Fallout Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Biomech (FO4)

Tags: #Character Build Power Armor  #Fallout 4 Build  #Character Build Chemist  #Character Build Sharpshooter 
  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    After testing a number of different builds for Fallout 4 I decided it was high time I published one here on the Vault. This character is powerful right from the start of the game, fun, and incredibly quick to set-up. 24/7 stomping in power armor and smashing drugs is the primary focus here so if that isn’t your thing then it’s probably best to stop reading now.

    The Biomech

    An imperfect conjoining of man and machine, fuelled by performance enhancing combat drugs and a vast arsenal of explosives and weaponry! The Biomech has perfected the various designs of pre-war power armor and customized them in response to the many dangers of the new world.

    The hunter’s are now the hunted...

     

    The Build

    This builds concept was realized when I paused to consider just how many perks in the game can be directly replaced simply by wearing a suit of power armor, there’s a lot, but let’s start with the basics first.

    One of the most important things to know when wearing power armor is that it functions completely separately from your standard apparel. That BioComm mesh you grinded for isn’t doing squat while wearing power armor, and all the resources you poured into upgrading your heavy combat armor are providing you with nothing but access weight that simply doesn’t need to be there. Any worn legendary armor effects are toggled off while wearing power armor. In short, you may as well just hop into your tank wearing nothing but your underwear...you won’t be any better or less protected/fortified.

    Defensive perks like Toughness and Refractor are applied while wearing power armor but are tiny drops in the water when compared to the monstrous defences already granted by your suit, certainly not worth sinking 10 perks into. I’ve never received a crippled limb while wearing power armor even after taking mini nukes to the face and wandering through mine fields so it’s safe to say that you technically have all three perks of Adamantium Skeleton while suited up along with the more obvious immunity to fall damage.

    All power armor basically comes with a built in Hazmat Suit for a base 1050 radiation resistance which can be supplemented with Rad-X when in the most toxic areas of the game making the Rad Resistant perks redundant. Rad Scrubbers can also be applied to your suit to remove radiation damage from ingested food and drink which effectively replaces all three perks of Lead Belly while the amazing Blood Cleanser upgrade removes the need for chem resistance perks which is a huge boon at the start of the game.

    So what’s the disadvantage when wearing power armor for the entire game? Well, not much. The HUD is a little bit chunky and of course you’re going to need an ample supply of fusion cores to keep going, fortunately FC’s are everywhere! Water is generally your enemy as a power armor user, mainly because it will slow you down and there’s a danger of drowning if you use up the ample air supply your suit provides but you’ll still be able to cross a deep river and potentially save a long hike with minimal rad exposure should the need arise, and such murky underwater adventures are often fairly immersive.

    These revelations came together to give birth to the Biomech, a character dependent on power armor and intravenously fed a steady stream of powerful combat drugs and chemicals to create a self sufficient powerhouse bred for warfare.

     

    Statistics

    Strength 3

    We just want the Armorer perk here, while wearing power armor your carry weight is improved enough that more investment is going to be wasteful.

    Perception 4

    Using VATS as a power armor user should really be a last resort, especially during the early levels of the game. Rifles (especially scoped rifles) will burn through action points at a phenomenal rate in VATS and place unnecessary strain on your fusion core. The advantage of using rifles however is that they can turn you into a one shot ADS killer, ADS won’t burn action points unless you need to hold your breath when taking long calculated shots. 

    Endurance 4

    There’s not much to see here, as I’ve already pointed out in the builds concept many of the endurance perks are totally eclipsed or replaced simply by wearing power armor. It’s still important to have some meat living under the crust and the jelly though so health is still important. Life Giver would be the only perk I’d consider with this build but considering a single use of Bufftats drowns out this perk I couldn’t bring myself to invest any points here.

