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Character Build: Invictus (FO4)

Tags: #Character Build Power Armor  #Character Build Melee  #Fallout 4 Build  #Character Build Big Guns 
  • Member
    February 8, 2016

    This all started as a Brotherhood of Steel build, and as I played this awesome character I began to experiment with some of the perks that have (so far) been deemed useless by others.

    After watching a number of YouTube reviews from some of the casuals out there I decided it was time to show people that not only is the Basher perk totally ‘worth it’, it’s potentially one of the most over-powered skills in the entire game...

    The Build

    Firstly, this isn’t primarily a basher build; this is a Brotherhood of Steel playthrough. Huge fucking guns, access to power armor, a bad attitude and annihilating foes with energy weaponry is the centrefold of this character. Basher is simply the cherry on a very tasty pie and introduces a nice melee element to the close quarter’s combat situations you’ll be enjoying as a Brotherhood Knight.

    The reason gun bashing is so appealing to me is that unlike a melee weapon it doesn’t require you to drop your ranged weapon during combat and its staggering effect holds enemies into position for a few moments allowing you to land several shots accurately. The Basher perk is capable of doubling the damage of these strikes as well as granting useful secondary effects like a chance to cripple limbs (16% chance) and the final perk lands a sensational 15% chance to critical hit....

    This last perk is important because it will stack additively with Overdrive providing a 40% chance to land a critical hit!

    There are a good number of unique and powerful Laser Rifles available in Fallout 4 and this build can put them all too great use, but there’s one that stands above the others in both its potential power and versatility.

    Righteous Authority is a very early handout for a character looking to join the Brotherhood, and its magic can truly be discovered when using the Basher perks.

    This is because a weapon bash takes on some of the characteristics of your weapon.

    All Laser Rifles have easy access to a specific mod, a Boosted Photon Agitator, and although this mod doesn’t grant the highest base damage or provide an additional a burning effect it will make your critical hits land extra hard, it does in fact add X4 to your critical hit multiplier!

    Because Righteous Authority also comes with the ‘Lucky’ prefix it causes double damage on critical hits. By adding the ‘Better Criticals’ perk into the mix a critical shot from Righteous Authority equipped with a Boosted Photon Agitator will land with the force of a warhead, and a gun bash....?

    “Target Vaporized”

    Still not convinced?

    Let’s talk about the heavy guns, one of the earliest heavy guns in the game in fact...

    The Minigun is well noted for its low damage and ability to eat through costly ammunition at a high rate but the real power of a Minigun can actually be found once you’ve no ammunition left to burn.

    I’m talking of course about the Shredder. Spinning at a rate that few automatic weapons could ever hope to match a Shredder is capable of sawing through most enemies in the game in seconds...

    ...and it’s all boosted by the Basher perk!

    Those blades that spin countless times per second can be granted double damage, cripple limbs and land multiple critical hits on a foe, easily turning a Shredding Minigun into one of the games top 3 most deadliest weapons...

    Inject an Overdrive and those barbs will be hitting a critical 40% of the time, it costs no ammo, it can be fired infinitely and it doesn’t use action points while wearing a suit of power armor which preserves the life of your fusion core and turns you into a bulldozer.

    You will never fear ghouls ever again; they will simply impale themselves and die in micro-seconds...

    If you happen to land a ‘Lucky’ minigun the gods have truly smiled on you...

    SPECIAL

    Invictus actually starts with a fairly elegant set of statistics. We’ll be going with all 4’s and then subtracting 3 points from Charisma to distribute amongst strength, intelligence and luck. Although agility and endurance aren’t perked it’s still very nice to have some base HP and AP.

    It was important that this character wasn’t completely dependent on power armor and could function effectively without it; perks are governed as such and provide a good degree of survivability and flexibility.

    Strength - 5

    Our second most important statistic provides the carry weight to hold several of the games heavy guns and still travel comfortably as well as equip decent armor. We’ll be placing two additional points here and taking the bobblehead to unlock the Basher perk which (if you haven’t already guessed) is a big part of this build. Pain Train would be a laughable perk choice for this build, so don’t get tempted to take strength to 10...

    Perception – 4

    We’ll be perking Rifleman here and some accuracy is important, especially when travelling without power armor. With the bobblehead you do have access to Demolition Expert although it won’t be perked with this build as we’ll be favouring Heavy Gunner instead.

    Endurance – 4

    No perks are selected from this branch but 4END is a solid HP base and reduces strain on fusion cores.

    Charisma – 1

    It’s a Brotherhood of Steel build; these guys aren’t known for their pleasantries or guile.

    Intelligence - 5 (6)

    We start at 5 here and the ‘I’m Special’ book is also placed into intelligence for early access to the Science perk which allows customization of energy weapons and power armor. Science also grants the ability to set up Industrial Water Purifiers in your settlement which can provide a huge income. We’ll be investing a further 4 perks into this statistic to take it to 10, providing good experience and some other very useful perks.

    Agility - 4

    Again, we won’t be taking any perks from this branch but I really don’t like skimping on AP. I wanted the character to feel solid.

