Fallout 1: BEST BUILD, Sniper, Slayer


Fallout 1 Best Build



Welcome to my cRPG blog on the Best Builds for Fallout. The best builds in Fallout are Snipers and Slayers. cf. Fallout 2 Best Builds.

Maximum raw Action Points is 13 (AG 10 + Action Boy x3). Best builds rarely if ever take Action Boy, though. Bonus Move is better for +mobility, and other perks are better than AB, too.

Maximum possible attacks executable per turn is 13 for unarmed (e.g, power fist) and melee weapons (e.g, super sledge) and 6 for the fastest small guns and energy weapons. 13 is possible due to Fast Shot erroneously working with unarmed and melee weapons skills.

Obviously requires Bonus Rate of Fire (for firearms) and Bonus HtH Attacks (for melee weapons).

Stats go up to 10, skills 200. Some perks go up to 3, and their effects stack.

The maximum number of skillpoints that can be held in reserve is 99. Perks do not accrue.

The maximum level reachable is 21. It isn't possible to reach 21st level unless we farm Deathclaws.

Fallout Sniper & Slayer Build



This shows when key Fallout 1 Perks become available and what their prerequisites are. We can easily build optimal Snipers or Slayers with this info.

  • Sniper build: needs Fallout 1 Stats of at least PE 8, AG 8, IN 6, LK 6 (and at least ST 3, which is raised to ST 6 by Hardened Power Armor for Turbo Plasma Rifle).
  • Slayer build: needs at least ST 8, AG 6, LK 6, PE 6 (and EN 6 if want Toughness and AG 10 if want Silent Death).

Remember that you can take mentats and other drugs in order to meet prereqs for Sniper and other perks. Mentats confer IN +2, PE +2, CH +1.

Remember also that you can get +1 to each stat. For LK, you can get +1 or +2. However, that comes quite late in the proceedings, so I tend to max LK and AG in chargen. And also, the early game is when the extra LK and AG is most needed, anyway.

Format is level / XP req. / Perk selection



There are two main Fast Shot gunslinger builds in Fallout 1: the Gunfighter achieves 6 shots per turn with the best guns (Action Boy x2 and Bonus Move x1) whereas the Mobility Gunslinger eschews one shot in favor of Bonus Move x3, which grants +4 hex movement over Gunfighter.

As mentioned above, I prefer the added mobility to one extra shot because it allows me to move around and get good shots, while also aiding evasive maneuvers and faster retreats from combat zones, both random and fixed.

A Pure Sniper build in Fallout 1 would take Finesse with More Criticals x3. Assuming a Luck score of 10 (which is recommended regardless of build), the PS build would have a 20% crit chance at first level, 25% at 6th, 30% at 15th and 35% at 18th while taking Better Criticals at 9th and Bonus Rate of Fire at 12th. This Max Crit Build is solid if you don't intend to push hard to max level for the actual Sniper perk.

These build ideas can be applied to Stealth Slayers, Supertanker Slayers and Machinegunners (Big Guns). However, Small Gun builds reign supreme in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2.

Fallout 1 Charisma Build


Since the Speech skill and the Intelligence stat govern dialogue and quest outcomes, and since the number of companions we can have is NOT governed by our Charisma stat (as it is in Fallout 2 builds), there is no point in building a Charisma-based character in Fallout 1.

Just get Speech to 100 and make sure you have at least 6 Int.

Fallout 1 Beginner Build


The best beginner build in Fallout 1 is a Sniper build that takes the Awareness perk and does not choose the Fast Shot trait in chargen. Beginner builds should also tag Speech and start off with an Intelligence score of 6-8.

Best Perks Fallout 1


The best Fallout 1 Perks are Bonus HtH Attacks or Bonus Rate of Fire and Better Criticals. Sniper and Slayer come too late to be considered as the best perks. Pro-players don't rate perks based on end-game optimization, but rather for the journey.

