The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

Another thing to note about this game that I've learned in my research: there are no level caps and enemies scale with your level. So taking a one-off perk for fun won't screw up the final build, it will just slow it down. I suppose you could get to level 275 and take every single perk in the game and max out all your SPECIAL... and if you wait to get all the bobbleheads, I suppose you could get them all to 11. You could keep leveling up to level 65,535 until the game crashes (2^16 in programming of the game).

They store the level using only 16 bits?

I've just read that the leveling craps out at that level. Maybe someone on PC set their level up to it to see what would happen, and that's where it crapped out. I can't confirm anything, but I did see that number in multiple discussions online.

Alright. No thoughts on it. Well, I guess I'll just venture into the Wasteland today with this plan and post my thoughts of it as I go along. With comments on the build or things I wish I had done differently as I go along. Being that this is a first (probably only) playthrough, I'll also be learning the game and mechanics as I go along. So things will definitely change, I'm sure.

First two comments on my playthrough of this game (I will try to keep spoilers, if needed, in spoiler tags in this thread):

1 - The Perception Bobblehead (increased Perception by 1 point) is one of the first ones you run into and you can't miss in in the main quest-line. These leads to two possibilities: first, unlocking Sneak 4 as mentioned in my original post; second, putting a point somewhere else in the original build like Luck or Agility to get those perks going.

2 - You level up quickly enough that it doesn't much matter what your plan is: that is, taking an extra perk here or there wouldn't much slow you down. I'm at the first city where there are merchants you can buy things from having only done a couple side quests and am level 8 already. I fear I won't be able to buy/find/craft that suppressor before level 13 like hoped.

Welp. Up to level 10 now in this build. I had a few things go very very very right for me yesterday.

1 - I leveled up my lockpicking right before the first time actually needing it in a mission to go around some enemies.
2 - I did a side quest that rewarded me with an awesome silenced pistol. If you've played the game, you probably know which one it is. It has VATS improvements (higher hit rate and lower action points) that will play well into my plan as well as anything I could imagine.
3 - I killed some low level Lengendary creatures that rewarded me with some fantastic items. When you kill a Legendary enemy, they drop a Legendary piece of equipment or weapon. These items have randomly generated (I think) enhancements to them. Both items that were dropped were firstly different body parts (both legs for armor), and secondly work well into my plan. The first one is a further VATS enhancement that will allow me to do more things with the time slowdown. The second is a Chameleon effect that functions the same as Evie's in AC:Syndicate. I don't have to tell you why that will be useful for a stealth build.

Again, some great strokes of luck that should make things easier for me. If only I could get Dogmeat (the pet dog) to stop rushing enemies when I'm being stealthy! I love having him around to carry things and fight in tough situations, but he more often than not blows my cover...

Finally got back to this yesterday after a week hiatus. It's coming along nicely.

Sometimes the NPC behavior shows a great disconnect to your own. I was running a mission yesterday to rescue someone. During the exfiltration of the location we happen upon some enemies that are unaware of our presence and he asks "how do you want to play this." I sneak in, kill everyone with my silenced weapon. I think one person was alerted to our presence before being killed. Because of this one person, the NPC I'm with states "Loud and proud, okay." or something like that. So then, every group we run into after that he runs in to start the fights. I suppose it's my fault for not perfectly killing everyone silently, but it was an interesting little quirk.

I'm up to level 12 now following the above pretty well. I'm FINALLY sneaky enough and do enough damage that I can kill 2-3 enemies before they know what's coming. I'm finally learning my way through the VATS system. I still don't fully understand some parts of it, but am enjoying it. My character doesn't feel overpowered (yet). Enemies are smart about using cover and leaning out from walls to shoot. I know that if I rushed in to a group of 4+, I could probably win (through use of cover and health boosts), but it would be a challenge. As such, I'm still enjoying trying to be stealthy.

I can understand Skyrim being used for a stealth build, but not Fallout. So much respect.

