Close combat build guide

[Jugulator]

This guide is supposed to be for the attention of newcomers and those who haven't try any close combat build yet. I Hope you will find useful informations. Don't forget to use a character planner.

• Why chose a close combat build ?
  If you are a ninja at heart, if you want to wash your hands in blood, or if you just enjoy muscles, close combat is going to be fun for you.
  Even your main character can be a fist-fighter if you are a real adventurer. It is a well known fact that most other builds will be more largely effective in Reloaded but a great melee build can still handle a lot of things, especially in PvE.
  If you plan to do PvP, be aware that you will be a cool duelist but not that good in big crowds.
  
  
• Drugs
  Just like every builds, they are not unavoidable. Just know that junkies will have a more maximized build.
  
  • Nuka-Cola : Great for every build.
  • Psycho/Beer : Really great if you plan to have 1 perception : no drawbacks.
  • Jet : Can be use with psycho.
  • Buffout : Always good to have more strengh. Use with Nuka.
  • Cigarettes : Mostly useful if you plan to have high Perception.
    
    
• Traits
  
  • Bruiser : Must-have if you plan to have big natural damages. However the AP loss may not suit your ninja style.
  • Heavy Handed : Good for a spammer with low luck and high strengh.
  • Small Frame : Must-have for every build.
  • Jinxed : Powerful with the In Your Face perk (critical failures only appears when you miss).
  • Bonehead : As you will be endlessly hit, it can be a good option.
  • Chem Reliant : Good for a junky.
  • Fast Metabolism : Most people will tell you it's a waste. However if you are clean, it can be interesting in long hunts. Use with 10 Endurance and don't forget about armor bonuses.
  • Kamikaze : I don't know if Armor Class is that good. Never tried it.
  • Finesse : It can be good for a crippler. But I won't recommend it for any close combat build since the ammo you will use don't have Damage Resistance modifier.
  • Skilled : Your melee guy will need perks, don't take it.
    
    
• SPECIAL
  
  • Strengh : Most close combat characters will have high strengh, because it's always good to have more natural damages. However you can handle mega power fists and still have cool criticals with 1 strengh.
  • Perception : It won't increase your chance to hit that's why 1 is generally enough. But a large field of view is always welcome, especially for a hybrid build (like another combat skill or sneak).
  • Endurance : You definitely need a high value.
  • Charisma : Increase it only if you want to have followers. Can be useful to travel with a lot of players too.
  • Intelligence : If it is your main char, I'd say 5-8 intelligence is enough to have good side skills. For a simple fighter, minimize it.
  • Agility : Max it.
  • Luck : High luck is mostly needed except for a Heavy Handed char.
    
    
• Skills
  
  • Close Combat : 180 is fine. You can still rise it to have less deterioration with your unique cattle prod.
  • First Aid : Maximize it, you will need to stitch yourslef veeeery often.
  • Doctor : It's always good to have about 100 doc.
  • Lockpick : Very cool  skill, especially for your main character. 125 (with extended lockpicks) or 150.
  • Sneak : Can be cool. If you choose it, be aware that you will need Silent Running perk and max skill. Silent Death is in option.
  • SG, BG, EW or Throw : You will need at least Bonus Rate of Fire perk to be effective. But a hybrid build can be fun.
    
    
• Perks
  
  • Bonus HtH Attacks : Must-have.
  • More HtH Criticals, Better HtH Criticals : Must-have for criritcals.
  • Bonus HtH Damage : High natural damages, good with Heavy Handed and Bruisers.
  • Adrenaline Rush, Even Tougher, Stonewall, Quick Recovery, Man of Steel, Lifegivers : All good as you will be a bullet magnet.
  • In Your Face : I would recommend it even if you are not Jinxed.
  • Hit The Gaps : Can be good for a crippler.
    
    

[Sperber]

Regarding drugs make sure you drink nuka last if you have 10AG and use drugs that reduce AG.
I would also add cigarettes to which the same applies. Take last so you have at least 2 PE in the end.

[Jugulator]

Added cigarettes. But drugged char with 1 Perception won't use it since you'll be blind with psycho (I doubt any drugged build with 1 Perception ONLY use cigs).

[Sperber]

Added cigarettes. But drugged char with 1 Perception won't use it since you'll be blind with psycho (I doubt any drugged build with 1 Perception ONLY use cigs).

