Dogmeat (Fallout 3)

Dogmeat is the dog companion of the Vault 101 Dweller.

Character
His name is an homage to the Dogmeat from the first Fallout and, according to the developers, he's the descendant of Vault Dweller's original canine companion that died in a horrible accident involving a force field. Also, the first appearance of Dogmeat in the original Fallout game can be considered a homage to the character "Dog", Mad Max's canine companion in The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2 Internationally.) Dogmeat possesses in-game dog AI and is designed to help the player in-game: if enemies are nearby, he will growl. His main combat use, apart from minor damage, is distracting the character's adversary, as he's coded to be a higher priority target than the player's character. Dogmeat can also be used to fetch supplies, such as food, ammo and weapons (for some reason being able to bypass locked containers to get them).

Before the release of Fallout 3, the process of how to recruit Dogmeat had only been shown as a small clip as the player holds something out to the wounded dog. The item is not revealed. Dogmeat was said to be found in a random encounter, which would appear in different places depending on where the player ventures to, but was meant to appear early on to help develop your bond with the dog. This was scrapped and in the released game, Dogmeat is found in a fixed location all the time, the Scrapyard, south of Minefield. He is found attacking and killing several raiders, but approaches the player peacefully and will join him if asked.

If the player reaches the Scrapyard and does not enter it, or somehow manages to pass by and trigger the event without speaking to Dogmeat, it is still possible to encounter him later in a random encounter. He will sometimes come to your aid when you are facing overwhelming odds, such as a larger group of Talon Company Mercs in the wasteland. If during your travels you see the words "Dogmeat is Unconscious" appear at the top of the screen, it means he is nearby somewhere and is likely being attacked. Dogmeat cannot die before you have recruited him.

Shooting Dogmeat in the initial encounter without talking to him can make it impossible for the player to recruit him. He will appear outside Vault 101, but cannot be engaged in dialogue.

Abilities
Dogmeat can be instructed to search the party's current area for either ammunition, chems, food or weapons; the player can also have him stay in his current location, heal him with Stimpaks, or send him to Vault 101's entrance for safety. Dogmeat can set off traps and will attack enemies, even if they are strong melee fighters.

Dogmeat's health can be checked by aiming at him or targeting him in V.A.T.S. Like other characters, Dogmeat can be wounded by missed V.A.T.S. shots that were aimed at an enemy.

He does have plenty of health, 500 hp, so finding him early in the game may be a good idea for beginners. In addition, Dogmeat's health is restored to full when there are no enemies nearby, although, in a pinch, Dogmeat can be talked to and healed with Stimpaks during combat. The player must be very careful of strong melee opponents like Yao Guais or Deathclaws, as they will kill Dogmeat with just a few melee attacks. Dogmeat will sometimes retreat if he is being shot by enemies he cannot reach, but not always, so it is not recommended he be commanded to stay in his current location if an area contains turrets.

Dogmeat may not be a very good companion for a stealthy character. He can detect enemies in adjoining rooms or on floors above and below the player, just as the player can with Perception. When he notices a target, he growls. While the growling does not appear to alert enemies, it does make it harder to hear enemies. He will also initiate combat on his own, even if the player is not yet detected. He can even open doors on his own to attack. This may force the player to choose between letting Dogmeat fend for himself until the player is ready, or to engage in hasty combat, forfeiting the advantages of stealth attacks. There is not an option to prevent Dogmeat from attacking any enemies he sees. However, Dogmeat can be told to wait in one spot, which can allow the player to use stealth without Dogmeat interfering. Keep in mind, however, that if Dogmeat sees an enemy while waiting, he will still attack.

If the player has Dogmeat then he can still have another follower. Dogmeat appears to have a reserved spot as a companion, so if he dies, the player can recruit two of the other followers at once. If Dogmeat is killed by the player while he has Charon's contract, Charon becomes hostile and attacks, making the player unable to recruit him.

In Dogmeat's dialogue, there are "Scold" and "Praise" options. These however, do nothing at all and appear to be there purely for flavor.

But never send Dogmeat for ammo into Minefield or he will die almost immediately.

Note

 * It is possible to exploit Dogmeat via having him retrieve objects from locked containers. If the player orders Dogmeat to find items, he will simply go to the container and get the item from it, despite any locks present.


