Tips on beating very hard?

Get a lot of ammo... Enemies are just bullet sponges.

Armor and healing (and don't forget the ammo mentioned earlier). On "Very Hard", I tend to give more emphasis to my ability to inflict and absorb damage, while on "Normal" I might go for more of the "fun" perks. Once I'm as close to "walking death" and bulletproof as I can make myself, I might pick up some of those perks that I skipped earlier, but survival trumps everything.

NERD rage.

shoot to cripple / disarm on enemies with high hp like the masters and overlords. Engage the enemy on your terms, not their's. i.e.-drop some mines around a defensive position, climb to areas where the enemy can't reach you. Take your time.

Shouldn't be to hard. Fallout 3 is easy even on very hard.

Overlords and Reavers are bulletsponges. Cripple, use those drugs, and fire fire fire. Oh, and, get Dogmeat or Fawkes. They're pretty neat tanks

Very Hard setting is noticeably tougher, as you would expect. However, the XP you get from kills is much greater, so you level up quicker. And that's just as well. I tried to clear the Broken Steel Presidential Metro security breach on Very Hard - its just not possible, I had to drop back down to Normal. Too. Many. Reavers.

I have nightmears from that area.

w+mouse1 (you may have to stop periodically to grab loots and repair your gun)?

Chinese Stealth Armor + high Sneak + unarmed or melee weapon = enemies that don't fight back

Get your Sneak Criticals in and second use Long Range Weapons, Hunting Rifle etc use cover to your advantage always be retreating while you're shooting. Shoot, run to cover, shoot, run to cover, shoot, run etc etc Attack out of the range of VATS while sneaking.

very hard? whole game? make sure you know someone who can identify you for your funeral.

but, if you insist, then get high sneak and make sure you avoid battles, the shady sands shuffle is your friend. and make sure you hit your enemies, if you miss with your gun it makes alot more sound than hitting your target.

i going to do very hard to i only played on easy

Also get the ghoul mask for those pesky ferals you will encounter.
better crits, finesse, sniper, toughness, grim reapers sprint, silent running, along with a high enough sneak skill, and the extensive use of tactics will aid in completing the game on very hard mode.

Oh, and don't forget to use those grenades and mines. They will come in handy. Demolition expert works well here.

Entomologist perk works well for those annoying radscorpions and other insects.

I have done this on very hard. it's not easy but it can be done.

Once you get every perk that boosts action points, critical chance, and critical damage, you will be unstoppable. In the meantime, I suggest completing Wasteland Survival Guide early so you level a lot before you have to face the heavily armored Enclave teams. I personally recommend energy weapons over small guns on because even on Very Hard, you can kill most enemies with one VATS attempt by shooting them in the head repeatedly with A3-21's Plasma Rifle or Waser Wifle.

Just a few perks that helped me on Very Hard:

-Animal Friend
-Adamantium Skeleton
-Better Criticals
-Grim Reaper's Sprint

Best of luck to ya.

i enjoy the challenge of very hard mode. hellfire armor, eugene, A3-21's plasma rifle, vengence, victory rifle & a few plasma grenades & you'll be fine. its best to stay clear of overlords, their tri beam lazer rifles will cut you down, but if your trying to get to level 30 go for it for the xp points. albino radoscorpions & reavers put up a good fight too aha