Overview
(Work in progress, will be updated once field research is done on new wildlife, will do specifics if requested.)Ever been wandering the bleak Nevada wastes and was suddenly jumped by a giant radscorpion? How about 7 of them and a deathclaw? Well I laugh at the face of death, and encourage you to do the same! With my guide, you’ll have that edge over the creatures of post-apocalyptia and will be all the more composed because of it.Now go out there and kill some creatures, like a sir!(This guide is recommended only for beginners and people who don’t take the game all too seriously.)
Introduction, the Basics of Gentleman’s Warfare
Greetings my humble nooblets! Surely now you’ve seen the wide, barren and certainly inhospitable lands of Nevada after nuclear fire scorched it beyond repair? Haha! Well then that is why you come to me trembling and covered in various unspeakable injuries!
Gecko got you down?
Radscorpion give you a hard time?
Well fear no more, as I: SC, will teach you the manly arts of gentleman’s warfare. Passed down by British sirs since the dawn of time, I’ll have you screaming ‘Tally Ho!’ as you charge into battle!
Well stop right there! We sirs don’t charge, we stride with purpose unless the enemy wants to come to us!
Now read on ahead and be educated!
<A quick note before we start for realsies: I play in hard/very hard difficulty and on hardcore. On top of this, I fight using unarmed only as it is the true gentleman’s way of waging wars. The guide will reflect this for the most part as it assumes you’re being ambushed or caught at a rough time. I will however provide instructions on gun use.>
Tiny, Tiny, Baby Foes.
Now why on Earth would you need help with this?!
Oh alright… Suppose one day that you come back from tussling with 13 deathclaws, and on the way to old Doc Mitchell you find yourself approached by a most ungentlemanly fellow; a powder ganger, or seven.
Your legs are crippled, you have one bar of health and I think you’re also out of stimpacks… What do you do? Well you shoot the ruffians, that’s what!
Powder Gangers, Convicts and Other Hooligans:
These chaps are simple to kill, even sneezing on one can make their head fall off, trust me I would know. The only real danger is when they begin chucking dynamite, then things can get hectic. Their aim is worse than a drunk stormtrooper’s and their armour is sub-par if even there. I saw 2 of them being taken down by a bloatfly… yeah…
Anyhow, if you’re neutral with them then you can sneak attack them en masse at the NCRCF with no consequences. If however you do end up fighting gangs of 10 or more (which can happen surprisingly easily) then you should remember to take them down one at a time and wait for the moment when dynamite flies; then you duck for cover and they should end up blowing themselves up pretty quickly. Powder Gangers will usually attack with melee weapons or low-level pistols.
Notable loot includes chems, caps, ammo and a vast quantity of dynamite.
Pro Tip: Check the ground when approaching powder ganger territory, they leave mines around the place like breadcrumbs that can blow both of your legs off instantly. When you get the recepie for them though, they can prove to be invaluable as a surprise attack. The ‘duct tape + dynamite + tin can + sensor module’ requirements mean that you can make many of them with little effort.
Bloatflies and Bark Scorpions:
… You know what? You will NEVER be threatened by these enemies, I promise you this. Bark scorpions might be scary in vast numbers when you’re low level, but other then that there really is no excuse.
Geckos, the Crafty Hunters:
Geckos are encountered in the tutorial quest as big mutant lizards with the lovable face and the punchable skulls. Your basic Gecko will go down quite easily on its own, just remember that it will try to out-maneuver you with little hops to the left and right, and its HP is quite impressive for something so low-level. Geckos come in 2 flavours, regular and hunter. Gecko hunters are tougher, more resistant to damage and they hit harder too. They are usually seen far away from the main clusters but that also means they are isolated.
Should you be caught in a group of these beasties, remember that you will usually find yourself in a group with older and younger varients of the creature. Always go for the older one first before moving on to the younger ones, and remember they WILL try to flank you. If you’re caught in a massive swarm unprepared, consider yourself dead.