    Charisma 2

    The Biomech isn’t one for small talk and doesn’t really give two shits what people think of him, his place is on the field soaking up damage and dishing out pain. It isn’t unheard of for this character to wear a suit and a nice hat underneath his power armor though, throw in a quick pack of grape mentats and you have 10 charisma; he can be a salesman for an hour or two should he want some extra fusion cores. Starting with two points in charisma means that once the bobblehead has been found we can invest in the Lone Wanderer perk for its combat benefits, this can potentially grant 80% damage reduction when combined with power armors Emergency Protocol setting but that’s all very late game.

    Intelligence 7 (8 with ‘I’m Special’)

    Now we’re talking. This is going to be our primary stat and don’t forget to place your bonus ‘I’m Special’ point here at the start of the game. The benefits of Nuclear Physicist, Science and Chemist all want to be reaped as early as possible and of course having high intelligence means more XP to gain levels faster. This stat will be discussed in more detail later but remember that staying in your power armor is the primary concern here and so nuclear physicist combined with the ‘Repair’ bobblehead is definitely the way to go.

     

    Agility 4

    Agility provides more AP but this doesn’t become a focus until much later in the game, 4 is fine for now and will still provide enough points to take someone’s head quickly off in VATS. There’s going to be some big plans for both Ninja and Mister Sandman to be considered later in the build so watch this space.

    Luck 4

    It’s now pretty well documented that luck is a very powerful stat in this game, I’m very willing to agree but we want to tread water here in order to avoid VATS dependency early on and preserve fusion cores. Better Criticals is going to be the working perk here for the majority of the game, although this effect is usually reserved for VATS attacks this character is going to be running the amazing chem Overdrive for the majority of the playthrough and this can provide some totally amazing effects when combined with the correct legendary modifier on your weaponry without even using VATS.

    Primary Skills

    Rifleman

    Rifle class weapons are our primary damage dealer. For a character that doesn’t want to depend too much on VATS during combat Rifleman is definitely the way to go. Scoped weapons can deal huge damage to enemies at significant range, especially when combined with sneak modifiers and silencers (Mister Sandman). Given their hard-hitting nature, rifles are also perfect at conserving ammo which is a very valuable commodity in the Commonwealth. Although sniper class weapons are powerful it’s well worth customizing a couple of rifles for medium and close work too, a combat rifle is very effective at medium range while a combat shotgun will do amazing damage up close and personal.

    Nuclear Physicist

    I really want to say that this perk is essential for this build, but the fact that I ended up with over 100 fusion cores in my inventory suggests otherwise....the jury is maybe out. Needless to say, Nuclear Physicist is an incredibly stong perk option early on for this character and almost guarantees that you don’t end up stranded without fuel for your power armor. The ability to eject fusion cores as bombs is of course very powerful....especially when combined with...

    Demolition Expert

    I love this skill, if you’re going to die or take heavy damage in Fallout 4 you can almost guarantee an explosive was involved...
    Demolition Expert makes those Molotoves hit harder and Fragmentation Grenades tear limbs from bodies. Explosives can be used tactfully to set an enemy up or they can be used in open/frenzied warfare to turn the tide of a battle....this is definitely an essential skill for this build, don’t neglect it!

    Chemist

    Sweet jesus, this skill is just OP! With just 1 rank in this skill we can create two of the best drugs in the game. ‘Overdrive’ is this builds favourite, and will probably feature in many builds to come. On its own Overdrive provides 25% bonus damage and a 25% chance for any of your attacks to critical hit (this includes any lobbed grenades or placed mines which already get a significant damage increase from demolition expert).

    The very appropriately named ‘Jet Fuel’ is another drug that this character takes very frequently, a good boost to action points as well as increased AP regen is perfect when combined with the Jet Pack for getting around the map more efficiently. Is there anything that a quick shot of Jet can’t overcome? Rapid accurate attacks to an opponent’s weak spots or dodging attacks from a deathclaw...Jet is a fantastic survival drug that has got me out of many dodgy situations. Prioritize this skill!

