Overview
This is less of a guide, and more of a place for throwing around character ideas. I find it much more fun playing New Vegas when I have a specific character or playstyle in mind, so here are a few of my personal favourites.
Introduction
Welcome! This is less of a strict guide, and more of a place for throwing character ideas around. Feel free to comment any of your favorite characters, include S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats, traits, perks, major skills and minor skills, and the playstyle and backstory (if you give a ♥♥♥♥ about role-playing).
The character’s perks and items all assume that you have all of the DLC installed, but you can find suitable supplements without any of the DLC. Also, none of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats actually reach 10, even though it might make more sense for the character, becuase you can boost any of you stats at the New Vegas Medical Clinic.
The Ranger with a Heart of Gold
Strength – 6
Perception – 1
Endurance – 7
Charisma – 6
Inteligence – 7
Agility – 7
Luck – 6
Traits:
Skilled
Good Natured
Major Skills:
Guns
Speech
Medicine
Minor Skills:
Repair
Melee Weapons
Perks:
Confirmed Bachelor
Educated
Shotgun Surgeon
Cowboy
Quick Draw
Fast Matabolism
Jury Rigging
Toughness
Hand Loader
Rapid Reloader
Playstyle:
As the Ranger with a Heart of Gold, you’re a force of good in the dangers of the wasteland. While you know your way around a level-action shotgun with terrifying power, you much prefer to disarm situations with speech, and without bloodshed. Combat should be avoided as much as possible, however, instead use speech to calm people down, and negotiate truces. Use your high medicine skill to keep your health topped up with stimpacks and chems, and try to be as self sufficient as possible. Recycle ammo, and repair your weapon yourself instead of paying for a vendor (this will become much easier with the Jury Rigging perk).
Try to maintain very good karma at all times, and help people as much as you can, unless they want you to do something actively bad, like unjust murder or stealing. The only exception to this rule is Caesar’s Legion, who deserve the harshest of punishments for their crimes against humanity. Aim to gain access to the Ranger Safehouse as soon as possible, and use it as a base of operations to store your gear.
Although your perception if very low, you wont be using lockpick, explosives or energy weapons much, and the lack of enemy awareness can be easily offset by recruiting ED-E as a companion.
Also, keep Boone with you as much as you can, to pick off as many of those Legion buggers as you can!
Weapons:
Armor:
Backstory:
As the Ranger, you were brought up in the strip, where you learned how to smooth talk your way into, and out of most situations. This lifestyle was a two sided coin however, as your time spent in the city of vice made you realist how evil some people can really be. Because of this, you seek to be a force of good in the world, and spent a lot of time with the Followers of the Apocalypse, learning of medicine, and more importantly, your strict moral compass, which guides you through the wasteland. You also spend a lot of time around the many NCR troopers in the strip, who tell you stories of the wastes, and the NCR Rangers. Inspired by the NCR’s good intentions, and the heroism of the Rangers, you enlist in the NCR as soon as you can, and train to become a Ranger, before taking the courier job.
As for the main story, you should side with the NCR (obviously), and aim to help them out as much as possible. Although you remain loyal to their orders, don’t be afraid to bend the rules slightly to save some lives, (for example forming a truce between the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel). Play through the DLCs if you have them, especially Lonesome Road, for the great loot, chance to reason with Ulysses, and more final ending to the game nuking the legion for the NCR
The One-Handed Wanderer
Strength – 8
Perception- 6
Endurance – 7
Charisma – 1
Inteligence – 7
Agility – 3
Luck – 8
Traits:
Built to Destroy
Skilled
Major Skills:
Unarmed
Guns
Survival
Minor Skills:
Repair
Melee Weapons
Perks:
Old World Gourmet
Educated
Toughness
Super Slam
Finesse
Piercing Strike
Fight The Power
Jury Rigging
Paralyzing Palm
Better Criticals
Playstyle:
In this playstyle, you run in, and rely on pure, blind luck to get you through your fights! Critical hits are your best friend, so be sure to use critical based weapons. The low charisma, and subsequently low barter is offset by the high luck meaning that you can make an easy 50,000 caps in the casinos, so you should be fine for buying ammunition. Keep your repair fairly high, for recycling bullets, and keeping your huge guns in good shape, and sink some points into melee weapons too, because many perks that affect unarmed require melee points as well. Finally, no stimpacks! Get back all your health from food, however a high survival, and old world gourmet will help a lot.