It's extremely rewarding to go around a corner with enemies in the other room, have them suspect you are there but not detect you ([CAUTION] not [DANGER]), go into VATS and get clean headshots on all of them with all the stealth multipliers and they all go down before they know what's up. Add in long range sniping with a silenced rifle (tinker tom special) and I couldn't be happier so far. Still only at level 13 and haven't ventured too far into the wasteland to be attacked by creatures, but from what I've done it's been fun and rewarding.

Update!

I've decided that although I'm going for a sneaky player, I haven't found myself pickpocketing much at all. It would be fun to drop grenades into enemy's pockets, but until I can sneak up to them completely unnoticed I wouldn't use the skills. As such, I'm going to forgo Pickpocket 1/2 until later. Updated plan below (1-15 unchanged). I've only included descriptions for new perks. Keep in mind that since I found the Perception Bobblehead, I no longer need to add a skill point at level 26.

16. Gunslinger 2 (A1-7).
17. Lifegiver 2 (E3-8).
18. Critical Banker (L7-1): Will allow me to select to use my Critical Hits in VATS. Normally, you have to hit the Critical outside of VATS while the VATS shots are being fired. I'd love to use it when I want and predesignate it in VATS. I didn't know how good Criticals would be for this build so I'm adding in this and another perk at 28.
19. Sniper 1 (P8-1).
20. Mysterious Stranger 1 (L4-1).

21. Locksmith 3 (P4-18).
22. Lifegiver 3 (E3-20).
23. Sneak 4 (A3-23): Getting Sneak 4 as soon as it's available.
24. Ninja 2 (A7-16).
25. Mister Sandman 2 (A4-17).

26. Action Boy 2 (A5-18). (moved up)
27. Penetrator 1 (P9-1).
28. Better Criticals (L6-1): Criticals do 50% more damage.
29. Gunslinger 3 (A1-15).
30. Lone Wanderer 2 (C3-17).

Obviously, there is still some wiggle room in those levels. From level 31 on up, the plan is to continue upping the skills I am finding most useful. When in doubt, I'll add an Endurance point, Luck point or play with some of the other Luck perks (Fortune Finder, Scrounger, Grim Reaper's Sprint/Four Leaf Clover would be fun, but I gotta up the Luck to get there).

Benchmarks/notes for me to remember for later since I'm using this post as the character sheet to build my character:
Gunslinger 4: 27
Penetrator 2: 28
Mister Sandman 3: 30
Rifleman 4: 31 (still need 2/3)
Ninja 3: 33
Idiot Savant 3: 34 (still need 2)
Sneak 5: 38
Lone Wanderer 3: 40
Better Criticals 3: 40 (still need 2)
Locksmith 4: 41; indestructible bobby pins
Gunslinger 5: 42
Critical Banker 3: 43 (still need 2)
Rifleman 5: 46

Don't forget Bloody Mess for more damage; Luck 3
Don't forget Grim Reaper's Sprint/Four Leaf Clover; Luck skills (need to increase Luck from 7 though)
Pickpocket 2: lets me drop live explosives in enemies pockets
Quick Hands: could be useful for reloading in VATS; Agility 8
Sniper 2 is a fool's pick: can knock enemies down, would rather they stay standing... but Sniper 3 would be useful

My stealth is coming together. I was able to take out two deathclaws (not at the same time) last night under vastly different scenarios.

The first one I tried to save a video. If it worked, I'll edit and post it this weekend. It was an Alpha Deathclaw in the open world with a skull by its name (meaning it's a higher level than your character). It took me 3 attempts, but I got it. I managed to drop down to it and stay stealthy enough that it never saw me! (This was at level 13 I believe. So I don't think I had Sneak 3 yet, maybe I did). I managed to take some buffjet (I think) to slow down time and use VATS and a sniper rifle to drop much of its health. I tried to throw grenades at it, but I don't think it worked. The interesting thing is that when I stopped doing things, the Deathclaw never moved. I now wonder if it couldn't see me, or if the game glitched. I still had my chameleon armor, and only moved once (when it moved toward me). Eventually I got it though. So I was happy. The other one I had to be creative with the use of stealth, buffjet, and fragmentation mines. It was a regular Deathclaw in a spot I couldn't just run away (indoors). I definitely had Sneak 3 at this time. (level 14).

