How is Caesar's army not a joke?

[Risewild]

Ah! Found them.
The ones with only Machetes are Legion Raiders, and their weapons are dependent on player level, once the player hits the level 16 all of the Legion Raiders gain a ranged weapon (16 they gain a caravan shotgun and 21 they gain a cowboy repeater), some of the lower levels also get throwing spears. Also some gain a single shotgun, I think those gain it at player level 11.

This is made for balance since the player is expected to be lower level by the time he finds those Legion Raiders (like in Nipton). If they had caravan shotguns or cowboy repeaters by then when the player will be around level 10 or if it rushes even lower and with weak equipment (specially if it rushes), then the player wouldn't stand much of a chance on vanilla Fallout New Vegas (4 legion soldiers shooting at the player plus Vulpes slashing with a Ripper = dead player fast).

Also it is worth pointing out that these are named Legionary Raider and not Legionary Recruit. The raiders are like the low of the lowest that are sent into the wastes with the bare minimum (as not to waste resources in case they get killed while making them stronger and more experienced to be placed as recruits and fight in the wars) to scavenge or raid caravans and locations that have no defenses, they are not to be used in a battle front during the war.

 

[Cobra Commander]

I just went through all the NPCs with "LegionRecruit", "LegionaryRecruit" and "LegionaryWastelandRecruit" on their names and they all have the guns, throwing spears and machetes. The ones with the explosives are the "LegionaryWastelandRecruits" named ones.
This is checking GECK only with NV master on. Since that is the base game.
Does any DLC add the ones with just the machetes?

Here, my man

Id: LegionaryRaider
name: Recruit Legionary

There are 19 of this guys in the game. I made a quick check and you can find two of them guarding the Techatticup Mine entrance.

edit: pretty sure that aside a ocasional Legion Assassin, they don´t have Brush Guns. What do they have are Hunting Rifles (almost the same thing).

edit2: hey, you already find them =p

 

[FreedomStalker]

Most of the lower ranks are very badly armed and armored. Historically speaking, what happens when you get a bunch of guys with melee weapons to charge guys with firearms? A lot of dead natives during european colonial conquests.

Sure, NCR troopers aren't exactly like US army rangers, but the service rifle is still a 5.56mm semi automatic rifle. Each NCR trooper should be able to take on several legion recruits (guys with machetes) easily in most conditions.

Obviously that would be quite imbalanced game wise, but lore wise, it seems that the bulk of Caesar's army should be highy ineffective except during night raids, etc.

Even the assault at hoover dam as potrayed in the game makes little sense. The topside of the dam is largely an open killing field with several towers, and the NCR has plenty of snipers and machine guns. And the assault was launched in broad daylight to boot (cant remember if the time depends on the player's actions). And swimming up the pipes (or whatever it is the legion does to get inside the dam) seems highly implausible.

It's been awhile since I last played Fallout New Vegas but I believe the game, emphasized several times that the Legion has strength in numbers going for them. And not all of them only carry melee weapons. The Legion you see in Fallout New Vegas is just the tip of the ice berg.

 

[Cobra Commander]

It's been awhile since I last played Fallout New Vegas but I believe the game, emphasized several times that the Legion has strength in numbers going for them. And not all of them only carry melee weapons.

Far more complex then that.

- They have spies, NCR simply can´t counteract that. There is one in Hoover Dam, there´s another in Camp MacCarran and a thrid one kill everyone in Camp Searchlight. Also, Vulpes does not seem to have trouble going wherever he wants. Ah, there´s also a spy girl (yeah, a GIRL working for the Legion, even she does not know it). Martina Groesbeck is her name.
NCR don´t have spies in Caesar´s Legion.

- The Centurion at Camp McCarran is an exception to the rule. Legionaries do not allow themselves to be prisoners. NCR prisoners are: 3 in Nipton and a Ranger in The Fort. Prisoners = Intel.

- Legionaries are committed to the cause. NCR? You can find some deserters in Primm. Private Stone Stone steals his compatriots. Misfits are a bunch of lazys. Even Hanlon sabotages the communications.

- A legionnaire has been trained since childhood. The typical NCR soldier in Mojave has two weeks of training.

- Without the almighty Courier the Legion: Kills the president of a nation, blows up the safest access to Vegas, recruits the Khans, uses top line weapons from the Van Graffs and Omertas, won the second battle for Hoover Dam. What they already made: kill everyone in Camp Searchlight, Nipton, Nelson and Ranger Charlie Station. What are the accomplishments of NCR?

Enough. There are more examples, but this has already given the idea that the Legion is far from a joke.

 

[CerberusGate]

What are the accomplishments of NCR?

Got drunk on the Strip openly? Gotten in trouble with the locals? Not made any progress due to being outstretched by "Wait-and-see" Oliver?

The NCR ain't doing so well aside from general tasks. I may be forgetting some but for the most part, the Legion is in a superior position before the Courier's intervention.

 

[BitterHawk]

Most of the lower ranks are very badly armed and armored. Historically speaking, what happens when you get a bunch of guys with melee weapons to charge guys with firearms? A lot of dead natives during european colonial conquests.

Sure, NCR troopers aren't exactly like US army rangers, but the service rifle is still a 5.56mm semi automatic rifle. Each NCR trooper should be able to take on several legion recruits (guys with machetes) easily in most conditions.

Obviously that would be quite imbalanced game wise, but lore wise, it seems that the bulk of Caesar's army should be highy ineffective except during night raids, etc.

Even the assault at hoover dam as potrayed in the game makes little sense. The topside of the dam is largely an open killing field with several towers, and the NCR has plenty of snipers and machine guns. And the assault was launched in broad daylight to boot (cant remember if the time depends on the player's actions). And swimming up the pipes (or whatever it is the legion does to get inside the dam) seems highly implausible.

