I wouldn’t worry too much about Karma, to be honest- it’s not like in FO3 where a Karma loss basically meant everyone automatically hated you forever. You can get a few Karma “dings” and it doesn’t seem to have any real effect in-game, as long as someone doesn’t see you hacking that computer/picking that lock/stealing that otherwise unobtainable item.
I killed her with a silenced gun while she was in her office and that other guy was in the bathroom. Nobody noticed, and I don’t think I lost karma and definitely didn’t lose rep with the NCR.
Me, I’m finding that every time I kill a Fiend, I score Karma. The cosmos just hates those bastards. I’m already a Hero of the Wastes. I’m looking around wondering what I could have been stealing all this time.
But NCR faction is hard to come by. I’ve run around from Dan to Beersheeba just to get “Liked” by those ungrateful bastards.
In other news, I’ve discovered that the secret to sniping in this game is being a long way away. I don’t recall it being possible in FO3, but with the scope you get on the .308 in FoNV you can perch yourself high and just watch the deathclaws run back-and-forth while you pelt them with AP rounds from out of nowhere. If you do accidentally aggro one, you might get a couple of rounds into them through the scope while they jackrabbit at you, and then a couple in VATS when they get close. But mostly, you want to be out of their visual radius and blow a lot of ammo.
Funny how I tend to work my way up from friendly diplomat-style doctor/scientist to cold-blooded sniper through the course of these games. Of course, if Karma hits weren’t so brutal, I’d be more of a thief. In this game you’re not allowed even to steal from the people who are trying to kill you, much less the people you are otherwise helping. Even still, I imagine there must be conversations like this:
Citizen: Did you hear the Legion seized Nipton and tortured everybody – live burnings, crucifixions…
Me: I saw myself, and they’re going to pay. Not today, not tomorrow, but when I’m ready, I’m coming for them and they better pray the devil gets to them first.
Citizen: …and they looted all the bodies, right down to the skivvies.
Me: Um, yeah… that was probably them. Darn Legion, always saving up to buy a Varmint Rifle Scope.
Since the beginning of my game, I’ve lockpicked pretty much anything that seemed worthwhile and stolen lots of stuff and my karma has always been positive. Don’t worry too much about karma loss from theft, unless you’re a hoarder.
As someone else pointed out, you can go into fiend territory to score lots of karma and loot. If you want a challenge, don’t bring Boone.
This is possible in 3, yes. Easiest way to get in and out of Minefield is to take a sniper rifle up the hill were MDPL-13 is and take out Arkansas.
Yeah, I used to go up on the hill just behind him and take him out with grenades.
I think I just rushed him (after clearing the mine field) and blew his head off with a 10mm pistol.
-XT
Don’t forget Felicia Day as the fisticuffs-loving, Old World dress-seeking, brokenhearted lesbian Veronica Santangelo!
Actually, I think she swings both ways, too. From the way she talks, I doubt she’s a stranger to men…
Could be, although I didn’t get that sense.
Seem to be a lot of references to homosexuality in the Mojave Wasteland. Arcade Gannon is gay, and Veronica makes reference to same-sex coupling in Caesar’s Legion. And of course you can make your own character swing that way using the Confirmed Bachelor or Cherchez le Femme perk.
How do I see what my Kharma level is?
What are the effects?
(Last night I was getting Kharma from sniping Powder Gangers walking around inside the NCR Prison they took over.)
I also think it’s odd that I can’t “steal” from the containers inside that prison, even if no one can see me.
One question I have that I haven’t found the answer for:
What is the little box for that is right above your DAM/DPS section on each weapon (i.e. left of the Fallout Boy image) and shows what looks like an icon of ammo and a number next to it? The numbers don’t seem to mean anything that I’ve been able to figure out.
Thanks.
You can’t see the numbers, but the level is shown on your PIPBoy: Status -> General -> General.
I actually saw my karma rank go down from looting a Legion slaver camp. But oddly, you apparently don’t actually take a karma hit from stealing merch from the Energy Weapons shop, though it shows red. I haven’t tried it, but there was a vid in which someone put down a pot and dragged the ammo into it, which didn’t bother the NPCs. Then you drag the pot into the next room and close the door, so you can pocket the ammo undetected.
I’m glad that theft karma doesn’t matter much, because it’s absurdly inconsistent.
IMHO, if I gain karma for shooting some guy in the face, I shouldn’t lose karma for stealing from him after I murder him.
I basically don’t bother worrying about the karma loss (or gain even) anymore…if something looks like I need it and if no one is watching then it goes into my boodle bag. I pretty much looted the entire NCR base at the air port by just waiting until no one was about to see what I was doing. Got some decent stuff too. Did the same at the Brotherhood base by going from footlocker to footlocker and grabbing the brothers caps (I also lifted a nice set of power armor and some weapons, as well as one memorable raid on the store room when the NPC who normally sells stuff was inexplicably outside of her little cage…you can access the room from underneath).
-XT
It refers to the skill level you need to be full proficient with that weapon - for example lead pipe requires 50 melee and that EMP pulse gun requires 25 energy. If you don’t have high enough skill, you are either attacking slower with it (melee/unarmed) or your accuracy suffers (guns/energy). Same deal if your strength isn’t high enough.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks.
I think lower skill also causes the weapon to degrade faster, so keep that in mind too.
-XT
Well I finished the game, taking things at an non-forced pace. I thought I was doing well exploring the world, and being fairly noble, with a realistic side of selfish. Boy was I wrong, when I saw the finishing cutscenes. My greater-good choices led to a lot of hell for a lot of people.
Oops. Take 2 shall begin shortly.
I thought I’d explored most of the “significant” places on the map (ie, interesting locations that were more than just travel markers or places to sleep/store things), but when I saw the ending movies, which were revealing the outcomes of places and factions I’d never encountered or even heard mentioned in the game, I realised there is a lot to explore in the game and it’s unlikely you’d ever come close to finding all of it without subsequent playthroughs and/or strategy guides.