not yet announced Fallout 5. However, the studio is currently focused on developing The Elder Scrolls 6, meaning that any potential Fallout 5 remains years away—unless Bethesda’s development schedule undergoes a significant change.