Getting ready to start this game on the PS3 and need basic advice to get me started. Not to sure what S.P.E.C.I.A.L. means/does??? How do/where I need to distribute points? Should I buy a strategy guide?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Don't waste money on the guide. But check the fallout wikia.

Do not head through the quarry (north of where you start off) at a low level.

Stay on the roads aswell, until you get better.

I'll let somebody else cover specials and stats.

I'd hit the wiki for most of the game mechanic info. There's alot off stuff that is unexplained and may leave you scratching your head.

S.P.E.C.I.A.Ls are your base attributes that modify skills, perks and in game mechanics.

Plan your character, think about what KIND of character you want to be. Look at the perks you want, adjust SPECIAL accordingly.

Experiment.

If you're a first time fallout player or new to RPGs, make a rough character to get the feel of the game, play for a couple of hours. Then re-roll your character.

Honestly, I'd avoid the game guide or wiki (maybe just for mechanics) for your first play through. There's nothing like your first time through

Hope these general ramblings helped

Thank you for the advice.

My major concerns are Perks/SPECIAL. I like shooting weapons, gonna be a good guy thats for sure. When it comes to distributing points into Perks/Special do I only put them into 1 category? Should I do every quest that comes up to get the whole exp??

I do apologize if my questions sound noobish, I just want to get the whole exp. Lol Should I go Normal/hardcoe?

I'd say

S-7
P-6
E-5
C-5
I-6
A-6
L-5

Get a good balance of perks (accuracy, vats, dialogue and the sorts)


Also when its comes to factions try to pick aside near the beginning and help the more than the others.
For example say NCR is your choice, help them more than the legion, but dont anger the legion too early on. Assassin are not fun at level 3.

Also some creatures/people need special rounds used against them. Armoured foes need AP rounds to deal maximum damage.

Is there any order that I fill these up? Also on the perks how should those be addressed? Thanks again for all your help. Peace!!!

ahhh ... the fond memories of playing fallout 3 for the first time. It's a different kind of game, and if your not used to these styles of games you may feel overwhelmed, I sure as hell did. Even starting New Vegas the first time.

you don't want to go into hardcoe mode your first time, unless your looking for a challenge. keep in mind that you can toggle hardcoe mode on/off at any time, but to earn the trophy/achievement you have to have it on from the beginning to the end.

in regards to your SPECIAL, look at the different things they effect and think if they"ll be of use to the character you have in mind. you can always make a character that has moderate skill levels across the board, but you won't have access to the more advanced perks that require more skill points.

you can always use magazines to temporarily increase skills that are particularly low if the situation is necessary(ie. using a lockpick magazine to gain acces to a safe with a unique weapon in it oppossed to using the lockpick mag to open a footlocker with slightly useful items.you'll want to save before doing these, so if you break a lot of Bobby pins or the items in the container aren't of great value to you, you can just load your save.)

Unlike Fallout 3, most, if not all, main characters are deemed "non-essential", which basically means that you can kill characters that are essential to quests, so you may want to watch your trigger finger.

always be cautious of fast-traveling/walking around in general with a faction disguise on. if you forget what your wearing, and travel into a factions territory that doesn't particularly like your choice of fashion, they will shoot at you regardless of your reputation with them.

there's sooo much more, but I think I'll go get something to eat and leave the rest of it up to the rest of the fans. the wiki though if your best bet if you need quick info on something. it's constantly being updated by players of the game, so you know the information is good, but there are a ridiculous amount of spoilers, so beware.

and watch out for the deathclaws, the one guy was certainly right about that....

Here is a http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout:_New_Vegas_perks
About SPECIAL you add points to it at the start of the game.

The great thing is, you can restart from a blank slate anytime you want to. Don't get locked into one path early, don't read spoilers or the wikki early. Play around with the game and build on your knowlege as you advance.

SPECIAL is Fallout's character creation system. It hails from the days of Pen and Paper RPGs when at the start of a game you make a character and assign points to statisitics to create a character. You first start off assigning points to your "Primary Statistics" which are are called Strength(S), Perception(P), Endurance(E), Charisma©, Intelligence (I), Agility, and Luck (L). SPECIAL stats are always ranked from 1 (Very Bad) to 10 (Heroic) and you always have 5 points to which you can allocate. In Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, the stats do this:

Strength: How strong you are, how much you can carry and how hard you can hit with melee weapons. Also, some weapons have a strength requirement to be able to use them properly.

Perception: How well you can notice things. Contributes to your Danger Indicator ( Which shows you if grenades, friends, foes, or otherwise) and to your ability to handle Energy Weapons skill.

Endurance: How well you can take a beating. Affects how high your hit points are and contributes to your Unarmed skill (which should be renamed to Hand-to-Hand imo).

Charisma: How much people like you. This affects your Party Member's Nerve (which is their will to fight) and contributes to your Speech and Barter skills.

Intelligence: Your ability to recieve information. This adds to your Repair and Science skill as well as how many Skill Points you get.

Agility: How agile you are. Affects how many Action Points you have (Which are used in VATS) and your Guns skill.

Luck: Your well... luck. Luck affects the world in many ways. It has a small contribution to all of your skills and affects your chance to score a Critical Hit.

If you have questions go to here http://fallout.wikia.com or ask on the forums. There is someone bound to answer your question.

Thanks for the complete breakdown. I guess my only concern left is the PERK's. I am at my wits end in regards to how should I delegate them? Do I allocate them in just 1 or 2 areas? Seeing as I like using Guns/Rifles and ect.... Again thanks I lool forward to starting up tonight and spending countless hours on this game.

Get it if you like is the answer I can give,

Points for, Easy to get to when playing the game, no exiting the game and searching for 5 - 20 minutes.
No adverts or topics linked to previous / other games, just info on NV.
An easy index and contents page. ( just a guess on this ).
Sections holding details listing all effects of perks and weapons, many on the same page, not spread around.
Tables and graphs all together ( again I can't say if this is in or not ).
Easy map reference.
Pictures.

Cons, It costs money,
It will not be updated once you buy it, any new info is not going to be in, leaving you at best forking out later for another.
It will not provide as much infomation.
It will not reveal every hidden thing, ( at least the game guides I bought / 2 when younger did not ).
The wiki has a massive ammount of hints and strategy built up by people who actually played the game constantly for months if not years.
History, the lore of FO is pretty extensive and the wiki provides the best place to look it up.

So I would not get it, but don't put yourself off from buying it without hearing the opinions of others who have.

Choose any perk that sounds interesting or fun.

One other question and I will stop. I promise, lol!!! When it come to doing quest. Am I supposed to do all or just some? Is there a certain order when doing quest? How will I know that I am playing the game right? That's it, I promise. Thanks

I try to pick perks that enhance the skills I chose to specialize in. They add up and can make you a real powerhouse. Or you can spread them out and just be OK at everything, I guess.


EDIT: There is only 1 quest you have to do, and you will know it when you see it. The rest is up for you to decide.