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Event Build: Machete Kills... Fallout 4 Edition

Tags: #Character Build Melee  #Fallout 4 Build  #Character Build Infiltrator  #Character Build VATS  #Long-Chapper Build  #Event: Arms & Artifacts 
  • March 1, 2018

    This time, for the Event: Arms and Artifacts, I draw inspiration from another group of films from the grindhouse genera. This started as a fake trailer in Quentin Tarentino and Robert Rodriguez's joint project "Grindhouse". The concept has since grown into two movies, with a third soon to be released. Here is the trailer from the first film from 2010, which was pieced together from the original fake trailer, so you can understand my inspiration. Danny Trejo is one of my favorite character actors and to see him finally get some starring roles was a real treat. He's 73 and Machete still kills... even in Space! 

    The build is based off the title character of the films; Isador "Machete" Cortez, an ex-Federali, CIA, DEA, day laborer, gardiner, mercenary whatever, whose primary weapon of choice is his namesake. While I cannot capture all the aspects of this character as portrayed in the films, I felt that the Event was the perfect vehicle to show off his trademark weapon in a fun Agility and Luck merc build that uses VATS, booze, chems, and Machete! 

    Machete! No, the Gardener of Sanctuary Hills and he liked it, putting away forever his ex-Military, Mercenary, hired machete, badass assassin - even in space - past behind him. Instead of hacking off  the limbs and heads of the bad guys, he used his machete to trim and prun branches and trees to create fine topiary. Community beautification.  There were no more electricutions with machetes, no more beheadings, and no more throwings or stabbings. He was done with that now. He even settled down with the hot chica of his dreams, had a baby son - Shaun "little Machete" -, and even hired a Mr. Handy. Didn't come with a machete, only a saw, but Machete didn't hold that against Mr. Handy. Besides, robots with funny accents make great babysitters and Machete would rather spend the night at the park alone with his mamasita. Why? To make more Machetes. 

    And then the bombs fell. Which is typical, you know? There is always some disaster. Disasters, Machete can handle because the best day laborers are always resourceful.  Wearing a blue onesie that don't hide his pooch, being frozen, sleeping alone, yeah, he can put up with that shit. Giant lizards, big ass rats, scorpions, zombies. Hell yeah, bring it. Machete eats scorpion for breakfast!

    But... what Machete couldn't put up with was seeing his mamasita bumped off by some bald prick and watching helpless while his little Machete was taken. He woke up later and swore upon his soul that that fucker was going to pay. Pay, with Machete. So he will brave the savagery of the Commonweath with but a single message to deliver to the asshole who took his life and family away.

    In the movies, Machete is a man of few words but much action, so another simple, straight-forward build from me.  In a departure from my more typical high strength melee work, however, Strength, Perception, Endurance, and Inteligence were dumped stats. It's not that Machete isn't intelligent or strong, I just believe, that like Ash, his skill, his ability to think fast on his feet and overcome dire situations was best expressed by utilizing a luck-based intellegence. High luck and Agility also allowed him to access VATS based perks from both skills, which brings an extra boost of almost unbelievable - how did Machete do that and beat Steven Seagal - power to the combat, while high Charisma gave him yet another edge in combat and the edge in the persuasion department to really bring in the caps he deservesdfor sharing his particular talents with the Commonwealth.  

    Early perk priorities include the first ranks of Blitz, Ninja, Idiot Savant, Party Boy, Big Leagues, and Lone Wanderer. These perks alone, coupled by his gear choices, will get him started pretty well and will last you through the lower levels. As you level up, fill in the ranks for these perks and then add the VATS perks for Luck; Grim Reaper Sprint, Critical Banker, and Better Criticals. These perks really enhance the viability of this build as do Action Boy and Bloody Mess. I had one perk point left by level 30. Put it in Cap collector, Lady Killer, or Fortune Finder. For beyond level 30 gameplay, finish off the top tiers of the perks listed in the spread and consider adding the previous three I mentioned or Toughness to the mix. 

    Difficulty: Normal, but considering what happened at the end the playtest, resisdent better button mashers, or BBMs for short, can probably dial it up to Hard or Very Hard if they want some pain and suffering. 

    Clothing & Armor: Don't tell this to Machete, I mean really, don't tell him and you didn't hear it from me. Is Machete out of the room yet? Oh yes, okay, good, he is, so, here you go... *coughs* Cait's Corset *cough* You read/heard that right, women's clothing. His trademark costume in the film is this tight-fitting vest with knives. Barring mods, Cait's Corset comes closest to that look in the Vanilla game. It has +2 Endurance, rather nice for Machete's relative squishiness, and can have armor worn on top of it. I used the Wastelander's Chestpiece and whatever armor had a nice effect. VATS accuracy enhancements were welcomes, but sadly, as it goes with all my builds, I never find what I'm looking for. The Militia hat and Patrolman glasses round out his look. To me, he looked like a member of the Village People and it was so awesome.

