I am curious about other people and their New Vegas stats they start out with. The game is about 3 times harder than Fallout 3 was, which is kind of nice as well. (I am playing it on Hardcore as well)
I took S-4, P-6, E-4, C-4, I-10, A-6, L-6, Skills were Guns, Speech, Explosives... Special's Wild Wasteland and Good Natured.
After getting Pete's explosives I would walk to the edge of town and drop Explosives when redoing my character to pick up Lockpick.
My first Perk was Rapid Reload, I find that in this game you don't get the chance to reload before dying.
With this game using the skills FAR more I feel that you need to get as many skills as you can. At level 4 I get Educated to pick up another 2 per level.
I have found enemies tend to flee alot more than they ever did in Fallout 3 when injured as well.
What are your New Vegas Stats?
I've tried a few but I'll just pick my prefered build:
Stats: S-5, P-5, E-5, C-7, I-7, A-6, L-5
Skills: Speech, Guns, Sneak.
Traits: Four Eyes, Good Natured
I find you generally hit level 3, if not 4 before leaving Goodsprings and both Lady Killer and Confirmed Bachelor are nice speech perks to pick up and give a hand 10% extra damage to human(oid) enemies.
If you're going for guns in this game, Sniper Rifles (and their big brother Anti-Material Rifles) are your god.
Stats: S-5, P-5, E-5, C-7, I-7, A-6, L-5
Skills: Speech, Guns, Sneak.
Traits: Four Eyes, Good Natured
I find you generally hit level 3, if not 4 before leaving Goodsprings and both Lady Killer and Confirmed Bachelor are nice speech perks to pick up and give a hand 10% extra damage to human(oid) enemies.
If you're going for guns in this game, Sniper Rifles (and their big brother Anti-Material Rifles) are your god.
I've found that the human enemies are the easiest enemies, so a bonus against them seems like a waste of time. Have you noticed many speech options with Lady Killer and Confirmed Bachelor? For the first two perks I'd go with skill bonuses (Intense Training Int, Educated)
In my game I'm using Four Eyes, but I can't tell if it's working or not. I started with PE 6. Four Eyes drops it to 5 (which is sort of annoying; it should use a -1 debuff rather than changing the base stat). Then I wear sunglasses to bring it up to 7. But the sunglasses show PE +2. Do they only show that because I have Four Eyes, and so they'd have no bonus for anyone else? Either way, I won't use Four Eyes again because the penalty is worse than the bonus. I didn't really like any of the traits other than Wild Wasteland.
SWC
In my game I'm using Four Eyes, but I can't tell if it's working or not. I started with PE 6. Four Eyes drops it to 5 (which is sort of annoying; it should use a -1 debuff rather than changing the base stat). Then I wear sunglasses to bring it up to 7. But the sunglasses show PE +2. Do they only show that because I have Four Eyes, and so they'd have no bonus for anyone else? Either way, I won't use Four Eyes again because the penalty is worse than the bonus. I didn't really like any of the traits other than Wild Wasteland.
SWC
Sir Edmund: "Should you obey the lord who asks you to put a village of innocents to the torch? Is that chivalrous? Is it noble?"
Me: "It's a great way to get promoted, I know that much."
Me: "It's a great way to get promoted, I know that much."
Your first playthrough obviously didn't have you breaking into the fort to kill Caesar at level 18.
Lady Killer gives you a few perks every now and again, I think I used it more in the strip than anything though it did save me a couple of thousand caps in the early to mid sections of the game (back when that was still a decent amount). Confirmed Bachelor on the other hand has a surprisingly high amount of use, which does make sense considering the number of male npcs/enemies in the game.
The sunglasses only give you the +2 bonus if you have have four eyes, other wise they do nothing except decorate your face.
It's probably worth noting I've a very communication heavy player, I'd rather talk my way out of a problem than not, though, in retrospect, I would recommend Educated at level 4, then Lady Killer at 6 instead.
Lady Killer gives you a few perks every now and again, I think I used it more in the strip than anything though it did save me a couple of thousand caps in the early to mid sections of the game (back when that was still a decent amount). Confirmed Bachelor on the other hand has a surprisingly high amount of use, which does make sense considering the number of male npcs/enemies in the game.
The sunglasses only give you the +2 bonus if you have have four eyes, other wise they do nothing except decorate your face.
It's probably worth noting I've a very communication heavy player, I'd rather talk my way out of a problem than not, though, in retrospect, I would recommend Educated at level 4, then Lady Killer at 6 instead.
