Well I recently finished the main quest so i have a few opinions on some things. More or less this is just some tips I would have found helpful before playing. No spoilers don't worry...

1. The main quest is fairly short, so enjoy your time in the wasteland - do quests as you come across them.

2. Survival is not an essential skill, i was never once short on food or water - even when i tried to be.

3. hardcoe mode is not so bad, but put some effort into being an effective shot for bigger battles (maybe invest in some VATS type perks)

4. Limbs do cripple a lot, this is especially true late in the game...so maybe stock pile doctor's bags or invest a spot in adamantium skeleton...because you can't aim with a broken arm or flee with a broken leg.

5. Do not take followers into casinos, sometimes you end up with their unique weapon and can NOT give it back.

6. No one sells a lot of any good ammo (only 9mm and 10mm) learn how to use a reloading bench.

7. Use a weapon you like, you really can't go wrong - don't focus too much on finding the most powerful gun, etc...

8. Beat the main quest on hardcoe mode so that you can play again and selectively turn it off...explanation below.
- I love hardcoe mode, don't get me wrong...but here is the problem i encountered. I enjoy making the game as realistic as possible, so the food thing is really cool. The problem lies with crippled limbs - I ran across just a few doctors bags (and yes you can craft them, but i didn't see hardly any forceps). There are also only a few doctors in the wasteland, so you have to travel a long way to get a limb healed. It's not that i minded walking, but sometimes it severely gimps your ability to stay alive. I wish that with a high enough medical skill you could have been able to repair limbs to semi-working order so you can fight and then find a doctor. SO i suggest switching off hardcoe mode to repair limbs and then turning it back on again. I know this sounds silly and "o, your taking away the realism" but honestly if you die you can't come back to life in REALITY, so better to pretend i'm a competent medical practitioner then to die because my leg got smashed with a slab of concrete. All that being said I plan to take adamantium skeleton this go around and see if it makes a difference.

---So, those are just a few tips i would have liked to have seen before i started through, so i didn't have to reload old saves. I am sure there are more out there so feel free to add or comment. One additional note, if anyone is on the fence about this game. It is really amazing, sure it has its flaws but they are far surpassed by its shear enjoyment - I was so disappointed it was over, but still knew i wanted to play over and over again due to the exploration of factions and stellar writing. Is it as good as Fallout 3? well probably not just yet, but with a few expansions it will be in the same sentence. And as for the bugs, i only encountered one or two freezes, but that was usually due to playing for several hours straight - what do ya expect.

any other helpful tips?

Got to disagree with the whole thing about turning hardcoe mode off to fix limbs. I've played through the main quest twice with hardcoe mode on, and am doing it again right now (just reached freeside) and really the there was only one or two times I got a crippled limb and couldn't heal it on the spot if I wanted to. Hydra can be found in a lot of the earlier places you run across in the game if you look hard enough and it heals limbs, plus most merchants sell doctors bags. I only ever carried 3 bags with me at the maximum if I knew I was going somewhere very dangerous, but most often just carried one. Sometimes it was more fun to just hobble down the road with a broken arm and leg until you get to the next settlement to get patched up, either via doctor if they have one or by yourself. This way you only had to patch yourself up once, instead of risking doing it on the road then getting crippled again two minutes later.

Really, I kind of wished it was harder to fix crippled limbs in hardcoe mode.

maybe i just had some bad random batches of items then, and did not know hydra fixed it.

Always be prepared and don't eat the yellow snow! :bonk:

I find it interesting to suggest turning hardcoe Mode off to fix limbs, as the need for doctor's bags is the thing I think works best about it. Needing to eat and drink feels like little more than an occasional formality to me, especially once you get companions who can haul extra rations for you. Not being able to spam stimpacks or use them on limbs, however, really makes fights a lot harder.

I just use a lot of doctor's bags and/or fast travel to the doctor in Goodsprings.

In combat I limp around or deal with the blurry vision. It makes things more exciting and the resolution is more satisfying when I walk away from a hard fight all beaten up.

Limbs do seem to get crippled a lot though - and it does get annoying sometimes.

