A Concise Guide to "Fallout 3" =================================== Compiled/edited by chazgeary03 May 2010 Edition 1.0 Intro ----------I've seen several very thorough, very detailed Fallout 3 guides around the Web, but I wanted one concise guide that had the most important tips, that helped mak e life in the Wasteland a bit easier, but didn't give too much away. So, I glean ed the very best info from various sources (see below), added a few of my own ob servations, and compiled it all here. For a guide that's billed as concise, it's pretty long. Well, that's only becaus e the Fallout 3 world is HUGE. This guide is biased toward Good or Neutral Karma, I should note. My apologies t o all the would-be Raider Chiefs and Slaver Lords. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Scores, and Items for Boosting Them ---------------------------------------------------------------These scores are all well-explained in the manual. But be advised: INT is probably your most crucial ability, because more INT = mo re Skill points = survival. If you're smart, you can be a deadly fighter, even i f your STR or AGL isn't high. Also: start all abilities with at least a 2; a 5 or 6 seems to provide the most "bang for the Cap." The exceptions are END and LCK, which need to be at least 3, with 7 the apparent "sweet spot." (LCK is the lone ability that seems best in o dd numbers, e.g. 3, 5, 7, and 9.) Generally: don't start out with any stat above 7 or 8. You can always increase i t later via the Intense Training Perk, or via an ability Bobblehead, or (in some cases) via an item. I'd say a good set of starting scores would be STR 4 (unless you plan to be a me lee specialist), PER 4, END 6, CHA 4, INT 8, AGL 7, LCK 7. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Bobbleheads, which give you +1 to an ability: taking a Bobblehead immediately and permanently increases a score, while never incurring a Karma pe nalty. Later, when you get a house (see below), you can store your Bobbleheads o n your collector's stand (you don't have to carry them around to keep their bene fits). STR Bobblehead: in Sheriff Simm's house in Megaton. PER: in The Republic of Dave (far NE corner of world map); go to Museum of Dave on your L, and check shelf to your R. END: in Deathclaw Sanctuary (far W-NW of town of Minefield, past Paradise Falls) ; go down sloping path, look near brahmin corpse. BONUS: nearby is "Nikola Tesla & You," an Energy Weapons Skill Book. CHA: in Vault 108 (E edge of world map, far S of Republic of Dave); go L when yo u see big blood stain, pass power generators, go downstairs into lab and check d esks. BONUS: nearby is "Lying, Congressional Style," a Speech Skill Book.

INT: in Rivet City, in a desk in Dr. Li's Science Lab. AGL: in Greener Pastures Disposal Site (N-NE of town of Minefield), which is EXT REMELY RADIOACTIVE, in desk in site office. LCK: in basement of Arlington House. This one's a bit tricky to find... First, enter Marigold Station (S of Grayditch, on W edge of DC ruins) and go to 1st large room. Then jump down to 1st floor on L, then take L tunnel. Follow Blue Line tracks and head through door on L when you reach giant grates t o exit at Falls Church. Go E until you reach Falls Church/Arlington Metro Station. After reaching 1st large room, cut straight across rubble and pass Nuka-Cola mac hine. Go E to discover Mama Dolce's. Then go N to Arlington Cemetery, and into Arlingt on House's basement. Other LCK-boosting items... * Lucky 8 Ball: +1 to LCK when in inventory. To get it, go Red's Clinic in Big T own and fix Timebomb up (requires Medicine skill of 40+), then rescue Red and Sh orty from Germantown Police HQ, then talk to Timebomb again. * Lucky Shades: +1 to LCK when equipped; DR 1. Find 'em at Lucky's Store (along with several items for crafting custom weapons), SW of Tenpenny Tower near Warri ngton Station, near SW edge of world map. Skills (The Crucial Ones), and Items for Boosting Them ---------------------------------------------------------------------Small Guns: perhaps the best skill, because small guns are ubiquitous, varied, a nd generally powerful enough. Big guns are too rare until mid-game. Explosives a ren't versatile enough. (Sure, Unarmed and Melee attacks don't involve ammo, and can deal plenty of dama ge, and are both considered silent for Sneak attack purposes. And you can use th ose skills to block Unarmed and Melee attacks. But I'd rather not have to stand that close to a Glowing One or Deathclaw, thankyouverymuch. Even worse, you can' t use V.A.T.S. body-part targeting with Unarmed or Melee, although you presumabl y still keep the V.A.T.S. accuracy bonus, and the +15 V.A.T.S. Crit. Hit bonus.) Small Guns Bobblehead location: Nat'l Guard Depot (NE edge of DC ruins) Armory, Equipment Storage. Note: Skill Bobbleheads permanently and immediately give you +10 to a Skill. Small Guns Skill Book locations are below; Skill Books provide an immediate and permanent +1 to a Skill (or +2 if you have Comprehension Perk). Note: if you want to get a bunch of Skill Books quickly, look in or near Jury St . Metro Station (W of Vault 101), Arlington Library (S-SW edge of DC ruins, or N W of Riverboat Landing to Pt. Lookout), Bethesda Ruins (NE of Vault 101, or S of Scrapyard), Capitol Building (middle of E half of DC ruins), Ft. Constantine (f ar NW of town of Minefield, past Paradise Falls, in NW quadrant of world map), a nd Tenpenny Tower (SW of Megaton).

Anyway, here's where you can find copies of the Small Guns Skill Book ("Guns & B ullets")... * Alexandria Arms, on a desk on 2nd floor, near a terminal. * Arlington Library, top floor of Children's Wing (must go through Media Wing to get there). * In Pulowski Preservation Shelter N of Arlington Library. * Chryslus Building, Reception Area, N room. * The Citadel, in A Ring, in The Den, under a bed. * Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel (W-NW of Paradise Falls), among ammo boxes on N si de. * Everglow Nat'l Campground, in silver trailer that serves as Raider lair. * Falls Church/Mason Dst Metro, in Franklin Metro Utility, downstairs in center of 2nd room, in gated-off area on desk with some Missiles and a Stealth Boy. * Flooded Metro, 1st big open room behind W pillar with skeleton. * Ft. Bannister (evil Talon Mercenary Co. HQ, SW of Arefu), Bunker Area, in Lock er Room atop gun cabinet. Be ready for AN EPIC BATTLE before approaching. * Ft. Constantine, CO Quarters, on bed. * Abandoned house in E Grayditch. * Hamilton's Hideaway, in locked weapons stash. Key is obtained by completing "C aching in with Three Dog" quest: to begin, either discover your father's whereab outs from someone other than Three Dog, use a successful Speech check to have Th ree Dog tell you where your father is, or finish the "Galaxy News Radio quest," then talk to Three Dog. To find Galaxy News Radio, enter the Farragut West Station utility tunnels (N ed ge of DC, on E bank of Potomac), then enter Tenleytown/Friendship Station tunnel s, then follow Tenleytown tracks south to the Chevy Chase North exit. * Mama Dolce's, at Loading Yard, on floor next to a Chinese Remnant Sergeant who is stationed as a sniper on W upper level. * Rivet City, in Midship Deck Living Quarter, down hall of Common Room. * In Sniper Shack, W of Rockbreaker's Last Gas (which is W of Arefu). * The Scrapyard (S of town of Minefield), in John's Treasure Box, in burned bus near red rail car. Key can be found in random encounter, or Hard lock can just b e picked with 75 Lockpick Skill. ..... Repair: if you don't develop this skill, you'll constantly have to be finding (a nd paying) merchants to fix your stuff. Which sucks. To repair an item, you have to find another item of the same type, in order to cannibalize it for spare par ts. Unless you have this one really sweet mod (see below).

Repair Bobblehead location: Arefu (NW of Megaton), on table in Evan King's House . Repair Skill Book ("Dean's Electronics") locations... * Anchorage War Memorial (E of Megaton), in infirmary on W side, in a floor safe under a table near N wall of room. * In a truck on road E of Andale. * Canterbury Commons, in Dominic and Machete's house on desk. * Corvega Factory, on a desk on 2nd floor near Ant Queen. * Dunwich Building, in Forsaken Dunwich Ruins, on a shelf in a small room. * Hubris Comics (middle of SW quadrant of DC ruins), Utility area, on a desk nea r Grayditch sewer exit. * In Pulowski Preservation Shelter just outside Hubris Comics. * Jury St. Metro Station, on workbench. * Mama Dolce's Processed Foods, on a shelf in a stairwell. * MDPL-05 Power Station, leaning against a toolbox. * Metro Central, near Foggy Bottom Station exit, behind a locked gate in generat or area on a table. * Nuka-Cola Plant; take a R when you enter building, check desk on factory floor . * In Dry Sewers that lead from basement of Our Lady of Hope Hospital to Dupont C ircle, on shelf in a room at S end. * Ranger Compound, on generator in pantry. * In Sniper Shack W of Rockbreaker's Last Gas. ..... Lockpick: because lots of good loot is locked up. For every 25 points you have i n Lockpick, you can attempt to pick a harder lock. At 0, you can try picking a V ery Easy lock, at 25, you can try picking an Easy lock, etc. See below for lockp icking tips. I'd advise getting this Skill up to at least 50, and I believe it's more importa nt than Science: I encounter far more locked boxes and doors than terminals. Lockpick Bobblehead location: Bethesda Ruins (S of The Scrapyard), Office E, on a desk upstairs. Lockpick Skill Book ("Tumblers Today") locations... * Arlington Library, Media Archive, on desk flanked by 2 sets of microfiche read ers in room with safe (S-most room), very close to Children's Wing door. Check f loor if there is nothing on desk. * Drowned Devil's Crossing, in red truck trailer near bridge.

