I've only played a bit of NV after buying it through Steam this past year. My first (only) character used Guns primarily, but I never got really comfortable with overcoming enemy armor, using different kinds of ammo... and I probably didn't play long enough to get really good weapons in the first place.

Anyway, I'm planning a new playthrough. In FO3 Energy Weapons were pretty fun, so I thought I'd dedicate myself to those. I'll be using them alongside Explosives. I'm planning sort of a merc/hired gun character.

Only problem I can think of is, Guns are (IIRC) so ubiquitous in NV. Are Energy Weapons too rare in the early stages? Are they sub-par? Are they awesome?

I'm going to Tag:
Energy Weapons
Explosives
???

I'm thinking Repair for my third skill, but any other suggestions? Other skills to focus on?

For SPECIALs, I will focus on Perception. I don't like to dump stats any lower than 4 usually. I may dump STR and CHA to 4 to give a bit of a boost to PER, INT, and/or AGI... but stat suggestions would be welcome too.

I'm playing hardcoe mode, and have all the DLCs. I'm basically a first-timer, though, so any advice is appreciated!

Repair tagging is probably a good idea for E-weaps, since they typically have lower resilience to wear-and-tear.

I also recommend Science, because recycling dead E-weap cells will be the cheapest way for you to keep your E-weaps well-fed, and the means for that are tied to Science.

Lasers are good for fighting at long range: Because their beams hit instantly, you don't need to lead the target. Plasma weapons are best for short range since their shots are slow enough to actually see.

Do you have Gun-Runner's Arsenal? They have the "Optimized" cells, which are the most ideal.

The REPCONN HQ holds a unique plasma rifle that can serve as a good primary weapon. Until then, keep an eye out for dead Bright Brotherhood followers.

Oh, also... try to find a Recharger Rifle ASAP for varmint-killing in early-game. Save the cells for the bigger stuff. And find a Recharger Pistol later on for varmint-killing in mid-to-late game.

Question... are you on PC?