Unarmed

[enkephalin07]

Until you've tried an unarmed build, you can't know how much more powerful they can be than the best weapons you like to brag about. It has a very fast attack combined with high critical rate, so it gets in a lot of hits that penetrate damage resistance. And though it's a harder to stealth on your target, using VATS closes an amount of distance that's almost exploitative, so you can practically materialize on your target in the first shot, then freeaim where you like for an incredible rate of crippling, concussion and head knockdowns even on Deathclaws. At the high to max Unarmed skills, barehand is even more powerful than the best Unarmed weapon.

 

J.E. Sawyer said he intended the Unarmed master to be 'a mobile grenade', and it most definitely can be in this game.

[korn3r]

Never liked unarmed combat in any game. Especially RPGs. Gonna give this a try any way, might change my opinion.

[Circuitous]

I ran an Unarmed build a while back, decided to be evil at the same time.

 

Short summary: POWAAAARRRR. Seriously. With Fisto! (at 100% durability) I was doing ~80 damage per hit, and getting five or so hits in VATS, with ridiculous critical rate. On hard difficulty, Tesla troopers took about three hits. A Deathclaw Gauntlet (100%) and three ranks of Iron Fist is 70 damage, and it's easy to get even at low levels.

 

The only issue is at higher levels, when people are using rocket launchers and plasma rifles and other ridiculo-damage weapons. Stock up on stimpacks, med-x, and the best armor you can afford.