Suckish Fallout 3 player needs help!

[Awake-]

Seriously, you people out there playing Fallout 3 with Wanderer's Edition with Very Hard difficulty and laughing it in the face must be lying, or really really good.

I'm playing on Normal and I can't seem to stop dying where you first meet Vargas. So I've decided to replay. Any tips for starting out?

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

What exactly is it that keeps killing you?

 

[Awake-]

What exactly is it that keeps killing you?

Creatures.

No seriously, I suppose I'm too impatient. Rushing out to do the main questline and ignoring all of the sidequests.

 

[DazZ.]

You playing with Wanderers Edition or not?

 

[Awake-]

You playing with Wanderers Edition or not?

Nope, dying too much even without it.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Get 9 points into Intelligence at character creation, then trail a straight line to rivet city and pick up the INT-booblehead. This way, you max out your skill points. Further more, max out a combat skill early (I recommend small guns as it is by far the most versatile) and don't be afraid to just lounge around the wasteland to scrounge equipment and level up until you feel you are adequately prepared to face Super Mutants. As a good rule of thumb (if you have Broken Steel installed), at level 15 the "Super baddies" (Mutant Overlord, Ghoul Reavers etc.) start spawning so any tricky parts you need to play through should either be made before level 15 or around level 20 or above to give you the advantage.

Oh, and always keep a set of high Damage Resistance armor around. You might prefer the leather armor look, but the Combat Armor will keep you alive.

 

[walls of cetepedes]

What're your stats, level, equipment?

Quote me and I'll put you right.

 

[subtlefuge]

Run straight to the Museum of History and pick up the Lincoln's Repeater. Max out small guns and sell spare armor and guns for caps to buy .44 ammo. Then you pretty much win.

 

[Awake-]

What're your stats, level, equipment?

Quote me and I'll put you right.

Actually I deleted the save file I talked about earlier and started a new one. Right now I'm at the end of Vault 101, right at the door where you can re-choose everything. Yep, Number One rule is to save at that point. Or is it to quicksave every minute?

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

Run straight to the Museum of History and pick up the Lincoln's Repeater. Max out small guns and sell spare armor and guns for caps to buy .44 ammo. Then you pretty much win.

Pretty much this. That gun is godly. The ammo it uses is an issue for a while, but over time shops carry more of it, and repairing the gun is as easy as using a basic rifle. With VATS and small guns maxed out you'll pretty much always have 95% hit chance and outside of VATS the gun supposedly has no spread when shooting, meaning the bullet goes where you shoot.

That is pretty much the first thing I do when I start a game.

 

[walls of cetepedes]

Actually I deleted the save file I talked about earlier and started a new one. Right now I'm at the end of Vault 101, right at the door where you can re-choose everything. Yep, Number One rule is to save at that point. Or is it to quicksave every minute?

Oh, well good luck.

Just bear in mind, Charisma is pretty much useless.

 

[Ganthrinor]

Stealth, Small Guns, and Repair are some of, if not *the*, most useful skills to tag. A simple Combat Shotgun and Hunting Rifle can take you a long, long way. Lincoln's Repeater is a nice weapon to have as well.

 

[Awake-]

Alright, thanks to everyone!

 

[Riddle78]

I'd specialize in stealth, small arms, and repair right from the get-go. Also,along the way,pick up a good melee weapon,just in case (or,if you're lucky like I was,get the Deathclaw Event at the Meresti metro exit near Minefield. DCG at lvl 7).
Early on,just roam around,killing things,hacking,lock picking,disarming mines/traps,picking up EVERY piece of ammo,for use or selling,pick up all the chems,get as many stimpaks as you can find/buy,and if you have Operation Anchorage,the Steath Suit is your god. Wear that with a relatively high sneak skill,nothing will find you unless it trips on you.