Weapons:
Use unarmed weapons mostly in the early game (you can find some spiked knuckles in Primm), but in the late game pick up the two-step goodbye, and other strong unarmed weapons. Aside from the main story, I would recommend following the Lonesome Road DLC, and craft yourself The Fist of Rawr, which is the only deathclaw gaunlet in the entire game.
Armor:
After finishing the Lonesome Road DLC fire the nukes at Caesar’s Legion, which should be natural for your character’s motive’s anyway pick up the Armor of the 87th Tribe,
it provides great DT and a really useful boost in crit chance. 
Backstory:
You started your life with a small tribe in the east of Mojave, and with them you have learned that strength, and toughness means more than everything else. They taught you how to fight with unarmed weapons, and survive off the land in the wasteland. However, as a child, your camp was attacked, and razed by Caesar’s Legion. Your luck let you get out alive, however it left you with hatred for the Legion, and you will go out of your way to murder as many Legionaries as you can. After escaping, you stumble into the NCR camp Forlorn Hope, where they took care of you. Despite their initial kindness, you soon discover the gaping flaws in the NCR, and become frustrated by their obsession with bureaucracy, and their unwillingness to take any meaningful action. Your stay in the camp did hold some silver lining however, as Quartermaster Mayes taught you how to use, and repair guns, especially larger ones, which you handle with ease due to the brutal training with your tribe. From here, you leave, take the job of the courier, and begin the game.
I would recommend siding with Yes Man during the story, as your already established hate for the Legion, and frustration with the NCR rules them both out. Mr House is too selfish for your liking, which leaves Yes Man. Your main philosophy is of respect for people who are strong, fearless, and independent however you still maintain strong loyalty for your allies. Following this ideal, you keep respect for the Great Khans, and the Powder Gangers, and you help out the Followers of the Apocalypse, because of their fearless dedication to their cause, despite the threat from the NCR, and their label as anarchists. Be sure to destroy the Brotherhood of Steel though, those bunker-cowering energy weapon nerds aren’t worth your time. Follow the DLC if you have them, especially Honest Hearts for the survival recipes and ingredients, and Lonesome Road for the weapons and armor.
Cunning Communist Super Spy
Strength – 4
Perception – 7
Endurance – 1
Charisma – 7
Intelligence – 7
Agility – 7
Luck – 7
Traits:
Four Eyes
Small Frame
Major Skills:
Sneak
Guns
Speech
Minor Skills:
Lockpick
Melee Weapons
Perks:
Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme
Educated
Fortune Finder
The Professional
Cowboy
Mr Sandman
Night Person
Silent Running
Better Criticals
Ninja
Playstyle:
As the Communist Super Spy, it is your duty to stab, sabotage, and smooth-talk your way into destroying your enemies from where they’ll never see you coming. You should remain hidden as much as possible, attacking from stealth, and stealing whatever isn’t nailed down. Your high agility and perception should aid you in sneaking and picking off enemies one by one silently. However, whenever possible, you should try to squeeze information out of people with your high speech skill, but if that doesn’t work, use lockpick to break into their homes and steal whatever you need. Be wary though, as your low strength and endurance means that you won’t last long in a heavy firefight, so stay in the shadows as much as possible. You should maintain negative karma as much as possible, and sabotage everyone you can.
Weapons: 
Armor: 
Backstory:
As the Communist Spy, you were brought up by two secret descendants of Chinese spies who were stranded in the USA after the bombs dropped. They taught you Communism, and a hatred of American ideals, until you leave to make your own way in the wasteland. You learn quickly how to handle small guns, and talk your way into fantastic deals with traders, however your shortcomings come from your frail body, and weakness in hand-to-hand combat. Because of this, you quickly learn to remain noticed by the majority of wasteland raiders, and make a small time career in taking shady work from people who need something stolen, or someone killed. This life led you to the courier job, and the sticky end it brings.
As for the main story, you understandably have a deep hatred for the American values of the NCR, so take out as many as you can through stealth, but try to maintain a neutral relationship with them, as it will become very troublesome in the main story if you piss of the NCR too soon. As for the battle of Hoover Dam, you could team up with Mr House, as his sabotage and high pay are suitable for your diabolical *less than moral* work ethic. However, you could also side with Caesar’s Legion, because even though you’re ill-suited for front line combat, you have much respect for the Frumentarii, and the infiltration. Plus, siding with the Legion allows you to kill as many NCR troopers as you want, which is always a plus. Down with the West!
The Dim Dumbell Lifter
S.P.E.C.I.A.L
Endurance – 9
Perception – 7
Charisma – 1
Intelligence – 1
Agility – 7
Luck – 7
Traits:
Heavy Handed
Hot Blooded
Major Skills:
Melee Weapons
Explosives
Survival
Minor Skills
Unarmed
Repair
Perks:
Heave, Ho!