Alright. I was wrong.

Alpha Deathclaw <-- makeshift skull to show higher level than I
No chems.
No damage taken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSxPSj8skUY

I started with the silenced pistol. Then tried a grenade (which did take health down some) while the AP reloaded. I realized that the health of the Deathclaw wasn't going down very quick with the 10mm pistol rounds I had, so I switched to the sniper rifle I had (also silenced). Because all my weapons were silenced, I got damage bonuses and the Deathclaw never found me. I don't think it was a glitch at all, but just T-Rex syndrome. He couldn't see/detect me while I was standing still.

So there you go, Joey. Effective and viable combat with a stealth build. It was a pain in the ass though, as this was the 3rd (maybe 4th) time I dropped in. Throwing grenades on the location doesn't spawn the Deathclaw either. You have to get on the roof before it climbs up. I don't think the full stealth build is fully feasible (yet). Once I start to get those Luck based critical perks going and finish up some of my current ideas I think it will be fine. Challenging at times, but fine.

Holy hell, that was tense and awesome.

It could have gone a lot better. I'm still getting the hang of combat.

EDIT: After some research, it seems that this Deathclaw will spawn leveled with the character. Even though my character was level 13 (maybe 14), a normal Deathclaw (level 22) was not spawned for me. Alpha Deathclaws are level 31. No wonder this guy was a pain in the rear to kill.

Build update: Up to level 17 now (I think). Now that I'm getting the hang of the VATS system, I can't wait until 18 to get the ability to bank my criticals for later.. build them up with ghouls and radroaches, then use them on deathclaws and legendaries.

If the above information and my memory is correct, that puts me at S:1 P:9 E:3 C:3 I:1 A:7 L:7 with all perks up through Lifegiver 2. I have about 5000 caps. I haven't been collecting much. I haven't built up any settlement or area outside of the Sanctuary mission. I tend to pare down to about 120 lbs and can carry 260 (200 base + 10 for S:1 + 50 for Lone Wanderer). Dogmeat carries my legendary gear I don't want to, and my larger weapons that I don't want to sell yet (mini-nuke and missile launchers). I try not to collect any junk/gear/weapons from the fallen unless it has a caps/wight ratio of 15+. Sometimes this causes me to need to collect junk at times to build things for missions which is annoying. I normally collect animal meat, and that's it, then roast it and sell it. I only keep it if it has a special effect other than HP. With Lifegiver 3 coming in about 5 levels and Stimpaks having no weight, it doesn't make sense to carry around weighted HP boosts with a weak character. I have loads of chems, mostly because I don't know which ones I like to use and which ones to sell yet. I have one Addictol just in case I get addicted to something. I no longer pick up beverages because I'll just use chems to alter my CHR for trading/conversing.

That's about the state of the character right now.

Oh, and I'm also slowly progressing through the story and doing side quests too. For those that have played, to keep it spoiler free, I just confronted Kellogg.

*SPOILERS in link for Kellogg mission*

I bet your experience with Kellogg's mission went differently than mine.

That was great. Mine:

Sep 14 update:

I got back to playing this week after a month absence. Here's what I've added this week:
31. Critical Banker 2 (L7-17): I have found the need for critical shots on some enemies if they don't go down immediately, so this skill is needed for high level (usually Legendary) enemies and creatures.
32. Mister Sandman 3 (A4-30): A core combat skill for me. Since I'm so invested in sneak, my first attack is usually a sneak attack, and my two primary weapons have silencers. Mister Sandman is now complete. Your silenced weapons now do 50% more sneak attack damage.
33. Ninja 3 (A7-33): Another core combat skill for me, so I got it as soon as available. Ninja is now complete. Your ranged sneak attacks do 3.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 10x normal damage.

