The Motherlode is a side quest in Fallout 76 which can be discovered when you are exploring Hornwright Industrial Headquarters which is a quest in itself.

Detailed Walkthrough

There are two main entrances to the Hornwright Industrial  HQ the main entrance and a side entrance by the water. There can be a number of scorched, ghouls or super mutants which roam around the facility so you can decide to take them out yourself before entering or just slip right past.

If you go through the main entrance into the Lobby there is an office which belongs to Yvette Wiesmen and you can access her terminal to see the Archived Message date 9.29.77. Upon picking this message it will complete the precious Explore Hornwright Industrial HQ and start the Motherlode quest automatically.

You will be told to then explore the office of Penny’s (Penelope Hornwright – Sr. Ops Exec) for more information. She is on about the 5th floor up the building, once you get up to her office you can locate and read the messages in the terminal and the one you want is dated 9.30.77 which will update the mission. You’ll see an elevator as well which you will come back to later.

To progress the player will need to get an ID card before they can enter the elevator on the lobby to reach the upper floors or “Senior Exec” area. If you go down the stairs one level and the first door on your left should be a computer which controls the hiring system and to get an ID you need to become an employee by completing a quiz.

Go up to the other terminal in the room to complete the exam but first, you need to know how to answer them. There are five questions in total and you need to get them all correct to gain access, to find the answers yourself there is a terminal in the HR office on a shelf under the desk and is a note which contains them. You can also find them in tech support on the floor one level down on top of the printer which you can get a mission update for if you get the Senior exec exams updates Holotape in the room next to the exam computer.

If you don’t want to look the answers highlight the text here: 2-(2 or 3)-1-2-1, question two has two answers which are correct so you can select either.

You also need a resume which you can get if you go up one floor from the lobby to Human Resources and access the terminal database and then Penny’s resume file. This will add it to your inventory and allow you to despot it in the Testing room’s resume receptacle.

In the room that connects from the exam room is where you can get your ID card printed after completing the exam. The printer for it is on top of the filing cabinets, activate it to gain your ID card and make your way back to the lobby and the elevator to head up to the upper floors.

Look for a door with a blue laser mesh grid (these are safe to walk through) and activate the external communications system terminal and after some dialogue, it will request a repair beacon.  You won’t be told where this is by a mark but there are some red computers up a small set of steps and a dead body of a scientist next to it. If you access the research terminal and go to the research notations you’ll be given the access code for the bacon – code is 36984.

You can then get the beacon from the security dispenser after inputting the code on the nearby keypad. Exit the room and head to the other laser grid wall – if you went in here before the elevator was marked off by a red laser grid but it should be blue. The elevator is on the right side as you enter the room. Take the elevator down to the sub-level and you can install the beacon to complete the mission.

Where to install the beacon in the Motherlode quest

The beacon launcher is not marked directly and can be difficult to see but it is in the puddle of toxic water in the middle of the sub-level room as you come out the elevator. You will need to radiation suit or take some Rad-X as the water is high rads and piles up quickly.  Look for the grey machine sticking out the water, go up to it and activate it which will insert the beacon and should fire it off, as soon as you have activated it you can exit the water straight away.

After this, the Motherlode can access the docking station and will come into the sub-level, the mission will end and your reward will be in the dispenser in the same room to finish it.