My character is lvl 7, almost lvl 8. I'm looking for good side quests to do to get some more caps. I currently have 998 caps. I've been doing the wasteland survival guide quest but Moira has been giving me other things instead of caps when I helped her finish certain parts for it. I've been to Rivet City finally and been wondering if there are any good side quests I can do there that will give me a good amount of caps?

The most lucrative side quest I can think of is the Reilly's Rangers quest, but I 'm not sure it can be done by level 7 characters as it involves a lot of super mutants. The way I got caps at earlier levels was to just kill raiders and supermutants and sell off the loot to Moira, Gustavo or the travelling merchants.

The offer over at Tenpenny Tower is a sizable sum. Go over there and talk to Gustavo. Reilly's is hardcoe combat for a level 7 character, doable, but I prefer having a higher explosives skill when getting there.

The free form quests can be pretty lucrative as well such as sugar bombing run in northwest seneca station

I always make sure that I collect pre-war books and hand them in at the Arlington Library.

There is some serious money there.

The sugar bombing run aint squat for money .... considering you have to pay back more than half the money recieved per Ultrajet. unless you talk murphy into 30 caps each (still not much money though)
The blackwidow perk will get you 500 extra caps to blow up Megaton (have to be female and have it before talking to Burke the first time)
Slaves are awesome money.
Prewar books like mentioned before.
Brotherhood of steel holo tags get you 100 each also. between the dead ones at GNR , in the bunker by museums,Library (dont help them plus you get their armour) and a few here and there. Can gain you over 1000 caps in holo tags. But must complete main quest to the point where they let you in the citadel

For easy money in the beginning (besides looting everything in vault 101) Moriarty gives you a quest to pick up 300 caps when you tell him you dont have that kind of money err sumthin. Never pay him ... just head to GNR. Even if you do pay him the 100 caps after collecting from Silver ... 200 caps is alot at that low lvl.

Oh ya , selecting the wrong line with moriarty , will make you have to pay him 300 caps to get the info out of him.

That's only if you buy back the ultrajet and nothing forces you to do that anyway

Okies fair enough ... But in my experience ... sugar bombs are fairly rare. You'd make more money selling blood paks to vance. That is untill you realize learning the vampire ways has a better use for them.

Quest don’t usually pay off with a lot of caps, IMHO. I found all of the rewards disheartening after all that was done to earn it.

If you want caps, hang around Megaton for a while picking up all the loose junk that’s not stealing, then sell that. Check out Silver down at Springvale for 300 caps. Then start on Springvale School. Go to Tenpennys and pick up their junk, and leave the Ghoul thing alone, the vendors are the most important things there. Then go south from Tenpenny to Lucky’s place and kill him and take all that (I save some of Lucky’s stuff for later as it is stealing and can be used to adjust your Karma if you get too good). The caps add up if you pick up everything you come across. If overloaded, leave a pile of stuff and come back later for it. It will remain where you drop it forever.

My latest character, Ody, got the house in Megaton and did Moira’s radiation thing, then set out for Mine Field, then she used those mines inside the Super Duper Mart to weed out the Raiders. Lots of good early loot there if you pick up everything. Make piles and several trips to get it to where you can sell it. Even the tin cans add up. Ody swam down the river to Rivet City and picked up all their free junk and sold it. Ratted Bannon out to get a discount at Seagraves in the market there. Slowly expand your zones and kill a few hostiles then scurry back to safety to sell your stuff. It will add up quickly. At level 12, Ody had 23,528 caps. At level 17, she had 40,593 caps.

When you finish Reilly’s Rangers, you can make a lot of caps mapping locations for her.

The Replicate Man (started in Megaton but is mainly in Rivet City) gives a nice reward if I remember correctly.

The evil ending that is.

I actually don't have to much trouble with sugar bombs it's the blood packs that are rare for me


What about both endings .... at the same time

The Nuka Cola Challenge has a pretty good payout. Start saving those Quantums.

Grab everything you can and sell it off. It takes a little time but worth it. I use to be able to get ~1000 caps total from everyone in Tenpenny Tower. Yeah it took 2-3 trips but with fast travel, it's not too bad.