My next core skill is Sneak 4 (at level 38). That gives me 4 levels to play with. I think I will focus more on damage output than utility skills. That means, I'm likely to take Gunslinger 4 (up damage with pistols), Penetrator 2 (shoot through walls), Rifleman 2/3 (up damage with rifles). Alternative to rifles would be going all in on the Luck 6/7/8/9 skills and upping those instead. Since I use rifles on occasion though, I think I'll take at least one rank of Rifleman in the next 4 skills. Probably going to go:
34. Gunslinger 4 (updated 9/22)
35. Rifleman 2 (updated 9/22)
36. Penetrator 2 (updated 9/26) : Penetrator now complete. In V.A.T.S when you target an enemy's body parts that are blocked by cover, there is no decrease in accuracy.
37. Better Criticals 2 (updated 9/26)
38. Sneak 5
39. ??? Bloody Mess? Luck point? Endurance point (to get to Aquaboy for end game exploration needs)? Agility point (Quick Hands)?
40. Lone Wanderer 3
41. Locksmith 4
42. Gunslinger 5
43. Critical Banker 3
44. Better Criticals 3

Benchmarks/notes for me to remember for later since I'm using this post as the character sheet to build my character:
Gunslinger 4: 27
Penetrator 2: 28
Mister Sandman 3: 30
Rifleman 4: 31 (still need 3)
Ninja 3: 33
Sneak 5: 38
Lone Wanderer 3: 40
Better Criticals 3: 40
Locksmith 4: 41; indestructible bobby pins
Gunslinger 5: 42
Critical Banker 3: 43
Rifleman 5: 46

Don't forget Bloody Mess for more damage; Luck 3
Don't Forget Concentrated Fire for better VATS accuracy; Perception 10
Don't forget Grim Reaper's Sprint/Four Leaf Clover; Luck skills (need to increase Luck from 7 though)
Pickpocket 2: lets me drop live explosives in enemies pockets
Quick Hands: could be useful for reloading in VATS; Agility 8
Sniper 2 is a fool's pick: can knock enemies down, would rather they stay standing... but Sniper 3 would be useful
Attack Dog might be fun if I have the spare points; Charisma 4
Idiot Savant: not terribly useful because I'm taking my time enjoying the game and slow character progression; in no rush to level up; it was useful at first, and if I find myself leveling too slowly, this is an option

(9/26) Leaning towards a Luck Point at level 39 to increase to 8 and unlock the Grim Reaper's Sprint ability. Could also save the point until later when there's something I actually want more. But I think to keep this build viable I need to now start maxing out my Luck-based VATS/Critical Stats - Better Criticals (will be maxed out at level 44), Critical Banker (43), Grim Reaper's Sprint (3 Levels) and Four Leaf Clover (4 Levels). Then I can go back to get Bloody Mess, Pickpocket, etc

Current Character Status

SPECIAL
S: 1
P: 8 = 7 + Bobblehead
E: 3 = 2 + 1 (level 11)
C: 3 = 2 + 1 (You're Special book)
I: 1
A: 7
L: 7

Weapons
I have apparently chosen ballistic weapons as my primary source of damage. I don't use melee weapons at all. I have energy weapons at the ready, but they don't do near the damage as my ballistic weapons at this point (with current perks).

Primary
Deliverer (Unique Weapon) - Gained through Railroad questline
Legendary Effect: Improved VATS hit chance AND a 25% less Action Point cost
Mods
Calibrated Powerful Receiver: increases damage; also increases Critical damage/accuracy (stacks with my perks)
Extended Barrel: increases range/accuracy (actually came standard)
Sharpshooter's Grip: better recoil and hip-fire accuracy
Large Quick Eject Mag: superior ammo capacity (16/clip); improved reload speed
Glow Sights: improves focus (decreases action point usage per shot); better sighted accuracy
Suppressor: silences weapon; better recoil; gets me Mister Sandman damage multipliers
Base damage in menu (unsure if this includes perk modifiers, I think it does):
I didn't know it at the time, but apparently, this is the gun this player was built around.

