Doing the normal Vault 101 Start. I also have EVE, Marts Monsters Mod and WMK installed so please factor in those with your advice.

This is on FWE's default settings and on Normal difficulty.

As we all know the abundance of Small Arms and Ammunition, even with FWE, makes Small Arms the most viable weapons in the early game. However, for the way I want to roleplay I really do want to eventually make the switch to Energy Weapons around the time the Enclave show up, so I plan on doing that part of the Main Quest at around about level 12 or 15.

What I'm concerned is, will I be nerfing myself by focusing my Character on Small Arms til level 12-15 and then swapping focus to Energy Weapons until level 30?

I'd also like to note I have a hell of alot of mod content in my game such as Arefu/Crimson Caravan, Alton, Vault 101 revisted and more quests so I have alot of content to Roleplay and keep me busy pretty much and this is also why I want to make sure this character build will not be flawed at all.

This is the Pro's and Con's I have so far and I would like you guys to add to it.

Pro's

1 - Small Arms focus means I will have an easier time in areas such as The Pitt and Point Lookout which lack Energy Weapon friendly armaments unless I take them with me, which means less room for loot and less flexible Roleplay experience.

2 - Small Arms means that I can be reasonably sure that I will never be in a position without protection in the lower levels, 10mm pistol and ammo can keep me going for quite some time and eventually be able to switch to perhaps the Assault/Chinese Assault rifles (whichever I acquire first really) and mod them with kits when appropriate.

3 - Energy Weapon focus in the mid-late levels ensures I will be able to tango with Enclave (and any other hostile power armor wearing foes I might encounter with quest mods I haven't played yet) and other higher level enemies like Death Claws by using modified Plasma or Laser technology, probably end up putting automatic shooting mod on either, but I will NOT be using Wazer or A3's as they are unmoddable and serve a better use for other combat scenarios if I come across them. (A3's has a scope on it for example).

4 - Energy Weapon focus will also let me Roleplay as a proper Power Armor solider properly as the only Power Armor that feels "right" while holding a Small Arm is Tribal or Ashurs, which I wont be acquiring until AFTER the Enclave show up.

5 - Small Arms focus also means I can Roleplay properly while in lighter non-power armor armors such as Combat armor etc, I always use lighter armors while wielding Small Arms in my Non FWE games, it just feels right, its a Roleplay preference.

6 - Small Arms gives me access to the Sniper rifle as well, which looks good with ALL Power Armors and Combat armors, lets face it.. in FWE sometimes keeping distance between you and your foes is necessary.

Anyway, as you can see there is alot of Roleplay preference here. Anyway, here is what I think are the Con's of this idea and I need some ideas how I can counter them or nullify them.

1 - No Melee/Unarmed focus puts me at risk in multiple game scenarios where guns are not available. Especially during the Pitt's early stages having Unarmed/Melee experience makes it alot easier. I am "thinking" of picking one and only leveling it to about 50.. but if I were to do that I will lose valuable skill points for Medicine and possibly Lockpicking and Science.. which I "want" to max out but yeah.. might not be happening.

2 - Limited perk choice. This one speaks for itself abit.

I HOPE to get Cyborg maxed out.. but thats 5 levels.. but it will give me nightvision anywhere and everywhere and Cybernetic upgrades will be good for my Roleplay, especially in the late game.

Another thing I am worried about is using a Perk on TAG! for Energy Weapons.. which I wont get until level 14 although it will greatly speed up the switch from Small Arms to Energy Weaponry.. but now that is 6 perks solely for Energy Weapon benefit, although Cyborg does have other benefits such as DR and resistances.

Also I want perks for Advanced Power Armor training, 3 Perks for Fineese and another 3 for Toughness.. also I want perks for the Doctor perks to ensure I can Triage properly.. etc.

I am NOT going to use Vats in the mid-later levels as I use an Ironsights mod so I should not have any aiming issues, Vats for me is solely lower levels. Bullet time will be more useful to me I think in the mid-late levels.

3 - SPECIAL stat placement will be tricky.

As you see.. not HEAPS of Con's but what they lack in quantity is quality.. sort of.

Long winded stuff below, only relevent if you want to see how Im going to play the game.

Main Quest from Following in his Footsteps until Dad dies will be completed in between levels 1-15 most likely, alot of side quests such as Blood Ties, Power of the Atom (Disarming, I am trying to play as an honorable character but yeah.. with FWE its damn hard to), Chapters 1 and MAYBE 2 of Wasteland Survival guide etc.. you get the picture. May even do parts of You gotta shoot em in the head to gradually get access to the T-51B which will likely be my main Power Armor throughout the majority of the game, except Point Lookout, which I will be doing WITHOUT power armor in order for my Roleplay.

After the Enclave show up I will likely main quest until Take it Back! but I will also likely do higher level quests such as Oasis, Big Trouble in Big Town, Escape from Paradise, You Gotta shoot em in the head etc in between the late Main Quest area. I'm also considering doing The Pitt before Take It Back! but unsure, but I will likely be in that area of the woods if I do go to get my T-51B.

Broken Steel content will be priority after Take It Back!, along with most of my mod added quests, such as Alton. Also, during Broken Steel I will be doing operation anchorage, for Roleplay purposes of course.

Point lookout will likely be played by the time I am level 30, as will mothership zeta.. I am thinking of retiring my character after Zeta.. not sure.

Anyway, thanks for reading and any advice you can offer.