General note: Got about 40 hour in on New Vegas and was really shocked at how different the games feels from Fallout 3.

Anyway, the reason I called.

Trying to get to the Boomer base for the first time and paid the old black guy to give some advice. Is he for real or only interested in getting me killed because of his wager?

But I don't really understand his advice. On the one had he's saying stay on the northwest side then he changes over to the east side. Also my two helpers (Boon and Robot) keep getting killed no matter what I do. I'm thinking of making them wait behind until I can discover the base, then fast travel to get them and return.

Thanks

Making them wait is a good idea because even in non-hardcoe mode ED-E can get destroyed.
As for getting to the Boomers base: sit in the corner a the closest bombed-out house and sit tight until the barrage ends.
Then rinse, lather, repeat untill near the gate; or after the first barrage make a bee-line for the chain fence and follow it till you reach the gate.

Yes you have to leave your companions somewhere. I leave em' by the old guy as I will be back for my winnings.

You need to be fast. Light armor or none. I'm not sure if sneak means much here, speed is the key. The instructions are confusing.



Light Step is handy here. No damage last time with it.

the easyst way to get past the bombing to go to the first destored building on your left when running in hide in the top left corner of the buliding wait until the bombing stops then run for the fence they don't fire near there home i,ve mangaed to do it with one follower but never had two

Sneak doesn't mean anything for approaching the Boomers. I learned that the hard way. You have two options:

1) Keep to the left. That black dude is straight shooting with you (but good luck trying to collect on your bet). You're going to have to stop twice. The first time is in the first bombed out house that has a still standing corner pointing towards the Boomer base. Get there fast and hide right behind it until there's a break. As soon as there is, head along the left side to where there's a house with a large plank resting against it. You can hide under there until the second wave ends. After that, make a beeline for the fence. You should be fine at this point.

2) From Raul's Shack, I think it's west-northwest where you'll find a train tunnel with a very hard locked door. Pick it, make your way through the tunnels (there are some ghouls there, but nothing challenging. Be extra careful for floor traps. When you come out the other end, there are some rail tracks that you can follow, and you'll be in a bit of a gully, so the Boomers shouldn't even see you.

And yeah, definitely leave your companions behind, especially if you're playing HC.

I had trouble getting in too. Eventually I made it I. and back. I collected my wager from the dude. Went to the bottom of the hill and put one single .308 round through his head and recollected the monies I originally paid him too.

Make any companions wait hug the cliff to the left and book it that how I always get through you might take a little damage but its a quick and easy route.

The note the guy gives you is one big tl;dr post, but it's completely spot-on.

Hug the intact walls of the burnt-out buildings, and you'll be fine.

i c heated with turbo.

I had to do this 50 times before I got it right but I saw someone say that they had 2 companions How the hell can I get 2 companions? Every time I ask somebody to come w/me they say that 3's a crowd What gives?

Screw the advice, All you gotta do is wear the best [censored] light armor you can find, hug the mountain and book it to the fence.

Two companions meaning one humanoid (humans, ghouls, and super mutants) and one nonhumanoid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd_AGTGAZbU&feature=related

Just copy that, you'll be fine.

I found it really difficult too, I tried skirting the rocks left and right, running down the road and picking my way through the buildings, in the end I gave up and watched the video linked to above.

And regretted it because when I actually bothered to read the instructions properly, they're spot on:

Activate F.E.A.R., F*** EVERYTHING AND RUN!

Sprint mod helps.

The Coyote Reflex Power Armor made dodging those shells easy for me.