Do NOT forego the Awareness perk on a maiden run. It gives us tactical info that is very useful. I also recommend NOT taking Fast Shot on a maiden run or you can't access the tactical targeting system for Aimed Shots!


That goes for the Slayer build, too. Five hits or three targeted hits is enough to drop anything. I'd rather maintain Aimed Shots and possibly take Jinxed instead of Fast Shot. Plus, an eye-crit with Spiked Knuckles can kill things instantly regardless of HPs.

Best Stats Fallout 1


Agility is the best Fallout 1 Stat since it dictates how much we can do on our turn, such as how far we can move and how many times we can attack. Our Agility should be at least 8, but is best maxed to 10 in chargen.

Best Traits Fallout 1


The best Fallout Trait is Gifted, and the second best trait is Fast Shot. Note that Finesse can be Mutated into Fast Shot.

Best Skills to Tag Fallout 1


The best Fallout skill is Small Guns or Unarmed. Later, go with Energy Weapons. The best Tag Skills are Small Guns or Unarmed and Lockpick and Barter or Speech. You'll want to raise Lockpick even if you didn't tag it.

Never Tag or waste skillpoints on Science, Repair or Outdoorsman. Instead, purchase textbooks from the Hub to raise those skills up to 90% or so.

Get the Barter skill to 100 and you're quartering the price of goods. 200 isn't worth it. Bartering through "button" is cheaper than bartering through dialogue. In addition, Barter saves on inventory micro-management.

There is no need to raise Small Guns, Energy Weapons, Unarmed or Melee Weapons skills >180. The max chance to hit is 95%.

Maximum HPs Fallout 1


Maximum possible HPs on a 21st level build is 265 (Max ST and EN + Lifegiver x3). The build takes Toughness x3 as well (for DR 30%), and can fit Slayer in. The ultimate damage sponge. Also, Jet.

Best Armor Fallout 1



The best armor in Fallout is Hardened Power Armor. Once a suit of Power Armor has been acquired from the Brotherhood of Steel, Miles in Adytum can harden the armor if we bring him Chemistry manuals that can be acquired from Mrs. Stapleton in the Downtown library of The Hub. 

Best Weapons Fallout 1



The best weapons in Fallout are the Alien Blaster, Red Ryder LE BB, Turbo Plasma Rifle, Power Fist (unarmed) and Super Sledge (melee). Used up the 100 rounds the LE BB comes with? Buy another 100 from the Beth's gun shop in The Hub.




Best Companion Fallout 1


The best companion in Fallout is Tycho (LE BB) followed by Ian (.223, Power Fist) and Dogmeat. Companions cannot wear amor and do not level up, limiting their late-game survivability. However, their collective attack rate can be useful in early- and mid-game even though their AI is lacking (move out of their Line of Fire).


Ian is useful in the radscorpion caves, assuming he's not shooting you in the back. Since there is no full party control, we just need to wait for him to position himself properly. Don't give Ian SMGs unless you want to be filled full of holes.

Maximum companions in Fallout 1 is 6. Employ companions for muling by using the Steal skill on them.

Talking Heads Fallout 1


Representing key NPCs, there are 21 talking heads in Fallout 1. How will your build deal with them?


Fallout 1 Pregen Builds


To no surprise, Fallout 1 pregen build foundations are suboptimal. However, this can result in added challenge or players may get some build ideas from their stats and stories.

Albert Fallout 1


The problem with Albert is that he wasted too many points on Charisma and dumped the most important stat, which is Agility. By taking the Skilled trait, he also receives a perk every fourth level instead of every third, which is undesirable within Fallout 1's limited level range.


Max Stone Fallout 1


The problem with Max Stone is that he wasted too many points on Strength, lacks skill points per level due to low Intelligence, dumped Luck and Perception, and took two of the worst traits in Fallout 1. But since his stats, traits and skills are all combat-focused, MS can scrape through if decent perks supported by his stat-line are chosen.


Natalia Fallout 1


While she wasted too many points on Charisma, Natalia's foundation is easily workable due to her maxed Agility, good Intelligence and positive Luck scores. By means of build progression, Natalia can be worked into almost any role though her Perception score will need to be buffed by Mentats in order to gain a few key perks that maximize her potential.