My loadout by lvl 23
-Scoped .44 Magnum (Headshot kill on lone,light armoured targets)
-Deathclaw Gaunlet (First strike well-armoured foes,or a crowd)
-several pounds of mines and grenades to reverse pickpocket (For what can survive a DCG sneak crit and will wreck me otherwise)
-Combat Shotgun (For when stealth fais)
-C.Assault Rifle (Backup for crowds)
-Sniper Rifle (I forget why I still have this...Omit if you want)
When I get to the pitt,I'm probably going to replace the shotgun with the Metal Blaster, which is a laser rifle shotty. On sterroids. From Hell.

It would help to be female,so you can have Black Widdow as a perk,because most human enemies are male. Aim for Strong Back,Scrounger,Fortune Finder,Silent Running,and Robotics Expert for obvious reasons. Sniper and Concentrated Fire also help a fair bit if you use VATS often. Avoid perks that add points to skills,EXP gain, or SPECIAL,you'll get there eventually,or you just don't need it. Treat Here & Now like the Black Death. Don't rush into battle blindly;stay back at first and assess the situation. Take out stragglers and/or the most dangerous foes first. Rely on Stealth Boys early on for staying out of sight in plain sight until you get the Stealth Suit if you have Operation Anchorage. Otherwise,keep at least 5 Stealth Boys handy. If you're found out before you've made your move,go loud if you can't escape and/or hide again. With my reccomended build,AVOID ANYTHING HEAVIER THAN RECON ARMOUR,it would just be a pain and not worth it unless you get Silent Running and don't care about loot.
When levelling up skills,NEVER jack them up over 90 unless you've already found the associated bobblehead. Save often,ESPECIALLY before where you expect a major conflict to arise.
Those are my tips. That's how I run,and I only died three times. And I run on Hard mode. I feel certain it will work for any difficulty,though.

 

[Awake-]

I'd specialize in stealth, small arms, and repair right from the get-go. Also,along the way,pick up a good melee weapon,just in case (or,if you're lucky like I was,get the Deathclaw Event at the Meresti metro exit near Minefield. DCG at lvl 7).
Early on,just roam around,killing things,hacking,lock picking,disarming mines/traps,picking up EVERY piece of ammo,for use or selling,pick up all the chems,get as many stimpaks as you can find/buy,and if you have Operation Anchorage,the Steath Suit is your god. Wear that with a relatively high sneak skill,nothing will find you unless it trips on you.

My loadout by lvl 23
-Scoped .44 Magnum (Headshot kill on lone,light armoured targets)
-Deathclaw Gaunlet (First strike well-armoured foes,or a crowd)
-several pounds of mines and grenades to reverse pickpocket (For what can survive a DCG sneak crit and will wreck me otherwise)
-Combat Shotgun (For when stealth fais)
-C.Assault Rifle (Backup for crowds)
-Sniper Rifle (I forget why I still have this...Omit if you want)
When I get to the pitt,I'm probably going to replace the shotgun with the Metal Blaster, which is a laser rifle shotty. On sterroids. From Hell.

It would help to be female,so you can have Black Widdow as a perk,because most human enemies are male. Aim for Strong Back,Scrounger,Fortune Finder,Silent Running,and Robotics Expert for obvious reasons. Sniper and Concentrated Fire also help a fair bit if you use VATS often. Avoid perks that add points to skills,EXP gain, or SPECIAL,you'll get there eventually,or you just don't need it. Treat Here & Now like the Black Death. Don't rush into battle blindly;stay back at first and assess the situation. Take out stragglers and/or the most dangerous foes first. Rely on Stealth Boys early on for staying out of sight in plain sight until you get the Stealth Suit if you have Operation Anchorage. Otherwise,keep at least 5 Stealth Boys handy. If you're found out before you've made your move,go loud if you can't escape and/or hide again. With my reccomended build,AVOID ANYTHING HEAVIER THAN RECON ARMOUR,it would just be a pain and not worth it unless you get Silent Running and don't care about loot.
When levelling up skills,NEVER jack them up over 90 unless you've already found the associated bobblehead. Save often,ESPECIALLY before where you expect a major conflict to arise.
Those are my tips. That's how I run,and I only died three times. And I run on Hard mode. I feel certain it will work for any difficulty,though.

