Is there an energy rifle that Arcade will use that is NOT a gauss rifle? I know about the tri-beam laser, but AFAIK the only "free" one (no quest/rep/kill innnocent etc. needed) is in a place I don't want to go just yet. I'd really like him to use the rifle AI rather than the pistol AI. If I must, I guess I can use GECK to rob/nerf him of his own weapon or something...but I'd rather not.

That Q3-Modulator thingie and AER14, try them.

Multi-plasma? You tried that?

Ah, the AER14, that sounds familiar, I knew there was one. Couldn't remember the name/location tho, thanks.
The Multiplas...not sure I've had one of those yet. I see on the wiki it's in a location I've been to before, but in a spot I've never thought of going into. Figures. You can see that I'm not an energy weapon expert. I've only been into the Silver Rush once, too. They bored me so I left/never went back. heh. Thanks guys!

Plasma Caster, if Arcade don't suffer from animated.

don't you have a stealth boy? go to a certain weapon dealer that sells EW dealer and steal their inventory. give them all to arcade and see which one he likes the most.

Sadly, I'm typically a goody-two shoes and only steal stat-books, things I must for quests/rep etc, or those items that can't be otherwise found/bought. Or if I consider it spoils of war/after a battle, of course, like looting the Legion camps while Boone & Arcade are chanting & dancing around the corpses in some kind of strange male bonding ritual.

I keep telling myself I'll do a chr. who steals everything in sight one day, but I haven't yet...

the jungle vault

go do cass' quest the tough way, I'm pretty sure there's minimal karma loss.

tri beam laser rifle....

Arcade will actually use a regular laser rifle if its in his inventory if he spots the enemy at long range. I was quite surprised to see him switch from the defender to one of the laser rifles he had in his inventory[storing replacement parts for my own AER14] And he'll certainly use the unique laser rifle.

Not in my game he won't. I've tried giving him one with the focus optics added to it. He refuses to equip it...ranged enemies, short enemies, idling, telling him to use ranged then melee over and over to try and force a re-thinking switch etc. I don't think it's technically enough dps. If he's equipping it for you occasionally, you're either lucky-glitched or there's some other factor of equipment going on or something. Or I'm unlucky-glitched. Dunno.

Get yourself the De-Equipable Companions mod http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36220 it is great for removing clothes and equipment, like Veronica's hood so you can see her luscious red hair :wub:

Of course if you are on a console you are stuffed, sorry :shrug:

I've had Arcade use the unique energy weapons, multi-plas, laser rifle, and plasma rifle. However, do not give him Pew Pew or he will use nothing, but it. Otherwise, he will use the rifles at all ranges. I use him to test EW as my character has poor EW skill.

Well, after mouthing off about how I'd never seen Arcade equip the regular ol' laser rifle, I finally saw him do this yesterday. Him, Boone & Cass were on the top of a ridge near a police station when 3 bandits on the roof + 4 further away on the road attacked. For some reason all 3 companions (for once) stayed crouched on the ridge while firing...even Arcade didn't move forward. I could see the green from his default defender as he picked off the closer baddies from the roof, but then as I ran back up the hill I saw him stand up, pause a moment, then pull out the rifle and help out with the ones on the road.

I got it on video too.

Still, the thing for me is I want him to use a rifle 90%/all the time, not just every once in a while when he feels like it. The AER14 seems to be working, so I'll stick with that.

Arcade is so damn picky. I always want to give him a flamer but he never uses it. I hate givin him upper tier EW cause they (for the most part) are ammo hogs. For example, he's great with the tri beam, but I'm not paying for that kind of ammo.

I had arcade use the tesla beaton prototype. oh fun it was so fun.

You've probably already tried this Lady Crimson, but try giving max charge MF cells as well as the base weapon.
That may push them to equip even a basic rifle modded.

Companions equip weapons with higher dps i belive.so find a weapon with higher dps.My Boone equips anything he finds with a higher dps than his hunting rifle.