Pro Tip: Weapons like shotguns work really well against them. Wait until they lunge at you then pull the trigger at the last second when aiming for the head. They will be 1-shotted 9 times out of 10, if not then severely crippled, stunning them long enough to deliver a killing blow.
Their meat is very tasty when cooked with jalapenos and banana yucca fruits.
Quick Note: This section of the guide does not cover Fire Geckos or Golden Geckos, they come later on although the method is pretty similar, only with tougher foes, bigger numbers and weirder abilities…
Medium Enemies, for the Aspiring Gentleman
Now we’ve come to a bigger challenge. HA! This is nothing! I can punch a cazadore so hard that its wings explode off of its battered body! However, I will make an allowance for weakness here… It is understandable why you are looking for help on the slightly bigger foes… Better exp and loot than bloatflies? Yeah. I get that.
Mantises, Big and Squishy:
Giant mantises may seem like pushovers, but if they take you by surprise (which they will) then they can prove to be troublesome. They close the gap between player and foe in just a couple of seconds and they attack very quickly, dealing a lot of damage in a short time if your armour is not up to par. Giant mantises attack in small to large groups, proving difficult to defeat to inexperienced players. Using a small rapid fire weapon will easily clear them all away, but if you don’t want to waste the ammo then go ahead and beat them to death with a section of lead pipe or something equivalent. Giant mantises drop nothing of worth and they provide very little in the way of experience points; making them my second least favourite enemy.
Giant mantises are not the same as other varients you may have seen on your travels. These other mantises are so pathetic that they can be killed by being stepped on, and are not even worth mentioning in this guide as a true enemy.
Ants, Big, Slow and Annoying:
Ants appear in many locations around the wastelands; usually dry lake beds or in some old cave or abandoned structure. They prove to be more of a nuisance at higher levels, most dying in one hit from low-end weapons. Big ones exist that can be a little more formidable, and the queens are probably the ugliest things I have EVER laid eyes on. Fire ants (as the name implies) breathe fire on you somehow. It’s not as effective as you might think and your DT should absorb all of the fire damage. All in all, don’t worry too much about these things.
Pro Tip: Aim for the antennae in VATS, once that is crippled then they go beserk, killing other ants in the process.
Bighorners, AKA: Target Practice:
Bighorners are seen at the start of the game as docile, friendly creatures. Little do you know at this point that bighorners take up a great deal of the game’s hillside and grasslands; and can provide oodles of exp for the patient gentleman willing to hunt them down. Be warned though, when you attack one then the herd go beserk, charging into you. They can knock you down and keep you stunlocked, effectively killing you through exploits. In every herd there is a Bighorner Bull, a bigger, meaner version; I would recommend going for this one first. So long as you keep moving and make sure they can’t ram you, you should be fine. Bighorner meat can be cooked into steaks at survival 50, they drop a LOT of meat, so be sure to stock up when playing hardcore mode.
Fiends, Vipers and Jackals:
These guys may seem different, but really they’re just the same enemy with different labels, armour and default weapons. Fiends gather around New Vegas and can prove to be a bit of a nuisance when they begin ambushing you. In this event, stay calm and kill the one with the gun. The rest will follow, mostly because they weild stuff like pool cues or tire irons. Higher level fiends can hold hunting rifles, laser RCWs and plasma weapons, so be warned. Notable loot includes chems and medium end weaponry at very low condition.
Viper and Jackal gang members are more of a midlands issue, they very rarely appear but when they do it’s like the powder gangers all over again. They tend to wear metal armour and their aim is a little better. They also have a knack for crippling your head, causing you to spend a few seconds staggering; this can prove disasterous in an ambush situation as it leaves you completely vulnerable. Oddly enough, the best strategy is to run straight at them, weaving through the gunfire before pulling off a close-range kill. Either that or take them down safely at a range. Their weapons consist of 10mm-9mm pistols and occasionaly 9mm sub-machine guns.