    Luck - 5

    We’ll be taking Bloody Mess pretty early on and our primary weapon ‘Righteous Authority’ will benefit from this statistic. Once the bobblehead is found you can begin investing in Better Criticals.

     Primary Skills

    These skills should be prioritized early to assist in survivability and power for your character.

    Rifleman

    Can’t seem to tear myself away from this skill, Rifleman is always a good primary damage dealer with its ability to hit from range or up close and bypass an enemies defences. It’s a solid skill so always invest perks here first. This character uses laser and plasma rifles so all other rifle ammo types should be traded away to make way for your energy weapons.

    Basher

    Yes. One of the least appreciated skills from the strength tree. There’s a reason it requires 8 points in strength to even use as you’ll soon see. The only time you shouldn’t prioritize this skill is when you can place a perk into rifleman.

    Heavy Gunner

    As we won’t be taking Demolition Expert this character requires a good source of burst damage and heavy gunner can certainly fill those shoes thanks to the Missile Launcher and Fat Man. It’s actually more than possible to make this a heavy guns only build thanks to the power of the Minigun. Heavy Gunner will also increase the damage you can do with the Minigun while riding a Vertibird.

    Science

    Provides the skill needed to upgrade all energy weapons and power armor. Early investment in this skill provides useful mods that can’t always be found in traders and remains one of the most useful cap-earners thanks to Industrial Water Purifiers. Don’t skimp on this one.

    Armorer

    Having full control of your equipment in and out of power armor is very useful, you don’t have to go heavy into this skill straight away but throw a perk in when you can so you can make regular updates to your gear.

    Better Criticals

    This skill is important but you’ll need the bobblehead if you want to place ranks here so make sure you pick it up early. You’ll score critical hits regularly enough that this perk becomes more than worth it...

    Chemist

    Get a fast perk in this skill so you can craft the full range of chems, Overdrive and Jet Fuel are both well worth it and the increased duration of chems like Bufftats and standard Jet are definitely game changers here. Place more perks as you see fit.

    Medic

    You’ll be getting up close and personal with your foes with this build and the medic perk is amazing at keeping your health topped up high. It’s even greater while wearing power armor as you administer stimpaks instantly without breaking the flow of combat, an amazing perk.

    Bloody Mess

    This perk made it as a primary skill with this build due to use of the shredder. You’ll often find enemies close in tightly around you when using this tool and if the rank 4 perk pops you’ll be blinded by gore! It’s just a nice perk, nice damage bonus along with a good chance of entertainment.

     

    Secondary Skills

    I consider the following skills secondary in that they don’t have to be prioritized as early as the others. Still, a quick perk can make all the difference...

    Nuclear Physicist

    This build can be run without this perk, but if you want to put those Heavy Gunner perks to full use you’ll want to get up and running with a Gatling Laser and Nuclear Physicist can definitely help you out in that department by doubling your ammunition. A Gatling Laser can be obtained very early thanks to Teagan and this guy will sell you end game mods at very low levels (charging barrels) so if that’s your style then I recommend dropping one perk in this skill early on and then waiting it out until you feel you need it more.

    Robotics Expert

    For sure, I think Robotics Expert is soon going to be the icing on the cake for the Intelligence branch. The attractive thing about this perk is that it’s a sure thing, there’s no chance based modifiers attached to it. I’ve read that Robotics Expert is due to be patched so that you can use it during combat, for the moment you’re going to want to sneak up on those sentry bots in order to make them your companion. Dump your power armor, use the muffled mod on your legs and employ a stealth boy to get the jump on your new robotic follower...
    There’s actually a Brotherhood of Steel Gutsy robot on the Prydwen that can be taken with you, I’m hoping it respawns and is available for multiple adventures...

    Nerd Rage

    This perk grants a huge damage and defence bonus and the more points you invest in medic the more this perk can be used tactically to overcome enemies on the battlefield, especially when using the shredder or camping for an OP critical bash hit. There’s no real rush to place perks here but its proximity to Nuclear Physicist made it a logical choice to temporarily maximise this characters abilities.

    Level 50 Perks

    Gameplay and Roleplay

    This character is a devout Brotherhood of Steel follower and their ideals dominate his way of life completely. He’s smart enough to see the big picture and knows that only with a significant show of force can the Commonwealth be truly saved. Therefore factions like the Minutemen and Railroad were out for this character as he believes they're inadequate in the fight against the Institute and the vermin of the wasteland.

    Invictus has high strength and well grounded combat skills but his keen intelligence is what makes him a true asset to the Brotherhood of Steel, not only does he complete his combat assignments efficiently but he’ll often bring back important Technical Documents and Blood Samples from the foul wasteland creatures to further the Brotherhoods advantage and increase his profits to buy ammunition and weapons.

    The Brotherhood should be joined as soon as possible; Danse will basically complete the mission for you so it should be easy to pick up Righteous Authority early on after which you should precede with the main quest to gain access to the Prydwen. Unlocking Teagan is a huge advantage and probably the only merchant you’ll ever need as he’ll sell very high end weapons and weapon mods (Shredder/Charging Barrels/Gatling Laser), keep checking his inventory and you’ll have an arsenal of weaponry set up before reaching level 20. The other Proctors are also very useful for earning caps but you should return to Cambridge Police Station regularly to keep the missions coming in from Haylen and Reese.

