Cheat: Infinite Experience in Big Town
Here’s a glitch that will allow you to get infinite amounts of experience (as long as your Speech skill is high enough). Try the following steps:
- 1.) – Go to Big Town and find the NPC named Pappy.
- 2.) – Select the dialogue choice “You came here with Bittercup, right?” If this dialogue choice doesn’t show up, find Bittercup, exhaust all of her conversation chains, and then try speaking with Pappy again. ([Speech 100%] should appear next to the dialogue choice if your Speech skill is at its highest. If it’s not there yet, don’t risk trying to convince him. Speech failure will result in this glitch permanently disappearing.)
- 3.) – Selecting that dialogue option successfully will net you six experience points. Speak to him again and you can get the experience again. Repeat as much as you want for as much experience as you want.
Hint: Followers
There are 8 followers in Fallout 3. You must have a certain Karma level for most of them. Below is a list of the followers and how / where to get them:
- Butch – In Rivet City, after completing Trouble on the Homefront [Neutral Karma]
- Sergeant Rl-3 – A robot who can be bought of a wasteland-wandering salesman named Tinker [Neutral Karma]
- Fawkes – Must be saved in Vault 87 [Good Karma]
- Star Paladin Cross – Found in the Citadel [Good Karma]
- Jericho – Found in Megaton [Evil Karma]
- Clover – A slave bought in Paradise Falls [Evil Karma] Charon – A ghoul whose contract must be purchased Ahzrukhal in The Underworld [Karma does not matter]
- Dogmeat – A dog found in the Scrap Yard [Karma does not matter]
Hint: Extra Inventory Space
If you’re running out of room in your inventory and don’t want to ditch any of your gear, consider trying to find a companion character. These companions can be found at various places throughout the world and will agree to join you on your journey (temporarily). You can trade equipment with these characters, which will allow you to dump your equipment on them, making you virtually unencumbered. Consider this option when you not only need help with bad guys, but help carrying your crap as well!
Hint: Unlimited Items
If you have a sneak rating of at least 60, you can attempt this infinite goods trick, which takes place at Fort Independence. Head to Fort Independence with a bunch of Scrap Metal in your inventory. Once there, speak with Protector Casdin and tell him you’ve got junk you’d like to give him. In return, he’ll offer up 5.56mm Rounds, Frag Grenades, RadAways, and Stimpaks, and you can choose which you want. Then, save your game (in case you fail the following) and steal your Scrap Metal back from the Protector. Sell the Scrap Metal back to him over and over again, thereby netting you infinite amounts of 5.56mm ammunition, Frag Grenades, RadAways and Stimpaks.
Hint: Super Mutant Behemoth Locations
The game’s five Super Mutant Behemoths can be found at the following five locations: Evergreen Mills, Galaxy News Radio, Jury Station, Takoma Industrial, and The Capitol Building.
Hint: Free Evil Items at Paradise Falls
If you have bad karma (or don’t mind having even worse karma), head over to Paradise Falls, a place a group of evil slavers call home. To gain entrance without having to open fire, you have to be friendly with the slavers, which will give you an evil slant. But if you can do this, you’ll find a guy endlessly walking around the settlement (he’s usually at or near the bar, but can be elsewhere). When you get near him, he’ll stop you automatically, tell you he found some cool stuff on a recent raid, and give you some of what he got (it will be either some ammunition, Bottle Caps, or various aid items). After your first encounter, all you have to do is keep speaking to him to earn more and more free stuff.
Hint: Finding Dogmeat
If you want your character to have a pet dog in the game, then head over to an area known as Scrapyard, which is northeast from Megaton, just over the river. The dog is automatically named Dogmeat, and you can get him at any time, whether it’s early in the game or otherwise. The dog can attack enemies endlessly and cannot die.
An amendment from druidfire1: Dogmeat can die. Keep him healed using Stimpaks! Once he’s dead, he’s dead for good.
Hint: Infinite Good Karma
Outside of towns like Rivet City and Megaton, you can find thirsty Wastelanders who ask you for Purified Water. Each time you give these guys a bottle, you will get a slight boost to your karma. Do it more and more, and you’ll gain more and more karma. You can theoretically do this as much as you want to any of these thirsty characters for as much positive karma as you desire.
Hint: Infinite Caps (and more)
Here is a great way to earn seemingly infinite amounts of caps, items, repairs and ammunition.
Find any shop-based trader. The supply shop woman in Megaton is an ideal choice. She has some high value items that you would otherwise spend a fortune on, including all the stuff for your house and a schematic for the Rock-It Launcher.
