What's considered the best guns/VATS build?

[daveyfunk]

I've watched a few videos and got a bit jaded with how much content and also where they're quite dated. I only have the base game and haven't played for an AGE but I like the building and crafting aspects and I prefer a sneaky guns build with VATS. I'd guess I'd go for ballistic weave for armour and when I last played this was just as good as power armour. I'd like to have a character that's just as deadly long range as they are in close combat, survivability and effective from start to finish...so not looking for some character that sacrifices being weak at the beginning to being OP at end game.

More looking for advice on starting stats with a view to progression.

Also wondering if anyone can recommend mods that improve the settlement building aspect of the game and any other suggestions.

Thanks :)

[Doctor Go-Go]

By best do you mean the most devastating for one shot kills?

You can set everything to just 3 or 4 and it doesn't seem to make much difference combat wise. The only real weapon effected by SPECIAL is Melee. Otherwise guns don't really matter much.

But I'm not an expert so ... It just seems stats are more about perks in this fallout game, NOT raw combat prowess.

Enemies tend to be stronger the further you travel SE but don't really fight or become aggressive until the player lvls up. As you become high level they become more responsive, move more tactically, aggressively and throw more and more grenades.

I've been to the SE corner of the map by lvl 4 & 5, while the are really difficult to kill because you won't have souped up weapons yet they are not very responsive, but may be very aggressive.

I usually head shot with the combat shotgun and Hunting rifle in VATS. The Combat Shotgun is Much better than the Coach Gun.

Having used the .44 Magnum in VATS many times ... is it just me or is the .44 Magnum in this game grossly under-powered?

[NecroMaster]

Among all my characters two are Vats builds

One is the soldier
S 7 P 9 E 3 C 1 I 3 A 3 L 2
The gameplay is based on being a versatile gunner using high strength to carry a many different types of weapons and high perception for accuracy in vats.

It’s pretty strong as most enemy’s small or large can’t counter him.

Then there’s the infiltrator
S 1 P 5 E 1 C 1 I 3 A 9 L 7

Gameplay centers around being a critical sneak attack sniper.
Strong for taking down your enemy’s before they even find you.

So in short one is an open combat build the other is a sneak attack stealth build.

[daveyfunk]

Thanks both...for start I've chosen;

S3 for armorer
P4 for lockpick
E4 for chem res
C3 for lone wanderer
I4 for scrapper and to benefit from idiot savant
A5 for good perks (up to action boy/girl) and to boost later
L5 for idiot savant

I always prioritise for idiot savant to then boost XP gains and progress character quicker. Think this should be a good starting stats to get perks I want early and prove a good building block for a sneaky, VATS gunslinger

[The Inept European]

It's going to depend whether you want to be a VATS sniper or you want close up VATS gunplay.

[Fumo Bnnuy n Frends]

Originally posted by daveyfunk:

I've watched a few videos and got a bit jaded with how much content and also where they're quite dated. I only have the base game and haven't played for an AGE but I like the building and crafting aspects and I prefer a sneaky guns build with VATS. I'd guess I'd go for ballistic weave for armour and when I last played this was just as good as power armour. I'd like to have a character that's just as deadly long range as they are in close combat, survivability and effective from start to finish...so not looking for some character that sacrifices being weak at the beginning to being OP at end game.

More looking for advice on starting stats with a view to progression.

Also wondering if anyone can recommend mods that improve the settlement building aspect of the game and any other suggestions.

Thanks :)

Mods

SIM SETTLEMENTS and theres a ton of others but they can conflict with that one mode alot of people use or have used at some point.

As for build VATS and best gun or weapons tbh not so much the weapon but the legendary stats.

Of course you wanna vouch for the high agility high perception and maybe high luck instead of perception.

The best weapons and armors i've ever used tbh:
-heavy combat armor with ultra light weight armor mods to reduce weight and inc. AP. Most damage is ballistic or energy so you're set with it even without legendary status. Without dlc. With dlc the marine recon armor just spits all over all other armors. Ballistic weave army fatigues for extra endurance and strength on melee builds.


