Mastering Melee: Choosing the Best Starting Trait in Fallout: New Vegas

So, you’re itching to crack some skulls in the Mojave Wasteland with a melee-focused character? Excellent choice! Few things are as satisfying as burying a Super Sledge into a Deathclaw’s face. But before you start swinging, you need to make some crucial decisions during character creation, and choosing the right trait can make a huge difference, especially early on. The best starting trait for a melee build in Fallout: New Vegas is Heavy Handed. While it comes with a significant drawback – reducing critical hit damage – the increased raw damage it provides early in the game far outweighs the critical hit penalty. In the early game, you’ll be relying on simple brute force due to limited perks, equipment, and skill points. Heavy Handed ensures you’re doing the most damage possible with each swing, making those early encounters much easier.

Why Heavy Handed is King Early On

Let’s break down why Heavy Handed is such a potent starting choice for the aspiring wasteland brawler:

• Early Game Dominance: The beginning of New Vegas is tough. Resources are scarce, enemies hit hard, and you’re fragile. Heavy Handed gives you a flat 20% increase to melee damage, which translates to faster kills and less wasted ammo (if you’re supplementing with guns).
• Critical Hits are a Luxury Early On: While critical hits are devastating later in the game with the right build, they’re less reliable and impactful in the early stages. You likely won’t have perks or gear that significantly boost your critical hit chance. Sacrificing critical hit damage when you aren’t reliably landing critical hits anyway is a smart trade-off.
• Focus on Raw Power: Early game is all about surviving. Dealing more damage per hit means taking down enemies quicker, reducing the chances of taking damage yourself. This is especially crucial against tougher early game foes like Cazadores or Geckos.
• Complementary Perks Later: As you level up, you can mitigate the critical hit penalty with specific perks designed for melee combat, such as those that increase your critical hit chance or guarantee critical hits under certain conditions. You can even respec in the Old World Blues DLC if you find that you prefer a critical hit build later in the game.
• Viable Through Late Game: Even with the critical hit penalty, a Heavy Handed character remains effective throughout the game, especially if you prefer a straightforward, no-frills approach to combat. The sheer damage output can be overwhelming for many enemies.

Understanding the Trade-Off

It’s crucial to understand the downside of Heavy Handed: a 60% reduction in critical hit damage with melee weapons. This is significant. A critical hit build relies on dealing massive burst damage, and this trait severely hinders that potential. If you plan on specializing in critical hits later on, you might want to consider alternative traits. However, remember that you can respec your character later in the game with Old World Blues.

Alternatives and Considerations

While Heavy Handed is my top recommendation, it’s not the only viable option. Here are some other traits to consider, along with their pros and cons for a melee character:

• Built to Destroy: This increases your critical hit chance by 3%, but your weapons degrade much faster (15% faster). This is a decent choice if you’re willing to invest heavily in Repair and constantly maintain your gear. The small critical hit chance boost is nice, but the weapon degradation can be a pain early on when resources are scarce.
• Small Frame: Adds +1 to Agility, but makes you suffer from limb damage more often (+25%). Agility is great for melee builds, increasing Action Points and movement speed, but the increased limb damage can be crippling. Consider if the +1 to Agility is worth the trade-off.
• Skilled: This grants you +5 to all skills, but reduces XP earned by 10%. A solid all-around trait, but the decreased XP gain can slow down your progression. Not ideal for a specialized melee build, as you want to level up quickly to grab those essential melee perks.
• Good Natured: Adds +5 to non-combat skills but reduces combat skill points by the same amount. Not advisable for any combat-focused character.

Beyond Traits: Building Your Melee Character

Choosing the right trait is just the first step. To truly excel as a melee character, you need to focus on:

• SPECIAL Stats: Strength is paramount for weapon requirements and damage. Endurance provides much-needed HP for tanking damage. Agility boosts Action Points for VATS attacks and movement speed. Luck can increase your critical hit chance (though less crucial with Heavy Handed initially).
• Skills: Prioritize Melee Weapons (obviously!), but also invest in Repair to keep your weapons in good condition, Survival for crafting consumables, and Medicine for healing.
• Perks: There are tons of great melee perks, including Super Slam, Slayer, Bloody Mess, and Unstoppable Force. Plan your perk progression carefully to maximize your effectiveness.
• Gear: Look for powerful melee weapons like the Super Sledge, Thermic Lance, or even the humble Knife. Armor that provides damage resistance (DR) is also essential for surviving in close combat.