    You’ll be almost exclusively using Fusion Cells for ammunition which means nearly all other ammo types can be traded in. Keep a look out for extra Missiles and Plasma Cartridges though as these will definitely be useful once you get hold of a missile launcher and Plasma Rifle. Fusion Cores won’t be a problem here unless you’re going absolutely insane with the Gatling Laser, the Brotherhood pays its soldiers VERY well for missions and you can buy cases of Fusion Cores from Teagan.

    Armor and Weapons

    This build can be in power armor 24/7 if that’s your wish, in which case you’ll want to focus on steadily upgrading your T-60 suit which will be capable of surpassing the X-01 set thanks the Brotherhoods special mods. The Brotherhood are also decent when it comes to regular combat armor and you can find some nice finds up for sale on the Prydwen. Being able to function well without power armor is nice and lets you use VATS frequently without worrying about fusion cores. Adding the Brotherhood mod to your gear doesn't require any materials and provides a nice bonus to radiation resistance, adding secondary mods like Ultra Light for more action points or Muffled is a great option here.

    When it comes to weaponry the key advantage here is the high strength stat combined with favoring energy weapons. Laser and Plasma rifles are incredibly light which leaves a heap of space for all your heavy guns. I was able to comfortably travel with three unique Laser Rifles, my Shredding Minigun, my Missile Launcher and my Gatling Laser and because I was using the Medic perk I didn't have to travel with as much food for regeneration.

    Laser Rifles

    Righteous Authority

    Provides huge synergy with the Basher perk and Overdrive and its ability to charge criticals quickly makes this weapon this builds primary rifle. Remember to try out the Boosted Photon Agitator mod with this gun, it won't let you down.

    Survivors Special

    This weapon is amazing when you don't want to use chems. Survivors Special is up for grabs at the conclusion of 'The Lost Patrol' and can provide upto double damage depending on how much health you've lost. When you consider the fact that Nerd Rage will grant even more damage at low health then this item is absolutely perfect and should never leave your side. Upgrade this with an Overcharged Capacitor to maximize damage.

    Old Faithful

    Old Faithful provides this build with a long ranged advantage. You should customize this instigating Laser Rifle with an Improved Sniper Barrel and a scope of your choice to provide a huge ranged advantage when you're being more tactful in your approach.

     

    Heavy Guns

    High Speed Shredding Minigun

    Hopefully you've now watched the video or at least understood this builds concept. This weapon is one of the most powerful and most entertaining items in Fallout 4 and when combined with the basher perks there is nothing left to fear in the Commonwealth.

    Ideal Prefix: Lucky 

    Missile Launcher

    When it comes to landing huge burst damage in record time a quad barreled missile launcher is the answer you need. Don't even dare worry about the carry weight of this weapon, it will neutralize the toughest situations you can possibly face. Unfortunately the missile launcher got the shaft when it comes to legendary effects so just find one you like the look of, the standard version is fine.

    Gatling Laser

    It looks expensive but the Gatling Laser is actually one of the most ammo efficient weapons in the game if you use it correctly and combine it with Nuclear Physicist. This weapon can be obtained outrageously early from Proctor Teagan and once the Charging Barrels mod is applied you'll be able to unleash it frequently in combat.

  • Member
    February 8, 2016
    Holy crap - shredding ghouls and one-hit bashing super mutants!? The video sells it for me. Good lord.
  • Member
    February 9, 2016
    Nice build man! It's amazing how you discover these things, especially that Minigun Shredder trick for just chain sawing all close range enemies in pieces. Is that affected by Heavy Gunner, or Basher (or both)? Seems like you could make a build solely around that. Cool vid as well, it's a great way to show off gameplay. Looking forward to the art as well! +1
  • Member
    February 9, 2016

    I don't believe Heavy Gunner adds damage to the Shredder though I could be wrong, would need to do some testing which is very hard to do at this point without restarting.

    Could definitely do a shredder only playthrough, it saves a ton of ammo but your armor gets busted up easier when fighting enemies with guns, especially when raiding big compounds.

    It's amazing against all ghouls though, good against radscorpions and other insects as well. Mirelurks tend to shell-charge you while using the shredder and they can interrupt the blades, they'll still go down but it's a little more frustrating against crabbies.

    Thanks mate! 

  • February 9, 2016
    Great build, I've been wondering how to make good use of the basher perk. +1 from me
  • Member
    February 9, 2016

    Gotta love that minigun  

  • Member
    February 9, 2016

    addictive.com

  • Member
    February 9, 2016

    Cheers dude! Yeah, lots of potential with that perk.. 

  • Member
    February 9, 2016

    Dude, this is friggin awesome, as always. If I end up playing this, I might add a Ripper

  • Member
    February 9, 2016

    Did consider it...

    Not used that weapon yet!