Advice on Close Combat build

[apocalypseman]

I want to play a CC build for role-play/pve

Most of the guides I see are a couple years old so I'm not sure if they are outdated. Should I go the crippler route or just straight damage? Also is it necessary to take Sneak?

[Henry]

I have enjoyed the power of fast-punching knockdown artists. I don't go for damage or crits. To me, it's all about speed combined with Heavy Handed. If you knock down your enemies, they cannot hit you. They spend their AP trying to stand up, and you knock them down again because you're so fast. Their only hope is to run. But to do this, you need to be as tough as possible, to get so close. Expect to take damage before you can get them knocked down. PE 1 and avoid open places. Use corners, Psycho and beer. ST 7 + Buffout/cola/Psycho = ST 10.

ST 7
PE 1
EN 10
CH 1
IN 1
AG 10
LK 10

Heavy Handed + (i like Chem Reliant)

Get CC to 180 so you can get Bonus HtH Attacks (the CC version of BRoF) to punch faster. Use Mega Power Fists.

Adrenaline Rush, Toughness, Even Tougher, Action Boy, Lifegiver, Action Boy, Lifegiver, Bonus HtH Attacks.

As for Sneak, okay it's great, but only when it is 300 and only with Silent Running and/or Silent Death. Combining Sneak with this plan would be a different plan. I personally prefer not to sneak around with a guy this powerful. Let them see me, let them chase me, and let them find me, because i will beat them down over and over. I have used a miner like this in unguarded places and been attacked solo by 2 PKs and beaten them both because i simply punched them down so fast. (PKs get so mad when they fail against a lone target.) I have been beaten 1v1 only a few times; only by some vet who has done this before and it took him a long run to escape my knockdown power.

I have also fought 1v1 like this against a fellow pugilist - a guy who punched slow but did amazing crits. This can be a close fight, but you win if your enemy is overwhelmed by punch after punch, each that knock him down. He barely gets a chance to do any crits because he's just trying to stand back up. If enemy has that Bruiser Trait, he has made things even easier for you because he is even slower.

Go to Hinkley and fight 1v1 and usually win. Fight solo vs 2 enemies and sometimes win. I once fought solo vs 3 gunners at Hinkley and won using this puncher. Fight in a team vs opposing team and enemy hates you.

Not good for TC though since it takes so many punches to kill a target. While you are trying to kill one, his buddy 1-hexes you with Avenger: dead. You don't kill quickly and your range is the worst. However...sometimes a TC takes your team inside a building, and the enemy has to rush in to do any damage. That's when having this enforcer ready near the door can really help. A guy rushes in, you knock him down - it's like he's glued to the floor and your buddy 1-hexes him: dead.

But you said PvE anyway so okay, I only use this on worker type characters, because in PvE i want to win a fight quickly, and punching them is way too slow for me. Imagine you're hunting blueprints and locker loot, and you have to sometimes fight 8 Raiders at a time. Trying to punch them to win 1v8 would take too long for me. I'd rather do PvE exploration with a bursting tank.

[Rinzler]

Same SPECIAL as for Henry's build but take jinxed and these perks:

Adrenaline Rush
More HtH Critical
In Your Face
Stonewall
Even Tougher
Bonus HtH Attacks
Lifegiver x 2

It can be played with super sledge or take heavy handed for knockdowns as per above. The fun part to this is IYF perk gives 50% chance for an enemy to miss you at hex range (or two hex if using a 2 hex range weapon) jinx can upgrade this critical miss and cause all kinds of trouble for them.

[apocalypseman]

Thanks for the advice. One more question.

Are these builds still good if I choose to use the Ripper?

[Seki]

Are these builds still good if I choose to use the Ripper?

No.
All melee weapons except Mega Power Fist (heavyhanded) or Super Sledge and Super Cattle Prod (crit) are weak.
MPF has 100% chance to KD with 10 ST and heavyhanded and Super Sledge and Super Cattle Prod because their damage was doubled at last wipe while damage of other melee weapons like ripper remained low, untouched.
Louisville Slagger (or how its spelled) is also decent, no thrust mode so low damage against armored targets and 1 hex range only but it deals KO on every critical (this KO can still avoided by stonewall).
For Henry's build just stick to MPF.

Same SPECIAL as for Henry's build but take jinxed and these perks:

Adrenaline Rush
More HtH Critical
In Your Face
Stonewall
Even Tougher
Bonus HtH Attacks
Lifegiver x 2

It can be played with super sledge or take heavy handed for knockdowns as per above. The fun part to this is IYF perk gives 50% chance for an enemy to miss you at hex range (or two hex if using a 2 hex range weapon) jinx can upgrade this critical miss and cause all kinds of trouble for them.

i had similar build but with Better HtH Criticals instead of Stonewall and without heavyhanded for crits with Super Sledge/Cattle Prod and it was alot of fun even in PvP but thats not important since guy is asking for PvE/Roleplay build