Hunter
Bloody Mess
Toughness
Stone Wall
Super Slam!
Unstoppable Force
Adamantium Skeleton
Purifier
Slayer
Playstyle:
Big and beefy is how you roll, and muscles are all you know. Big, heavy, two-handed melee weapons are your best friend, and you should use them at all times. Stealth, or simply talking to people is completely out of the question, let your hammer do the talking! Use explosives for large groups of enemies who you can’t pick off one by one with melee, and go for maximum sustain in fights. Build up your DT so high that bullets just bounce off you! While your huge strength and endurance are great, your low charisma can be a pain for buying items, however just farm casinos for caps. You low intelligence is a larger issue though, as you will only get 10 or 11 skill points to distribute with every level up, however this isn’t so bad, as you only really focus on one way of getting things done – SQUASH! . Also, the low intelligence opens up a number of hilarious dialogue options, so be sure to pick those whenever possible.
Weapons:
For explosives, use frag grenades or grenade launchers, any will do, as most of the time you’ll be in the thick of the action.
Armor:
Backstory:
You were never the brightest tool in the shed. In fact, you weren’t even a tool, you were an empty Nuka-Cola bottle. And you weren’t even in the shed, you were in a radioactive puddle outside the shed! Nevertheless, thinking things through never really was your style, you’d much rather let other people do the thinking, and you do the bone-crushing! Even though you’re dumb as a brick, you still have a strong sense of right and wrong, and love helping people out, as long as they explain what they need you to do in slow, short, simple words.
As a child, your camp in the east of the Mojave was overrun by Deathclaws, who killed all of your family and friends, but by some miracle you managed to escape! You wandered the wastes alone for many days, before stumbling upon Jacobstown, where Marcus and the other super mutants cared for you. Soon, your body showed abnormal signs of growth, even with your excellent genetics giving you a very strong body, this level of strength was unseen in any human that the super mutants had ever seen. The only explanation that Doc Henry could provide was that somehow, some of the FEV which created the super mutants had seeped into your DNA! Although he blabbered on for a long time about the “scientific breakthrough”, and “potential catastrophic effects”, you saw it as a great opportunity to smash more skulls with your favorite sledgehammer which you found in Jacobstown, which you nicknamed Oh Baby! However, when you took the courier job, and were double crossed by Benny, one of the Khans took your beloved hammer, and lost it when he died in Charleston Cave.When you wake up, you vow to get it back, by all means necessary!
Aside from your character motives, for the main plot I recommend siding with the NCR. Their strict chain of command means that theirs always someone for you to follow orders from, which suits you just fine. Although the legion have this too, they’re a bit to evil, for your liking. Mr House’s grand dreams for New Vegas confuse you too much, and the idea of working with Yes Man, and deciding the fate of New Vegas for yourself, is too much for your brain to handle.
Cook-Cook’s Cremator
S.P.E.C.I.A.L:
Perception – 8
Endurance – 9
Charisma – 1
Intelligence – 6
Agility – 6
Luck – 1
Traits:
Hoarder
Skilled
Major Skills:
Energy Weapons
Melee Weapons
Survival
Minor Skills:
Explosives
Repair
Perks:
Hunter
Cannibal
Educated
Super Slam!
Tribal Wisdom
Pyromaniac
Sneering Imperialist
Toughness
Piercing Strike
Ghastly Scavenger
Meat of Champions (requires cannibalizing Mr. House, Caesar, The King and Aaron Kimball)
Playstyle:
Fire. No seriously, that’s it. Everything you use, should revolve around fire. The Pyromaniac perk is therefore essential for this build, and due to it’s 60 explosives requirement, be sure to build up explosives before level 12, so you can get it as early as possible, because that staggering +50% damage is too good to give up. Due to your low luck, you won’t be relying on critical hits, so just run in, and get as much damage done as you can as soon as possible. You’ll soon become very familiar with all your weapon’s base damages, as they won’t flair up with crits too often.
In the vain of Cook-Cook, only heal yourself with food, and not medicine. Your high survival should really help with this, so be sure to boost up that stat whenever you can. However, you take this rugged survivalist nature another step further, and turn to cannibalism. After a fight, eat every corpse you can, and be sure to get all the cannibal-related perks that you can. After all, no-one will know that you killed everyone, if you’ve eaten all the evidence!