That's why the legion ending isn't canon. Won't be canon. Probably.

 

[Question2]

Sure, the legion has advantages going for them. So did the natives whom were conquered by Europeans during the colonial age (not sure if thats an actual official age, im referring to the time period when European settlers established colonies in Africa, etc). European armies were usually heavily outnumbered against natives armed with a mix of guns/melee weapons, aside from a few famous screw ups where the Europeans allowed themselves to get encircled with logistics cut off, they tended to lose battles with lopsided casaulties.

You can send in a whole bunch of canon fodder armed with poor weapons, but even if you win you are still going to lose most of them to one guy with a service rifle. And you are going to run out of canon fodder pretty quickly, especially in a brutal society where modern medicine is outlawed and which doesnt place any kind of emphasis on raising families.

I think a lot were sacrificed for gameplay. It wouldnt be very balanced if you could gun down the typical legionnaire with a few rounds from a service rifle because that would make the game too easy (even easier than it already is, around level 15 and you can kill most human enemies in 1-2 shots) even if that would be "realistic". For the lore to make sense, I think the legion would have to be a lot better equipped than they are typically potrayed in NV...I mean at level 21 they have a cowboy repeater? At level 21 you would already be using skill level 75 weapons (without even trying to min-max) and would have access to combat armor. You could probably walk into the fort and kill everyone without even trying.

 

[Risewild]

Sure, the legion has advantages going for them. So did the natives whom were conquered by Europeans during the colonial age (not sure if thats an actual official age, im referring to the time period when European settlers established colonies in Africa, etc). European armies were usually heavily outnumbered against natives armed with a mix of guns/melee weapons, aside from a few famous screw ups where the Europeans allowed themselves to get encircled with logistics cut off, they tended to lose battles with lopsided casaulties.

You can send in a whole bunch of canon fodder armed with poor weapons, but even if you win you are still going to lose most of them to one guy with a service rifle. And you are going to run out of canon fodder pretty quickly, especially in a brutal society where modern medicine is outlawed and which doesnt place any kind of emphasis on raising families.

I think a lot were sacrificed for gameplay. It wouldnt be very balanced if you could gun down the typical legionnaire with a few rounds from a service rifle because that would make the game too easy (even easier than it already is, around level 15 and you can kill most human enemies in 1-2 shots) even if that would be "realistic". For the lore to make sense, I think the legion would have to be a lot better equipped than they are typically potrayed in NV...I mean at level 21 they have a cowboy repeater? At level 21 you would already be using skill level 75 weapons (without even trying to min-max) and would have access to combat armor. You could probably walk into the fort and kill everyone without even trying.

You really seem to have a poor memory, did you forgot that I showed in the G.E.C.K that the Legion is better equipped ingame than the NCR troopers:

Mate, you need to look at your GECK...
Legion Recruits come with the machetes, throwing spears, firearms and some even have explosives while NCR Troopers come with a Combat knife and the Service rifle.

NCR Trooper:

It says NCR Trooper Leader in the name but the inventory is exactly the same for all NCR Troopers I checked (more than 15 records and I even checked some that are not even used in addition) except for the ones on the Strip (no weapons of course) and pre dam battle ones.

Legion Recruit:

and

Ah! Found them.
The ones with only Machetes are Legion Raiders, and their weapons are dependent on player level, once the player hits the level 16 all of the Legion Raiders gain a ranged weapon (16 they gain a caravan shotgun and 21 they gain a cowboy repeater), some of the lower levels also get throwing spears. Also some gain a single shotgun, I think those gain it at player level 11.

This is made for balance since the player is expected to be lower level by the time he finds those Legion Raiders (like in Nipton). If they had caravan shotguns or cowboy repeaters by then when the player will be around level 10 or if it rushes even lower and with weak equipment (specially if it rushes), then the player wouldn't stand much of a chance on vanilla Fallout New Vegas (4 legion soldiers shooting at the player plus Vulpes slashing with a Ripper = dead player fast).

Also it is worth pointing out that these are named Legionary Raider and not Legionary Recruit. The raiders are like the low of the lowest that are sent into the wastes with the bare minimum (as not to waste resources in case they get killed while making them stronger and more experienced to be placed as recruits and fight in the wars) to scavenge or raid caravans and locations that have no defenses, they are not to be used in a battle front during the war.

You keep saying that the Legion is badly equipped but the game has them being better equipped than the NCR troopers. It's like a painting being blue and someone else says the painting is orange while looking at it.

EDIT: Also you say that a cowboy repeater is nothing against the player at level 21, but the player at level 21 can also mow down every NCR trooper easily. Your argument is about how the Legion is a joke compared to NCR, not the player.
The Legion is portrayed as stronger than the NCR, the player is always the uber-powerful force of nature that can kill everything easily. The player is not NCR or Legion, the player is an outside force.

 

[Question2]

Rise, im talking about how a service rifle is better than the weapons that what legion recruits have. This is mostly from a lore perspective since the service rifle is a semi auto 5.56mm rifle which is much better than things like varmint rifles, single shotguns, etc.

 

[Risewild]

The Service Rifle is actually balanced to be as effective against Legion Recruits as the Cowboy Repeater is against NCR Troopers in the game.
The Service Rifle deals less damage per shot but deals more damage per second (because it shoots much faster). This works well against low armored enemies (Legion Recruits), but the Cowboy Repeater deals more damage per shot but less damage per second (because it shoots slower). This works well against better armored enemies (NCR Troopers).
Also remember that Legion Soldiers have healing so they can brush off a couple of shots by healing the damage, they can also come with explosives which can deal a large amount of area damage in one go and can bypass some cover (being thrown over the cover).

