FONV: Second play build (updated)
by Wuphon's Reach
This is for a sneaky-thief type, who is not afraid to mix it up a bit in close-quarters if needed. But I really prefer to kill them before they even know I'm around.
Perks: (link)
L2: Hunter (Survival 30) - this is still the best perk to take early on because it gives you 75% more critical damage against animals and mutated animals. Which is key for a sneaky character or a energy weapons user.
L4: Black Widow or Confirmed Bachelor - +10% damage against males, plus unique dialog options for solving quests.
L6: Educated (INT 4) - Two additional skill points each level. It is worth 48 points over the rest of the game if taken at level 6. That's enough to level up one additional skill into the 60s or 70s.
L8: Shotgun Surgeon (Guns 45) - Subtracts 10 DT (damage threshold) from enemy armor when using shotguns.
L10: Entomologist (Survival 45, INT 4) - +50% vs mutated insects, which is huge against Cazadores, Radscorpions, Giant Ants, Mantises and Bloat Flies.
L12: Silent Running (AGI 6 Sneak 50) - Lets you move around faster while crouched and sneaking. No more need to walk while crouched, you can scuttle around at a faster rate.
At this point, you will probably want to keep in mind the following, which are the best of the pre-16 perks:
Optional: Comprehension (Level 4 INT 4) - 1 additional point from skill books (4 points instead of 3) plus temporary boosts from skill magazines give +20 instead of +10.
Optional: Demolition Expert (Level 6, Explosives 50, 3 possible ranks) - +20% damage per rank with explosives. Note that unless you install a mod like "Deadlier Explosives New Vegas (DENV)", you will find that explosives in the base game are extremely lackluster.
Optional: Hand Loader (Level 6, Repair 70) - For a gun user, this is a pretty important perk to take later on as it gives you some very useful unique ammo recipes. It also means more recycled shell casings to use to make more ammo. The energy weapons equivalent is Vigilant Recycler (Level 6, Science 70).
Optional: Pack Rat (Level 8, INT 5, Barter 70) - This is a quality-of-life perk where anything of 2.0 or lower in weight now weighs half that. Which means you can easily carry twice as much ammunition in hard mode. Or more food and water.
Optional: Rad Resistance (Level 8, END 5, Survival 40) - Another quality-of-life perk that means you can pack along less RadAway. Or you won't have to cart around a radiation suit. There's only a small handful of places in the game where radiation is a severe issue, and Rad-X and a radiation suit are easier to use there.
Optional: Strong Back (Level 8, STR 5, END 5) - Quality-of-life perk, letting you carry 50 more weight. Still useful and competes with Pack Rat.
Optional: Finesse (Level 10) - +5% critical chance. Rather important for Energy Weapon users.
Optional: Hit the Deck (Level 12, Explosives 70) - Increases your DT by 50% against explosions. If you use explosives, get this.
Optional: Adamantium Skeleton (Level 14) - Limb damage is reduced by 50%, making you more difficult to cripple. If you take the Small Frame trait at the start of the game, you will probably want to counter it with this later on.
Optional: Light Step (Level 14, PER 6, AGI 6) - Never set off traps. Of course, your NPC companions still can, so it's of limited use if you like company.
You'll notice that I'm not taking any perks that increase VATS. VATS has been severely nerfed in the base game by Obsidian's developers, so it's really only useful at close-up fights where you need to get off a few quick head shots by pausing the action. At long range, you're better off using iron sights and simply learning to aim.
L16 Better Criticals (PER 6 LCK 6) - +50% damage from critical hits. Huge for Energy Weapon users.
L18 Weapon Handling (STR < 10) - Reduces weapon strength requirements by 2. This helps immensely with scope sway and accuracy on the weapons that have STR requirements. For a low-STR character (6 or less), this is a pretty good perk to take.
L20: (backfill) - Take one of the optional perks above.
L22: (backfill) - Although if you're an energy weapons user, Laser Commander (Energy Weapons 90) is required as it boosts your damage by 15% and increases your critical rate by 10%.
L24: (backfill) - Take one of the optional perks above.
L26: (backfill) - Take one of the optional perks above.
L28: (backfill) - Take one of the optional perks above.
L30: (backfill) - Take one of the optional perks above.
SPECIAL Stats: (link)
STR 5 PER 7 END 5 CHA 4 INT 6 AGI 6 LCK 7
- Boost STR with implant
- NEMEAN Sub Dermal Armor, +4 to your DT
- Boost LCK with implant
- Boost PER with implant (and a hat)
- Boost AGI with implant
Tagged Skills: (link)
Survival - You have to tag this or dedicate points to it to reach 30 before you can take the Hunter perk at level 2.
Speech - Another very useful skill in New Vegas. I'm not sorry to have raised this to 100 by the end of the game.
Lockpick - Another good one to tag early as you will quickly run into locks that require 25 or 50 to open.
Barter - This helps immensely early on with caps.
Guns - You need to get this to 45 by level 8, which isn't difficult.
Traits: (link)
Small Frame is a strong choice, if you can live with the constant crippling of your limbs long enough to take Adamantium Skeleton at level 14.
Wild Wasteland is another good choice for a bit of fun. Take this trait on a play where you plan on fully exploring the world before doing the final quest.
Built to Destroy is another strong choice because it adds a 3% critical chance. The downside is 15% more wear and tear on your weapon. As long as you build weapon kits or squirrel away spare weapons and train up your repair skill, it won't matter.
Four Eyes is useful, but only if you will be able to wear armor that is compatible with eyeglasses or sunglasses.
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