1. Sell her any stuff in your inventory that you don’t need and complete the transaction. This will boost the amount of money she has.
2. Find something in your inventory that you have two of, or that you have one of as well as her. Sell this found item to her.
3. Check that the two like items are of different values once they are in her inventory. The bigger the difference in value, the better and the lower the cheapest item is the better.
4. Now buy back the cheaper of the two like items and complete the transaction, but do not leave the trade session. Look for the item in your inventory. The game should have glitched and the item should have gone up in value dramatically and should be 100% repaired, even though when you sold the item initially it wasn’t.
5. If it isn’t 100% repaired for whatever reason, sell the item back to her anyway and repeat step 3-4, trying a different item if necessary.
6. From here, the game will remain glitched and you will be able to sell the same item high and buy it back low until you have drained her money completely. If you want, you can hold onto the item as it will be fully repaired – simply keep it on the final round which will leave her with a small amount of money.
7. Either sell the item back to her again once she is out of money, or if you are keeping it, sell her something else of high value and she will owe you that amount. The transaction price will go dim and remain at whatever amount of money she has left.
8. Search through her inventory and find stuff you need. Stimpaks, ammo, miscellaneous item, weapons and armor are all fair game. Eventually, the transaction price will light up again and you may owe her a few caps depending on how much of her stuff you added to the deal. Complete the transaction.
9. If you wait three days she will have new stock and around 350 caps. The longer you wait, the more robust her inventory will become and the more caps she’ll have for you to take when you’re ready to do this all over again.
Hint: Prototype Medic Power Armor
The Prototype Medic Power Armor is in Old Olney in the far northeast corner of the world map. Since you’ll encounter many Death Claws, you may want to set the difficulty to "Very Easy" before exploring this area. On the southern-most street Old Orney is a manhole. Use it to access the sewers. As you make your way through the sewers, you’ll come across a ladder on your left. Keep moving past it and a downed Brotherhood of Steel Initiate will be on the ground. You can take the armor from the corpse.
Hint: Unique Weapons
The Vengeance: In the Deathclaw Sanctuary (northwest corner of the world map), follow the caves down and be prepared for many a Deathclaw encounter. In the southeastern corner of the caves is a pool of blood under a column of rock. In this pool there is a heap of gore with the Vengeance, an overpowered Laser Gatling Gun.
Waser Wifle: After getting access to Little Lamplight, you’ll find a child named “Biwwy” who will sell you the Waser Wifle, an augmented Laser Rifle, for 500 caps. If you have the Child at Heart Perk, you can get it for free (choose “You said you didn’t need it, why not just give it to me for free?”).
Abe Lincoln’s Repeater Rifle: Enter the Museum of Natural History and go to the lower levels. In the Museum Offices, there is a central room with a gun case. Lincoln’s Repeater Rifle is here, a strong Hunting Rifle that uses .44 rounds.
The Kneecapper: In Girdershade, in the southwest corner of the world map, the town letch, Ronald, has a Sawed-Off Shotgun named the Kneecapper. You’ll have to kill him to get it, passively (via a pissed off radscorpion) or actively (a shot to the head).
Terrible Shotgun: In Evergreen Mills, in the southwest corner of the world map, you’ll find a heavily protected raider hideout, including a Super Mutant Behemoth. Inside the center building is a series of caves where the raiders have set up a brothel and a bar. One of these raiders won’t attack you, and his name is Smiling Jack. He’s a trader, but you should trade him a bullet to the head for his Terrible Shotgun, a better Combat Shotgun.
The Firelance: One random event while exploring the capitol wastes is an inexplicable explosion. Head to this area to find the Firelance, a souped-up Alien Blaster and some scattered ammo (which glows and is easier to find at night).
Jack the Ripper: This upgraded Ripper can be found at the lower-middle of the S-shaped map of the Deathclaw Sanctuary. It’s on a dead Enclave Officer in a pile of bodies, next to a giant ant.
Sydney’s 10mm "Ultra" SMG:Inside or just the outside Museum of History in Downtown DC you’ll find a Super Mutant-fighting Ghoul named Sydney. She asks for help defending the area from Super Mutants. You can help her and if she dies, take her "Ultra" SMG — or just kill her and steal it.
