I'm thinking that since we have a few days until the DLC comes out I can fill the time by starting a new specialized character. The rules would be:

Pistols only (no throwables, no mines, no melee weapons)

Gun-bashing is allowed, if the gun used to execute the bash is a pistol

All types of pistols are allowed (Pipe, 10mm, Deliverer, Laser, Plasma, etc.) [Although technically a pistol, a Plasma pistol with a flamer mod is not allowed]

Very Hard difficulty only (not going Survival only because that mode could change very soon)

The build would be this:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qxWlrCADb-kTo8jZ0MQrSGhs9tHG4xlpQBG8nUN6n-k/edit

Thoughts on this crazy plan are welcome, and of course, any input on my build would be very much appreciated!

- Rook

I tried a pistol playthrough and will say that luck and agility are your go to stats for this type of build. It's loads of fun


Concentrated fire is surprisingly innefective, though you will want to keep a run and gun and VATS based style. Crit banker and the level 10 agility perk are very helpful.

Im playing this at the moment and love it, high luck and agility are required to have some serious fun in VATS, my favourite build so far.

My perception is only at 3 or 4 as I don't find it that useful in this build as in general with pistols you will be in closer and with the high luck perks you will be pumping out a lot of criticals which always hit I believe.

I want to do a pistol build to but it might svck mid and late game. What armor and pistol are you guys using?

My first playthrough was Pistols only, as I pretty much chose to stick to the lawyer background Bethesda gave the female survivor. It was great fun - I found that the Charisma perks worked quite well. Action Girl also came in quite handy.

As soon as I found an Explosive 10mm, nothing could stand in my way haha

Exclusively .44 endgame, easily one of the most powerful builds you can have that makes late game a joke.

Wait, are you saying I could dump, say, 4 points from Perception and repurpose them?

It's a great idea to start with max luck and agility. Low endurance and strength svcks early game, but having four leaf clover, ricochet, and crit banker as soon as you exit the vault is amazing.

I only rolled 4 Perception - just enough to utilise the Explosives perk that made my 10mm even more overpowered than it already was haha

I would drop Perception all the way to two or three, and use SPECIAL book to raise it to four (in case lockpicking entices you, or put two in perception since perception bobblehead is very early) You will be somewhat closer than with rifles, so you will get the percentages, and most of them should hopefully be crit's when your up in levels where it actually matters. Concentrated fire and Penetrator are not worth the high SPECIAL they demand, and you will get more mileage out of other skills in my opinion.

Put a couple more points into either Endurance, Luck or Charisma (Charisma 3 can be nice for the Lone Wanderer perk, since those +25% damage is nice with handguns)

Edit: Oh and I am not a big fan of Idiot Savant. I've found there is plenty of XP in the game, without me having to rush it

Otherwise, just go for it. My pistol playthrough was superfun, altho I did use thrown 'Nades and mines

Edit 2: Made some adjustments to my hastily written stuff

I skip pipe and go straight to 10mm.


I always end up with Deliverer, though I sometimes use the one you get halfway through the story for a while if I've not joined the Railroad by that point. Deliverer is a huge power leap if you get it early, and almost stupidly OP.

So what armor do you guys use or it doesn't matter(I really want to use Kellog's) Also how much can I go into Charisma(I'm going for a mercenary type gunslinger. So I need it to ask for more caps.)?

I was planning to use Deliever until late game when I get enough .44 rounds. Besides I want to beat the game with the RR anyways.

BW drifter outfit with a fedora, patrolman sunglasses, and a red bandana gives the outlaw look to your character, leather armor also looks nice.


I only put in enough to get lone wanderer, as I needed all the points I could get for agility and luck.

Forgot to mention another self-imposed rule: No Power Armor. Mordecai will have to tough it out without it.

I'll use it for the glowing sea. Scorpions are annoying enough in this game and I hate the glowing sea in general so I try to get through it as soon as possible( I put the game on very easy when I have to Vigil because I hate it so much).

I used suits, fashionable glasses and Trilby hat (for charisma gains) Agatha's I had, but didn't use it, since high heels and wilderness looked out of place

If going for Kellog's gun, Quick Hands is worth investing in, since it reloads slower and holds only 6 bullets, compared to Deliverer.

Nah see that's where it gets interesting! Without the rad resist of Power Armor, I'll need to wear a Hazmat suit and rely on my skills and my wits to get me through the actual damage that's being dealt

With the critical you'll be whipping out, you'll be just fine.


Alex made it through just fine with a hazmat suit since she doesn't use PA either with the same method.


Of course my main guy always goes in PA because he thinks it looks cool due to him representing me.

I would but scorpions freak me the [censored] out. I ran like a girl in my X01 MK5 Power leaving Danse to fight one today.

Just pull out a shottie, scorps are scared of those

I revised my build, took perception from 9 to 3 and that gave me quite a few points with which to work. Picked up Medic I&II for some mid-to-late game healing, and moved some of the Luck perks to a higher priority in the leveling plan.

Seriously, and I am not BSing you, a T-60 set with a Medic mod on the chestpiece will serve you better than X-01 ever will. Though I find the aesthetic of the X-01 to be nicer, and wear it more often than the T-60.

Yeah. So. Level 4 in the Museum of Freedom, rocking a 10mm pistol, and completely overpowered. Can't wait to take on Se?or Deathclaw.

Then just add a medic-pump to your X-01

I've done pistol builds already in fallout but usually keep a rifle handy for ranged enemies. Some times you encounter an enemy you can't get to easily and a pistol doesn't have the range to reach.

Its a fun build though but I gotta have my rifle heh

That's where crit banker come in. All crits have a 100% chance of hitting as long as there is no obstruction. You can snipe with a pipe pistol this way