Pull the Plug is a short but memorable side quest in Fallout 4, set in the Thicket Excavations area. What begins as a simple plumbing job quickly takes a suspicious turn — and players who return later will discover that not everything is as it seems.
Quest Overview
- Quest Giver: Sully Mathis
- Location: Thicket Excavations (east of Red Rocket Truck Stop)
- Rewards: 200+ XP, 50–125 Caps (depends on haggling)
- Recommended Level: 5+ (12+ if you plan to return later)
How to Start Pull the Plug
Head east from the Red Rocket Truck Stop near Sanctuary Hills to find a large flooded quarry — Thicket Excavations. You’ll meet Sully Mathis, a wastelander fiddling with some machinery near the dam.
Speak to him, and he’ll ask for your help fixing some leaky underwater pipes. Sully offers a base pay of 50 Caps, but if your Charisma is high enough, you can persuade him to pay 75 or even 125 Caps instead.
Tip: Equip Charisma-boosting gear or drink some Grape Mentats before negotiating.
Step 1 – Locate and Repair the Underwater Pipes
Once the quest starts, your goal is to find and repair three pipes beneath the irradiated water.
- Watch for bubbles on the water’s surface — each marks the location of a leaky pipe.
- Dive down and interact with the yellow valve to shut it off.
- You’ll take about 10 Rads per second, so bring Rad-X and RadAway, or wear a Hazmat Suit.
Useful Perks and Items:
- Aquaboy/Aquagirl – lets you swim without radiation damage.
- Mirelurk Cakes – temporarily grants underwater breathing.
- Rad-X and RadAway – to resist and remove radiation buildup.
Note: Power Armor helps reduce radiation but slows swimming and can cause glitches when resurfacing. It’s safer to go without it for this task.
Once all pipes are fixed, return to Sully.
Step 2 – Start the Pump and Defend the Site
After checking the pipes, Sully will ask you to activate the pump next to him — a large yellow circuit breaker near the dam.
Once you flip the switch, two Mirelurks will emerge from the water and attack. These creatures can be tough early on, so use:
- Shotguns or explosives for close-range damage
- V.A.T.S. to target their soft belly weak point
After the fight, speak to Sully again to complete the quest. He’ll pay you according to your negotiated amount.
Step 3 – Return Later for a Surprise
At first glance, Pull the Plug seems like a simple filler quest — until you come back later.
After at least 24 in-game hours (and once you’ve reached level 12), revisit Thicket Excavations. You’ll find that the quarry is fully drained, and it’s now occupied by raiders led by none other than Sully Mathis himself — now a much stronger enemy (level 30 minimum).
He’s also been breeding Mirelurks in cages at the bottom of the quarry. You can:
- Use grenades to kill the trapped Mirelurks without opening their pens.
- Loot the area for weapons, chems, and Sully’s journal holotape found in the lit trailer.
Defeating Sully ends his story arc — and lets you claim Thicket Excavations as a valuable farming and loot spot.
Quest Tips and Notes
- Leaving the area before finishing the quest resets most containers.
- The Sully’s Journal Holotape found in the trailer oddly costs 888 Caps if you try to buy it from a vendor.
- Companions do not react to your haggling or moral choices in this quest.
- If Sully dies during the Mirelurk fight, you can still complete the quest and collect his payment from his corpse.
- Returning much later allows the quarry to respawn loot, making it a useful repeatable farming location.
Possible Bugs and Workarounds
- Quest Log Freeze (PS4): Sleeping for 24 hours before speaking to Sully after the Mirelurk fight can lock the quest log.
- Quarry Not Draining (PC): Sometimes the quarry won’t empty. Waiting several in-game days may help, or use console command:
ssq dn138 prid 1073f1 forcerefintoalias SullyThis re-triggers Sully’s quest dialogue. - Dialogue Loop: If Sully gets stuck repeating his initial line, reload or use the same console command to reset him. Play Now!
Fallout 4 Pull the Plug quest Rewards
| Reward Type | Details |
|---|---|
| XP | 200+ |
| Caps | 50–125 (depending on haggling) |
| Follow-Up | Raider occupation at Thicket Excavations |
| Misc. Loot | Sully’s Journal, chems, weapons |
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