Walkthrough

Fallout 3 is a game of numerous choices. As such, it should be no surprise to you, the reader, that we may have gone about a different method of play from your own in our walkthrough. We strive to provide the reader with more than one angle of approach and point these out wherever possible, but we stick to what we deem as the best possible and easiest method for us at the time. Of course, there's a caveat. With character customization (skills, equipment, stats, etc.) as an extreme variable that differs from player to player, it's difficult to tailor strategies for specific character types and styles of play. Regardless, you should find the walkthrough adequate for helping you with certain choices and guidance in case you ever lose your way in the Wasteland.

Since many of the items found within your play-through can differ (and believe us, you'd be surprised by the sheer amount of useless crap lying around a nuclear wasteland), the walkthrough bolds only those items that are either very helpful, crucial in helping you advance, or things we found that were at least worth noting.

Enjoy!

Baby Steps

• Walk to Dad
• Open the playpen's gate
• Exit the playpen
• Look at the "You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L." book

Although you're free to skip through it, the game's introductory sequences properly sets the dark and foreboding overtones of this post-apocalyptic RPG shooter. In any case, this woeful tale of nuclear war begins with the birth- quite literally-of the protagonist at which point the player gets to appoint the sex of the newborn, the name, and all his or her facial features. Spend some time exploring Fallout's character customization as this is how your character will look for the rest of the game. For the sake of remaining consistent throughout the walkthrough, we will often refer to the protagonist-your character-as a he.

In the next sequence, one year has passed. Your character's father, James, stands in the playpen nearby and beckons you over. The little trickster! Luckily, in the centuries of human evolution, they still have not yet perfected safe, infant-proof playpens. Once you've left the confines of the playpen by moving toward the gate and following the in-game prompt, head over to the colorful storybook lying next to the toys' chest.

Here is where you can distribute a total of 33 points across a board of various attributes that correlate highly with your own style of play or desired character type (brute strength melee character, ranged shooter, etc.). There are really 40 points total, but each stat must hold at least 1 point in reserve. We advise against averaging out your points and trying to be good at everything because the sad truth is that you won't be. We also discourage placing more than 8 points in any one stat, as 8 is about as good as you want to be in that particular discipline.

The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book runs quickly by all the attributes in an amusing manner, but fail to elaborate exactly on how your character is affected by them. Fortunately, we've already outlined the ins and outs of these stats in the Basics section already, so peruse that if you're unsure of how to allocate your points. A combination of Strength and Endurance, for example, creates a powerhouse in melee combat. Feel free to experiment because you will be allowed to alter the allotment of your points later on.

James eventually returns to the room after a few moments of exploring the little room and shares your mother's favorite passage with you before going off into the hallway.