 * There is a dead wastelander named Max at the Scrapyard just south of where the player meets Dogmeat. This is very likely a reference to Max from the Mad Max films. The body has leather armor, a sawed-off shotgun, 5 shells and pork n' beans. However you can't loot the leather armor.


 * Dogmeat can be made to carry items. Simply order him to return to Vault 101, sneak, then activate him. The pick pocket screen will appear. Unfortunately, retrieving items in this same manner will cause you to lose Karma.


 * He has Heterochromia: his right eye is brown, while his left eye is blue. His breed is an Australian Cattle Dog known as a Blue Heeler.


 * Dogmeat often has trouble with stairs. He will hop down them making huge, unnecessary jumps, and he often ends up floating and then shaking and ending up somewhere completely different than where he was trying to go.


 * Dogmeat will not jump up ledges and may refuse to jump down some other ledges, causing him to take huge detours to follow you around the wasteland, especially around rocky terrain.


 * If Dogmeat seems to disappear without notice, he can most often be found in front of Vault 101 awaiting the player's return. He will also return here when the player is captured and taken to Raven Rock and when entering the pod at Vault 112 for the Tranquility Lane simulation. Sometimes the player must wait several days for Dogmeat to return to Vault 101, but the player can bypass this by waiting 24 to 48 hours in the Wastes via the wait function.


 * If Dogmeat is killed in the PC version of Fallout 3, he can be respawned at the player's position using the console commands "prid 0006a775", "resurrect", "moveto player", and "resetquest 943ed" without quotation marks. Talk to him, and recruit him again -- it will be as if you're meeting him again for the first time in the Scrapyard.


 * In the PC version of Fallout 3, you can use the console to make sure the character never dies. The character will, instead of dying, be rendered unconscious and recover after a while. Console command for |Dogmeat: This is highly recommended. The dog is in many ways the best companion, but his health is extremely hard to monitor, and as combat become more treacherous he WILL die. Too bad that you couldn't buy a puppy etc from a trader. (See remarks on Companions)


 * Investing in the Animal Friend perk can prevent a companion's untimely demise at the teeth and claws of Yao Guai or other animals.

Statistics

 * Health: 500
 * SPECIAL: 7ST, 8PE, 7EN, 6CH, 2IN, 8AG, 3LK


 * Skills
 * Combat Skill: 60


 * Dog stats
 * Attack Damage: 5
 * Attack Reach: 48
 * Turning Speed: 90
 * Foot Weight: 1.0
 * Base Scale: 1.0
 * Fatigue: 50
 * Speed Mult %: 100

Glitches

 * Although it may not be a glitch, Dogmeat has trouble with stairs, and will make large, unnecessary leaps to get up and down staircases. If watching closely he may appear to float for a moment.


 * If the player leaves Dogmeat in his/her home during a quest Dogmeat might bug out of the house and might be encountered randomly during your current quest, or the message "Dogmeat is waiting outside of Vault 101" will randomly pop up. If the latter occurs the player will later have to retrieve him.


 * He also has a tendency to just disappear. This has happened while trying to enter (or leave) Springvale School, the Nuka-Cola Factory, Dunwich Building, and Evergreen Mills. Dogmeat can also disappear if he accidentally gets stuck in a pile of debris. If you wait outside of a building for a long time (EX 12 hours) Dog meat may appear right in front of you when you stop waiting. You can also try fast traveling, which may or may not fix the problem.


 * Sometimes when sending Dogmeat to find ammo or chems, he wont come back for many days, and when he does randomly re-appear he has no items for you.


 * I discovered Dogmeat in the test labs of Vault 87 after I told him to wait in my Megaton house. He was still waiting, but was in a corridor near some stairs.


 * When ordered to Vault 101 by the player from the Citadel, sometimes he will just disappear and you will never get the 'Dogmeat is waiting at Vault 101' message.


 * Sometimes Dogmeat gets in the way and prevents you moving. Dont lose your temper! Just keep pushing and he will move. Or simply jump over him.

Hoax

 * There is a viral hoax that Dogmeat can use weapons, or in particular Wazer Wifle. See Wazer Wifle Hoax.