Fallout 3: Character Creation Guide - Guide for Fallout 3
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This guide is set at a width of 72 characters. For ease of use, make sure your browser is displaying all the numbers on the line below. 123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012 o======================================================================o | | | Fallout 3 | | | o======================================================================o Version 1.01 Written by: Nathan Garvin Email: Theendbringer (at) Hotmail (dot) com. If you're going to email me about this guide, make sure you put "FALLOUT 3" in the title, or I'll probably end up deleting it as junk. I have no affiliation with Bethesda, Fallout 3, or any other parties involved with this game. This is a not-for-profit fan-made guide. If you wish to post, mirror, or quote this guide, feel free to do so. Credit would make me happy, an email would make me feel good. Let your conscience be your guide, just like all good people. Table of Contents o======================================================================o I. Introduction {INT001} II. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes {SPC001} 1. Strength {SPC002} 2. Perception {SPC003} 3. Endurance {SPC004} 4. Charisma {SPC005} 5. Intelligence {SPC006} 6. Agility {SPC007} 7. Luck {SPC008} 8. My Personal Build, Attributes{SPC009} III. Statistics {STA001} 1. CND {STA002} 2. RAD {STA003} 3. EFF {STA004} 4. LVL {STA005} 5. HP {STA006} 6. AP {STA007} 7. XP {STA008} IV. Skills {SKL001} Base {SKL002} Tag! {SKL003} Leveling {SKL004} Bobbleheads {SKL005} Books {SKL006} Min/Maxing {SKL007} Breakdown of Skill Points {SKL008} The Skills {SKL009} Barter {SKL010} Big Guns {SKL011} Energy Weapons {SKL012} Explosives {SKL013} Lockpick {SKL014} Medicine {SKL015} Melee Weapons {SKL016} Repair {SKL017} Science {SKL018} Small Guns {SKL019} Sneak {SKL020} Speech {SKL021} Unarmed {SKL022} Skills I Tag! (and why) {SKL023} V. Perks {PRK001} Level 2 Perks {PRK002} Black Widow/Lady Killer Daddy's Boy/Daddy's Girl Gun Nut Intense Training Little Leaguer Swift Learner Thief Level 4 Perks {PRK003} Child at Heart Comprehension Educated Entomologist Iron Fist Scoundrel Level 6 Perks {PRK004} Bloody Mess Demolition Expert Fortune Finder Gunslinger Lead Belly Toughness Level 8 Perks {PRK005} Commando Impartial Mediation Rad Resistance Scrounger Size Matters Strong Back Level 10 Perks {PRK006} Animal Friend Finesse Here and Now Mister Sandman Mysterious Stranger Nerd Rage! Night Person Level 12 Perks {PRK007} Cannibal Fast Metabolism Life Giver Pyromaniac Robotics Expert Silent Running Sniper Level 14 Perks {PRK008} Adamantium Skeleton Chemist Contract Killer Cyborg Lawbringer Light Step Master Trader Level 16 Perks {PRK009} Action Boy Better Criticals Chem Resistant Tag! Level 18 Perks {PRK010} Concentrated Fire Computer Whiz Infiltrator Paralyzing Palm Level 20 Perks {PRK011} Explorer Grim Reaper's Sprint Ninja Solar Powered Additional Perks {PRK012} Ant Might Ant Sight Barkskin Dream Crusher Hematophagy Junior Survivor Power Armor Training Rad Limb Healing Survivor Expert Survivor Guru Wired Reflexes My Personal Build, Perks {PRK013} VI. Bobbleheads {BOB001} VII. Updates/Thanks {UPD001} o======================================================================o | | | Introduction {INT001} | | | o======================================================================o Well, this isn't my first FAQ, so I don't have any excuses if it sucks. With that said, I hope you don't think it sucks, in fact, I hope you think it's rather helpful, even if you don't agree with what I might have to say. This FAQ was created to explain a bit about character generation in Fallout 3, namely how I go about creating my characters. I find this to be the most effective means of playing through the game, as you get a character that is not only powerful and versatile, but easy to get off the ground. Unlike my previous FAQ, since this is a character creation FAQ, I would be interested in various strategies readers may have, even if they are contrary to my own opinions. And as always, if I missed something (probable) or got something wrong (likely) let me know. I'll fix it, and give you credit. I do not include book locations in this FAQ, as I simply never bothered to find them all. If you absolutely must find all the books to max your character, I'm sure there's another FAQ out there. I have recored the books I have found, and if the mood ever strikes me, I may yet add that section to the FAQ. If you like my FAQs, I'll promote myself by letting everybody know I'm planning on working on the following projects: Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Fallout 1 & 2, Overlord 2, Planescape: Torment, and The Witcher.. If any of those strike your fancy. Keep in mind, these are just my opinions, they are not fact, so don't get your feathers ruffled if you don't agree with me. Broken Steel Note: If you have the expansion Broken Steel installed, please keep in mind that this FAQ is NOT intended for use with that expansion. If you have, or plan to get Broken Steel, do not use this FAQ, as the advice herein is no longer compatible. I have the expansion myself, and am working on a new character build with the expansion, which pretty much makes the process of leveling up a lot more brain-dead. Some things-like the bobblehead locations and general game mechanics are fine-but the impetus for choosing your perks and attributes are simply not efficient for Broken Steel. If you made a character with this FAQ, and upgraded to Broken Steel, and saw that "Almost Perfect" perk.. well, hey, I didn't know either.. download my new FAQ for Broken Steel. o======================================================================o | | | S.P.E.C.I.A.L Attributes {SPC001} | | | o======================================================================o Your seven attributes are cleverly formed into the anagram 'SPECIAL', which stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. Not all attributes are made equal, and I'll help show you why. These are just my opinions, you can do well making any character you want. Even.. a melee character. Gnnh. Attributes do a number of things for you-depending on what the actual attribute is, but they all give a 2 point bonus to their related skills for each point in that attribute. For example, if your Strength was 5 your base Melee Weapons skill would get a 10 point bonus. Luck is the exception, which gives a 1 point bonus for each two points in Luck to all your skills. You can get a Vault-Tec limited edition bobblehead that adds a +1 bonus for each of your attributes. You should plan on getting these (or at least the more important ones) and adjust your characters' attributes appropriately. The most you want in any one attribute is 9.. the bobblehead wont raise your attribute above 10-nothing will-so it's a waste to start out with an attribute score of 10. o======================================================================o Strength {SPC002} Skills: Melee Weapons Strength is a measure of your raw physical power. It affects how much you can carry, and determines the effectiveness of all melee attacks. Strength determines the damage you do with melee attacks.. a whopping half a point of damage for each point of strength. Yes, 10 points of Strength gets you the same damage as the Iron Fist perk, wow!) As far as the skill point bonuses go, Strength is the weakest attribute, factoring into only one skill.. the aforementioned Melee Weapons skill. Frankly, Strength isn't a very good attribute at all, unless you're dead set on whacking things in melee. If you like guns, the most you want to put into Strength is 4 points. With the bobblehead that gives you five, which is enough for the Strong Back perk. For each point of Strength you have your carrying capacity is improved by 10 (from a base of 150). Strong Back adds 50 points to your carrying capacity-the equivilent of 5 points of Strength, further making Strength redundent, even to players that want to melee. o========o============o=================o======o |Strength|Melee Damage|Carrying Capacity|Skills| o========o============o=================o======o | 1 | .5 | 160 | +2 | | 2 | 1.0 | 170 | +4 | | 3 | 1.5 | 180 | +6 | | 4 | 2.0 | 190 | +8 | | 5 | 2.5 | 200 | +10 | | 6 | 3.0 | 210 | +12 | | 7 | 3.5 | 220 | +14 | | 8 | 4.0 | 230 | +16 | | 9 | 4.5 | 240 | +18 | | 10 | 5.0 | 250 | +20 | o========o============o========================o You can further increase your Strength by completing the quest 'Those!' and recieving the injection from Doctor Lesko. Various types of power armor will raise your strength.. at the cost of Agility. The Strength raising power armor isn't as good as the T51-b armor, however. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Perception {SPC003} Skills: Explosives, Lockpick, and Energy Weapons A high Perception grants a bonus to the Explosives, Lockpick and Energy Weapons skills, and determines when red compass markings appear (which indicate threats). Perception's big draw is that it increases the distance as which you notice threats-red marks on your compass. Granted this is only useful for avoiding said threats, or ambushing/sneaking up on them. Still, if you are a ranged fighter, this is useful for letting you know where your enemies are before you engage. If tactical advantages don't mean anything to you, obviously Perception shouldn't be high on your list. Even without the threat markers (which I am personally fairly fond of) Perception gives a bonus to three skills.. which makes it fairly useful by that simple virtue alone. I start out with 3 points, get 3 more through Intense Training as I level, and round it out at 8 with the Ant Sight perk and the bobble head. o==========o======o |Perception|Skills| o==========o======o | 1 | +2 | | 2 | +4 | | 3 | +6 | | 4 | +8 | | 5 | +10 | | 6 | +12 | | 7 | +14 | | 8 | +16 | | 9 | +18 | | 10 | +20 | o==========o======o You can further increase your Perception by completing the quest 'Those!' and recieving the injection from Doctor Lesko. The Shady Hat you get for completing all the sub objectives of the Mirelurk portion of the Wasteland Survival Guide quest is a rather snazzy way to add a point of Perception.. and some points of Sneak to boot. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Endurance {SPC004} Skills: Big Guns and Unarmed Endurance is a measure of your overall physical fitness. A high Endurance gives bonuses to health, environmental resistances, and the Big Guns and Unarmed skills. Every point of Endurance gives you 20 health, a fairly significant amount considering you gain 10 points per level (excluding the first) added on to a base of 100. This bonus is retroactive-should you gain more Endurance later, you'll find yourself burdened with an extra 20 health. By 'environmental resistances' they mean Radiation Resistance. You'll gain a 2% bonus for every point above 1, again retroactive. This is a fairly good attribute, and it gives bonuses to two skills, even though they are two I'm not particularly fond of. Despite it being a good attribute, I tend to put 5 points in it to start, get another from the bobble head, and 2 from Intensive Training to end at 8. I could start it at 4, and be perfectly happy with 5 at the end, but I really don't have anything better to spend the points on. o=========o=========o=================o====================o======o |Endurance|Hitpoints|Poison Resistance|Radiation Resistance|Skills| o=========o=========o=================o====================o======o | 1 | 120 | 0% | 0% | +2 | | 2 | 140 | 5% | 2% | +4 | | 3 | 160 | 10% | 4% | +6 | | 4 | 160 | 15% | 6% | +8 | | 5 | 180 | 20% | 8% | +10 | | 6 | 200 | 25% | 10% | +12 | | 7 | 220 | 30% | 12% | +14 | | 8 | 240 | 35% | 14% | +16 | | 9 | 260 | 40% | 16% | +18 | | 10 | 280 | 45% | 18% | +20 | o=========o=========o=================o====================o======o Grade: **** Many people say you can get a bonus to Endurance from the Barkskin perk, which you can recieve by taking Harold's side in the quest 'Oasis'. I have never recieved any Endurance for doing this quest, however. (My Barkskin always just gives a bonus to Damage Resistance.) o======================================================================o Charisma {SPC005} Skills: Barter and Speech Having a high Charisma will improve people's disposition of you, and give bonuses to both the Barter and Speech skills. This is a perfectly good dump attribute. It gives a bonus to two skills, granted good skills, but this attribute fails on the virtue of its main benefit-or lack thereof. This skill unlocks dialogue options, but to get that benefit, you'll need to have at least 8 points in it. That's a lot of points that could be spent elsewhere. You know, making your character a skill whore, or a combat phenom. Worse, you can affect dialogue options with a high enough Speech