And if I understand Legion tactics lore, in big battles they would have a few of them providing cover fire (keeping the enemy from firing back for some time) with their firearms and explosives while a large group would charge, the front soldiers would fall from enemy fire but they would also be like a meat shield for the back soldiers. That is a great strategy for someone with numbers and that doesn't care about the number of casualties on his side.

In the lore it says that the NCR only managed to hold the dam against such tactics by deploying an explosive sneak attack while pretending to flee. Because their forces couldn't withstand the waves of Legion Soldiers, they were just too many.

 

[Javier Solís]

Fallout Wiki: NCR trooper

An average soldier in the NCR army is issued with a service rifle and a 9mm pistol. . . .

NCR troopers only have one firearm on them at one time, according to the GECK leveled lists. This varies on the trooper's post in the game, with camp Forlorn Hope troopers having caravan shotguns and other low tier guns, regular troops have service rifles and troopers in the battle of Hoover Dam have higher tier weapons such as 12.7mm pistols. All troopers do have a combat knife on them, however.

 

[Brycen]

As opposed to @Risewild 's evidence via G.E.C.K? The Legion's higher ranked members do spawn with actual firearms of good condition (in fact, the number of brush guns that they spawn with makes you wonder how the Legion is not winning more often).

You mean incomplete "evidence", as has been proven by the encounter with the Legion in Nipton? Most Recruit Legionaries in Nipton were armed only with machetes, and even Vulpes Inculta, the leader of the frumentarii in Caesar's Legion, was armed only with the Ripper, a close-range melee weapon. Plus, they wore their ridiculous football "armor". Look at the video again.

Fallout Wiki: Recruit Legionary

The NCR, however, offers superior firearm training and equipment to its troops.​

Plus, the NCR has radios (more so than the Legion because of the emergency radios) and access to Vertibirds.

It's a wonder then how the Legion is able to wipe out entire NCR outposts or track you down across the Mojave without employing modern technology.

What you said is not fact, just you misrepresenting the narrative and point to suit your agenda as always.

No, it is a fact because it is verifiable within the game: start a new character, make your way to Nipton and see for yourself.

Well, the NCR is overstretched in the region. Most of the actual forces in lore were moved to Hoover Dam because General Lee Oliver wants to make some 'epic' final battle without recognizing the dangers of spreading his soldiers thin, making the region insecure and allowing the Legion to continue sneaking into the Mojave region undetected (the fact that in the Battle of Hoover Dam, it is mentioned that there are Legion assaults in some outlying cities suggesting that the infiltration by the Legion was successful). Plus the Legion has bodies to spare so they can continue throwing bodies while using that distraction to derail and sabotage NCR positions in those outstretched areas. How else could Frumentarii get so far into NCR lands (Nipton, Camp McCarran etc.)?

Even with supposedly being "overstretched", the NCR is still able to build military outposts across the Mojave, and men them with troopers equipped with professional military-grade armor/uniforms and, in most cases, military-grade firearms.

Fallout Wiki: NCR Army

Their large numbers mean the troopers utilize mass produced equipment made from durable materials that perform reliably and can survive harsh treatment. . . . It is superior to equipment employed by most adversaries of the NCR, namely raiders, nomadic tribes or the numerous recruit legionaries of Caesar. . . .​

The NCR still has large numbers and superior equipment. Being "overstretched" also means having a larger presence in the Mojave. Combined with the NCR radios (including emergency radios), it also provides for better logistics.

Fallout Wiki: Caesar's Legion

The most inexperienced of them, recruits . . . , wear the simplest of garments and are usually marched in the front line.​

You can only throw so many poorly equipped and inexperienced recruits against a relatively modern military in fortified positions before running out, especially when you still have to prepare for a massive battle at Hoover Dam. Despite the Legion supposedly having "bodies to spare", NCR still has large numbers and a larger presence in the Mojave, with superior equipment, including emergency radios and access to Vertibirds.

Finally, the game's portrayal of Caesar's Legion goes against what is known about the historical Roman Legion, including its battle strategies.

Stop being obtuse.

Legion are REGULARLY given firearms, not service rifles, but other, dangerous weapons.

This includes stuff up to BRUSH GUNS and anti materiel rifles capable of stopping deathclaws.

U mad? Stop being a hypocrite and see the answer above.

In the provided video example, only a single Legion Recruit in Nipton had a firearm in poor condition and inferior to the NCR service rifle.

Otherwise, the NCR still gets an overall superior equipment, emergency radios and access to Vertibirds.

Ah! Found them.
The ones with only Machetes are Legion Raiders, and their weapons are dependent on player level, once the player hits the level 16 all of the Legion Raiders gain a ranged weapon (16 they gain a caravan shotgun and 21 they gain a cowboy repeater), some of the lower levels also get throwing spears. Also some gain a single shotgun, I think those gain it at player level 11.

[. . .]

Also it is worth pointing out that these are named Legionary Raider and not Legionary Recruit. The raiders are like the low of the lowest that are sent into the wastes with the bare minimum (as not to waste resources in case they get killed while making them stronger and more experienced to be placed as recruits and fight in the wars) to scavenge or raid caravans and locations that have no defenses, they are not to be used in a battle front during the war.

Wrong, again!

Legion Raider = Recruit Legionary

Gaining a firearm at higher levels corresponds to the Legionaries having to scavenge weapons.

It's been awhile since I last played Fallout New Vegas but I believe the game, emphasized several times that the Legion has strength in numbers going for them. And not all of them only carry melee weapons. The Legion you see in Fallout New Vegas is just the tip of the ice berg.