This seems like pretty good evidence that the human enemies are way too easy. I'm guessing you weren't taking on too many cazador hives or deathclaw nests at 18, and yet you were able to kill one of the main human bosses.Cyro wrote:Your first playthrough obviously didn't have you breaking into the fort to kill Caesar at level 18.
Last night I picked up the Living Anatomy perk, just to see the DTs of enemies. Giant Radscorpions have a DT of 36, meaning you can only damage them with critical hits. Meanwhile, whenever I face humans, I break out my melee or unarmed weapons (I'm using a guns build), so I can work on the associated challenges, and I never struggle in the fights. I rarely even have to use a stimpak or anything.
So a damage bonus against humans still seems like a waste, but extra dialogue options are always fun. Have you tried the Terrifying Presence perk? I'm curious if it comes up enough to be worthwhile.
SWC
Sir Edmund: "Should you obey the lord who asks you to put a village of innocents to the torch? Is that chivalrous? Is it noble?"
Me: "It's a great way to get promoted, I know that much."
Me: "It's a great way to get promoted, I know that much."
Well not Deathclaws, no. I did wipe out a Cazador Hive after stumbling into it by accident, via a liberal use of the grenade launcher and stimpacks (and with help from Rex and Boone) at 17, which is, ironically what prompted me to take a shot at killing Caesar. (P.S. Caesar, or at least, him and all his guards, were much more difficult, and took me 4 attempts. The humans are squishier, true, but they hit much harder. Fortunately it's all melee, so you just have to outrun them, plant a few mines, snipe the heads when they're separated and grenade them when they aren't.swcarter wrote:This seems like pretty good evidence that the human enemies are way too easy. I'm guessing you weren't taking on too many cazador hives or deathclaw nests at 18, and yet you were able to kill one of the main human bosses.
Yeah, it has a lot of application, unfortunately most are better suited to an "evil" playthrough as all it does is prevents you from resolving the situation diplomatically but gives you a free couple of shots (or vats round) before they react.swcarter wrote:So a damage bonus against humans still seems like a waste, but extra dialogue options are always fun. Have you tried the Terrifying Presence perk? I'm curious if it comes up enough to be worthwhile.
Spoiler ahoy: The best use I found for it was
Spoiler
to lure Benny away from his guards in the casino, plug him for info and then use Terrifying Presence to end the conversation. He'll then stand their cowering like a dead fish while you plant 2-3 .44 in his head. Satisfaction!
I've played Fallout 3 (1&2 as well) and am about to start a new game of New Vegas after taking a character w/ 4 eyes and 1 luck to level 4. That character had 6 Perception (8 with glasses) and my glasses broke 
, so I was stuck at 6 untill I could find more.
I read a FAQ from someone named egervari3 that talked about weapons and explained that V.A.T.S. is not as important as in Fallout 3 and Critical hits are more important. He sez to build a gun user with 10 Luck and sacrifice Strength to do it.
S-3, P-5, E-6, C-1, I-9, A-8, L-8 with traits of Small Frame & Good Natured
After implants, small frame and a L2 Intense Training in Luck; the character ends up with S-4, P-6, E-6, C-1, I-10, A-10, L-10
Another FAQ I read by haeravon had simular stats and suggested making a Level 1 run to get the Intelligence implant like the Rivet City run for the Bobble Head. I think they both tagged Speach since it is so low because of the 1 Charisma.
, so I was stuck at 6 untill I could find more.I read a FAQ from someone named egervari3 that talked about weapons and explained that V.A.T.S. is not as important as in Fallout 3 and Critical hits are more important. He sez to build a gun user with 10 Luck and sacrifice Strength to do it.
S-3, P-5, E-6, C-1, I-9, A-8, L-8 with traits of Small Frame & Good Natured
After implants, small frame and a L2 Intense Training in Luck; the character ends up with S-4, P-6, E-6, C-1, I-10, A-10, L-10
Another FAQ I read by haeravon had simular stats and suggested making a Level 1 run to get the Intelligence implant like the Rivet City run for the Bobble Head. I think they both tagged Speach since it is so low because of the 1 Charisma.
