Hi there

Quick question about the first episode : is there away to complete the game at a moderate pace (i.e. completing all side quests and reaching level 18 withouth farming the deathclaws) and still prevent the mutants from invading the whole map ?

Like destroy the base first and leave the cathedral for later ? (I've done the opposite and ended the game at level 13 and too late for the boneyard to be preserved)


Thanks for your help.

The question isn't easy to answer, because Fallout offers a lot of possibilities to play it. Actually that's one of its biggest strengths. To get an overview the following walkthrough is a very good source (it's one of the best out there, imo)
http://user.tninet.se/~jyg699a/fallout.html

If you follow it as written, it provides pretty much what you've asked for.

Not sure you can reach level 18 without farming something along the way. Other than that, it's entirely possible.

Some might consider it too farmy or grindy but I always like to heal myself with the Doctor and First Aid skills after fights. It is a pain at lower levels but worth putting points into, sometimes I even take Doctor as a tagged skill. Succesful uses of Doctor give you 50 XP each and First Aid gives 25XP. Three succesful uses of each is a total of 225XP after which, if not fully healed, I can rest for 24 hours and do it again. It may sound small but an extra 200-400 XP after every single fight really adds up.

Aside from Necropolis, invasions were removed with the 1.2 patch (although some endings are bugged). You can do all quests within 90 in-game days if that's what you mean, but you probably wouldn't reach level 18.

Oh, so I can reach Necropolis and then go wherever the hell I want, farm, do side quests in a lame order... without checking the countdown ? That's great news, thanks.

All I want to do is be able to take my time, do everything in the game, reach level 18, and still have good endings (or at least endings that won't say the Mutants fucked everybody up).

Yes. The good endings for the Followers and the Hub are unobtainable due to bugs, though.

If you want to try the sub-90 day optimum run and play it as originally intended, there's a customisable fan patch that restores invasions (and changes some other items).

http://www.nma-fallout.com/showthread.php?194562

Been away for too long, forgot to thank you.

So here I go : thank you man.

Just a warning, if you turn on the invasions and set them to the originally-intended time, they happen really fast. Before you know it, the Hub will be depopulated, so you won't be able to use it as, well...a hub anymore.

I think they made the right decision taking invasions out of the game, but the invasions do make logical sense and they're worth trying if you haven't done it before.