So I am currently playing a FWE play through (its a hardcoe mod for non modding people) and I am playing as a BOS Outcast. I just started the Anchorage DLC by speaking with McGraw but have not entered the sim. Now all I have on me right now is 40 rounds of machinegun ammo and a Super Sledge. I know for a FACT that with that amount of Ammo I will likely not survive the encounter once you finish the VR as the betraying outcasts will cut me to pieces with plasma, lasers and miniguns (you know when the outcasts turn on you, McGraw and Olin). I have a GATLING LASER sitting at Fort Independence next to my bunk that has no ammo and I know that there are a bunch of Electron Charged Packs in that vault that opens after the VR sim is complete. Now is it cheating (in your opinion) if before I start the Sim I go and grab that Gatling Laser as I can quickly start grabbing EC packs while the small conversation happens right before the betrayal and having a fighting chance.

It is your game and it is a single player only game. I suggest do whatever it feels right for the character. If the character is suspicious type or the one that thinks only for themselves then the character might just be preparing to either backstab the outcasts or just covering his/her behind if they try to backstab the character.