My first few characters were more conventional, well-rounded builds, but for my most recent play through I wanted a pure diplomat/spy/McGyver kind of character. Somebody who can talk or think their way through almost anything, sneak their way past non-negotiable situations, and rely on tough companions when combat is unavoidable. So:
S=3, P=1, E=2, C=9, I=10, A=6, L=9
Traits: Good Natured, Small Frame
Tag Skills: Speech, Barter, Science
Intelligence needed to be high for role playing purposes anyway, so I bumped it all the way to 10 to get max skill points right from Level 2. I also wanted max Charisma & Luck, so I bought the Luck implant as soon as I could afford it, which made blackjack almost comically easy, so I was able to afford the Charisma implant within minutes of entering my first casino on the Strip.
Agility needed to be good so I could sneak effectively, and the Small Frame perk increased it to 7. With the points I had left I took a little bit of Strength (a courier who can't lift the package is kind of useless), and put 2 points in Endurance so I could have 2 implants. In hindsight, I should have put 4 points in Endurance and bought Strength and Agility implants, because between the high Luck and Barter scores I make more caps than I can spend. Live and learn.
I completely punted on Perception because I never planned to use explosives or energy weapons, lock picking depends far more on the player's skill with the mini-game than the character's Perception score, and ED-E's enhanced sensors perk makes Perception irrelevant to your radar (although it made traveling to Primm without getting killed in an ambush quite an adventure).
When it became obvious that I wasn't going to be able to complete certain quests without spilling some blood, I took the Intense Training perk to boost Endurance, which finally let me buy the Strength implant, which combined with the Weapon Handling perk let me use a sniper rifle fairly effectively.
S=3, P=1, E=2, C=9, I=10, A=6, L=9
Traits: Good Natured, Small Frame
Tag Skills: Speech, Barter, Science
Intelligence needed to be high for role playing purposes anyway, so I bumped it all the way to 10 to get max skill points right from Level 2. I also wanted max Charisma & Luck, so I bought the Luck implant as soon as I could afford it, which made blackjack almost comically easy, so I was able to afford the Charisma implant within minutes of entering my first casino on the Strip.
Agility needed to be good so I could sneak effectively, and the Small Frame perk increased it to 7. With the points I had left I took a little bit of Strength (a courier who can't lift the package is kind of useless), and put 2 points in Endurance so I could have 2 implants. In hindsight, I should have put 4 points in Endurance and bought Strength and Agility implants, because between the high Luck and Barter scores I make more caps than I can spend. Live and learn.
I completely punted on Perception because I never planned to use explosives or energy weapons, lock picking depends far more on the player's skill with the mini-game than the character's Perception score, and ED-E's enhanced sensors perk makes Perception irrelevant to your radar (although it made traveling to Primm without getting killed in an ambush quite an adventure).
When it became obvious that I wasn't going to be able to complete certain quests without spilling some blood, I took the Intense Training perk to boost Endurance, which finally let me buy the Strength implant, which combined with the Weapon Handling perk let me use a sniper rifle fairly effectively.
Can the answer to this question be "No"?
Right, no bonus for anyone else. If you get theI wear sunglasses to bring it up to 7. But the sunglasses show PE +2. Do they only show that because I have Four Eyes, and so they'd have no bonus for anyone else?
Spoiler
Lucky Shades from the Legion safe house
The egervari3 FAQ I talked about is out of date as of the 314 patch. The x5 critical multiplier has been removed from Gobi & the sniper rifle. I ended up choosing S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats of 5.5.5.1.9.6.9 with Good Natured and Small Frame. After the implants, lvl 2 Intense training in Endurance and the small frame they are 6.6.6.1.10.8.10 because I wanted to use guns with a strength req of 6 right away and not wait until lvl 16 for the Weapons Handling perk. Seems I cant use them anyway because of their skill req of 75 so if I started over I would have lowered strength to 4 and put the 2 S.P.E.C.I.A.L points in Agility.
Higher Agility does make your character reload faster (a good thing if your using Cowboy perk weapons) but does not regenerate Action Points faster. They regenerate from empty to full in 16.6 seconds whether the player has 95 Ap's w/ 10 Agility or 80 Ap's w/ 5 Agility. Aditional Ap's from Kamakazi or Jet need aditional time to regenerate. I think Rebound cuts the time to 13.3 seconds. It's better to regenerate ap's faster than to have extra ap's so Grim Reaper or Nerves of Steel is better than Action Boy or Kamakazi.
Stats
I just restarted and decided to go with a different type of build, S-4, P-5, E-8, C-2, I-9, A-6, L-6. I immediately ran up and started gambling to get the money to buy implants before I got to level 2... I got all except the Endurance implant. At level 2 I took the Intense Training for Strength.
