With all sorts of enemies, threats and perils lurking throughout the Mojave Wasteland, the desert can be a cruel setting for even the most seasoned of Fallout players. As well as offering a whole arsenal of weapons to blast them away, Fallout: New Vegas contains a robust character progression system that can make each playthrough unique, with the game's skills acting as the foundation of how your character performs in the wastes.
Though they all have their place in Obsidian's critically acclaimed spin-off, there are a few starting skills that players should keep in mind when diving into Fallout: New Vegas for the first time.
The Guns Skill Will Improve Your Attacks
For players beginning to get settled into New Vegas, the Guns skill is a good one to start with. Tied to the Agility in the character's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, Guns affects how well the player performs with traditional firearms, affecting both damage and accuracy.
What makes the Guns skill so essential for a new player is its massive versatility. Bringing together the two separate 'Small Guns' and 'Big Guns' skills of other Fallout games, New Vegas' Guns skill affects a massive amount of weapons in the game, from the simple 9mm pistol to the minigun. And as firearms and ammunition are the most common weapons, the Guns skill is especially useful for players who are getting their feet wet and need a reliable set of tools to keep the ghouls at bay.
Medicine Helps You To Heal Up Faster
Inevitably, the wasteland will leave a dent in everyone who passes through it. To stay healthy and radiation free, players will need to utilize the medical tools scrounged from long-abandoned first-aid kits and defeated enemies. The game's Medicine skill determines the effectiveness of these items, so is a useful area to specialize in.
Since beginners might take some time getting used to Fallout: New Vegas' unique combat and enemy types, they are sure to take some licks at the beginning of their journey. The Medicine skill can easily help with those early troubles, making Stimpaks, Rad-Aways and the like have much more impact on their character's health.
Speech Lets You Solve Problems Without Violence
The Fallout series is very well known for featuring NPC interactions, and the Speech skill is the source of this feature. The Speech skill appears during dialogue with various characters met throughout the wasteland, with players needing to meet specific skill point thresholds to succeed.
With its ability to avoid combat or unlock different routes, Speech is vital for new players. At a certain point in the game, when the player is well settled into the world, strongly armored and armed to the teeth, a failed Speech check isn't the worst thing in the world. Though at the front end of the game, avoiding confrontations and finding alternative ways to progress can be essential in gaining momentum, progressing and most importantly, keeping the game fun.
The Repair Skill Keeps Your Guns in Top Shape
Fallout: New Vegas's inventory management can initially be difficult to get the hang of, since a weapon's condition deteriorates the more its used, until the point where it breaks. To improve a weapon's condition and keep it in functioning order, players can combine duplicates they find. The Repair skill contributes to how effective this is, meaning that new players who sink points into this skill will have an easier time managing their arsenal.
Other skills are certainly worth considering depending on how the player wants to shape their journey in the Mojave. Players might opt to invest in Energy Weapons and Science to rain down laser and plasma fire on their enemies. Alternatively, Melee Weapons and Unarmed skills would favor those who want to conquer the wastes barbarian-style. But for people experiencing New Vegas for the first time, Guns, Repair, Medicine and Speech are all crucial starting skills, helping make those opening hours go as smoothly as possible.