Hi all.
Ive recently started a new game after completing the first play through and learning there was alot of things i missed and didnt do correctly.
Im currently at level 17, skills leveled at 40 (not including +) and SPECIAL leveled at 7 (not including +), no perks used as of yet except "intense training" to build up SPECIAL.
I have ED-E and Boone as companions.
Rep is "Merciful Thug" with the Powder Gangers, "Liked" by NCR, "Idolized" by Good Springs & "Accepted" by Novac since the time i freed the two Poweder Gangers held at the Legion Raid Camp (a Quest).
Rep was "Neutral" at the time with the Legion after freeing the Powder Gangers.
However, After freeing them, the Legions attacked my Companions and not me ? (im wearing Merc Grunt outfit, 1st Recon Beret & Sunglasses) and the result of my companions eliminating most of them, this had no effect on my rep at that time.
At that moment, the ticks showed red (hostile) but the remaining Legion at the Raid Camp that survived the ordeal changed from red to neutral.
I left the area & returned about 6 in-game days only to find the re-spawn Legions at the Raid Camp hostile, to my companions but still not to me.
However, after my companions eliminated all of them my rep changed to "Hated" with the Legion and then they became hostile towards me.
Ive never seen the Legion hostile to a companion and not me (they didnt attack me at all).
I reloaded a save and left my companions at Good Springs and went to the Legion Raid Camp to test this, they appeared hostile (red ticks) but they did not attack me. (Guessing i have to provoke it).
Attempting to talk to them gives the general random replies "Ave, True to Caesar" & etc.
I do not have "The Mark of Caesar".
Is this some sort of in-game bug or the result of something else ?

Boone is ex NCR. Boone, like Star Paladin Cross of Fallout 3 regarding Brotherhood Outcasts, will attack the Legion even suicidally. Boone is the one the Legion is antagonized by. Approach Cottonwood Cove with Boone and you get the all or nothing type dialogue that you're going in guns blazing and nothing less. Try the scenario with the Powder Gangers using a different companion but I have no idea if releasing the captives is what makes the Legion go nuts or not, only that Boone hates Legionnaires with a passion to be rivaled.

Yeah, Boone + Legion = massive gunfight, not a good idea to do Booted with him in tow. Better to have him wait while you do it and go back for him afterward, preferably someplace where the Legion can't see him.

Releasing the captives will make the Legion troops at the camp hostile if you're seen doing it, however if you do it while remaining [HIDDEN] and they don't spot you in the process, then they won't care. Their ticks may turn red at this point; if they do, do not move, you will be spotted and attacked. Just wait a bit and they should revert to Neutral again. If you have the Silent Running perk you can move without being spotted, but you'll need a high Sneak as they're all Guard-types and have good Perception and the Alert status*.


*'Alert' is an AI flag, that increases their chance to detect concealed movement.

@ General Masters

Good knowledge about the Legion reaction to releasing the captives. Now I know how to navigate that ball of snakes.

yes, good knowledge.
thanks for that.
what you described is what i had done, released the captives while hidden, and i understand now about Boone and why the Legion didnt attack me.
i released the captives, the ticks went red and Boone attacked, (i stayed still like a statue and just watched it all play out lol), the Legion didnt attack me as i was [hidden], knowing now (i should have known from the dialog with Boone) that he has one-up for the Legions, that this would happened once the ticks went red
i tested again with Boone dismissed (first time tested i left Boone at Good Springs) and went back to the Raid Camp and now they are neutral to me.
this all makes sense now and i thank EVERYONE here for the awsome answers !
i will also take the suggestions everyone here gave a further step and dismiss Boone on certain quests where i wish to remain neutral with the Legion (for as long as possible), and just tag along ED-E

NOTE: the only 'true neutral' followers are Lily and Raoul. At least your rep. with NCR will bring up secondary concerns with the other possible followers. Unless you go for a big drop in both reputation and karma with NCR things should be peachy however.
you're welcome:)

What exactly are you saying here? Are you *evenly* leveling up all of your skills and SPECIAL's, at the same level? Not counting +'s, of course. Eventually (at higher character levels) you may end up with a character who is moderately good at everything- but for most of the game, you will have a character who is not all that good at anything. It's generally a better idea to focus on putting a lot of points into a more limited skillset to boost those skills up quickly, and the SPECIAL's that most positively affect the kind of character you are trying to build, rather than keeping everything at the same (mediocre) lower level.

Once you have boosted your primary skills up to good levels of competence, then you can start putting more points into the secondary ones. Some skills that you don't care about and never use, you won't want to add any points into, at least until you get a bunch of the DLC's and can get well up above level 30, at which point you'll have more points than you know what to do with, eventually. This is the most efficient way to maximize your character's chosen abilities, if you want to go that route. There is nothing wrong with leveling up all skills and SPECIAL's evenly, if you want to do so of course. Some would do that for roleplaying purposes, just in the interest of not having an 'uber' character, but one who is a 'jack of all trades but master of none' kind of experience.