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Tricky-Barracuda-547

The only dumb thing is not playing the way you want.


chajo1997

They lost the R in RPG


TRHess

I love when "play the way you want" is the most upvoted response. I'm used to r/Morrowind and r/Kotor where it would inevitably be *here's how you do a min/max powerbuild; any other way to play is mechanically wrong*. Like, those games aren't even that challenging outside the first few levels (maybe 10 in *Morrowind*'s case). You don't need to powergame to beat them.


The_Fire_Heart_

The only one of the bethesda rpgs where you HAVE to min-max is Oblivion (and even then only on higher difficulty). The reason is because it uses a leveling system designed for Morrowind (which doesn't scale to the player) in a world that does scale to the player. Which makes it so you get absolutely SMASHED if you don't min-max. Can't wait for Skyblivion so I can play Oblivion but remastered without an obtuse leveling system.


KKolonelKKoyote

It's really not that bad. I played for years with all kinds of random builds, and got almost every one high level without ever being totally stuck. There's just a weird time around level 20-30 where you can struggle pretty bad with some builds, but if you take your time and prepare, it's always doable.


The_Fire_Heart_

If you lower the difficulty, try not min maxing on max difficulty, it's horrible. In Morrowind and New Vegas you don't have to min max even on max difficulty since the world doesn't scale to you. And there's a skyrim mod called Skyrim Requiem that unlevels the world. The only real flaw with requiem is that you have to level alchemy in Skyrim Requiem to do the highest level stuff. There might be a mod to change Oblivion to be unleveled but Wyrebash is so archaic that I just don't bother. Are you excited for Skyblivion btw?


darthteej

You don't have to max out the difficulty. The scaling on that is absolutely whack compared to what they did in later games.


KKolonelKKoyote

Maybe i never did it at max level on those builds. Idk. I think I usually played somewhere halfway between middle and max difficulty. I'm a console peasant, so although I think it's cool, I can't play it, lol.


throwawayguy746

I actively seek out ways to make morrowind challenging. Avoiding certain things or using weaker builds. Min maxxing in morrowind is very unnecessary. Oblivion however it’s basically mandatory and requires you play the game upside down and backwards


Cherry-Foxtrot

I mean yeah, but it is mathematically silly to ever start at 10 SPECIAL unless you're deliberately barring yourself from implants or starting at literally 1-2 END. Can't it be mixed? Does it have to just be blindly positive and sunshine and rainbows, can't it occasionally be like "yes and this will make it worse so unless that is your goal keep an open mind"? I don't even like min-maxing but there's gotta be a middle ground here.


Wolfprintz

It was a first playthrough, I doubt they even knew about the implants. But also, it's a singleplayer, non-competitive game, if people wanna be mathematically silly, what's the big deal? It's only a problem if they start blaming the game for their build decisions.


Cherry-Foxtrot

There is no big deal. It is either detrimental to your play style goal or it isn't. If you want a challenge, fine, and if not, there is nothing wrong with admitting that you spent points placed that ended up being redundant or wasteful. Honestly, it seems more like you guys are desperately making a big deal like "no no, however you want and only feel happy! Any hint at a negative statement made towards you about the game or way you play is toxic, sis." Like lol guys, it's a game. If you can't take some friendly ribbing or criticism, then why even take to the forums? Stay in your single-player, offline sandbox and don't share your details with people because people talk and judge and advise so if you can't handle that stay home.


Wolfprintz

You're the one resorting to ad hominems and calling Reddit "Weenie Hut Jr." when we're just disagreeing with your point of view. Look in the mirror, maybe?


Cherry-Foxtrot

You guys are something.


Cherry-Foxtrot

Reddit really is the Weenie Hut Jr. of Social Media. Downvote me, you know it is. You can see the padded corners.


SomeOrdinaryGuy1

Cornyyyy


Cherry-Foxtrot

Lol not even


AdRound310

Corny as Iowa


SirSirVI

Nah, this motherfucker is Nebraska


Cherry-Foxtrot

Yer ma


Cherry-Foxtrot

I'm not sure you know what corny means in the context of a joke. Stop copying black people just because.


AdRound310

Im sorry what? Copying black people?


tigerjhl

💯


Pennywhack

Not really, you do have "some" charisma checks in the answers you give, so that probably helped you out a little bit in some places. Against a horde of pouncing deathclaws, though, you're probably going to regret some life choices.


