I've been doing a guns/explosives character, it's very fun. I just want to know what perks would be the most beneficial towards both guns and explosives. I also have repair and speech way up.

It depends on if you enjoy V.A.T.S or not. If you're planning on using vats, then Action Boy, Grim Reaper's Sprint, Sniper, Concentrated Fire, Ain't Like That Now, Commando, Nerves of Steel, and a few others are all good.

If you don't care about V.A.T.S, then demolition expert is one you definitely want to max for explosives (I think it's 3 points). Trigger Discipline is a good trait to pick up, as well as Skilled. You want to take a lot of the damage perks such as Purifier, Robotics Expert, Confirmed Bachelor, Lady Killer, Bloody Mess, Living Anatomy, and Hunter. (Certified Tech helps against robots, but you get it at a higher level). As for choosing the level 50 perk, it's split between more action points, no taking critical hits and 20% faster shooting (Bad Karma version), or 10% damage, a TON of health if you are a good karma character, and no taking critical hits (Good Karma Version). (I honestly think that the Neutral Perk at 50 is really crappy).

Jury Rigging is also a pretty good idea if you can get to it. After that, it's going to be mainly preference. (I can't stand playing without Rapid Reload, though, so I normally pick that up as quick as I can.)

Jury rigging, demolition expert, and hit the deck

I agree with it all until I saw the Neutral Perk opinion...what?

Neutral Perk is one of the best perks if you rely on criticals (Shotgun Build/Energy Weapons/high critical guns build) seeing as it gives you another 50% increase in critical damage and can't be hit by any criticals, thus improving the critical damage from 1.5 (Better criticals), to x2.25 critical damage (Better Criticals+Just Lucky I'm Alive)

Overall I'd say that Demolition Expert is the most important of the explosives perks. Splash damage is also helpful.

For thrown explosives, Heave Ho! and Splash Damage make a nice combo. If I was chucking a lot of dynamite and grenades I definitely would want Heave Ho! to avoid my own blasts.

But I prefer grenade launchers since you can shoot grenades much farther, faster and more accurately, and Heave Ho! is not necessary with launchers.

But Splash Damage and Demo Expert are still great.

Depends on the planned weapons but Cowboy?

The "Cant be hit by a critical hit" applies to all 3 perks.

The 50% crit is nice, but the +4 luck (or whatever) after nearly dying is just for show, IMHO.

If you have GRA get Tin Bomber and Grunt could be good depending on your weapons.

of course I don't rely on that and the 50% crit is not nice..it's holy-[censored] epicness. I rather use something that has the potential of x2.25 in damage then a basic x1.10 (10%) increase in damage, or something that merely increases your speed by 20% (which you can just consume Rushing Water) or 25% faster AP regeneration (again, taking a few chems with Chemist perk nullifies this as well). All in All, Neutral perk is indeed the best perk out of the 3. Combined with Better Criticals, and nothing will get in your way.

Fair enough. I didn't quite look at it that way.

My karma is always really high, so the health gained from the Good Karma perk is quite nice, though.

Of Course, I took the Thought You had Died perk too on my pure Explosive playthrough (aka Demoman playthrough) overall it was a lot of fun and worth it, seeing as it mixes with an Explosive character very well, giving them a ton of health to tank more hits, while getting a 10% increase in their already powerful shots.

I'm thinking of making a pure 'splosive courier myself. How do you guys feel about the eye for an eye perk? I know that explosions will deal heavy damage to limbs so you will be able to keep the damage bonus. But the perk that increases your DT against all explosions might render it kinda useless. I don't know, what do you guys think? Eye for eye is good perk(for explosions)?

Edit: dumb dub posts

Hit The Deck is honestly a much better replacement for I Thought You Had Died if you're trying to refrain from killing yourself with your own Explosives.

uh....why would you make a replacement?....errm...that didn't make sense but ok, seeing as a Pure Explosive build, you would take Hit the Deck as it is. I thought you had Died perk is meant as a last lvl.50 perk for the explosive character, so it's not a replacement, but rather a great stacking perk with Hit the Deck along with other friendly explosive perks. Two two other lvl.50 perks make no sense to add with a pure explosive build (Critical damage increase for a weapon that has no chance of making one?) and attack speed (not much of a use seeing as one shot from most explosives kills or severely injures a target).

Not really what I meant.

I mean, if you took I Thought You Died because you were afraid of killing yourself with your explosives, then I think you could take Hit the Deck and the Neutral perk.

Neutral Perk is terrible with Explosives. it doesn't do anything at all for the Explosive user, because Explosives do not have critical damage :/ http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Just_Lucky_I%27m_Alive

Well, I've never extensively played an Explosives character.

Didn't know that.