Your low charisma means that buying your weapons will be difficult, and with your additional low luck, farming casinos will be much harder as well. So, be sure to steal, and sell as much as you can. Hoard everything from an area, and just pawn it off to the Van Graffs or Gun Runners, even for a horribly low price. The hoarder perk should help with this also.
Weapons:
Armor:
Although there if pleasure to be taken from wearing Cook-Cook’s own metal armor, and unique face-mask, they don’t provide much DT from harder-hitting foes, so I would recommend in the late game getting either a set of Power Armor, or Legion Centurion Armor, which will give you much better protection.
Backstory:
Like many children of the wastes, your parents were killed by raider, of more specifically, the Fiends. Those chem junkies ambushed them on the road going west to New Vegas, and you had no choice to watch as their leader Cook-Cook roasted them alive. For better or for worse, Cook-Cook chose not to kill you for some reason, maybe he sensed your rugged endurance, or maybe he just wanted a pet to train to kill, but either way, you were trapped by the psychopath’s side. You spent two long, lonely years with the Fiends, watching Cook-Cook burn his victims alive, and seeing the Fiends slowly kill themselves with drugs. The only upside, was that you learned a great deal from Cook-Cook on how to cook the most filling, and strengthening meals from any old junk he found in the Mojave. Despite this, Cook-Cook never let you out of his sight, so escape was out of the question, until one day, the Fiends were ambushed by Caesar’s Legion, who quickly burned the camp, and killed most of the Fiends. During the commotion, you managed to break free of Cook-Cook, and tried to make a run for it, but the Legion had other plans. You were captured, but despite your worst fears, you weren’t killed, instead made a Recruit Legionary, showing great promise in the army. You quickly began to enjoy the life of the Legion, free of the drugs which had poisoned your last companions, and rose through the ranks quickly, growing not just in physical strength, but emotionally, knowing that the despised Cook-Cook had been killed once and for all. This all changed one day however, as you spoke with Lucius, who told you that Cook-Cook had in fact, got away. Enraged by the thought that your tormentor still lives in the Mojave, you set out to kill him. This led you to the courier job, and the *complications* which arose.
During the main game, your goal, aside from helping the Legion storm Hoover Dam, is to kill Cook-Cook once and for all, putting your mind at ease, at last. You decide that his death will be all the sweeter, if you use the very same weapons which he used to torment you for so long, and so you vow to only use flame-based weapons.
The Laser Nerd
S.P.E.C.I.A.L:
Perception – 8
Endurance – 4
Charisma – 1
Intelligence – 9
Agility – 7
Luck – 7
Traits:
Four Eyes
Good Natured
Major Skills:
Energy Weapons
Science
Medicine
Minor Skills:
Lockpick
Sneak
Perks:
Retention
Educated
Comprehension
Living Anatomy
Nerd Rage
Robotics Expert
Fast Metabolism
Meltdown
Voracious Reader
Laser Commander
Playstyle:
As the name suggests, this playstyle revolves around energy weapons, more specifically laser ones. While plasma weapons pack a decent punch, their slow moving projectiles aren’t as reliable as the fast moving laser. However, your fairly low strength means that although laser is your bread and butter, you won’t be picking up a gatling laser any time soon, or any other heavy weapons. Also, your low endurance means that you should try to keep enemies at medium to long range, because you don’t have the health or resistances to be up close. Your high luck will make the Meltdown perk very effective, as you will be hitting a lot of critical hits, so be ready for a lot of goo explosions.
Aside from energy weapons, your other love in life is reading. No, it’s not as lame as it sounds (I promise), it will actually help you a lot in combat. Hoard all the magazines that you find, and use them every fight to boost your stats, especially the True Police Stories magazines, because it will give you a huge 10% critical chance boost for 3 minutes with all the magazine-related perks. Aside from magazines, be sure to seek out all the skill books in the game, with the Comprehension perk, you won’t really have to raise any skills higher than 90, because the skill books will easily give you the last 10 points. You stimpaks and chems all you can, as they’re the most reliable heals, and combat boosters in the game. Especially mentats, someone as smart as you should be popping them at all times, just like Dr Mobius!