    Science

    Science is a fairly stable skill for this build and although it’s used primarily for various power armor upgrades it also allows the Biomech to fully upgrade both laser and plasma weaponry with ease. Science is also a very capable money maker for this character, Industrial Water Purifiers can be set up very early on which provides a large stock or purified water for trading (more fusion cores) and Laser Turrets can defend a settlement incredibly well if that’s your thing.

    Armorer

    An essential skill when building up your power armor, armorer is going to provide your suit with better defences and prevent the components from failing as often. While I’d still describe this skill as essential for making upgrades to your X01 suit (for example) much of its potential is wasted in that the upgrades you can make to leather/combat armor or even ballistic weave are technically wasted on a power armor user. Still, the defense and resistance provided here will eclipse anything that perks in endurance can compete with.

    Better Criticals

    If you’re using this perk in VATS then it’s going to prove very good, if you’re using this perk after a dose of Overdrive it’s going to be totally AMAZING!! 25% of all your attacks are going to benefit from this perk and let you stack up damage at a phenomenal rate. Overdrive grants the ability to score criticals very frequently outside of VATS so you’re going to be getting the benefit of this perk all the time without having to compromise your fusion core, a very worthwhile investment for this character.

    **Notes on Gun Nut
    I currently consider Gun Nut to be a worthless perk, not only do weapon mods turn up frequently on enemies or in traders they often appear long before the Gun Nut perk even grants a specific modification to you. Gun Nut should only be considered by those who are seriously into settlement building for missile launchers etc.....or Bethesda rebalance things, until then the perk is basically dead to me.

    Secondary Skills

    With the primary skills of this character covered it’s time to look at the secondary skills which add a ton of bonus damage and versatility to this character class.

    Action Boy

    A 50% bonus to action point regen is always useful and works beautifully with a dose of Jet Fuel, the Jet Pack upgrade for power armor is cruel on action points but this perk will keep you moving across the terrain very smoothly.

    Ninja

    You don’t have to be a shadow warrior to benefit from sneak attacks, especially if you’re a Rifleman and are already capable of hitting from extreme range! Ninja will provide significant bite to your attacks when taking shots from a secure location. It doesn’t matter that you’re wearing power armor, dip you’re lights, drop into stealth and lay on some engaging fire! Sneak attacks will frequently be bolstered by Overdrive for that absolutely devastating Sneak/Critical!

    Mister Sandman

    The absolutely perfect perk when combined with Ninja and Better Criticals/Overdrive. When maxed Mister Sandman will grant up to 50% bonus damage to your sneak attacks as long as the weapon you use has a suppressor. Most of the standard rifles in the game can be modified with a suppressor, just make sure that you already have a solid weapon set up before placing points here, otherwise it’s a waste. Suppressors allow you to get the most out of the Ninja perk and the Ninja perk will allow you to get the most out of Mister Sandman...it’s a nice circle of pain.

    Critical Banker

    For this character Critical Banker is a fairly late game skill that can’t be fully appreciated until you no longer care about burning your fusion cores to charge up your critical meter. Critical Banker can provide you with extra options when up against a superior force. A critical shot fired from VATS is a guaranteed hit even if you only have a displayed 1% chance of hitting an enemy’s head which potentially allows you to capitalize from Ninja and Mister Sandman too. A Lucky weapon like the easily acquired ‘Righteous Authority’ laser rifle is a great candidate when adopting this playstyle and is again, all boosted from the Overdrive drug.

    Grim Reapers Sprint

    As always, Grim Reapers Sprint simply allows you to stay in VATS for longer to take out an entire room of opponents and just keep going...
    This perk should be considered the icing on the cake for this build with its ability to bank bonus criticals or simply take out a room full of ghouls with deadly efficiency before they can even think about swarming you.

