I'm currently around level 8 or 9 with about 80 in guns and 40ish in sneak. I plan to play this character as a sneak/crit character only using vats when being overrun or if things get too close.

At the moment I seem to have a choice between using the cowboy repeater (lower alpha damage but higher DPS and lower AP cost if it goes to VATS) and the Hunting rifle (higher Alpha damage but lower DPS and useless in VATS because of the high AP cost). I have been carrying them both around but was thinking about dropping one. Was also thinking though of maybe keeping the hunting rifle loaded with AP rounds and the repeater loaded with HP.

Also not sure which side arm to use. Currently using "that gun" and a 10mm SMG (the SMG is more effective) with the granade launcher (break barrel one, cant remember the name) as backup. "that gun" doesn't seem overly effective to be honest but it just looks cool

Any suggestions or is there another weapon out there I should be looking for at this stage in the game?

Sneak/crit characters should focus on high dam weapons. You want the bonus from sneak to be as good as possible to hopefully finish them off in one shot.

Agreed with above, if you sneak, your first shot is very important. You want the highest DAM possible in the weapon you shoot first with.

Yeah. The problem is that the repeater has 0.25% more chance to crit so would this counter the 7 less damage it does (I have 6 luck, the finesse perk and the 1st recon beret (cant remember how much crit % this gives)?

For some reason i dont like how the hunting rifle shoots(think becouse its slow) so i use the cowboy repeater more...
also a nice weapon to check out is the Trail Carbine. 36 dmg 1 more dmg as the hunting rifle but shoots way faster 81 dps.

0.25%? Do you mean 25% or do you actually mean 1-in-400?

Honestly I have no idea which is why i needed clarification On the wikki is has "crit % Multi" as X1 for the hunting rifle and X1.25 for the cowboy repeater. In theory its not a lot of difference however I also don't know how it stacks with other crit% modifiers.

Though thinking about it I guess it makes sod all difference as a sneak attack always counts as a crit anyway (forgot about that) making the whole argument between the two weapons pointless..... :facepalm:

I skipped Hunting Rifle entirely and wnet for Sniper right away. No point wasting .308s on inferior gun while you can have sniper at similar stage of the game.

Yeah thats part of it as well. I dont really like the hunting rifle (not sure why). Maybe if I can find a scope for it it might feel better. Haven't come across the Trial Carbine yet. will have to go and take a look for one.

Delra, I haven't seen any sniper rifles yet either but this is what I do plan to be using.

As a side note have they increased the range on sniper rifles in NV? There was nothing more annoying in FO3 then having to be standing practically right on top of something before you could hit it with a sniper rifle.

Sniper rifles are ridiculous in this game. You can shoot farther than you can see, with minimal sway and with perfect accuracy as long as skill gun requirement permits it (75 for GOBI, 45 for Hunting Rifle, 0 for Ratslayer). For one example I killed mommy and daddy deathclaw from up in the rocks without them even knowing wtf just happened. Just put the crosshair on their head, take a deep breath and pull the trigger when exhaling. Then move back a bit, wait half a minute for enemies to calm down and repeat. Another good technique is using "bullet time" slow-down to aim at other guys, I sometimes was able to take 3-4Fiends during one, then withdraw and take out the rest of the gang once they calm down and let you go Hidden again.

Snipers are top of the food chain among guns, and as soon as you grab Gobi (100 lockpick chest) all other guns stop mattering entirely. Just make sure you have Trigger Discipline, some medium values of Sneak so you can exploit sneak attack criticals and a good range of sensors (ED-E is a perfect companion for a sniper). Don't take Boone with you, he will take pot shots and spook enemies before you get to decide who drops first. Steals many kills this dude and makes you reveal position before you have all enemies in your sight. Take Veronica (give her Laser RCW and Paladin Toaster) or Cass to sweep around you.

Also don't bother with VATS-based accuracy skills like Sniper. You don't use VATS for those far shots because hit chance there will be 30-40% while shooting manually will just net you a kill. You rather want those that boost your criticals, especially sneaky criticals. Silent running was a relief too.

Assuming you're not using VATS...

Close Range: Repeater
Long Range: Rifle

It also matters if you have the Cowboy Perk.

Always use M1Grand for close range, unless you have Cowboy perk and the special rifle from 1st recon.

I got ThatMachine early in the game and still use it as my main on lvl 23. Add .308 hollowpoints and your good to go!

Haven't tested the expensive weapons at Gun runners yet, so now sure how they compare.

Repeater with custom action and Hand loads, will crit like crazy. Plus it shoots hell fast, good for when u get rushed.

I keep hearing people talk about the 'sniper rifle' and how It's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

My question is, where the eff is it? I've got a sniper-style char, but I'm limited on what I can do because the game has an invisible wall for my bullets outside of VATS range.

If you're a sneaker, use silenced weapons. For one handed, you can use a stock silenced .22 pistol which is cheap, but weak... or a 10mm pistol you equip with a silencer. The "Professional" perk (+20% to sneak crit damage with one handed guns) helps alot. Later on in the game you can find or buy a stock silenced .22 SMG, which is awesome for stealthy kills.

Silenced weapons are best, as they allow you to kill enemies without getting gang-rushed by everyone near enough to hear the shot. It also lets you kill faction members without losing rep with that faction. (Must stay in sneak the whole time and make the kill while "HIDDEN.") For example, I've wiped out three legion outposts with silenced weapons, and the Legion is still neutral to me. :laugh: Also found this really helpful against the Powder Gangers and in Primm early on.

For long range, go grab yourself the Ratslayer - it's a unique Varmint Rifle variant which comes equipped with all the mods, and is outstanding for long range one-shot kills. Just remember to shoot 'em in the head - it's more sincere.



It's pretty good too - first one I've found is at Camp McLearen (sp?), on one of the bunks in the tent with all the sniper/recon guys - and taking it isn't considered stealing. Still think I prefer the Ratslayer or a pimped out Varmint Rifle... easier and cheaper to repair, and lots of ammo for 'em. Of course, once you start bumping up against Deathclaws and heavily armored foes, yeah, time to pull out the sniper rifle.

the most cited is the Gobi Campaign rifle. It is in a footlocker (skill 100 lockpick) overlooking the Cottonwood Cove Legionaire camp - in a marked location called the Sniper's Nest. The wiki vault has more specific info on it.

My favorite character type is the crit/sharpshooter build and I've used everything from a 10mm pistol to the Anti-matter .50 caliber rifle to "snipe" with. The play-style should allow you to use any type of weapon effectively as long as you take the time to set your "nest" up properly, take the time to have a plan for exit to secondary or even third positions, and use effective means to escape the consequences of Murphy. The AMR is my favorite due to many factors (some non-game related) but success with a 10mm pistol is just as gratifying as it is with the nicer guns to me.

Other common rifles include the All-American, the Trail(?) Repeater, the unique Varmit rifle (forgot its name) and many prefer the modified regular weapons.

Go with the Repeater.

If you have the caps, then get the Assault Carbine with 5mm armor piercing rounds from the gun runners booth, that tears through anything.

/shrug

I carry both. They use different ammo, and are useful in different situations. Tend to use the repeater more, though, since I just like lever action rifles.