I played and beat hardcoe mode with my character. But after I looked through the perks list and specials list in the fallout wiki for new vegas when I wanted to make a more defined and different character I felt like I had a completely broken the character i played through on hardcoe.

I made a character based on guns and repair. However there are a lot of things I missed or key perks that enhance my build a lot that I simply missed out on. The character was based on guns//repair going 100. Because I thought strength was needed for big guns I kind of failed. Well not entirely. basically the big guns require 8 strength in the game. First of all I had no idea big guns required 8 strength to begin with. So I got lucky and implanted it from 7 to 8 later in the game because I started with 7, however because of this my perception was 5. Then realized there was a perk to lower strength weapon requirements by -2. In that sense I felt like I failed miserably not only by buying the strength implant but by also not knowing there was this perk ultimately wasting an implant AND wasting a point in my specials.


The perception skill says, Perception: Energy Weapons, Lockpick, Explosives, Also determines compass range.

However this perk, Sniper, more likely to hit a targets head in vats requires 6 per, 6 agil, and also, Better Criticals 6 per, 6 agil, +50% dmg with critical hits, which is crucial when using a sniper and is crucial to the guns build. However I can't get either of these perks because I went 4 perception, +1 implant later on, because it doesn't say anything regarding GUNS in the SPECIAL stat itself which completely mislead me and ultimately I wasn't able to get these key perks because of it. Which doesn't make any sense.

I don't feel like rerolling a gun build again so I feel like I messed up bad. Just thought I'd say that I shouldn't have to research what the specials do for perks before I play the game. They should refine the specials so they are clear as day so things like this wont happen. Anyway I think the design is flawed regarding what the SPECIALS say and what the perks give. It seemed like it was more refined and more thought out than fallout 3 but after I made this character it didn't really seem that refined considering how badly my char is messed up based on what I read and thought would have made a good gun build. Instead it's a pretty bad build that I made because the s.p.e.c.i.a.l.s weren't clear enough. Especially perception.

I'm not clear why you feel you messed up if you finished the game. Did you feel it was too hard? Or during the game were you not happy with the perks you were offered?

I think it's important to identify when you actually felt like your character was "broken". Sometimes, the best way to play a game like Fallout is to do it as you go. There's really no reason to min-max on your first playthrough.

Out of curiosity, what perks did you wind up taking by the end?

The first character I had made it was pretty much exactly as your saying. Just like you he wasnt built for strength or stealth, and his pure purpose was guns with an emphasis on sniper. He was decent overall but when it came to the numbers for the bigger perks he couldnt access them just because of his skill points being completely out of whack. However, I pulled my stuff together and rerolled a more gun based class. Let me tell you right now, I dont regret it. Something about your character being semi weak (from the lack of perks), to then being extremely over powered is actually enjoyable. Add in the fact that in my first play though I did NCR and second I went Mr. House... with the added bonus that from the start I saw out that I tried to explore everything I hadn't seen from my previous game it was awesome.

It may seem a little overwhelming right now, but if you start a new save and do the first few quests... I think you might enjoy it the same way I did. Let me know what you decide.

You don't have to make a perfect character, playing like this the first time is what makes it fun.

Hind sight is always 20/20.

In any RPG, I always feel like "oh, I shoulda built my character like this."

Of course your first time through you won't have an optimal build. It does, however, give you more info to build again though.

If it really fustrates you, use multiple saves a different lvl increments.

I didn't feel like my character was messed up while I was playing. I mean sure, enemies were tough but I only ever resorted to re-loading a save if one of my companions died.

I just wasn't happy with the perks that I was offered in the game. I felt like it was "broken" because there were a couple of crucial perks that simply weren't offered to me because I didn't have perception rank 6 for a gun build. Right now, I have...

1. Adamantium skeleton
2. bloody mess
3. Commando
4. Comprehension
5. Confirmed bachelor
6. Finesse
7. Grim reapers sprint
8. Jury rigging
9. Lady killer
10. Quick draw
11. Strong back
13. Toughness rank 2
14. action boy rank 1
15. one to be decided once I hit 30. Probably going to take hand loader repair perk.

Implants I chose

Sub-dermal armor implant

monocyte breeder implant - 12k completely useless implant. Coulda had mark 2 combat armor way earlier if I didn't spend money on this junk and I could have had perception rank 6 so I coulda got better criticals. Just heals way to slow, I don't recommend buying this implant at all.

Agility implant
Luck implant
strength implant

It's hard for me because I explored pretty much everything on my first character. The only way I could enjoy myself now is if I went energy weapon or melee build while going baddie or neutral. It just frustrates me because I duno I just feels like my character is way off from what it could have been. And yeah, my build sounds exactly the same as yours, not build for strength but will use big guns, and not really a stealth char aside from sneak attacks with a sniper, definitely an emphasis on sniper. but without the +50% critical dmg to critical hits I felt like it was an automatic fail lol. I mean he still gets crits and can use pretty much any gun but I feel like its a big part of the build that is missing. I mean, +50% crit dmg is huge.

What I Really want to know is why perception says it has nothing to do with the guns build but clearly there are perks designed for a guns build that require perception so.... /shrug.

With the great VATS nerf that happened with New Vegas you can safely ignore those VATS perks for the most part. Those few times you really do need VATS you just pump yourself full of chems like rebound, steady and jet, then go to town on your enemies. I've been picking perks that make my character tougher to kill or increase her raw damage with choice weapons.

1: Black Widow
2: Educated
3: Toughness
4: Strong back
5: Hand Loader
6: Silent Running
7: Toughness
8: Better Ctiticals
9: Entomologist
10: Robotics Expert
11: Shotgun Surgeon (Riot Shotgun Panic button)
12: Cowboy
13: The Professional (Stacks nicely with cowboy and a hunting revolver)
14: Living Anatomy
15: Jury Rigger (?)

So play it again? The game's multiple outcomes are great for several play throughs. Build it better this time.

Yeah, I fell into that beartrap of thinking that lacking Strength made you not hit anything with Big Guns, too. Don't waste your perk slot on Weapon Handling, take something more character-specific. I had to sacrifice Gunslinger for that turd. Oh well, my ultra-corrupted game file won't let me ever enter the Strip to finish the other half of the main missions after I put 16 days into the game, found 180 locations, and 85% of the items in the game... >:( gamesas's QA department needs to be drawn and quartered by Deathclaws, and that's being merciful...