* Falls Church, S-most office building, on a desk. * Falls Church/Mason Dst Metro, in Franklin Metro Utility, on lower floor to R o f turret, atop Average (50 Lockpick required) locked mine box. * Germantown Police HQ, basement, in locked weapons closet. * N of Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal, along road, outside center enterable sha ck, in overturned refrigerator to L of door. * L.O.B. Enterprises, E Wing on CEO's desk. * Meresti Trainyard (E of Arefu, SW of Scrapyard), in Service Tunnels, on table near Robert's bed. * Town of Minefield, in Gibson House, sitting in office on desk. * Nuka-Cola Plant, in factory floor area in closet. * Roosevelt Arts and Athletics Hall, on a desk near a locked safe on 3rd floor. * Smith Casey's Garage, in safe behind counter on immediate R as you enter garag e. ..... Science: gotta hack those terminals now and then (but not as often as you need t o pick locks). For every 25 points you have in skill, you can attempt to hack a harder terminal. At 0, you can try hacking a Very Easy terminal, at 25, you can try hacking an Easy terminal, etc. When hacking, look for whole words among jumble of characters on screen, and try those as passwords. If you're running out of password attempts, turn off termin al, then turn it back on; password will be reset, but you'll get a new set of at tempts. I'd advise getting this Skill up to at least 50. Science Bobblehead location: Vault 106 (NW of Vault 101), Living Quarters, in Me dical Bay, E shelves. Science Skill Book ("Big Book of Science") locations... * Megaton, as reward for finishing Moira's "Wasteland Survival Guide" quest. * In Arlington House near Arlington Cemetery N, on kitchen table. * Arlington Library, upstairs from lobby to R, on a desk in an office with two s ofas. * Bethesda Offices W, on main desk on ground floor, next to terminal. * Corvega Factory, up stairs near entrance and to L, on a desk or on filing cabi net next to desk. * Sewer Waystation, in County Sewer Mainline, in a big 3-floored room next to a terminal, behind a locked gate. * Ft. Bannister, in an Average (50) locked room at bottom of concrete stairs in

Ft. Bannister Main, with a Fat Man and a Mini Nuke. * Ft. Constantine, Launch Control Bunker in CO Quarters, on a desk in NE corner. * Greener Pastures Disposal Site, in back end of a truck to SW, near a dead scie ntist. * Nuka-Cola Plant, 2nd floor in office area. * RobCo Facility (NE of Tenpenny Tower) Factory Floor, by Protectron Pod area to NE, on console. ..... Medicine: because the Wasteland is a rough place. If it weren't, it'd have a mor e pleasant name. Medicine Bobblehead location: Vault 101, on Dad's desk (in clinic). Medicine Skill Book ("DC Journal of Internal Medicine") locations... * Anchorage War Memorial, on bottom floor in clinic on a table. * Big Town, Red's Clinic, in kitchen. * Capitol Building, Hall of Columns, upper level on a railing near a Talon Co. s niper. * Ft. Constantine, Bomb Storage, on a table next to a Fat Man where you find T-5 1b Power Armor. * Greener Pastures Disposal Site, Silo Door to Makeshift Shack in NW area. * Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal, in office atop a bookshelf. * Mason Dixon Salvage, in Abandoned Shack with broken refrigerator, sitting on f loor. * Town of Minefield, in Benson House, upstairs in main bedroom on a desk. * Museum of History, on a shelf in kitchen, Lower Halls. * In Sunken Chamber in Oasis Cavern, up a path on L in a crate. * Our Lady of Hope Hospital, in a room on 1st floor. * Our Lady of Hope Hospital, second floor, cantina, on a table. * RobCo Factory, offices and cafeteria, 2nd floor, computer office room, just SE of stairs going up. * Roosevelt Academy, Nurse's Office on 1st floor. * Vault 92 (N-NE of town of Minefield), S-most room of Living Quarters, on a tab le next to a lab terminal. ..... Sneak: if you hit an enemy while hidden from them, not only is it an AUTOMATIC C rit. Hit -- it's DOUBLE the usual Crit. Dmg.!!!

So: it's ridiculous to NOT sneak up on enemies. Note that it's harder to Sneak while running, while wielding a weapon, while wei ghed down, or while wearing most powered armor. The Silent Running Perk (see bel ow) can help. Hint: it pays to be Sneaky, and to favor Small Guns and V.A.T.S., because one ab iltity -- AGL -- governs them all. Sneak Bobblehead location: Yao Guai Tunnels den (NW of Tenpenny Tower or SW of A refu), E of central cave. Sneak Skill Book ("Chinese Army Special Ops Training") locations... * Bethesda Offices E, on a desk with a typewriter and 2 Missiles. * Capitol Building, in Hall of Columns, behind a Hard (75) locked door. * Ft. Constantine, CO Quarters, on basement floor, to R of safe. * Museum of History, offices, to R of Lincoln's Repeater. ..... Barter: why pay more for stuff than you have to? Barter Bobblehead location: Evergreen Mills Bazaar (far W of Megaton, or W-SW of Jury St. Metro Station), in NE corner of Bazaar, down a side passage from Smili ng Jack's store, on a shelf behind a counter. Barter Skill Book ("Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor") locations... * The Raid Shack, E of Bethesda Ruins, on coffee table in bedroom on 2nd floor. * Dupont E, inside Lady Frumperton's Fashions. * Grisly Diner, on a shelf. * N of Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal, along road, in N enterable shack. * Nat'l Guard Depot Training Wing, on desk in an office on 2nd floor. * Super-Duper Mart, on counter directly in front of room with a Protectron; if t he book is not on counter, check floor nearby. * Tenpenny Tower, next to love letter on a desk in Susan Lancaster's room. * Willy's Grocer, E of Tenpenny Tower. * Vault 92, in supply room, on shelf just behind Supply Room Terminal. * Vault-Tec Headquarters, in Guest Relations area after you come down from Admin istration. ..... Speech: might be nice to talk your way into better rewards, or out of trouble. Speech Bobblehead location: Paradise Falls (W-NW of town of Minefield), on table

in Eulogy's Pad. Also: Yew's Bear Charm gives an immediate and permanent +10 to Speech. To acquir e it, first start the "Oasis" quest by talking to Tree Father Birch at the Oasis settlement (middle of N edge of Wasteland map, W of Vault 92; you can also acqu ire the map marker from The Drifter, below). Then, BEFORE dealing with Harold's heart, talk to Sapling Yew (a young black girl), and pass a Speech check about w hat her god is afraid of. If you pass the check, then talk to Yew again after de aling with Harold's heart to acquire the charm. Speech Skill Book ("Lying, Congressional Style") locations... * Megaton, given to you by Moira in Megaton after you finish the Arlington Libra ry portion of "The Wasteland Survival Guide" and its optional objective. * Arlington Library, Children's Wing, next to coffeemakers on countertop in brea k room. * Capitol Building Conference Hall, on a podium. * Capitol Building, S of E Entrance in Seward Square, in Pulowski Preservation S helter. * Corvega Factory, directly forward from entrance on a counter. * SW of entrance to Jury St. Metro Station, inside unmarked Calverton Church. * Nat'l Archives Secure Wing E, next to safe containing Bill of Rights. * Nuka-Cola Plant, offices on 2nd level. * RobCo Factory Floor, on large desk at back of foyer. * Takoma Industrial, E room. .... Energy Weapons: my second-favorite weapon skill, because energy weapons are accu rate, powerful, and reasonably obtainable early on. Energy Weapons Bobblehead location: Raven Rock (extreme NW edge of main world ma p), on table in Col. Autumn's Room. Energy Weapons Skill Book ("Nikola Tesla & You") locations... * Evergreen Mills, in Bazaar area, on a bed in one of the cells that surround to pmost room. * Jocko's Pop & Gas Stop (NW of Tenpenny Tower). * Gold Ribbon Grocers, NW of Jury St. Metro Station, along with 3 Missiles, a co py of "Tumblers Today" (Lockpick Skill Book), and 1 Mini Nuke. * Mason Dixon Salvage (NW of Paradise Falls), on table in Abandoned Shack with b roken refrigerator. * In Abandoned Tent NE of Mason Dixon Salvage, on a shelf between two ammo boxes . * Nat'l Guard Depot, in a single room with a door labeled "Authorized Personnel

Only" on lowest floor. * Red Racer Factory, on a shelf behind an Average (50) locked door in CEO Office s. * RobCo Facility, Offices and Cafeteria, 2nd floor, desk in NW corner of office. * Robot Repair Center, next to a broken Protectron on 1st floor.

Items to Boost Other, Not-Quite-As-Important Skills -----------------------------------------------------------------Explosives (which I'd advise boosting to at least 25) Bobblehead location: S of WKML station (W-NW of town of Minefield, past Paradise Falls), in Sealed Cistern (under hatch). Explosives Skill Book ("Duck & Cover") locations... * Alexandria Arms, on 1st floor, S-most part of building, on bookshelf next to a fire hose box. * Deathclaw Sanctuary, outside entrance, in a locked footlocker. * S of Dukov's Place, close to river, on small table in a Raider fort on coast. * F. Scott Key Trail & Campground, on a picnic table. * Ft. Constantine, on a desk in Launch Control Bunker. * Hamilton's Hideaway, in Raider lair on counter. * N of Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal, along road, in SE enterable shack with p ile of skeletal remains, behind overturned table, next to a Mini Nuke. * Nat'l Archives, lower level in NW corner, in a room full of bookshelves, on sc hool desk, next to a pair of Missiles. * Nat'l Guard Depot Offices, on long wooden table. * Springvale School, on upper floor, next to terminal past locked library doors. * Super Mutant Bunker, in The Mall, N of Museum of Technology. * Vault 92, in Overseer's Office on a shelf. ..... Melee Bobblehead location: Dunwich Building (SW corner of world map), Virulent U nderchamber, middle of Maintenance Room. Melee Skill Book ("Grognak The Barbarian") locations... * Chaste Acres Dairy Farm, on 2nd floor of barn, lying next to a bed. * Hubris Comics, near Mad Johnny Wes, who has a Minigun. * Megaton, in Jericho's apartment.