That alone doesn't explain their success against the NCR, considering other factors taken into account and mentioned above.

- They have spies, NCR simply can´t counteract that. There is one in Hoover Dam, there´s another in Camp MacCarran and a thrid one kill everyone in Camp Searchlight. Also, Vulpes does not seem to have trouble going wherever he wants. Ah, there´s also a spy girl (yeah, a GIRL working for the Legion, even she does not know it). Martina Groesbeck is her name.
NCR don´t have spies in Caesar´s Legion.

See Fallout Wiki: Don't Tread on the Bear!

Little escapes the eyes of NCR Rangers. If you continue to work with Caesar's Legion, the NCR will brand you a terrorist.​

That doesn't sound like "NCR simply can't counteract that."

It is also known that NCR does have informant networks and spies in general.

See Fallout Wiki: Thomas Moore

In reality, Thomas Moore is an undercover NCR agent gathering intelligence on Vault City and smuggling its technology outside.​

In Fallout: New Vegas, the NCR also works with Van Graffs to trick the Legion into an ambush in "Birds of a Feather".

In the quest "Eye for an Eye", the NCR's First Sergeant Astor asks the Courier to collect intel on the Legion troop movements, raids and to plant a bug in their radio at Cottonwood Cove. Therefore, given the chance, the NCR does, in fact, employ spy tactics against the Legion.

Also, the dialogue with Martina Groesbeck has one of the dumbest lines for the Courier to say:

Courier: You work with the NCR? It was the Legion who sent me to protect you.
Martina Groesbeck: What? I only talk to Captain Curtis over at McCarran. I would never work with slavers. Honest.​

Why would the Courier blow his or her cover like that? Yet, the dialogue line triggers [another dialogue line with Vulpes Inculta at the Fort, which, in turn, triggers] a Legion quest titled "I Put a Spell on You". What a terrible writing!

- The Centurion at Camp McCarran is an exception to the rule. Legionaries do not allow themselves to be prisoners. NCR prisoners are: 3 in Nipton and a Ranger in The Fort. Prisoners = Intel.

How many Legion quests are there that involve successfully gathering intel from the NCR prisoners? Because the NCR has at least one Legion prisoner intel quest at Camp McCarran.

- Legionaries are committed to the cause. NCR? You can find some deserters in Primm. Private Stone Stone steals his compatriots. Misfits are a bunch of lazys. Even Hanlon sabotages the communications.

There were Legionaries in Nipton, going against the cause, whom Vulpes Inculta describes as "men of the Legion such as myself."

- A legionnaire has been trained since childhood. The typical NCR soldier in Mojave has two weeks of training.

That's two-to-three weeks of intense training with superior equipment.

Fallout Wiki: Recruit Legionary

These Legionaries are better trained than the average NCR trooper when it comes to sheer conditioning and hand to hand combat. The NCR, however, offers superior firearm training and equipment to its troops.​

- Without the almighty Courier the Legion: Kills the president of a nation, blows up the safest access to Vegas, recruits the Khans, uses top line weapons from the Van Graffs and Omertas, won the second battle for Hoover Dam. What they already made: kill everyone in Camp Searchlight, Nipton, Nelson and Ranger Charlie Station. What are the accomplishments of NCR?

According to the game's lore, the NCR won the first battle for Hoover Dam without the Courier's help.

Otherwise, it is nonsensical writing given the Legion and the NCR lore-wise military capabilities.

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE

Most of the time, this Recruit Legionary ambush party cannot even take on a travelling merchant caravan, especially considering the element of surprise:

Legion Ambush Fail


Otherwise, not without serious losses.

Another Legion party always gets slaughtered by the NCR near Camp Searchlight, unless the Courier interferes.

And this is supposed to be a major threat to the NCR that somehow wipes out its entire outposts?

The game's writing is nonsense.

Enough said!

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

Yey, outliers.

The dudes at nipton for me had hunting rifles and cowboy repeaters.

 

[Risewild]

You mean incomplete "evidence", as has been proven by the encounter with the Legion in Nipton? Most Recruit Legionaries in Nipton were armed only with machetes, and even Vulpes Inculta, the leader of the frumentarii in Caesar's Legion, was armed only with the Ripper, a close-range melee weapon. Plus, they wore their ridiculous football "armor". Look at the video again.

I posted about the Nipton Recruits (raiders) on the second post that I already quoted once and will now quote again:

Ah! Found them.
The ones with only Machetes are Legion Raiders, and their weapons are dependent on player level, once the player hits the level 16 all of the Legion Raiders gain a ranged weapon (16 they gain a caravan shotgun and 21 they gain a cowboy repeater), some of the lower levels also get throwing spears. Also some gain a single shotgun, I think those gain it at player level 11.

This is made for balance since the player is expected to be lower level by the time he finds those Legion Raiders (like in Nipton). If they had caravan shotguns or cowboy repeaters by then when the player will be around level 10 or if it rushes even lower and with weak equipment (specially if it rushes), then the player wouldn't stand much of a chance on vanilla Fallout New Vegas (4 legion soldiers shooting at the player plus Vulpes slashing with a Ripper = dead player fast).

Also it is worth pointing out that these are named Legionary Raider and not Legionary Recruit. The raiders are like the low of the lowest that are sent into the wastes with the bare minimum (as not to waste resources in case they get killed while making them stronger and more experienced to be placed as recruits and fight in the wars) to scavenge or raid caravans and locations that have no defenses, they are not to be used in a battle front during the war.