    Weapon: The common Machete. The game has several locations where a Machete is guaranteed to be found, the two easiest locations are southeast of Abernathy Farm near a large power line tower where radstag does hang around. When at the power line tower, face towards the farm and one will see a rocky gap to the right. In the gap is a skeleton, suitcase with random gear and a machete with a stimpak. In Concord, two can be found upstairs at the Speakeasy,  held by mannequins about to give someone a bath. I approached the weapon the same way I approached the weapons for Ash and the Hobo, once I found that first weapon I stuck with that weapon, even renaming it. Later on, I purchased a serrated Machete from Arturo and applied the mod from that weapon onto Machete's Machete. In a similar move, I also found Kremvh's Tooth (located in Dunwich Borers, inside the quarry in an underwater cavern once you reach the end) and applied the mod from that blade onto Machete's original Machete. 

    Lifesavers: As if Machete needed them, but just iincase. Stimpaks, Radaway, Vodka, Dirty Wastelanders, Refreshing Beverages, Buffjet, Bufftats, Grape Mentats, and Addictol. Once party boy's second rank is picked, effects from alcoholic drinks are doubled. Usually these drinks effect strength and charisma, which helped his melee strength. Bufftats and Buffjet were great aids in the early to mid game as a strength and perception builder. Another smoker build, keep a lit cigarette and a pack of cigarettes in your inventory once you find them. 

    Favorite Foods: Before the War, Machete enjoyed his fish tacos, but when you can't get fish tacos, you settle for Grilled Radstag (carry weight), Mutant hound (cures health and rads), Deathclaw Steak (medium rare and Agility), and Yao Guai Roast (boosts melee damage), Roasted Mirelurk and Mirelurk recipes (It's kind of like a fish taco, kind of).

    Comics and Magazines: Grognak the Barbarian. I ended up fiinding all of them. Considering he's not a strength-based melee build, it ended up being quite useful. Unstoppables, because in the film, sometimes Machete just beats insurmountable odds and the damage avoidance from those magazines was a fun way to duplicate that. If you develop luck more, Richochet is another option. U.S Covert Operations for sneak. Taboo Tattooes for the awesome ink jobs that Machete is known for in the films. Especially go for the Eagle, the skull on the forehead and the clover on the cheek. 

    Followers: Dogmeat. Gave him the benefit of a partner. It fit with his loner personality, and it allowed him to benefit from Lone Wanderer.

    Gameplay: I was stepping out of my comfort zone by relying so heavily on VATS. Prior to Machete I had only used VATS with guns and even then only rarely. I also stepped out of my comfort zone by using chems and alcohol, Blitz and Ninja. All of this proved to be a rather potent combination for most enemies in the game, with the exception of very large creatures like Bohemoths and Deathclaws. However, once the second rank of Blitz and Ninja were taking, Machete was slicing up his enemies like you slice meat for the BBQ. Blitz simulated his almost uncanny ability to find his targets in the movie with his Machete. Ninja, Bloody Mess, Big Leagues, chems, food, and Grognak perks increased the damage of an otherwise unremarkable melee weapon. The formula is simple, sneak as close to the target as possible, activate VATS, select your target(s) and then Blitz and Critical away. The kill moves that came from this were some of the most exciting kill moves I've ever experienced in Fallout 4. 

    Roleplay: Machete is an hombre on a mission. He wants the person responsible for killing his mamasita and taking little Machete, so I saved Kellogg for last in my playthrough. It was quite the roleplay moment when he killed Kellogg using Blitz and Ninja in one set of strikes. Before that can happen, however, I played Machete as your typical mercenary for hire. While not evil, actually, he's quite the hero, he is known in the films for taking jobs that are not the most savory.  And always, always ask for more caps. I did not play him as having a particular allegiance to any faction. He helped Preston until the First Step and Danse through Arcjet, always asking for caps. Another great roleplay moment came when Machete romanced Magnolia in Goodneighbor.

    Settlements: None, save the bare minimum for Preston and his gang. Machete made his home in Diamond City in Homeplate, where the action was. 

    Quests: Main quest through Reunions so Machete can have his revenge and kill Kellogg. Diamond City Blues, a great quest that potentially gives you a huge supply of chems. Pembroke and Cooke ended up dying during the ambush, so Machete was able to take all the chems. It was also incredible roleplay to have Latimer constantly sending triggermen for Machete to avenge his son as it's a constant theme in the films that Machete is pursued by all sorts of henchmen. Quests that revolve around Diamond city and Good neighbor were eagily taken (for caps, of course), The Big Dig (pay homage to his Day Laborer ties with a quest that leads to more than Machete bargained for. I sided with Hancock). The Silver Shroud is a fun quest for him that can lead him to discover all the Grognak comics (I saved Conelly by making Sinjin attack Machete in a fight that reminded me of Machete's confrontation with Steven Seagal's character in the first film). If you want to carry the main quest further, destroying the Institute has parallels in the plot of the second film in the series, Machete Kills. Any quests where taking down corruption and earning caps is a likely outcome. Become Machete! 