A3-21’s Plasma Rifle: In the "Replicated Man" sidequest, don’t to turn Harkness in to Dr. Zimmer. Instead speak with Harkness and chose to unlock his repressed memories. Once you do this, speak with him again and tell him that he should not kill Dr. Zimmer, but instead tell him to run away. He will thank you and give you his old (albeit more-powerful) Plasma Rifle! You may be able to kill him for it too.
Smugglers End: Once you gain access to the Brotherhood Citadel you can take, search or lockpick anything that you want. When you are in the Solar room you can lockpick the Elder Lyons safe (if your lockpick skill is high enough) and find 300 caps, other misc. items and Smugglers End, a powerful laser pistol.
O1′ Painless rifle: In the Republic of Dave, in the northeast corner of the world map, kill Dave to get his key and access to his safe. Inside is the Ol’ Painless Rifle.
Xuanlong Assault Rifle: This powerful Chinese Assault Rifle is located on the body of Jiggs in the diner ner the Jury Street Metro Station. This location can be discovered via the Museum of Technology mini quest, Jiggs’ Loot.
Reservist’s Rifle: This is dropped by the Drifter in Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel (upper west of world map). It is an augmented sniper rifle.
Victory Rifle: This augmented Sniper Rifle is in a Very Hard locker in the Sniper Shack to the west of Rockbreaker’s Last Gas (Middle west of worldmap).
Protectron’s Gaze: The Mechanist has this augmented laser pistol. Get it by giving him the Antagonizer’s costume. Note: this results in negative Karma.
Miss Launcher: This powerful missile launcher also is 5 WG less in weight than its normal counterpart. Find it in the storage room in the lower level of Fort Independence.
Zhu-Rong v418 Chinese Pistol: Found in the east wing of L.O.B. Enterprises in a Very Hard Locked case on a desk upstairs, the Zhu-Rong is a pistol that will ignite flammable substances.
Blackhawk: The augmented Scoped .44 Magnum can be obtained from Agatha after completing both Agatha’s song and an additional Sheet Music fetch quest (in the Springvale school). You must request a reward from here in the dialog tree for this.
The Burnmaster: In the very bottom of Falls Church/Mason St. Metro you will find a radiated ghoul camp; here you will find the Burnmaster, an improved Flamer.
Stabhappy: Stabhappy is an upgraded Combat Knife in the "Raid Shack", a house of Raiders. Just head directly East from the Bethesda Ruins and you will see a fenced in house called the Raid Shack. Kill the Raiders inside and one of them carries Stabhappy!
Fisto!: In the MDPL-13 power station, enter the door on the right. You will be in an office and on the table in the center of the room is Fisto! the upgrade to the Power Glove. Beware of Ghouls.
Fawkes Super Sledge: When you first meet Fawkes after freeing him from the locked door, talk to him and trade equipment with him. He will already have an item called the Fawkes Super Sledge in his inventory which you can take from him.
The Break: The Break is a unique pool cue which can be found laying on top of the pool table outside of "Eulogy’s Crib" in the middle of Paradise Falls.
Board Of Education: The Board Of Education is a unique nail board located in one of the abandoned shacks in the "Clifftop Shacks" area just outside of the Oasis. It is laying next to a skeleton lying on one of the beds.
Junders’ Valid Points: Junders’ Valid Points are a set of unique spiked knuckles. They can be obtained from the body of Junders Plunkett after you kill him. his hideout is located inside Arlington Cemetery and is on the top of a hill. (Note: if you have enough good karma and have the note stating he is a wanted man, his dead body will also contain his finger which can be redeemed for a nice 1000 cap reward. If you don’t have the note is can be found on the body of a dead Regulator on the steps of the nearby metro station).
Butch’s Toothpick : Slightly more powerful switchblade, can be gotten from Butch after the Trouble at the Home Front quest. Kill him or ask him to follow you.
Vampire’s Edge : This sword is locked in a hard locked cabinet named "sword cabinet" in Vance’s room upstairs in Meresti Station.
The Shocker: Found in the flooded metro, the Shocker is a more powerful power fist(24 damage if 100% repaired).
Occam’s Razor: Occam’s Razor is an augmented combat knife found on the CO in the very bottom of Ft. Bannister.
Eugene: Eugene is an improved Minigun which can be given to you by your choice after completing the side quest Reilly’s Rangers. Reilly rewards you for helping them you have a choice between Eugene and armor.(tip: choose Eugene)
The Strike: In the slaver camp of paradise falls (you may have to go there in the main quest), on a pool table outside in the main are (outside the shops Eulogy Jones’ pad and the slave cages)there will be an augmented version of the pool cue. Beware of slavers, people with good karma.