They will have guns depending on the PC level, and i also explained why they have only melee ones at the start, so the player has a chance (it's called balancing the game). In that video the PC is level 5, it is using the Courier's Stash weapons (which give a edge at low levels), bombed the enemies with the mercenary grenade rifle before engaging them, has the perks every level mod and still almost died a couple of times and had to use stimpaks to keep himself alive . That is how tough the Legion raiders are, the player even used a service rifle and didn't dent them much and had to change to a cowboy repeater (which shows it to be the superior weapon), on VATS 5 shots of the service rifle (which would consume all of the PC's AP) deals less damage than 2 shots of the cowboy repeater (which would consume only 1/3 of the PC's AP because he can actually shoot 3 times in VATS with the cowboy repeater).
Also, I like how you totally ignored on that video one of the Legion soldiers uses a shotgun, which actually serves as proof against your arguments that they only have machetes. I guess the PC level affects the weapons but there is still a small chance they will spawn with guns.
So thanks for the video that actually proves what I have been saying about the Legion in Nipton having guns (even at PC level 5) and that the cowboy repeater is actually balanced against the service rifle, which thanks to that video we can see it is actually superior .

The NCR, however, offers superior firearm training and equipment to its troops.

Have you played the game? It is explicitly said ingame that the NCR doesn't train their troopers more than two weeks of basic training anymore. "Former Staff sergeant, third platoon of Bravo Company: (...) I don't know what else the brass expects... half these kids don't get more than two weeks of training before they ship 'em out here."
It is explicitly said ingame that the NCR is badly equipped and even has logistical problems. "The Courier: "NCR doesn't have the caps to outfit their troops?"
Arms merchant: "Vegas is bleeding us dry. We're tossing caps at a hundred different problems, while Caesar bides his time and lets us wear ourselves out. This war is gonna bankrupt the NCR, unless we finish off the Legion fast and dirty. We shouldn't be perched up at the Dam - we ought to be crossing the Colorado and sticking a boot up Caesar's ass."

It is said explicitly ingame that many of the Legion soldiers are trained from birth and get superior training... "The Courier: "You mentioned that they were in good shape?"
Cassandra Moore: "Yes, extremely so. They must use conditioning routines on par with the rangers, or better. Their soldiers can run near half again as fast as my best men, and close distances with frightening speed. And they're as strong as they are fast. Their superior physicality makes them extremely dangerous up close, so I've had the men run drills for taking on larger, stronger opponents. But they've all been instructed to take them down at range, if possible. I've made it clear I don't want any heroes in my squad, just survivors."
"The Courier: "I understand."
Silus: "Good. But for her to trust you to re-enter the room, she'll need to believe you've been doing what she expects of you. You'll need to punch me until I'm bleeding and weak. Go on. This is nothing compared to the Legion's training."
"The Courier: "What kind of weapons do they use?"
Cassandra Moore: "Their standard kit seems to be a blade of some sort and light armor. Guns are not uncommon, but are of questionable condition. While they prefer to use their blades, it's common for them to scavenge better weapons from their enemies and use those. The men have been told to toss their weapons over the side of the dam if they receive a fatal wound, but I doubt many will remember."

No, it is a fact because it is verifiable within the game: start a new character, make your way to Nipton and see for yourself.

See my first point. It is definitely not a fact. Please don't close your eyes to actual facts.

Plus, the NCR has radios (moreso than the Legion because of the emergency radio) and access to Vertibirds.

Since you like to quote wikia so much:
"The NCR has very limited airpower, possessing a small fleet of captured Vertibirds reserved for political VIP's, with at least one Vertibird named "Bear Force One" reserved as the president's personal vehicle."
They have only a few vertibirds, they don't have any fueling station in the Mojave, they only use those vertibirds for political VIPs. Basically they are transport vehicles.

Even with supposedly being "overstretched", the NCR is still able to build military outposts across the Mojave, and men them with troopers equipped with professional military-grade armor/uniforms and, in most cases, military-grade firearms.

Fallout Wiki: NCR Army

Their large numbers mean the troopers utilize mass produced equipment made from durable materials that perform reliably and can survive harsh treatment. . . . It is superior to equipment employed by most adversaries of the NCR, namely raiders, nomadic tribes or the numerous recruit legionaries of Caesar. . . .

The NCR still has large numbers and superior equipment. Being "overstretched" also means having a larger presence in the Mojave. Combined with the NCR radios (including emergency radios), it also provides for better logistics.

Fallout Wiki: Caesar's Legion

The most inexperienced of them, recruits . . . , wear the simplest of garments and are usually marched in the front line.

You can only throw so many poorly equipped and inexperienced recruits against a relatively modern military in fortified positions before running out, especially when you still have to prepare for a massive battle at Hoover Dam. Despite the Legion supposedly having "bodies to spare", NCR still has large numbers and a larger presence in the Mojave, with superior equipment, including emergency radios and access to Vertibirds.

Finally, the game's portrayal of Caesar's Legion goes against what is known about the historical Roman Legion, including its battlefield strategies.

Their posts were mostly pre-war military camps or other facilities they took over. Also as I experienced in the army, building a camp like the ones we see (a few tents and sandbag barriers/cover) takes less than one day to make with a force of 5 soldiers. Hell, 3 guys can mount a military command tent in less than 3 minutes and if they follow regulations they will have it all set up (with all the equipment) and ready to use in less than 15 minutes.
Also the Legion also managed to make camps: "The NCR initially had great success in the Mojave Wasteland, setting up several bases and even an embassy on The Strip. The front line of the new conflict between the NCR and Caesar's Legion moved towards the Colorado River. The Legion attacked the NCR with its full strength during the First Battle of Hoover Dam. The NCR was forced to retreat, but lured the Legion into a trap at Boulder City and was able to retake the Dam. After their defeat, the Legion regularly conducted raids on the west side of the Colorado, even creating permanent bases at Cottonwood Cove and sacking towns like Nipton and Nelson with little response from the NCR."

