Introduction
So, you want to punch your way through the Mojave Wasteland? Excellent choice! Forget guns and energy weapons – there’s a primal satisfaction in dismantling a Deathclaw with your bare hands (or, you know, some cleverly modified gloves). The Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build is not just about combat; it’s about a visceral, in-your-face playstyle that rewards skill, strategy, and a healthy dose of audacity. I remember the first time I took down a Super Mutant Behemoth with nothing but a Power Fist and a well-timed VATS maneuver; the sheer exhilaration of that victory cemented my love for this build.
What exactly is an unarmed build, you ask? Simply put, it’s a character focused on dealing damage with unarmed attacks, relying on specialized perks, weapons, and combat techniques to overcome enemies at close range. Think of it as the ultimate brawler, a wasteland warrior who prefers fists over firearms. Unlike relying on ammo, this style thrives on close-quarters brawling, efficient resource management and maximizing melee capabilities.
But why should you choose a New Vegas unarmed build? There are several compelling reasons. First, it’s incredibly resource efficient. You don’t need to scavenge for ammunition, allowing you to focus on finding other valuable items. Second, the combat is incredibly satisfying. There’s something deeply rewarding about delivering a knockout punch that sends enemies flying. Third, a good Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build offers immense damage potential, especially when combined with critical hits and specialized perks. Finally, it opens up unique roleplaying opportunities. Are you a stoic martial artist, a hardened street fighter, or a charismatic leader who inspires through action? The possibilities are endless.
This guide will walk you through creating a devastating unarmed character in Fallout: New Vegas, from the initial allocation of your SPECIAL stats to the endgame perk choices and combat tactics. We’ll cover everything you need to know to become a true master of hand-to-hand combat in the Mojave.
Character Creation: Forging Your Wasteland Warrior
The foundation of any successful build lies in the initial character creation. Here, we will delve into the important aspects of setting the stage for our hero’s journey.
Special Stats: Laying the Foundation
Choosing the right SPECIAL stats is crucial for a successful Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build. Each stat plays a significant role in your character’s effectiveness, so understanding their importance is essential.
Strength is paramount. It directly affects your unarmed damage, carry weight (crucial for lugging around armor), and ability to equip certain weapons. A high Strength score is a must for any aspiring brawler.
Perception is valuable for VATS accuracy, allowing you to target specific limbs with precision. It also unlocks several useful perks, so don’t neglect it entirely.
Endurance is critical for survivability. It increases your hit points, poison resistance, and is a requirement for several high-level perks that are essential for a Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build.
Charisma is less important for pure combat-focused builds, but it can be useful for dialogue options and influencing NPCs. If you prioritize roleplaying, consider investing a few points here.
Intelligence directly impacts your skill points, allowing you to quickly level up your essential skills. This is especially useful if you want to diversify your build beyond unarmed combat.
Agility is crucial for action points, which determine how many VATS attacks you can perform. It also improves your movement speed and is a requirement for several powerful perks.
Luck increases your critical hit chance, turning you into a walking crit machine. Critical hits deal significant damage, making Luck a valuable asset for any Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build.
Here are a couple example builds to get you started:
The Brawler, high Strength, Endurance, Agility and Luck. Designed to deal as much damage as possible while being able to take a hit.
The Technician, high Intelligence for skill points, balanced stats. To be able to deal damage as well as diversify outside of combat.
Skill Tags: Choosing Your Strengths
Tag skills determine which skills receive a bonus to their initial level and level faster, in Fallout: New Vegas. Selecting the appropriate tag skills for your Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build is important for maximizing your character’s effectiveness.
Unarmed is the obvious choice. It directly increases your unarmed damage and accuracy, making it the primary skill for this build.
Melee Weapons, optional, if you want some variety. You can pick up melee weapons if you would prefer them over unarmed weapons.
Survival helps you craft healing items and benefit from food buffs. A high Survival skill can significantly improve your survivability.
Other Options such as Lockpick and Speech are also potential skills. This can add versatility.
Traits: Defining Your Character
Traits are permanent character modifiers that offer both benefits and drawbacks. Choosing the right traits can further customize your Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build.
Good Natured trades combat skill points for more dialogue options.
Built to Destroy gives critical chance and weapon degradation.
Small Frame adds an agility bonus and limb damage.