That was long, and great. Thanks.

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

Remember to never completely max out a skill with points. At a maximum, bring S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats up to 9 (then use the bobblehead to get it to 10) and skills up to around 85 (bobblehead and books to get it up the last bit). Plan out what your stats are going to be like ahead of time and always wear the best armor you can get your hands on until you are a higher level. You may not like it but it will save your life.

 

[subtlefuge]

Also, be on the lookout for companions, Dogmeat requires attention towards the beginning, but will still help, and by level 20 he's almost as godly as Fawkes. Also, did I mention Fawkes? Pick him or someone else (depending on karma) up as soon as you can.

 

[Riddle78]

I'd specialize in...SNIP.

That was long, and great. Thanks.

Well,advice is best thorough,and this is simply my view on how to play. Take your pick from any piece of advice proposed by myself or othrs. You'll do fine.

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

Remember to never completely max out a skill with points. At a maximum, bring S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats up to 9 (then use the bobblehead to get it to 10) and skills up to around 85 (bobblehead and books to get it up the last bit). Plan out what your stats are going to be like ahead of time and always wear the best armor you can get your hands on until you are a higher level. You may not like it but it will save your life.

Bah, armor is for pussies. I went through the entire game the first time with nothing but the sheriff's duster, sheriff's hat, and a pair of sunglasses. I looked dead sexy, and didn't die much either.

Armor is only really necessary if you run in head first without thinking, or if you suck at dodging.

But if you are having trouble with the game, then I think it would make sense to wear the best armor you could.

I normally run around in a business suit, but if I have to get into a firefight, my power armor goes on (unless I forget I'm even carrying it, which happens quite often).

 

[GundamSentinel]

How I build my character:

For special:
Get 9 intelligence, 6 for strength (you can get +1 from a quest, +1 from a bobblehead and +2 from power armor), 2 for charisma (you really don't need it), 5 or 6 for the others (maybe 7 for agility).

Skills:
Invest in Repair, Small Guns and Lockpick at first, they are really the key skills at the start of the game. (Science is less necessary, you'll need lockpick way more often. Where you need science, there is often a Lockpick option as well. The other way around less often).
30 for Explosives can be useful for an early quest, but unless you really like grenades and mines, leave it at that for the time being. About 40 for medicine is good (don't forget to get the bobblehead in Vault 101).
I usually don't bother with Melee and Unarmed. Sneak only gets effective above 50, but can be very useful. Speech is useful too, Barter less so. I usually roll in the caps anyway. Energy Weapons and Big guns can be goals for later in the game. Energy weapons only really becomes useful once you get access to plasma weapons.

Perks:
Get:
Gun Nut - Nice skill boost for useful perks
Thief - I like Lockpick and Sneak
Comprehension - There are lots of books around. More points is better
Educated - Again, more points is better. Get this!
Commando - Very decent VATS upgrade
Strong Back - More carrying strength = more loot = more caps
Finesse - Criticals are your friends
Silent Running - I like sneaking
Sniper - I like headshots
Action Boy/Girl - More VATS points is better
Better Criticals - Better criticals is better
Grim Reaper's Sprint - Just keep on killing!

Don't get:
Swift learner - Unless you want to do a speedrun it's a waste
Lady Killer - Most enemies are male, the speech options really aren't worth it
Rad resistance - Unless you like swimming and drinking polluted water
Here and Now - Like Swift Learner, a total waste
Nerd Rage - Getting better at melee when close to death really doesn't help much
Adamantium Skeleton - Only real damage to limbs is from explosives, which you don't run in to too often. Just watch out for mines
Master Trader - Do you really need even more caps?
Computer Whiz - Just save before hacking...
Infiltrator - Just save before picking a lock...

Don't rush things, take it easy and explore.