You do realize that professional military grade equipment sucks, all the armies in the world have a large majority of their troops equipped with the basic equipment because that one is cheap and fast to build. Only a small fraction of the army will have access to the quality equipment (usually the special forces). The NCR Heavy Troopers get the professional military grade quality equipment, not the troopers.
Again, the video you posted showed how bad the service rifle is compared to a cowboy repeater (being used by a person with the same skill on both weapons).
The overstretched means exactly the opposite of what you said there. They are overstretched not because they are everywhere in the Mojave (which they are not) but because they sent many of their forces to the other territories they expanded to. The Mojave only gets a fraction of the active troops.
The NCR in the Mojave also has logistics problems, the Courier even has a few side quests to go and request the proper equipment to be delivered in the proper camps, and also side quests to look for the equipment or supplies himself and deliver them to camps.

Wrong, again!

Legion Raider = Recruit Legionary

Gaining a firearm at higher levels corresponds to the Legionaries having to scavenge weapons.

It is not wrong and doesn't correspond to them scavenging anything, it is the inner works of the game and it was made for balance. The Nipton ones are the only ones that start without ranged guns (although your video proved that hey can have them anyway). If the player reaches Nipton at level 5 against 6 enemies with guns, the player is dead fast (again your video shows that only one with a gun and 5 with melee already kill the player easy, even though the player is better equipped and much stronger because he has the courier's stash dlc and got perks every level, if no stimpaks are taken and almost kill the player even with the use of several stimpaks, the player in your video only has 5 stimpaks left after defeating the enemies and he got 5 for free from the courier's stash, so the average player without the pre-order DLC when the game was released would have 0).
Also the GECK shows that Recruit Legionary =/= from Recruit Raider. Recruit Raiders are only used in that encounter in Nipton, no where else in the game they appear. Recruit Legionary are different NPCs with different forms and lists from the Legion Raiders.
Since you like the wikia so much, even the wikia has the different stats between the Recruit and the Raiders.
Again, there is no margin for doubts because the GECK shows it perfectly how it is.

That alone doesn't explain their success against the NCR, considering other factors taken into account and mentioned above.

It actually explains their success against the NCR considering everything the game shows and tells you explicitly. The Legion Soldiers are stronger and have better equipment except for the armor (which has 4 less DT). The rest they have the advantage.
Look at the stats between both a Trooper and a Recruit and you will see how much better the recruits are:
Trooper's HP: 50
Recruit's HP: 95 (almost twice as much)
Troopers Skills: Melee Weapons: 46, Guns: 46
Recruit Skills: Melee Weapons: 48, Guns:46
How can you say that the Legion Recruits are inferior?
Then the number of Legion soldiers which exceed the NCR by a lot, it all explains the success against the NCR quite well.
Again, the game tells us (in the "code" and in the actual game) without a doubt who is stronger.

See Fallout Wiki: Don't Tread on the Bear!

Little escapes the eyes of NCR Rangers. If you continue to work with Caesar's Legion, the NCR will brand you a terrorist.

That doesn't sound like "NCR simply can't counteract that."

It is also known that NCR does have informant networks and spies in general.

See Fallout Wiki: Thomas Moore

In reality, Thomas Moore is an undercover NCR agent gathering intelligence on Vault City and smuggling its technology outside.

In Fallout: New Vegas, the NCR also works with Van Graffs to trick the Legion into an ambush in "Birds of a Feather".

In the quest "Eye for an Eye", the NCR's First Sergeant Astor asks the Courier to collect intel on the Legion troop movements, raids and to plant a bug in their radio at Cottonwood Cove. Therefore, given the chance, the NCR does, in fact, employ spy tactics against the Legion.

Also, the dialogue with Martina Groesbeck has one of the dumbest lines for the Courier to say:

Courier: You work with the NCR? It was the Legion who sent me to protect you.
Martina Groesbeck: What? I only talk to Captain Curtis over at McCarran. I would never work with slavers. Honest.

Why would the Courier blow his or her cover like that? Yet, the dialogue line triggers the Legion quest titled "I Put a Spell on You". What a terrible writing!

There were Legionaries in Nipton, going against the cause, which Vulpes Inculta describes as "men of the Legion such as myself."

You are quoting things that have nothing to do with the Mojave war, the vault city thing for example, the other things are the player's intervention which can go both ways so that can't be used as proof of what is happening in the war, no player actions on Fallout New Vegas are considered canon yet (and I doubt they will ever be since it's been so long and no canon was declared by Bethesda on which ending is the canon one).
You have the Van Graffs example but again taat doesn't show spies, it shows that the NCR made an ambush (which they are known to do because that was how they gained the battle of Hoover Dam), ambush =/= spy. For all we know the Van Graffs told the NCR that the Legion was interested in obtaining energy weapons and the NCR told them to set up a meeting where they would kill the legion. I don't see any spy work in that.
Basically your examples are things that happened decades ago when the NCR were in their infancy and things the player can do or say. While in the Legion's case we actually meet several spies, the train gets exploded without player's intervention, the Khans will join the Legion, etc.

How many Legion quests are there that involve successfully gathering intel from the NCR prisoners? Because the NCR has at least one Legion prisoner intel quest at Camp McCarran.

That because the Legion beats up and make the prisoners slaves, then they make them fight in the arena. They get all the info by torture and pain and even if they get nothing, they throw the prisoners in the arena to die. Also I doubt troopers would know many things that the legion would want to know. And to finish, the NCR captured a spy because the Legion actually uses spies.