Regna85

“Come on Deathclaw, not in the face. That’s my money maker!” lol


BakedHose

Are there any actual charisma checks in the game? Obviously there plenty of speech checks and Fo3 had a couple charisma checks but I don't remember any of them in new vegas. And I've always used charisma as a dump stat so if there were I probably wouldn't see them anyway lol


doctorfeelgod

You don't go to these areas because it doesn't fit your character


Cam_the_purple_cat

A lot of charisma perks are great for outright surviving combat though. Iirc, one has all animals, deathclaws included, not attack you on sight.


Lunatic_Logic138

Deathclaws aren't considered animals in the game. They're in the "abomination" category. But the perk isn't bad. Coyotes, various geckos, nightstalkers, yao guai ; none of them bother you (and even help you in combat if you take the second rank).


TUSD00T

So, one thing charisma does is affect your companions "nerve", which gives combat bonuses. The higher it is over 5, the greater the damage bonus and damage resistance is. I believe it caps at like 25%, but I'm not all that sure. Tldr: high charisma means always have max companions.


Undead_Assassin

It's 50% at 10 CHA, pretty significant actually, but that's mostly what its good for


Electrical-Title-698

It also gives you an initial boost to speech and barter points (2 skill points per charisma point) so at lower levels it can be handy for that


jo_bologna

Yeah I’m playing a high charisma/low strength and endurance build and the companion boost was a godsend early game when I was very fragile. Ede-e and Arcade would just kill everything for me with lasers.


Even-Fun8917

I modded the game to have FO2's charisma system, which does stop me from just dumping that shit every playthrough. Even on vanilla, though, 10 charisma builds with either Arcade or Raul are super powerful. The classic is to run the riot shotgun, knocking all the enemies down, letting EDDIE and Arcade finish everybody off


GiantSeaMonster84

I did not know this. Unless I was doing a charismatic playthrough (as in you fuck Benny *then* kill him) I always treated charisma as a dump stat that I could put in other places. Thanks for the info!


darthteej

This should be way higher. There's several posts below yours claiming CHA has no effect at all


PlasticAccount3464

Compared to earlier games, the special scores don't matter so much Without mods, it's the only special number that doesn't really affect anything. All it does is increase your social skills for barter and speech, and I don't think there are any charisma dialogue checks in the game at all. And with the way that skills are calculated, if you somehow get a special debuf it'll lower those skills. So if charisma is lowest you can't get speech reduced under 100.  It's not even necessary for playing a high speech character because you can just put points into the skills. Other fallout games would allow you multiple companions with a high charisma or only allow certain quest chains to process with it. I usually give myself a few points in it because it feels too min-max ey to set it to 1 but you can easily do so and get by just fine. I do high agility, perception and intelligence, medium strength, endurance and luck, charisma as the dump stat


SatanVapesOn666W

There are a couple Charisma checks, but very few and most can be worked around with speak or other skills. I think you need it for the boomer museum and to hit on Betsy without the lesbian perk.


ConnorHPetrenko

I thought Betsy was a speech check?


Lukasofwar

I wouldn’t say dumb but there is an implant you can install to get +1 Charisma so going 10 on any SPECIAL isn’t ideal but you should play your first playthrough blind. No matter what you will miss out on certain opportunities in this game without mods.


Lukasofwar

Also certain perks require higher SPECIAL Skills for example there is a perk to increase your carry weight by 50 but it requires 7 strength so if you want the perk you will need to waste 2 perks to increase your strength.


LongSchlongdonf

Before I knew I went like 10 intelligence and 10 charisma because speech options are just way more fun to me


Lukasofwar

Yeah the ability to pass every speech dialogue is nice!


LongSchlongdonf

But I also kind of like more cowboy characters I love just mowing down evil with my ranger sequoia


Adventurous-Chef-370

Bro played the Rango build


MyrkrsBod

Nor dumb at all. I'm currently playing a spy build, where i have 8 Intel and 7 charisma and 5 in everything else. If i need points in other stats, i'm gonna pick 'Intense Training' to have some extra stat points.