Fallout 1 Map


The Fallout 1 map has 14 notable locations. The Fallout 1 map is referred to by cRPG Blog as "The Overworld" or "World Map". Locations are marked on the map by NPCs or can be discovered independently through solo exploration. For more info on the Fallout 1 overworld, please consult Fallout 1 Time Limit.


Quests Fallout 1


There are approximately 33 quests in Fallout 1. Quests range in difficulty from simple FedEx quests to involved quests that span the length, breadth and depth of the Wasteland.

  • kXP: Kill Experience Points: the XP awarded for killing critters.
  • qXP: Quest Experience Points: the XP awarded for completing quests.

Vault 13 Fallout 1



  • Loot the nearby corpse, kill the 20 rats in the cavern for 500 kXP, rest until midnight and then enter Vault 13.
  • Get more ammo and stimpaks by talking to the Overseer a few times.
  • Use Science on terminals on Level 3 for 750 XP.
  • Calm the rebel faction by talking to Theresa on Level 2 (750 XP).
  • Destroy the Mutant leader aka "The Master" at the Cathedral (10,000 XP: End-game quest).
  • Destroy the source of the Mutants at the Military Base (10,000 XP: End-game quest).
  • Find the Water Chip at the Vault in Necropolis (7, 500 qXP: Mid-game quest).
  • Find the Water Thief (500-1,000 qXP: Do this quest when you return with the Water Chip).

Vault 13 Locations


  • Cavern Entrance
  • Entrance
  • Living Quarters
  • Command Center (Overseer)

Shady Sands Fallout 1


To the south, you see an abode wall surrounding a peaceful-looking village.


  • Get a coil of Rope for Vault 15: Steal from or Barter with Seth.
  • Talk to Katrina (250 XP)
  • Recruit Ian (use Steal skill to transfer items back and forth). Get Ian to mark Junktown and The Hub on the map.
  • Improve the agriculture of Shady Sands by teaching Curtis in the garden (500 qXP: Science skill).
  • Stop the Radscorpions. Have Seth send you to the Radscorpion Cave. Take Ian with you. Kill x9 Radscorpions and loot their tails for Razlo in Shady Sands (990 kXP + 500 qXP).
  • Make Poison Antidote: Give Razlo the tails (250 qXP)
  • Cure Jarvis of Radscorpion Poison with Antidote given by Razlo (400 qXP).
  • At the request of Seth, rescue Tandi from the Khan Raiders. Get this quest after returning to Shady Sands from Vault 15. Return to Aradesh with Tandi in tow (900 qXP, $500). 

Shady Sands Locations


Shady Sands is located five squares east of Vault 13.

  • Shady Sands, West: Town Hall
  • Shady Sands, East: Garden, Brahmin Pen
  • Radscorpion Cave

Vault 15 Fallout 1


A small shack is all that remains of this area. Fortunately, your records indicate a secondary entrance to Vault 15 there.

Vault 15 is located four squares east of Shady Sands. Get ready, because you are going to face off against 50 rats.

Don't come here without a coil of rope from Shady Sands. You need to find a second coil of Rope in Vault 15 as well. Make sure you get the Leather Jacket, Hunting Rifle, Dynamite, Grenades and 10mm SMG in V-15. You don't need to waste time going back to V-13 since you find no Water Chip in V-15 because its Command Center is buried under rubble (500 qXP).


  • Desert Entrance
  • Caverns/Entrance
  • Living Quarters
  • Command Center (500 XP for discovering its location)

Junktown Fallout 1


You come across a medium-sized town. A wall of junked cars blocks easy entrance. A hazy smoke lies low over the town.


Killian versus Gizmo.

High-Luck Gamblers can earn a fortune at Gizmo's casino. However, I prefer to raise Barter and maximize Khans loot (see next section).

