The wasteland has a lot to offer, almost too much. Fear not, intrepid wanderers, I'll help you figure out what matters and what doesn't.
Not everything is worth picking up
The first thing you need to know is that not everything that can be picked up, should be picked up. I generally focus on the weightless or low weight items. That means all ammo, all chems and skill magazines and some ingredients. Hulls, cases, drained cells and empty fueler tanks are good bets too. Little things like cherry bombs, wonderglue, duct tape and of course, caps, are all good to grab.
You might be tempted to pick up every weapon you find. Don't. Figure out what you want to use and get like items to repair it. If you use a 9mm pistol, you don't need to pick up .44's and shotguns. Pick up 9mm pistols and use them to repair your main weapon.
Weapon mods (especially when playing Gun Runners Arsenal) are also good investments.
You might be tempted to pick up every weapon you find. Don't. Figure out what you want to use and get like items to repair it. If you use a 9mm pistol, you don't need to pick up .44's and shotguns. Pick up 9mm pistols and use them to repair your main weapon.
Weapon mods (especially when playing Gun Runners Arsenal) are also good investments.
Pick everything up
Wait, what? I know, I know. I just told you to focus on specific items but what you need to know is, everything and I mean EVERYTHING in this game has a use. You can either sell it, use it or craft with it.
Early on, you need to grab as much as you can carry and sell it off. A good technique is to empty Goodsprings in waves and sell everything off. Take a few days between shopping trips to let the general store restock on caps. Don't let the game rush you. The wasteland isn't going anywhere.
Sell off high value DLC items that you don't plan on using, or stick them in storage (easy when you get a place in Novac) and sell them off later. I hate that you can't get a place early on, and that you have to wander halfway across the Mojave to find a home base. Bad design.
When you do get a place in Novac, it opens the game up.
Early on, you need to grab as much as you can carry and sell it off. A good technique is to empty Goodsprings in waves and sell everything off. Take a few days between shopping trips to let the general store restock on caps. Don't let the game rush you. The wasteland isn't going anywhere.
Sell off high value DLC items that you don't plan on using, or stick them in storage (easy when you get a place in Novac) and sell them off later. I hate that you can't get a place early on, and that you have to wander halfway across the Mojave to find a home base. Bad design.
When you do get a place in Novac, it opens the game up.
Know your Weapons
The easiest way to be successful in the wasteland is to kill everything that doesn't align with your point of view. Now, I don't advocate that play style, but you are going to have to fire your weapon eventually. There isn't a way to avoid it that doesn't involve insanity inducing repetition and save scumming.
The best thing you can do is learn how your weapon works. What is the strength requirement, what is the spread, how many action points does it use in VATS, and what type of ammo do you need? Make sure you know if it is a unique item or a common one, know what perks work with it. Make sure you have compatible mods for the weapon.
This might all seem like pointless stuff to learn, but it makes a difference. When you have a sense of what you can do with a weapon, it means you have less incentive to mindlessly pick up everything you see. You'll also know what ammo is worth carrying and what you can scrap or sell freely.
It makes playing the game easier, and makes a massive difference in Hardcore mode.
The best thing you can do is learn how your weapon works. What is the strength requirement, what is the spread, how many action points does it use in VATS, and what type of ammo do you need? Make sure you know if it is a unique item or a common one, know what perks work with it. Make sure you have compatible mods for the weapon.
This might all seem like pointless stuff to learn, but it makes a difference. When you have a sense of what you can do with a weapon, it means you have less incentive to mindlessly pick up everything you see. You'll also know what ammo is worth carrying and what you can scrap or sell freely.
It makes playing the game easier, and makes a massive difference in Hardcore mode.
Pay attention to your relationships
There are quite a few factions vying for power in the Mojave, and it pays to know who you are working with and how they see the rest of the world. Some are diametrically opposed, like Caesar's Legion and the NCR, while some are very close but have a minor differences, Powder Gangers and Great Khans are both very basic gangs that have ideals different enough to be distinctive, but not so much that they will slaughter each other on sight.
Some factions grant bonuses in certain areas, and some are purely novelties. Being a Follower of the Apocalypse couples very well with being friendly with the Brotherhood of Steel, to an extent.
You need to pay attention to the endgames of these factions too. There isn't a happy way to reconcile working for the NCR and the Legion unless you are vying to tear it all down. The fun aspect of this game is the complexity it offers, and knowing your friends and enemies is just a facet of that.
Some factions grant bonuses in certain areas, and some are purely novelties. Being a Follower of the Apocalypse couples very well with being friendly with the Brotherhood of Steel, to an extent.
You need to pay attention to the endgames of these factions too. There isn't a happy way to reconcile working for the NCR and the Legion unless you are vying to tear it all down. The fun aspect of this game is the complexity it offers, and knowing your friends and enemies is just a facet of that.
Pay attention to your build
You can't mindlessly take whatever perks you want. I mean, you can, but it is very easy to cripple a character if you are taking things that don't align or help you in some way. There are a lot of perks in this game that are downright useless too, and knowing how to spot them matters.
You don't need to waste a perk on something like Educated for instance. You will get more than enough skill points to max out a combat skill, a defense skill and a utility skill. Wasting a perk to get two more skill points is senseless in the long run, especially when you consider how common skill magazines and stat boosting gear is.
Carrying a few weightless magazines that will give you a temporary 10 point skill boost makes more sense, trust me.
You don't need to waste a perk on something like Educated for instance. You will get more than enough skill points to max out a combat skill, a defense skill and a utility skill. Wasting a perk to get two more skill points is senseless in the long run, especially when you consider how common skill magazines and stat boosting gear is.
Carrying a few weightless magazines that will give you a temporary 10 point skill boost makes more sense, trust me.
Do what is fun for you
In the end, this is your game. Play it the way you like it. I won't sit here and tell you how to enjoy what you spent your own money on. I can just give you some tips from my own perspective.
Wanna be a pink haired grenade tossing chem taking psycho with a soft spot for Raiders? Go for it. Wanna be a one person wrecking crew killing any and everything that looks at you funny? Do it.
Have fun with this game, in the end that is what it is for.
Thanks for reading, see you next time.
Wanna be a pink haired grenade tossing chem taking psycho with a soft spot for Raiders? Go for it. Wanna be a one person wrecking crew killing any and everything that looks at you funny? Do it.
Have fun with this game, in the end that is what it is for.
Thanks for reading, see you next time.