Pro Tip: Like with any humanoid enemy, a good idea is to aim at their weapon in VATS. Doing this will leave them vulnerable for a few seconds while they look for a new one or go to pick theirs back up.
Irradiated and Fire Spitting Lizards, the Meaner Cousins of the Adorable Geckos Around Goodsprings:
Golden geckos and fire geckos provide more of a challenge than the regular geckos. Gold geckos dwell around irradiated pits of toxic waste and their bite inflicts radiation damage. They have the annoying habit of all attacking at once, swarming around you in groups of 9 and more and keeping you pinned. They go down almost as fast as regular geckos, so there really is no need to worry too much if you get jumped by them. Like with regular geckos, golden geckos are weak against shotguns.
Manly Tip: Take the Crecent Canyon obstacle course! Just by Nipton is a canyon that spans the south-east of the map. The conditions there are incredibly harsh, narrow passages with high background rads and enough golden geckos to keep you well fed on gecko kebabs for many weeks to come. Use only your fists to become almost as much of a sir as me!
Fire Geckos are another story altogether. Very rarely encountered except in a couple of locations neat Jacobstown and Cottonwood Cove, fire geckos are big, mean and tough. Like the name suggests, they breathe fire. Keep your distance and take them on at a distance, they have quite a moderate DT so pack some creative ammo if you decide to take them on. Admittedly I haven’t had much experience fighting these louts, so I will be editing this segment when more field research is done.
Radscorpions, Meals With Legs:
Smaller radscorpions are a breeze to take down. They’re slow, they can’t turn around if their life depended on it (and it does), on top of that; their deadliest attack has appauling range. Take your time with these and they’ll prove to be minor annoyances sooner or later.
All radscorpions hold delicious poison glands, take these to Ruby Nash in Primm to get her special casserole, a true man’s feast!
Bigger, Badder, A True Sir’s Opponent
Now we get to the real fighting! In this section I will be teaching you my own fighting styles that have won me many battles against enemies otherwise impossible to beat without this insider knowledge. For example, did you know giant radscorpions can be beaten with ease as low as level 8? Using only your bear fists? Well I was the one who found out!
Giant Radscorpions, AKA: A Feast Fit for a Sir!
Giant rads are not only bigger in size, but speed, maneuverability, range and attack power; despite this it doesn’t do anything to save them from the gentlemanly hunger that must be ravaging you right now. Just like how you took on the other radscorpions, keep dodging to the sides except this time you want to back up slowly because that scorpion is gonna start lunging and swiping with those claws. That’s an instant cripple right there! when it looks like it’s going to sting you, jump. Stinger avoided, now move back in with the attacks!
If you’re more of a la-de-da: Attack from the distance kind of guy, well whatever, I won’t judge. Just bring the armour piercers, those things are surprisingly robust against bullets and even lasers. Just remember what I taught you and you’ll be fine.
If you want a REAL challenge though, head to the cliffs north of Goodsprings or north of the Mojave Outpost, there you’ll find 10+ of these things that’ll more often than not, attack at once. The important thing to remember in this situation is not to panic and to keep moving. As soon as that stinger gets you, you’re dead.
Keep strafing, shooting or if you’re like me: BEATING IT WITH YOUR BEAR HANDS, then you’ll be swimming in Ruby’s casserole in no time! How does it feel to be eating the most deadly food in the wastes? Next to deathclaw omlette of course… But we’ll get to that.
The Cruel Hunters, Cazadores:
Cazadores are deadly, there is no denying that. They will detect you from ludicrous distances then close the gap in seconds, 2 stings and you’re dead. They attack in groups of 3-5 and cripple limbs in 1 shot, these things are NOT to be underestimated. I haven’t found a particularly effective melee strategy against them, so the best thing to do is to shoot them from afar with hollow point rounds. The absolute best weapons against them is the minigun or similar weapon; that thing chews through them in a matter of seconds. If you’re like me though and feel honourbound to the way of the gentleman, then I suggest power attacking as soon as they are within range to throw them off, then carry the momentum into a dodge around them. They’re nippy little buggers though so you’ll need to be fast on your feet. Eventually, they’ll go down but not before ripping your HP to shreds.