Secondary
Tinker Tom Special (Unique Weapon) - Purchased from Tinker Tom, Railroad HQ
Legendary Effect: If you are not yet in combat, increases VATS accuracy but costs more AP.
Mods
.50 Caliber Receiver: changes ammo type to .50 Caliber which causes more damage; improves rate of fire
Long Barrel: increases range and sighted accuracy; better recoil
Marksman's Stock: improves recoil and aim with scopes
Medium Quick Eject Mag: better ammo capacity (7/mag) and reload speed
Long Scope: increases magnification/range and sighted accuracy
Suppressor: silences weapon; better recoil; gets me Mister Sandman damage multipliers
I won't be keeping this guy long term, but it's a stop gap until I find a suppressor for the next gun. Since it's based on a hunting rifle and the next one is a combat rifle, the suppressors aren't interchangeable. I don't like the increase in VATS cost, even if it increases the accuracy. My Perception is high enough that most shots are already near the 95% range anyway. I won't be putting more resources into this gun unless I find a Hunting Rifle with characteristics that increase value.

Tertiary
Overseer's Guardian (Unique Weapon) - Purchased from Vault 81 Vendor
Legendary Effect: Shoots an additional projectile (without using up extra ammo)
Mods
.308 Receiver: changes ammo type to .308 Caliber leading to increased damage and a more sensitive trigger leading to better rate of fire
Long Light Barrel: increases range/sighted accuracy and recoil
Recoil Compensating Stock: exceptional recoil
Large Quick Eject Mag: increases ammo capacity and reload speed
Short Night Vision Scope: does what you would expect
No muzzle:
I found a combat rifle with all these mods and added them to Overseer's Guardian. Once I find a Suppressed Combat Rifle, this will be my secondary weapon/ranged weapon of choice. I would like to find a recon scope as well. Other things that may help would be a Marksman's Stock for better scoped accuracy, and a Long Ported Barrel to get that recoil advantage from the stock back. This would add weight to the gun though. Top priorities here are the scope and silencer.

One thing this has taught me is that, like an any tabletop or other RPG, research is your friend. I don't know if I've wasted any skill/perk points, and that's key to a viable character in a game where enemies level up with your character.

Idiot Savant and Mysterious Stranger would be the only candidates to this point for wasted points. But I used Idiot Savant to advance quicker and specialize my character more at earlier points in the game. However, I usually have enough points in VATS to kill my target so the Stranger doesn't show up much. It could be useful if I get to a point where enemies are too strong for my pistol though.

Welp, it was useful when I ran into a Legendary Alpha Deathclaw in the Glowing Sea wearing only a Hazmat Suit (no armor rating outside radiation) and my first volley didn't do much to it, but I thought it would. I forgot that once you get Legendary Enemies below 1/2 their health, the mutate and regenerate all their health, so I got it below half and then it ultimately ended at like 60% health... until the Mysterious Stranger showed up and killed it for me... phew.

September 29 Update
You can see many of these changes in the edits above. I mostly use these updates to organize my thoughts as I go. I'll start to use spoiler takes to not take up as much space (plus some things could be considered spoilers).

October 3 Update
In the last few days I've only leveled up 1 level, but in that one level I found both the Strength and Charisma Bobbleheads. I also found some of the weapon mods I was looking for for my combat rifle. I've crossed out any outdated information from just 4 days ago.

October 7 Update
Formatting and minor things. Changed some current gear in the armor slots thanks to a few Legendary enemies dropping exactly what I wanted.

Current Character Status

• Sneaky McSneakface is now at level 39.
• In the main quest line, the next mission to start is titled Hunter/Hunted. I'm pretty sure there are some twists to come, as I am approaching The Institute for the first time.
• S: 2 = 1 + Bobblehead
  P: 8 = 7 + Bobblehead
  E: 3 = 2 + 1 perk point used (level 11)
  C: 4 = 2 + 1 (You're Special book) + Bobblehead
  I: 1
  A: 7
  L: 8 = 7 + 1 perk point used (level 39)
• Difficulty Level: I have been playing on Normal difficulty. Once I reach Level 40, I will increase to Hard difficulty.