    Lone Wanderer

    The final piece of the jigsaw for this build, once all your companions have given up their various support perks there’s really no reason not to invest here. Bonus damage, increased carry weight and a hefty 30% damage reduction along with the ability to still use Dogmeat complete the package. Combined with Power Armors ‘Emergency Protocols’ the Biomech can receive 80% damage reduction should his health drop below 20% providing more than enough time to compensate and retaliate with deadly force.

     

    Basic Walkthrough

    The main focus during the early levels should be acquiring your first suit of T45 power armor from Concord and picking up the Perception bobblehead. Sanctuary with its decent water supply is a good location to set up shop, try and locate a sample of Mutfruit, Corn and Tato from the local traders or the neighbouring farms in order to create a steady supply of adhesive for power armor upgrades and build one or more Industrial Water Purifiers to provide yourself with healing items and potential income. If you have the available resources you should create the blood cleanser upgrade for your power armor torso so that chems can be spammed efficiently with little worry of addiction, it’s an awesome piece of kit that will carry you well above level 20.

    Perks should be placed into the primary skills first, Rifleman, Science and Armorer and make your way up to the first rank of Nuclear Physicist as soon as you can.

    The primary concern is of course Fusion Cores so let’s scratch that itch first and find a decent weapon to cause some trouble.

    1. The Molerat cave underneath the Red Rocket yields one core and the sewers beneath Concord have another core tucked away at the back along with some chems.  The Robotics Disposal Ground just east of Sanctuary has three fusion cores up for grabs, one in the chest and another two can be acquired by having the Sentry Bot self terminate using the holotape.

    2. Another fusion core is available just east of the Robotics Disposal Ground at Satellite Olivia which is also the destination of a quest for Abernathy Farm for some nice bonus EXP. Satellite Olivia not only holds a fusion core but it’s also a very good spot to farm yourself a decent legendary weapon to carry you through the early levels of the game. A legendary radroach frequently lives in the basement of this location and the nice thing about this guy is that he has a very limited selection of drops (it’s just a radroach, it ain’t dropping no Fat Man for you), get yourself something juicy like a Wounding or Freezing Pipe Rifle to play with. Make a save outside and use explosives to quickly take out Ack Ack and her goons for this run, the Radroach doesn’t seem to return on repeat visits so don’t cock this part up.

    Landing one of these puppies is a total game changer when you're just level 6...

    3. Then it’s off to the Sunshine Tidings settlement south of Sanctuary, the Wasteland Survival magazine here grants an additional piece of meat from fresh kills which not only provides a steady supply of useful healing items but is also a great source of EXP (cooking) and profit (can’t carry it all). Nearby another 3 fusion cores wait for you at the Federal Ration Stockpile. You should hit this raider encampment head on and loot the core from the power armor before they have chance to use it, take a second from the source at the back and a third can be plucked from the lowest part of the interior, it’s easily missed so search well.

    By this point I usually have around 10 fusion cores, a decent weapon to use and made a start on adding explosive shielding to my power armor.  It’s off to Corvega for the Repair bobblehead next and from that point the world becomes your oyster. The unique laser rifle Righteous Authority becomes a solid option at this point to take advantage of its double damage on criticals.

     

    Playstyle

    For the most part this character capitalizes on its defenses to tank enemy attacks and moves in close for precise ADS kills. When a situation calls for a more delicate approach feel free to hold back and use your best sniper class weapon to thin out the enemy ranks or to remove a more dangerous enemy from safety.

    Chems should be stacked and taken in advance of an expected battle with the exception of Jet/Buffjet/Phychojet which are all reserved for more pressured moments. VATS can be used to quickly line up shots or to plan a strategy but avoid draining your action points unnecessarily unless you're already sitting on a good supply of fusion cores. 

     

    Power Armor and Fusion Cores

    As a pure power armor user you're going to want to get comfortable in your suit and study which materials are requires for upgrades and general repairs.

    While T-60 power armor and the rare X-01 suit provide incredible protection you really shouldn't turn your nose up at the standard T-45 set.

