Can You Use Both Melee and Long Range For Your Character?

[DwayneGAnd]

The first time I played this game, I decided to go melee. The first time I completed the game was as an unarmed fighter. I went through the whole game without using any guns. It wasn't easy of course. In fact, some enemies actually use only guns or even explosives such as the missile launcher, from a spot you cannot gain access to, such as inside an overpass or on a balcony overlooking some ruins.

In Operation Anchorage, one of the equipment choices gives you a power fist and a combat shotgun. Another gives you a combat knife and an assault rifle.

Most of the builds I have planned use explosives, even the guns users. They will carry frag or plasma grenades and the Fat Man. To increase the damage of the grenades, all three ranks of the Demolition Expert are taken. I'm wondering if this is a good idea.

Then again, even when I had a melee ranged character, companions would provide long range cover attacks.

I have found that even if you choose to build a melee range character, there are situations that demand you to use a long range weapon, otherwise you'll have difficulties. What I want to know is that if it is possible to create a character using both melee weapons and guns? Would this be true also for New Vegas?

 

[Risewild]

Fallout New Vegas address this problem while Fallout 3 doesn't.
Fallout New Vegas as thrown weapons (besides explosive ones) that use the Melee skill. So if you play a melee character in FNV you can use Throwing Knives, Throwing Hatchets and Throwing Spears in base Fallout New Vegas and DLCs add a few more (Tomahawks from Honest Hearts, Throwing Knife Spear from Dead Money while Old World Blues add the Proton Throwing Axes and the Protonic Inversal Throwing Axes).

I usually play melee or unarmed or even both at the same time and I don't remember having much problems grabbing a big weapon to mow down the unreachable enemies (usually they are raiders or other weak enemies anyway). You might have more weapon sway and not deal as much damage as if you had 100 skill for that weapon but it is not hard (I advise using a Steady drug in Fallout New Vegas so you stop sway completely while aiming using ironsights, again another thing Fallout New Vegas accounted for).
And there is always VATS I guess, I don't use it much at all but, I do remember that even if the chance to hit is less than 10% I used to many times hit at least once in a full AP usage number of attacks (unless the enemy is behind a wall or you're instead shooting and hitting an obstacle that is too close to your weapon).

A last hint is that the game has an exploit, if you open VATS using a melee or unarmed weapon and are close enough to the enemy that VATS targets it, then if you use VATS to attack that out of reach enemy, you will instead appear next to him and hit him, if you don't kill that enemy in VATS you will quit VATS and be standing next to him so you can just punch/hit him outside of VATS too (I remember using that exploit before to hit I think it was the sniper in Fallout 3 that is in a platform in a ruined church or something, by jumping up near him and then using VATS).

 

[DwayneGAnd]

Well I've got some ideas and made some changes to the characters I want to make in Fallout 3.

Lightweight sharpshooters will focus on perception and agility and thus will specialize in using either small guns or energy weapons together with explosives. They will not bother with melee or unarmed because of the lower strength and endurance. Small Guns sharpshooters will use the Terrible Shotgun for close range combat. For long range, they will use either the Reservist's Rifle or the Blackhawk. Energy Weapons users will use the Novasurge, A3-21's Plasma Rifle, and either the Metal Blaster or the Tri-beam Laser because those two weapons with their multiple lasers would do more damage in close range. Ranger Battle Armor and either the Ranger Battle Helmet or Combat helmet is used for Small Guns. Energy Weapon users will use the Metal Blaster Armor and the Crow's Eyebot Helmet for its bonus to perception.

Heavyweights who focus on strength and endurance instead of perception and agility will focus in Big Guns as their primary combat skill for long range, and using melee and unarmed for short range combat. Eugene will be used as the primary big gun of choice due to the more common ammo and the fact that the weapons used to maintain it are more common. Either the Precision or the Vengeance Gatling laser will be used as the secondary Big Gun of choice. For short range combat, Man Opener and Fisto are used, Fisto because it's easier to maintain and Man Opener for the ability to ignore Damage Threshhold. Fat Man is also used to take out the strongest of foes and crowds of tougher enemies. Lag Bolt's Combat Armor and either the combat helmet or Crows's Eyebot Helmet are used.

Pyromaniacs also focus on strength and endurance and will use the Shishkabob in melee, together with the Deathclaw Gauntlet for the ability to ignore damage threshhold. For medium range, either the slow-burn or rapid torch flamer is used. For longer range, the Heavy Incinerator is used. Fat Man is used for the tougher foes and crowds. For enemies resistant to fire damage, either unique Gatling laser will be used. Lag Bolt's Combat Armor and either the combat helmet or Crow's Eyebot Helmet are used.

Lightweight Silent Assassins also focus on Perception and Agility. They ignore melee and unarmed and focus on small guns and explosives. For melee range, they will use the Terrible Shotgun. The Reservist's Rifle is used for extreme long range sniping, the Perforator is used for all purpose, and the dart gun is also used to weaken and cripple enemies, and kill weaker enemies. Chinese Stealth Armor together with the Recon Armor Helmet is used.

It would probably be difficult to make a pure 100% melee warrior with no long range skills other than thrown grenades. Other than that, how do these build ideas sound? Are they versatile enough to handle any situation?