Sorry I couldn't find the thread again today but someone was asking what the lowest level you could get to Zion was. Apparently Level 1 if you're careful. I managed to get to the Happy Trails caravan at Level 1 but I dinged to 2 completing the quest to arrive there. If I'd been a bit more careful travelling to Happy Trails (avoiding the discover new location exp) It would probably have been level 1.

Whether this is a good idea is debatable. The critters and tribals scale down to your level but you also seem to get less exp for completing the quests at this low a level (sorry I wasn't writing it down to compare with my high level character). You will get some very nice weapons and armor early on by completing the zone but you may want to save it until later when exp is geting harder to come by.

The Route.
If anyone's curious as to getting past the Death Claws at the quarry area, as soon as you finish character creation and leave the Doc's office, get the Stealth Boy from the safe in the school house (there's always one there, the loot isn't random). Travel due east from Goodsprings keeping on a line to the south of the cross at the Yangtze Memorial. If you see any coyotes swing clear of them and they won't chase you.

Once you hit the highway/railroad tracks turn north. The Powder Gangers won't be hostile to you yet unless you attack one. When you get to Sloan turn east through the canyons. There are some bark scorpions there but you can outun them pretty easily. Once you get to chain link fence at Hidden Valley angle a bit to your left / north and you should come around the cliff to Neil's Shack at the foot of Black Mountain. A good idea to save here.

Stay off the road and keep going east from the shack till you hit a sheer wall and start going north, staying as high up as you can. Start sneaking and watch your Hidden icon (having your Stealthboy hot keyed is a good idea here) and when you get close to the Gomorrah bill board it will usually click over to Caution. Use your Stealthboy and keep hugging high up on the cliff until you're able to start going due east.

Keep going east until you get to the 188 overpass. From there look to the northwest for the Lucky 38 "space needle" tower and aim for it (if you have the draw distance turned down head north north west). Head towards there and skirt along the east side of New Vegas. Once you get to the Crimson Caravan head north to the hills then turn west and follow the quest marker.

I may have to try this when HH comes out on PS3. Thanks!.

I use this method every time I start a game, to get the intelligence implant at level one.

But you do not need the stealth boy. You can stay up on the high ground that neil's shack is on until you reach a point where you can see a dead NCR trooper on the path to Black Mountain. If you go up the side path there when no mutants are around, you don't need the stealth boy. You may take a little damage from the bear traps and falling rocks, but seeing as you shouldn't encounter any hostiles after that point until the Strip, you should be good.

I'll probably have to try a game were I start out with getting the implant, and then the DLCs, just for a challenge.

*EDIT*
Damn. Double post.

Thanks for the tip. Have to check it out;).

Finished Zion with the character I got there at Level 2. He was Level 10 when I was done and had completed all the quests including Ghost of She (.45 smg, can feel the nerf calls coming already). It was actually pretty fun but I'm not sure if I'll carry on with the character. The gear you get by the end is so overpowered for that level it makes most of the regular Mojave content next to trivial.

I actually got there at level one, no matter what you level up to two when you arrive at Zion.

Good stuff.

I did all the FO3 dlcs at level 1, but I was kinda thinkin' after DM that I may not be able to do NV's. I've heard of a few folks doing DM at lvl1 and now you've done HH, so it looks like a lvl DLC jaunt is in the works for me. Thanks.

-gunny out.