Four Eyes adds a perception bonus when wearing glasses and a penalty without.
Skilled gives extra skill points and an experience penalty.
Leveling Guide: Evolving Your Fighting Style
As you level up, you’ll gain access to new perks and skill points, allowing you to further refine your Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build. Focusing on key perks will significantly enhance your combat prowess.
Key Perks: Level by Level Progression
These perks are designed to allow you to specialize your character to dominate the wasteland.
Early game perks include Toughness (damage resistance), Travel Light (movement speed), and Bloody Mess (bonus damage).
Mid game perks such as Unstoppable Force (damage resist to blocking enemies), Slayer (increased attack speed with melee weapons) and Paralyzing Palm (chance to paralyze enemies in VATS).
Late game perks include Super Slam (knockdown with VATS), Ninja (critical hit damage with sneak attacks), Purifier (bonus damage to mutated creatures), and Better Criticals (increases critical hit multiplier).
Skill Points: Strategic Allocation
Your first goal is to prioritize Unarmed. After that, allocate the remaining skill points to secondary skills to create a more well-rounded build. Regularly upgrade Survival so you can use consumables.
Essential Gear: Equipping for Victory
The right gear can significantly enhance your Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build. From weapons to armor and consumables, choosing the right equipment is crucial for survival.
Unarmed Weapons: Your Deadly Arsenal
Early game weapons like Boxing Tape and Spiked Knuckles will hold you over for a bit.
As you progress, grab yourself a Power Fist, Ballistic Fist or Pushy.
For the endgame, look to get Greased Lightning, the Industrial Hand, Two-Step Goodbye, or the Embrace of the Mantis King if you have the DLC required.
Locations for each weapon may be found within the Mojave.
Which weapons benefit from specific perks? Consider this when choosing.
Armor: Protecting Your Body
Light Armor offers the best balance of protection and agility. Medium armor provides a decent defense without sacrificing too much mobility. Heavy Armor is good for defense but bad for agility.
Consumables: Boosting Your Performance
Food is good for buffs to Strength, Endurance, etc. Alcohol provides temporary stat boosts. Chems can be good for a quick boost as well, but always weigh the risks. Be sure to have a reliable source of Healing Items such as stimpaks and doctor’s bags. Also get survival items like food to heal and water to hydrate.
Combat Tactics: Mastering the Art of Fisticuffs
Knowing how to approach different combat situations is essential for a Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build. Understanding when to use VATS and when to rely on real-time combat can be the difference between victory and defeat.
When should you use VATS? Utilize VATS for critical hits and targeting specific limbs, also to use Paralyzing Palm.
When should you rely on real-time combat? When you want to save AP or if the target is close to you.
How do you position yourself in combat? Flanking and positioning is key.
Dealing with different enemy types is important. Take each enemy with different strategies. Be sure to exploit weaknesses and using terrain to your advantage.
Consider stealth as an option for your playstyle. You can deal critical hits with stealth if you want.
Faction Choices: Aligning with Power
Faction choices can greatly affect the game. NCR offers reliable support and resources, the Legion has brutal combat opportunities, the Independent/Yes Man path provides more freedom, and Mr. House gives technological advancements.
DLC Considerations: Expanding Your Arsenal
Each DLC can affect your playstyle. Dead Money can challenge your survival skills, Honest Hearts can give you lore-friendly melee weapons, Old World Blues offers technological upgrades, and Lonesome Road offers powerful end-game equipment.
Troubleshooting and Tips: Overcoming Challenges
What are some common problems encountered with unarmed builds? Not having enough defence can be a problem, so be sure to get as much defence as possible.
How do you maximize damage output? Maximize Strength and damage.
How do you deal with specific difficult enemies? Carry around explosives and other tools if you struggle.
Companions are also your friends. Use them wisely.
Conclusion: The Power of the Punch
The Fallout: New Vegas unarmed build offers a unique and rewarding way to experience the Mojave Wasteland. By focusing on skill, strategy, and a well-defined character build, you can become a true master of hand-to-hand combat, capable of taking down even the most formidable foes with your bare fists. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different perks, weapons, and combat tactics to find what works best for you. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the satisfaction of delivering a knockout punch that sends your enemies flying. Now go forth, Courier, and conquer the Mojave with your fists! Share your own builds and strategies in the comments below!