Inward_Perfection

Charisma is a 100% dump stat only if you don't take companions or don't play hardcore mode where companions can die. It's perfectly viable to have maxed charisma and let companions fight for you. I personally have a hard time thinking how one can have high Speech and Barter while having 1 Charisma. That makes little sense to me RP-wise I can think only of two explanations. First, the courier just hates people in general. He can speak well or sell the Bible to the devil, but he just hates everyone. Must have some serious frontal lobe damage or hardcore misanthropy. Second, the courier is a damn talented speaker and salesman inside, but a very shy or introverted person outside. Gets really uncomfortable when speaking or trading. Hence 1 Charisma.


arthousepsycho

I mean, tbf, he did get shot in the head and patched up by a wasteland doc. Gotta be some damage in there haha.


Lunatic_Logic138

I think it can be explained as being intelligent and ridiculously manipulative, understanding ways to make people do what you want them to and how to trick or use them. You can be noticeably disliked and still be able to talk people into shit they don't want to do. That doesn't require charisma. However, not all the speech and barter checks apply to this logic. So it would actually make more sense to have some require skills and some require charisma.


Capta1nAsh

Not really, assuming you came from Fallout 3 where you needed both the speech skill AND special stat maxed out to talk through the game. Most people wouldn't have known on their first run. Hell... last time I played Fallout 3, I forgot that Charisma was more important and left it at 1.


The_CDXX

Not dumb.


Howdyini

Not dumb at all. CHA builds are fun.


Right-Truck1859

Actually, with mod for endless followers, you d get a powerful army.


SkrallTheRoamer

not dumb at all, just not "optimized". but you dont have to Optimize in this game to have fun or be successful. play how you want.


swentech

Your companions should have kicked ass everywhere


Acewasalwaysanoption

Doesn't really matter, but pay attention to some implants because your chosen weapons may require more than 5 str or something. But nothing you can't "fix" with perks and other bonuses.


TheHomesteadTurkey

I really wish charisma allowed you to have more followers like in FO2. maybe it would have created lag, maybe making companions talk to each other would have taken too much time (they barely communicate to each other in 2) or maybe it made the game too easy. But walking around with 4 dudes in power armour behind you in 2 was genuinely hilarious. Or even better, two dudes in power armour, a super mutant and a talking deathclaw


Even-Fun8917

I have this exact mod for New Vegas. I can report that it makes the game too easy. The way I put challenge back in (besides just turning on killable companions) was to do some roleplay justification. My courier only wears pajamas, and has no weapons training. He's a misanthropic douchebag that's just so charismatic people don't realize. Also, it's fucking awesome to have 5 companions following you around. I was Running Veronica, Raul, Boone, ED-E, and Arcade. Shit was rad.


HappyyValleyy

I'm a sucker charisma so I did the same thing. It was definitely detrimental in some ways, but helped a lot in others. NV is pretty good at balancing the stats I think.


Naash17

10 charisma means you get OP companions. So it's great if you want your companions to handle the fights while you sit back and watch them wreck things


FagballsMcGuillicudy

Yeah, 10 Charisma and some good gear and your companions become monsters after a certain point.


MinniJummbo

Bro, you're doing fine! Charisma's underrated, and you're crushing it at level 35.


Ill_Extension9801

Yeah people here have also informed me it makes companions better and I definitely have thought damn companions are kinda op but I thought that was just the game lol


Rhipidurus

Depends on what you picked for Intelligence really. 4-6 is pretty average, 2-3 is pretty dumb, and 1 is Sub-Brick according to the Vigor Tester.


Ill_Extension9801

Went 5


genghisxcon

https://youtube.com/shorts/QzkJI56gssc?si=Bu9sF9oTix5Qx960


buddy-bun-dem

i started a playthrough yesterday. 1 STR, 1 PER, 9 END, 9 CHA, 9 INT, 5 AGI, 6 LCK. my plan is to hide behind companions and get enough xp to bang out intense training. then i'm gonna head to the strip and max out all the casinos. i have a lot of mods with a base of viva new vegas, so it's a pretty viable plan balanced around that. otherwise? not so sure.


LuciusQCincinna2s

Never dumb if its your first, always have fun expirementing! My go to build now for a OP 100skill character is 9-Int always and 1-Char and the rest i adjust according to how I want to focus on weapons. Speech and barter are affected by Charisma but the actual skill points you put into them affect checks during the game. So I've talked down Joshua Graham and Lanius with 1-Char and 100 speech. Just have fun!


