Game Skyrim Forum

I recently acquired the Ultimate Edtion of the game. I am a gamer that does enjoy playing for achievements/trophies. In Fallout 3, I normally was a powerful gunner, but also completed quests through speech and intelligence. I know that there are implants that can affect upping stats in this like the bobbleheads, and I would like to be set up in a way that proves best to my overall venture through the game. I also will be playing on hardcoe Mode first time through.

I had thought of going with Intelligence 10 (perhaps lower due to implants), Charisma being 1, and most others around 6 or so with agility or endurance maybe being 7. Perhaps strength to help with things such as carrying items, but I don't really plan on being much of a melee fighter. I was sort of uncertain with skills. The first two traits I chose were Skilled and Wild Wasteland.

Any tips here related to this would be appreciated, even in the way of achievements/trophies that are particularly missable. I'm looking forward to playing through this and appreciate the input.

Here's a breakdown on the SPECIAL stats:

S: All weapons have a STR requirement, either the aim will wobble or the weapon will attack slower (in the case of melee weapons) if you don't meet it. Assault Rifles, semi-auto pistols, small revolvers, and small-arm energy weapons tend to have STR requirements around 3 or 4. It then slides towards the larger revolvers and sniper rifles at 6-8 with the Minigun on top with a STR requirement of 10. In general, the larger the caliber the more STR it requires. Energy weapons tend to have lower requirements, around 3 or 4, and only climb higher in the case of heavy weapons like the Flamer, Laser Gatling, and Plasma Caster.

P: Just leave this at base. Perception pretty much only effects the range of tick marks on your compass. I'd only push it a tad higher (to 6 at chargen) if I was building a character that relied heavily on stealth (and would also probably take Four Eyes for a trait).

E: Effects starting Hit Points, Rad Resist, and how many Impants you can take. So pretty important if you want to mount a lot of implants (which you generally do). There's also a really nice late-game perk that requires 8 END - basically gives you slomo bullet time.

C: Most people recommend dumping this to 1 - I wouldn't though if you're planning on using companions at all. CHA effects Companion Nerve, with bonuses to damage and armor for them based on CHA. The difference is really noticible I've found and companions can be quite powerful - if often derpy and sometimes frustrating due to poor AI. There're more manageable if you set them at long follow distance on passive. In any event it's often a good idea to svck down some alcohol during tough fights to give them a bit of a CHA bump. Also a specific perk availible at CHA 6 can make certain sections of the game much easier.

I: It's effect on skill points is less pronounced than in previous versions of the Fallout franchise. It's still a decent stat, just not as overpowering as it once was. Basicially I pump it if there's a lot of perks I want to take with steep skill requirements. There's also a perk availible at INT 7 that can be quite powerful with when used in a build that focuses on crit. If I'm making a character that needs a lot of skill points I generally find INT 8 to be enough at chargen. I think INT 10 + Skilled is overkill.

A: Effects Reload Speed, Draw time, and APs. Does NOT effect run speed contrary to the tooltip. How important it is to you is pretty much based on how often you use VATS, and what weapons you plan on using. Revolvers, Magazine-fed weapons, and heavy weapons will get more benefit from the reload speed than clip-based weapons.

L: Effects Crit chance, gives + to all skills, and gambling odds. If you're thinking of stacking crit-chance, you also might take a look at the Light Armor perks, particularly Light Touch. As far as gambling odds, I find that you need at least 7 LCK to effectively gamble (at Blackjack), though 8 LCK makes it much more reliable. At 9 or 10 LCK you can try for slot jackpots. A LOT of money to be had in New Vegas gambling, which you'll need to afford those implants you want.

There was more I was going to post, but I'm out of time.

You can't do everything on one playthrough since you'll have to chose between different factions all vying for New Vegas.

I'd look into what the stat requirements of whatever perks you are wanting to take and then design around meeting the minimum. Also look into the strength requirements of whatever weapons you want to use.

For intellect I find a 4 with the Educated Perk gets me 14 skill points per level and is enough. Even with JSawyer mod limiting me to level 35 I still max out every skill that I care about. Unless you feel you need to have 100 skill level in everything you can get by with a lot less intellect. A 10 intellect with Educated only gets you 3 more skill points per level.