Wasteland 3 Very Hostile Takeover Quest - Side with Charley Knowes or the Monster Army?
While it's one of the shorter quests you'll encounter during your time with Wasteland 3, Very Hostile Takeover has real long reaching ramifications for two of the game's prominent factions.
What's more, you HAVE to do this in a timely manner. If you leave the area and take too long with other quests, the resulting fight will start without you and everyone will be dead.
Wasteland 3 Very Hostile Takeover Quest
Once you help out Flab in the Nightmare in the Bizarre quest, the next time you enter the Colorado world map you'll be hailed by your gangster acquaintance Charley Knowes.
He's had his eye on the Monster Army's operation for a while, and floats a deal your way: help him take over The Bizarre, and you'll get a slice of the pie.
Now here’s your choice: you can either kill the Cartel and save the Monster Army, or you can join the gangsters. As we said earlier, if you leave the problem to resolve itself then you'll receive nothing from nobody, and lose access to The Bizarre's merchants.
To side with the gangsters:
Go to the Bizarre Exterior, then up towards the parking garage and left - where the giant gorilla is.
Speak to Charley, you… monster, give the all clear that you're ready to start the attack. After a scene transition, you meet him at the entrance to the mall.
They've taken out the exterior guards, but it's up to you to clear out the inside. They’ll send you down first.
Enter the Bizarre Interior, and it’s you and your team against about 10 or so Monster Army toughs, plus Simon the Squatch and Flab the Impaler.
It's not a massively tough fight depending on your level, so battle your way through them to get to Flab. Deal with him too, then cross back to the entrance.
When you’re done, speak to Charley by the door. The caravan master will intervene, and with Kiss Ass 6 you can end the conversation peacefully, otherwise, he’ll be killed.
Now speak to Charley in Flab’s old room and he’ll hand over a cool grand - along with the key card to his safe in the parking garage. The money is the main reward, the safe contents are a bit junky and not a massive boon. However, on Flab’s corpse you’ll get his safe key with vampire themed cosmetics for your Kodiak and characters.
Helping Charley means you still have access to the Bizarre's merchants, so it's still better than nothing.
To side with the Monster Army:
Who doesn’t want to keep the fun monster people around, seriously?
If you kill Charley, but don’t go to Flab first, then you fail the quest and get no reward. However, if you go and tell Flab that Charley's out to kill him after you receive the radio broadcast, he’ll give you some cash and ask you to take care of Charley.
Do the deed at their parking garage hideout, then return to Flab for a 30% discount at all the vendors, +15 monster army rep, and a few hundred dollars.
IMO, this is a much better reward, and you still get to enjoy one of the most gloriously twisted haunts in the game.
Following this quest, it'll probably be time for you to head to Denver and take on your first Buchanan child in Wasteland 3's The Zealot quest.
Or for more side quests, here's our guide to Wolfe's Hunt.