-weapons:

atom's judgement hammer (Far harbor dlc) just destroys enemies and rekts human legendary enemies. Sledgehammers bats and super sledges with reduced VATS cost or extra damage + weighted arm armor pieces helps a ton. Factor in sneak and get a 10X forget about it.

Unarmed just use PA since the besy is probably the deathclaw guantlet and it's pretty underpowered compared to previous games.

Cryolator for all the bugs is super powerful. Ironixally benefits from energy and explosive perks

Gauss rifle is absolute top tier with extra damage or extra projectile / 30% resistance penetration legendary status

Squirt gun op. Best pistol even for 1 shot no matter the ammo used but quantum just blows ♥♥♥♥ up like a mini nuke / nuka nuke

Combat shotgun with endless or exploding bullets is pretty powerful.

Same with the assault or combat rifles. Hell even the hunting rifles

Explosives CQC probably the squirt gun again or the cryo grenades / landmines.

[JobeGardener]

Stick to a specific build and weapon if possible. Mixing it up causes you to get weaker. You could be a jack of all trades but it doesn't make sense to waste points and perks on a different strategy when you already invested in another.

[Slaughterer]

Mate you practically just want perception and agil to 8 for the innate stat bonuses, int to 6 for Science and farming Purified Water. Luck is horrible for spec-ops and better moreso for low-dps heavy gunners that need that little boost from the Stranger and better criticals etc.

Get your sneak and perception-based accuracy right, with some side-farming for the best gun mods available for your level and well, you only need the per/agil/int set to make it work.

Once you're level 20ish you can start branching out to pumping SPECIAL for strong back or lone wanderer etc.

[Slaughterer]

Not to mention, if you spend the first 12ish levels setting up your settlements right you can farm purified water for enough cash to flat out buy Overseers' Gaurdian - quickest i've managed it is by level 6 or 8.

[daveyfunk]

Thanks all. All the advice is helpful :)

[Slaughterer]

All good mate just updated my previous post to reflect that you want int6 for "Science and farming Purified Water"....not hacking lol

[Hody]

Is there some kind of golden middle wayto get best VATS with the hightest damage, reach and accuracy. I have modded most my weapons to the longest possible range with the best possible precsision. but I only play with VATS - and so it seems I did them more for a sniper build than for a VATS build.

Also if an enemy is further away, dont you fail to hit them with lower reach and accuracy on your weapon?

[daveyfunk]

Originally posted by Hody:

Is there some kind of golden middle wayto get best VATS with the hightest damage, reach and accuracy. I have modded most my weapons to the longest possible range with the best possible precsision. but I only play with VATS - and so it seems I did them more for a sniper build than for a VATS build.

Also if an enemy is further away, dont you fail to hit them with lower reach and accuracy on your weapon?

Best gun for VATS I think is The Deliverer, which you get from the Railroad. Best advice I'd now give to anyone who likes tinkering with gun mods is to get two levels of scrapper, as this is a huge time saver and gives more scrap to work with, and level gun nut and science to where needed.

When you're modding the guns save before you start modding and then try different upgrades and check out the results till you're happy

Perks make the big difference and if sniping from range you want the appropriate perks

[kkitts]

The most obvious choice is to max out all VATS-related attributes, get all the perks that increase your points in VATS, get VATS-enhancing body armor pieces, max out Rifleman perk (5 levels), then get a rare 2-Shot Gauss Rifle and max it out. Kills anything short of the most legendary Deathclaws in the Glowing Sea with one headshot (two for the top-level Legendary Deathclaws). Combined with the Reaper's Sprint perk maxed out (some kills give you back all your AP), and you're basically unstoppable at range. With a jetpack, you can fly out of being mobbed and snipe away. I got lucky and got that weapon in my first playthrough (and never again since), and it made the rest of the game a cakewalk. I only carried a Gatling Laser just for ghoul groups, to conserve Gauss ammo, like in the Lexington buildings where lots of ghouls congregate.

Edit: I forgot to mention maxing out Better Criticals and Critical Banker. The first adds damage, and the second ensures critical headshots.