I have not completed the game but i am going about it in a very slow deliberate manner so i will be awhile, but none the less i will offer a few tips of my own, keep in mind that his is not a hardcoe play. I am planning a HC character but i want to learn the game mechanics a bit better before i immerse myself into the virtual survival the HC mode will require me to learn as well.

1) Keep it simple. Instead of carting around a bunch of weapons and the ammo for them (consider it a weight issue) pick a couple rounds or a weapons then stick with them. I on this play am staying with 3 round types .357, .44 and the .308 calibers. On this character i use the pistol magnums, the trail carbine, and having just located a sniper i dropped the hunting rifle. When i head out into the field i carry 2 pistols (.357 and .44 magnums), the trail carbine, a sniper, a shovel, a legion machete, and no more than 5 each frag grenades or dynamite. So now for ammo all i have to do is breakdown the 9mm and 10mm ammo to provide the materials for the .357 and .44 magnums, considering that the 10mm and to a lesser degree the 9mm ammo is pretty common i have yet to run low on materials to craft the magnum ammo except for the brass, which is still tough to get. I am working on getting the hand loader perk to help with the loss of brass which requires a level 70 repair.

2) Use your companions as mules i often forgot that as i am trying to figure out what is worth keeping as i am over encumbered, often times staring right at Ede and Boone lol. Considering the companions, since this is not a HC mode game i have my companions set to aggressive and will let them Leroy Jenkins into a crowd of mobs lol, i realize on HC this will not be an option.

3) PC players only will have an option to do this but it is definatly worht it. I have a mod i got from Nexus that opens up the school house in Goodsprings complete with fast travel map marker. Do it, it does not OP the player by giving them a rested bonus, and i still have to use the public crafting benches for my crafting needs, it is a nice little mod. There is one that also ads a few lockers to Doc's house so investigate and choose one to your liking.

4) Most importantly take your time as you play. Do not get in a hurry to complete the game, explore, investigate, and practice the crafting. I went to the wiki site and printed some of the recipies for a few items that will be of major importance like gun repair kits, doctor bags, stim packs, and ammo. I keep the printed list right next to the comp so as i scour a location i grab the stuff to make those items before i take other quite possibly more valuable items.

Anyway that is all i have for now i hope this helps.

Asai

Do not make enemies if you do not have to. It sure makes fun running around wasteland blasting everybody on sight. You may however regret it later when some quests and locations will get inaccessible because your low reputation. And there are always plenty of hostiles outside, no need to increase their number. Also killing somebody while sneaking does not impact your reputation so if you want to dispatch some faction member, do it when nobody sees you (this might not work with some important NPCs).

For PC users:

Use this http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34778. Your game will run MUCH smoother.

If your game still lags during gunfights, turn facial emotions off in console: enter console, type "toggleemotions", press ENTER and exit console.

look in all the mail boxs..

Also: Do NOT piss off big factions early in the game. Their assassin squads will own you, even though you might be at lvl. 15 - 20.

Or at least, they did own me, which was kinda gamebreaking, because they spawn often when wandering the wasteland.

I'm glad to see i'm not the only one with constantly crippled limbs. i don't fast travel.

2) Survival is, if you wish to ignore stims and do all healing with food and healing powder.

3) Vats type perks are a waste IMO.

4) never had this problem. Even with my new play and small frame (+1 AGI limbs cripple fast).

5)Never had a problem.

6)gun runners and 188 trading post. Both sell boat loads of ammo.

7) agree, all guns seem useful if the correct ammo type is used. I used the Caravan shotty and 10MM a bit in my first time through. The varmint rifle seems to be a staple for gun users.

8) I never had any problems finding enough doc bags or hydra ever. End of my first game I had 25+ hydra and 15 or so bags.

My tips

188 trading post and Gun runners, one (188) is open fairly early. There is a follower located there. gun runners sells lots of full condition weapons.

Wild wasteland is awesome.

Spend time and explore a bit before doing any quests, I have four hours logged and not touched any quest.

Skill checks are very common.

Skill mags are neat.

Weapon upgrades are nice, not always needed, but add bling to that gun Also costly at the start of the game.

Sample build for a more experienced player.