* Town of Minefield, in Gillian House, upstairs on bed. * Museum Station, on a table near Metro Central exit. * In shack near Silver Lining Drive-In, on a table. * Statesman Hotel Restaurant, on a shelf in middle of main room. * Vault-Tec Headquarters, on desk on top floor. ..... Unarmed Bobblehead location: Rockopolis (far W of Megaton, N of Girdershade), ne ar servant Argyle. Unarmed Skill Book ("Pugilism Illustrated") locations... * Anacostia Crossing Station, N end of upper level, on table. * Dukov's Place, upstairs, in bedroom. * In unmarked Calverton Church, SW of Jury St. Metro Station entrance. * Metro Central, on a shelf in Average (50) locked supply closet, near Museum St ation. * Town of Minefield, in Zane House, upstairs. * Moonbeam Outdoor Cinema, on a picnic table. * Roosevelt Academy, ground floor, in men's restroom. * Roosevelt Academy, maintenance and evacuation, 3rd generator room, on shelves in NW corner. * Springvale, in mailbox of destroyed house W of Red Rocket gas station. * Vault 87, in locked area upstairs of Living Quarters. * Vault 108 Living Quarters, on counter in cafeteria. * Lucky's Store near Warrington Station, behind counter. ..... Big Guns Bobblehead location: Ft. Constantine, in safe at CO Quarters. Big Guns Skill Book ("U.S. Army: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes") locations... * Anchorage War Memorial, near Service Entrance, in Utility Room. * Arlington/Falls Church Metro, in container on way to Arlington Cemetery exit. * Bethesda Offices E, on a Raider with a Flamer, normally on top floor. * Dupont NE, in Sunken Sewers in Average (50) locked safe. * Evergreen Mills, 2nd room in S Shack, on bookshelf. * Farragut W Metro Station, bottom of room with Ghouls, behind Average (50) lock

ed door. * Georgetown E, in La Maison Beauregard, on floor by desk with a cash register o n L when you enter Lobby. * Little Lamplight, in Murder Pass, in SW-most tunnel. * On table in Dot's Diner, N of Nuka-Cola Plant.

Perks (The Crucial Ones) -----------------------------------Intense Training (L2): gives you one extra S.P.E.C.I.A.L. point. Can be taken up to 10 times. (Gun Nut, Thief, and Swift Learner are also possibly useful.) Educated (L4): at every levelup, gives you 3 extra Skill points, which = surviva l. Comprehension (L4): every time you read a Skill book, you'll get 2 Skill points instead of just one, which is awesome. (Scoundrel might also be useful; so might Iron Fist, but only if you're going to be an Unarmed specialist.) Gunslinger (L6): V.A.T.S. accuracy increases by 25% with pistols (one-handed Sma ll Guns and Energy Weapons). Toughness (L6): DR +10%, up to the game max of 85%. (Fortune Finder might also be useful.) Commando (L8): V.A.T.S. accuracy increases by 25% with rifles (two-handed Small Guns and Energy Weapons). Strong Back (L8): req. STR and END 5; lets you haul 50 more pounds of stuff -- t he equivalent, in that one respect, of 5 extra STR points. (Scrounger and Rad Resistance might also be useful.) Finesse (L10): +5% to Crit. Hit chance. (Nice, but irrelevant to Sneak attack hi ts, which are always Crit. Hits.) Sniper (L12): requires PER & AGL 6; V.A.T.S. accuracy -- for headshots -- increa ses by 25%. Silent Running (L12): req. AGL 6 and Sneak 50; gives +10 bonus to Sneak, allows you to Sneak with impunity while running. Also, the weight you're carrying no lo nger penalizes your Sneaking. (Robotics Expert (req. Science 50) might also be useful, as might be Pyromaniac (req. Explosives 60), if you favor fire-based weapons e.g. Flamers and Shishkeba bs.) Cyborg (L14): req. Medicine & Science 60; DR, Poison Resist, Rad Resist, and Ene rgy Weapons +10, up to the game's usual maximums. (Master Trader might also be useful, if you have CHA 6 and Barter 60; so might L

ight Step, if you hate dealing with traps, and if you have PER & AGL 6.) Better Criticals (L16): req. PER & LCK 6; increases Crit. Dmg. by 50%. Even adds to the already-doubled Sneak attack Crit. Dmg. A Sneaky b*stard's dream. Action Boy (L16): req. AGL 6; 25 extra Action Points for V.A.T.S. -- meaning, fo r an average weapon, a flippin' FREE ATTACK. (Tag! might also be useful.) Concentrated Fire (L18): req. Small Guns & Energy Weapons 60; adds +5% chance to hit a particular enemy body part after each subsequent hit on that body part. S o, if your chance to hit a Behemoth's head is 40%, if you hit it, the next attac k on the Behe noggin is 45%, the next is 50%, etc. Best used with weapons that use very few APs/attack, e.g. laser weapons, so you can stack up lots of shots and hence stack up the bonus. (Paralyzing Palm might also be useful, if you've built your Unarmed score to 70. To use that Perk, you either have to be completely unarmed, or (better yet) be wielding an Unarmed-class weapon e.g. a Power Fist. Chance to paralyze is 30%; d uration is 30 seconds.) Grim Reaper's Sprint (L20): if you kill an enemy in V.A.T.S., all APs are restor ed when you exit V.A.T.S. (Ninja might also be useful if you're into Melee and Unarmed attacks (it doesn't help ranged attacks at all), and if you have Melee & Sneak 80; Solar-Powered mi ght be useful if you don't do much after dark, but it only works outdoors, and r equires END 7.) If you have Broken Steel... No Weaknesses (L24): sets all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats that were below 5, to 5. Nerves of Steel (L26): req. AGL 7; boosts AP regen rate by +1 per 10 seconds. Almost Perfect (L30): sets all stats to 9 (except the ones that are already at 9 or 10).

Quest-Related Perks (The Cooler Ones) -------------------------------------------------Survivor Guru: Poison and Rad Resist +6, plus other bonuses depending on answers to certain questions. To earn, complete all optional objectives during "Wastela nd Survival Guide" quest. Ant Sight: PER +1, Fire Resist +25. One possible reward for finishing "Those!" q uest. Ant Might: STR +1, Fire Resist +25. The other possible reward for finishing "Tho se!" quest. To start "Those!", talk to young white boy Bryan Wilks near Grayditch (W edge of DC ruins). (Later, to find Bryan a good home, talk to Vera Weatherley at Weatherley Hotel o n upper deck of Rivet City; she'll agree to take him in, but then you have to re turn to Grayditch to tell Bryan.)

Barkskin: DR +5. Reward for completing "Oasis" quest, if you side with Harold. Pitt Fighter: DR and Rad Resist +3. To earn, survive all fights in The Pitt's Ho le arena. Xenotech Expert: dmg. with Alien weapons +20%. To earn, find Shooting Range in M oShip Zeta's Weapons Lab. Activating switch closest to door summons Brahmin, whi le activating far switch teleports abducted monsters to a 2nd range. Killing, or simply watching enemies kill each other, will unlock this Perk. It may be neces sary to hit switch multiple times before Perk is earned.

V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) ------------------------------------------------------------------* Your attacks are more accurate in V.A.T.S. -- up to what I believe is the game 's maximum accuracy of 95%. * Crit. Chance is +15%. * If an enemy hits you while you're in V.A.T.S. mode, you only take 10% of damag e. * The average weapon uses about 25 V.A.T.S. Action Points per attack. * Each attack in V.A.T.S. requires APs, which equal 65 + (AGL x 2). So, if you h ave an AGL of 5, you'll start with 75 APs, so ~3 attacks per V.A.T.S. session, w ith an average weapon. * The max base number of APs is 148. * Melee/Unarmed (and grenade) attacks in V.A.T.S. can't target individual body p arts, but you presumably get all other V.A.T.S. benefits. * Sneaking and aiming (generally with R mouse button) before entering V.A.T.S. m ight increase accuracy. * A higher PER might increase V.A.T.S. accuracy. * V.A.T.S. zooms in on your enemies, helping you gather intel. * In V.A.T.S., some weapons fire bursts of rounds on each attack, rather than ju st one round. - 10mm SMGs (auto-pistols) fire 4-round bursts. - Most automatic rifles fire in 3-round bursts, except the Perforator (which fir es a 2-rounder) and the Destabilizer (which fires only once). - Miniguns and Gatling Lasers (and their unique variants, presumably) fire 8 rou nds per V.A.T.S. attack. - Most Flamers (and variants thereof) fire 3-round bursts in V.A.T.S.; the Heavy Incinerator fires a 4-round burst, but only uses 1 unit of fuel. * Generally, aim for the enemy's head. When facing fast-moving melee fighters, i t might be best to aim for the legs, then the head. * Even if you no longer have AP points to spend in V.A.T.S., you can still impro

ve your real-time aim by activating V.A.T.S., picking your target, then exiting V.A.T.S -- leaving your enemy right in your crosshairs. * You might be able to shoot a grenade in midair -- or even while it's still hel d by an enemy, setting it off and probably killing him. (Grenade-targeting might have been eliminated by a recent patch, however.) To balance all these nice bonuses... * Your weapon degrades faster when used in V.A.T.S. mode. * You can't really move in V.A.T.S., except to rotate to different targets as ne cessary. * V.A.T.S. is probably best for short- and medium-range attacks. * I've found that, at anything beyond 10 meters or so, many automatic weapons ar e inaccurate in V.A.T.S. * I find that scoped weapons are generally best used for real-time, long-range s niping, outside of V.A.T.S., because you can't use the scope view within V.A.T.S .

Where's The Loot? ---------------------------Here are some first-rate stashes; not surprisingly, these tend to be very well-g uarded... * Bethesda Ruins (NE of Vault 101, or S of Scrapyard). * RobCo Facility. Tip: if you're doing the "Wastleand Surival Guide" quest, and if you don't have the Robotics Expert perk, wait until Moira sends you to RobCo before raiding the place; it'll save you some time. * Anchorage War Memorial (E of Megaton). * Nat'l Guard Depot (NE edge of DC ruins). * Outcast Outpost (SW corner of DC ruins, near Red Racer Factory, after completi ng Op. Anchorage sim). * Ft. Constantine (far NW of town of Minefield, past Paradise Falls, in NW quadr ant of world map). * Ft. Bannister (SW of Arefu).

Regular Armor/Apparel (The Good Stuff) -----------------------------------------------------Legend... DR: Damage Resistance granted to wearer; max possible total DR is 85%. (In fact, the max for all resistances appears to be 85%.) HP: Hit Points of item. WT: Weight, in pounds.

