Equiping / Healing Caravans?

[GamerChas]

In FO3, upgrading the 4 named caravans was a thing. There was plenty of extra armor and weapons to use that was much better than their default stuff. And if you did not upgrade, then later in the game they died a lot.

I am level 10 now and in Novac. So far, I do not see anything good to upgrade them with.

Is it a thing in FONV to upgrade caravans? If I add stimpacks to their inventory, Will they use them?

I am playing in hard core if that makes any difference with the caravans.

Assuming they will use a stimpack: I did give a couple of stimpacks to a crippled caravan guard that keeps limping along far behind the merchant and brahman. But he does not use it. In FO3 the caravans would only heal with a stimpack when in combat. A trick I read about in FO3 was to stealth, then shoot a wounded caravan guard with a BB so he would heal using a stimpack because he was in combat. I do not have a BB gun right now, so I cannot test this idea. Think it will work? If the guard gets into combat with something, will that auto-heal him? maybe I can lure a mole rat into his path. Any other way to heal the crippled guard?

[ArekkusuStorm]

Couple of things..

Stimpacks do not heal crippled limbs, they simply heal you now.

Back in fallout 3 what I remember is that NPCs would heal with a stimpack only after getting dropped to a certain amount of HP.

For the crippled guard I'm not sure if he'll recover because you can only fix crippled limbs with 'Doctor Bag(s)' and I'm not sure if NPCs use them (never tried).

As for the caravan, all the caravans in New Vegas are just regular caravans.

NPCs will use stimpacks usual'y during a battle if you give them one (reverse pickpocketing or console). For companions, they will auto heal to full after any battle unless they are poisoned, in which case they will still take damage even after healing to full and can die. You can give them a stimpack to use by using the 'Give stimpack' option on the companion wheel.

Edited May 2, 2013 by ArekkusuStorm

[laclongquan]

If you want to upgrade caravans, you might as well additem to their inventory. Not that it's necessary, since game engine will respawn killed ones. Another method is using console to create that EXACT merchant caravan. They will go along with the real one using same type of route and providing firepower. The clones wont have merchant inventory, alas, so there's no fear of too many shops to buy. For that matter, just clone the mercenary in that caravan is enough.