Understanding Skills in Fallout New Vegas
The Mojave Wasteland. A place of sun-baked deserts, towering Hoover Dam, and morally ambiguous choices. In *Fallout: New Vegas*, survival isn’t just about shooting faster or hitting harder; it’s about mastering the skills that define your character and shape your journey. Your success in this sprawling world hinges on understanding and utilizing the skill system. Skills influence everything from your ability to pick a lock and disarm a bomb, to your chances of convincing a stubborn trader to lower their prices or healing a wounded companion. This guide will delve into the intricacies of the skill system in *Fallout: New Vegas*, providing you with the knowledge to craft the perfect character and dominate the wasteland.
The skill system in *Fallout: New Vegas* is a cornerstone of the gameplay experience. There are thirteen skills in total, each governing a different aspect of your character’s abilities. These skills are the key to opening locked doors, persuading key characters, crafting life-saving items, and so much more. As you level up, you’ll gain skill points that can be allocated to these skills, gradually increasing your proficiency. Remember to Tag skills at the beginning, as these receive a bonus to your total. The ceiling for any one skill is capped at one hundred.
The Core Connection Between Skills and SPECIAL Attributes
The SPECIAL system forms the foundation for your skills. SPECIAL, which stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck, directly impacts how many skill points you have to distribute. For instance, a character with high intelligence will receive more skill points per level than a character with low intelligence.
Consider how Perception affects your skills. High Perception grants boosts to skills like Lockpick, Explosives, and Energy Weapons. Therefore, a character built to be a sneaky explosives expert would benefit greatly from a high perception. Similarly, a charismatic character relies on a high Charisma to boost skills like Speech and Barter. Balancing your SPECIAL stats early on is essential for creating a character with a strong skillset.
Individual Skill Explorations
Here, we will take a closer look at each skill and its implications for gameplay.
Barter
Barter governs your ability to negotiate prices with vendors, haggle for better deals, and generally make the most of your caps. High Barter makes the wasteland a little bit easier, as you’ll always have a few extra caps to spare.
Benefits: Reduced prices at shops, higher selling prices for your loot.
Key Perks: Cap Collector.
Tips & Strategies: Focus on Barter early if you plan to be a merchant or rely on shops for gear.
Example Scenario: Convincing a merchant to give you a discount on vital supplies before a dangerous mission.
Big Guns
Big Guns is the skill you need to master to wield the most powerful and devastating weapons in the game. This skill covers heavy weapons like the minigun, missile launcher, and flamer.
Benefits: Increased accuracy and damage with heavy weapons.
Weapon Types: Minigun, Missile Launcher, Flamer, Grenade Machinegun.
Key Perks: Heavyweight, Pyromaniac.
Tips & Strategies: Big Guns are powerful but consume a lot of ammunition, so be prepared to scavenge and craft.
Example Scenario: Unleashing a barrage of missiles on a group of Deathclaws.
Energy Weapons
Energy Weapons covers weapons that use microfusion cells, electron charge packs, or other energy sources. These weapons tend to be more accurate and pack a punch, but can be more expensive to maintain.
Benefits: Increased accuracy and damage with energy weapons.
Weapon Types: Laser Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Pistol, Gatling Laser.
Key Perks: Laser Commander, Set Lasers for Fun.
Tips & Strategies: Energy Weapons can be highly effective against armored enemies.
Example Scenario: Vaporizing a heavily armored soldier with a plasma rifle.
Explosives
Explosives governs your ability to use grenades, mines, and other explosive devices. A high Explosives skill not only increases damage but also improves your throwing accuracy.
Benefits: Increased damage and throwing range with explosives.
Key Perks: Demolition Expert, Mad Bomber.
Tips & Strategies: Use explosives strategically to create traps or clear out groups of enemies.
Example Scenario: Setting up a minefield to defend a key location.
Lockpick
Lockpick is essential for accessing locked containers, doors, and safes. A high Lockpick skill allows you to open even the most difficult locks.
Benefits: Ability to open locked containers and doors, accessing hidden areas and loot.
Key Perks: Locksmith, Thief.
Tips & Strategies: Carry plenty of bobby pins and practice on easier locks to level up the skill.
Example Scenario: Opening a locked safe to find valuable supplies or a quest item.
Medicine
Medicine governs your ability to heal yourself and others using stimpaks, doctor’s bags, and other medical supplies. A high Medicine skill increases the effectiveness of healing items and allows you to diagnose and treat injuries more effectively.
Benefits: Increased healing effectiveness, ability to cure addictions and heal critical injuries.
Key Perks: Chemist, Doctor.
Tips & Strategies: Medicine is crucial for survival, especially on higher difficulties.
Example Scenario: Healing a critically wounded companion in the midst of a battle.
Melee Weapons
Melee Weapons covers close-range combat with knives, swords, and other bladed or blunt weapons. A high Melee Weapons skill increases your damage output and improves your chance to hit enemies in close combat.
Benefits: Increased damage and attack speed with melee weapons.
