So, i keep running across (so to speak), all these graves; the message is "you need a shovel", but I can't seem to carry a shovel in my inventory, or in hand, b/c the shovels do not "travel" through doors and are not kept in hand when i fast travel; carrying something "in hand" like a shovel across any kind of distance is near impossible... solutions??

Go to Goodsprings Chet will sell you one :tops:

You should have posted in New Vegas spoilers/cheats forum not FO3's

you don't need to equip or hold in hand the shovel. just have it in inventory.

thanks for your response; so, if i get it from Chet, it goes to my inventory? BTW, so how come i can't put shovels in my inventory when i pick them up from the world??

and, oh, didn't i post to this forum, that is, spoilers/cheats?? thought i did

No, a mod moved your thread to the appropriate subforum. This is a New Vegas Question, not Fall Out 3. You had originally put this in the FO3 forum.

I don't quite understand the problem from your description.

A shovel can be found in two places in the game that I know of, and can be bought at Goodsprings. You can equip it as a melee weapon, but for grave-digging you only need to have it in your inventory.

If the shovel actually disappears from your hands or from your inventory, it must be some kind of bug.

P.S. I usually use the shovel sold by Chet. Never had issues with it so far.

Hmmm.

to clarify, i have found many shovels in various places, shacks mainly, but when i use the E key to "activate", it does not go into my inventory, unlike other items/objects; i can use the Z key to "grab" it, but then i can't carry it any distance and certainly not thru doors or other transition points.

But, perhaps purchasing from Chet in Goodsprings will automatically put it in my inventory, thus getting around the problem. Let's hope.

Some items seem to only be part of the scenery and can't be picked up even though they look like they should be pick-up-able. I've come across fission batteries, pots, stoves and other normally interactable items that didn't respond to the E key and wouldn't highlight when pointed at. Bug or not, it's common.

One shovel I know can be picked up is at Goodsprings Source, near one of the wells. A shovel purchased from Chet or another trader (I think the guy in Primm sells shovels) should work fine.

Ah Ha, that exlains it. thanks much.

Anything good to be found by digging?

I've never bothered to dig for anything or to look for those hollowed out rocks which are supposedly all over the place.

But I wonder if there is ever anything outstanding to find in hollow rocks or gaves. Any place else one needs a shovel?


B)

Graves usually contain ammunition, chems and weapons. Nothing spectacular, just average loot, although one unique melee weapon (Chance's Knife) is in a grave.

Graves can be found at abou 20 different locations in the game. Check out the Wiki entry for "Shovel: Fallout New Vegas" for specific locations.

Three places of worth..

1. The Yangtze memorial east of goodsprings ( the big white statue in the distance ), it's the best early loot sight especially for EW's.

2. Head north east a ways from Goodsprings, there is a grave with the special combat kinfe.. Chances knife.
However the areas around are crawling with cazadores so it's a risk, but can be worth it.

3. At the burnt out farmstead with all the starving livestock north of Searchlight.
If you look at the west side of the burned down house there is a grave full of equipment, ( nothing special though. )

There are graves at Novac, which are no trouble at all to get to. Wolfhorn ranch, etc.