Skills

Skills

There are 13 skills in New Vegas, and it's nearly the same set as in Fallout 3. The differences are: 1. Small Guns has been renamed to Guns.  2. Big Guns is no longer a skill in New Vegas.  3. The Survival Skill is new.

This section deals with all skills.  These are derived from one of your SPECIAL stats, and are further increased by spending skill points after levelling up, or by reading skill books or skill magazines.

Skill Books permanently increase a skill with 3 points.  If you have the Comprehension Perk, Skill Books grant one additional point per book, for a total of 4 points.

Skill Magazines temporarily increase a skill by 10 points.  If you have the Comprehension Perk, they temporarily increase the skill by 20 points.

Intelligence is the SPECIAL stat that influences how many skill points you get for each level up.  Starting at 10.5 skill points at 1 INT, this can become 15 points at level 10.  This has been dumbed down from 20 in Fallout 3.  It's a good idea to start out with a high INT stat. 

__________________
|INT:|SKILL POINTS:|
|=-=-|=-=-=-=-=-=-=|
|  1 |     10.5    |
|  2 |      11     |
|  3 |     11.5    |
|  4 |      12     |
|  5 |     12.5    |
|  6 |      13     |
|  7 |     13.5    |
|  8 |      14     |
|  9 |     14.5    |
| 10 |      15     |
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An interesting shift from Fallout 3 to New Vegas is that skills such as Barter and Speech have become a lot more useful.  Dialogue options are no longer chance-dependent, but require a fixed amount of skill points.  You can now expect to see dialogue options that require 50 speech - bottom line.  If you don't have enough, you can't get the option to work, it's that simple.  There are various options for Barter as well.  Other skills may also have dialogue options, such as Medicine, Sneak, Repair or Science, although these are less common than Speech and Barter dialogue options.

BARTER
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Statistic:    • Charisma
Useage:       • Allows you to buy lower, sell higher.
              • Unlocks special dialogue options.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Pack Rat  (Minimum of 70 Barter, LVL  8)
              2. Long Haul (Minimum of 70 Barter, LVL 12)

ENERGY WEAPONS
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Statistic:    • Perception
Useage:       • Increases effectiveness of Energy Weapons (such as Laser Pistol,
                Laser Rifle, Plasma Pistol, Plasma Rifle), and Flamer Weapons
                (such as Incinerator).
Unlocks Perk: 1. Run 'n Gun        (Minimum of 45 Energy Weapons, LVL 4)
              2. Plasma Spaz       (Minimum of 70 Energy Weapons, LVL 10)
              3. Meltdown          (Minimum of 90 Energy Weapons, LVL 16)
              4. Concentrated Fire (Minimum of 60 Energy Weapons, LVL 18)
              5. Laser Commander   (Minimum of 90 Energy Weapons, LVL 22)

EXPLOSIVES
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Statistic:    • Perception
Usage:        • Improves the damage you do with explosives, enhances your
                accuracy when throwing explosives, increases the ease with
                which you disarm mines, and improves damage of Missile Launchers
                Fat Men, and similar weapons.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Heave, Ho!        (Minimum of 30 Explosives, LVL  2)
              2. Demolition Expert (Minimum of 50 Explosives, LVL  6)
              3. Hit The Deck      (Minimum of 70 Explosives, LVL 12)
              4. Pyromaniac        (Minimum of 60 Explosives, LVL 12)
              5. Splash Damage     (Minimum of 70 Explosives, LVL 12)

GUNS
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Statistic:    • Agility
Usage:        • Increases effectivity of guns that use conventional ammunition
                (such as Pistol, Rifles, etc).
Unlocks Perk: 1. Rapid Reload      (Minimum of 30 Guns, LVL  2)
              2. Run 'n Gun        (Minimum of 45 Guns, LVL  4)
              3. Shotgun Surgeon   (Minimum of 45 Guns, LVL  6)
              4. Cowboy            (Minimum of 45 Guns, LVL  8)
              5. Center of Mass    (Minimum of 70 Guns, LVL 14)
              6. Concentrated Fire (Minimum of 60 Guns, LVL 18)

                                              ___________ _______________
LOCKPICK                                     |DIFFICULTY:|REQUIRED SKILL:|
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Statistic:    • Perception                   |Very Easy  |        0      |
Usage:        • Allows you to pick locks.    |Easy       |       25      |
                See ratings on the left.     |Average    |       50      |
Unlocks Perk: 1. Infiltrator (Minimum of     |Hard       |       75      |
                 70 Lockpick, LVL 18)        |Very Hard  |      100      |
                                              ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 

