How to Play Fallout 3

When engaging opponents in V.A.T.S, always scroll through the various target points. Occasionally an enemy will be wearing a grenade on their belt, and one well-placed shot will turn them into ground chuck. But in case no grenade always go for the head, for an awesome bullet through the brain and maybe a slow-mo bullet shot.

Choose your route. You can be either good, bad, or neutral. Playing as a good character doesn't mean you have to be a saint; look for a way to swipe a nice flamer from the Brotherhood of Steel, or all those credits the caravan heads carry? If you see them while you're exploring the wasteland, tail them for a while. Chances are they'll get into a fight or two. While they can hold their own for a while, eventually they'll be overtaken. Now's your chance to swoop in and take the pickings from their fresh corpses with no loss of karma. Hey, life is tough in the wasteland, and even the holiest of the holy would do the same to you. Just remember, they won't be using it anymore, anyway. Note that if a trader falls, this also means the caravan will no longer be accessible in the wasteland. Oh, and don't forget to grab the trader's key and loot his Brahman...all in the name of survival, of course.

Feeling devilish? While pickpocketing someone, drop a spare grenade in their pocket. It's like the Fourth of July, only with all ten fingers blown off.

Having trouble in a particularly difficult fight? Stay behind cover and let them come to you. Bullets can't hurt you if they can't hit you, and never underestimate the power of a close range shotgun blast to the face as your enemy comes looking for you.

Get the first shot. Getting the first shot is a big advantage. If you suspect there's a nearby foe, crouch and tap the V.A.T.S. activation key repeatedly as you look around. If they're in your field of vision, V.A.T.S. will detect them. Remember that you score an automatic critical for massive damage if you can hit an opponent without them sensing your presence.

Ammunition can be hard to come by in the wasteland. Be sure to carry a variety of weapons that use different ammo types so you'll never have to depend on a single bullet caliber or power source. You can also conserve ammo by using bats, sledge hammers, shish kebabs, and other melee weapons when you're close to easy or wounded opponents.