Caps: value of item, in Bottle Caps. Environment Suit: DR 6, HP 25, WT 5, Caps 100, Medicine +5, Rad Resist +30. Obta in by agreeing to Moira's request (for "Wasteland Survival Guide") to return to her with your health below 50% AND a crippled limb. NOT FOR COMBAT, as you might guess from low HP. Combat Armor: DR 32, HP 400, WT 25, Caps 390. (Helmet: DR 5, WT 3, HP 50, Caps 5 0.) Can be found in Nat'l Guard Depot, near entrance of Vault 108, in Anchorage War Memorial (E of Megaton), or bought from Moira in Megaton, Michael Masters in Tenpenny Tower, Seagrave Holmes of Rivet City Supply, Tulip in Underworld, or C row the wandering merchant. Lag-Bolt's Combat Armor: DR 38, HP 500, WT 30, Caps 400, AP +10, Big Guns +10. T o obtain, go to Presidential Metro, right before taking train to Adams Air Force Base, go up nearby stairs, and look for a holodisk called "Sorry, My Darling" n ext to a skeleton on a bench (near the exit to the Capitol's E Wing). Play disk, then at La Maison Beauregard through Georgetown E (N end of DC Wasteland), LagBolt attacks. Do what needs doing. He also has Lag-Bolt's Shades: DR 1, HP 150, WT 0, Caps 8, Lockpick +3, Sneak +3 . Ranger Battle Armor: DR 39, HP 1,100, WT 27, Caps 430, AP +5, LCK +1, Small Guns +10 (Helmet: DR 6, WT 5, HP 50, Caps 60.) Doesn't slow you down like power armo r can. To obtain, finish "Reilly's Rangers" quest. To start the quest, you'll need to get the Ranger distress signal, which you can receive at National Mall NE, Penn. Ave., or Vernon Square (E-SE of Galaxy News Radio). Then, to reach the Statesman Hotel roof where a Ranger squad is trapped, you'll need to go through Our Lady of Hope Hospital on Vernon Square, go upstai rs, and cross the fallen radio mast to the hotel. Tip: bring a Fission Battery. Also: offer to do some mapping for Reilly. For every map marker you find, she'll give you Caps when you report back to her. LeDoux's Hockey Mask: DR 4, HP 25 but apparently never degrades, WT 1, Caps 100, AP +25. The 25 extra APs are, in effect, a FREE ATTACK for an average weapon in V.A.T.S. mode. To obtain, first undertake "The Nuka-Cola Challenge" quest by ta lking to Sierra in Girdershade, THEN begin the "Just For The Taste Of It" quest by examining a note on Winger Mercier's body in SW corner of Nuka-Cola Plant's 2 nd-floor office section. NOTE: LeDoux's Hockey Mask, like many other helmets that cover the face, can't b e worn with eyewear. Leather Rebel (The Pitt): DR 30, HP 150, WT 15, Caps 160, CH +1. To obtain, give 70 steel ingots to Foreman Everett. NOTE: there are only 100 steel ingots in the whole Pitt, so you'll have to be ch oosy. The Steelyard holds the vast majority; for precise locations, surf here... http://guides.ign.com/guides/568806/page_168.html Chinese Stealth Armor: DR 28, HP 400, WT 20, Caps 500, Sneak +15, Stealth Field +5. Available in Outcast Outpost (SW corner of DC ruins, near Red Racer Factory) , after completing Op. Anchorage sim. Additional Sneaky stuff...

* Poplar's Hood: DR 2, HP 50, WT 1, Caps 100, AGL +1, Sneak +10. Reward from "Oa sis" quest, if you side with Laurel. * Stealth Boy: Caps 100, Sneak +100, Stealth Field +75. Lasts about 2 minutes (r eal-time), and makes you (nearly) invisible. If you activate a Stealth Boy while another is still active, the durations will STACK, rather than overlap, letting you stay invisible longer. Moira occasionally sells these; other locations include... * Bethesda Ruins West. * RobCo Facility. * Museum of Technology (on the now-dangerous Nat'l Mall, in center of E half of DC ruins).

Power Armor (The Good Ones) ----------------------------------------------FIRST: you have to get Power Armor Training Perk, obtainable 2 ways... 1) After gaining permission from Elder Lyons, speak to Paladin Gunny in courtyar d/bailey of The Citadel. If you don't ask for training on your own, you'll get it automatically at end of "The American Dream" quest when you become an honorary member of Lyons' Pride. 2) You automatically gain this Perk when you finish Op. Anchorage sim (which can be found and entered at Outcast Outpost in SW corner of DC ruins, near Red Race r Factory). Then, you can use these; note that Power Armor helmets cover the face, so you ca n't combine 'em with eyewear... Tesla Armor: DR 43, HP 1,500, WT 45, Caps 820, +10 to Energy Weapons, +20 to Rad Resist. To obtain, fight (very tough) Enclave soldiers, who can be encountered near Ft. Constantine, Ft. Independence, and Nat'l Guard Depot. Enclave Hellfire Armor: DR 50, HP 2,000, WT 40, Caps 1,000, ST +1, Fire Resist + 30, Rad Resist +15. (Helmet: DR 10, WT 4, HP 100, Caps 120, -1 CHA, +5 Fire Resi st, +5 Rad Resist.) Guess who you have to fight for this one? T-51b Power Armor: DR 50, HP 2,000, WT 40, Caps 1,000, Rad Resist +25. (Helmet: DR 10, WT 4, HP 100, Caps 120, +1 CHA, +8 Rad Resist.) May only be repairable by merchants. To get T-51b, either... 1) Complete Op. Anchorage sim at Outcast Outpost, and you'll get a winterized ve rsion of T-51b. ...or... 2) Talk to Mr. Crowley in the Ninth Circle or at Carol's Place in Underworld, to begin the "You Gotta Shoot 'Em In The Head" quest.

Go to Rivet City and either buy Ted Strayer's key, or talk him into giving it to you. Go to Ft. Constantine (near N edge of world map, E of Raven Rock). At fort, go t o CO Quarters and head downstairs. In basement, there's a door by a safe that requires Strayer's key, which allows you access to Launch Control Bunker. (Don't forget to grab Big Guns Bobblehead f rom safe.) Continue down to bomb storage, where you will find Tara's body, on opposite of t wo Very Hard (100) locked doors. Go to nearby door and open it with key and disa ble stasis field to acquire T-51b Power Armor and Power Helmet.

Weapons (The Coolest Ones) -----------------------------------------Legend... DPS: Damage Per Second. ROF: Rate of Fire, or Attacks Per Second. Sprd.: Spread, a measure of projectile weapon accuracy. A zero means theoretical ly perfect accuracy; higher Sprd. means a less accurate gun. Crit. Mult.: the multiplier that the weapon applies to your Crit. Hit chance. Th e max base Crit. Chance is 18% for ranged, and 33% for Melee and Unarmed. Crit. Dmg.: dmg. *added* to weapon's base damage when you score a Crit. Hit. AP: Action Points used per attack while in V.A.T.S. mode. Unarmed-class weapons (all are considered silent for Sneak attack purposes)... The Shocker (unique Power Fist): ~DPS 21, ROF 1.1, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 20, WT 6, Caps 150, AP 25, HP 400, Dmg. +25 vs. machines. Location: in NW quadrant of Flooded Metro (SW edge of DC ruins), in a big room that's trapped by a rigged shotgun, opposite a traffic pile-up. Fisto! (unique Power Fist): ~DPS 27, ROF 1.1, Crit. Mult. 1.5, Crit. Dmg. 25, WT 6, Caps 100, AP 25, HP 600. Location: upper area of Derelict Power Plant (NW of town of Minefield), across from MDPL-13 Power Station, on desk. Deathclaw Gauntlet: ~DPS 33, ROF 1.6, Crit. Mult. 5, Crit. Dmg. 30, WT 10, Caps 150, AP 26, HP 600, ignores enemy's DR. CRAFTABLE; requires Wonder Glue, Leather Belt, Medical Brace (all available in S pringvale School, in town of Minefield, and Super-Duper Mart), Deathclaw Hand, a nd a Schematic. Locations... * An already-crafted Deathclaw Gauntlet can be found after a battle in The Pitt' s Hole arena. * Schematic in F. Scott Key Trail & Campground. * Schematic given as quest reward for helping Bannon of Rivet City's Potomac Att ire foil Seagrave of Rivet City Supply.

Melee (also considered silent for Sneak attack purposes)... Super Sledge: ~DPS 36, ROF 1.4, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 25, WT 20, Caps 180, A P 38, HP 750, GUZZLES APs. Locations: on melee-oriented Super Mutant Masters and Overlords (if you have Broken Steel), on Paradise Falls slavers Ymir and Jotun, and in Enclave's Mobile Base Crawler at Adams AFB (if you have Broken Steel). Stabhappy (unique Combat Knife): ~DPS 30, ROF 3, Crit. Mult. 4, Crit. Dmg. 15, W T 1, Caps 65, AP 17, HP 600, bonus limb damage. Location: on a Raider in The Rai d Shack, NE of Megaton (just E of Bethesda Ruins). The Tenderizer (unique Sledgehammer): ~DPS 43, ROF 1.4, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg . 15, WT 12, Caps 228, AP 38, HP 750, GUZZLES APs. Locations: in Anchorage War M emorial in utility room with broken door, which can be fixed by finding Door Com ponent, which is in a safe on top floor; you'll then need to repair door with co mponent. Jingwei's Shocksword (unique Chinese Officer's Sword, Anchorage): ~DPS 83, ROF 2 .3, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 25, WT 3, Caps 500, AP 28, HP 850. To obtain, comp lete Op. Anchorage sim at Outcast Outpost. Shishkebab: ~DPS 83, ROF 2.3, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 24, WT 3, Caps 200, AP 2 8, HP 750, fire dmg., emits light that can foil sneaking, emits fire that CAN DE TONATE GAS LEAKS. CRAFTABLE; requires Motorcycle Gas Tank, Motorcycle Handbrake, Lawnmower Blade, Pilot Light (all available in town of Minefield), and a Schematic. Locations... * Schematic available from Vance in Meresti Trainyard (E of Arefu, SW of Scrapya rd) as a reward during "Blood Ties" quest (which begins when you talk to Lucy We st in Megaton). * Schematic available from wandering merchant Lucky Harith. * Schematic in unmarked Outcast shack, W of SatCom Array NN-03d. Small Guns... Sniper Rifle: ~DPS 43, ROF 1.1, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 5, Crit. Dmg. 40, WT 10, Ca ps 300, AP 38, HP 100, Ammo .308, best used outside V.A.T.S., excellent for Snea k attacks. Locations... * The Hollowed-Out Rock outside Megaton, along town's S wall. * Mr. Crowley in the Ninth Circle or at Carol's Place in Underworld will give yo u one, if you promise to assassinate some people for him. (Just break your promi se if you just want the rifle.) * In town of Minefield, on Arkansas The Mad Old Sniper. (If you use Mesmetron on him (see below), you might be able to avoid killing him, if you want to be supe r-duper good.) * On bridge/overpass N of Vault 101, on a Raider. * Shooting range in Nat'l Guard Depot. * The 2nd floor of a ruined house near Hubris Comics along with some ammo and a

