Introduction
The Mojave Wasteland: a sun-baked expanse filled with dangers, decisions, and more ways to meet your maker than you can shake a stick at. Most folks who venture out there rely on bullets, energy weapons, and the occasional well-placed grenade. But there’s another path, a more… visceral way to carve your name into the desert sands. Imagine the satisfying *crack* of a well-swung baseball bat connecting with a Fiend’s skull, or the silent slice of a blade leaving a Legionnaire bleeding out in the shadows. Melee weapons in Fallout: New Vegas aren’t just a fallback option; they’re a brutally effective and surprisingly versatile way to conquer the wasteland.
While guns may seem like the obvious choice, a dedicated melee build in Fallout: New Vegas can offer a unique and devastatingly effective method for experiencing the game. From lead pipes to electrified swords, the game presents a diverse and potent arsenal for those brave enough to get close and personal. This guide will delve into the strengths of melee combat, the skills and stats you’ll need to succeed, the most formidable weapons in the game, and tips to help you become a true wasteland warrior.
Why Choose the Way of the Blade? The Advantages of Melee Combat
Why would anyone choose a rusty pipe over a trusty rifle in the Mojave? Well, for starters, let’s talk about ammunition. Or rather, the *lack* of ammunition needed. Bullets are a precious commodity in the wasteland, especially on higher difficulties. A melee build laughs in the face of scarcity. You’ll never have to scrounge for casings or pay exorbitant prices to Gun Runners ever again. Your weapons require no reloading, no maintenance kits, just a good swing and a target.
Beyond saving caps, melee combat offers unparalleled stealth potential. Imagine creeping through the shadows, unnoticed by patrolling enemies. With the right skills, a swift strike from a knife can take down even heavily armored foes before they know what hit them. Stealth melee allows for surgical strikes, eliminating threats before they even have a chance to raise the alarm.
Furthermore, the game features a host of unique perks and skills that synergize beautifully with melee combat. Perks like Super Slam, which can knock enemies to the ground with a powerful swing, and Slayer, which dramatically increases your attack speed, can turn you into a whirlwind of destruction. We’ll delve deeper into these perks later, but they are crucial for unlocking the full potential of a melee character.
Finally, choosing melee opens up unique roleplaying opportunities. You could be a savage tribal warrior, relying on instinct and brute force. Or perhaps a silent, deadly assassin, taking down targets with precision and efficiency. A melee character allows for a different, more intimate connection with the wasteland. And if you’re truly seeking a challenge, consider a melee-only run. It’s a grueling test of skill and patience, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding experience.
Mastering Your Body: Key Stats and Skills for Melee Builds
To truly excel in melee combat, you’ll need to carefully manage your character’s stats and skills. Strength is paramount. It directly affects your melee damage, your ability to effectively wield heavier weapons, and your carrying capacity. Don’t underestimate the importance of hauling around all that loot you’ll be liberating from fallen foes.
Agility is another crucial stat. It dictates your attack speed, allowing you to unleash a flurry of blows on your enemies. It also increases your Action Points, vital for executing VATS attacks. More Action Points mean more opportunities to cripple limbs and deliver devastating blows.
Endurance is your lifeline in the close-quarters chaos of melee combat. It governs your health and Damage Threshold (DT), providing the resilience needed to withstand enemy attacks. A high Endurance ensures you can take a beating and keep on swinging.
Of course, the Melee skill itself is essential. It directly improves your accuracy and damage output with melee weapons. The higher your skill, the more likely you are to land accurate hits and inflict maximum pain.
For those who prefer a stealthy approach, the Sneak skill is indispensable. A high Sneak skill allows you to approach enemies undetected, setting up devastating sneak attacks that can instantly eliminate threats.
While we’re on the topic, let’s briefly acknowledge Unarmed skill. Some players might choose it over Melee, or even utilize both. Melee covers weapons *designed* for close combat. Unarmed focuses on using your fists, feet, and other body parts. Both can be effective, but for the purposes of *this* guide, we are focusing on wielding weapons.
A good starting stat allocation for a melee character might look something like this: Strength seven, Perception five, Endurance seven, Charisma three, Intelligence four, Agility seven, and Luck seven. Feel free to adjust these based on your preferred playstyle, but remember the core principles of strength, agility, and endurance.
The Arsenal of Pain: Top Tier Melee Weapons
Now, let’s get to the good stuff: the weapons themselves. The Mojave Wasteland is littered with implements of destruction, but some stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Chance’s Knife
This pre-war combat knife is a rare find, but well worth the effort. With great damage and a high critical hit chance it also has low weight, it’s a deadly weapon for any stealthy character.