Perks Taken
To summarize my playstyle, ballistic single shot weapons are my primary mode of combat (see below). These perks allow me to be stealthy most of the time. I can confront enemies in a room with VATS before they know what's coming, or I can go around them with lockpicking into another room. I am rarely in open combat. Rarely. My character is not good in open combat. I never use melee attacks, and don't like to be close enough to make that a concern. When I'm worried about some enemies, I may throw a grenade or mine something at them. Sure, this alerts them to my presence, but with Penetrator, even if they hide behind cover, I can hit them in VATS. I don't like to do this though, and my character is good at sneaking around and shooting first, and last. This is only a real problem traversing the Glowing Sea, but with high sneak I can usually keep my distance from enemies and not need cover.

Weapons
I have apparently chosen ballistic weapons as my primary source of damage. I don't use melee weapons at all. I have energy weapons/gamma weapons at the ready, but they don't do near the damage as my ballistic weapons at this point (with current perks), so I may ditch them if weight becomes a concern. Dogmeat carries my missile launcher and fat man in case I foresee needing it. Thanks to my perks, I have high damage, and range on these weapons... and that's not including Ninja/Mister Sandman damage stacks.

Armor/Outfit
I have a few outfits that I carry with me for specialized situations. One is the Hazmat Suit, that I rarely use these days because of something else I have, and the other is some charisma modifying clothing/glasses/hat that I change into for speech checks or bartering. Otherwise, what is listed below is what I use.

Plans for Immediate Future
39. Luck Point to increase to 8 and unlock the Grim Reaper's Sprint ability. *
40. Lone Wanderer 3 (C3-40): When adventuring without a companion, you do 25% more damage.
41. Grim Reaper's Sprint 1 (L8-1): Any kill in V.A.T.S. has a 15% chance to restore all Action Points.
42. Gunslinger 5 (A1-42): Non-automatic pistols now do 60% more damage and range is increased even further.
43. Critical Banker 3 (L7-43): You can now save 3 Critical Hits, to be used in V.A.T.S. when you need them the most. Banking a Critical has a chance to save an additional Critical.
44. Better Criticals 3 (L6-40): Your criticals now do 2.5x as much extra damage.
45. Locksmith 4 (P4-41): Your bobby pins never break during lockpicking.**
45. +1 Strength**

* I could have also saved the point until later when there's something I actually wanted more. But I think to keep this build viable I need to now start maxing out my Luck-based VATS/Critical Stats - Better Criticals (will be maxed out at level 44), Critical Banker (43), Grim Reaper's Sprint (3 Levels) and Four Leaf Clover (4 Levels). Then I can go back to get Bloody Mess, Pickpocket, etc. Also, since the Luck Bobblehead is out there somewhere, I won't invest in the 9th point myself (since I don't forsee wanting the Level 10 perk any time soon).
** Does not make sense. Bobby pins don't weigh anything and I will never run out since I have like 300 of them. If I do take Locksmith 4, then Bobby Pins become another lightweight "money" for trading, along with extra ammo. Currently, leaning toward taking a Strength point for two reasons: 1 - with increased armor weight I'll need increased carry weight; 2 - Strength 3 will unlock the Armorer perk to gain access to armor/clothing mods, which I can take ranks in alongside Grim Reaper's Sprint, Bloody Mess and Rifleman up to level 55 or so.

One more comment on the viability of the build...

In one mission you run into a Sentry Bot named Sarge. [Sentry Bots are hard to kill, just watch this free-for-all of every character type in the game, the Sentry Bot wins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmQL0u5O6ZQ ]. Anyway, armed with just my pistol, and armor/weapon mods that enhance VATS attributes (fewer action points needed), I was able to kill Sarge with my first volley in VATS (including 3 Critical Strikes). I tried to save a video, give me a bit to find it if you're interested. So I think that as long as I go 1-on-1 with most any enemy in the game, if I'm properly prepared with Criticals and Action points, I'll be okay. Also, with Grim Reaper's Sprint and Four Leaf Clover, this should be easier to accomplish.

