I am currently around 43 hours into the game at level 22. The bug I am currently experiencing is a main storyline showstopper. I have seen it documented in unofficial areas but didn't see it in any of the official Bethesda forums so I am logging it.

I am vilified by Caesar's Legion. But I have the Mark of Caesar. As soon as I put on Legion armor my ranking with them changes to "Neutral." I go to Cottonwood Cove, I'm offered the boatride to meet with Caesar at the Fort. So far, so good. I can walk around the Fort without issue. I am told the Mark of Caesar is protecting me. As soon as I cross the Fort drawbridge I am still OK. HOWEVER, the second a DOG sees me, it attacks me unprovoked and I am now in combat with everyone. I have tried everything including a route to Caesar's tent which allowed me to avoid all dogs. Unfortunately as soon as you enter his tent there is a DOG there and he attacks me and I am instantly killed by the Legion.

What do I do?? I don't want to lose this entire playthrough simply because of the bug, but I also don't want to be forced to kill Caesar without ever speaking to him to advance the main plot and get the platinum chip. Terrible.

I had a thought on a workaround I was wondering if anyone could comment on. There is a perk that supposedly will make animals never attack you unprovoked. Does anyone have the perk and can confirm this would work as a workaround? Any other solutions similar gamers have found?

I put this in the PS3 thread because it is the system I am playing the game on, but Google searches have shown PC and 360 users are having the same problem.

Have you tried this without Legion armor?

Dogs have a script that allows them to see through disguises and raise the alarm. Maybe that script is over-riding the Mark of Caesar script. Without Legion armor, the disguise script shouldn't be in effect.

thanks Showler. I did. I am not sure if this is yet another bug, but wearing ANY other armor, including faction neutral armor will cause the Legion to go nuts and attack.

The only armor I can wear around them is Legion armor. But the dogs shouldn't be "seeing through" the "disguise." I have the Mark of Caesar and amnesty. The Legion know exactly who I am and why I am there. It was explained to me when I got to the fort I am free to wander the grounds and find my own way to Caesar. Just those stinking dogs didn't get the memo, and as soon as they initiate me into combat, it is all over.

Yeah, sounds like something they'll have to work around. When you first get the Mark of Caesar all your crimes against the Legion are supposed to be wiped clean, and you should be set to neutral with them again. If you attack them after you get the mark, you can become vilified again.

I would definitely say that the dog's disguise detection script is conflicting with the Mark of Caesar script. An override is necessary for your situation.

That said, you really shouldn't have gotten vilified again if you intended to go see Caesar. Unless that was a bug too.

I'm at the point I have to see Caesar. He has Benny, and I need the chip to move forward in the main plot.

What's also weird is I've heard of PC users trying to use the console commands to reset their status with the Legion from Vilified to Idolized and still having my problem. I think you are right about the scripting problem.

I am interested to hear if the animal perk could override this as well. If I have to wander around doing more side quests while hoping this is resolved in the BIG PATCH anyway, I guess I'll try to grab that perk and go back to the Fort.

Looking at the scripts, I think that should work.

It appears the sniffer script works by dropping the dog out of the LegionArmor faction, which is the one that keeps Legion from going hostile when you're wearing their armor.

If they are also in the Animal Friend faction, that should do the same job of keeping them from going hostile.

Thanks for doing all that detective work Showler!

If anyone else has had any success with overcoming this would love to hear it. Otherwise I'm going to try and get myself a couple of levels up ASAP to grab the Animal Friend perk and see if it does the trick. I'll report back either way.

Never had that issue with the dogs before.

I had the same problem, but with an NCR Dog at Helios 1. it was the left side activation computer. I was in good terms with the NCR, I actually did pretty much every quest for them, but, as soon as I this
dog saw me, he attacked me. Then all the NCR at Helios started to shoot me. What I did, I left my stupid comrades behind, I entered the compound ran to the computer then ran back. Manage to do it without killing the dogs. I don't know why it turned on me though. Just try to avoid him, or at least don't attack him.

"Just try to avoid him, or at least don't attack him. " - That's what I was trying to do, and made it up to Caesar's tent undetected. But as soon as I walk into the tent, there is a DOG guarding it. AAAAAAAAAARGHY BLARGHY!

Weird to hear that you had a similar problem with the NCR, Malakar. It sounds like Showler's theory that animals were dropped from being faction specific, and therefore treating our characters differently than humans in factions is probably the issue. Especially since PC users who were trying to fix this problem by "cheating" and setting their faction reputation to Idolized were still getting attacked by dogs.

Just to be clear, they are different issues.

The Legion Mongrels you are having trouble with are behaving "properly", the removal from the ArmorFaction is intended. You are vilified with the Legion and having to sneak in with a disguise. The dogs see through the disguise and attack you. That is intended. Technically, you should have to fight your way through the Legion because you wasted your chance for peaceful contact. The guy who gives you the Mark warns you that any future transgressions will not be forgiven.

The problem there is inconsistent behaviour because when you are disguised the rest of the Legion treats you as Neutral and continues with the quest dialogue, which gives the impression that you are still under the "safe passage" warrant when you aren't anymore.