Drugs can't reduce stats below 1 as far as I know.
So if you take cigs last you'd end up with 2PE, I think.

[Jugulator]

Drugs can't reduce stats below 1 as far as I know.
So if you take cigs last you'd end up with 2PE, I think.

Just tested Cigs+Beer : Still 1 Perception.

[Sperber]

Just tested Cigs+Beer : Still 1 Perception.

Ok. Still +1PE is nothing to sneer at if you can get it.

[Deputy]

cool guide thanks!

[Sperber]

cool guide thanks!

Whoa, watch out!
We got a badass over here.

[Jugulator]

Yeah, it's a shame you did not miss one of your burst.

[Strike]

Very good guide, let's spread the word around wasteland

[C.H.A.R.L.I.E]

[Henry]

Good guide! Let's get more fist-fighters!

I took Small Frame and Heavy Handed. Small Frame sounds bad to me, because why would I want a shrimpy guy trying to fight big heavier guys? But read the actual description to see Small Frame's only drawback is less Carry Weight. Well big deal on that! Give me Small Frame and I get an extra SPECIAL point in Agility. Good Trait for any fighter. Heavy Handed means you do a LOT of knockdowns with ST 10, and doesn't that sound like a critically important Trait to have? The ability to knock your opponent down over and over is key because he needs Action Points to hit you, and he loses them all when he gets knocked down. Then he spends what he recovers just to stand up. If you can hit him again before he regains enough to hit you, then you're gonna win man.

Bruiser Trait sounds (and looks) good but the cost is too high. Giving up 2 Action Points kills it for me.

Also important was getting Strength 10. When you punch someone, the system compares your ST against something so ST 10 gives you the best outcomes. But Psycho gives +1 to ST and Buffout gives +2 to ST so that means I planned my fist-fighter with ST 7. That gives me back 3 points of SPECIAL to put elsewhere. This is why drugs are so important!

Knowing I am going to use Buffout, I maxed Agility at 10. Anytime you take Buffout, also take Nuka Cola. It is the perfect drug to counter the one bad effect of Buffout which is -1 AG. Nuka gives you back that 1 point of AG. So popping a temporary steroid and washing it down with soda means +2 ST and no downside.

I chose PE 1 because I planned to use Psycho and beer to get a big bonus to Damage Resistance. These two drugs lower your PE so just make PE 1 and there is no downside. And why would a fist-fighter need to see like a sniper? If he was really a ninja, okay, but he's not. He steps into a boxing ring, or runs up to an enemy in the wasteland, balls up his fists and smashes the enemy down. I don't need to see far to do that. And PE 1 is not blind - they just say that. I see fine with PE 1, all I need.

The Even Tougher Perk seems also a must. Going into a fist-fight with high Damage Resistance is obvious an advantage and Even Tougher gives +10% to DR. Combined with Psycho for another +15% DR, you get 25% DR without any armor! That's important for any fighter targeted by the enemy. Now add beer to this mix for another +5% DR and you have 30% Damage Resistance (and some Damage Threshold). Oh I almost forgot Adrenaline Rush! Maybe my favorite perk for this build.

Now let's talk Perks. Stonewall would seem to be a natural, but I heard guys saying it does not stand up to Heavy Handed, so I chose Quick Recovery instead. Debatable.

Now since I planned this guy to be a pure fist-fighter and go mainly against other Close Combat players, i chose In Your Face! It's the only perk with an exclamation mark!

Bonus HtH Attacks at Level 18 means I punch faster. The last two perks are up for grabs. I chose both Action Boys but he is, after all, an HtH fighter so maybe you prefer Bonus HtH Damage and More HtH Criticals. Or maybe two Lifegivers.

So my fist-fighter won't do as much damage per hit, but he'll hit faster, thus more hits and do as many knockdowns as possible, gradually wearing the enemy down. Endurance 10 for max natural Hit Points. CH 1, Intelligence 2 works fine. (Use Mentats to chat in-game). And I end up with Luck 10! Perfect Luck for countering as many incoming critical hits as possible.

Leveling is slow with a fist-fighter though so don't get bored. Level him when you feel like it and you should end up with a very fun character.

[Uftak]

...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58nPdkZJsrA#t=02m20s

[drot]

Hit The Gaps : Can be good for a crippler.

50% still doesn't make enough difference so it's a trash perk (not to mention you'll be using Finesse anyway for a crippler).