skill book. (When facing park in front of Hubris, it's the last building to R.) The .308 ammo is a bit rare (unless you have the Ammo Press), so buy it in store s whenever you can. Here are some other locations... * Bethesda Ruins: on sniper perched in window of dilapidated building. * On upper balconies of Rivet City, in several ammo crates. * In Pt. Lookout, in Administration Office of Turtledove Detention Camp, in room to L. Infiltrator (The Pitt): ~DPS 56, ROF 8, Sprd. 1.5, Crit. Mult. 0.125, Crit. Dmg. 10, WT 7, Caps 400, AP 23, HP 300, Type Rifle, Ammo 5.56mm, AUTOMATIC, SILENT, scoped but not terribly accurate, might not be good in V.A.T.S. Locations... * Wielded by an enemy in The Pitt's Hole arena. * At entrance to The Pitt's Downtown area, past The Pitt Bridge, two Pitt Raider s and their chief Mex all carry Infiltrators. Perforator (unique Infiltrator, The Pitt): ~DPS 60, ROF 6, Sprd. 0.5, Crit. Mult . 0.333, Crit. Dmg. 14, WT 7, Caps 600, AP 27, HP 300, Type Rifle, Ammo 5.56mm, AUTOMATIC, SILENT, scoped, might not be good in V.A.T.S. Location: buy from Ever ett in exchange for 90 steel ingots (almost all that exist in the game). 10mm SMG: ~DPS 70, ROF 10, Sprd. 1.5, Crit. Mult. 0.1, Crit. Dmg. 7, WT 5, Caps 330, AP 20, HP 250, Type Pistol, AUTOMATIC. Locations include... * On some Slavers, who hang out at Lincoln Memorial or Paradise Falls. * Many are in Nat'l Guard Depot, but are in poor condition. Reservist's Rifle (unique Sniper Rifle): ~DPS 64, ROF 1.6, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 5, Crit. Dmg. 40, WT 10, Caps 500, AP 32, HP 150, Ammo .308, excellent for Sneak attacks. Location: on The Drifter in Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel (W-NW of Parad ise Falls), who also has a holotape that marks the settlement of Oasis on your m ap. Scoped .44 Magnum: ~DPS 79, ROF 2.25, Sprd. 0.3, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 35, W T 4, Caps 300, AP 32, HP 240, Ammo .44 Magnum, excellent for Sneak attacks, perh aps best outside of V.A.T.S.; a bit rare, so harder to repair. Locations... * In a sunken boat near Jefferson Memorial. * On Slaver leader Eulogy Jones of Paradise Falls. * Under a flight of stairs in Hubris Comics printing room. * In Flooded Metro, behind a transformer, near a skeleton and a copy of "Guns an d Bullets" (Small Guns skill book). * In Rocksalt's safe in Tepid Sewer. It's a bit rare, so buy .44 Magnum ammo in stores whenever you can. Here are som e other locations... * In Bethesda Ruins, in W offices, go up L staircase, go to room to R, check des k.

* In Tepid Sewers, in metro tunnel where Rocksalt hangs out, in ammo boxes. * In Pt. Lookout, in Admin Office of Turtledove Detention Camp, go to 1st room o n R. * In MoShip Zeta's Engineering Core, next to Decompression Chamber, under workbe nch. * In MoShip Zeta's Cargo Hold, go along conveyor belt until you see several ammo boxes. Chinese Assault Rifle: ~DPS 88, ROF 8, Sprd. 1.5, Crit. Mult. 0.125, Crit. Dmg. 10, WT 7, Caps 500, AP 23, HP 400, Ammo 5.56mm, AUTOMATIC. Locations: various, e .g. on Talon Co. mercs and Chinese Remnant soldiers. The Terrible Shotgun (unique Combat Shotgun): ~DPS 120, ROF 1.5, Sprd. 6, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 40, WT 10, Caps 250, AP 27, HP 350. Location: you can kill S miling Jack at Evergreen Mills Bazaar for it, with no Karma loss, because he's a greasy Raider. An excellent close-range weapon, because it's hard to miss with it. Kind of sh*t ty beyond ~10 meters, though. Blackhawk (unique Scoped .44 Magnum): ~DPS 124, ROF 2.25, Sprd. 0.3, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 45, WT 4, Caps 500, AP 32, HP 360, Type Pistol, Ammo .44 Magnum, excellent for Sneak attacks, perhaps best outside of V.A.T.S. Location... Finish "Agatha's Song" quest, and you can get Blackhawk as a reward. Agatha's house is NE of Meresti Trainyard and W of Scrapyard, accessible by a wo oden suspension bridge from W. Important: get a Sheet Music Book in Vault 92 -- where her quest will send you a nyway; look in bathroom of men's quarters, inside closed bathroom stall, on grou nd next to toilet. Also important: it's best to be polite to Agatha. When talking to her about a reward, say "yes, anything that you can spare." Dart Gun: ~DPS 14, ROF 1, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 2.5, Crit. Dmg. 12, WT 3, Caps 50 0, AP 25, HP 150, Type Pistol, Ammo Darts, SILENT, poison cripples target's legs , won't affect machines. CRAFTABLE: requires Paint Gun, Toy Car, Surgical Tubing (all available at Lucky' s Store and The Raid Shack), Radscorpion Poison Gland, and a Schematic. Location s... * Schematic found in MDPL-05 Power Station. * Schematic given as quest reward from Hannibal Hamlin (Temple of the Union) for "Head of State" quest; to begin, talk to Hannibal Hamlin at Temple of the Union . * Schematic Sold by Michael Masters or Lydia Montenegro at Boutique Le Chic (Ten penny Tower). Railway Rifle: ~DPS 60, ROF 2, Sprd. 0.75, Crit. Mult. 3, Crit. Dmg. 30, WT 9, C aps 200, AP 24, HP 200, Type Rifle, Ammo Railroad Spikes, limb dmg. 300%, most e ffective in V.A.T.S.

CRAFTABLE; requires Fission Battery, Pressure Cooker, Steam Gauge Assembly, Crut ch, and schematic. Locations... * Schematic sold by Tulip at Underworld Outfitters. * Schematic given as reward from Abraham Washington (Rivet City) for completing his "Stealing Independence" quest. * Schematic found at MDPL-13 Power Station. Energy...note that all of following (except perhaps Mesmetron) can IGNITE GAS LE AKS when fired... Mesmetron: ~DPS 1, ROF 1, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 0, WT 2, Caps 500, AP 65, HP 100, Ammo Mesmetron Power Cells, will either stun (50%), drive crazy ( 30%), or "headsplode" (20%) target. GUZZLES APs. Location: from Grouse the Slaver, Paradise Falls entrance guard. If you don't ki ll him right away, he can sell you more of the rare Mesmetron Power Cells for 20 0 Caps per 10-pack. Or, you can find "Mez" cells in St. Aubin Medical Facility i n Pt. Lookout. Laser Rifle: ~DPS 47, ROF 2, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 1.5, Crit. Dmg. 22, WT 8, Caps 1,000, AP 17, HP 1,000, Ammo Microfusion Cell (which is a bit expensive; Flak ' n' Shrapnel's in Rivet City is a good source). Locations: in Overseer's Office a t Vault 92, at Raven Rock, and on Enclave soldiers. Wazer Wifle (unique Laser Rifle): ~DPS 59, ROF 2, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 1.5, Crit . Dmg. 28, WT 8, Caps 900, AP 17, HP 1,800, Ammo Microfusion Cell. Location: Biw wy, a boy in Little Lamplight's Great Chamber, can sell his Wifle to you for 500 Caps. Microwave Emitter (unique energy weapon, Pt. Lookout): ~DPS 62, ROF 1, Sprd. 0.2 , Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 100, WT 8, Caps 500, AP 30, HP 900, Ammo Microfusion Cell, IGNORES DR, slight delay before firing, excellent for Sneak attacks, best used within V.A.T.S. Location: reward late in Pt. Lookout's main quest. Plasma Pistol: ~DPS 75, ROF 3, Sprd. 0.5, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 25, WT 3, Ca ps 360, AP 21, HP 400, Ammo Small Energy Cell, best for short- and medium-range combat. Locations... * On Enclave Officers, often found in Deathclaw Sanctuary and Raven Rock. * If you have Broken Steel, on Enclave Hellfire Troopers. * On bandit Split Jack, who you can kill during "Protecting The Water Way" quest : to begin, talk to Scribe Bigsley at Jefferson Memorial (I believe this is only possible after finishing main Fallout 3 quest). Alien Atomizer (MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 105, ROF 3, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg . 40, WT 2, Caps 500, AP 20, HP 1,000, Type Pistol, Ammo Alien Power Module. Loc ations: a couple dozen on MoShip Zeta. Captain's Sidearm (unique Alien Blaster, MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 105, ROF 3, Sprd. 3, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 40, WT 2, Caps 500, AP 20, HP 1,000, Type Pistol, Amm o Alien Power Module, each attack fires 6 projectiles but only consumes 3 Module s. Location: on Alien Captain on MoShip Zeta's Bridge.

