Super Slam - most over-powered combat perk? : Fallout: New Vegas

» Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:27 pm

Okay, my level 13 melee specialist ran into a pack of giant radscorpions earlier; there were at least four of 'em and I thought I was a goner. How wrong I was, Super Slam is amazing! I was sending those monstrosities flying left right and centre, constantly knocking them out of melee range like I was playing some kind of game of entomological cricket. The perk completely saved my life.

I can't wait to get paralyzing palm as well. The combination will be terrifyingly good.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:49 am

Okay, my level 13 melee specialist ran into a pack of giant radscorpions earlier; there were at least four of 'em and I thought I was a goner. How wrong I was, Super Slam is amazing! I was sending those monstrosities flying left right and centre, constantly knocking them out of melee range like I was playing some kind of game of entomological cricket. The perk completely saved my life.

I can't wait to get paralyzing palm as well. The combination will be terrifyingly good.

This accurately reflects my experience with the perk - glad to see the rate at which Super Slam activates in my game isn't a total fluke.

Currently, I'm building a Berserker-type character who can wade into the heat of battle with a melee weapon while shrugging off most damage, making the "you have to get within melee range" handicap more or less negligable. Here's a fun fact: the perk "Stone Wall" in bugged - in the game, it says that it adds 5 points of DT when you're being attacked by melee/unarmed. This is incorrect. In fact, the perk adds 5 points of DT regardless of damage type...so long as you, the player, are wielding melee/unarmed weapons. Add this beneficial perk to Paralyzing Palm, multiple levels of Toughness, the DT increasing implant, and other assorted melee/unarmed perks, and you're nigh-invincible.

Thanks for the positive replies.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:50 am

Paralyzing Palm only activates in VATS unarmed attacks, whereas Super Slam can happen anytime you attack with unarmed or melee, right? This thread is making me want Super Slam for my unarmed build...

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:25 am

Started my second character, a melee/guns user looking to throw in his lot with Caesar. I've been focusing primarily on melee perks, and I'm totally aghast at how powerful Super Slam is.

For those who don't know, this perk can be taken at level 8, with a mere 6 STR and 45 Melee requirement. With every blow from an unarmed/melee attack (except ranged) comes a chance to knock down your opponent. Knock-downs can happen repeatedly - meaning, you can knock down an enemy that has already been knocked-down, pinning them to the ground until they die. If you start attacking, knock down your opponent, and continue attacking, there's a very good chance your opponent will never get back up again. So far, I've seen this apply to humans and super mutants - possibly animals.

I don't regret taking this perk, as it's just another facet of melee, but I can't lie - it turns normal combat situations into a joke. Essentially, if you can survive long enough to get within melee range, the enemy is already dead.

Thoughts on Super Slam? It's uses? Strengths and weaknesses?

Superslam turned my melee character into a force to be reckoned with. Between SS and piercing strike, my rebar club wielding character has been successfully challenging cazadors, deathclaws, and giant rad scorpions. Those monsters still hurt very badly if they land solid hits, but combat drugs take the edge off of their attacks. Slasher, which increases your damage resist and damage by 25%, is especially useful. Drugs can make a melee or unarmed character into a juggernaught. I'm killing things much faster than I ever did with guns -- the fights are more exciting when you charge in like a drug crazed viking.