Embrace the Fury!

Ultimately, the best trait is the one that suits your playstyle. But for a beginner looking to dive headfirst into melee combat, Heavy Handed offers the most immediate and noticeable benefits. Now go forth, Courier, and crush your enemies with the power of steel!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is melee a viable build in Fallout: New Vegas?

Absolutely! Melee builds are incredibly powerful in New Vegas, offering a unique and satisfying way to experience the game. While they require a different approach than ranged builds, with the right perks and gear, you can become an unstoppable force. You’ll be dealing incredible amounts of damage in no time at all.

2. What are the best SPECIAL stats for a melee build?

The most important SPECIAL stats for a melee build are Strength, Endurance, and Agility. Strength is needed for weapon requirements and contributes to damage. Endurance is crucial for increasing HP, as you’ll be taking a lot of hits. Agility increases Action Points (AP) for VATS and improves your movement speed.

3. Should I focus on Melee Weapons or Unarmed?

Both are viable, but they offer different playstyles. Melee Weapons provide a wider variety of weapons with different attack speeds and damage types. Unarmed is often faster and can be devastating with the right perks, but has a smaller weapon selection. Ultimately, the choice depends on your personal preference.

4. Is Charisma important for a melee build?

Generally, Charisma is considered a “dump stat” for melee builds. While it can be useful for passing speech checks, it doesn’t directly contribute to your combat effectiveness. You’re better off investing points into Strength, Endurance, and Agility.

5. What is the best melee weapon in the early game?

Chance’s Knife is a fantastic early-game melee weapon. It deals high damage and has a good critical hit chance. It’s found relatively early in the game, though you’ll have to sneak past some Cazadores to get it.

6. How do I deal with ranged enemies as a melee character?

Closing the distance is key. Use cover to your advantage, utilize chems like Jet to increase your movement speed, and consider investing in perks that improve your speed or provide resistance to ranged attacks. You can also supplement your melee skills with a backup firearm.

7. What are some essential melee perks?

Some essential melee perks include:

• Super Slam: Chance to knock enemies down with melee attacks.
• Slayer: Increases your unarmed attack speed.
• Bloody Mess: Increases damage dealt and causes enemies to explode into a bloody mess.
• Unstoppable Force: Allows you to move through enemies without stopping.
• Purifier: Increases damage against mutated creatures.

8. How does VATS work with melee weapons?

VATS allows you to target specific body parts with your melee attacks. This can be useful for crippling limbs or targeting weak points. The higher your Agility, the more Action Points you’ll have for VATS attacks.

9. Is Power Armor useful for a melee build?

Yes, Power Armor is incredibly beneficial for a melee build. It provides significant damage resistance, increasing your survivability in close combat. Power Armor also boosts your Strength, allowing you to wield heavier weapons.

10. What are the best chems for a melee character?

Chems can be extremely helpful for a melee character. Some of the best options include:

• Jet: Increases Action Points and movement speed.
• Psycho: Increases damage and damage resistance.
• Med-X: Provides damage resistance.
• Slasher: A potent combination of psycho and med-x

11. How important is Repair for a melee build?

Repair is crucial for maintaining your melee weapons. A broken weapon deals significantly less damage and is more likely to break further. Invest in Repair early and often to keep your weapons in top condition.

12. Can I respec my character in Fallout: New Vegas?

Yes, you can respec your SPECIAL stats and perks by completing the Old World Blues DLC and using the Auto-Doc at the Sink. This allows you to experiment with different builds and correct any mistakes you made during character creation.

13. What are some good companions for a melee build?

Companions that can provide support or tank damage are ideal for a melee build. Boone is a good choice for his ranged damage and spotting enemies. Veronica, another good choice, excels at unarmed combat and tanking damage.

14. How does critical hit damage work in New Vegas?

Critical hits deal bonus damage in addition to your regular attack damage. The amount of bonus damage is determined by your weapon’s critical hit multiplier and your Luck stat. Critical hits can be devastating, but they are less reliable without perks and gear that increase your critical hit chance.

15. Where can I find more information about Fallout: New Vegas?

There are many online resources available for Fallout: New Vegas, including wikis, forums, and YouTube channels. You can also explore resources from organizations such as the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org, which examines the educational aspects of gaming and virtual worlds.