The Outer Worlds is a game with lots of compelling side quests, dynamic weapons, and colorful characters. One of those characters, Thomas Kemp, is an up-and-coming engineer but also a little scaredy-pants. Who can blame him? Between the marauders and all the murderous, wandering creatures, the Emerald Vale is a dangerous place.
As a result, Thomas will send you seeking out three volumes of Mechanical Engineering, an instructional series. The volumes are spread across the map, and completion of “The Frightened Engineer” quest will grant experience, Bits, and a mod.
Where To Start
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After completing the main mission line, “Comes Now the Power,” return to the Botanical Lab to find Thomas Kemp standing around a fire with a handful of other deserters. Make sure you have Parvati with you. She will join Edgewater after speaking with Reed Tobson. Speak with Kemp, and he’ll recognize Parvati. After Thomas says he couldn’t “fix a busted chair,” use your base Engineering skill to choose the dialogue response, “Never too late to start learning. I could give you a couple pointers.”
“The Frightened Engineer” will activate, and you’re free to be on your way. Quick note, if you miss Thomas in the first go-around, after meeting with Adelaide and convincing the deserters to return to Edgewater, you’ll find him in the Maintenance Division. The quest can be started from either meeting point.
Volume 01
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The first volume is in the Community Center. Follow the marker on your map and be careful on the road. Don’t expect a warm welcome, though, as marauders have taken refuge there and are ready for a fight. It’s not the easiest encounter either, so be prepared with ammo and heals.
After taking out the enemies through methods of your choice, head up the stairs to the right (from the entrance door). Open another door into a small office room, and Mechanical Engineering 01 will be sitting on a desk to the right, about halfway in.
Volume 02
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Listen closely, and you can hear Parvati mumble about her father, the engineer, having the Mechanical Engineering volumes while working at the cannery. Volume 02 is located there, inside the town of Edgewater. This is where you first meet Parvati, so it’s fitting to go back and actually check out the factory.
Find the volume by first heading left from the entrance, passing the elevator. Open the door, you’ll see a yellow stairway; take it to the second story. Don’t take the first, but the second door on the right to expose the volume. It is sitting on top of some white file cabinets.
Volume 03
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The third volume of Mechanical Engineering is tricky because it doesn’t show up as a marker until you are right next to it. It’s located in the Geothermal Power Plant, and you should recognize the industrial plumes of colorful smoke on the top. There is also an electrified barrier in the front. Get past it by going through the small hole to the right, around the corner. Once you get inside the power plant, the terminal in the front room will tell you the volume is in the repair bay.
In the repair bay, though, you’ll learn that the volume was taken to the bottom of the engine room. It’s a multi-leveled room filled with lava. Wind your way down to the bottom by climbing the ladders on level three. As you get closer, you’ll start to hear Higgins, which means you’re going in the right direction. Higgins has lost his mind, and you have either dealt with him previously, can deal with him at the moment, or can ignore him altogether. Either way, Mechanical Engineering Volume 03 sits on Higgins’ crappy bed, just behind where he is standing.
Complete The Quest
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After obtaining all three volumes, head back to Thomas Kemp for your rewards. Depending on your choices in the previous main missions, he is either at the Botanical Lab or in the Maintenance Division in Edgewater.
Hunt him down and give him each volume, one by one. Completing the mission gives 3000 XP points, a reputation increase for the deserters, and Thomas himself will give you 1300 bits total.