This will be my final post. After level 40, "builds" become largely worthless; especially because of all the random things in the game that others can do. There's no reason for people to follow around your footsteps and perk leveling forever. That said, just because this is the final post does not mean that it won't be updated. I will continue to update this post whenever I see fit. There is no reason to bump it to the top after this though. I will keep a "changelog" of sorts every time I update it.

December 7
I was level 56 at the last update, so what have I done since then? I've finished maxing my Luck perks including Idiot Savant. Probably shouldn't have take level 3 based on my playstyle, but at this point by character is a bad ass and I'm just piling on anyway. I've also started to access some new perks through taking stat increases, namely Concentrated Fire. I am also starting to play more in power armor. Not because I need the defense, but just to change it up. I've also tried some sneaking and stabbing. As much as I hate first person (relative to third person), I always play first person in power armor. I will probably start to unlock other weapon damage perks to change my playstyle some if I get bored of sneaking. It does look silly to have power armor and the Deliverer... One final note, at level 60ish, I decided to go across the board to up stat increases alternating with perks. I plan to continue to do so. I'm at the point of the game now where I am considering building actual settlements, so I'll have to unlock Local Leader and some associated perks to build shops etc.

Previous Updates

Before I outline my current character:
Important perk note for a stealth character: Take Ninja 3 before Mister Sandman 3. There is a glitch that has not been fixed with how these perks (along with the Deacon companion perk) stack. If you do things in the order I did (Sandman>Ninja>Deacon) it will be the lowest stealth multiplier of 4.4×. If you go Ninja>Sandman>Deacon you get a 4.7× multiplier on sneak attacks. And I think if you get Deacon's perk earlier the multiplier goes to 4.7× or even 4.8× from what I've read.

Current Character Status

• Sneaky McSneakface is now at level 66.
• In the main quest line, the next mission to start is titled Mankind-Redefined. I'll have to pick a faction soon, probably in that mission. I am still in good standing with all major factions.
• S: 3 = 1 + 1 perk point used (level 63) + (Bobblehead)
  P: 10 = 8 + 1 perk point used (level 61) +
  E: 4 = 2 + 1 perk point used (level 11) +
  C: 5 = 2 + 1 perk point used (level 64) + 1 (You're Special book) +
  I: 3 = 1 + 1 perk point used (level 66) +
  A: 8 = 7 +
  L: 11 = 7 + 3 perk points used (levels 39+46+56) +
• Difficulty Level: Hard

Perks Taken
To summarize my playstyle, ballistic single shot weapons are my primary mode of combat (see below). These perks allow me to be stealthy most of the time. I can confront enemies in a room with VATS before they know what's coming, or I can go around them with lockpicking into another room. I am rarely in open combat. Rarely. My character is not good in open combat. I never use melee attacks, and don't like to be close enough to make that a concern. When I'm worried about some enemies, I may throw a grenade or mine something at them. Sure, this alerts them to my presence, but with Penetrator, even if they hide behind cover, I can hit them in VATS. I don't like to do this though, and my character is good at sneaking around and shooting first, and last. This is only a real problem traversing the Glowing Sea, but with high sneak I can usually keep my distance from enemies and not need cover.

Weapons
I have apparently chosen ballistic weapons as my primary source of damage. I don't use melee weapons at all. I have energy weapons/gamma weapons at the ready, but they don't do near the damage as my ballistic weapons at this point (with current perks), so I may ditch them if weight becomes a concern. Dogmeat carries my missile launcher and fat man in case I foresee needing it. Thanks to my perks, I have high damage, and range on these weapons... and that's not including Ninja/Mister Sandman damage stacks.

Armor/Outfit
I have a few outfits that I carry with me for specialized situations, like charisma modifying clothing/glasses/hat that I change into for speech checks or bartering. Otherwise, what is listed below is what I use. Sometimes I carry a hazmat suit.