My Perks were Wild Wasteland, and Four Eyes, with Glasses and a Hat my stats are
S-6, P-9, E-8, C-3, I-10, A-7, L-7...
For the Perks I wanted I needed a S-6, P-6, I-4, A-7, L-6.
I was debating to drop Wild for small frame, but I really dont like the crippling limb damage.
I just restarted and decided to go with a different type of build, S-4, P-5, E-8, C-2, I-9, A-6, L-6. I immediately ran up and started gambling to get the money to buy implants before I got to level 2... I got all except the Endurance implant. At level 2 I took the Intense Training for Strength.
My Perks were Wild Wasteland, and Four Eyes, with Glasses and a Hat my stats are
S-6, P-9, E-8, C-3, I-10, A-7, L-7...
For the Perks I wanted I needed a S-6, P-6, I-4, A-7, L-6.
I was debating to drop Wild for small frame, but I really dont like the crippling limb damage.
Those seem pretty good. S-6 will let you use many weapons without spending a perk for Weapons Handling. With P-9 you should have a head start on Energy weapons. E-8 should give you a fighting chance against Cazador poison, God, I hate Cazadors. A-7 hurts V.A.T.S but you could use Jet & Rebound when you really need that kind of targeting. L-7 hurts Criticals but you could collect Police magazines for that. You need to try for the Lucky Shades so start saving Dog Tags. Till then, buy something naughty from Mick and save all your Alien ammo for Death Claws.arsiwash wrote:I just restarted and decided to go with a different type of build, S-4, P-5, E-8, C-2, I-9, A-6, L-6. I immediately ran up and started gambling to get the money to buy implants before I got to level 2... I got all except the Endurance implant. At level 2 I took the Intense Training for Strength.
My Perks were Wild Wasteland, and Four Eyes, with Glasses and a Hat my stats are
S-6, P-9, E-8, C-3, I-10, A-7, L-7...
For the Perks I wanted I needed a S-6, P-6, I-4, A-7, L-6.
I was debating to drop Wild for small frame, but I really dont like the crippling limb damage.
BTW, I started over too. I was up to lvl 14 but ruined too many quests.
2 perks I REALLY want are Sniper and Better Criticals, with "Four Eyes" you actually lose one perception, so I had to mod my build by lowering my CHA down to 1, and raising my Perception up to 6 initially, then with FOUR EYES, my perception drops to 5, and an implant brings it right back up to 6 again.I just restarted and decided to go with a different type of build, S-4, P-5, E-8, C-2, I-9, A-6, L-6. I immediately ran up and started gambling to get the money to buy implants before I got to level 2... I got all except the Endurance implant. At level 2, I took the Intense Training for Strength.
My Perks were Wild Wasteland, and Four Eyes, with Glasses and a Hat my stats are
S-6, P-9, E-8, C-3, I-10, A-7, L-7...
For the Perks I wanted I needed a S-6, P-6, I-4, A-7, L-6.
Went through the game with this build, it doesn't include the implants or bonus perks you get with companion's or challenge's.
Stats
Strength: 4
Perception: 5
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 9
Intelligence: 9
Agility: 5
Luck: 5
Tagged Skills
Speech
Barter
Explosives
Traits
Good Natured
Four Eyes
Perks
Intense Training +1 INT
Educated
Comprehension
Lady Killer
Confirmed Bachelor
Terrifying Presence
Animal Friend x2
Tag! (Guns)
Swift Learner x3
Action Boy
Math Wrath
Ferocious Loyalty
Explorer
Weapons Handling
Companion(s): Boone (uses T-51 Power Armor & Anti-material Rifle)
NOTE: I have the Dead Money Add-on so it makes my level 35 instead of 30 so instead of 15 basic perks i get 17.
Stats
Strength: 4
Perception: 5
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 9
Intelligence: 9
Agility: 5
Luck: 5
Tagged Skills
Speech
Barter
Explosives
Traits
Good Natured
Four Eyes
Perks
Intense Training +1 INT
Educated
Comprehension
Lady Killer
Confirmed Bachelor
Terrifying Presence
Animal Friend x2
Tag! (Guns)
Swift Learner x3
Action Boy
Math Wrath
Ferocious Loyalty
Explorer
Weapons Handling
Companion(s): Boone (uses T-51 Power Armor & Anti-material Rifle)
NOTE: I have the Dead Money Add-on so it makes my level 35 instead of 30 so instead of 15 basic perks i get 17.
hmm...:laugh:
Spoiler
if you're reding this you have no life.