How to get the most out of Fallout: New Vegas (and games in general)

[snappydog]

So I recently started playing Fallout: New Vegas after a friend gave it to me... a long time ago, but I've only just got around to it. Oh well. Anyway, on the face of it I ought to LOVE this game. It's a Bethesda RPG, a big open world, a wild-west-post-apocalyptic thing, classic guns and good music...
And yet I don't seem to be enjoying it that much.
Maybe it's because most of what I've been doing so far seems to be trekking across empty desert to find my next quest marker; maybe it's that I don't feel like I know enough about the Legion/ NCR/ Powder Gangers/ whatever to know which factions I want to ally myself with and which I want to take a stand against. I don't know, but I'm left with the feeling that I'm playing this game wrong somehow. I haven't played any other Fallout games; maybe that's the problem.

Any advice?

And for further discussion, what other games have you had experiences with that perhaps didn't click - or maybe you already loved them - but then you just figured out how to get the best possible experience out of them? I'm starting to find Civ V is kind of clicking, being a newcomer to the series, although I definitely haven't got everything worked out there yet.

 

[Foolery]

You aren't playing it wrong. There is no way to play Fallout wrong. You wander around and take part in the quests that catch your interest. New Vegas just happens to be dull, brown, and filled with a lot of boring desert.

 

[carnex]

Fallout is all about taking in the world and doing whatever you feel like. Most importantly you will rarely be told anything straight, especially in New Vegas. You have to draw your own conclusions about people and thus decide what to do. Everyone has their own bad and good sides. And some of them you don't really find out until you are in deals with them.

Also, much of desert seems empty but there is a whole lot of content dispersed through it. Characters, hunting grounds, secretive places etc. Also all that expansive world gives you opportunity to tackle combat in many ways successfully.

But if stories, characters and events are boring to you, maybe it's not a game for your taste...

 

[BrotherRool]

It might be a little hard to get into New Vegas the first time round, but it's the most fantastic game to play when you have a working knowledge of it. There is literally no other game more better for allowing you to choose unique playstyles and see new things.

My advice to you would be to get to Vegas as quickly as possible. Skim the quests on the way, you can always come back to them. Place that marker on New Vegas and start walking! As an extra hint, experiment with travelling at night a lot. New Vegas' one big fault is that it's not very exciting visually during the day but some places (Vegas in particular) come alive at night.

The way the game is designed, is the journey to Vegas is a small personal story. You don't see much of the bigger picture, a lot of your encounters with factions are deliberately disempowering (particularly the first Legion encounter). The quests are all set very close to the areas you're travelling through so that you'll find you almost never fast travel.

And then when you hit Vegas the game opens up and gives you a much wider look at the context of the world. Quests are set all over the place so the game unconsciously encourages you to fast travel and experience the world in a much bigger way. Your character is respected as more powerful and it feels like that journey to Vegas was a learning experience. It's in Vegas that they begin to ask you to choose and decide between factions and loads and loads of sidequests open up.


When you know more about the world, it's fun to play the game as a character. My strategy would be to randomly choose a faction(using the wiki) and 3 key skills and try to think of a story for a character who fits those categories. The most amazing thing about New Vegas is once you start doing things like that, you'll find the game naturally encourages arcs and development for your character.

The other thing to do is self-set challenges. I didn't have your introductory problem with Vegas because I'd heard that you weren't meant to travel in a certain direction to get to Vegas (heading straight up through the Quarry and Black Mountain Radio station). So I built a stealth character and decided that I was going to get to Vegas that way. The challenge kept my attention and then I got to the Vegas part almost instantly, which was cool because of how the game was affected by my skipping the beginning. You can aim to kill every plot important NPC, or find an area and declare yourself 'Lord' killing anyone who enroaches on your territory and piling their bodies in your trophy cupboard

 

[snappydog]

Fallout is all about taking in the world and doing whatever you feel like. Most importantly you will rarely be told anything straight, especially in New Vegas. You have to draw your own conclusions about people and thus decide what to do. Everyone has their own bad and good sides. And some of them you don't really find out until you are in deals with them.

Also, much of desert seems empty but there is a whole lot of content dispersed through it. Characters, hunting grounds, secretive places etc. Also all that expansive world gives you opportunity to tackle combat in many ways successfully.