    T-45 is incredibly easy to repair with simple steel which had me lovingly putting together my own field repair kits to take with me into combat. There's nothing more exciting than making emergency repairs to your power armor while at the bottom of an abandoned bunker in the middle of the Glowing Sea, knowing that something nasty could be lurking nearby...

    When it comes to modifications this builds firm favorite is the Blood Cleanser upgrade which reduces the chance of chem addiction and it's available right from the start of the game so you don't even have to be patient.

    Don't agonize over picking upgrades for your components though, remember that there's nothing stopping you from having more than one. For example you can have two T-45 helmets set up on your favorites, one that removes radiation from consumed food and another that increases your chance to hit in VATS.

    When it comes to paint mods I highly recommend adding Explosive Shielding to your entire set. Explosives are used frequently by the enemy in combat and there's also environmental hazards to be considered like detonating cars, mines and enemy robots. Then there's user error, it really isn't unheard of for your own explosives to bounce back in your face when in confined spaces. Explosive Shielding may be ugly but the next time you get surprised by a mini nuke or a bottlecap mine you'll be thankful you remembered to install it thanks to an estimated 50% damage reduction.

    When you reach level 29 it's time to go searching for the X-01 set. So far, the best location I've found for this armor is an unmarked location called 35 Court which is northeast of Diamond City, you should avoid this location during the early levels to ensure the X-01 spawns. Best to make a save just in case.

    Fusion cores are basically the life-blood of this character and putting all your faith in such a rare resource can be a little nerve racking at first but once you learn where they hide the problem goes away very quickly.

    When a fusion core runs low (<5%) you should consider manually removing it from your suit and replacing it with a fresh one. Drained cores still retain full value when it comes to trading which softens the blow of buying a fully charged set.

    Arturo in Diamond City nearly always stocks four or five FC's if you find yourself running low and remember that there's a lot of ammunition that a rifleman has no use for, 10mm ammo for example is sure to flood your inventory and can be traded for a fresh set of cores.

    At later levels a tour of the Glowing Sea will provide enough Radscorpion and Deathclaw meat to buy around 10 fusion cores so definitely remember to pick up that Wasteland Survival guide from Sunshine Tidings and always pop a pack of Grape Mentats when bulk-buying cores.

     

    Chems and Addiction

    Chems are an inherent part of playing this character and should be used liberally during combat to increase power, accuracy and durability. The Chemist perk radically increases the duration of chems which in turn reduces your chance of addiction due to not having to take them as frequently to maintain power.

    Long term chems (those that last 8 minutes and over) are most effective when taken in stacks as each separate chem often compliments another and it makes it easier to manage the highs and lows of the experience.

    The typical stack for a Biomech out looking for trouble is usually a simultaneous dose of:

    Overdrive
    Jet Fuel
    Bufftats
    Phychobuff

    Not only will this cocktail increase damage, critical rate, accuracy, carry capacity and action point regeneration it also becomes more and more potent as you gain levels. At level 46 consuming this stack will increase the hit points of this character from 330 to a whopping 625!!

    Practically double health for half an hour!

    If you're playing on higher difficulties or in a high level area then complimenting this stack with other drugs truly make you a force to be reckoned with.

    Orange Mentats for example will increase perception another 5 points and add an additional 10% VATS accuracy in for good measure. If you're doing a long haul cruise of a high EXP area like the Glowing Sea then adding Berry Mentats to the mix can be very worthwhile for the additional experience bonus and the life detection ability.

    Then there's Jet and its derivatives...

    For a seasoned chemist a dose of Jet provides 30 seconds of slowed time which is usually far more than you need to humiliate a tough opponent. Buffjet and Phychojet are even more powerful and allow for 45 seconds of slow time as well as other useful bonus's to overwhelm entire compounds of enemies in one sitting. Finally, the incredible Ultrajet not only slows time for 45 seconds but also grants 100 extra action points to use in VATS which when combined with Grim Reapers Sprint can rain absolute devastation on multiple enemies in a grand show of overkill (remember that VATS slows down time as well which compounds the effect).

    Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Chemist has another bonus that can be seen when it comes to the wastelands favorite soft drink...

    Nuka Cola Quantum's healing effect is more than quadrupled, and will now restore 1800 HP over its brief duration granting almost invulnerability.

    Addiction is of course the only concern when dealing with such a huge number of chemical effects but it's far easier to deal with than you may think. All chems have an internal gauge that quietly builds up the more often you take drugs, taking the same drug too frequently without allowing this gauge to cool down will overload it and cause an addiction.

    Power armors blood cleanser is highly effective at reducing the chance of addiction and should be installed as soon as you have the resources. If you do get addicted however you have a number of options available...

    Take even more chems!

    This is my personal favorite way of dealing with an addiction. The character is a heavy chem user so even if I do cure it I'm going to be putting myself at risk again five minutes later.....so why bother fighting it? Another dose of Overdrive and my addiction is removed for another half hour of play...

    Refreshing Beverage

    The number one option during the early levels of the game. A refreshing beverage can be created at any chemistry station to quickly flush your system of all addictions and provide a master reset. Carry one with you for emergencies.

    The Radscorpion Egg Omelette

    A successful tour of the Glowing Sea will provide enough eggs for you to sit and sniff Jet for the foreseeable future. These things are light allowing you to carry multiple cures at once, definitely the best option for dealing with addiction.

    Buy your way out.

    This should be a last resort really. Any doctor can fix your addictions in return for caps in an emergency. Purchasing Addictol is also a very costly option here but allows you to cure addictions on the fly.

     

    Level 50 Perks

    I don't like scattering my perks around the chart if I can help it and prefer to systematically master each one. Concentrate on the primary skills first and only invest in secondary perks when there's no other option. If you find yourself in a position where you can't place a perk, bank it so that it can be spent later.

    Final stats are 4 in Strength, 5 in Perception, 5 in Endurance, 3 in Charisma, 10 in Intelligence, 7 in Agility and 8 in Luck. I've presented this build at level 50 (Skyrim habit) but it continued strongly into the 60's...

    Weaponry

    Time to talk about weapons and my god we have some major compatibility going on with this build...
    Like most characters, the Biomech carries a number of high valued items into combat in order to spread ammo cost and to remain versatile but let’s take a look at this builds primary weaponry...

    The Explosive Combat Shotgun

    This weapon is so easily overlooked; the bonus 15 damage on a shotgun is chump change until you learn that every single shell from this beast unleashes 6-8 explosives at a time in a tight spread! It’s here when the damage stacks up insanely. This 15 damage is also modified by Demolition Expert for 30 damage and rank 3 will also increase the range of the blast area! Each of these individual explosions is also subject to critical damage so if you’re running Overdrive (as you should be) then it becomes almost impossible not to score a critical hit with at least a portion of the damage from this weapon.

    Any weapon with the explosive property also seems to feature a very high chance to stagger an enemy and cripple limbs which means you’re technically getting a couple of bonus legendary effects thrown in for free. Finally, a combat shotgun can be fitted with a suppressor which means that we potentially get to add in Mister Sandman and Ninja bonus when using this monster in combat. Whatever you do, don’t fire this thing at close range, it’ll hit you harder than a mini nuke and cause unnecessary damage to your armor...that’s if it doesn’t vaporize you completely. You barely even have to aim this weapon in order to be effective making it the perfect companion for a character keeping VATS use under control.

    Savescum the National Guard Training Area at around Lvl 20 for a guaranteed drop on this item from the Ghoul Reaver, get it while it’s hot because I believe it’s bugged as fuck and will be patched at some point (I’ve recorded over 75 damage per explosion from this thing, it’s obscene).

