Now that we know all the perks, I'm disappointed that I can't build a character specifically for energy weapons, or firearms. It's silly that, say, if I build a sniper and want to use revolvers as backup, I have to perk gunslinger on top of rifleman. This is a hard sell, due to the low return on investment. It hurts variety in how you engage in combat (ie. you're more likely to focus on a single weapon type and use that throughout the whole game instead of mix and matching between single-shot, semi-auto, full auto weapons and pistols depending on the circumstance). To me, Small Guns and Energy Weapons made a hell of a lot more sense, since anyone that has learned to operate and maintain a rifle will know his way around a pistol as well, but not a laser rifle which works in a radically different way.

I can understand why this was done, however. It addresses the issue of the scarcity of energy weapons and microfusion cells in relation to conventional firearms in the early game (a perennial fallout problem), but the cost I feel was too steep. A better solution would have been something similar to what NV did, which is the early introduction of a relatively weak but reliable self-charging energy weapon (laser musket would have been perfect for this).

My 2 caps.

Sorry but I don't understand the problem with this nee system. I for instance I decided in my no fighting charisma intelligent girl made her a energy weapon gunslinger. She would fight only with pistols and soon I can with energy pistols only. I rp and in all games I always felt unrealistic the hole energy small guns skills. How could be a snipe rifle a assault rifle and a bb gun in same category. You could be great in a close range shooting and svck using a sniper gun. With actual system if you are good with pistols or rifles , you are good with them no matter ammo they used. So my 1 strength girl will use her small ultra modified energy pistol while still svck with a sniper or a more big gun she has no way to know with the special I thought. So for rp this is great and have lot of sense. Specialists builds are easier now.

Ok I see what you mean, and it does make sense (it's why Rifleman is in Perception, and Gunslinger is in Agility); I think I was too caught up on the weapon maintenance aspect (which is important for firearms) when really it's the actual shooting and hitting things that is most important, and it varies considerably from, say, a full auto weapon to a pistol.

Still unfortunate that I can't specialize in energy weapons only, although I guess the crafting perks will help achieve this somewhat.

I actually prefer this method. In previous games, I never bothered with energy weapons at all, since they were so rare to start... if I spend time building up my Small Guns skill to, say, 60 or so... and then I finally get an energy weapon, my skill with it may be like 20... if I build up my energy weapons skill ~now~ then the points I invested in small arms are 'wasted'. With the new system, I can specialize in pistols and use ~any~ pistol-type weapon I find, whether it be energy or ballistic. I finally get to see what laser and plasma weapons look and sound like.

Technically, you can specialize in energy weapons if you invest in the Science! perk.

I am thinking that the differences are:

Gunslinger for non-automatic pistols

Rifleman for non-automatic rifles

Commando for automatic rifles

Nuclear Physicist for energy weapons

So depending on what type of weapon you want to shoot, you take that perk.

Not exactly gunslinger it's for All pidtols is the further ranks that give extra bonus for non automatic ones. It works with energy weapon pistols if you have the nuclear perk it adds more. Nuclear ALL energy weapons

+gunslinger= bonus pistols +rifle =rifles etc.... Nuclear goes for the energy ammo knowledge. Science to create the actual weapon It has sense from a rp perspective. It's pure common sense

Radiation weapons are a class separate from energy weapons, and the fusion core AFAIK is what powers the PA.