Stealth Boys: Why do they not work well?

[Jurassic Fart 1]

I turn it on and I become cloaked…but, enemies can still see me, and they shoot right at me! How come they don't work?

I found a page[itstillworks.com] explaining that they are not as effective as I first thought that they were, so…maybe I have to make an enemy break line of sight and THEN use it for it to work as desired? My Sneak skill is already at Pip-Boy max, and I keep finding covert ops magazines that add to stealth, too.

They seem to work best if they are engaged before an enemy sights you. Any tips for successful cloaking would be appreciated. I don't really need it right now, but I hear Anchorage is almost impossible without these devices' effective use.

[Vallence]

Stealth boys are best when no-one can see you before you enable it, but they can be used for a getaway if you can outrun them and then hide.
This is probably obvious, but they won't help you sneak if you're standing up.

Operation: Anchorage doesn't require stealth boys, it's easy enough to do at level 2, right after you leave Vault 101 (although this rather breaks the game since the loot from doing so is incredibly OP).

[Jurassic Fart 1]

Cool. Good to know. Pretty much what I'd thought, but I had to check before cementing assumptions.

I'd gotten into the habit from Fallout 4 of attacking only from sneak mode to maximize VATS efficiency, Critical Hits, damage multipliers, and Action Point restoration. You remain standing, cloaked or not, you're begging to take rounds.

[Connor]

stealth boy works super-effective combined with the perk silent running and melee or unarmed weapons ,enemies can't spot you at all during a fight

[Jurassic Fart 1]

I have not yet seen any opportunity to take the Silent Running perk, but my stealth is maxed out…ummm, "unarmed weapons?" There are only two things I can possibly thing of as "unarmed" weapons: left fist and right fist. Is that what you mean?

When can you get Silent Running? I have completed thirty missions (including Pitt, Mothership, and Anchorage) and I'm level thirty. I have the Chinese stealth suit, then Silent Running could make for some deadly blitz attacks using it. I'd probably be guessing right, wouldn't I, if I surmised that using a stealth boy when you have that suit would be pointless?

[Vallence]

Originally posted by Jurassic Fart 1:

I have not yet seen any opportunity to take the Silent Running perk, but my stealth is maxed out…ummm, "unarmed weapons?" There are only two things I can possibly thing of as "unarmed" weapons: left fist and right fist. Is that what you mean?

When can you get Silent Running? I have completed thirty missions (including Pitt, Mothership, and Anchorage) and I'm level thirty. I have the Chinese stealth suit, then Silent Running could make for some deadly blitz attacks using it. I'd probably be guessing right, wouldn't I, if I surmised that using a stealth boy when you have that suit would be pointless?

Unarmed is any weapon that involves punching, so the brass/spiked knuckles, the Power Fist, that sort of thing.

Silent Running requires you to have 6 agility, so that's probably why you couldn't take it.

Using a stealth boy with the suit is useless if you have 85 sneak or more, since the suit gives you +15 on top of the cloaking field.

[Jurassic Fart 1]

I have 9 in most S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills, ten in Agility and Perception. I just looked at my Pip-Boy, and in the status screen it says my XP is "MAX." How the Hell is that possible? Is 30 the highest level? Is that why I haven't leveled up in a while? So, we never get a chance, if we play long enough, to get all the perks?

This doesn't make any sense at ALL. I have visited about only TEN PERCENT of the map's available destinations. How can the game get pointless this soon? I have no motivation to finish the story, no incentive. Only an obsessive-compulsive disorder could impel me to follow through.

[Vallence]

Originally posted by Jurassic Fart 1:

I have 9 in most S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills, ten in Agility and Perception. I just looked at my Pip-Boy, and in the status screen it says my XP is "MAX." How the Hell is that possible? Is 30 the highest level? Is that why I haven't leveled up in a while? So, we never get a chance, if we play long enough, to get all the perks?

This doesn't make any sense at ALL. I have visited about only TEN PERCENT of the map's available destinations. How can the game get pointless this soon? I have no motivation to finish the story, no incentive. Only an obsessive-compulsive disorder could impel me to follow through.

The game does cap at 30 and gives far too much xp for everything, but there's nothing stopping you from doing the rest of the quests, even if it's just to see what happens. I normally do nearly everything myself, and don't see how a game is "pointless" once you stop levelling up. You still have a vast amount of game left to play, after all.
Also I sometimes struggle to pick a perk when I level, since so many of them are utterly useless.

Fallout 1 had a level cap of 21 and a perk every three levels, 2 had a cap of 99 and a perk every three levels, and NV has a cap of 50 and a perk every two levels. 4 is the only game where levelling is unlimited.

[Jurassic Fart 1]

Well, "pointless" because stupid me thought levels were similar to those in Fallout 4, and I didn't know it's impossible to play long enough to get all the skill points and perks you desired, that you had to be VERY careful leveling up in your choices…knowing you can't have everything you want.

I had already restarted the game once after playing a considerable time, and I'll be damned if I'll do it again anytime soon, just so I can make better choices.

I put myself at a disadvantage purchasing the games in this franchise. I bought Fallout 4 first, started playing it, then purchased Fallout 3, then Fallout New Vegas. I started playing FO3 after FO4, and now I'm starting New Vegas.

I probably will start another playthrough in this game, one where I do far more exploration and side missions early on, but not until after I've used the experience I gained in the two games I've played to give me the best experience in Fallout New Vegas. But, I'm done with Fallout 3 for the moment.

I should have bought all three at once and started playing by release date. It's just that I was interested in different genres, and Fallout 4 caught my eye first. I've been gaming since 1978—longer if you count pinball. There's so much out there now, and I'm glad I found this franchise. One thing this franchise has that most others don't is HOURS OF GAMEPLAY. You can play an INSANE number of hours before finishing a game. And the world map is HUGE.

I'm just going to take a break for now. New Vegas is calling right now.