skill-and get EXP for it. Unless you're crazy about the role-playing, avoid this skill. Make it 1, or make it 8. And then get the bobble head, and put on some clothes that give you another point to finish at 10. And then get Black Widow or Lady Killer, Child at Heart, and a high Speech skill. Just keep in mind, you WILL have to fight in this game, and those points in Charisma are going to hurt. I give it a 1 and let my Speech skill get me through the game. Shame, Charisma was a good skill in the first two Fallout games. o========o======o |Charisma|Skills| o========o======o | 1 | +2 | | 2 | +4 | | 3 | +6 | | 4 | +8 | | 5 | +10 | | 6 | +12 | | 7 | +14 | | 8 | +16 | | 9 | +18 | | 10 | +20 | o========o======o Grade: * o======================================================================o Intelligence {SPC006} Skills: Science, Repair, and Medicine Intelligence affects the Science, Repair and Medicine skills. The higher your Intelligence, the more Skill Points you'll be able to distribute when you level up. Okay, three skills is good, but most importantly for every point of Intelligence you have you get an extra skill point to distribute every level. Now, for all those 10% skill perks, each point of Intelligence gives you 19 skill points by level 20, twice as potent than any such perk. You should get your Intelligence up to 9 to start, and then head to Rivet City as soon as you get out of Vault 101 to get the bobble head. It is well worth the trouble to get the bobble head for a cool 10 Intelligence before you reach level 3. There are advocates of the opposite strategy-a 1 Intelligence with all the skill books and bobble heads makes it possible-however unlikely-to get 100% in all skills. A high Intelligence just makes life easier, and it forces you to find less skill books. Besides, where else would you put the attribute points? Endurance? A good number of the better perks require certain skill levels to get. It would be extremely tedious to get your skills up via books while having to watch your level to ensure you dont over-level and waste perks.. If that's your idea of fun, go ahead. I prefer to be smart. o============o=====================o======o |Intelligence|Skill Point per Level|Skills| o============o=====================o======o | 1 | 11 | +2 | | 2 | 12 | +4 | | 3 | 13 | +6 | | 4 | 14 | +8 | | 5 | 15 | +10 | | 6 | 16 | +12 | | 7 | 17 | +14 | | 8 | 18 | +16 | | 9 | 19 | +18 | | 10 | 20 | +20 | o============o=====================o======o Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Agility {SPC007} Skills: Small Guns and Sneak Agility affects your Small Guns and Sneak skills, and the number of Action Points available for V.A.T.S. Small Guns and Sneak are both magnificent skills, and I live and die by V.A.T.S. in this game. You get a measly two points for each point in Agility plus a base of.. 65? Still, weapons just aren't accurate at a range, and ammo is a commodity, so V.A.T.S. is good times. Besides, you are invulnerable while in V.A.T.S. so it's something worth abusing. There are tons of great perks that need a 6 Agility, so getting at least a 5 and then the bobble head is a good idea. I prefer to get nine to make the most of V.A.T.S. o=======o=============o======o |Agility|Action Points|Skills| o=======o=============o======o | 1 | 67 | +2 | | 2 | 69 | +4 | | 3 | 71 | +6 | | 4 | 73 | +8 | | 5 | 75 | +10 | | 6 | 77 | +12 | | 7 | 79 | +14 | | 8 | 81 | +16 | | 9 | 83 | +18 | | 10 | 85 | +20 | o=======o=============o======o Grade: **** o======================================================================o Luck {SPC008} Skills: All skills Raising your Luck will raise all of your skills a little. Having a high Luck will also improve your critical chance with all weapons. Luck is a fantastic attribute. Every point gives you a 1% critical hit rate. A critical hit on an enemy's head in V.A.T.S. with a combat shotgun is a GOOD thing. With 10 points of Luck, Finesse, and the best modifier from the Wasteland Survival Guide, you can get an 18% critical rate. That's good times. As if that's not good enough, Luck gives a bonus to all your skills, one point for every odd attribute point in Luck (1,3,5,7,9). That's a total of 13 skill points for every other attribute point. At 6.5 per point, that's a better skill bonus than any other attribute. If critical hits don't matter to you, you should still get a base of 3 at least. You can find a bobble head and a Lucky 8 Ball to give you two more points, so an 8 is the most you should get, which I do. o====o===============o======o |Luck|Critical Chance|Skills| o====o===============o======o | 1 | 1% | +1 | | 2 | 2% | +1 | | 3 | 3% | +2 | | 4 | 4% | +2 | | 5 | 5% | +3 | | 6 | 6% | +3 | | 7 | 7% | +4 | | 8 | 8% | +4 | | 9 | 9% | +5 | | 10 | 10% | +5 | o====o===============o======o Grade: ***** You can further increase your Luck by possessing the Lucky 8 Ball. Like a bobblehead, this item just sits in your inventory and makes your life easier. If you do Reily's Rangers quest and choose the armor, you get a nice custom suit of combat armor with very high DR and a +1 bonus to Luck. If you like the look of that armor, and are comfortable with going with that, you can leave your Luck one point lower and use the armor to compensate. I prefer power armor, though. My Personal Build, Attributes {SPC009} o======================================================================o I count on getting all the bobbleheads (which is much easier than finding all the books) and the Lucky 8 Ball. Also, I plan on getting the Ant Sight perk. It's been said you can get a 1 point bonus to your Endurance from Harold, but I never have. In any case, if somehow I do, I have extra Endurance to get. I play by using Stealth to sneak up on my enemies, typically with Small Guns. Sneak Criticals are good times, and my V.A.T.S. ensures I win my fights. This is my personal build for casual gameplay. Base Bobble Perks Misc Total Strength 4 1 0 0 5 Perception 4 1 3 1 9 Endurance 5 1 2 0 8 Charisma 1 1 0 0 2 Intelligence 9 1 0 0 10 Agility 9 1 0 0 10 Luck 8 1 0 1 10 Beginning HP: 200 Beginning AP: 83 Ending HP: 450 Ending AP: 110 If I want a rougher experience, a more intensive hide & seek session looking for books, I use this build to maximize my hit points. I also pick the Life Giver perk instead of the Educated perk. Once again, I would max my Endurance at 9 and try to get the Barkskin perk from the quest 'Oasis', but I've never recieved a point of Endurance from the quest. Base Bobble Perks Misc Total Strength 4 1 0 0 5 Perception 4 1 3 1 9 Endurance 7 1 2 0 10 Charisma 1 1 0 0 2 Intelligence 7 1 0 0 8 Agility 9 1 0 0 10 Luck 8 1 0 1 10 Beginning HP: 240 Beginning AP: 83 Ending HP: 520 Ending AP: 110 o======================================================================o | Statistics {STA001} | o======================================================================o You could really look a lot of this up in the manual, but that's too much for some folk.. I'll just assume you're looking it up here for my expert opinion. Yeah.. CND {STA002} o======================================================================o Like the manual says, this screen has an outline of your poor little Pip Boy. The healthier he is, the happier he'll look! Also, you can see the condition of all your body parts. This feature seems a little tacked on, and most of the time you'll only take serious bodily harm from explosions, traps, or Robobrains. Getting crippled is a bad thing, obviously, and the effects range from occassionally losing focus and becoming temporarily blind to hobbling around at half speed. Using stimpaks on the injured member or sleeping in a bed will fix you up. RAD {STA003} o======================================================================o This screen shows your current level of radiation exposure via the bar across the bottom. Your radiation level ranges from 0 rads to 1000 rads, with significant negative effects occuring every 200 rads, as follows: 200 rads: -1 EN 400 rads: -2 EN, -1 AG 600 rads: -3 EN, -2 AG, -1 ST 800 rads: -3 EN, -2 AG, -2 ST 1000 rads: Death! You won't lose maximum HP while suffering from radiation poisoning, so the endurance loss isn't too bad. However, losing agility and strength kinda sucks. Fix yourself up with some radaway or prevent radiation poisoning by using rad-x. Just don't become addicted! EFF {STA004} o======================================================================o If you're suffering from radiation poisoning, or if you are in some other way buffed or impared, that'll show up here. This just lists the various status effects affecting you. LVL {STA005} o======================================================================o This is, of course, your level. You start out level 1, and reach level 2 immediately upon exiting the vault. As of now you can reach a lamely low maximum level of 20. Each time you level up you'll recieve 10 HP, a perk, and 10 skill points + intelligence. HP {STA006} o======================================================================o Hit Points, of course. When you run out of these, you die. Hit points are good, and since endurance is one of the best ways to get more of them, endurance is pretty good too. You start out with a base of 100 and recieve 10 every level (sans the first). You also gain 20 more per point of endurance and possibley 30 from the Life Giver perk. That's a maximum of 520 hit points, but I commonly end with a measly 450. Hit points are good.. but there are other considerations to be made. AP {STA007} o======================================================================o Action points are all important for my play style. The more action points you have, the more shots you can take in V.A.T.S., which is much more accurate, damaging, and during which, you're invincible. If you're too elite of an FPS shooter for V.A.T.S., just give yourself an agility of 1 and have fun. For the rest of us, V.A.T.S. is win. You start out with 65 and gain two points for every point of agility. With the Action Boy/Girl perk, you can top out at 110 (which I always do). There's an arguement that AP becomes redundant if you get the Grim Reaper's Sprint perk, but in its defense, the more AP you have, the more shots you can take, the better your chance of killing and enemy and replenishing your AP. It's good stuff people, trust me. XP {STA008} o======================================================================o Your experience points rates your progress towards the next level. You recieve anywhere from 1 to 50 experience for killing an enemy, and you get a comparably whopping amount for completing the games' quests. I'll go ahead and say it here.. there are plenty of chances to gain XP in this game. Killing enemies, completing quests, giving certain items (scrap metal, sensor modules, sugar bombs and the like) to certain NPCs, picking locks, disabling/disarming mines, hacking computers.. Point is, you NEVER need perks that increase your XP. The level cap is too low already, you'll level just fine plaything through the game. o======================================================================o | | | Skills {SKL001} | | | o======================================================================o Skills determine how good you are at various activities, anything from picking locks, hacking computers, attacking with various weapons, sneaking, interacting with NPCs and so forth. Your skills are every bit as important as your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes and your perks, with one exception.. it's entirely possible to create a character with a score of 100 in every skill. Base {SKL002} o======================================================================o You start out with two points in each skill, and get an additional two points per S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute in related skills with the exception of Luck, which gives .5 point for each point of Luck (rounded up). Tag! {SKL003} o======================================================================o You select three skills to tag during the G.O.A.T. test. Unlike the first two Fallout games, this doesn't double your rate of skill point increase, it merely adds a 15 point bonus to those skills. Leveling {SKL004} o======================================================================o You gain 10 skill points per level plus your Intelligence score. Getting the bobblehead from Rivet City early earns you extra skill points. If you get Educated at level 4, you can further increase your bonuses for leveling up. Bobbleheads {SKL005} o======================================================================o There is a bobblehead in the game for each skill, each of which increases your skill by 10 points. Free and easy skill points, you shouldn't raise any skill above 90 until you have the bobblehead for that skill, or you're wasting points. Books {SKL006} o======================================================================o In addition to perks, leveling, intelligence, and bobbleheads, you can get skill bonuses from books throughout the game. These books each give you a one point bonus to a specific skill, depending on the book. This cannot increase your skill level above 100. In the game there are twenty-five of each skill book (except for 'Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor, of which there are only twenty-four.) This means skill books can account for a quarter of your points in every skill. With the Comprehension perk, you get two skill points per book, from which half of all the possible skill points in the game can be derived. That's a big deal. I make my characters with the idea in mind that I should find anywhere from fifteen to twenty of each book. This allows me to play casually and not stress skill books too much. If you want to play more thoroughly, create your character to max out each skill naturally at 50 (52 for Barter) and let the books do the rest. There are 13 skills, each of which can gain a score of 100 for a total of 1300 skill points total in the game. You start out with a base of two, which is an automatic 26 skill points towards your total. You gain an additional number of skill points which are variable depending upon your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes. 9 points of Luck will net you 65 skill points right there. You gain a minimum of 11 skill points per level (after level 2, you should get the Intelligence bobblehead asap for an additional 18 skill points). This will net you at least 227 skill points. With a good Luck score Min/Maxing {SKL007} o======================================================================o If you want to ensure you'll max out all skills at 100, get every skill to at least 40 points. You'll get ten more from the bobbleheads, and you can get 50 more points from the skill books if you have Comprehension. For Barter, you'll need a minimum of 42 since there are only 24 books. Keep in mind that some perks require skills to be at certain levels, like Cyborg. You might want to boost such skills to the minimum level-and really strive to get your hands on the bobbleheads you'll need early on. Breakdown of Skill Points {SKL008} o======================================================================o There are 13 skills in the game, each of which can be raised to a score of 100, for a grand total of 1300 possible skill points in the game. I have broken down all the various means by which I recieve skill points with my character build. There are also some general pieces of information that apply to all characters. With the table below you can see just how my character will play out. To make a long story short, I will end up with the ability to aquire 236 more skill points than I can use. This gives me the freedom to miss 118 skill books in the game provided I have the Comprehension perk. If you want to run a tighter ship you can always exchange some Intelligence for something else (I'd recommend Endurance.) Each point of Intelligence you trade off, you'll sacrifice 21 skill points (1 point a level over 19 levels, plus two points since Intelligence gives a two point bonus to three skills, where Endurance only gives a two point bonus to two skills.) Also, you could choose to switch out Educated for Life Giver for even more hit points-and even less wiggle room. Keep in mind, there are items you can wear that raise and lower skills, and additional perks you can choose to increase skills. Personally I prefer not to rely on equipment for bonuses, and perk only skills are never worth it. I also take four Intensive Training perks, which gives me a three point bonus to Perception, and a one point bonus to Endurance. This gives me an additional 22 skill points. Skill points gained from.. Formula Points Math (out of 1300) o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Base |skill x 13 | 26 | 1274 | | |skills | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Strength |attribute x 1 | 2-20 | 1266 | | |skill | (8) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Perception |attribute x 3 | 6-60 | 1230 | | |skills | (36) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Endurance |attribute x 2 | 4-40 | 1206 | | |skills | (24) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Charisma |attribute x 2 | 4-40 | 1202 | | |skills | (4) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Intelligence |attribute x 3 | 6-60 | 1148 | | |skills | (54) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Agility |attribute x 2 | 4-40 | 1112 | | |skills | (36) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |.5 points per | | | |Luck |attribute x 13 | 13-65 | 1060 | | |skills | | | | |(round up) | (52) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |15 points x3 | | | |Tag! |skills | 45 | 1015 | | | | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o ******These skill bonuses are just from character creation****** o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |10 points | | | |Leveling |+Intelligence |209-380| 654 | | |x19 levels | (361) | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o |Intelligence |1 point per | | | |less than 10 |level x18 | | | |and Bobblehead |levels | 18 | 636 | |before level 3 | | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o |Chose Educated |3 points per | | | |perk at level 4|level x16 | 48 | 588 | | |levels | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o |Chose Silent |10 points into | | | |Running perk at|Sneak skill | 10 | 578 | |any level | | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o |Chose Cyborg |10 points into | | | |perk at any |Energy Weapons | 10 | 568 | |level |skill | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o ***These skill bonuses are just from playing the game, without*** *******finding any item except the Intelligence bobblehead******* o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |2 points per | | | |Bobbleheads |skill x 13 | 26 | 542 | |(Attributes) |skills | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | |10 points per | | | |Bobbleheads |skill x 13 | 130 | 412 | |(Skills) |skills | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o |Bobblehead-Luck|1 point per | | | |and Lucky 8 |skill x 13 | 130 | 399 | |Ball with Luck |skills | | | |7 or lower | | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o | | | | | |Skill Books |1 point per | 324 | 88 | | |book x324 books| | | | | | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o |Skill Books | | | | |with the |2 points per | 648 | -236 | |Comprehension |book x324 books| | | |perk | | | | o===============o===============o=======o=======================o ********With my build, I only need to find 206 of the 324******** ********skill books in the game. About 16 books per skill******** The skills {SKL009} o======================================================================o Below I have listed and explained the skills. It seems more redundant than explaining S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes or perks, since you can easily max all of the skills, but this might help you choose which skill to tag and boost. o======================================================================o Barter {SKL010} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Charisma Book: Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor The Barter skill affects the prices you get for buying and selling items. In general, the higher your Barter skill, the lower your prices on purchased items. Like it is said in the manual, you gain an advantage on trade prices, which is fairly important. The more money you get for your loot, the more ammo you can buy. The more ammo you have, the easier your life will be. Being able to get your hands on more ammo, armor, and meds will make the game easier, obviously. There is, however, plenty of loot in the game, so while this skill helps, it's not a skill you should lose sleep over. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Big Guns {SKL011} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Endurance Book: U.S. Army: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes The Big Guns skill determines your combat effectivness with all oversized weapons such as the Fat Man, Missile Launcher, Minigun, and Gatling Laser. The more points you have in Big Guns, the more damage they'll do, and the better your accuracy in V.A.T.S. They already do a ton of damage, but that just means they'll get that much better by focusing on Big Guns. Of course, this is a fairly specialized niche of weapons that have rather limited use and even more limited ammo. Granted, you'll find more 5mm rounds than you can shake a stick at, but you'll also burn through it like nothing else. I've managed to play through the game without using a simple Big Gun. In fact, the only situation in which I found myself wanting one was against Super Mutant Behemoths, and there are very few of them in the game. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Energy Weapons {SKL012} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Perception Book: Nikola Tesla and You The Energy Weapons skill determines your effectiveness with weapons such as the Laser Pistol, Laser Rifle, Plasma Rifle, and Plasma Pistol. Unfortunately, Energy Weapons describes a rather weak and limited selection of weapons in Fallout 3. The exception of course, is the Alien Blaster, but ammo is incredibly rare for this gun. Probably the worst ranged weapons in the game. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Explosives {SKL013} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Perception Book: Duck and Cover! The Explosives skill determines the power of any set mines, the ease of disarming any hostile mines, and the effectiveness of any thrown grenade. Explosives aren't very useful. They do good damage, but they come in extremely limited quantity. They're annoying to aim, and they take too long to detonate. I know, I know, "aim better!" Most situations in which one could be used I found it easier to simply use a gun, or a missile. Pulse grenades and mines are only effective against machines. Some people suggest using Frag Mines against Mirelurks, but I found it simpler to just go downhill from them and put an end to them with a shotgun. And about the 'ease of disarming hostile mines', I have no idea what they mean. At any level I was able to disarm Frag Mines, there's no check, no roll, no mini-game, you just get close and activate the mine. I don't know if a higher Explosives score increases the distance at which you can do this, or what.. I'm pretty sure it's useless though, except with the quest 'The Power of the Atom.' Even then, your skill doesn't have to be very high. Grade: * o======================================================================o Lockpick {SKL014} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Perception Book: Tumblers Today The Lockpick skill is used to open locked doors and containers. Every 25 points in this skill allows you to pick a more difficult lock. It also increases your chance to force locks (whee..) There are plenty of locks in the game, so this skill becomes useful simply because of how often you'll need to use it. It is one of the few skills you should level up quickly (the faster you get it up in ranks, the sooner you'll be able to pick more difficult locks.) It's a good candidate for a Tag! skill. o==============o===============o |Lockpick SKill|Lock Difficulty| o==============o===============o | 0 | Very Easy | | 25 | Easy | | 50 | Average | | 75 | Hard | | 100 | Very Hard | o==============o===============o Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Medicine {SKL015} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Intelligence Book: D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine The Medicine skill determines how many Hit Points you'll replenish upon using a Stimpak, and the effectiveness of Rad-X and RadAway. More potent Stimpaks, Rad-X, and RadAway? Not bad. I don't tend to use them often, but when I need them, they come in handy. I wouldn't fret about this skill, but the higher it gets, the more potent your meds will be, and everybody can be happy with that. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Melee Weapons {SKL016} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Strength Book: Grognak the Barbarian The Melee Weapons skill determines your effectiveness with any melee weapon, from the simple lead pipe all the way up to the high-tech Super Sledge. I'm not sure what's 'high-tech' about a Super Sledge, but it sure does pack a whallop. Melee weapons are inferior to Small Guns in damage and range, but they do have one great perk-they require no ammo. That makes life easier in the early going. And there are tons of them in the game. Super Mutants and Raiders will carry them liberally, so you should never be hurting for melee weapons. That said, you can mow down enemies with melee weapons before they ever get close to you, and it shouldn't be a surprise that the bad guys can return the favor. There's no point in rushing a Super Mutant with a missile launcher. Of course, since skills are so liberal in this game there's no reason you should focus solely on melee weapons. They have their place, but that place is mostly for early on, when ammo is scarce(ish). You'd think that would make this skill worthy of an endorsement for early leveling, but frankly, the sooner you get your Small Guns up, the sooner you'll get to ditch Melee Weapons entirely. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Repair {SKL017} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Intelligence Book: Dean's Electronics The Repair skill allows you to maintain any weapons and apparel. In addition, the higher your Repair skill, the better the starting condition of any custom-made weapons. This skill is surprisingly good. The better a weapons' condition, the more damage it does, irregardless of what weapon type it is. This skill allows you to do more damage with ALL weapons. Not only that, it keeps armor in tip top shape as well, improving its damage reduction. Another benefit of Repair is the higher your Repair skill, the more low quality weapons you can combine to make higher quality weapons. This frees up inventory space, and generally makes looting easier. Why tug around several crappy suits of Raider armor when you can carry around one good suit? Definately a tag-worthy skill. Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Science {SKL018} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Intelligence Book: Big Book of Science The Science skill represents your combined scientific knowledge, and is primarily used to hack restricted computer terminals. Just like Lockpicking, but for computers! Granted, hacking is less useful in many ways. A great deal of computers unlock safes, and many others just disable turrets. Still, it's experience, and there are plenty of situations in which it is useful. Some of which are even exclusive to Science. Keep in mind you also need it for the excellent Cyborg perk. It's a consideration for a tag skill, although I'd consider Lockpick more useful early on. o=============o===============o |Science SKill|Hack Difficulty| o=============o===============o | 0 | Very Easy | | 25 | Easy | | 50 | Average | | 75 | Hard | | 100 | Very Hard | o=============o===============o Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Small Guns {SKL019} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Agility Book: Guns and Bullets Small Guns determines your effectiveness with all conventional projectile weapons, such as the 10mm pistol, BB Gun, and Combat Shotgun. Small Guns are plentiful and powerful, useful in close range (shotguns), medium range (assault rifles), and long range (sniper rifles). They comprise a variety of ammo including BBs, 10mm rounds, .32 calibur rounds, .44 rounds, 5.56mm rounds, .308 rounds, and of course shotgun shells. This is a huge variety of weaponry to fall under one skill. In fact, you don't even need another weapon skill than Small Guns. It's not just the most varied, and composed of the greatest library of ammunition (by far), but possibly the most powerful. In particular the 10mm Submachine Gun, the Chinese Assault Rifle, and the Combat Shotgun are all extremely powerful, especially in V.A.T.S. The fact that the Combat Shotgun has such a large clip size (12 rounds) and deals as much damage as it does makes it overwhelming. This is the most versatile weapon skill in Fallout 3, and regardless of what else you want to fight with, you should make sure you've got Small Guns covered. Certainly worth considering for a Tag! skill. Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Sneak {SKL020} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Agility Book: Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual The higher your Sneak skill, the easier it is to remain undetected, steal and item, or pick someone's pocket. Successfully attack while undetected grants an automatic critical hit. Sneaking allows you to pick your fights, and with a high Perception, it allows you to situate yourself in a position that makes surviving a fire fight easier. Picking off that Super Mutant with the missile launcher will make your life easier, as will avoiding that group of Talon Company Mercenaries. Also, stealing stuff is great. It's a fine way to get some better guns early on, or to just nab some stuff to sell. Karma smarma. Good guys need money too. And automatic critical hits? Critical hits are devastating in Fallout 3, and a critical sneak attack headshot will just about end anything you'll come up with. Especially with a combat shotgun. In the face. Yeah.. Oh, and the Better Criticals perk just makes the situation all the better. Of course, Sneak wont get you any experience, and it will only help so much if you cant fight your way out of a wet paper bag, so while it's extremely useful, it's worth focusing on after you get some other skills a little higher. Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Speech {SKL021} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Charisma Book: Lying, Congressional Style The Speech skill governs how much you cna influence someone through dialogue, and gain access to information they might otherwise not want to share. Speech allows you to interact with characters better. Any time a Speech option comes up, you'll get a chance to radically alter the course of the conversation. Failure usually only deprives you of the benefit of suceeding. Success will convince NPCs to do things without a hassle, give you more money, or tell you about cool loot. If you have a high Charisma, you might not need this skill. Of course, skill points are expendable, but S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes aren't. And, you get experience for successfully using Speech, unlike with having a high Charisma. You typically only get one shot at making a Speech check for an NPC about a specific subject, so I'd suggest you save and reload. If you want to do quests off the bat, you should boost your Speech to get as much out of the quests as you can. If you level first, you can put Speech off a bit. Saving and reloading will allow you to succeed at any Speech check.. eventually, a higher Speech skill just cuts down on the bother. It's good, but it can wait. Also, in Oasis a little girl named Yew will give you an item that permenantly increases your Speech by 10 points. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Unarmed {SKL022} S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute: Endurance Book: Pugilism Illustrated The Unarmed skill is used for fighting without a weapon, or with the few weapons speciafically designed for hand-to-hand combat, like Brass Knuckles, or the Power Fist. Granted, you can actually do some real damage with this skill, but it takes three perks to get it on par with Melee Weapons, and another (Paralyzing Palm) to make it worth anything at all. Granted, it takes a number of skills to make Small Guns omnipotent in V.A.T.S. Still, Unarmed will never equal the power of a combat shotgun, the radius of a missile, or the range of an assault rifle or sniper rifle. The only good point to unarmed is the lack of ammo or repair costs.. provided you don't use a power fist, which can be rare. This skill is forgetable. I don't see why anybody would bring a knife to a gun fight, which is what Fallout 3 is, much less coming to a fight without any weapons at all. Grade: * Skills I Tag! (and why) {SKL023} o======================================================================o I typically choose from the following skills to tag. Lockpick/Science They both unlock goodies, and they both will get you experience for using them. I choose Lockpick, since a lot of computers simply open locks, while no locks make computer redundant. Also, getting a 50 into Lockpick lets you get the Strength bobblehead, which is handy. Small Guns/Repair/Sneak: Small Guns allows you to kill things easier, hence making your ammo go further. Repair allows you to kill things easier, hence making your ammo go further, and it allows you to combine gear, giving you more potent, compact versions, which just makes life easier. Sneak allows you to steal loot to sell or use, and can help you avoid tough encounters early on-or allow you to get the drop on enemies.. allowing you to do more damage and make your ammo go further. These three skills make your killing easier, which will in their own ways maximize your experience earning and money making. Pick which one (or two) you prefer the most. Keep in mind that Sneak early on wont allow you to Sneak past stronger foes, and it certainly wont let you steal with impunity. Barter/Speech (honorable mention) While both are good, you can do without at the beginning. If you dont plan on doing quest right off the bat, ignore Speech. Even if you do you can tough it out and save/reload until it works. With Barter, you can get money from one of the above skills. These two skills are good, but there are better early game skills. I pick Lockpick, Repair, and Sneak. o======================================================================o | | | Perks {PRK001} | | | o======================================================================o In Fallout 3 you gain a perk every level (starting at level 2, which you attain automatically upon leaving Vault 101.) Perks are seperated by thier level prerequisite, with every even level opening up more perks. Prerequisites for perks may also include S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes or skill points. (For example, the Entomologist perk requires that you be level 4, have Intelligence 4, and Science 40.) Perks are VERY IMPORTANT to the ultimate performance of your character. There are some perks that are just good for everybody (Grim Reaper's Sprint, Comprehension) but others are more specialized to how you want to play the game, even more than your S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes or skill point spending. When making your character, you should plan out which perk you want at every level from 2 to 20. It will pay off later when you are slicing through Super Mutant Brutes like a hot knife through butter. Generally speaking, there are some perks that are just useless, which makes selection somewhat easier. Any skill that adds +10% to your skills is a waste. You can max ALL of your skills without doing this, so there is no reason to ever select such a skill. Also, you should be keen to compare perks to root out some of the weaker perks. Educated gives you three extra skill points per level. Selected at level 4, that's 48 extra skill points by 20. That makes Educated almost five times more giving than a skill point perk, like Gun Nut. * Horrible Nobody should pick this perk. ** Bad Generally this is a low-end perk. Sometimes they provide just enough of a benefit specific to a character build to be worth it, but most characters will not find this perk useful. *** Average This perk can fit into a specific character build, or it can work when there's simply nothing better to pick, but it's not an outstanding perk on its own. **** Good A good perk for anybody to pick, or a perk that is absolutely essential to a specific build. ***** Great A perk everybody should get. Period. o======================================================================o * Star Perks Adamantium Skeleton Animal Friend Cannibal Chemist Chem Resistant Child at Heart Computer Whiz Contract Killer Daddy's Boy/Girl Explorer Fast Metabolism Fortune Seeker Gun Nut Here and Now Infiltrator Lawbringer Lead Belly Light Step Little Leaguer Master Trader Mister Sandman Nerd Rage! Scoundrel Scrounger Size Matters Swift Learner Thief o======================================================================o ** Star Perks Black Widow/Lady Killer Demolition Expert Entomologist Impartial Mediation Mysterious Stranger Night Person Pyromaniac Rad Resistance Tag! o======================================================================o *** Star Perks Bloody Mess Commando Concentrated Fire Gunslinger Intense Training Life Giver Paralyzing Palm Robotics Expert Silent Running Sniper Solar Powered Strong Back o======================================================================o **** Star Perks Action Boy Better Criticals Cyborg Educated Finesse Iron Fist Ninja Toughness o======================================================================o ***** Star Perks Comprehension Grim Reaper's Sprint o======================================================================o | Level 2 Perks {PRK002} | o======================================================================o Black Widow/Lady Killer Req: Level 2 Ranks: 1 In combat you do +10% damage against male/female opponents. Outside of combat, you'll sometimes have access to unique dialogue options when dealing with the opposite sex. The times this perk will come up are few and far between. In all cases I know of, there are simply other ways to accomplish the same thing. One use of the Black Widow perk is when talking to Mr. Burke early in the game. All the perk does there is get you the extra caps for agreeing to blow up Megaton. Something a successful Speech challenge does just as well. The +10% damage is alright, but even then, I'd rather get Bloody Mess. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Daddy's Boy/Daddy's Girl Req: Level 2, Intelligence 4 Ranks: 3 Just like dear old Dad, you've devoted your time to Intellectual pursuits. You gain an additional 5 points to both the Science and Medicine skills. Devote yourself to a real intellectual pursuit and skip this perk. Even though it might be tempting from a story aspect to pick this up, +10% to your skills is never worth a perk on its own. Especially when one of them is Medicine. Grade: * o======================================================================o Gun Nut Req: Level 2, Intelligence 4, Agility 4 Ranks: 3 You're obsessed with using and maintaining a wide variety of conventional firearms. With each rank of the Gun Nut perk, you gain an additional 5 points to the Small Guns and Repair skills. Another skill perk. At least both of the skills are useful this time. Grade: * o======================================================================o Intense Training Req: Level 2 Ranks: 10 With the Intense Training perk, you can put a single point into any of your S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes. This is a potentially useful perk, depending on how you use it. Frankly, at the early levels there aren't many better perks to buy, so you should make your character expecting to have a few Intense Training perks to shore up some shoddy SPECIAL attributes. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Little Leaguer Req: Level 2, Strength 4 Ranks: 3 Years as the Vault little league MVP have honed your hitting and throwing. With every rank, you gain 5 points of Melee Weapons skill and 5 points of Explosives skill. Yuck. Grade: * o======================================================================o Swift Learner Req: Level 2, Intelligence 4 Ranks: 3 With each rank in the Swift Learner perk, you gain an additional 10% to total Experience Points whenever Experience Points are earned. You could get this, to level faster. Or you could just kill more, pick a lock or two, succeed at a Speech check, or hack a computer. This is a useless perk. It's almost insulting that they offer three ranks of it. Grade: * o======================================================================o Thief Req: Level 2, Agility 2, Perception 4 Ranks: 3 With each rank of the Thief perk, you gain an immediate bonus of 5 points to both the Sneak and Lockpick skills. At least these are good skills. Still. Yuck. Grade: * o======================================================================o | Level 4 Perks {PRK003} | o======================================================================o Child at Heart Req: Level 4, Charisma 4 Ranks: 1 The Child at Heart perk greatly improves your interactions with children, usually in the form of unique dialogue options. So you can have a few extra dialogue options with the handful of kids in this game who have something to do with quests. Dont waste your perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Comprehension Requirements: Level 4, Intelligence 4 Ranks: 1 With the Comprehension perk, you gain one additional skill point whenever a skill book is read. Lets see. Almost 25 skill books per skill, 13 skills.. that's a potential of 325 extra skill points. That is the biggest pool of skill points in the game, even better than all the skill points you can get from intelligence. This is one of the must have perks. This perk is pretty much in a league of its own, in terms of usefulness, seeing as how it can potentially remove the need for an entire attribute. Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Educated Requirements: Level 4, Intelligence 4 With the Educated perk, you gain three skill points every time you advance in level. This perk is best taken early on, to maximize its effectiveness. No matter what character build you're going for, three extra skill points a level for the next sixteen levels is a good thing. 48 skill points is much MUCH better than any 10 skill point perk. That's almost five times more effective. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Entomologist Req: Level 4, Intelligence 4, Science 40 Ranks: 1 With the Entomologist perk, you do an extra 50% damage every time you attack a mutated insect, like the Radroach, Giant Ant, or Radscorpian. Insects are probably the least of your problems in this game. The occassionaly Giant Radscorpian or Fire Ant warrior lurks around, but even then, a combat shotgun cures all insect infestations. If you fight smart against the odd bug you run into, you wont need this. Besides, it's better to get a perk that deals more damage to everything-like Bloody Mess. If this was a perk that did 50% damage to Super Mutants or raiders, then maybe.. You shouldn't have too much trouble with the bugs in this game. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Iron Fist Req: Level 4, Strength 4 Ranks: 3 with the Iron Fist perk, you do an additional 5 points of Unarmed damage per rank. Five points of unarmed damage is HUGE. It's the same damage bonus you'd get from 10 points of strength. If you decide to try and play with your fists, these perks are essential. If you don't want to go melee, don't bother with this. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Scoundrel Req: Level 4, Charisma 4 Ranks: 3 Take the Scoundrel perk, and you can use your wily charms to influence people--each rank raises your Speech and Barter skills by 5 points. 10 skill point perk. Yuck. Grade: * o======================================================================o | Level 6 Perks {PRK004} | o======================================================================o Bloody Mess Req: Level 6 Ranks: 1 With the Bloody Mess perk, characters and creatures you kill will often explode into a red, gut-ridden, eyeball-strewn paste. Fun! Oh, and you'll do 5% extra damage with all weapons. Okay, the aesthetics are cool, but that's no reason to get a perk. 5% damage against everything is nice, though. Considering the fact that other damage increasing perks only affect certain weapon types, or certain enemies, a pure, honest, damage boost is special. There's also the nostalgia factor, for us old school Fallout players. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Demolition Expert Req: Level 6, Explosives 50% Ranks: 3 With each rank of this perk, all of your explosive weapons do an additional 20% damage. 20% damage with explosives is a fairly big increase to damage. If you're a nut about the grenades and mines, this is a great perk. Frankly, I've never cared too much about explosives in this game. Missile launchers fall under the Big Guns category, and so does the Fat Man. This feat is ignorable. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Fortune Seeker Req: Level 6, Luck 5 Ranks: 1 With the Fortune Finder perk, you'll find considerably more Nuka-Cola caps in containers than you normally would. More caps. Yay. You'll get plenty of caps killing things and selling thier loot. Grade: * o======================================================================o Gunslinger Req: Level 6 Ranks: 1 While using a pistol (or similar one-handed weapon), your accuracy in V.A.T.S. is significantly increased. If you plan to use one-handed ranged weapons-and V.A.T.S.-you should definately pick up this perk. Personally I choose to get both this and Commando, since I use Small Guns of all sorts. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Lead Belly Req: Level 6, Endurance 5 Ranks: 1 With the Lead Belly perk, you take 50% less radiation every time you drink from an irradiated water source. You shouldn't have to drink from too many irradiated water sources, even though it can sometimes be effective. In any case, Rad-Away will heal 100 Rads, and it's cheap enough to get from Rivet city. Also, paying 100 caps will get you fixed up from any doctor. This is a waste of a perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Toughness Req: Level 6, Endurance 5 Ranks: 1 With the Toughness perk, you gain +10% to overall Damage Resistance, up to the maximum of 85%. 10% permenant damage reduction is good for everybody. You'll be taking a lot of damage in this game, and this is a good way to mitigate some of it. Grade: **** o======================================================================o | Level 8 Perks {PRK005} | o======================================================================o Commando Req: Level 8 Ranks: 1 While using a rifle (or similar one-handed weapon), your accuracy in V.A.T.S. is significantly increased. With Commando and Gunslinger, all my V.A.T.S. attacks are boosted with nearly any weapon I use. Since I am a V.A.T.S. abusing Small Guns loving sneaker, these skills are vital for me. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Impartial Mediation Req: Level 8, Charisma 5 Ranks: 1 With the Impartial Mediation perk, you gain an extra 30 points to Speech so long as you maintain a Neutral Karma level. Gaining 30 skill points isn't a bad bonus for a perk-unfortunately, it's alignment conditional. You really don't need the 30 points into Speech, especially considering there are plenty of other fine perks out there to put you in a good way skill-point wise. Still, it's definately better than a 10 skill point perk. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Rad Resistance Req: Level 8, Endurance 5 Ranks: 1 Rad Resistance allows you to -- what else? -- resist radiation. This perk grants an additional 25% to Radiation Resistance. 25% is a fairly large amount of radiation resistance, but there are plenty of enviromental suits in the game, and of course.. Rad-X. You can take a perk to permenantly gain resistance, or take a pill to get the resistance when you need it. Besides, plot areas that are blocked by radiation will spike up so quickly it'll kill you anyways. Taking 50% of 700 rads/second will end you regardless. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Scrounger Req: Level 8, Luck 5 Ranks: 1 With the Scrounger perk, you'll find considerably more ammunition in containers than you normally would. Or you could just buy ammo. Really, I've had more than 1000 rounds of ammo for some guns by level 10, and past that point your ammo-to-kill ratio is greatly in the positive. Grade: * o======================================================================o Size Matters Req: Level 8, Endurance 5 Ranks: 3 You're obsessed with really big weapons. With each rank of this perk, you gain an additional 15 points to the Big Guns skill. Another skill perk, but this time 15 instead of 10. Still yuck. Grade: * o======================================================================o Strong Back Req: Level 8, Strength 5, Endurance 5 Ranks: 1 With the Strong Back perk, you can carry 50 more pounds of equipment. This perk adds the same amount of carrying capacity as 5 points of Strength. It really helps with bringing in loot and carrying all the essential gear you'll need. Sure as hell beats dropping 5 points into Strength. The only real reason I get my Strength to 5 is for this perk. No, it doesn't make your character a better killer, but it sure as hell makes life easier, and pretty much drowns out the need for high strength if you're not making a melee build. Grade: *** o======================================================================o | Level 10 Perks {PRK006} | o======================================================================o Animal Friend Req: Level 10, Charisma 6 Ranks: 2 At the first rank of this perk, animals simply won't attack. At the second rank, they will eventually come to your aid in combat, but never against another animal. This perk affects the Dog, Yao Guai, Mole Rat, and Brahmin. Mole Rats and Brahmin can be melee'd to death without taking any damage, the dog isn't very dangerous, even in packs of five, and with my build I kill Yao Guai with a shotgun shot to the head or two.. without getting a sneak critical. This is a totally useless perk. But those Brahmin.. the two mad Brahmin you'll see in this game can be dangerous.. If you fall asleep playing. Grade: * o======================================================================o Finesse Req: Level 10 Ranks: 1 With the Finesse perk you have a higher chance to score a critical hit on an opponent in combat, equivalent to 5 extra points of Luck. An extra 5% chance to critically hit sure fits into my game plan. Actually, I can't imagine anybody not having a use for an extra 5% chance to critical. I'd rather take a sure damage increase any day, but this is still a good perk. Think of it this way, taking Strong Back is good because it gives you the best part of having five points of Strength. Finesse does pretty much the same thing, but with Luck, a far superior attribute. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Here and Now Req: Level 10 Ranks: 1 The Here and Now perk immediately grants an additional experience level, complete with all the advantages that brings. Or you could just level up like normal. If you're like me, you hit level 20 well before you finished the game. This is a waste of a perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Mister Sandman Req: Level 10, Sneak 60% Ranks: 1 With the Mister Sandman perk, when you're in Sneak mode, you gain the option to silently kill any human or Ghoul while they're sleeping. And, all Mister Sandman kills earn bonus XP. First, if they're sleeping, you can probably just whack them in V.A.T.S. anyways. Second, when enemies are sleeping, they seem to have a greater ability to detect you. Hell, half the time I get detected it's by sleeping characters. Third, most enemies you'll want to kill wont be caught sleeping, so this is mostly useful for assassinating NPCs. And finally-how much XP are you really going to be getting from this in the long run? Don't waste your perks. Grade: * o======================================================================o Mysterious Stranger Req: Level 10, Luck 6 Ranks: 1 You've gained your own personal guardian angel... armed with a fully loaded .44 Magnum. With this perk, the Mysterious Stranger will appear occasionally in V.A.T.S. mode to lend a hand, with deadly efficiency. This perk is actually kind of fun. Your Mysterious Stranger-unlike in the first two games-is actually fairly strong. And he wont die. Still, it's a luck-based skill, so you can't count on him when you need him. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Nerd Rage! Req: Level 10, Intelligence 5, Science 50% Ranks: 1 You've been pushed around long enough! With the Nerd Rage! perk, your Strength is raised to 10 and you gain 50% to damage resistance whenever your Health drops to 20% or below. Your Strength raises to 10 (which is only useful in melee or unarmed) and you take 1/2 the damage you originally did (if your DR is under 35%, 85% is the cap, so anything else is wasted.) You become powerful in melee combat.. but you're almost dead. What a bunch of crap. Get something else. I guess if you're a Science-heavy smart unarmed character it could provide some interesting circumstances.. but mostly it would get you killed. Grade: * o======================================================================o Night Person Req: Level 10 Ranks: 1 When the sun is down, a Night Person gains +2 to both Intelligence and Perception (up to a maximum of 10). This perk directly affects your "internal clock" and remains active both inside and outside. The best part of this perk is the skill bonuses you'd recieve from the stat increases. If you get the extra skill points from the Intelligence when you level up at night.. maybe. But still, having a bonus half of the time.. eh. I mean, it's not like it adds to your combat abilities, it lets you see threats further (at night) and gives you some extra skill points. There's better out there. Grade: ** o======================================================================o | Level 12 Perks {PRK007} | o======================================================================o Cannibal Req: Level 12 Ranks: 1 With the Cannibal perk, when you're in Sneak mode, you gain the option to eat a corpse to regain Health. But every time you feed, you lose Karma, and if the act is witnessed, it is considered a crime against nature. If you want to be truly despicable, you can go ahead and get this perk. If you're looking for any gameplay advantage, look elsewhere. There is plenty of water around if you need healing, and stimpaks, and beds. The only reason to pick this perk is to commit a crime against nature, for what that's worth. Grade: * o======================================================================o Fast Metabolism Req: Level 12 Ranks: 1 With the Fast Metabolism perk, you gain a 20% Health bonus when using Stimpaks. Or you could raise your medicine skill, which over the course of your play time will raise your benefit from stimpaks, radAway, and rad-X. If this perk gave a 20% bonus to all medicine you administered.. eh.. it still wouldn't be worth it, especially considering your base stimpak healing rate won't reach 100. 20 extra points of healing from a stimpak isn't worth a perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Life Giver Req: Level 12, Endurance 6 Ranks: 1 With the Life Giver perk, you gain an additional 30 Hit Points. Considering that you gain 20 hit points for a point of Endurance, this perk is pretty much on the same level as an Intensive Training perk spent on Endurance-minus the bonuses to resistances and the skills, neither which I personally care all that much about. Life Giver can constitute a good bit of your end hit points. It's a decent enough perk, and if you could access it earlier, I might pick it up. As it is, however, there's just too many good perks to compete with. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Pyromaniac Req: Level 12, Explosives 60% Ranks: 1 With the Pyromaniac perk, you do +50% damage with fire-based weapons, like the Flamer and Shishkebab. A +50% damage boost is quite a bit of a boost, but for two weapons? If you absolutely love the flamer and the shishkebab, go ahead, but it's a very specific selection of weapons you're limiting yourself to. Still, with +50% damage, nearly anything can be useful. Grade: ** o======================================================================o Robotics Expert Req: Level 12, Science 50% Ranks: 1 With the Robotics perk, you do an additional 25% damage to any robot. But, even better, sneaking up on a hostile robot undetected and activating it will put that robot into a permanent shutdown state. There are a number of robots in the game, including the Protectron, Robobrain, Mister Handy and Mister Gutsy, and of course, the Sentry Bot. 25% is a decent damage bonus, against a number of enemies that, while mostly being nuisances, you'll certainly encounter more than bugs. The shut down ability is extra nice, too, especially for the kind of character I play. If you use stealth, that's an extra consideration for this perk. Ultimately though, I prefer perks that increase damage to all foes, that help me in all situations. This is a good perk, but it never seems to fit into my build. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Silent Running Req: Level 12, Agility 6, Sneak 50% Ranks: 1 With the Silent Running perk, you gain an additional 10 points to Sneak, and running no longer factors into a successful sneak attempt. I disregard skill perks, and so I would disregard this one.. except for the fact that this perk greatly improves your sneak ability. Since I play a stealthy character, I take this feat. Sneak attack criticals pretty much spell out the end of any bad guy I meet. If you want to play stealthy, I'd suggest this feat, if not, it's completely a waste. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Sniper Req: Level 12, Perception 6, Agility 6 Ranks: 1 With the Sniper perk, your chance to hit an opponent's head in V.A.T.s. is significantly increased. Headshots are the best way to take out fire ants, super mutants, raiders, and talon company mercs. If it has a head, chances are it's a good idea to shoot it there. If you use V.A.T.S., you're probably going to want this perk. Grade: *** o======================================================================o | Level 14 Perks {PRK008} | o======================================================================o Adamantium Skeleton Req: Level 14 Ranks: 1 With the Adamantium Skeleton perk, your limbs only receive 50% of the damage they normally would. Your limbs don't take much damage throughout the game, unless you step on a mine or take a glancing blow from a missile launcher. You wont see much in the way of hit point preservation with this perk, if anything, you'll just get crippled less. You'll have plenty of chances to heal crippled limbs throughout the game, you don't need this perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Chemist Req: Level 14, Medicine 60% Ranks: 1 With the Chemist perk, any chems you take last twice as long. There are few instances in the game when you will need to take chems, in fact, the most useful chemical in the game is rad-x. You'll find plenty of chems in your travels, enough that you can just take two instead of having this perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Contract Killer Req: Level 14 Ranks: 1 Once you have the Contract Killer perk, any good character you kill will have an ear on their corpse. This ear can then be sold to a certain person (whose identity is disclosed when you take this perk) for caps and negative karma. It's easy to lose karma, and it's easy to get money. You'll never need this perk. The only reason to choose it is for role-playing purposes. Since I don't rate role-playing bonuses (at least ones that don't have any tangible positive effect on survival) this perk is needless. Grade: * o======================================================================o Cyborg Req: Level 14, Science 60%, Medicine 60% Ranks: 1 You've made permanent enhancements to your body! The Cyborg perk instantly add +10% to your Damage, Poison, and Radiation Resistances, and 10 points to the Energy Weapons skill. If you like energy weapons, this is a great perk, certainly more than just a skill perk. In fact, this is a skill perk with Toughness tacked on, and extra resistances to boot. In fact, this perk is worth three lesser perks. Anybody who uses energy weapons, who hates taking damage, and likes being resistant to poison and radiation has reason to take this perk. Frankly, I'm not too fond of energy weapons, but I'm very fond of damage reduction and resistances. This is a fantastic perk, even if the requirements are rather high. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Lawbringer Req: Level 14 Ranks: 1 Once you have the Lawbringer perk, any evil character you kill will have a finger on their corpse. This finger can then be sold to a certain person (whose identity is disclosed when you take the perk) for caps and positive karma. Same as Contract Killer, but for good folks. Just as needless, too. Grade: * o======================================================================o Light Step Req: Level 14, Agility 6, Perception 6 Ranks: 1 With the Light Step perk, you'll never set off an enemy's mines or floor-based traps. Land mines are pretty common. Fortunately, they're also obvious, they don't do a huge amount of damage-in the grand scheme of things, and you can disarm them with a simple button click. Not only that, you get experience and the mine itself when you do! Be observant, and you wont need this perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Master Trader Req: Level 14, Charisma 6, Barter 60% Ranks: 1 When you take the Master Trader perk, the price of every item you buy from a vendor is reduced by 25%. Just like with every other money making perk, you can just kill more, and loot more. You'll find no great need of this discount throughout the game, money becomes plentiful as you become more powerful. Choose something better. Grade: * o======================================================================o | Level 16 Perks {PRK009} | o======================================================================o Action Boy Req: Level 16, Agility 6 Ranks: 1 With the Action Boy perk, you gain an additional 25 Action Points to use in V.A.T.S. Action Boy comprises nearly a quarter of the potential action points you can get in this game. If you plan to use V.A.T.S., get Action Boy. If you picked either Gunslinger, Commando, or Sniper, get Action Boy. If not, don't bother. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Better Criticals Req: Level 16, Perception 6, Luck 6 Ranks: 1 With the Better Criticals perk, you gain a 50% damage bonus every time a critical hit is scored on an opponent. Your critical chance is determined by your luck-1 point of luck equals a 1% chance of landing a critical hit. This doesn't increase you chance of landing a critical hit, instead Better Criticals improves the damage you deal when you do land a critical hit. Therefore the usefulness of this perk is directly related to how high your luck is. With sneak attack criticals, the Sniper perk, or the Finesse perk, Better Criticals becomes greatly useful, but it really depends on your build. No character is hurt by having high luck however, so it stands to suggest that most characters could benefit greatly from this perk.. And since you need a luck of 6 for this perk, if you can get it, you might as well. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Chem Resistant Req: Level 16, Medicine 60% Ranks: 1 Having the Chem Resistant perk means you're 50% less likely to develop an addiction to chems, like Psycho or Jet. First, why you would ever need to use Psycho or Jet is beyond me. Secondly, addiction isn't a big deal. You can always get your addiction cured at a hospital, or you could just reload. If doubling the duration of chems didn't appeal to you, this shouldn't either. Grade: * o======================================================================o Tag! Req: Level 16 Ranks: 1 The Tag! perk allows you to select a fourth Skill to be a Tag skill, which instantly raises it by 15 points. Okay, it's not quite a 10 skill point perk.. it's a whopping 15 point perk, and you get to choose any skill to boost you want. With Educated and Comprehension, you shouldn't really need this perk, especially if you're intelligence is high. Grade: ** o======================================================================o | Level 18 Perks {PRK010} | o======================================================================o Concentrated Fire Req: Level 18, Small Guns 60%, Energy Weapons 60% Ranks: 1 With Concentrated Fire, your accuracy to hit any body part in V.A.T.S. increases slightly with each subsequent hit on that body part. Obviously if you don't use V.A.T.S. you don't need to bother with this perk. This perk becomes even more useful with Sniper and Action Boy, as the bonus to head shots will stack, and the more shots you take in V.A.T.S. the higher your accuracy will raise. This perk is most useful with small arms-the more shots you take with your weapon in V.A.T.S. the more beneficial this perk will be. Grade: *** o======================================================================o Computer Whiz Req: Level 18, Intelligence 7, Science 70% Ranks: 1 Fail a hack attempt and get locked out of a computer? Not if you're a Computer Whiz! With this perk, you can attempt to re-hack any computer you were previously locked out of. Words can hardly describe how useless this perk is. Okay, yes they can. This perk is damn near worthless. A 10 skill point perk seems fanastic by comparison. Here's a way to get the benefits of this perk without wasting your perk pick on it: before you hack a computer, save. If you get locked out, reload. Bam, no need for this perk. And considering 90% of the computers you encounter in this game lock a door (which you can pick) or disable turrets (which you can destroy) there's no great fear of getting locked out of a terminal in any case. Dont waste your perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Infiltrator Req: Level 18, Perception 7, Lockpick 70% Ranks: 1 With Infiltrator, if a lock is broken, and can't normally be picked again, you can attempt to pick it again one more time. This includes locks previously broken by a "Force Lock" attempt. This perk sucks for the same reason Computer Whiz sucks. Why anybody would be forcing locks in the first place is a mystery, and if you are going to bother forcing locks, why wouldn't you save first? Save and reload, and save a perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Paralyzing Palm Req: Level 18, Unarmed 70% Ranks: 1 With Paralyzing Palm, you will sometimes perform a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. V.A.T.S. palm strike for 30 seconds. Note that in order to perform the Paralyzing Palm, you must be completely unarmed. If you built your character for unarmed combat, then this perk is an absolute must-have. If you have tons of V.A.T.S., it can be useful.. although suggesting you get close to a tough enemy to hope to paralyze it seems a bit redundant. If you could get close enough to an enemy to hit them, you can certainly do a sneak attack critical with a .44 magnum or a combat shotgun. Here's a good test for whether this perk is for you-did you get Iron Fist? If so, you're probably going to want this perk, too. Grade: *** o======================================================================o | Level 20 Perks {PRK011} | o======================================================================o Explorer Req: Level 20 Ranks: 1 When you choose the Explorer perk, every location in the world is revealed on your map. So get out there and explore! If you're strapped for time, you could benefit from this perk. Of course, one has to ask why you're playing a Bethesda game described curtly as 'Oblivion with guns'. You can find all the areas on the map by yourself. You even get little icons that will guide you to them when you're close. Along the way, you'll get to explore the wasteland, which is the meat of the game. You'll find skill books, get experience, and find loot. Also, it must be noted that this perk doesn't make your character stronger in any way. Download a world map and search for places yourself, save yourself a perk. Grade: * o======================================================================o Grim Reaper's Sprint Req: Level 20 Ranks: 1 If you kill a target in V.A.T.S., all your Action Points are restored upon exiting V.A.T.S. If you're an action point junky, or rather if you use V.A.T.S. at all, this perk is for you. This perk turns your character into a juggernaught of destruction, and it makes every V.A.T.S. perk more powerful. The only negative is if you don't finish off your enemy in V.A.T.S., your action points don't replenish. Of course, so long as the finishing shot is in V.A.T.S., you're good to go. This perk is great for anybody who doesn't delude themselves into thinking Fallout 3 is a strict FPS by shunning V.A.T.S. Grade: ***** o======================================================================o Ninja Req: Level 20, Sneak 80%, Melee Weapons 80% Ranks: 1 The Ninja perk grants you the power of the fabled shadow warriors. When attacking with either Melee or Unarmed, you gain a +15% critical chance on every strike. Sneak attack criticals do 25% more damage than normal. If you're a melee character, I feel sorry for you. You have to choose between this excellent perk, and Grim Reaper's Sprint. +15% critical chance is equal to the amount of critical hit chance you can recieve in the game from luck and Finesse. This can raise your critical hit rate up to 30%. This is an excellent perk, especially when mixed with Iron Fist, Better Criticals, and Paralyzing Palm, but not so much without those supporting it. Grade: **** o======================================================================o Solar Powered Req: Level 20, Endurance 7 Ranks: 1 With the Solar Powered perk, you gain an additioanl 2 points to Strength when in direct sunlight, and slowly regenerate lost Health. If you've been reading, you'll understand that two points to strength is almost worthless for a great deal of characters. Health regeneration is nice, but it only works outdoors, during the day. Granted, you could just wait until daylight and do your exploration then, but again, this perk is meaningless in the many, many, many indoor locations throughout the game. And most importantly, you can only pick one level 20 perk. Compare this limited use perk to Grim Reaper's Sprint and Ninja, which give better bonuses, regardless of where and when you are. Yeah. Grade: *** o======================================================================o | Additional Perks {PRK012} | o======================================================================o Additional perks are quest-based perks that you can get for completing specific quests specific ways. These are entirely missable, so they bear planning for BEFORE you start the quest. I wont grade them, as they are bonus perks-having them is a benefit in itself, and there really is no downside to having any of these perks. o======================================================================o Ant Might Benefit: 25% resistance to fire, +1 bonus to Strength. You'll get to choose one of two injections as a reward from Doctor Lesko for completing the objectives he gives you during the quest 'Those!'. You only get one, so choose what fits your character and play style best. o======================================================================o Ant Sight Benefit: 25% resistance to fire, +1 bonus to Perception. You'll get to choose one of two injections as a reward from Doctor Lesko for completing the objectives he gives you during the quest 'Those!'. You only get one, so choose what fits your character and play style best. o======================================================================o Barkskin Benefit: 5% damage reduction Finish the quest 'Oasis' by completing Harold's objective. It beats the other rewards. o======================================================================o Dream Crusher Benefit: -50% chance to suffer a critical hit. You can get this perk by convincing Moira to stop working on the Wasteland Survival Guide. I don't suffer many critical hits in this game already, and overall, they don't seem to creep out of nowhere and ruin your day like in Fallout 1&2. Still, if you think it's for you.. look at the reward for finishing the quest first, then decide. o======================================================================o Hematophagy Benefit: You can drink a Blood Pack to get healed for 20 Hit Points, instead of the usual 1 Hit Point. You can also sell Blood Packs for 15 caps. Complete the quest 'Blood Ties' by making a deal between the 'vampires' and Arefu. This.. perk is of limited use, but still, why not? o======================================================================o Junior Survivor Benefit: varies Normal: +5 Hit Points Smart: +2 Medicine, +2 Science Tough: +2 Damage Resistance Sneaky: +2 Sneak, +2 Speech Snide: +1% Critical Hit Rate Always: +2% Poison and Radiation Resistance Okay.. When you complete quests for Moira, you'll get a number of answers to choose depending on your stats. If you do few or none of the sidequests, or if you lie to Moira at any point, you'll end up with the Junior Survivor perk, which is the worst of the bunch. Try and do ALL of her sidequests for the best benefits. You may have to do some drugs to raise your attributes if they're not high enough. Buffout to raise Strenght, or Mentats to raise Intelligence, for example, before you talk to Moira. I believe that acting tough or being a smartass are the two best ways to go. Damage Resistance is always nice, and so are Critical Hits. You'll just have to choose whether you'd like x% Damage Resistance, or x% critical hit. You'll always get the poison and radiation resistance, no matter how you answer. If you complete a certain number of Moira's optional objectives, you'll get a better version of this perk.. o======================================================================o Power Armor Training Benefit: You can wear Power Armor. After the quest 'The Waters of Life' is complete, you can get Elder Lyons to give you permission to recieve the training. Talk to Paladin Gunny in the Citadel to recieve this perk. In my opinion, power armor is cumbersome, ugly, and the damage reduction is somewhat redundant by the time you get it. From Toughness, Cyborg, and the quest 'Oasis' you have a base 25% resistance. I just prefer not to be a walking metal behemoth, especially since my Small Guns tend to look.. weak.. while wearing such armor. And the shit is HEAVY! There's no reason to not get this perk, but as for actually wearing the armor.. meh. o======================================================================o Rad Limb Healing Benefit: You'll regenerate crippled limbs when you are suffering from Advanced Radiation Poisoning (400+ rads). During the quest 'The Wasteland Survival Guide: Get Radiated!" if you meet the sub-objective of suffering from Advanced Radiation Poisoning (600+ rads) you'll get this perk. Okay, well, granted there aren't all that many opportunities for you to use this perk-ideally you don't want 400+ rads-it's still handy to get. Keep in mind that if you choose to be a Dream Crusher, you can't, obviously, get this perk. o======================================================================o Survivor Expert Benefit: varies Normal: +10 Hit Points Smart: +4 Medicine, +4 Science Tough: +4 Damage Resistance Sneaky: +4 Sneak, +4 Speech Snide: +2% Critical Hit Rate Always: +4% Poison and Radiation Resistance Like Junior Survivor, but better. You completed some, but not all of Moira's objectives. If you complete ALL of Moira's optional objectives, you'll get the best variant of this perk.. o======================================================================o Survivor Guru Benefit: varies Normal: +15 Hit Points Smart: +6 Medicine, +6 Science Tough: +6 Damage Resistance Sneaky: +6 Sneak, +6 Speech Snide: +3% Critical Hit Rate Always: +6% Poison and Radiation