Forum:How do you start the game?

I'm not really looking for advice as much as just ideas. I play through the game on Hard without Hardcore mode, and am thinking of doing Very Hard, because things really aren't that hard. What do you guys think?

Also, how do you start out the game? I typically loot Goodsprings and do a couple of Sunny Smile's quests, the Ringo quest, and the gecko ridge quest, then I cut across the desert to the East towards Sloan, trade there, then go through Hidden Vally to the bottom of Black Mountain, then sneak around the mountain (to avoid the massive Deathclaw sanctuary) to that science museum run by the robots, then to Camp McCarran. I like this strategy because it keeps me on my toes, and makes me feel like I'm actually first level, rather than a god-like bohemoth. Plus, I tend to restart a lot, and doing the They Went That-A-Way quest over and over again gets old.

Next, what factions do you like to side with? I really like to side with the Boomers early on, just because you get an exceptional amount of side quests from them that are neither hard to complete, nor especially taxing on the character. Not to mention they have a bunch of good stuff to grab, and a lot of skill checks that get you experience. I also tend to try and lead on both the Legion and NCR as long as possible before screwing them both over and taking Vegas for myself.

Lastly, what weapons and armor are your favorites? Do you have a character archetype you follow?

Thanks for an feedback. It's fun and helpful 67.189.101.99 06:02, October 13, 2011 (UTC)

I usually do about the same as you at the start. I may give myself a high charisma and speech & barter skill points so I can get a little bit more xp and get the stimpaks off the Doc and get a few more caps for selling items and I'll change my stats to something more practical for my play style when I leave Goodsprings. I typically try to get all the mods for the varmint rifle before I split so I have at least one half ass reliable sniping weapon and get the 9mm SMG so I have one decent spray & pray weap plus stock up on as much HP and other ammo as I can get. Then I'll go north over the hills and try to snipe the cazadors at tribal camp from the safety of the high ground, get Chance's knife, then head towards Bonnie Springs and cautiously and patiently try to snipe the Jackals off and get some better equipment and Love & Hate. From there to Red Rocks where I loot everything in sight and sneak kill some Khans for their hunting pistols and other weapons, stock up on chems, start Aba Daba Honeymoon. If I can teach Jack recipes then I will so I can have access to the Khan dealer. After that I backtrack south towards Primm and Sloan and all the way down to Mojave Outpost & Nipton, picking up every skill book (and ED-E) in between. I'll grab Lucky if I can boost my lockpick skill that high. That gives me a good amount of supplies to last me awhile, and I try to conserve ammo and aid items to the best of my ability. I always try to use food items for health before I'll use stimpaks. Also, I try to do My Kind of Town and put Meyers as the sheriff so I can get full barter value trading with Johnson Nash, and I'll make a few caps off gambling when the casino reopens.

Sometimes I side with the Powder Gangers at Goodsprings and do their quests when I get to NCRCF. Sometimes I don't. Depends on my mood. If I have bad rep with them, I'll snipe the guard with my varmint rifle and get in using faction armor, loot the place. Might kill everybody in there, might not.

After all that, I should be anywhere from level 8 to level 13, which imo is a good point to wander off and get into some more serious trouble.

As for armor, I tend to go for the Vault 13 armor at the beginning since it's decent enough and it's cheap to get repaired. May also equip Leather armor or merc outfits depending on my mood. I like the adventurer outfit the best. --DeadlyPrey(talk) 18:38, October 13, 2011 (UTC)

Oh yeah, as far as difficulty goes, Very Hard is a significant step up from Hard, imho. You may find that, say, you are getting one shot kills with sneak crits with an AMR on hard, but since you are not dealing as much damage on very hard it may take another two shots. As an ammo hoarder, I sorta resent expending that much on a single guy (especially on the human/oid DLC enemies which seem pretty tough compared to those in the base game). I also find it kinda ridiculous that just an average vanilla raider could take multiple shotgun blasts to the face before they drop. But the challenge is there for you to take.

Hardcore can be a more immersive experience, but it personally takes me awhile to settle into a loadut I like as far as the amount of ammo and food & water supplies I carry. You will probably find yourself picking up more items than you would on a non-hardcore playthrough to craft more useful foods and whatnot and there are times you will have to consider what you are gonna drop to continue. At the very least you will be making extra trips to drop your loot off. If you haven't played hardcore before, I'd suggest taking Cannibal so you don't have to worry as much about food, and collect items to make gecko kebabs since they are light and diminish both your hunger and dehydration meters. Clean water is pretty abundant and stimpaks still work pretty fast so they are less of an issue. --DeadlyPrey(talk) 18:53, October 13, 2011 (UTC)