FO4 build: Brotherhood Paladin

[SievertChaser]

What’s going on, ladies, gentlemen and likely synths, it’s someone other than the Fudgemuppet crew wanting to chat about FO4 builds. I will not be claiming that this is the most exciting build yet, nor will I be showing footage because these builds are theoretical. In fact, this first one is me practicing lessons learned on my current playthrough. The foremost lesson being, dakka is addictive, and it makes you unlearn sneaking and sniping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-reK6pGk8to

Lead me, follow me… or stay out of my way.

Power armor, big hammers, bigger guns. This character is a pretty blunt fighter combining defense, striking power, and battlefield mobility, but rather little outside that.

Core perks

• Heavy Gunner (STR 5)
  
• Big Leagues (STR 2)
  
• Scrounger (LCK 2) – a vital perk to ensure a steady inflow of ammo
  
• Nuclear Physicist (INT 9) – a perk with triple benefits: (a) extending longevity of fusion cores in power armor, (b) Gatling Lasers only partially exhaust the fusion cores, likely filling your inventory with half-empty cores that can then be used with the “explosive core ejection” feature, and (c) boosting any radiation damage output, like that of Shem Drowne’s sword and Atom’s Judgement
  
• Lifegiver (END 3) – Levels 1 and 2 provide flat HP boosts, only of much impact early in the game, whereas Level 3 adds considerable passive HP regeneration out of combat, which allows you to dismiss minor hits rather than worry about stimpacks
  
• Rooted (STR 9) – an advanced perk that boosts resistance and melee damage when not moving, including when blocking, and attacks in V.A.T.S., synergizing nicely with a playstyle of standing in the open and mowing down hordes of enemies
  
• Pain Train (STR 10) – a perk that allows you to shoulder most enemies out of the way while sprinting in power armor, another playstyle-defining perk that helps mitigate the slowness of melee attacks with this build’s preferred weapons
  
• Armorer (STR 3)
  
• Gun Nut (INT 3)
  
• Science! (INT 6)

Additional perks

• Blacksmith (STR 4) – you may be surprised to find it under “optional”, but melee weapons aren’t as upgrade-heavy, and with regards to melee the build is more reliant on storyline weapons
  
• Commando (AGI 2) – I find it likely that early-game you won’t be able to support the minigun’s appetite and may have to start off with standard automatic weapons, retaining them later as sidearms for minor or close-up engagements
  
• Demolitions Expert (PER 5) – damage boost stacks on top of Heavy Gunner for the Missile Launcher and the Fat Man
  
• Scrapper (INT 5) – another perk that seems highly appropriate for the Brotherhood of Steal, but unless you’re into upgrading companions’ equipment you shouldn’t run out of materials
  
• Bloody Mess (LCK 3) – a general damage boost and appropriately gory effect
  
• Medic (INT 2) – necessary to help the basic meds keep up with the character’s growing HP pool
  
• Aquaman (END 5) Level 1 only – an important anti-frustration perk, given that power armor sinks to the bottom
  
• Strong Back (STR 6) – may become necessary if you carry a great multitude of heavy weapons, or use Scrapper to collect parts from spoils of war

Equipment

Quite obviously, our protagonist would focus on using T-61 power armor in Brotherhood livery with a jetpack, recon sensors highlighting any survivors of vicious heavy gun barrages, and sprint speed-boosting legs for playing wrecking ball.
Underneath the power armor, your clothes would play an utterly secondary role. If using armor, pocketed mods are recommended to prevent sudden encumbrance after leaving power armor. I find myself gravitating towards a repainted Institute Expeditionary Suit from CROSS[www.nexusmods.com] in my BoS playthroughs: Kellogg’s old set is found just before fighting him, and it’s very Blood Raven, sorry, I meant Brotherhood of Steal, to show up in the Institute in the repainted armor of their top operative you’ve put down. It offers a nice combination of armor and radiation protection, a visor with several mods, a lot of customization options, and you can still add armor on top of it.
While any heavy weapon would do, an ideal set-up would be to open up with the Missile Launcher and cut down survivors with a Gatling Laser. I would recommend using the intermediate three-shot Missile Launcher variant based on the M25 magazine-fed bazooka, if only for aesthetic reasons - their rendition of M202 FLASH looks atrocious, only one of four barrels can fire. With the Gatling Laser, Charging Barrels are a must, and the Rapid legendary effect (as on Maxson’s personal gun, which you hopefully will not be getting in this playthrough) boosts the rate of fire back to a very comfortable level.
As to additional weapons, while more heavies like Minigun and Flamer are certainly an option, my pick would be to retain a small automatic weapon (because no true Brotherhood member worries about ammo consumption). Since I despise the Combat and Assault Rifles, even a 10 mm autopistol will do, but two modded weapons would be my pick: the 10 mm SMG[www.nexusmods.com], a recreation of a Fallout 3 weapon, and the Defense Gun[www.nexusmods.com], a derivative of the Pipe Gun that’s barebones rather than ramshackle, combining elements for various World War-era SMGs for a very respectable .38 or .45 weapon. Carrying another laser weapon, meanwhile, sounds like a poor idea; Righteous Authority is probably going into storage once you get the Laser Gatling.
In melee, any mid-sized or large weapon will do until you get your hands on Sledgehammer, and then a Super Sledge. The two radiation-enhanced weapons above are strongly advised only because Nuclear Physicist gives their damage a second/third boost. Nuka World adds many more upgrades to baseball bats and the Sledgehammer to the point where they may outperform Atom’s Judgement, so you might have to get Blacksmith after all, late in the game. A disadvantage is that enemies will block a lot of your attacks; use V.A.T.S. to break through. Don’t ever bother with small weapons like knives, the power armor slows down their attack speed and they’re not terribly useful as a result.

Stats

• STR 9+1 – Pain Train thus becomes available once you clear out the Gunners in Mass Fusion to find the bobblehead
  
• PER 3+2 – you’ll have to spend an extra point on top of the bobblehead found next to Preston Garvey to unlock Demolition Expert
  
• END 4+1 – getting the bobblehead involves a trip to the far south, and a very wet mission, so consider it another perk with an unlock mission
  
• CHR 1 …I think you might need Scrapper after all
  
• INT 7+2 – use the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book on this, and then rush to the Boston Library for the bobblehead, as the stat drives XP gain
  
• AGI 2 – the minimum bound established by Commando
  
• LCK 2+1 – ensures Scrounger is available from the start and Bloody Mess is available later on

Story

Our guy grew up coddled, brilliant and sporty, but socially incompetent. Both Danse and the Army recruiter two centuries prior spotted in him a desire for structure and ready-made fraternity, and capitalized on it to foster loyalty, righteousness and hostility towards the outgroup. This is a straightforward Brotherhood of Steel playthrough, so straight-laced you kill Danse and probably assassinate your own son before heading off for the beryllium agitator, although the quest for Atom’s Judgement implies you’ll tread lightly (as you can in a T-61) in Far Harbor. Be sure to rescue Preston Garvey and then dump him (see next section).

Basing

With no investment in Charisma, a metaphorical strong back, and a lot of crafting to do, you’ll need an adhesive farm. So I say you do the very minimum of Preston’s missions, and then deport him from Sanctuary to a different, expendable settlement, while setting up your own little castle around your old home. Inability to use supply lines prevents this class from doing any serious settlement-building.