But if stories, characters and events are boring to you, maybe it's not a game for your taste...

It's not that those things aren't to my taste - in fact, the reason I'm still playing and still want to keep playing the game is that I AM interested in what's going on, I'm just finding it hard to know where to begin learning about all the stories etc., especially as a newbie to the series.

Make it your mission to find and explore every Vault.

What's a Vault and where do I find one?

 

[RidofJensen]

The DLC's , the people, and the action. Right Now as I post this I'm playing it too. I'm going to Black Mountain to get Raul as a companion. NV can be boring if you don't know what to do. The massive map and the threatening characters. The nightmareish of Fallout is quite unique and very fun. Getting into it new without playing the older brothers, NV can get overwhelming and sometimes annoying. Leveling up in this game is very important. (Don't fight any deathclaws until level 30.) The assortment of weapons and the tasks you'll get engulfed into this game for hours. The gameplay is addicting if you love doing what ever your heart desires. Swim underwater, go to Utah (Have the Honest Hearts DLC.) Hope you read this and take this into consideration.

 

[snappydog]

The DLC's , the people, and the action. Right Now as I post this I'm playing it too. I'm going to Black Mountain to get Raul as a companion. NV can be boring if you don't know what to do. The massive map and the threatening characters. The nightmareish of Fallout is quite unique and very fun. Getting into it new without playing the older brothers, NV can get overwhelming and sometimes annoying. Leveling up in this game is very important. (Don't fight any deathclaws until level 30.) The assortment of weapons and the tasks you'll get engulfed into this game for hours. The gameplay is addicting if you love doing what ever your heart desires. Swim underwater, go to Utah (Have the Honest Hearts DLC.) Hope you read this and take this into consideration.

Okay, so you would recommend getting the DLC and going to Utah as a first thing to do? I think you're right in that my issue is not knowing what to do/ where to start really.

 

[RidofJensen]

The DLC's , the people, and the action. Right Now as I post this I'm playing it too. I'm going to Black Mountain to get Raul as a companion. NV can be boring if you don't know what to do. The massive map and the threatening characters. The nightmareish of Fallout is quite unique and very fun. Getting into it new without playing the older brothers, NV can get overwhelming and sometimes annoying. Leveling up in this game is very important. (Don't fight any deathclaws until level 30.) The assortment of weapons and the tasks you'll get engulfed into this game for hours. The gameplay is addicting if you love doing what ever your heart desires. Swim underwater, go to Utah (Have the Honest Hearts DLC.) Hope you read this and take this into consideration.

Okay, so you would recommend getting the DLC and going to Utah as a first thing to do? I think you're right in that my issue is not knowing what to do/ where to start really.

I recommend going to Primm or travel away from bad areas. (Don't go straight after the graveyard at hopesprings you'll die fast.) Depending on what level you are a lot of things will get easier. The game can be fun but asap get your science or repair high and fix ED-e. Companions are very useful. ED-e will be at Primm. Going to Utah is reccomended if you want to level up fast and get cool weaponry. But going there will confuse you if you don't know who Joshua Graham is.

Got any other questions msg me. I'm an insane Fallout Fan.

 

[DeadProxy]

I haven't played New Vegas in some time, and haven't beaten it either, so I don't have much advice at all other than try fighting in an interesting way, or whatever can make you laugh.

I lucked out and found a very fun combo for me to enjoy a couple dozen hours of wandering the desert alone, and that was combining a basic sniper-build I found online with a very special BB Gun. When I landed a sneak attack with this baby, oh wow, limbs are flying, bodies are dropping and deathclaws don't have a clue what hit them. And I didn't even have to rely on sneak attacks with it, cause with the crit bonus skills you can get, every couple of shots from it was going to be a crit and just devastate most enemies health.

Just think about what you wanna do, and look through the skills on the level up list to see what looks good to how you want to play, cause they'll show you how many points you need in what stats.