MEDICINE
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Statistic:    • Intelligence
Usuage:       • Increases the effectiveness of medicine (RadAway, Rad-X,
                Stimpaks, Super Stimpaks, etc.).  At skill level 100, the
                initial effects of medicine is doubled (?).
Unlocks Perk: 1. Living Anatomy (Minimum of 70 Medicine, LVL  8)
              2. Chemist        (Minimum of 60 Medicine, LVL 14)
              3. Chem Resistant (Minimum of 60 Medicine, LVL 16)

MELEE WEAPONS
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Statistic:    • Strength
Usage:        • Increases effectivity of melee weapons (Combat Knife, Machete,
                Tire Iron, etc..)
Unlocks Perk: 1. Cowboy            (Minimum of 45 Melee Weapons, LVL 8)
              2. Super Slam        (Minimum of 45 Melee Weapons, LVL 8)
              3. Unstoppable Force (Minimum of 90 Melee Weapons, LVL 12)
              4. Ninja             (Minimum of 80 Melee Weapons, LVL 20)

REPAIR
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Statistic:    • Intelligence
Usage:        • Increases your ability to repair weapons and armor, and also
                affects your ability to create items and gun ammunition at
                reloading benches.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Hand Loader  (Minimum of 70 Repair, LVL 6)
              2. Jury Rigging (Minimum of 90 Repair, LVL 14)

SCIENCE                                         ___________ _______________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                        |DIFFICULTY:|REQUIRED SKILL:|
Statistic:    • Intelligence                   |=-=-=-=-=-=|=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=|
Usage:        • Used for hacking terminals.    |Very Easy  |        0      |
                See ratings on the left.       |Easy       |       25      |
                It is also used to recycle     |Average    |       50      |
                Energy Weapon ammo at          |Hard       |       75      |
                reloading benches.             |Very Hard  |      100      |
                                                ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 
Unlocks Perk: 1. Vigilant Recycler (Minimum of 70 Science, LVL  6)
              2. Math Wrath        (Minimum of 70 Science, LVL 10)
              2. Nerd Rage!        (Minimum of 50 Science, LVL 10)
              3. Robotics Expert   (Minimum of 50 Science, LVL 12)
              4. Computer Whiz     (Minimum of 70 Science, LVL 18)
              5. Nuka Chemist      (Minimum of 90 Science, LVL 22)
              

SNEAK
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Statistic:    • Agility
Usage:        • Increases you speed, your ability to stay hidden from enemies
                when crouching and during pickpocketing.  Attacking while hidden
                grants you a Sneak Attack Critical Hit.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Friend of the Night (Minimum of 30 Sneak, LVL  2)
              2. The Professional    (Minimum of 70 Sneak, LVL  6)
              3. Mister Sandman      (Minimum of 60 Sneak, LVL 10)
              4. Silent Running      (Minimum of 50 Sneak, LVL 12)
              5. Ninja               (Minimum of 80 Sneak, LVL 20)

SPEECH
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Statistic:    • Charisma
Usage:        • Increases your success when talking to people, often granting
                you special priviledges.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Terrifying Presence (Minimum of 70 Speech, LVL 8)

SURVIVAL
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Statistic:    • Endurance
Usage:        • Increases the amount of health you gain from eating and drinking
                food and water, and improves creating items at campfires.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Hunter         (Minimum of 30 Survival, LVL  2)
              2. Entomologist   (Minimum of 45 Survival, LVL  4)
              3. Rad Child      (Minimum of 70 Survival, LVL  4)
              4. Travel Light   (Minimum of 45 Survival, LVL  4)
              5. Lead Belly     (Minimum of 40 Survival, LVL  6)
              6. Rad Resistance (Minimum of 40 Survival, LVL  8)
              7. Animal Friend  (Minimum of 45 Survival, LVL 10)

UNARMED
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Statistic:    • Endurance
Usage:        • Increases damage when fighting bare handed/with knuckles.
                Also decreases the damage taken when blocking with your hands.
Unlocks Perk: 1. Piercing Strike (Minimum of 70 Unarmed, LVL 12)
              2. Paralyzing Palm (Minimum of 70 Unarmed, LVL 18)
              3. Slayer          (Minimum of 90 Unarmed, LVL 24)