Question: team or solo?
Answer: solo. The problem with HtH team is, your entire party will be bursted and blown up. Not good. Especially that most of the times you face crowds, not single enemies.

Question: is meleeing viable playing legit?
Answer: if you don't roam the wasteland mindlessly for tons of levelup, likely no.

Question: melee or unarmed?
Answer: unarmed. It costs less AP, and for melee cattleprod feeds on likely unsustainable ammo.

Question: CTB or TB?
Answer: the key to melee is koncking over the enemy thus taking away its AP, so definitely CTB.

Question: race?
Answer: human. Supermutants are too slow, deathclaws lack armor, ghouls have inefficient stats.

Question: basic character build?
Answer:
stats: 10, 6, 9 (-> 10. Get to the Gas Station specialencounter right afterBrahmin Wood), 2, , 5, 10, 6
traits: gifted, small frame. Small frame because you won't need to collect equipment.
alternative traits:
- kamikaze: I really would avoid lowering my defense with this. The extra damage don't seem that much against a Behemoth, while the extra survival sure helps.
- chem reliant: I always just roam the wasteland toget rid of addiction. There's no time limit.
- jinxed: I was always suspicious with this.
- one hander: free 10% on unarmed. Not that big of anadvantage than +1 statpoint.
tags: unarmed (obviously), doctor (it is good to not have to drag back to some mule-medic over an entire map just because you get winded), sneak

Question: what special encounters to visit?
Answer: brahmin poker for money, gas station for Elixir of Life, Trader for enviromental armor, Coppertops for small energy cells (have 1200), Farmer, Hermit, Merchant for books.

Question: weapon progression?
Answer: start with no weapon, than get punch dagger(s) during the first mission. Before the second mission buy an Impact Gloves. Before the 3rd mission buy a Power Fist (the BoS HQ also sells at that point 200 small energy cells. With my 30% steal could not steal energy cells from BoS members). In Mardin you also find the Razor Claws (inferior to Power Fist but costs no ammo).

Question: perks?
Answer: now this is the problematic part. Slayer is quintessential for the build, or at least from the point of St. Louise. You have been warneed.
Other essential perks: better criticals is a must have because you need knockdown and armor penetration, plus whatever you manage to get. Silent Running is in demand from Jefferson to get close in the nick of time between the enemy detecting you and reacting to the fact (and I also don't like to use drugs). Hit the Deck is the only thing that keeps you alive against rockets, grenades, and occasional traps (speaking of traps: use grenades or bursting weapons or explosives to deal with barricades,generators etc. Do not try to melee those, they hurt!). Toughness with at least 1 rank is a must-have in St. Louise along Die Hard (which is actually bugged, and its bonus don't go away until you pick a rank in thoughness, but gets back when you get hurt enough). Bonus HtH attacks is also here.
Other favourable perks: the more thoughness you have the better, might be essential to have all 3 rank (might depend on access to drugs and size of maps). Stunt Man adds very well to Hit the Deck. Lifegiver is nice as well as Loner and Bonus HtH Damage. Stonewall and Bonehead might save you a couple of reloads. And there is also Dodger, Action Boy, and Night Vision.
Drunken Master and Ghost do NOT work, they have no effect in the game!

Question: Day or night?
Answer: Definitely night during missions.

Question: Can I stand against .50 DU browning?
Answer: yes, I myself managed to clear themutant HQ in St. Louise with my character (1 rank in toughness, 2 psycho, 1 trauma pack were involved).

Question: How about Preoria, Quincy and Kansas City?
Answer:
- in Preoria just use some Afterburner Gum on the towers on the surface and you're safe.
- in Quincy you can also finish all sidequest to best result, including the brothel. In the powerplant turn off the lights. To deal with the deathclaw pack at Ghoultown make them stuck at the farm's fence and hit them from the other side.
- for Kansas you need at least one other member to get the best result - use your mule at the north gate. Isent there Riddick with a Catle Prod. Myself used enviromental armor mark 2, 3 rank in toughness, buffout, 2*psycho. None died north and south, everyone died east, got best result.

Other tips:
- at the start use better-than-the-basic first aid kits if you have any for better and more sure results
- only use basic first aid kits to heal NPCs (bandaged status rly gets in the way sooner or later)
- always attack the mutant with machingun
- always attack deathclaws and armored supermutants,also robots with powerr fist. If they get knocked out, you may switch to no-ammo variants
- the special unarmed attacks cost way too many AP to be really useful
- if you have to face 2+ enemy with machine guns try to stand between them so they hurt each other
- you don't really need more than 100% unarmed with Slayer. If you go for the eyes and are patient, maybe 130% you'll need.
- always bring as much healing stuff as you can. Use First Aid as soon as you skill if high enough (or save&reload at every try).

----------------

When writing this just finished Kansas City. Osceola or the robots might kill me.
- yes, you'll need to be able to stealth in enviromental armor efficiently.


-----------------

EDIT: everything was fine until the last-but-one mission before which the small energy cells ran out. There is 500 at the shop still, and some can be stolen from the random BoS NPCs, but this is not good.

Also, in the nuclear plant had to use grenades. Seems the sneak skill at times is worthless, because the enemy has infinite perception.

I've run into a problem in Rock Falls where to the North West there is an area with bridge & trench and to the left and right of it there's 2 Raiders who seem to be stealthed which is annoying in its own right but the thing is when they de-cloak I am unable to hit them yet they are more than capable of killing me in seconds. Quite strange and I wanna know if theres something I'm missing to being able to kill them in Unarmed or could use to kill future stealthed enemies?


Update: tried all I could to land a Unarmed hit on them but no dice but its very easy to just use grenades or guns off already killed Raiders to kill em you can also easily waste all their ammo to nothing to make it easier to kill them with a gun as they have to engage you in melee distance.