Hi all, I plan on running a scavenger build who's tag skills are lock pick, small guns and repair. I was just wondering does anyone have any tips/strategies on how to go about scavenging? For example: what should i have in my default scavenge/explore load out? How much extra space should i have? And finally how do I scavenge from areas that are heavily manned/defended.

I think that you need to limit yourself even more, you can become insanely rich, insanely fast in the game. I think it's a good idea to NOT tag Barter, as you mentioned above. Will you avoid combat, and then use your Small Guns as a last resort? You're probably going to be sneaking around a lot.

A companion might not be a bad idea, if your character doesn't initiate combat. He/she will also be a good packmule. On second thought, maybe no companions, as too much loot means too much money and perhaps no incentive to scav after a while. Maybe Dogmeat, if you have Broken Steel. My experience is that if I get Dogmeat before I'm starting at the least the first quest of BS, then he dies easily. If I get him after this quest, he is a beast and will only die with extreme measures. My experiment involved 25 bottlecap mines, a handful of frag and plasma mines, me building this mine fort around Dogmeat as he patiently waited where I told him to, and then me trekking back to cover where I could start the test with a sniper rifle. Otherwise, he will own anything, and everything. He is also good for looking for things.

Most of my characters don't fit the main quest. So instead of figuring out the MQ in my RP, I use it as a vehicle to advance the type of enemies that I will meet. Currently, my character can wear power armor, so I've advanced the MQ up to the point where I have Enclave patrols everywhere, and that's it for a while.

What kind of scavenging are you going to be doing? Perhaps limit yourself to a high tech scavenger. You don't deal in miscellaneous stuff, only high tech. That's why the BOS and Outcasts are so keen on trading with you....<--- something like that? Perhaps you search industrial, science, Enclave sites?

As for the heavily-defended areas.... I dunno. With no companions, and a high sneak, it's quite possible to maneuver some areas without getting seen, using cover of darkness, moving from cover to cover, strategic Stealth boy. However other areas, not so much. You have to go on the offensive first in these areas, at least imo. At least get the benefit of surprise first. I like to set up minefield traps then lead enemies furthest away from the center of their mass, thinning the herd so to speak. This is my best approach for my weak characters who try to avoid combat. However, if I'm carrying a fatman... I have to give it a go. My current character will not pick a fight unless she can outright win it. Endurance at 3 means scary times when people shoot at me. Anyway, my two caps.... sorry for wall o' text.

following on from above it would be a good idea to do operation ancorage because the stealth and power armour at the end is really usesfull if you have a character that you perefer not to fight with.
as a scav it is a good idea to set your strenght to 10 to allow you to have enough carry weight for power armour and anything else that is heavy and weighs a lot.
enclave are very good for getting advanced tech, this can then be traded with the outcasts for stim packs or amo

I guess Ive never been really clear on what people mean by a scavenging build. I mean , scavenging is an integral part of the game anyways. If the goal is to just have the most caps and best stuff , then the game has obvious options to increase the means to the end.
Put into a RP situation , you can do what ever you want pretty much ... I supose as long as you back story it and follow your Idea of emersion. IDK { just pondering ... not really makeing statements}

@ BigDaddy : On the Dogmeat subject , I thought as long as you just had the BS DLC enabled , he would then use the larger health pool spread. Albiet Im guessing it slides in that range with your lvl. And maybe has a significant jump when you do the quest you mentioned?

First time I ran into Dogmeat was lvl 7ish with clover in tow. I did have the BS DLC enabled but had only done the MQ up to talking with 3 dog.
I was looking through the scrap yard and saw about 5 red blips on my compass for 2-3 sec. When I got there I found Dogmeat in the middle of all the dead raiders. Im guessing that fight was suppose to have lasted longer???
The wiki doesnt give info on dogmeats attack dmg, atleast as far as I could see.

Thx a lot for al the replies. I think im going to first work on getting a base of operations and scavenging low-medium value items as I go so I can afford ammo, chems and the like. If my efforts are unsuccessful then I think I will just settle in Mgaton. I also plan on starting Anchorage fairly soon. I haven't played Anchorage in ages so I was wondering what would be the minimum level I should enter in at? thx.

Along with what Big Daddy suggested for limiting your character, I might suggest avoiding the Fortune Finder perk. With a high repair skill, you can easily make money.

I read a BigDaddy post that said " LvL 4 on anchorage was fine" I tend to think he's not full of shism ... I'd look for the post for ya, but what good would it really do ya.

Ofcourse Im sure he might reinterate said subject.

If I can recommend a base of operations for a scavenger there is a brilliant one close to the super mart and quite close to Megaton too. As a scavenger i would RP being more of a loner and not live in a major settlement IMO.

The place is called County Sewer Mainline, it's easy to get to. Enter the building and you'll find an entrance to the sewers. Just beware as you approach the hideout there is traps everywhere ( good rp there if you're a scavenger to keep thiefs and any intruders out) I should tell you their is a hostile NPC living there. Loads of safe storage. And a rather nice collection of Nuka Cola items ( kind of a collection only a scavenger of the wastes would have perhaps?)
There's even a TV in pristine condition.

Definitely check it out, I think you'll really like it.

Just in my experience. I've read countless posts about how Dogmeat is so awesome when you have BS loaded, so for a few characters, I would go out and get him straightaway, then he would die five minutes later, and then... I would usually eat him. lol. But when I would get him after starting that first quest of BS, then walking away from the quest line, he would be as awesome as everyone says.

Great suggestion. It's centrally located, perhaps pushed a little towards DC.

Again thanks for all the suggestions, I just completed Anchorage at level 2 and made a good amount of money from the loot off that. I know have a reliable source of income and intend to shift my base of operations to the County Sewer Mainline. Then its off Tenpenny towers. Also are their containers in the County Sewer Mainline? DO they respawn? Essentialy will I be able to store equipment in them?

Generally, the interior containers do not respawn. However, you should test the with something you can afford to loose just in case. Place the object in the container and check back in a few in game days. If it is still there, you will be safe to use it for storage. Be careful as to what entrance you use for the sewers. There is a respawn point at one of them.

Yes they are safe. The ammo boxes, med kits, nuka cola machines and the safes are all safe. They have been for me all playthrough. There's load of safe storage there.
There's even a party hat there to really get you into party mode