Tips

[NotArtyom]

I'm a New vegas player, but after Faillout4 I thought I'd start this game, but i know it's hella hard, so any good tips for a newcomer?

[BreakinBenny]

Read the manual, and pick up unofficial patches… be sure you also try Fallout Fixt from Sduibek.

[J.B.King]

Be sure to read the section about perks in the manual.

[WolfconGamer]

Gameplay: there are a few things you can use to your advantage.

Be ugly: honestly, unless you're trying to talk your way out of everything, high charisma is pointless. It just effects speech and barter, and it's way less detrimental to have score of 1.
Have 1 strength? You can't even use a knife. 1 agility? You have like 4 action points. 1 intelligence? You need 2 packs of mentats just to talk, and earn like 8 skill points a level.
But have 1 charisma? Well damn, you're pretty ugly. That's about it.
Those points can go to much more important stats.

Don't be crazy strong: you don't need anything over 6 strength unless you're making a melee fighter. Power armor gives you +3 strength while you wear it.

Choose your tags wisely: only choose skills you're going to be using a lot and need high stats in. Don't choose big guns if you're gonna be using a plasma rifle and an alien blaster. There are also a few skills that don't need to be tagged: science, repair, gambling, outdoorsman. You're probably never gonna gamble, and you can increase the other three with magazines.

Play on easy difficulty: it increases all of your noncombat skills by 20 points.

Read a magazine on hard difficulty: When you read a magazine, the skill increase is based off your current skill level, so a lower score means a higher increase, and there's a 30 point difference between easy and hard (noncombat skills only, won't affect the guns magazine).

Save mid-fight: if you're taking a risky shot, you can quick save in the middle of combat. note: if you quick load too many times in a row, the game can occasionally glitch and make you unable to leave combat mode.

If you can't sneak, enter combat: If somebody is about to round the corner and see you, enter combat and use your action points to run out of sight.

Patch people up for XP: each successful use of doctor or first aid will get you 25XP. Works with healing yourself, companions, or anybody else. However, after about five uses between the two, you'll be informed that if you try again "the strain might kill you" or "you're too tired".

Steal before combat: if you're about to fight guys that aren't hostile the moment they see you, quicksave and pickpocket them. Taking their ammo and stimpacks greatly hinders their ability to fight once they empty their gun. Some people even have their weapon stealable, such as the mutant with the flamethrower at the watershed in Necropolis, if you manage to convince Harry not to attack you

pickpocket the beer bottle: I don't know how this one came to be, but it's a fun hidden thing. If you run into the lone wandering trader at night, there'll be a campfire with a beer next to it. use steal on the beer for some unexpected goodies.



Gear: you need good gear to survive, and its easier to find than you think.

Search everywhere in Vault 15: been playing for like a decade and just last year I discovered there's a freaking hunting rifle hidden in a bathroom

Don't be afraid to search the Glow: You have to go here if you wanna earn your power armor, but the place is a goldmine. It's highly radioactive, so stop just at the edge of the square before it on the map and pop like 2 Radx and you'll be 100% radiation resistant. Be sure to bring a rope, too. As for the robots, just smash them all while they're deactivated.
If you loot all six floors, you can find like 4 shotguns, a combat shotgun, 2 sniper rifles, 5 assault rifles, combat armor, a plasma rifle, a mini gun, a flamethrower, 2 plasma pistols, a laser pistol, 3 14mm pistols, a stealth boy, all three grenade types, and ammo for all of it.

Merchants have infinite money: if you have an insane amount of stuff to sell, such as after looting the glow and earning your power armor, you can sell a lot to the same merchant. While they do have a limited amount in trade, it restocks after you finish the trade and exit conversation with them. I once sold all my loot to the Gun Runners and had 28K caps, which I then spent on every single surgery upgrade in the brotherhood.



Companions: these guys are useful, if irritating at times.

Use them as pack mules: if you trade with them, they can basically hold infinite weight.

Steal loot back from them: If you won't or can't make a trade for that stuff you gave them to hold, just pickpocket them. There's no chance of getting caught and they aren't hostile towards you. (useful if you have them holding your big guns).

Weigh your options with Dogmeat: sure he's your Mad Max canine buddy (literally, the guy describes the old owner as a dude in leather armor with a shotgun. You can even get him to join just by wearing leather armor like Max does ).
However, he can't use any guns, he can't carry any equipment, he can't heal himself, does minimal to no damage against armored opponents (unless he gets a critical that bypasses their armor), and he runs into the middle of combat, which is a total pain if you use grenades or burst fire.

Don't trap yourself between a rock and a companion: these idiots will walk right up to your face while standing in the only way out of the area. I've had to sit there for nearly three minutes waiting for Ian to move out of the bathroom doorway.



Companions and combat: this requires its own section.

Keep them stocked with stimpacks: they can't wear better armor, so give them a few stimpacks. They'll use them in combat if they're near death.

Give them good weapons: Katja and Ian should get 14mm pistols (or the .223), while Tycho can either get the combat shotgun or a sniper rifle. Be sure to stock them with bulk ammo so they never run out.

Don't give them cheap melee weapons: If they run out of ammo with a weapon and have enough action points to use a melee weapon, they'll switch to it for the rest of combat. Ian can use knives, knuckles, and powerfist; Katja knives and throwing knives, and tycho a spear. However, I have seen Ian powerfist punch a deathclaw for like 15 damage, and Katja is wicked with a Ripper.

Don't give them burst weapons: These idiots will use burst fire whenever it suits them, with no regard to who else will get caught in it or how overkill it is. I have seen Tycho burst fire a combat shotgun against a freaking rat, which only has 6 hitpoints!
Whatever you do, don't give Katja or Ian 10mm submachine guns, as it does the same damage as the 10mm pistol. Tycho does it with the combat shotgun, but at least he's effective with it.

Watch their positions: these guys will fire at any enemy within reach, even if someone is in the way. There's nothing as annoying as having to reload the game because somebody got killed by friendly fire. If you can, be the one to iniate combat and do it while they have a clear line of fire to an enemy.

They're bad with multiple targets: if they can shoot twice, and the first shot kills they guy, they'll end their turn. They'll also only shoot at someone attacking you. Ive seen Ian getting wailed on without attacking, because the guy attacking me wasn't in sight and the path to him was blocked.