More Fallout 3 -- A Question, More Spoilers and a Bugged Dog?

More spoilers so if you haven't played it yet -- stop now.

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My dog is a tank.

I don't know if my loyal companion levels with me, turning himself into Cujo with IronSkin, but I am at the point where Fallout 3 is getting very, very, easy. I'm pushing level 9, am armed to the teeth with missiles, a potent combat shotgun, and a sniper rifle that takes out Super Mutants with one clean head shot -- and a dog that would chomp Mike Vick's nuts off.

After doing a lot of side quests around Megaton, mostly for that damn survivor's guide, as well as The Family Quest and the quest with the fire ants, I decided to go after dear old dad. Last night I ran through the entire Jefferson Memorial location, which is littered with Supers, and came out with barely a scratch. My dog stole the show.

In one room he charged three Supers and I was sure he was dead -- but he kept all three occupied while I sat back and pot shotted every last one of them and and a few rounds later we had three dead Mutants and a panting dog looking for a Snausage.

When I first got my pup he would die a lot - and I would have to waste my stims keeping him alive. Now? He's like an Orc Warrior in World of WarCraft. Send him in, he can take it, while I play the ranged killer. When he took point blank Minigun fire from a Brute last night -- that triggered the "this can't be right" signal in my head.

That can't be right, can it?

Anyway, if anyone has done the Rivet City missions -- how do I get into the broken bow of that ship without having a 100 lockpick skill? My lockpick is 73, which doesn't cut it and I tried swimming under neath but I tend to drown...