     

    Whew! This one took longer, but I had a busy work schedule for the past few weeks. I'd like to thank Motty and Amornar for hosting an awesome event that really got my creative juices flowing with fun builds. Thanks also for making me reconnect with the whole film genera that inspired both Hobo and Machete. Aways been a fan of the films of Rodriguez and Tarentino and their colorful characters and artistic design really lends itself well to the Fallout world. Over the top and awesome. To Danny Trejo's fabulous skills in making a character that started off as a fake trailer joke his own. In addition, I'd like to thank my usuals; Phil, Karver, Teineeva and the Workshop for putting with my brand of cray cray for the month of February. Finally, a special nod to Legion, who again, took pity on a fool whose PC died tragically and provided some excellent screenshots for me to mess around with. Went for a cut out effect this time. I manipulated his screenshots for the SPECIAL spread, and the images that dot the gameplay and rp section.  

  • March 1, 2018

    Whoo, glad to see this out Liss. Not sure if there's much to add from my Workshop comment, but basically this looks like a super fun, super weird build to try out. I've never really given much thought to the idea of a low strength melee build, so this is really interesting to me :D

    And I'm about to reveal something that most likely makes my age incredibly obvious to anyone who doesn't already know, but would you believe that the only movie I've seen Danny Trejo in was Sky Kids? Yep, kid you not but I've never seen another movie this guy is in.

     

  • Member
    March 1, 2018

    Ha! Awesome. Community beautification, using his machetes for cultural and amenity purposes. It's a damned shame that the bombs fell, that would make a great build in and of itself :D

    Concept and story is fantastic, presentation is wonderful as always, and the writing is just you. If I was a Fallout guy, I could well see myself getting into Cait's Corset, demanding more caps for a shitty job, and relying on my luck-based intellect to save the day in big goddam hero style! That trailer at the start actually legit rocks.

  • Member
    March 1, 2018

    Looks great Liss, really enjoyed the presentation. Fits both your source material wonderfully, was well as feeling right at home in the Fallout universe, particularlly with that Mojave/New Vegas vibe. As always your writing, building, presentation, and background are top notch and a fantastic entry for the event! Thank you!

  • Member
    March 2, 2018
    This build made me remember just how weird it is Machete and Spy Kids are canon to each other
  • Member
    March 2, 2018

    Would expect nothing less from you Lis! It was an awesome presentation, and your wizardry with Powerpoint still blows my mind :0

    I've seen Machete at least once, but I can't remember much about the film itself; I can only remember that he was badass, and a low strength (who would've thought) melee mercenary with a mind for vengeance going through the Commonwealth to get back his little Machete... well 'nough said. Nailed it ;-)

  • March 2, 2018
    You just fucked with the wrong Mexican... Hehehehe, machete electrocusions are so going to be a thing in the future, I just know it! Nothing like a great set of gardening skills to help you survive in the Wasteland, and I wouldn't be really surpised if Machete had Green Thumbs... xD Seriously, he's like the Orc of the Wasteland. It has everything: gore, cheese, and ugly badass faces that won't stop you from winning that chick with your sheer badassery. Pure cheese, Lis, pure cheese, love it. :)
  • March 2, 2018

    Dragonborn1921 said:

    Whoo, glad to see this out Liss. Not sure if there's much to add from my Workshop comment, but basically this looks like a super fun, super weird build to try out. I've never really given much thought to the idea of a low strength melee build, so this is really interesting to me :D

    And I'm about to reveal something that most likely makes my age incredibly obvious to anyone who doesn't already know, but would you believe that the only movie I've seen Danny Trejo in was Sky Kids? Yep, kid you not but I've never seen another movie this guy is in.

     

    Yeah, he has a different spin in Spy Kids. Hard to believe almost that the character is canon in both. Con Air was my first Danny Trejo experience. He's a great character actor. 

  • March 2, 2018

    Paws said:

    Ha! Awesome. Community beautification, using his machetes for cultural and amenity purposes. It's a damned shame that the bombs fell, that would make a great build in and of itself :D

    Concept and story is fantastic, presentation is wonderful as always, and the writing is just you. If I was a Fallout guy, I could well see myself getting into Cait's Corset, demanding more caps for a shitty job, and relying on my luck-based intellect to save the day in big goddam hero style! That trailer at the start actually legit rocks.

    The trailers are awesome. 

    I had a lot of fun with this build. I'm a bit sad that it's my last build for a good long while, but I feel I will come out of my hiatus refreshed. 

  • March 2, 2018

    Amornar said:

    Looks great Liss, really enjoyed the presentation. Fits both your source material wonderfully, was well as feeling right at home in the Fallout universe, particularlly with that Mojave/New Vegas vibe. As always your writing, building, presentation, and background are top notch and a fantastic entry for the event! Thank you!

    Thanks, Amo. I'm glad you like it and thanks to you and Motty for coming up with such a cool event. Definitely one you two could repeat as well in the future.