  • Holster sidearms and sheathe weapons before entering.
  • Recruit Dogmeat from Casino map by wearing the Leather Jacket you should have found in Vault 15.
  • Recruit Tycho the Desert Ranger from the Skum Pitt (300 XP). You can do this just before talking to Lars and taking out Gizmo
  • Loot Doc Morbid's place for ammo, Doctor's Bag and $800
  • Get the location of The Hub, Necropolis and Raiders from Killian
  • Help Saul (250 qXP).
  • Stop Gizmo for Killian (1,500 qXP and $500). Secure Gizmo's confession; take out Gizmo
  • Kill Killian for Gizmo.
  • Rescue Sinthia (1,000 qXP).
  • Save Trish (200 qXP).
  • Bust the Skulz gang (500-800 qXP).

Junktown Locations


Junktown is located nine squares south of Vault 13.

  • Entrance
  • Crash House (Killian)
  • Junktown Casino (Gizmo)

Raider Camp (Khans)



Best music of all Fallout games. Make sure you have Ian, Tycho and Dogmeat with you. It is more fun to just wipe Garl's Khans force off the map and save Tandi. Loot everything and employ companions as mules. You are going to Barter this raider arms and armor in The Hub. Relative to need, this is the single biggest moment in Fallout 1 in terms of wealth accumulation.


Hub Fallout 1



To the south you see a large city. Outlying farms surround the town. There is much life in this desert oasis.

Go to Old Town and barter all raider loot. You can get Sniper Rifle and Combat Armor from Jake in Old Town, "consumables" from Vance in Old Town and BBs from Beth in Downtown for the best gun in the game, the LE BB Gun.

You can get textbooks from Mitch in Downtown and Mrs. Stapleton at the Downtown library to increase your skills. Also, buy the Vault Location Holodisk from her to find the location of the Water Chip (Necropolis).

  • Farmer Irwin in Downtown: Remove Raiders from his farm (570 kXP, 500 qXP, .223 Pistol). 
  • Get town locations marked on your map from Crimson Caravan.
  • Get 100 day extension on Water Chip time limit by paying Water Merchants $500-2,000 to deliver water to Vault 13 (1,000 qXP).
  • Get referral to Decker from Lorenzo of FLC
  • Get access to Decker through Kane at Maltese Falcon.
  • Dispose of Jain at the hospital on the Water Merchants map for Decker ($5,000 + 700 XP).
  • Get the Purple Robes from the hospital for use as a disguise at the Cathedral.
  • Dispose of merchant for Decker ($2,500 + 600 XP).
  • Find the missing caravans for Butch; kill the Deathclaw.
  • Steal necklace from the Hightower Merchants for Loxley of the Thieves' Circle ($3,000 + 500 XP, Electronic Lockpick).
  • Buy a coil of Rope from the General Store and Rad-X and RadAway from Vance in Old Town before going to The Glow.

Hub Locations


The Hub is located four squares south of Junktown.

  • Entrance
  • Downtown: Decker's Hideout, FLC, Irwin
  • Heights (Hightower)
  • Old Town: Thieves' Circle, Jake, Vance, Harold
  • Merchants (Jain, Water Merchants)

Necropolis Fallout 1


You approach a dark and broken city. Little life can be seen. A stench of death surrounds the area.


  • Destroy the Super Mutants at the Watershed: It is best to just kill the super mutants and Set.
  • Fix the Necropolis water pump: Get the Junk from the sewers and use it on the pump (1,000 qXP, Repair skill).
  • Get the Water Chip from Level 3 of the Necropolis Vault 12. Then, take the WC to the Overseer at Vault 13.

Necropolis Locations


Necropolis is located four squares east of The Hub.

  • Necropolis Hotel of Doom
  • Necropolis Hall of the Dead (Set)
  • Necropolis Watershed (Harry)
  • Necropolis Sewers
  • Necropolis Vault (Water Chip on Level 3)

Brotherhood of Steel Fallout 1


A small building surrounded by a chainlink fence is to the north. Menacing guards in heavy armor patrol the area.


