Whether you’re looking for legendary gear or just want to give yourself more of a challenge on your next character, Survival mode is where it’s at. While a little daunting for newer players, it’s actually not that difficult to play from start to finish on Survival and never have to turn down the difficulty. You just have to play it safe and think twice about what might happen if you shoot that super mutant in the face at level 6. Here are a ten tips that are sure to help keep you alive.
1 – Don’t Skimp On Endurance
One of the easiest ways to get more HP in Fallout is by having a high Endurance character. Normally, both the high HP and perks from Endurance are something I avoid in lieu of more damage, crafting, or lockpicking/hacking. On Survival mode you are going to have a very tough time early on if you do this, and can expect to get annihilated by something as insignificant as pack of bloatflies if you’re not careful. While in the long run it’s a bit of a waste, I found putting one point into Toughness to be very helpful early on as well due to the lack of armour and armour crafting until you’re at a higher level.
2 –Â Use Construction To Level Up Early
When I first arrived at Sanctuary, instead of rushing off to Concord after helping Codsworth I immediately went into settlement building and constructed the basics: bunkhouse for my workers, water pumps, and a line of defense at the bridge entrance. Doing this should get you to level 2, probably level 3. This means that when you leave, not only do you have more HP but at least one or two perks. This is pretty key for helping save Preston and his gang, as those raiders are surprisingly tough and will kill you with just a few shots if you’re not careful. Getting Armorer and Toughness before you venture into the Commonwealth will save you multiple times.
3 –Â If A Fight Is Too Difficult, Leave
Even on lower difficulties, some fights can be exhausting early-on. While my first adventure on Normal had me scrounging for ammo and stimpaks more often, it was mostly because I would fight just about anything I ran across. Facility full of super mutants? No big deal, just use all of my chems and energy weapons. Playing on Survival, not only will you die mid-fight because you heal much slower (no more going into your Pip-Boy and magically healing 80 points of damage by eating a bunch of snacks) but running out of your powerful ammo quickly will really hurt how quickly you can progress. Be smart. Scout areas, use VATS to see how much damage you can inflict, and for the love of Atom… SNEAK!
Click on thru to page two for more tips…