While not as rare or iconic as the X-0 series of Power Armor the Tesla Cannon is still a recognizable part of the Enclave’s arsenal. As such, it should be no surprise that there’s a dedicated quest revolving around the recovery of such a weapon… along with a demonstration of why it shouldn’t be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. This page will provide a walkthrough for the quest Best of Three, which is something of a scavenger hunt in search of a Tesla Cannon that takes you through a tangled web of Gunner dysfunction in the process.
Starting the Best of Three Quest¶
Like most Creation Club content added to the base game via the next-gen update, all you need to start Best of Three is to have the game patched and updated and to have progressed the main story enough to have exited Vault 111, which is pretty much just past the tutorial. Unlike the other Enclave-related content, this quest is completely disconnected from everything else and doesn’t even feature any Enclave enemies! It’s not even mentioned in any detail during the quest Echoes of the Past, making it a true outlier. To start this quest you need to open up your Pip-Boy, navigate to the “Radio” tab, and listen to the “Vault Distress Signal”. Hey! Voice acting in a mod! Nice. Listen to the distress loop and the quest will update, directing you to a location southwest of Somerville Place along the southern edge of the map.
Before you go, it’s worth noting you’ll be chasing down several points of interest in succession during this quest, and while none of them are terribly far apart (this should be the only time you have any real incentive to fast travel), they do lead into the Glowing Sea. Bring some Rad-X and RadAway to deal with the ambient background radiation, and consider chugging around in Power Armor to deter local fauna - you never know what you’ll run into in The Glow, save that it’s probably going to be unpleasant.
Investigate the Distress Signal Near Somerville Place¶
When you arrive at Somerville Place, head southwest around 100m until you find the corpse of a Gunner. Loot the Gunner Holotape off the corpse. Read it and you’ll learn about a “backdoor” that’ll allow you to hack Pip-Boys, if you can find such rare devices out in the wilderness whose wearers are incapacitated enough that they can’t resist manual manipulation. Fortunately the Gunner you just looted came from the nearby Vault 95 and is bearing such a device. Exit out of your Pip-Boy and examine the corpse again and you’ll see the option to “Download Pip-Boy Data”. Do so and read entry “21/10/87” (attempting to view corrupted data just boots you out of the menu) to learn that even Gunners get bored, and are willing to misuse their Pip-Boys when they do. Even more importantly you’ll pick up some data guiding you west into the Glowing Sea.
Investigate the Coordinates at Hopesmarch Pentecostal Church¶
Things have been tame so far, but that ends now, as The Glow beckons. Pop a Rax-X, then start trudging west towards Hopesmarch Pentecostal Church, which is where the coordinates you just uncovered lead. Fight or avoid any nasty Glow enemies you encounter along the way and when you reach the now-buried church, head into the roof and look through holes into the interior of the building.
The church is now infested with Ghouls, but you can shoot down at them with no fear of reprisal to clear things out a bit. Eventually, however, you’ll need to (carefully) drop down onto one of the upper-floor walkways, then head down to the bottom floor and search the western end of the church to find another dead Gunner near the pulpit. Hack into his Pip-Boy and read the entry “22/10/87” to learn about an out-of-place Gunner named Caroni, who was the victim of the unpleasant prank in the last Gunner Pip-Boy you hack. Unfortunately this more sympathetic Gunner still took extreme measures to whip Caroni into shape, Psycho-related ones that certainly won’t have any negative side effects.
Investigate the Coordinates at Relay Tower 0DB-521¶
Another Gunner Pip-Boy, another set of coordinates to check out. This time they lead southeast to Relay Tower 0DB-521, so head upstairs to the eastern end of the church and climb the tower to find your way out. Now you just need to make the short trek to the relay tower where, sure enough, another Gunner corpse can be found.
You know the drill - hack into their Pip-Boy and read entry “22/10/87” to learn about the doomed expedition’s travails, Caroni’s drug-induced metamorphosis, and most importantly, mention of the Tesla Cannon you seek. After you’re done reading the corpse will explode and a swarm of Bloatflies will emerge. Dispatch them, then tune into the Gunner Signal Remnant on the radio tab of your Pip-Boy.
Follow the Gunner Signal Remnant¶
You’ll now get another hot-and-cold minigame similar to the one in Echoes of the Past, where the signal strength will occasionally appear at the top left of the screen. The higher the percentage, the closer you are. No need for guesswork - you have a guide! Your destination is Skylanes Flight 1665, which can be located to the southwest. Head on down there and you’ll find a crashed plane, which is broken up into several segments. Examine the section of fuselage with no wing attached and the radio signal should be going bonkers - if that’s not enough you’ll find several bluish “Burning Ash Piles” outside, which can be looted for various Gunner attire and ammo.
Inside the fuselage, wedged between some seats, you’ll find the body of yet another Vault 95 Gunner. This one’s more intact than his ashen fellows outside, and hacking into his Pip-Boy will reveal what transpired here. Be cautious when you’re done reading, as Caroni will spawn and attack, using the same Tesla Cannon that wiped out his fellow Gunners against you. Caroni’s surprisingly durable (must be all that Psycho!) and his Tesla Cannon packs a punch, but if you take him down you’ll be able to claim the Tesla Cannon for your own. Taking possession of this weapon will complete the quest.
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