Fallout: New Vegas - Become a master criminal using just a magic bucket and a loophole

How did THIS one slip through the net?

Words: David Houghton on October 28, 2010

Exploring New Vegas? Short on cash and low on ammo? Resigned yourself to thieving for supplies, but can't be bothered with all the aggro that goes with it? Don't want to waste your last valuable Stealth Boy on a simple case of common robbery? Well have we got the exploit for you.

All you'll need is a common-or-garden bucket. Because buckets in Fallout: New Vegas, it seems, have mystical properties. They turn your crime invisible allowing you to get away with the most blatent and surreally amusing crime in all of Nevada.

Simply find one of said multi-purpose recepticles, carry it to the scene of your chosen heist, and fill it with what you want. Then just drag the bucket away. It's that simple. Apparently the people of New Vegas can only register one item you're carrying at a time, and have no qualms with whatever you might want to do with your very own cylindrical metal pot. Here's the proof:

Glitch, loophole, or radiation-derived brain-failure? Only Bethesda and Obsidian know for sure. But either way, you'd better start hoarding now in case of bucket-nerfing patch.

Oct 28, 2010

Platforms:

Xbox 360, PC, PS3

23 comments

View as:
Newest first
Oldest first

odingod - January 19, 2011 12:32 a.m.

if you use this glitch (pre patch). you and the seller must have multiple of the exact same item but you sell something in good condition and buy the same item in bad condition in the same transaction and the condition of the bought item changes to the condition of the item sold (making it more valuable) and the condition of the item sold drops. you get the caps for the sale and the cheep item bought rises in value wilst the sold item drops so you can repeat. you can use the same item to sell over and over. you can take a sellers entire inventory this way. if you leave the item in the sellers inventory and your better item nearby, you can return over and over again to do the same thing. if you do it with Mick at Mick and Ralphs you can get him to do repairs as well (i found a max of around 20,000 caps worth is ok but much more and it won't work), then recoup you money. i have done this many times and gotten thousands in repairs, caps and his entire inventory for nothing. he also restocks over time. different sellers do it for different items so play around til you find something that works for you.
- Reply
- Report
Gameguy94 - October 30, 2010 3:19 p.m.

LAME! I already did this awhile ago to the Silver Rush. I didn't pilfer all the ammo however I 'll have to go back and get it.
- Reply
- Report
bonerachieved - October 29, 2010 2:51 p.m.

Totalllllllllllllllly awesome
- Reply
- Report
NinjaPopsicle - October 29, 2010 11:54 a.m.

@D0CCON: Yeah, this really isn't a new glitch/exploit. I did that too, and the same applies here, picking things up isn't considered stealing so you can just pick up what you want and drag it to someplace where nobody sees you and take it. Though, I do see this being useful for taking a bunch of small things, just load up the bucket and take it all at once, rather than one by one. Like going shopping, only without the hassle of paying.
- Reply
- Report
Wing126 - October 29, 2010 2:40 a.m.

@ninjaemperor Not really a waste since you can just buy another with all the caps you can earn. Theres 5 laser rifles in a cabinet beside the counter. Thats at least 3000 caps right there. And stealth boys are less than 100...
- Reply
- Report
Kaltoria - October 28, 2010 10:45 p.m.

i've been doing this since fallout 3 and the silver rush seemed like a god send, also it's a bit obvious,but because i except some people won't understand "you don't need the bucket"
- Reply
- Report
ninjaemperor - October 28, 2010 8:33 p.m.

@Wing126, did you even read the article, he specifically says this is for people who don't want to waste stealth boys.
- Reply
- Report
Wing126 - October 28, 2010 8:19 p.m.

Also that door he goes through is locked and it's a hard lock so stealth boy is the easiest way to go.
- Reply
- Report
Wing126 - October 28, 2010 8:18 p.m.

You could just use a Stealth Boy and steal everything right in front of their noses.... Also anyone else notice they used a fallout 3 screenshot on the main page?
- Reply
- Report
elmaropwnz - October 28, 2010 7:45 p.m.

also, you can take the plasma caster and flamer. so you don't even have to fit it in the bucket
- Reply
- Report
elmaropwnz - October 28, 2010 7:42 p.m.

I figured that out the night the game came out! p.s if you carry things from the front desk into the bathroom in the back, you can pile it all, crouch and take everything!
- Reply
- Report
Larinah - October 28, 2010 6:30 p.m.

I remember trying to do something like this in Oblivion. The difference was, of course, that even picking the item up is considered stealing it. My guess is that if this wasn't intended (which I highly doubt it is...) they'll put that same lock on the game. REcaptcha: and thefise wtf is a thefise?
- Reply
- Report
notallgoodnameswheretaken - October 28, 2010 6:27 p.m.

@D0CCON I did that, too.
- Reply
- Report
D0CCON - October 28, 2010 5:52 p.m.

I kinda did this in Fallout 3, but not with a bucket. I'd pick the item up, go to someplace without people, and then steal it. This saves more time, but that worked too.
- Reply
- Report
BlackNavi - October 28, 2010 4:59 p.m.

OR you can use the money (caps) glitch at the casino in Primm and then just go to the store and BUY everything.
- Reply
- Report
Hydrohs - October 28, 2010 4:02 p.m.

Is it just me or did anyone else actually picture this scenario happening in real life? Some guy crouched dragging a bucket full of stolen goods as everyone watched without a care. So funny.
- Reply
- Report
Clovin64 - October 28, 2010 2:44 p.m.

Its not quite as fun as just slaughtering everybody and then nicking their stuff, is it?
- Reply
- Report
TheJuda - October 28, 2010 2:37 p.m.

It would be nice if you gave some credit to the guy who made the video. Just sayin.
- Reply
- Report
Kage_No_Shi - October 28, 2010 2:34 p.m.

Nice trick. There is another way of getting stuff easily, though it requires a silenced weapon (I use a modded Varmint rifle). Just stealth kill any no-name nobody (Like NCR recruits), loot their corpse, and since they're dead, they don't own it, and you can sell it even to the store-owner nearby (I'm referring to the Mojave desert outpost with the NCR troops). The recruits respawn with time, so you can keep doing this, and their stuff fetches anywhere from about 40, to over 100 with the gun, and about the same with their medium armor, and they also have hats and ammo and the like. Since you stealth-killed them, you're fine. Just be careful, if the one that died was in the immediate view of other people, you could be caught.
- Reply
- Report
TheWhitestMexican - October 28, 2010 2:31 p.m.

I would have SO MUCH cool shit if this worked in real life.
- Reply
- Report