This Guide contains certain spoilers to the original Fallout 3 game. If you do not want to read such spoilers – stop reading now and go watch TV or read a book or something. Being that this is a walkthrough the idea of a spoiler should matter little to you, right?

So you've traveled the Wastelands, made your decision about Project Purity and gone on your merry way, to…you know…death—or life as a shameless coward. Either way, if you were looking to get back into the thrill of drinking from irradiated toilets, Operation Anchorage is your only recourse. Not only does it give you a front seat in the battle for Anchorage, but it gives you some pretty good loot, and a decent perk if go just a little bit out of your way.

First things first: is the DLC worth it?

It certainly provides you with a much more combat focused, linear experience, which may turn off those folks looking for the variety offered by most missions in Fallout 3. That being said, it's still fun to head into battle, taking out Chinese soldiers, and the Crimson Dragoon ninja corps. More importantly, there is a good bit of loot available upon completing the last mission, including a set of T51-B power armor, an electrically charged sword, and the Gauss rifle, arguably the best sniper rifle in the game. For the achievement whores in the audience, the DLC also provides lots and lots of humans to kill towards "Doesn't Play Well with Others" as well as about a dozen locations to discover towards "One-Man Scouting Party". The DLC runs 800 points (ten bucks), and you'll get through it in about three hours, if that helps in your decision making process. A word of warning for those that have finished the game: if you do not have a save from before entering the rotunda of the Jefferson Memorial during the "Take it Back" mission, then you will not be able to access the DLC until the "Broken Steel" DLC comes and removes the current ending.

Characters that are at the midpoint of the game will get the most out of the content. Those that have already finished won't have any opportunities to use all of their new toys until the additional DLC drops. Those at the beginning of the game will be likely find the combat too difficult. That puts the sweet spot for the DLC for those mid-range characters; say a level 11 or 12 with a few perks and the ability to hit most things that walk in front of them.

A few things before we head to the guide proper. Unlike in the "Tranquility Lane" simulation, you have full use of your Pip-Boy while in the Operation Anchorage simulation, including your handy Pip-Boy light. All of your perks and stats carry over too; although you'll really only need the combat oriented ones. Ammo and health are provided via dispensers found scattered throughout the simulation. Anything in the simulation that you can interact with has a reddish glow to it and makes a strange humming sound. Bodies will disappear once you kill folks, so you won't be able to get any ammo off of them. Oddly enough, you can pickpocket a soldier or two and get a Karma hit, despite not being able to take any of their inventory. Apparently, mowing down soldiers in defense of your country is acceptable, but trying to lift some ammo off of them before you slaughter them isn't.

Finally, as you move through the simulation, you can find intel suitcases. Find all ten suitcases and you'll get the Covert Ops perk upon completing the simulation. Covert Ops gives you a permanent three point boost to Science, Small Guns and Lockpick skills, providing yet another reason to tackle the DLC in the middle of your Wasteland journey. If these skills are already maxed out for your character, the perk won't be of any benefit to you, so there's really no point in taking the extra time to get all of the intel suitcases, as there's no reward other than the perk.

As there's no way to complete all of the missions in the DLC without getting all of the achievements, this guide does double duty as an achievement guide and a walkthrough. That's enough lip flapping for now soldier. Suit up and move out.