Outside of MoShip Zeta, Alien Power Modules are a bit rare; locations... * Near Alien Crash Site (N of MDPL-13 Power Station and NW of Greener Pastures D isposal Site). * Under overturned truck in radioactive crater E of Ft. Bannister. * In Broken Steel during "Shock Value" quest, in 2 places in Olney Powerworks: i n room with automated turrets and walls of computers, and near Tesla Coil, in ro om at bottom of Coil's pit. * In Broken Steel, in Armory of Mobile Enclave Crawler at Adams AFB. Metal Blaster (unique Laser Rifle that acts as a laser shotgun, The Pitt): ~DPS 113, ROF 2, Sprd. 2.5, Crit. Mult. 1.5, Crit. Dmg. 27, WT 8, Caps 1,000, AP 17, HP 1,000, Ammo Microfusion Cell, fires 9 beams per attack, best used outside of V.A.T.S. To obtain, bring Everett 50 steel ingots. Tesla Cannon: ~DPS 140, ROF 1, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 30, WT 8, Caps 1,800, AP 37, HP 900, Type Rifle, Ammo Electron Charge Pack, electrical dmg., o nly available very late in game during Broken Steel quest. Locations... * At Adams AFB, in a resupply crate directly to your L near wall, upon exiting P residential Metro. * After leaving Adams AFB and going to Citadel, 2 Teslas are in Citadel Lab afte r finishing quest "Who Dares Wins," on table in front of Liberty Prime's docking bay. * If you return to Adams AFB after "Who Dares Wins," you can find 8 more Teslas. Electron Charge Packs are a bit rare, so buy them in stores whenever you can; he re are some other locations... * In Outcast Outpost after finishing Op. Anchorage sim. * SatCom Array NN-03d-B, "Knights" on completed Chessboard. * If you have Broken Steel add-on, there are about 30 inside Old Olney Undergrou nd just when you're going up ramp into hospital, at top turnaround. Atomic Pulverizer (unique Alien Atomizer, MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 111, ROF 3, Sprd. 0 , Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 40, WT 2, Caps 500, AP 12, HP 1,000, Type Pistol, Am mo Alien Power Module, best used in V.A.T.S. due to extremely low AP usage. Location: in Zeta's Weapons Lab after beaming up from Space Walk section and pro ceeding through Observation Deck -- found in small room (with door that requires 75 Science to activate) in hall near entrance. Destabilizer (unique Alien Disintegrator, MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 135, ROF 4.5, Sprd. 1.5, Crit. Mult. 0.444, Crit. Dmg. 20, WT 7, Caps 1,200, AP 25, HP 1,500, Type Rifle, Ammo Alien Power Module, AUTOMATIC, may be less effective in V.A.T.S. Location: Zeta's Weapons Lab shooting range, after beaming up from Space Walk an d proceeding through Observation Deck, in same room as Xenotech Expert Perk is o btained (see above). On shooting range where Brahmin can be spawned, face range, then look R. Alien Disintegrator (MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 130, ROF 2, Sprd. 1, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit . Dmg. 50, WT 7, Caps 300, AP 30, HP 1,000, Type Rifle, Ammo Alien Power Module.

Locations: around MoShip Zeta. Plasma Rifle: ~DPS 180, ROF 4, Sprd. 0.2, Crit. Mult. 2, Crit. Dmg. 44, WT 8, Ca ps 1,800, AP 25, HP 900, Ammo Microfusion Cell, excellent for Sneak attacks, bes t for short- and medium-range combat. Locations: on elite Enclave soldiers, and 1 each in MoShip Zeta's Weapons Lab and Cargo Hold. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED --> A3-21's Plasma Rifle (unique Plasma Rifle): ~DPS 200, ROF 4, Sprd. 0.2, Crit. Mult. 2.5, Crit. Dmg. 50, WT 8, Caps 2,200, AP 25, HP 1,200 , Ammo Microfusion Cells, excellent for Sneak attacks, best for short- and mediu m-range combat. Not automatic, but can fire about as fast as I can click. Location: at end of "Replicated Man" quest, if you promise to keep the android's secret (you'll also get +200 Karma). To begin quest, talk to Dr. Zimmer in Rive t City Science Lab. You'll then need to talk to Pinkerton about the android, by entering the Rivet City Broken Bow via an underwater door, near the break, on th e starboard (R) side of the Broken Bow. Pop a Rad-X beforehand, though, because you're in for a long, irradiated swim. MPLX Novasurge (unique Plasma Pistol, MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 240, ROF 3, Sprd. 0.5, Crit. Mult. 3, Crit. Dmg. 75, WT 6, Caps 850, AP 21, HP 600, Ammo Small Energy C ell, 2 cells used per shot, best for short- and medium-range combat. Location: Z eta's Cargo Hold, which is NOT accessible after finishing "This Galaxy Ain't Big Enough" quest. Alien Blaster (MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 300, ROF 3, Sprd. 0, Crit. Mult. 100, Crit. Dm g. 100, WT 2, Caps 500, AP 20, HP 500, Type Pistol, Ammo Alien Power Cell, excel lent for Sneak attacks, generally repairable only by merchants or Alien Epoxy. Locations: next to body of alien lying a few feet away from his crashed ship, N of MDPL-13 Power Station and NW of Greener Pastures Disposal Site. You might nee d Dogmeat to retrieve Blaster and Alien Power Cells nearby.

Big Guns... Eugene (unique Minigun): ~DPS 140, ROF 20, Sprd. 2, Crit. Mult. 0, Crit. Dmg. 0, WT 18, Caps 1,500, AP 30, HP 1,500, Ammo 5mm, short delay before firing. Locati ons: one possible reward for "Reilly's Rangers" quest (see above). Heavy Incinerator: ~DPS 148, ROF 4, Sprd. 0.5, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 5, WT 1 5, Caps 1,800, AP 50, HP 200, Ammo Flamer Fuel, AUTOMATIC, fires a burst of 4 ro unds per attack in V.A.T.S. but only uses 1 unit of fuel, WILL DETONATE GAS LEAK S, and GUZZLES APs. Location: on Enclave Hellfire Troopers. Drone Cannon (MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 140, ROF 1, Sprd. 0.5, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg . 50, WT 18, Caps 2,000, AP 30, HP 1,000, Ammo Alien Power Module, projectiles b ounce. Locations: on Guardian Drones. Drone Cannon EX-B (unique Drone Cannon, MoShip Zeta): ~DPS 140, ROF 1, Sprd. 0.5 , Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 50, WT 18, Caps 2,000, AP 30, HP 1,000, Ammo Alien P ower Module, projectiles don't bounce. Location: in Zeta's Weapons Lab, near Cap tive Recording. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED --> Gatling Laser: ~DPS 160, ROF 20, Sprd. 0.5, WT 18, Caps 2 ,000, AP 30, HP 1,500, Ammo Electron Charge Pack. Surprisingly accurate in realtime at fairly long range, but forget about using it in V.A.T.S.; a crack-addict ed spider monkey would shoot straighter.

Locations: in last area of Raven Rock in an Enclave Crate behind energy shield, near door labeled "Exit to Capital Wasteland"; in St. Aubin Medical Facility, if you have Pt. Lookout. Vengeance (unique Gatling Laser): ~DPS 220, ROF 20, Sprd. 0.5, WT 18, Caps 2,400 , AP 30, HP 2,000, Ammo Electron Charge Pack. Location: in Deathclaw Sanctuary i n NW corner of world map, in SE area of sanctuary, next to a pool of blood, in a group of green mushrooms and human remains under a rock formation. Rapid-Torch Flamer (unique Flamer): ~DPS 130, ROF 8, WT 15, Caps 500, AP 50, HP 200, Ammo Flamer Fuel, efficient for a Flamer, no delay before firing, WILL DETO NATE GAS LEAKS, GUZZLES APs. Location: Adams Storage Facility, slightly S of Enc lave Mobile Base location, on a counter along with several Missiles, 2 Mini Nuke s, and a bottle of Nuka-Cola Quantum. An outstanding short-range weapon, because you can hardly miss with it. Missile Launcher: Dmg. 150, ROF 1, AOE 450, WT 20, Caps 500, AP 55, HP 100, GUZZ LES APs. Launchers can be found without much trouble, but Missiles are a bit rare; here a re some locations... * In Nat'l Guard Depot's bunker, next to a Missile Launcher. * In an ammo crate at Super Mutant uphill camp between Jefferson Memorial's brid ge and Rivet City. * Flak 'N Shrapnel's will occasionally sell Missiles. * In extreme SE corner of world map, near Rivet City, you can find 2 ammo boxes full of missiles on wreckage of a ship. You'll have to swim across river to get there. Fat Man: Dmg. 1,600, ROF 1, AOE 800, WT 30, Caps 1,000, AP 65, HP 100, Ammo Mini Nuke, MUST ARC YOUR SHOT to avoid nuking yourself, GUZZLES APs. Locations... * Galaxy News Radio plaza, on a dead Brotherhood soldier (along with 8 Mini Nuke s), during quest "Following in His Footsteps." (The corpse of Brotherhood soldie r will not appear if normal GNR quest is skipped and Elder Lyons is not encounte red.) * In basement armory of Germantown Police HQ, behind an Average (50) locked door . * White House, along with 3 Mini Nukes, at top of outside stairs. (The White Hou se can be accessed via a manhole S of building on Penn. Ave.) * In an Average (50) locked room at bottom of stairs in Ft. Bannister Main (whic h can be entered from outside area through either of two Very Easy (0) locked do ors -- one is directly W of entrance to Ft. Bannister Bunker), get 1 Fat Man, 1 Mini Nuke, and 1 "Big Book of Science." * The end of Old Olney Sewers. Mini Nukes are a bit rare. Here are some prime locations (besides the above)... * Seward Sq. SE, 5 Mini Nukes, by shooting "The Preacher" (from a long, safe dis tance, or else he'll detonate the nukes before you can loot them). He's standing on 2nd floor of building in alleyway W of Reilly's Rangers HQ entrance.

