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Fallout 3 Hints
Character Development Tips
1 of 6: See the Early Development Strategy for a good way to start getting lots of XP and loot once you exit Vault 101.
2 of 6: When you level up, spend most of your skill points on Small Guns, Science, Lockpick, and Repair at first, until they're at 45 each -- that'll turn into a 50 when you equip items that give +5 bonuses to those skills. You might also want to get Speech up to 25 or so to help with Speech Challenges.
3 of 6: Later on, put a lot in Sneak and Energy Weapons, plus whatever else you think is particularly useful. (The idea is that you'll use mostly small guns at first, and move on to energy weapons later on. You could use a different plan, such as starting with Melee Weapons and choosing Big Guns later.)
4 of 6: For perks, check the lists below for my comments on each one, plus my recommendation on which one to take on each level-up. There's often no single clear best choice for everyone, so you'll have to make your own decision after reading what I have to say.
As a general rule, I don't recommend getting skill-improving perks because you can always increase skills on level-up, and by collecting bobbleheads and skill books. When you use a perk to increase a skill, you might be getting some short-term gain -- not having to wait until the next level or not having to take the time to find a bobblehead or skill book -- but you're also probably giving up something else that's only available as a perk. In the end, the choice is yours, but do be aware of the trade-offs.
5 of 6: So how do you build the ultimate character? That depends on exactly what you think of as ultimate. If you don't already have a clear idea, you can check the ultimate character build that I give below. It focuses on making a tough damage-dealing guy who doesn't depend on V.A.T.S. much, and should work for just about everyone. If you want to make a V.A.T.S.-focused character, you can modify the build by raising the starting Agility value and taking the V.A.T.S.-related perks that are recommended in the above perk lists. (Or see the stealth/V.A.T.S. character build that I give in the Operation: Anchorage hints in the separate hint file for Fallout 3's game add-ons.)
6 of 6: The game has a max character level of 20, which once achieved can really put a damper on gameplay since there's no longer any need to do all the fun extra things that get you XP. When you get to level 20, you can either go finish the main quests and consider yourself done with the game, or you can use the PC Cheat Codes to edit the game setting that sets the max level. Raise it to 30, 40, or whatever you think is best, then keep on playing and developing your character. (Or install the Broken Steel game add-on, which "legally" raises the level limit to 30 and adds several new level-up perks.)