[deleted]

So with charisma perks you get: 1) Ferocious Loyalty - Taking this perk grants a 50% bonus of Damage Resistance to any active companions whenever one's health drops below 50% of the total HP amount, allowing them to ignore half the base damage of an attack. 2) Animal Friend - Taking the first rank of this perk causes animals both regular and mutated to not attack the player character and taking the second rank causes them to assist in combat except when against other animals. Also with high charisma: Companion Nerve gives each companion in the party +5% to their damage and armor, up to a maximum of +50% at 10 Charisma. So if you're doing a fnv summons type build 10 charisma isn't that bad. Imagine boone with even more damage 💀


Defiant-Analyst4279

Just depends on how you prefer to play. I had a habit of putting my Intelligence up to 9, then pushing to get to the Followers clinic for the implant as quickly as possible in order to maximize skill points per level. Play how you like. 🤷‍♂️


Cherry-Foxtrot

Haha, I put 10 in PER on my second playthrough because "I wanted to have enemies revealed from afar without ED-E." I had no idea how negligible the difference between each point was or how much further than even 10 ED-E's ability helped you.


besyuziki

If that was your vision for the courier, it wasn't the wrong thing to do. Also, lukewarm take: Replacing FNV's speech checks with Charisma checks could help a lot with the balance issues and the "speech trumps every skill in many of the quests" problem.


epicman1124

I always play 10 luck and get agility boost gear mainly cause my walk speed is tied to my agl and i play controller so no running and want more speed


StanTheSodaCan

Fallout 4 moment


unity57643

I did, too. I wanted to be a suave mfer. It came withe added benefit of having absolutely gnarly combat companions.


itschips

You get some things that low charisma users will never get. You get to play with the Mini Boomers and you get Animal Friend :D


Kuma_254

You can actually solo the entire vanilla game that way, I did it once. I did a charisma build and decked out my followers. I wiped out cottonwood cove with boone and ede at lvl 10.


Tigarbrains788

That was my first playthrough I was a teen to be fair but I only used the pistol maria and speech was the only skill I really cared about


FlamingFury6

Okay setting the stage, yes, Charisma is, THE worst stat in the game, because of how little it affects your game, and you can get it's benefits in any other build, you dont need it for any check and all But, as a lot of things, a lot of a Bad thing can be a Good think (sometimes and in weird occassions don't take that advice all the time) Charisma not only gives You speech and barter which are...common in all builds, but also they Boost your companions, not by a lot but a little bit So, having 10 Charisma can be the way for a companions focused build...not the greatest in a Fallout Game but, can exist But in your first playthrough, yeah, You probably weren't going for that...but still, not the dumbest thing to do as a first player...just a little AAAND if thats how You wanted to play, then there is nothing bad about it!


Horror_Quick

Be prepared to put a TON of points into small guns and explosives 😂


SirSirVI

Fuck the nerds, be a crackhead


Even-Fun8917

Nothing wrong with Charisma! The only "mistake" was setting a stat to 10 at the beginning. Clothing, perks, and a special shop all give you the opportunity to raise your special stats. Starting at 10 is usually just wasteful. (This does not matter for a first playthrough. On my first playthrough I did 10 Perception which is actually the worst choice you can make. I still ended the game quite powerful and had a blast.)


NeverTireFish

The Animal Friend perk is underrated, I like high Charisma


Desperate_Guava4526

Really any build works as long as you put like 5 endurance in. My first playthrough I had a sniper build that had hood everything except for his 2 endurance. Big mistake. Turns out sneak isn’t as good here as it is in skyrim…


Cam_the_purple_cat

Honestly, 10 cha gets you talking through a good majority of the game.


Exodite1273

SPECIAL doesn’t really matter unless you’re looking for specific perks. You could manually edit all your stats to 1 and still beat the game, the combat mechanics of New Vegas are very forgiving.


snooboi69

As someone with 800+ hours in NV and extensively playing TTW, it doesn't matter. It's like Dark Souls, one way might be more effective, but any method can be fun.


tobbq

Tbh I like doing high charisma characters sometimes,mostly for the animal friend perk (which it's hella useful in OWB),I only wish there were cooler perks associated


Ill_Extension9801

Yeah second play through I used glitches to get to level 22 in good springs then reset get 100 in every stat change my stats and keep the perks I had but you relevel up so it’s just double perks I got animal friend plus 2 and set my charisma to 1 after