Resistance You'll get this perk if you complete ALL of the optional objectives for Moira in the quest 'The Wasteland Survival Guide'. This is the best version of the perk reward, certainly better than Dream Crusher. o======================================================================o Wired Reflexes Benefit: V.A.T.S. accuracy improved by 10%. After completing the quest 'The Replicated Man', talk to Dr. Zimmer and reveal everything you discovered about the android's identity. Keep in mind you can get the android to let you kill Dr. Zimmer before talking to Zimmer, and receive the unique Plasma Rifle. You can then sell the android out and recieve the Wired Reflexes perk. If you still want to be a good guy, it's good fun to slip a Frag Mine into Dr. Zimmer's pants as he walks away. Wait, that's good? It's Fallout 3. Moral relativism rocks. My Personal Build, Perks {PRK013} o======================================================================o Level Perk 2 Intense Training (Perception) 3 Intense Training (Perception) 4 Educated 5 Comprehension 6 Gunslinger 7 Toughness 8 Strong Back 9 Commando 10 Finesse 11 Intense Training (Perception) 12 Sniper 13 Silent Running 14 Cyborg 15 Intense Training (Endurance) 16 Better Criticals 17 Action Boy 18 Intensive Training (Endurance) 19 Bloody Mess 20 Grim Reaper's Sprint I also try and get all the other bonus perks from questing. I try and choose the 'Tough' responses for the Damage Reduction and get the Survivor Guru version of the perk. Also, I tend to choose Ant Sight, because I find Perception to be more useful than Strength. o======================================================================o | Bobbleheads {BOB001} | o======================================================================o This is a character creation FAQ, but it doesn't seem right to tell you how to make your character without telling you how to find some of the most important components thereof-the bobblheads. I also included a few build-helpful items at the end. I do not include items that have to be equipped to work, all the items listed below merely have to be in your inventory to give you a bonus. The bobbleheads merely have to be found. o======================================================================o Strength Location: Megaton - Lucas Simms House This is one of the easiest bobbleheads you can get. It's located in the house of sheriff Lucas Simms, in Megaton. You'll need a 50 Lockpick skill to pick the lock to his house.. or you can steal the key from him. Or kill him. It's upstairs on a desk in the sheriff's room. If you destroy Megaton before you get this bobblehead, it's gone for good, so try and get it fairly early. o======================================================================o Perception Location: The Republic of Dave - Museum of Dave The Perception bobblehead is located in the 'Republic of Dave', in the north-eastern area of the map. You'll find it inside the Museum of Dave on a shelf. This one is pretty easy to get, it's just making it to the Republic of Dave that can be a pain early on. It's north of the MDPL-16 Power Station.. it's really up there. o======================================================================o Endurance Location: Deathclaw Sanctuary You'll find this bobblehead in the Deathclaw Sanctuary. At the entrace head down the passage and to the right. You'll find a bunch of dead things, on a metal round object you'll find the bobblehead.. it's to the left of a dead Brahmin, right by it's dead Brahmin butt. This can take a bit of work to get, as Deathclaws are bad news. You can kill the one guarding the entrance from the cliffs above, it's just going to take some ammo. You'll find the Sanctuary in the north western part of the map, just west of the Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel. o======================================================================o Charisma Location: Vault 108 - Cloning Lab In Vault 108, in the Cloning Lab, you can find the bobblehead on a desk inside the central room. Vault 108 is on the eastern edge of the map, near the center. Getting there might be an adventure, but disposing of the clones won't be. It's north and east of the Bethesda ruins. If you find the Corvega factory, you're close, it's just a little ways north and east. o======================================================================o Intelligence Location: Rivet City - Science Lab In Rivet City, in the Science Lab on a desk. Rivet City is located on the south eastern corner of the map, just east of the Jefferson Memorial. You can easily head down and grab this bobblehead before level 3. I'd suggest reaching the Citadel, and swimming across the river near there, avoiding the Irradiated Metro and the Jefferson Memorial. Avoid Grayditch along the way too, you don't want to tangle with Fire Ants. Don't worry about the rads, you won't get that many from swimming across the river, and it sure beats having to take pot shots from Super Mutants in the city. o======================================================================o Agility Location: Greener Pastures Disposal Site - Office You'll find this on the desk in the Greener Pastures Disposal Site, in an office on a desk. You'll have to take some rads to get this one, but it shouldn't be too much. You can find the Greener Pastures Disposal Site north and east of the MDPL-13 Power Station. It's on the north-eastern part of the map, in fact, you can probably grab it on your way to getting to the Republic of Dave. o======================================================================o Luck Location: Arlington House This bobblehead is in the Arlington House, in the basement on a shelf. The Arlington House is located midway between Arlington Cemetary South and North, just east of Grayditch. Unfortunately, you can't just run there, as rubble blocks the way. To actually get to Arlington House, you need to go through Marigold Metro to reach Falls church Metro. From there you have to head through some more city to reach the Arlington/Falls Church Metro. Once there, you can get to the Arlington National Cemetary. There are Fire Ants, Raiders, and Super Mutants to deal with along the way, so be careful with this one. o======================================================================o Barter Location: Evergreen Mills - Evergreen Mills Bazaar Evergreen Mills is south-west of the Jury Street Metro Station. You'll know you're there when you find the Super Mutant Behemoth trapped in an electrified cage. Head into the Foundry and down to the Bazaar. The bobblehead is in the north-eastern corner of the Bazaar, down a side passage from Smiling Jack's store, on a shelf behind a counter. o======================================================================o Explosives Location: Drainage Grate to Sealed Cistern Just south of the WKML Broadcast Station, you can find the Sealed Cistern, the bobblehead is on a desk by a Ham Radio. You can find the WKML Broadcast Station in the Northwest area of the map. o======================================================================o Lockpick Location: Bethesda Offices East The Bethesda Offices are east of Big Town, past the river. The Bobblehead is on a desk in a room just south from the center of the map. It's the desk underneath the safe that you need a special key to unlock. o======================================================================o Medicine Location: Vault 101 This is the first bobblehead you can get, it's on your dad's desk. You can pick it up when you're sixteen, right before you take the G.O.A.T., or afterwards during the breakout. o======================================================================o Melee Weapons Location: Dunwich Building - Virulent Underchambers The Dunwich Building is in the far south-west corner of the map, the furthest south-west location in the game, in fact. You'll have to go through the Dunwich Building and the Forsaken Ruins to get to the Virulent Chambers. The Bobblhead is in the southernmost room on the area map, near the door that leads back to the Dunwich Building. It's on the floor amongst some cans and soda bottles. o======================================================================o Repair Location: Arefu - Evan King's House Arefu is located north-west of Megaton, it's on one of the old highways spanning the river, so if you follow the river north of Megaton, you should run into. You'll need a Lockpick skill of 50 to pick the lock on Evan King's door. It's right by the door inside, on a table to the left. o======================================================================o Science Location: Vault 106 - Living Quarters Vault 106 is north-west of Vault 101. This Bobblehead is pretty easy to get, all you have to do is head through the Entrance and into the Living Quarters. From the door head across the bridge to the east, then go south through a door and follow the tunnel. You'll end up in a room on the eastern edge of the map. The Bobblehead is on a bookshelf. o======================================================================o Small Guns Location: National Guard Depot - National Guard Armory The National Guard Depot is at the edge of the D.C. area near the eastern edge of the map. It's pretty much due east of Vault 101, but it's a pretty perilious journey. Inside the Depot, it's not much better. There are tons of robots in here, and you have to make your way through a couple of areas until you wind up back in the National Guard Depot in an area that was previously inaccessible. (In a room above the room that had the door leading to the Depot Training Wing.) Hit the electrical switch by the desk and go down the hole. You now have access to the National Guard Armory. The Bobblehead is on a metal shelf in the main room of the Armory (the room with all the goodies.) o======================================================================o Speech Location: Paradise Falls - Eulogy's Pad Paradise Falls can be found north of the Northwest Seneca Station. You can get in by saying the right things, or by being evil and making a [Karma] check. Once in, head into the next area and find Eulogy's Pad. The Bobblehead is in the south-eastern corner of the house, on a table. o======================================================================o Unarmed Location: Rockopolis Rockopolis is an unmarked area on the map, west of Smith Casey's Garage. If you listen to GNR on your Pip Boy, you might have heard a tale about it. In any case, head west of Smith Caseys Garage until you find yourself in a clearing surrounded by rock ledges with three paths leading to the area. There will be a rock to the west that has a line of party flags over it. Search it to find Rockopolis (you could also check your area map to find out where Rockopolis is. Once inside head north. The Bobblehead is on the ground near the body of Argyle. o======================================================================o Lucky 8 Ball Location: Timebomb in Big Town. Go to Red's Clinic in Big Town and fix Timebomb up. You'll need a Medicine skill of 40 to do this. After rescuing Red and Shorty from the Germantown Police Head Quarters, talk to Timebomb again. He'll thank you, and give you the Lucky 8 Ball, which permenantly increases your luck.. so long as you hold onto it. o======================================================================o Yew's Bear Charm Location: Oasis After resolving the Oasis quest, talk to Yew. She should give you this charm. It gives a permenant +10% bonus to Speech so long as you hang onto it. 10 more points you can spend elsewhere. o======================================================================o | | | Updates/Thanks {UPD001} | | | o======================================================================o Version 1.0 to 1.01 changes: o=o Fixed the discrepancy in the SPECIAL attributes section and the Perks section of my guide in regards to the eventual decision to forego Concentrated Fire for a 5th Intensive Training perk. o=o Included improved information on the Black Widow/Lady Killer perk. o=o Added some additional stat boosting items into my suggested build, including various power armor, Ranger Armor, Shady Hat, etc. o======================================================================o Version 1.0 to 1.02 changes: o=o Added the Broken Steel intro/apology. o=o Fixed minor typos, edited sections that were no longer relevent. o======================================================================o Special Thanks to: o=o My fiance, for always doing things differently and opening my eyes to alternative methods through the game. She would never follow one of my FAQs. o=o no yb, for giving an example of the Black Widow perk in action. o=o Jesse the Red, for pointing out the discrepancy in the SPECIAL section and Perks section of my guide. o=o Everybody who reads/downloads my FAQ, raising my contribution hits and thus making me feel good about posting.