  • Become an Initiate: Cabbot wants you to get Ancient Brotherhood Tape from The Glow (2,000 qXP).
  • After that is done, you can access the BoS stronghold.
  • Talus wants you to Rescue an Initiate from Old Town of the Hub (1,500 qXP + Power Armor) 
  • Get Vree's Autopsy report to learn of mutant sterility (for use against "The Master")
  • Scout out the Military Base at the request of Maxson (1,500 qXP)
  • Fix the Power Armor for Kyle by getting a systolic motivator from Michael or Rhombus (500 qXP: Repair: 70%)

Brotherhood of Steel Locations


The Brotherhood of Steel compound is located five squares west of Junktown. You should take a caravan from The Hub to get here.

  • Entrance
  • Level 1: Talus, Rhombus
  • Level 2: Lorri (+1 stat operations)
  • Level 3: Kyle, Vree, Sophia
  • Level 4: Maxson, Mathia

Glow Fallout 1


A large crater sprawls out towards the north.


The Glow is located nine squares southeast of the Cathedral. Bring a coil of Rope (General Store: The Hub) and Rad-X and RadAway which is purchased from Vance in the northeast of Old Town in The Hub. Stop one square outside the Glow map, use Rad-X for radiation resistance, and then enter the Glow map. The main reason to come here is to get the Ancient Brotherhood Tape for the Brotherhood of Steel.
.
  • Disarm Traps for the Facility.
  • Turn on power for the Glow (Level 6, 1,000 qXP).

Glow Locations


  • Glow Crater: Use rope on left side of crater to descend.
  • Glow Level 1: Loot the Ancient Brotherhood Tape and Yellow Pass Key from the corpse of the BoS paladin. Use YPC on Elevator Doors (ED).
  • You need not delve deeper into the Glow.
  • Glow Level 2: Get Red Pass Key from corpse. Use YPC on ED.
  • Glow Level 3: Use Red Pass Key on ED.
  • Glow Level 4: Get Geiger Counter to monitor radiation poisoning. Get Blue Pass Key from corpse. Learn about Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) from Zax mainframe. Use RPK on ED.
  • Glow Level 6: Repair generator to turn on power to the Glow. Use BPK on ED.
  • Glow Level 5: Loot Plasma Rifle etc. Return to surface.

Boneyard Fallout 1


A fenced village, patrolled by guards, waits defiantly to the south.


  • Recruit Katja from the library and get her to mark the Cathedral on your map. She can pick locks.
  • Get the "Red Rider" passphrase from Nicole at the library for use with Laura at the Cathedral.
  • Get the Purple Robes from the floor of the library for use as a disguise at the Cathedral.
  • Become a Blade.
  • Get +1 to +2 Luck from Chuck in his Adytum tent
  • Deliver Locket for Romero.
  • Deliver package from the Gun Runners.
  • Slay the Mother Deathclaw and destroy the eggs in the Deathclaw lair of the warehouse for Gabriel of the Gun Runners (1,000 XP).
  • Find Children spy in the Followers.
  • Fix hydroponic farms for Miles in Adytum: The parts are found on the corpse of a merchant (or on the ground if the merchant has decomposed) on the warehouse map.
  • Rescue Jason Zimmerman.
  • Stop the Gangs (Regulators) from attacking Adytum.
  • Buy all sorts of OP stuff from Zack at Gun Runners.


How to get Turbo Plasma Rifle.

Boneyard Locations


Boneyard is located three squares southwest of The Hub.

  • Adytum (where we upgrade Plasma Rifle and Power Armor)
  • Downtown (Razor gang)
  • Library (Nicole and Katja): Purple Robes
  • Fortress (Gun Runners)
  • Warehouse (Deathclaws): Hydroponic parts
  • Deathclaw Lair: You can farm the Deathclaws to reach level 21 (1,000 XP ea). Just don't kill the Queen and they will respawn.

Military Base Fallout 1


Mutant guards can be seen to the northeast in front of a fortified location built into the side of a mountain.


