What is the best, or rather safest way for a lowish level char to get there from Megaton?
The FO3 wikia page is rather vague, saying to travel 'on the easten side of the river', but that way there's lots of stuff about wanting you dead. I tried going as the crow flies, but once you get to the eastern side of Greyditch there are invisible barriers stopping you, forcing you to start using the metro. Then all the areas start having their own worldspaces, meaning you can't actualy follow your pipboy anyhow!

You need to run from the Vault to the south end of the river. If you can get to the river, you can get to the city. But don't stop and fight anything unless you can't outrun it, such as a Bloatfly. When you reach Grayditch, don't enter, it, instead try to circle around the outside of it, and when you run into the boy who needs your help, quickly convince him to go hide in the shelter he mentions so you can come and deal with his problem at a later time. Once you get to the river, your only obstacle will be the Super Mutant camp near the city, but you just need to run past that, staying as close to the coast as possible and hoping they don't see you.

and if by chance you've got a decent amount of radaway (if not I guess you could just get healed up when you get to the settlement) when you come to the super mutant encampment that Antibody mentioned (I hope i'm thinking of the same one) you can jump off the jefferson memorial into the water, and swim from there, you are much less likely to be spotted.

So do you recommend the eastern side of the river (like the Wikia) or the western side, and traversing the river at a more southern point? From the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_map are the parts in the south east with slightly thicker white lines around them the parts that exist in their own worldspace? Hence cannot be traversed?
I got as far as Dukov's Place on the eastern side and I was badly injured and out of ammo. Bullets are hard to dodge

I always travel along the Eastern side (although it is tougher imo) you've got to pass a radier checkpoint, a battle between raiders and super mutants, a super mutant with a captive, a couple of mirelurks (if you go in the water), Raider encampment past Dukov's place, a super mutant encampment, then another super mutant encampment.

On the western side the only danger points I can remember is a raider encampment and the Jefferson Memorial.

so imo your best bet would be the western side.

to answer your question about the worldspace bit. places that can not be traversed are blocked off by huge piles of rubble and you need to go through the metro stations to get to them.

Yeah I believe we're talking about the same one. Whenever I have to do this early in the game I always run directly east from the vault, and once I'm at Wilhelm's Wharf I swim the rest of the way until I make it to the Citadel, just so I can walk a while without absorbing more rads. My memory of the layout of Jefferson's Memorial isn't that great, but if you can surface there from the east side and swim off the west side to Rivet City that'd be a good thing to do. You'd just need to sprint past the patrolling Super Mutants and Centaurs.

The last thing you want to do is try to go to Dukov's Place again... that road is hard for a new character. If the Raiders don't get you, the Super Mutants will.

Thanks for the tips. Think I'll try the western side down past the citadel then cross further south.
I'm actually level 5 now and have some decend weapons and ammo, but I tried running there when I was level 2. I had nearly no ammo at all, but made it to Dukov's before I chickened out and fast travelled back to Megaton. Was great fun tho
Raiders I can cope with, more than 1 super mutant with no Brotherhood support - not so much pal :ahhh:

Or swim. Two rad aways.

This is the best choice since you will have little or no enemy contact if you swim to RC.

The riverside walk past Dukov's place is probably the most direct overground path to Rivet City from Megaton. The super mutant with a minigun is quite a persuasive argument for avoiding it, though. You can always just make a run for it or perhaps use a Stealth Boy. :ninja:

Just swim once you get to the bridge for Anchorage Memorial. You don't even need Rad Aways if you do it before starting the Wasteland Survival Guide. Moira will cure your radiation sickness, anyway.

In the unmod'ed game (eg without FWE) radiation is not all that dangerous. So I'd vote for going down the west side of the Potomac River then swimming over.

Specifically, from Megaton head to the the Super Duper Mart but circle around it to avoid Raiders. Then follow the road on the west side of the river (ie don't cross the river yet). There is a Raider encampment under the broken bridge by the Citadel, but you can try to sneak or run past. If you get to the Citadel then the Brotherhood will help. Then in front of the citadel there is a short pier that is pretty close to the other side. You can take a long walk off that short pier and swim across the Potomac. Then there is just one more Supermutant Camp (by the Jefferson Memorial) that you need to get past somehow. And then you're at Rivet City.

Great tips peeps :wub:
Giving it a go tomorrow, report back the x

The west side of the river really wasn't too bad. I went past the super-duper mart and down the a building next to the river (it didn't seem to have a name) where I noticed 2 super mutants the other side of it, one looking like it had a mini gun so I left them alone. Went past Wilhelms Wharf and down to the bridge without meeting anything. At the bridge the Raider camp involved killing 4 of the 5 of them. Could have been a problem at lower levels (I was level 5 at the time) but the .44 scoped magnum I picked up is very useful for 1 shot killings
Past the citadel I only met 1 Mirluk on my way to a jetty with some boxes on. 1 Rad-X and a swim across only ment about 10-15 rads, and I swam past Jeferson memorial. From there I could have run straight round to Rivet city but decided to pick off 3 super mutants on the ramp.

Definitley easier than the west side

Huh?

West side is the Virgina side of the Potomac, where Vault 101 and Magaton are, right?

First time I tried it I took the sewer to the bridge which is just south of Dukovs. Not the best route, IMO.

I later discovered the Anchorage Memorial bridge. Just be careful of the mines. Then follow the DC (East) side of the river downstream. The biggest obstacle, as I recall, would be the Supermutant encampment where the hostage is located. I believe a careful player can sneak around this along the river, but swimming would also be an option.

Radiation of course is a problem with swimming, but I think a greater problem is the danger of Mirelurks.

Run right past Megaton until you reach the river, then swim all the way down it untill you're in a bay, swim westward for about three minutes and you're at Rivet City.

I think swimming all the way and tying the 600+ rad poisoning with the wasteland suvivial guide is a really good idea. Will do that for my next game

Type 'COC RCHangarDeckAft' in the console.

I agree the west side is easiest. When you get to the bridge with the raiders, just swim around them in the river and get back to land. Then run along the river to about the middle of the citadel (might as well run up to it and get the fast travel point) and swim across. At the other side of the river, just keep running straight until you hit rivet city.