If you didn't get set to neutral when you were given the Mark, then that is a bug. If you were and then you killed some more Legionnaires on your way to Cottonwood Cove, then the behaviour is pretty much correct, but may mess up some players because of the dog in the tent.

The NCR dogs at HELIOS One are a different situation entirely. Those three dogs are a special "aggressive" version of the NCR Guard Dog. Their AI settings make them attack both Hostile and Neutral enemies. You can only avoid being attacked by them if you are friendly with the NCR. This is problematic, because you can talk your way into the facility when you are Neutral, which leaves you having to deal with the dogs. This too seems to be intentional since the dogs are definitely labelled as an aggressive variety (and don't have handlers).

Well that's enlightening, still a pain in the ass but good to know. thx!

Showler if I wasn't clear I *am* protected by the Mark. The dialog from the Legion makes it VERY explicitly clear. I am not "sneaking" around. The fact that often the Legion will attack me if I'm wearing anything but Legion armor seems to be a secondary bug.

The Mark of Caesar doesn't actually protect you.

It resets your status to Neutral, but if you change it after getting the Mark you will still be attacked.

The dialogue is bugged because it has no controls for whether you are vilified but disguised instead of neutral. You shouldn't be getting that dialogue because they should be attacking you on sight.

If you take off the disguise, they react "normally" to you. They try to kill you.

So this is like Inception, but with bugs. There are bugs wrapped in bugs wrapped in bugged dialog trees. FYI when I went to Cottonwood Cove everyone there saw my Mark of Caesar and knew who I was. Nothing seemed abnormal except those pesky hounds!

I'd imagine you were wearing the Legion armor then.

Legion Armor should work on anyone except the Sniffer dogs and a few named NPCs. I wish there was a way for you to remove the dogs and test it. Hopefully the animal friend will act as a "disguise" for the dogs.

I'd be curious to see if you would be attacked in the tent without the Legion armor. The unique NPCs in there may have different AI to the rest of the camp.

Ever tried sneaking to the tent entrance and then removing the Legion armor and very quickly activating the door to the tent?

"Ever tried sneaking to the tent entrance and then removing the Legion armor and very quickly activating the door to the tent?" - I did try this last night after seeing your suggestion and sadly, no dice.

Also I got myself up two ranks to level 24, making me eligible for a new perk. Aaaaaand I don't have enough survival to be able to get Animal Friend. Oh well.

So my new thought is that if the real bug is that while wearing Legion armor the Legion is confused and allowing me to Caesar's tent because of the mark, then I'm screwed. I will most likely not be able to talk to Caesar, and the BIG FIX that is coming will potentially make the Fort a death zone the second I step in. So if I have to kill Caesar anyway in this playthrough in order to get the Platinum Chip and move the plot forward, I'm going to do it pre-patch so I can bring my companions in and get as close to the tent as possible without having to initiate combat.

If you managed to sneak in some C4, then it's pretty easy to recover all your weapons.

Or you can refuse to give them up when you arrive and just start laying waste to everyone in the camp right away.

another fun bug, when I go to the fort the guard does NOT engage me. I don't even have to have the conversation about surrendering my weapons unless I specifically choose to. So I am going to hopefully get at least close to the tent before having to engage combat.

I can't wait to show the Legion how awesome my plasma weapons are.

I wouldn't, honestly.

The guys in the tent are hard core fighters. Best strategy is to eliminate everyone outside the tent first, plant some explosives (mines, powder charges, c4) outside the tent, go in and start the fight without your companions and draw some of them out to your trap.

Or just leave your companions outside, chem yourself to the brim and pound on them while pumping in stimpaks and food.

FWIW, I had the same problem with the Legion. I forget how I did it, but I was able to make my way through the camp by avoiding dogs and I think I used a Stealth Boy and faction armor or was somehow able to get past the dogs. I wish I could remember how I was able to get through it, but there IS a way. And then once you are able to talk to Ceasar and he gives you the quest to go down to blow up the bunker, you can still be spotted and attacked. But once you complete that first task and get some positive fame, I was fine.

I also had a problem getting into Cottonwood Cove without the Legion going aggro if I passed a Legionnaire with a dog. If I circled around and avoided anyone but the guy at the docks, I was fine. So it is not limited to the Fort.

I am absolutely certain I did not kill any Legion from the time I got the Mark until I got to Cottonwood Cove. The only Legion I had killed before were the ones that attacked me when I freed the captives from Nipton.

I had the same problem with the NCR dogs at Helios by the 2nd computer terminal. I had about 45% stealth, so I ducked down and took all 3 out with a grenade and apparently nobody noticed the explosion and little doggy bits flying around. Stealth attacks with grenades are fun!

Have you tried to raise your reputation with the Legion ?

I found a glitch that allows you to reach idolized without damaging your status amongst the other factions:

You need at least 50 skill points on your Explosives skill. In Cotton Cove talk to Decanus Severus and teach him how to deactivate land mines, you should be able to keep repeating this challenge as many times as you wish.

I have had this trouble recently, after talking with Ceaser and getting the story along a bit, I have to got back but the dogs attack. Does anyone know if the Animal Friend perk works? Also, other than Ommega42's advice is there any way of getting your reputaion up with them again?