Weapon Types: Knife, Machete, Super Sledge, Chainsaw.
Key Perks: Super Slam, Slayer.
Tips & Strategies: Combine Melee Weapons with Sneak for deadly stealth attacks.
Example Scenario: Silently eliminating a group of raiders with a katana.
Repair
Repair is vital for maintaining your weapons and armor. A high Repair skill allows you to fix damaged gear, increasing its effectiveness and lifespan.
Benefits: Ability to repair weapons and armor, increasing their durability and performance.
Key Perks: Jury Rigging, Weapon Handling.
Tips & Strategies: Scavenge for scrap metal and spare parts to keep your gear in top condition.
Example Scenario: Repairing your favorite rifle in the middle of the desert after a tough fight.
Science
Science governs your ability to hack computers, override security systems, and craft advanced items. A high Science skill opens up a variety of options, from disabling robots to uncovering hidden information.
Benefits: Ability to hack computers, disable robots, and craft advanced items.
Key Perks: Computer Whiz, Robotics Expert.
Tips & Strategies: Science is useful for both combat and exploration, offering unique solutions to problems.
Example Scenario: Hacking a terminal to disable a security system or reprogram a robot.
Guns
Guns is the most versatile combat skill, covering a wide range of firearms from pistols to rifles to shotguns. A high Guns skill increases your accuracy and damage output with these weapons.
Benefits: Increased accuracy and damage with firearms.
Weapon Types: Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Hunting Rifle, Sniper Rifle.
Key Perks: Cowboy, Gunslinger.
Tips & Strategies: Guns are effective at both close and long range, making them a reliable choice for any combat situation.
Example Scenario: Taking down a group of bandits with a well-aimed shot from a hunting rifle.
Sneak
Sneak allows you to move undetected, avoiding enemy detection and performing stealth attacks. A high Sneak skill is essential for characters who prefer a more subtle approach.
Benefits: Ability to move undetected, perform stealth attacks, and pickpocket enemies.
Key Perks: Silent Running, Ninja.
Tips & Strategies: Use cover and shadows to your advantage and pay attention to enemy patrol patterns.
Example Scenario: Infiltrating an enemy base undetected to steal vital information.
Speech
Speech governs your ability to persuade, intimidate, or lie to other characters. A high Speech skill opens up a variety of dialogue options, allowing you to resolve conflicts peacefully, gain valuable information, or manipulate others to your advantage.
Benefits: Increased success rate in dialogue checks, ability to influence characters.
Key Perks: Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez la Femme, Terrifying Presence.
Tips & Strategies: Speech is useful for avoiding combat and completing quests in a diplomatic manner.
Example Scenario: Talk your way out of a dangerous situation or convince a powerful leader to help you.
Survival
Survival governs your ability to craft food, medicine, and other useful items in the wilderness. A high Survival skill is essential for characters who prefer to live off the land.
Benefits: Ability to craft food, medicine, and other useful items, increased resistance to environmental hazards.
Key Perks: Hunter, Lead Belly.
Tips & Strategies: Survival is useful for long journeys and resource management.
Example Scenario: Crafting a healing salve from local plants after being injured in the desert.
Crafting Your Wasteland Persona: Building Different Character Types
*New Vegas* allows for incredible character diversity. You could craft a smooth-talking diplomat who avoids combat, a sneaky sniper who eliminates targets from afar, a tech-savvy hacker who manipulates robots, or a rugged survivalist who thrives in the wilderness.
The Charismatic Diplomat: Maximize Speech and Barter to navigate complex situations through conversation, resolving conflicts peacefully and manipulating others.
The Stealth Assassin: Focus on Sneak and Melee Weapons (or Guns) to silently eliminate enemies with stealth attacks, relying on cunning and precision.
The Tech Expert: Invest in Science and Repair to hack computers, disable robots, and maintain your gear, controlling technology to your advantage.
The Survivalist: Prioritize Survival, Medicine, and Repair to thrive in the wilderness, crafting essential items and healing yourself and companions.
Skill Books and Learning from the Masters
Skill books provide a permanent boost to your skills, and can often be found hidden in buildings and points of interest. Always be on the lookout for these valuable resources. Certain characters can train you in various skills, such as weapons or survival.
Advanced Insights for the Mojave
Don’t underestimate the power of temporary skill boosts. Clothing, chems, and other consumables can provide significant bonuses to your skills, allowing you to pass difficult checks or excel in specific situations. Remember that many quests have skill checks requiring specific skill levels to advance the quest or unlock rewards.
The Road Ahead
Skills are the backbone of your *Fallout: New Vegas* experience. Mastering them is essential for survival, success, and crafting your own unique story in the Mojave Wasteland. Remember that balancing your SPECIAL attributes, choosing your skills wisely, and using the environment to your advantage can make all the difference. Experiment with different skills and playstyles to discover what works best for you. The Mojave Wasteland awaits, ready for you to leave your mark. What kind of legend will you become? Share your character builds and favorite skills in the comments below!