The Military Base is located 13 squares west of Vault 13. You are here to destroy the source of the mutants.

  • Entrance: Slay x4 Super Mutants (1,250 kXP) and loot code holodisk and radio from corpse. Radio in and tell command everything is a-ok. Download holodisk and then click on door to unlock with code.
  • Stronghold Level 1: Disable the yellow force fields with Radio / Science / Repair. Play Blackjack on the Force Field Control Computer (800 qXP). Wire the radio into the FFCC, put the radio into a quickslot and then click the radio to toggle the yellow forcefields. Slay x10 Super Mutants (3,375 kXP)
  • Stronghold Level 2: Slay x16 Super Mutants (5,375 kXP). Epic loot including Gatling Laser.
  • Vats Level 1: Slay x5 Super Mutants (1,400 kXP)
  • Vats Level 2: Slay Robobrains and Super Mutants (4,200 kXP). Get Encryption Decoder Disk and Gatling Laser from Super Mutant Lieutenant corpse, loot Purple Robes from VanHagen's corpse, and loot special key from a locker that arms the nuclear bomb under the Cathedral.
  • At the terminals overseeing the Vats, hack the firewall and set self-destruct sequence for 3 mins.



Cathedral Fallout 1


A large, ornate building rises into the sky. A crowd of people walk aimlessly before it.


The Cathedral is located two squares south of the Boneyard. You are here to destroy the mutant leader known as "The Master".

To get past the locked door that leads up to the Morpheus' tower and down to the Master's sanctum, give the passphrase to Laura that Nicole gave you at the Boneyard library (Red Rider). You can also use a Children of the Cathedral badge.

At this point, put on the Purple Robes that you looted from the hospital in the Hub or the Boneyard library. You can't take anyone upstairs, no companions, no scouts from Followers of the Apocalypse.

Upstairs on level 3, Morpheus (pictured above-left) can take you to The Master (above-right) which bypasses the vault levels. If you have Vree's Autopsy Report, you can get The Master to self-destruct. Otherwise, you need to stealth in to arm the nuclear warheard or go in with guns blazing to arm it.

  • Entrance (Exterior)
  • Interior: Nicole
  • Tower Level 1: Dane and Nightkin
  • Tower Level 2: Nightkin and textbooks
  • Tower Level 3: Morpheus, Nightkin, Electronic Lockpick, Tesla Armor, Power Fist
  • Master's Lair Level 1: Loot
  • Master's Lair Level 2: Gideon and Super Mutants (Psychic Nullifier: 1000 qXP)
  • Master's Lair Level 3: Arm the nuclear bomb with Science or special key looted from the locker on Vats Level 2 of the Military base.
  • Master's Lair Level 4: The Master.


Holodisks Fallout 1


  • FEV Experiment Tape
  • Security Tape
  • Ancient Brotherhood Tape
  • Alpha Experiment Tape
  • Delta Experiment Tape
  • Vree's Experiment Tape
  • Brotherhood Code
  • Mutant Transmissions
  • Brotherhood Tape
  • Sophia Tape
  • Maxson Log
  • Richard Grey Audio Diary
  • Captain Maxson's Diary
  • FEV Research
  • Power Armor Specs
  • West Tech Records
  • Vault Locations v34.129
  • Regulator Transmission

Congrats. You just completed the greatest cRPG ever made, the game that defined the genre.


Fallout 1 SPECIAL sfall Fallout 2 Fallout 1 vs Fallout 2
Fallout 1 Traits Fallout 2 Best Builds Best Fallout Game
Fallout 1 Skills Fallout 1 Versions Fallout 2 Military Base
Fallout 1 Perks Fallout 1 Time Limit Arcanum Best Build

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2 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 19, 2021

    Hi, I decided to FINALLY play this classic, and just wanted to say thank you for all the info you provided here... it was all very helpful in getting me through this wonderful game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lilura1June 19, 2021

      Glad you found the write-up useful. And remember: Go for the EYES!

      Delete

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