WARNING: Cazzies are deadly poisionous, this isn’t like bark-scorpion poison or radscorpion venom, cazadore poison WILL kill you and bloody fast too. Keep them at a distance unless you have means to cure your poison. A good item to have for this can be crafted at a campfire with 1 buffalo gourd seed and some surgical tubing.
Deathclaw, King of Lizards:
Deathclaws are one of the toughest enemies to bring down, yet when you do the rewards are great and the bragging rights unquestionable. Deathclaws are found in very few parts of the mojave and either alone or in a large pack.
I will be telling you how to deal with them solo, since this guide is meant for people caught unawares. If you attack a Deathclaw pack without being prepared then I shouldn’t have to tell you how dead you are.
For starters, get to know them before you attack them. Deathclaws are surprisingly fast, leap large distances and can kill you in a single hit unless you’re a high enough level. They are pretty much bulletproof and don’t seem too impressed with laser fire either. Still want to take one on? WHY OF COURSE YOU DO YOU SNIVELLING COWARD!
Use a high caliber weapon from a long distance, my favourite is the anti-material rifle aimed RIGHT at it’s ugly head! It’ll turn it into the largest red stain on the desert’s nice clean pants! If you MUST go in close then hit it hard and with everything you’ve got. Watch out for the pounce attack so be ready as soon as its in mid-range with you. If you have explosives then USE them.
If you’re man enough, go toe-to-toe with them for all the glory! keep dodging and make sure those swipes don’t hit you.
Ok, ok, I’ll give you some tips on fighting the packs. When attacking the pack; the element of surprise is CRUCIAL. Stay hidden and use that mini-nuke you’ve been saving for just the right occasion. This is the kind of situation where you want to leave nothing alive for several kilometers. Luckily for you, there’s some pretty sweet loot to be found when you clear a deathclaw nest (I won’t ruin the surprise).
Just be wary of the alpha deathclaws, no advice can prepare you for THEM.
Gentleman’s Combat, Read if you Wish to be Reborn as a True Sir!
So, you come to this final part of the guide with a hopeful glint in your eyes, coming to me wishing to become part of the gentlemanly army? Well alright then.
Just remember: being a true gentleman requires dedication, strategy, and a devilish mustache (optional for the women amongst you).
Step 1: A true sir fights with the only weapons he was born with. That’s right his FISTS!
When engaged in gentleman’s combat, you are permitted to only use your fists to engage the opponent. Other unarmed weapons are permitted, but no ranged or melee weapons are allowed. This also goes to thrown explosives or mines.
I hear you shriek: “But SC, how do we beat enemies with guns?!” Silence fool! Has combat taught you nothing?! You should never stand still when fighting an opponent, you must be dodging, ducking, sipping tea, all the while punching your enemy into submission!
Step 2: A true sir looks for bigger challenges. Why fight a deathclaw when you can fight 5 of them?
For glory, for victory, for well kept facial hair!
Step 3: A gentleman never associates with ruffians, yet remains the moral authority.
Powder gangers? Oh please… They don’t deserve to associate with you. The problem is that the universe treats your actions with praise, a kill is a kill! Remain neutral to show that cosmos who is boss!
Step 4: A gentleman dines on only the deadliest of foods. Fancy lad snacks? Sugar bombs? Pshhhh, only if you’re a weakling! A real man eats the flesh of his enemies! Collect those deathclaw eggs and radscorpion poison glands and eat them for every meal!
Step 5: A Sir keeps track of his kills.
What’s the point in combat with mighty deathclaws or multitudes of fire geckos if you can’t brag about it to the hunting club?! Keep their skins, hands, heads or other parts as a reminder for you and a warning to your foes that you mean business.