As for idea's on where to go, you can seriously just face any direction and walk forward, and you'll spot a building over a hill or run into something interesting, or terrifying like a squad of angry Legions, and just react accordingly. Heading directly to vegas, in which I mean, walking in a straight line from the general start point of the game, is a bad idea simply because of all the damn Deathclaws in the way. I guess you could pick either the left side of the map, or the right, and go around the Deathclaws and see what sights catch your attention.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Yeah, I'd suggest getting to New Vegas fairly quickly, although that still means heading south from the starting point and going through Nipton on the way. I know it's a cliché, but the game really does open up from there. The only big stalling point on that road is the quest in Novac, which you only have to do if you want to continue the main quest in a linear fashion and you don't know the trick that lets you effectively bypass it.

Spoiler: Spoiler for way to bypass the Novac side quest

Search the room of the guy who will give you the information if you help him out.

But basically, once you get to Outer Vegas there's a million side quests to pick from, and once you get onto The Strip itself the main quest opens up and points you in all kinds of different directions for you to choose from.

EDIT: Oh, and something else really important I forgot; once you get onto The Strip your reputation with the Legion and the NCR gets reset to neutral (unless it was already better than that), so don't worry too much about pissing them off or picking sides before that point. Although there is a good chance they'll send hit squads after you if you really annoy them (the NCR at least gives you some warning first).

 

[BrotherRool]

Okay, so you would recommend getting the DLC and going to Utah as a first thing to do? I think you're right in that my issue is not knowing what to do/ where to start really.

I haven't played through all the DLC, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it for your first time.

Where exactly are you right now? (Which town are you nearest? And what stage of the 'main' quest are you on?) I could give you some practical advice on the direction to walk and the quests to get involved with on the way.

Once you hit Vegas it becomes more structured. The faction leaders for the 3 main factions for the game (and the independent faction) will ask to speak to you and they'll actively try to recruit you into their causes. The game does a pretty good job at this point of showing you what each one is about and giving you a chance to get involved with them.

 

[carnex]

It's not that those things aren't to my taste - in fact, the reason I'm still playing and still want to keep playing the game is that I AM interested in what's going on, I'm just finding it hard to know where to begin learning about all the stories etc., especially as a newbie to the series.

And that's exactly the signature of Fallout world (except 3, that's like a bastard child), you can drop in story lines in muddle or skip large portions of it or even cut story lines down by doing other stuff.

That said, there are few hubs for starting stories (outside DLC content. Old World Blues is pure gold if you are fan of really bad old SF) and just a few huge story lines. But, quest givers are not marked , explore. Most quest are found by digging around and talking to just about everyone. That' also how you collect info on world, factions and people.

 

[Casual Shinji]

You have to get to know the game, and the only way to do that is to just play it. You might restart your game after about 12 hours, just to start from scratch with all your attained knowledge.

 

[Michael Tabbut]

Fallout is all about taking in the world and doing whatever you feel like. Most importantly you will rarely be told anything straight, especially in New Vegas. You have to draw your own conclusions about people and thus decide what to do. Everyone has their own bad and good sides. And some of them you don't really find out until you are in deals with them.

Also, much of desert seems empty but there is a whole lot of content dispersed through it. Characters, hunting grounds, secretive places etc. Also all that expansive world gives you opportunity to tackle combat in many ways successfully.

But if stories, characters and events are boring to you, maybe it's not a game for your taste...

It's not that those things aren't to my taste - in fact, the reason I'm still playing and still want to keep playing the game is that I AM interested in what's going on, I'm just finding it hard to know where to begin learning about all the stories etc., especially as a newbie to the series.

Make it your mission to find and explore every Vault.

What's a Vault and where do I find one?

Vaults are old bomb shelters that tend to be filled with useful equipment. They're always filled with enemies as well, ranging from ghouls, raiders, and mutant insects. In short, Vaults are the dungeons of this game.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I have to admit, I'm not sure how to help. I enjoyed trekking across the empty desert, partly because it reminds me of home, partly because I was mostly ignoring my quest markers. I was trekking across the desert to find new area markers, because the desert wasn't as empty as I'd imagined.

But yeah, if you want a good story focus right from the start, the DLCs are the way to go. Honest Hearts and Dead Money first (either order). You can sorta do that with the main game, but it would mostly require getting to New Vegas first (just to open up the House/NCR/LegHAHAHAno/independent quests).

 

[Fijiman]

You aren't playing it wrong. There is no way to play Fallout wrong. You wander around and take part in the quests that catch your interest. New Vegas just happens to be dull, brown, and filled with a lot of boring desert.