This knife is located in a grave, southeast of Goodsprings, southwest of Jean Sky Diving.
It’s so good due to its low weight and great damage potential. This allows you to move swiftly while dealing significant damage. Combining it with critical hit-focused perks can turn you into a silent assassin.
Chance’s Knife relies on finding its specific location, and its damage is only high with critical hits.
Knock Knock
This fire axe isn’t just for putting out fires. This unique variant deals excellent damage with a great critical hit chance and can set enemies on fire.
Knock Knock is located at the Red Rock Drug Lab on the body of a Fiend.
Knock Knock really shines against enemies vulnerable to fire, but it also deals great general damage. The fire effect adds another layer of damage over time.
The weapon is found at the end of the game, and some players may find fire damage to be resisted by many enemies.
Oh, Baby!
This unique Super Sledge isn’t your average hammer. Its incredibly powerful damage and area of effect make it a game-ender.
Found in Charleston Cave, northwest of Jacobstown, this is a must-have for any serious melee build.
This hammer is one of the strongest melee weapons, allowing the player to take down hordes of enemies, and the range of its swing makes it a good choice.
Due to how late in the game it is to find, and its slow speed some players may find this weapon to be too cumbersome.
Gehenna
This is a unique Thermic Lance and is one of the coolest-looking melee weapons. It deals both fire damage, but normal damage, and has a great critical hit chance.
You need to complete the Honest Hearts DLC to obtain this weapon and acquire the recipe to make it.
This Thermic Lance is amazing due to its high damage and burn effect, making enemies panic, and deals more damage over time.
Gehenna requires completing a DLC, it has a high maintenance skill required to keep it in great shape, and has a fairly high weight.
Super Sledge
This heavy hammer delivers devastating blows and is a popular choice among melee characters. This deals great damage and has a great critical hit multiplier.
Super Sledges can be found in many locations throughout the Mojave Wasteland, so it is not hard to find.
Due to this, the Super Sledge is a good base weapon to build on, due to its high damage and great critical hit multiplier.
However, the Super Sledge has low durability and high strength requirement.
Early Game Help: Honorable Mentions
These weapons are the best, but what about the early game? The Machete, Combat Knife, and Lead Pipe are all viable choices you can find early on. Look for them in towns, abandoned buildings, or on the bodies of less fortunate wastelanders.
Surviving the Wastes: Melee Combat Tips
Mastering melee combat requires more than just swinging a weapon. You need to be tactical and adaptable.
VATS can be your best friend. Use it to target specific body parts, like legs to slow down enemies or heads for critical hits.
Strafing and positioning are crucial. Circle around your enemies, staying out of their line of sight and avoiding their attacks.
Focus on crippling limbs. Slowing down a charging Deathclaw can be the difference between life and death.
Don’t forget to block. Blocking reduces the damage you take, giving you a chance to retaliate.
Chems can provide a significant boost in combat. Med-X increases your Damage Threshold, while Psycho boosts your damage output.
Adjust your tactics based on the enemy you’re facing. Armored enemies require different approaches than fast-moving ones.
Perk Up Your Life: Key Perks
Certain perks can significantly enhance your melee abilities.
Super Slam! knocks enemies to the ground, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
Slayer dramatically increases your attack speed, turning you into a whirlwind of steel.
Unstoppable Force allows you to power through enemy blocks, ensuring your attacks always connect.
Ninja increases your critical hit chance in melee combat, making you a deadly assassin.
Purifier increases your damage against mutated creatures, a common threat in the wasteland.
Bloody Mess is a general combat perk, but it’s particularly satisfying with melee weapons, resulting in… well, a bloody mess.
Forging Your Own Path: Melee Build Ideas
The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
The Stealth Assassin: Focus on Sneak, Melee, and critical hits. Use knives and other fast weapons to eliminate enemies before they even know you’re there.
The Tank: Prioritize Endurance, DT, and Strength. Use slow, powerful weapons like Super Sledges and focus on survivability.
The Chem-Fueled Berserker: Embrace chems for increased damage and attack speed. Unleash a flurry of blows, leaving a trail of destruction in your wake.
Conclusion: Embracing the Brutality
While guns may dominate the Mojave Wasteland, melee combat offers a uniquely satisfying and effective way to play Fallout: New Vegas. From conserving ammunition to delivering devastating stealth attacks, melee builds provide a different perspective on the dangers and opportunities of the post-apocalyptic world. So, ditch the guns, grab a Super Sledge, and experience the brutal beauty of melee combat in Fallout: New Vegas. You might just find your new favorite way to conquer the Mojave.