Weapons:
Armor:
Your obsession with laser weapons and science should really leave no other option as what to wear, good old Power Armor. More specifically, the Gannon Family Tesla Armor, which provides great DT, and a boost to energy weapons, which is 1 of 3 pieces of apparel in the game to boost the skill. also it looks so cool like oh my god it’s got ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ lasers on the back and everything oh my god its so cool dude woah
Backstory:
You were raised with the Followers of the Apocalypse, over in the Old Mormon Fort, where they taught you right from wrong. You also learned an extensive knowledge of medicine and science with the Followers, however you never mastered their ease of talking to any old junkie in Freeside. The truth is, you were always too shy to help with the addicted up front, so most of the time you stayed away from the eyes of the public, with your only friend being a comic book collection which you cherished. Your prized possession was a copy of the book “Nicola Tesla and You”, which you brought for the 100 caps that you managed to scrape together for a prospector. The book gave you a a taste for energy weapons, which you could never be rid of, and so one night, you sneaked out of the Fort, and despite Julie Farkas’s warnings, went to the Silver Rush. It was everything that you’d ever dreamed of, and you decided that you love for laser could wait no longer. You brought a laser pistol, and decided to explore the wastes for yourself, which landed you with the courier job.
During the main story, I would recommend siding with the NCR, as they provide a stable relationship with the Followers, who you still do you best to protect. Although Mr House might seem like a preferable alternative, because of the NCR’s more prominent use of conventional guns, and Mr House’s advanced technology, remember that during the House Always Wins V, you are forced to wipe out the Brotherhood of Steel. The Brotherhood should be an ally you try to make and keep as soon as you can in the game, as their energy weapons are too good to give up. Although the NCR and the Brotherhood had bad blood in the past, there is still an option to organisze a truce between them, however with Mr House, that is impossible.
Tinnitus Timmy
S.P.E.C.I.A.L:
Endurance – 7
Charisma – 1
Intelligence – 7
Agility – 3
Luck – 7
Traits:
Skilled
Wild Wasteland
Major Skills
Explosives
Medicine
Repair
Minor Skills
Melee Weapons
Barter
Perks:
Heave Ho!
Educated
Mad Bomber
Demolition Expert
Toughness
Hit the ♥♥♥♥
Splash Damage
Jury Rigging
Adamantium Skeleton
Heavyweight
Playstyle:
For most people, the thought of nuclear bombs raining down on all of America would send shivers down their spine, but not you! You only wish that you were alive to have seen it – the explosions, the fire, the limbs flying everywhere, terrific! As you may have guessed, with this character, you’ll be primarily using explosives, which means that you should naturally keep your distance from your foes, because you don’t want to get caught in the blast radius. However, sometimes enemies will get up in your face, so it’s important that you have a backup melee weapon ready for when you get rushed down, because your body can’t handle a grenade up close, even with your high endurance.
Your high strength means that not only will you hit hard with melee weapons, but the heavy explosive weapons shouldn’t be an issue, even in the late game with the huge Fat Man. You’ll have to supplement your low charisma by pouring some points into barter, because explosive ammunition and weapons aren’t common, or cheap. Because of that, it’s also important to have your repair to a high level to keep your gear well repaired. Also, keep your medicine skill high, so that you can patch yourself up from the splash damage.
Weapons:
Armor:
Naturally, because you’re using explosive weapons, you’re going to want something that can keep you very well protected, so I would recommend any Power Armor. Despite the fact that they reduce your speed, you’ll be far off from enemies most of the time, so that’s not an issue, and even when you bring out your melee weapons it will be because they’ve come to you. If you want the armor with the highest DT in the game though, then seek out the Remnants Power Armor.
Backstory:
You spent your childhood with the Boomers, learning all about explosives, and how to create the biggest BOOM possible. This was all well and good, until one day, you were tinkering around with a Fat Mine, and it may have gone off a little too close to your head, giving you . The ringing in your ears became so bad, that even Dr. Argyll couldn’t help you. After much consideration, the Pearl decided to send you out of the base to find a doctor to cure you, so you set out, with only your knowledge of explosives and very bad hearing. You found a shady looking man in Freeside, who claimed to be a doctor, and you believed him (maybe that bomb had damaged a bit more than your ears!). Unfortunately, he wanted 50,000 caps to cure you, he said it was ‘a very dangerous operation’, although it was hard to understand him, it seems he was drunk at the time. Nevertheless, you set out to find a job, and take the courier job immediately.
After Benny shot you in the head, and you wake up in Goodsprings, you do find one positive to the situation, your tinnitus has been cured! Also, the bullet miraculously seemed to have pushed some of your brains back in the right place, and you’re no longer as stupid as you were before!
Your time cooped up in Nellis AFB means that you’re a little unaware of the factions of the Mojave, so really you could side with any of the major factions in the end game, the Boomers will help regardless. Also, help out the Powder Gangers, despite their ruthless reputation, they too use bombs, and are a useful ally.
