Alright, I had a VH HC DiD character from a while ago that I got bored with and recently decided to replay from lvl 1. She's just about to hit the Quarry. Now my standard MO for the quarry is generally:

Step 1. Be attractive.

Step 2. Don't be unattractive.

Step 3. Hit the Whiskey to get CHA to 10.

Step 4: Hand Cass a Riot Shotgun with ~200 slugs and point her in the general direction of Deathclaws

Step 5. Get out my lawn chair and my crossword; sip on a mint julip, fire my gun in the air every so often to look like I'm helping.

Problem is in this current playthrough, Cass has just left due to Karma issues. So it looks like I'm stuck with Boone. I've tried him with the Anti-mat rifle but he feels really underwhelming compared to Cass with a riot shotty. I'm thinking of tracking down the Gobi scout, does he do appreciably better with that? Or is there another weapon you could recommend for him?

Here's my current build, lvl 24, just finished HH.

Ariel Montoya

S: 4

P: 6

E: 6

I : 5

C: 8

A : 9

L: 9

Traits: Built to Destroy, Small Frame

Perks:

Intensive Training (Agility)

Educated

Cannibal (for Role-playing, I'm trying to get Meat of Champions)

Grunt

Finesse

Light Touch

Light Step

Animal Friend

Better Criticals

Weapon Handling

Hand Loader

The Professional

(currently working on VATS related perks like Gunslinger, ect.)

Weapons are: All-American, A Light in the Darkness, .45 Auto Submachine Gun and Thump-Thump with assorted grenades. Anabelle, and The Survivalist's Rifle back in storage. Relevant skills: Guns 100, Explosives 70, Sneak 70. Wearing Joshua Graham's armor and the 1st Recon Beret. Any thoughts? Particularly for the Mother. I'm half considering waiting a few levels to raise explosive, popping some Buffout, and carting the Fat Man out there. I also still have all the other companions except for Rex (who went KIA on the Vault 34 overseerer), Boone seems like an obvious 2nd choice in lieu of Cass, but maybe someone can recommend someone else. Any thoughts?

Oh also, unrelated - I'm doing Indy but I need Kimball to spawn so I can eat him. Does Indy still get the assassination mission? Or might it be better to take the Legion line all the way to Arizona Killer and then swap to Indy right before the battle of Hoover Dam? House isn't a option since he was already killed (and eaten), there's no way this character would work for the NCR, and working for the Legion would help me get close to Caesar (for eating him) - but that's also going to alienate both Boone and Arcade. Leaving me with Raul pretty much for a ranged companion.

Hmmm, also, if Caesar dies during "Et Tumor" can I drag him away and eat him without pissing off the rest of the Legion camp?

I've never done DiD so take this under advisemant

I have always had the best luck clearing the camp from the back where the khans are. I leave ED-E and whichever companion I have there as they just get in the way. I've never found the companions to be very useful when it comes to deathclaws but I've never tried to get CHA up to 10 for the boost either. I stay on the upper shelf and work my way to the conveyor and snipe from up there. I've done it with laser rifles, gauss rifles, This Machine, Thump Thump (wasn't the most successful as the range was lacking and I ran out of grenades too soon), and Sniper rifles. The Mother claw can be shot from there, the Alpha sometimes I have to go down on the floor to get him. Another approach is to come in from the front and slowly take out the outer deathclaws until you can get to the conveyor belt. Then mine the bottom of the conveyor and climb up and snipe. The ones who make it will hit the mines and then run straight up the ramp at you, makes for as easy a shot as it gets but if they get through

With the weapons you have I'd start with Annabelle and then switch to Survivalist with handloaded JHP. Grab the .45 submachinegun with superloaded handloads if they get close. You could even get fancy and lay some mines on likely approach paths to slow down the bum rush. I am not sure if you shoot freehand or with VATS. VATS might change things as the distance might be too far.

I think you need to be on good terms with the NCR when doing Indy to get the President Kimball mission. If they are mad at you I think you need to go the Legion way to get the mission.