* Bethesda Ruins, 3. One in Office W (move some crates on top floor near a fridg e), one in Office E (near exit to catwalk), and one in Underworks (in storage ro om under a crate). * Broadcast Tower KB5, 3. One in a truck's trailer on an abandoned highway to W, 1 NW of tower (in bathtub of abandoned house guarded by Raiders), and 1 NE of a bandoned house in a bathtub with a skeleton. * Ft. Constantine, 3, in Bomb Storage: 2 in locked room, one on desk upstairs. * Adams AFB (late in Broken Steel quest), 4, in 2nd hangar on E side from entran ce to airstrip. Get in through alley on E side of hangar, and check under desk i n SE side, then behind some filing cabinets on opposite wall. Another 1 is on a metal awning reached from building adjacent to building with Sector 1 Artillery Note, along with 4 groups of 20 Microfusion Cells. Another Mini Nuke is on stack ed yellow crates in hangar with open Deathclaw cages. Rock-It Launcher: ~DPS 167, ROF 3.33, Sprd. 1, Crit. Mult. 1, Crit. Dmg. 25, WT 8, Caps 200, AP 32, HP 300, Ammo just about anything, heavier projectiles will a rc more outside of V.A.T.S., ammo capacity limited only by your carrying capacit y. CRAFTABLE; requires Vacuum Cleaner, Leaf Blower, Firehose Nozzle, Conductor (all possibly available from Moira), and schematic. Locations... * Schematic sold by Moira in Megaton. * Schematic sold by wandering merchant Crazy Wolfgang. * Schematic found in Vault 101 medical office, behind framed quote of Revelation 21:6. This is actually cover of an Average (50) locked secret compartment.

Explosives... Pulse Grenade: Dmg. 10, AOE 450, WT 0.5, Caps 40, AP 24, dmg. to machines +200. Locations... * Robot Repair Center, near Canterbury Commons, 6 grenades in Frank's Safe in of fices to L on 1st floor. * S of Wheaton Armory, 4, in unlocked Grenade Box in L-shaped raised hut near Ar mory gate. * In Evergreen Mills Bazaar, 4, in a small crate behind refrigerators. Plasma Grenade: Dmg. 150, AOE 450, WT 0.5, Caps 50, AP 24. Locations: on Pt. Loo kout Smugglers and Enclave Officers. Nuka Grenade: Dmg. 500, AOE 450, WT 0.5, Caps 50, AP 24, extra fire and rad dmg. CRAFTABLE; requires Nuka-Cola Quantum, Tin Can, Turpentine, Abraxo Cleaner (whic h are almost all available in Takoma Industrial factory and in Nat'l Guard Depot ), and a Schematic. Locations... * One found on workbench in Evergreen Mills Foundry. * Yao Guai Cave (reached through Cliffside Cavern, E of Tenpenny Tower).

* A few can be found in Engine Core of MoShip Zeta. * Schematic sold by wandering merchant Doc Hoff. * Schematic given as reward from Sierra in Girdershade for completing "The NukaCola Challenge" quest. Bottlecap Mine: Dmg. 500, AOE 256, WT 0.5, Caps 63, AP 35. CRAFTABLE; requires Lunchbox, Cherry Bomb, Sensor Module (all available in Pinke rton's Lab in Rivet City), 10 Caps, and a Schematic. Locations... * Some finished Bottlecap Mines can be found in Super-Duper Mart, NE of Megaton. * Schematic found at Jocko's Pop & Gas Stop. * Schematic sold by Knick Knack in Little Lamplight. * Schematic given as quest reward from Herbert Dashwood in Tenpenny Tower, if yo u find his servant Argyle (look in Rockopolis, N of Girdershade). DON'T TAKE DAS HWOOD'S CAPS, though, or he'll attack you. NOTE: planting an explosive on an enemy (via "reverse-pickpocket") will automati cally kill him, HP be damned. Of course, remember to run away afterward, and don 't plant a Nuka Grenade or Bottlecap Mine on him, or you might frag yourself in the process.

Food and Drink --------------------------Your character isn't required to eat or drink, but food/drink can restore lost H Ps for you (among other effects). Almost all such consumables are irradiated, th ough, and some are even addictive; here's some of the healthier (non-addictive) stuff you can find... * Refined Punga Fruit (15 HP, -2 Rads, 30 Caps). Requires Pt. Lookout. * Purified Water or Aqua Pura (20 HP, no Rads, 20 Caps for Purified Water, 0 for Aqua Pura). * Softshell Mirelurk Meat (30 HP, 2 Rads, 30 Caps). * Mirelurk Meat (20 HP, 2 Rads, 20 Caps). * NukaLurk Meat (20 HP, 10 AP, 4 Rads, 7 Caps), from NukaLurks who live under Nu ka Cola plant. * Ice-Cold Nuka Cola (20 HP, 2 Rads, 20 Caps). This is just regular Nuka Cola th at's been chilled by the Pristine Nuka Cola Machine, which is buyable for your h ouse. The best places to find Nuka-Colas are Eulogy Jones' Pad in Paradise Falls, a tr actor trailer SE of Old Olney near a Red Rocket gas station, the Nuka-Cola Plant , and Super-Duper Mart. Unhealthy and/or addictive, but worth lots of Caps: most alcohol, most narcotics , Nuka-Cola Quantum (for max caps, sell to Sierra Petrovita in Girdershade, whic h is W-NW of Tenpenny Tower), Mississippi Quantum Pie, Ant Nectar, Ant Queen Phe

romones, Fire Ant Nectar, Yao Guai Meat.

Lockpicking ---------------------Picking locks is not (to me) nearly as annoying as in Oblivion... 1) Just put a bobby pin at the L-most or R-most position in lock, twist the scre wdriver slightly, and see how much the lock rotates. 2) If it doesn't rotate much, rotate the pin a few degrees toward center of lock , then twist screwdriver again, and see how much rotation you get, etc. 3) When you have the pin in a position that seems to yield maximum lock rotation , twist the screwdriver all the way and see if the lock opens. If the pin isn't in the right position, it'll break, and you'll have to try agai n, but if the lock rotated significantly, you'll know that you were *close,* so you'll have a better idea of where to put the next pin. Bobby pins aren't especially common, so buy 'em whenever merchants sell 'em and grab 'em whenever you find 'em. Good pin stashes include... * Amata's room in Vault 101. * Tables in intact houses. * In Sniper Shack (~15 pins) W of Rockbreaker's Last Gas. * Pt. Lookout's Calvert Mansion (~10 pins total), in various wardrobes.

Karma ----------* A Karma of 250 is the threshold of Good; a Karma of -250 is the threshold of E vil. * You can drop your Karma by doing various evil things. * You can raise your Karma by doing various good things, e.g. donating Caps to a ny church (in increments of 10, 50, or 100), donating Scrap Metal to Walter in M egaton's Water Processing Plant, donating Purified Water to beggars, killing som ebody who's super-evil, etc.

Companions (The Good/Neutral Ones) -----------------------------------------------Dogmeat (no Karma requirement): found in Scrapyard, N of Megaton; apparently doe s not take up an official follower spot, so you can have an additional follower if you'd like. Can fetch items for you -- even, somehow, if they're in locked co ntainers. Fast. Will draw enemy fire. NOT STEALTHY, and he'll attack any enemy h e detects (unless you get a mod; see below). And his PER is high, so he'll detec t lots of enemies. If he leaves the party, he'll stand by outside Vault 101. Sergeant RL-3 (Karma must be Neutral when he joins): combat robot sold by Tinker Joe for 1,000 Caps (or 500 if you have 70+ in Barter) near RobCo Factory. Can c arry almost 200 pounds of stuff. Immune to Radiation and Poison. Uses Stimpaks t

o recover health. (Maybe he's part biological?) NOT STEALTHY, but can draw enemy fire. Has built-in Plasma Rifle and Flamer with unlimited ammo, but can't equip other weapons. If The Sarge leaves the party, he'll stand by in Canterbury Comm ons. Fawkes (Karma must be Good when he joins): Super Mutant, found in Vault 87, but can't be recruited until late in the main game, after you finish "The American D ream" quest. Can't wear armor, but very strong and tough. Can carry over 200 pou nds of stuff. Doesn't get along with some people, 'cause he's a huge weirdsmobil e. Has a unique Super Sledge at first, and later a Gatling Laser; can also equip other weapons. NOT STEALTHY, but can draw enemy fire. If Fawkes leaves the part y, he'll stand by at the entrance to Underworld, in the Museum of History. Star Paladin Cross (Karma must be Good when she joins, and must STAY Good): can be recruited in Citadel, near robot Liberty Prime, on upper floor, but only late in the main game, after you finish "The Waters of Life" quest. Has a Super Sled ge, Laser Pistol and Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor, but can equip other stuff . WILL SNEAK WHEN PLAYER SNEAKS. Can carry almost 200 pounds. A 50-gallon drum o f awesome-sauce, really. If Cross leaves the party, she'll stand by in The Citad el, most likely.

Miscellany ------------------------* Save. Often. Every time you complete a quest or find an important map marker, or survive a big fight. And not just a quicksave, but a separate, new save. Occasionally a save might ge t corrupted somehow, and the only recourse might be to load an older save, which won't hurt too much if you make lots of saves. * You can get a house in Megaton (or in Tenpenny Towers, if your character is a b*stard), and purchase a theme. I'd recommend Science theme, because it includes a free Energy Weapon Skill Book and some meds. The only upgrades I'd recommend are "My First Infirmary," which can flush away y our Radiation and heal all injuries, and maybe the Pristine Nuka-Cola Machine, w hich can make your Nukas ice-cold (and thereby more effective). * The interior of the DC ruins is often blocked by towering heaps of rubble, so often, the only way to reach downtown areas is to take the subway tunnels. There's usually a map outside each station; pay them close attention. * Exposure to more than 399 rads means serious trouble. * Pre-War Books: Scribe Yearling at Arlington Library will give you 100 Caps api ece for these; don't sell 'em to anybody else. * After finishing The Pitt's main quest, you can access the Ammo Press (near The Hole), which will let you turn any conventional ammo (or scrap metal) into any other conventional ammo. This can be very handy, because some conventional ammo types are otherwise hard to obtain (see below). * You'll run faster, and won't scare friendly NPCs, while your weapon is holster

ed. Hold down the "ready/reload" key for a few seconds to holster. * If you see a wavy, clear haze in the air, especially indoors, it might be a ga s leak. It's best to deliberately detonate those from a distance with explosives , or flame or energy projectiles. * Watch out for land mines, trip wires, "bouquets" of grenades, etc.; those can really ruin your day. * Selecting the white Pip-Boy display might make maps easier to read. * Pip-Boy hot keys... F1: open Pip-Boy in Stats Mode. F2: open Pip-Boy in Items Mode. F3: open Pip-Boy in Data Mode (to see maps and quests). * For lighting effects, either choose HDR (prettiest and most demanding, which w ill also show Nuka-Cola Quantum with an easy-to-spot glow), or None (if you want to gain some FPS). If you want shiny blue Quantum bottles (and shinier regular Nuka bottles) withou t using HDR, try this mod... http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1067 * If a crucial NPC disappears, try this... http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Recovering_missing_NPC_in_Fallout_3