There were Legionaries in Nipton, going against the cause, which Vulpes Inculta describes as "men of the Legion such as myself."

Great way of taking the things out of context, he never said there were Legion people going against the cause and we see no Legion People bodies either, while we see NCR, Powder Ganger and towns people bodies. Vulpes Inculta means that Nipton was wicked because they would do business with anyone, either powder gangers, NCR or even himself. And he means that because they agreed to set the trap for the Legion because Vulpes Inculta paid them.
Here is the full excerpt:
"Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself - the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores. For a pittance, the town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realize they were caught inside it, too."
See? He says that they agreed to set the trap because he paid them, that is what he means by them "serving Legion people like himself".

That's two-to-three weeks of intense training with superior equipment.

Fallout Wiki: Recruit Legionary

These Legionaries are better trained than the average NCR trooper when it comes to sheer conditioning and hand to hand combat. The NCR, however, offers superior firearm training and equipment to its troops.

Again, the equipment is not superior, look at the video you posted, you will see that the service rifle is worst against Legion Troops than a Cowboy Repeater.
Also have you been in the army? I can tell you that even one month is not enough to do even a basic military training, they were not training only in how to use their equipment, they have to get training on how rank works, how the chain of command works, how to maintain and take care of their equipment, physical training (this one will be what they will spend most of their time doing), how to operate and use radios and all the radio code, phonetic alphabet, etc. In my country the basic military training goes for 6 months. And that is just the basic things.
And once again I point out that the training the Legion gets make them have the same skill at using guns and better skill at using melee weapons than the NCR trooper, also due to the tough training the Legion recruits have almost twice as much HP.
I keep repeating myself and this post is taking already more than one hour to type so I am getting tired. But I will try to still continue.

According to the game's lore, the NCR won the first battle for Hoover Dam without the Courier's help.

Otherwise, it is nonsensical writing given the Legion and the NCR lore-wise military capabilities.

It actually lost the battle and had to retreat, they only won because they lured the Legion into Boulder City where an ambush was laid. So they even show in the lore that without that ambush, the NCR would have lost.
The Legion now is prepared to not fall for another of those ambushes though.

Most of the time, this Recruit Legionary ambush party cannot even take on a travelling merchant caravan, especially considering the element of surprise:

That is not most of the time, that was once. And you can see that the game bugged, the Legion soldiers got stuck at the start, one of them just stands there looking in the opposite direction, another gets stuck in a rock for a while, also they don't seem to attack much even when getting close and I am sure one kills another with a throwing spear in his back. And also we have no idea if that video used any mods or not, the weapons seem to be causing a lot of damage and the Brahmin is glitched in a way i never seen in the actual game. Also that video was taken less than one year after the game was released, when there were still a couple of patches coming up for the game.

 

[Brycen]

This is an addition to my previous post.

Caesar's Legion (according to the Fallout Wiki):

• Caesar: No firearm.
• Lanius: No firearm.
• Lucius: No firearm.
• Vulpes Inculta: No firearm.
• Aurelius of Phoenix: Hunting rifle.
• Gaius Magnus ("Lonesome Road" DLC): Minigun.
• Salt-Upon-Wounds ("Honest Hearts" DLC): No firearm.
• Dead Sea: 10mm SMG.
• Alexus: 10mm SMG.
• Severus: .44 Magnum revolver.
• Antony: No firearm.
• Otho: Caravan shotgun or hunting rifle.
• Karl: No firearm.
• Atticus: No firearm.
• Praetorian guard (Caesar's and Lanius' personal guard): No firearm. (Do not mistake for Legionary assassin Praetorians).
• Legion centurion (appears in hunting parties with bad Legion reputation): Hunting shotgun.
• Centurion (exclusive to the Second Battle of Hoover Dam): Chance of a hunting rifle, marksman carbine or anti-material rifle, among various melee weapons.
• Veteran Decanus: 12.7mm SMG or 12.7mm pistol.
• Recruit Decanus: Chance of a 10mm SMG, 9mm SMG, cowboy repeater, 10mm pistol or 12.7mm SMG, among machete and throwing spears.
• Legion vexillarius (relatively rare): Sniper rifle, 9mm SMG or 12.7mm SMG.
• Veteran legionary: Chance of a 12.7mm SMG, hunting rifle, marksman carbine, cowboy repeater, .44 Magnum revolver or caravan shotgun, among various melee weapons.
• Prime legionary (much less common than recruits): Chance of a hunting shotgun, .44 Magnum revolver, hunting rifle, sawed-off shotgun, 10mm SMG, marksman carbine or lever-action shotgun, among various melee weapons.
• Legionary assassin (with bad Legion reputation): See levelled lists at Legionary assassin>Inventory. Among the new firearm additions are assault carbine, trail carbine and brush gun. No anti-material rifle.
• Legion explorer/scout: Chance of a hunting rifle, among machete and throwing spears.
• Recruit legionary (most common): Chance of a 9mm pistol, cowboy repeater, single shotgun, 10mm pistol, .357 Magnum revolver, varmint rifle or caravan shotgun, among machete and throwing spears. Some Recruit Legionaries, like those in Nipton, get no firearm and are only armed with a machete.
• (Bonus) Legionary main gate guard: Tier 1 gun, among machete and throwing spears.

There is also a broken howitzer that stays broken, unless the Courier repairs it.

The bulk of Caesar's Legion wears some form of repurposed sports equipment, ridiculously made to resemble lorica segmentata.

