I thought I'd explore this place for fun (level 12) but I'm finding the inhabitants to be pretty tough. Granted, all I have is a 10mm pistol and the Cowboy Repeater, so that might be part of the problem. But I don't really have much stronger than them anyway. What should I be using right now?

Are these mobs supposed to be so tough? The normal ones aren't too bad, but there are a lot of them. But the ones with the vests seem really hard, even when I aim for the head. Should I just return later? I feel like I'm wasting a lot of ammo/stimpaks/radaway for this place.

Thanks.

you should return later at about lvl 20 and assuming you use guns, get a hunting rifle and lots of ammo and your choice of a fully automatic weapon

Ouch, sounds like I'm way under level! Thanks.

I went about level 12 and I had a rather hard time with it, but I had a LOT more weapons than you mentioned by then. So I just mixed it all up.

Oh yeah its a freakin nightmare, I wouldn't even bother going down there if they hadn't put my baby the All American down there.

I've done it at around L12 because the rewards are so good but it's very hard and I had to leave, restock and return a couple of times to get it done.

I always have Veronica as a companion, I wonder what it would be like with Lily.

Some of them wear armor so all you really have is head shots and at level 12 i will assume you have maxxed guns by now, if not that also might help at least by making the head shots and crits more often. Yea that vault svcks, in that good way where you can expect some serious damage and the rads pile up pretty quick but even at 20 i took a few hits that were like WTF where did you come from pop pop that will teach you, kind of thing. That vault i think is one of the tougher ones, but some of the weapons, if your skills are high enough to access the containers or rooms, that you can drag out of there are just too awesome. The All American in 5.56 is especially handy that even now my latest character at level 32 is still using it, even though 5.56 is a bit weak if one uses the right ammo it still is more than capable of doing the job. It is a pain in the ass type of location but the rewards are worth the drama this vault may make you experience so svck it up, enjoy the ass kicking considering how well it is delivered.

Asai

Yes, V34 is supposed to be hard.

Also, I don't think the armor is actually resulting in DT being added. Just bring a high DPS weapon and let 'em have it. Bust out the hollow points if things get too tough. The 10mm SMG probably works best, seeing that the vast majority of them seem to have 10mm ammo on them.

Vault34 wasnt especially hard, just very tedious and irritating. I think it was made that way intentionally so once the gamer got done with the wretched place They'd be alot more appreciative of the rest of the game, the parts with quests that made sense, and were actually fun to play, and not just running round a [censored] radioactive vault for 8 hours. Yes, 8 hours.

This Machine and headshots made Vault 34 pretty simple.

Then again, I tend to go out of my way to wear power armor, which also helps.

Thanks all. I'll probably wait a few more levels before trying again. I'll get Guns up some more, and maybe Sneak too, so I can get in some one-shot crits.

The perk that knock enemies over from a shotgun blast is very useful in the vault 34, knock them down and then take them out with a head shot.

Also remember you can heal your companions, it took me ages to cotton on that it was a good idea in big fights.

i get my ass handed to me in there even though im good at stealth they always jump out at me.it so dark i dont relise there as near as they are.worth the effort though as youll come out of it with the all american assalt rifle

For this Vault you really need a hard hitting rapid fire weapon that can bail you out in those "oh sh--" moments when you turn a corner and find a bunch of ghouls staring you down. Assault Carbine for guns works wonders, especially since the latest patch. A Riot Shotgun is also quite handy to have in there. For energy, try a Multiplas Plasma Rifle for that up close "turning to green goo" goodness. Explosives aren't the best in close quarters, but if you're good with bouncing grenades around corners and off of walls you can have some success. Whatever you choose to use, make sure you bring plenty of Rad-X and Radaway.

Thanks. Where might I find those first two guns?

I think the lowest level i've done it was 11 (without difficulty increasing mods). Sneak skill, silenced 10mm, some HP rounds (for the Glowing Ones), Advanced Radiation Suit (Crescent Canyon), and some Rad-X. Rad-Away is not mandatory, CampGolf is only stones throw away. If NCR hates you, New Vegas Meidcal Clinic is a bit further. You'll find enough ammo and spare parts in the Vault.

Much more diffcult with a non-sneaky character though, you need powerful and/or fast guns and an armor that can take hits. There is not enough 10mm ammo to feed a 10mm SMG.

Edit: Assault Carbine and Riot Shotgun can be bought from Gun Runners at high level. One or both can also be found at http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Brewer%27s_beer_bootlegging shack if you're lucky*, but it's guarded by a swarm of Cazadors. There is a locked door, and the gun cabinet is also locked, but there are keys for both in the shack.

*Or save outside the shack and reload until you get what you need :teehee:

Assault Carbine

- Gun Runners will carry them after you reach the teen levels usually and they restock their items but not before
- there's one near a dead body in the Nellis Generator building
- Super Mutants will carry them sometimes, easiest place to find them is on Black Mountain. You might get a lucky drop if you risk it at a low level.
- you're actually quite close to a few of them, in the Armory of Vault 34, heh of course you have to go thru the vault to get there so...

Riot Shotgun

- Gun Runners again will stock these, but at a higher level than the AC. Never seen them until around level 17 or so myself.
- Again you are close to one of them, in the Armory of Vault 34

That's it really, these are high end end-of-the-game type weapons here so you won't find them in too many places. Why Vault 34 is a challenge to do at anything lower than level 15 say. Add in some more spawning mods and difficulty enhancers, and I don't personally try it until at least level 20+. Anyways, good luck shopping around.

The only reason I go there is to get the Vault 34 Security Armor and the All-American. I usually go there at level 15 while stocked up on Rad-x,Radaway, Stimpacks and make sure I have some set of power armor(Preferably the Remnants Power Armor) but any will do. Still provides a decent fight in there too with all of that.

Thanks for all the tips! In my confused wandering to find Ranger Station Foxtrot, I came across some Power Armor, so that will probably help when I return to the Vault. I'll look into getting a better weapon, and I'll try to get the All-American as soon as I can down there. I'll also have Guns and Sneak pumped up a little more by then.

Have you tried to put the armour yet? You need to have completed most of the BoS quests to do so.

The Riot Shotgun is pretty rare in the game (had no idea it was in bootleggers shack), it's the main reason I go to v34.

I was wrong, it's Combat Armor that I've found!

:snoring:

Vault 34 isn't incredibly hard but the main problem is the number of ghouls and the damage. Once you get a high powered weapon like the Marksman Carbine or The Riot Shotgun then the dungeon's a cakewalk.

Well, most annoying was the fact that the ghouls with the armor would one-shot cripple my head. I have no idea how it was that easy for them, unless you *really* aren't meant to be there until much later.

There is always an Assault Carbine and a Marksmen Carbine on the dead Boomers in the Nellis Array. They're not actually in the bodies inventories, but they're lying right next to them. For me at least.

I generally try to hit it fairly early for the All-American, riot shotgun, and sniper rifles.