Console Commands ---------------------------To enable in-game console, bAllowConsole variable in Fallout.ini must be set to 1. To activate in-game console, hit the ~ (tilde) key above the tab key. RewardXP [amount] -- give yourself some XP. TGM -- Toggle God Mode. player.additem [Item Code] [#] -- to give yourself a certain number of a certain item. For example, to get a dozen railroad spikes, type this in console... player.additem 00029384 12 To find itemcodes, try these pages... http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_items http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/918428/54677

Tweaks ------------

bInvalidateOlderFiles=1 -- this MUST BE 1 if you want mods to work (Fallout.ini) . fBlockLoadDistanceLow=50000 fTreeLoadDistance=40000 Raise the above 2 numbers to increase number of buildings, objects and trees vis ible in distance. Performance impact seems minimal (FalloutPrefs.ini). fSunGlareSize=800.0000 fSunBaseSize=750.0000 The 2 numbers above control how large the sun appears, and how much glare it has . Lowering values lowers size of sun, raising them makes it bigger (Fallout.ini) . iMinGrassSize=80 -- this controls density of grass clumps. The higher the value, the less tightly-packed grassy areas will be (and the higher the FPS); the lowe r the value, the more grass there will be (and the lower the FPS) (Fallout.ini). bForceFullLOD=0 -- if set to 1, this variable increases visible number of bushes , especially in distance. The performance impact seems minor (Fallout.ini). bDrawShaderGrass=1 -- if set to 0, removes all grass from Wasteland, which obvio usly improves FPS in outdoor areas at cost of realism (Fallout.ini). fGrassWindMagnitudeMax=125.0000 fGrassWindMagnitudeMin=5.0000 The 2 settings above determine how much the grass will sway in the wind. Setting both variables to 0 will eliminate all grass sway, which can improve FPS somewh at, but reduces realism. You can raise both variables to make grass sway more (F allout.ini). bEnableAudioCache=1 -- should be enabled, to reduce stutter (Fallout.ini). uInterior Cell Buffer=3 uExterior Cell Buffer=36 Altering the above 2 values may improve performance. For example, for 1GB of RAM you can try doubling values (6 and 72 respectively). For 2GB of RAM, try 16 and 102 respectively, etc. Note that you should also raise iPreloadSizeLimit value below (Fallout.ini). iPreloadSizeLimit=26214400 -- appears to determine maximum amount (in bytes) of RAM allowed for preloading game data. Raising value may reduce stuttering. The d efault value equals about 25 MB. For those with 1 GB of RAM, try doubling to 524 28800. For those with 2 GB, try 104857600 (100 MB). Suggested max: 262144000 (25 0 MB), even if you have 4 GB of RAM or more. Also, raise your Cell Buffer values accordingly (see above) (Fallout.ini). bUseHardDriveCache=1 -- self explanatory; it's generally best to turn it on, but if you have trouble, try setting it to 0 (Fallout.ini). bBackgroundLoadLipFiles=1

bLoadBackgroundFaceGen=1 bBackgroundCellLoads=1 bLoadHelmetsInBackground=1 iBackgroundLoadLoading=1 bBackgroundPathing=1 bBackgroundNavmeshUpdate=1 bCloneModelsInBackground=1 All the above background options, if set to 1, might reduce stutter (Fallout.ini ). bUseThreadedBlood=1 bUseThreadedMorpher=1 bUseThreadedTempEffects=1 bUseThreadedParticleSystem=1 bUseThreadedAI=1 bUseMultiThreadedFaceGen=1 bUseMultiThreadedTrees=1 iNumHavokThreads=5 Setting all the above thread options to 1 may boost performance on multi-core CP Us. However, setting bMultiThreadAudio=1 might cause the game to crash upon exit ing, so you might want to set that one thread variable at 0 (Fallout.ini). bUseBackgroundFileLoader=0 -- might reduce stuttering on some machines if set to =1 (Fallout.ini).

Essential Mods ---------------------Fallout 3 Mod Manager (FOMM): helps mods work properly, and lets you set the ord er in which they load. ESSENTIAL, if you use mods. I believe that mods loaded la ter (lower) in the list will trump mods that are loaded earlier. Fallout 3 Mod Manager (FOMM): helps mods work properly, and lets you set the ord er in which they load. ESSENTIAL, if you use mods. I believe that mods loaded la ter (lower) in the list will trump mods that are loaded earlier. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=640 or http://sourceforge.net/projects/fomm/files/ Archive Invalidation Invalidated: also helps mods work properly; might not be ne cessary if you have FOMM, but it can't hurt to have it. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=944 FO3 Ram Boost: by default, Fallout 3 (like a surprising # of other games) is onl y allowed to use up to 2 GB of RAM. What the frak, man? What if you have more? W

ell, you download this package, consisting of a freeware tool (CFF ExplorerSuite ) and easy instructions that'll let FO3 (*or any other game*) access more than 2 GB. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12031 Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch: fixes various Fallout 3 bugs. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3808 More Map Markers: adds map markers, e.g. for your house, and moves map markers f or Megaton and Rivet City to just outside store's door (which is almost always m y first stop in town anyway). http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2446 Traders 100% Repair: gives certain traders 100% Repair skill. Tradeoff/balance: they charge more for repairs, because they're more thorough. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3680 Increased Weapon and Armor Durability: spend less time fixin', more time fightin '. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6524 BA_Repair: lets you repair items with scrap metal, tin cans, bent tin cans, and Wonder Glue. Also prevents unique weapons and armors from being used as spare pa rts. (No disrespect, but I'm surprised Bethesda didn't think of all this.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10647 EVE (Energy Visuals Enhanced): makes energy weapons much more awesome. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8340 High-Res Weapons: makes weapons look more realistic. (If in doubt, use EVE textu res.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=481 Project Beauty: makes some friendlies prettier, and some enemies uglier. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6341 Enhanced Night Sky: makes stars prettier. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=442

NMC's Texture Pack for FO3: rextures the D.C. Wasteland, Megaton, and Rivet City , making them ... prettier? Well, more photorealistic, anyway -- as long as your PC is powerful enough. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12056 [May replace Terrain Texture Pack, Megaton Texture Pack, and Rivet City Texture Packs below.] * Terrain (Texture) Pack: rextures the Wasteland, making it ... prettier? Well, more photorealistic, anyway -- as long as your PC is powerful enough. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=774 *and* http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=866 * Megaton Texture Pack: makes Megaton look more realistic. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1662 * Rivet City Texture Pack: same as above, but for Rivet City.

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3612

Essentials Retex: retextures many miscellaneous objects. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6402 MoShip Zeta Retextured: same as above, but for Zeta. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8260 Brotherhood of Steel Armor DX (retextured): better-looking BoS armor, of course. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5830 Outcast Armor DX: same as above, but for Outcast armor. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5858 T-51b Armor DX: seeing a pattern? http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5912 Winterized T-51b DX: you get the idea. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6167 Tribal Armor DX: and so it goes. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6520 Tesla Power Armor DX: etc. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7626 Enclave Armor DX: yep. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6365 Enclave Hellfire Armor DX: bingo-bongo. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6776 Night Vision for All Power Armors: just makes sense. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4690 Pip-Boy Lighting Pack: makes Pip-Boy light bright enough to actually be useful. (Crazy, right?) I like the 60-meter version. Be sure to have it load *after* any other lighting mods, e.g. the Night Vision for All Power Armors mod. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2655 Leather Armor for Dogmeat: lets you buy armor that gives your pooch DR 20 and En ergy Resist 10, lets you buy a whistle to summon him, gives him a non-aggressive (temporary) Sneak option, and -- best of all -- lets you buy packs for him, so he can haul an apparently unlimited amount of loot. "Who's my little gun caddy? Is it you? Is it YOU?" http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4474 American Assault Rifle to M4A1 Carbine: replaces game's basic Assault Rifle with M4A1 carbine. (Sure, I've heard the M4A1 is a bit high-maintenance, and hence l ess likely to be useful after 200 years in the Waste, but I like the look.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5141 Chinese Assault Rifle to AK-47 Assault Rifle: replaces Chinese Assault Rifle wit h the (much better-looking) AK-47. (If asked, overwrite existing files with the ones in this mod.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5258

Beretta M9: replaces 10 mm Pistol (and the silenced version) with the much prett ier Beretta. (If asked, overwrite existing files with the ones in this mod.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=382 Accurate Sniper Rifles and Silenced Sniper Rifle: increases minimum accuracy of all sniper rifles outside of V.A.T.S., and adds a silenced Sniper Rifle. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1766 More Merchant Money: gives merchants about 100x more Caps, to make trading less annoying. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4393 Purge Cell Buffers: might enhance stability. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7817 Games for Windows Live Disabler: might save some RAM. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1086 Improved Turret Reprogramming and Hacking: makes turret-hacking more useful. (I usually just blow the cr*p out of turrets, but if you'd rather hack 'em, this mo d is worth a look.) http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1691 Ghoul Ecology Perk Fix: fixes a possible bug in this perk. http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7373

Sources ------------http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_Wiki http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_3_map http://www.tweakguides.com/Fallout3_1.html http://planetfallout.gamespy.com/wiki/Fallout_3 http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/918428/54966 http://www.gamesradar.com/f/fallout-3-bobblehead-guide/a-200811079495387046 http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/918428/54789 http://www.gamespot.com/features/6202840/index.html

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Thanks ---------------------------* Bethesda, for making one of the best computer role-playing games EVER. Can't w ait to see what's next. * My wife Adrienne. * Our cats Tux, Shakes and Luann. * The Features, a band more people should know about.

If you'd like to reproduce this guide (or portions thereof), I won't mind, as lo ng as you don't try to profit from it. Most of it is gleaned from other sources anyway. Authors, if I've reproduced some of your stuff against your wishes, then I apolo gize; no offense meant. Please don't sue me, because I'm not making any money fr om this, and there isn't enough in my bank account to make a lawsuit worth your while anyway.