    Freezing Combat Rifle

    I’ll start by saying that Overseers Guardian is a great weapon and a pretty good match but I had to go with this weapon overall.  The freezing legendary property is another that’s very easily dismissed, it adds a small amount of energy damage at base (10) but this damage is also subject to additional perks/effects like Rifleman/Ninja/Criticals/Sandman bonus’s which all add up very impressively and can easily eclipse Wounding/Incendiary/Initiating effects. What makes this weapon so incredibly powerful is that it freezes enemies on any critical hit, so if you’re under the effect of Overdrive you now have a 25% chance to paralyse an enemy on every shot (if the critical doesn’t kill them outright) very overpowered and versatile outside of VATS with a reflex sight.

    Righteous Authority

    This weapon is definitely worth a mention; Righteous Authority can be picked up fairly early in the game and comes with the ‘Lucky’ modifier. This weapon can be easily upgraded with our Science perks and is excellent at topping up Critical Banker. The real power here is again discovered when combined with Overdrive, your critical hits will do double damage and you’ll score critical hits frequently without even using VATS, beautiful! It’s better to keep a scope off this weapon to allow plenty of attacks in VATS for both charging and scoring critical hits.

  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    Liked! Now let's get reading!

  • January 8, 2016
    Excellent as always mason. Bethesda did not disAppoint with the vast array of perks available. The level of customization completely dwarfs new Vegas and fo3, and this build certainly proves it.
  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    Fantastic stuff, Mason...love the symmetry. Any RP suggestions?

  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    RP's never been my strong point mate, depends on your in game alignment I guess...

    I usually get on with Minutemen quests to get around the map and unlock Ronnie Shaw/Castle. BOS are probably a good fit with this build too...if you go a little easier on the chem use...

  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    Holy Crap Mason, fantastic work as always! The presentation and pics are sick!

  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    Thanks mate, nearly done... 

  • Member
    January 8, 2016
    Awesome stuff! +1 A few questions: You've described Endurance as almost worthless but still put 4 points in it? Why so? You can get Life Giver with investing only two points (considering the bobblehead). You can then put twose two perks (along with one from Strength - bobblehead will give you access to the perk) into Luck which, combined with the bobblehead, will leave you one point short from the Four Leaf Clover - a perk that will boost this build's damage output even further and is welll worth that one extra point investment. You've mentioned Explosive legendary effect to be applied on every slug. Do you know, is it the same for other effects, notably Two Shot mod? I'm also interested in how much time did you spend outside of armor? From 100%, for example.
  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    Endurance as a stat isn't worthless no. The formula for your total HP is different in FO4 and will continually award bonus HP depending on your endurance stat, level X endurance or something along those lines, having 5 endurance at level 50 equals a good amount of HP, not sure if it equals your less endurance/life giver idea or not. This means that taking any chems that temporarily increase endurance become stronger and stronger as you gain levels which is what this character does...

    I don't like to feel pressured into running down the bobbleheads, the strength bobblehead is in the Mass Fusion Building for example and I don't relish the thought of having to wait that long before I can put the first upgrade on my power armor. Another example is the intelligence bobblehead which is much easier to get but I still preferred to buy the extra point in intelligence to take nuclear physicist straight out of Concord, I ended up with 10 intelligence but had no desire to take nerd rage.

    The concept here was to stay in power armor for the entire game, the only time I got out was in order to make a trade while wearing a suit or if I was forced to when using a crafting station. 95% of the game was in the armor.

    You've mentioned Explosive legendary effect to be applied on every slug. Do you know, is it the same for other effects, notably Two Shot mod?

    Not sure I understand the question here... Two shot is a separate effect so one effect can't capitalize on the other during combat. What did you mean?

  • Member
    January 8, 2016

    Here's what the explosive combat shotgun is (currently) capable of...

    This is this build at around level 40ish on hard difficulty after a shot of Overdrive!

    Each of the 6 (8?) individual shots from each shell is carrying the explosive property which is being boosted by better criticals, demolition expert and (i think) rifleman too...