Thirteen years after the release of Fallout: New Vegas, game director Josh Sawyer has put an end to a long-held fan theory regarding some of the game’s most challenging areas.
In Fallout: New Vegas, players are tasked with reaching the titular location, and this journey takes them across a post-apocalyptic landscape fraught with peril. Among the treacherous paths players can take to expedite their journey are Black Mountain and Quarry Junction, renowned as two of the most hazardous areas in the game.
For over a decade, fans of what many consider one of Bethesda’s finest Fallout games have speculated whether these areas were glitched due to their extreme difficulty. Players often struggled to traverse them, leading to the theory that something might be amiss. However, according to the game director, this was not a bug but an intentional design choice to challenge players who needed to improve their skills.
Josh Sawyer addressed the topic on Twitter, quoting a post from Hard Drive that humorously acknowledged how developers witness fans exploiting missed bugs for speed runs. His response, “This but unironically,” set the stage for the revelation.
A fan mentioned Fallout: New Vegas in response, recalling the tradition of crouching in Black Mountain at level one to sneak past super mutants. Many players had wondered if this was a glitch.
Josh Sawyer’s response finally put the matter to rest: “Not a glitch. When F:NV [Fallout: New Vegas] launched, players thought that Black Mountain and Quarry Junction were there to keep players from getting to The Strip. Wrong. They were there for players to ‘Git Gud or Die.'”
In a follow-up comment, the game director reinforced the point, adding, “Same with Scorpion Gulch. You can get through it. You just have to pace yourself and be prepared.”
After 13 years, this revelation clarifies the game’s intention—to provide a challenge for players rather than impede progress through glitched areas. It’s a testament to the game’s design philosophy, where overcoming adversity and mastering the wasteland is part of the experience, and players can finally put this long-standing fan theory to rest.