Compare it to the New California Republic:

The NCR's military is composed of several Divisions, including marksmen, scouts, mechanized units and a small number of Vertibirds. In addition, many of their major cities are protected and patrolled by heavily armed police officers. One of their Special Forces units consists of the New California Rangers. . . . NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories, responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic. Ghouls, super mutants, and humans were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces. The NCR gained access to a limited number of Vertibirds from their battle with the Enclave over Navarro, along with the Brotherhood of Steel.

[. . .]

The NCR has access to stockpiles of pre-War technology. Standard NCR soldiers have service rifles along with standard pre-War and self-made combat armor. The NCR possesses Salvaged power armor acquired from engagements with the Brotherhood, but lack the training to use it. Instead, the servos in the joints are stripped out and an air-conditioning unit is installed in place of the power core, turning it into extremely heavy, but effective, armor. However, the NCR special forces, the NCR Ranger Veterans, use pre-War riot gear and armor. The weapons used by the Rangers include: anti-materiel rifles, Ranger Sequoias, hunting revolvers, and brush guns, among others.​

NCR trooper:

The standard NCR trooper's uniform is one of the several variants of NCR armor. Composed of a khaki tunic with bellowed hip pockets and khaki breeches, worn with a desert facewrap and hardened leather pauldrons, black leather fingerless gloves, arm wraps, brown boots and khaki puttees. The uniform was designed to resist the rigors of the desert and long campaigns.​

Almost all of the NCR military is armed with firearms, with some exceptions like NCR MPs (not due to supply shortage).

NCR Army:

Army

The New California Republic's military is large and diverse, composed of various organizations, of which the largest and noticeable is the Army, the NCR's main armed ground forces.

The Army features a basic training regimen, consisting of a two-to-three week series of abbreviated tutelage on weapons familiarity and explosive ordnance handling, along with intense physical conditioning. The reason for this short training period is to produce field-ready troops as soon as possible. . . .

Their large numbers mean the troopers utilize mass produced equipment made from durable materials that perform reliably and can survive harsh treatment. The basic primary weapon is a semi-automatic 5.56mm service rifle, but troopers can also be equipped with hunting rifles, or varmint rifles and caravan shotguns when there are shortages. The M&A 9mm pistol is the standard sidearm of all members of the NCR Army. All of these weapons are provided by the Gun Runners, who handle a majority of the weapons contracts of the army. Uniforms for troopers is standardized NCR armor, supplied by the Crimson Caravan Company. It consists of a reinforced leather breastplate on the torso and upper back, supported by leather shoulder-pads worn over brown fatigues. . . . It is superior to equipment employed by most adversaries of the NCR, namely raiders, nomadic tribes or the numerous recruit legionaries of Caesar, who are rarely sent into battle wielding more than a mere machete or crude pistols.

Heavy Infantry Corps

The Heavy Infantry Corps are much better trained and equipped than the standard troopers, and while they are still technically part of the Army, they are under personal command of General Oliver. They are equipped with NCR salvaged power armor, suits of scavenged T-45d power armor with the servos and pistons removed, which the NCR gained from their war with the Brotherhood of Steel, giving them superior protection than the standard soldiers. They carry heavy weaponry, such as the high-capacity light machine guns, and occasionally missile launchers.

Rangers

A separate special forces branch, known as the NCR Rangers, became a part of the NCR in 2271. . . . Most Rangers wear NCR-designed Ranger patrol armor, while veterans opt for the so-called Black armor: a traditional Desert Ranger trenchcoat worn together with a pre-War riot armor and helmet. Rangers have access to superior weapons, such as trail carbines, anti-materiel rifles, and brush guns.

[. . .]

Mechanized Division

The New California Republic has a mechanized vehicle division. However, the exact number and the type of vehicles in the division is unknown. The logistics corps employ several scavenged US Army trucks for transport. These are kept running by a dedicated team of mechanics and well-stocked workshops, such as the truck repair depot at Camp McCarran.​

Despite that, the game expects people to believe that Caesar's Legion is a serious and major threat to the NCR that somehow wipes out its entire military outposts.

From the lore perspective, it is total nonsense!

 

[Cobra Commander]

Salt-Upon-Wounds ("Honest Hearts" DLC): No firearm

lol

1) He´s not part of the Legion. But you have no way of knowing that, do you? You did not play this game.

2) Pretending that he is, NO faction in this game is better equipped than White Legs if the player is at a high level. Maybe BoS, have to check the value of their gear.

 

[ThatZenoGuy]

Yeah, I remember being fucking mauled in Honest Hearts.

Most of the Legion don't even need guns, they're absurdly tanky.

 

[Cobra Commander]

is crazy. Hunting Rifles, Brush guns, Anti-Material Rifles, .45mm SMG, 12.7mm SMG, Riot Shotgun, Shishkebab, Fire Axe, Grenade Launcher, Molotovs and TONS of poison.

 

[Risewild]

like those in Nipton, get no firearm and are only armed with a machete.

I just started a new game (no mods except DarnUI), used console commands to level, went straight to Nipton and this is what I found:

Spoiler: Screenshots

Using the console command to see the inventory of NPCs:

You have no idea what you're saying, and just quote the wikia (which I so sarcastically do in response) and post videos that actually destroy your own arguments .
You are definitely a troll that just hand-waves real proof from the ingame lore and GECK values. I got entertained replying to you, but when I just keep repeating myself I get bored of the trolling game .
Well now you can play it by yourself, TTW 3.0 is almost done and I need to be working on it and testing it a lot so I have no more time for this .

Here, have a cookie because this is the last time I feed you.
Back in my day Trolling was an art.

 

[Cobra Commander]

I buy F3 got edition in steam summer, any good tutorial for TTW? Aside from the "fix bug pack" (YUP, NVSR, NVAC and 4GB) and centered 3rd Person Camera, I can discard any mod that exists.