Actually it is possible to play it wrong, but you have to be one of those people who can manage to fuck up in an area that's designed for it to be impossible to fuck up. I do agree though that New Vegas's setting doesn't help it much in being interesting.

I have to agree with the others on how to make it more interesting. Just pick some sort of goal for yourself and stick to it for a while, maybe even start a new character once you've been playing for a while and maybe get the DLC. Also, the Fallout wiki is your friend and will help answer many of your questions.

 

[wulfy42]

I did enjoy fallout 3 more then NV over all, but I have still played through NV at least 3 times.

I'd suggest starting off kinda making up a character you are going to play, with strengths, weaknesses and an over all idea how you'll deal with other people (Friendly, sneaky, sly, polite, angry etc).

Then roleplay your way through the game, doing what comes natural to your character. Many people say go to Vegas asap, but I don't think that is really neccesary (It does make your character much stronger though).

I generally always play the game as a hoarder of sorts, with the ultimate goal of becoming as rich as possible (both in gun/ammo and caps), or just caps if I'm going unarmed.

There is alot of variety in the game so you can play through multiple times in different ways...with different builds. Save fairly often the first few times in case you get jumped by something/s your not ready for yet.

I found the game quite fun and enjoyable over all, but it did take a few tries before I even finished it. The first 2 times I stopped before getting to the end of the actual game (Still playing many hours but never following the story line all the way through).

It is quite a good game to be honest, but it can be hard to jump into,....even if you have played fallout 3 a ton already before.

 

[Michael Lapierre]

Well, I have played about 1000 hours of FNV probably, and here's one main piece of advice...
Go to Mojave outpost, once you have EDE working, and do what you can pick up there in terms of quests, INCLUDING talking to 'Ghost', the sentry on the roof.
Head to Nipton, go as far as the gate, but do NOT go in, just go to where you 'discover' Nipton, by the sign...

Now go AROUND Nipton, by following the outside until you hit the railroad tracks, and come to the pass. Going up the pass will lead you to the easy way to New Vegas, and most importantly, you avoid dealing with the legion, and therefore choosing any sides...

You can then make your way to Vegas, start the main story line, and be free to choose your path from there.

Starting feuds early can cause you a lot of trouble, since you are likely poorly equipped for combat to start, and this way you can build your character first.

(Feel free to message me if you need more help...Enjoy the experience!)

 

[Auron225]

Well, I have played about 1000 hours of FNV probably, and here's one main piece of advice...
Go to Mojave outpost, once you have EDE working, and do what you can pick up there in terms of quests, INCLUDING talking to 'Ghost', the sentry on the roof.
Head to Nipton, go as far as the gate, but do NOT go in, just go to where you 'discover' Nipton, by the sign...

Now go AROUND Nipton, by following the outside until you hit the railroad tracks, and come to the pass. Going up the pass will lead you to the easy way to New Vegas, and most importantly, you avoid dealing with the legion, and therefore choosing any sides...

You can then make your way to Vegas, start the main story line, and be free to choose your path from there.

Starting feuds early can cause you a lot of trouble, since you are likely poorly equipped for combat to start, and this way you can build your character first.

(Feel free to message me if you need more help...Enjoy the experience!)

I'm gonna second you on that. If you enter Nipton, you're gonna see... something that may encourage you to choose a side early (to be more accurate, it may encourage you to decide against picking one in particular). By all means, it's your game and you can do whatever you want - but if you piss off the wrong people too early, you may find it hard-going at the beginning. No matter what decisions you make, you're gonna get on someones bad side but thats part of the beauty of this game. You have a lot of control over how the factions interact with you as well as each other. However, definitely go visit Nipton before you commit yourself to a faction (that is if you do commit yourself to one - you don't have to do that if you don't want to).

I'm also gonna echo everyone else in saying go to Vegas asap. You'll gradually get the low-down on what state the Mojave is in and you'll get a truck load of side quests to get your teeth into. So long as you don't just take peoples word for it and go to a bit of effort to explore and ask around; you'll see the characters and factions for what they really are, and decide for yourself who you want to help and who you want to hinder.

Oh, and explore the built up area around Vegas as well - it took me a long time to explore areas outside Freeside and the Strip.