So I just got New Vegas on PC,

What attributes/Perks should I use when starting out to enjoy the game?

Figuring that out for yourself is the fun .

No one can tell you how to build the character that's right for you.

One piece of advice I can offer ; the first time you level up look at ALL the perks even the ones that are not available to you yet . Check the requirements for the ones you're going to want and plan accordingly .

Up to you, really.

STR is carry weight and weapon proficiency. The average rifle needs 6 STR to be used at optimal performance, but there's a perk that will drop all str requirements by 2 if you'd prefer that.
Perception is good for VATS and detecting enemies. Honestly though it's not incredibly useful in New Vegas.
Endurance is your HP, RAD resistance, Poison resistance, how long you can hold your breath underwater and how many implants you can get. (Implants add +1 to each attribute with two other implants adding unique effects)
Charisma is how good your companions are. A companion to a 5 charisma character will deal 20% more damage and have 20% more defense than a 3 charisma character.
Intelligence is how many skill points you gain per level up. 2 INT = one extra point and 4 int is neccesary to unlock other skill increasing perks.
Agility is your reload speed.
Luck is your success at the casinos and your crit rate.


The only real warning I would give is that energy weapons aren't all that great in New Vegas. Everything else is fine though and fun to experiment with. Just try using guns for your first playthrough, or if you'd rather beat stuff up, try unarmed. Speech might also be a good choice just because there's speech checks practically everywhere. Part of the fun of the game though is seeing how different characters handle situations differently though, so yeah, any setup is fine.

Oh and as with any game on Bethesda's game engine, quicksave (F5) every so often while traveling just in case you crash.

Thanks, I went with guns melee and speechcraft,

Don't overlook Luck as an SPECIAL attribute. It helps a lot with all of the others especially gambling.

There is a perk that allows you to add to your SPECIAL settings every other level up. Also, you can get implants at the clinic that affect SPECIAL values so you can even out and strengthen your character as you go along.

the advice from Capt Corso is very good advice especially about the perks. On new vegas i am into my fourth character and all are designed a little different to suit the way i wish to play my play through. One thing however never changes....... Always read the unlit perk options and plan accordingly for the role you wish to adapt your character too. And enjoy the tinkering. :wink_smile:

High luck and high critical chance with the better criticals perk (better criticals requires 6 perception + 6 luck) will ensure that you are combat effective.