Fallout: New Vegas is an expansive open-world video game with a lot to discover, which includes a large arsenal of powerful weapons and armor. There are also many skills to upgrade in New Vegas and many ways to merge them with specific equipment for a unique character build.
Although there are lots of weapons and skills in New Vegas, it's easy to overlook them and not even realize that certain builds are possible. So here are some of the strongest character builds that most Wastelanders have never created.
10 The Space Alien From Earth
Energy weapons are great, especially the Alien Blaster. This weapon is perfect for a Courier that enjoys using laser weapons. You can acquire the Alien Blaster to the north of Horowitz Farmstead, but you'll have to fight a few Alien enemies to obtain it.
You can witness this other-worldly encounter if you have the Wild Wasteland trait, so be sure to pick it at the beginning of New Vegas if you want to become the Wasteland's very own extraterrestrial. The Alien Blaster deals 75 base damage and a critical hit upon impact.
9 The Nuka-Cola Grenadier
The Gun Runner's Arsenal DLC added many powerful new weapons to New Vegas; however, one of the best items added wasn't a standard weapon but instead an explosive device. By combining the Nuka-Grenade with the Explosive skill, you can deal massive amounts of damage to enemies. You can also use other explosive weapons with this build and save your Nuka-Grenades for large groups of enemies.
You can incorporate stealth into the Nuka-Cola Grenadier build to sneak up on enemies and throw your grenades before they ever see you coming. Nuka-Grenades are obtained by crafting them at a workbench with one Nuka-Cola, one Turpentine, one Abraxo Cleaner, one Tin Can, and one Quartz. You need the Mad Bomber perk and a level 60 Explosives skill to craft Nuka-Grenades.
8 The Samurai
Everybody wants to become a Samurai, and with the right equipment in Fallout: New Vegas, you can achieve this dream. First, you'll need to level up the Melee Weapons skill and Sneak skill.
Next, you'll want to obtain a Shishkebab which you can purchase from the NCR Supply Officer inside of the Hoover Dam Office; the character's name is Quartermaster Bardon. The best armor for this build is the Stealth Suit MK 2. This suit of armor is found in the X-13 Research Facility in the Old World Blues DLC.
7 The Brotherhood Of Steel Agent
The Brotherhood Of Steel has a role in the main storyline of New Vegas; however, it's not nearly as large as the Brotherhood Of Steel's presence is in other Fallout games. Because of this, many players overlook or completely ignore the idea of creating a Brotherhood Of Steel themed build in New Vegas.
But just because the Brotherhood Of Steel isn't as important to the main questline as other factions doesn't mean that you can't become a major asset to the Mojave Desert's branch of this advanced organization. You can join the Brotherhood Of Steel by interacting with their bunker in Hidden Valley, and you can even acquire Brotherhood Of Steel power armor and a signature laser gun to go along with it. This build focuses primarily on energy weapons and power armor.
6 The Master Of Speech
Speech is an important skill in New Vegas, but it's easy to ignore it completely since focusing on combat skills seems more important at the beginning of a new playthrough.
However, you can use speech to solve quests, and it's the best skill to upgrade if you're interested in the least amount of combat possible because you can occasionally use the Speech skill to completely avoid a combat situation. If you want to play as a charismatic character or avoid combat as much as possible, then the Master Of Speech build is perfect for you.
5 The Chainsaw Wastelander
There are a few different chainsaw-type weapons to use in New Vegas, including the Ripper and the Gun Runner's Arsenal Chainsaw. Chainsaws are powerful weapons, and they deal a lot more damage than regular melee weapons since they continuously deal damage as opposed to hitting the enemy over and over again. Chainsaws could be described as the submachine gun of melee weapons. Rippers are carried by the characters found in Vault three, so defeating these enemies is the easiest way to obtain one.
A lot of Wastelanders don't even realize these weapons are in New Vegas, so it's a build you've probably never tried. However, pairing a chainsaw with power armor creates one of the strongest characters that you can create in New Vegas.
4 The Construction Courier
There are many unique DLC weapons throughout New Vegas; however, the H&H Tools Nail Gun is one of the most interesting. You can acquire the Nail Gun while exploring The Divide in the Lonesome Road DLC; it's found in many locations, including toolbox containers in Hopeville.
The H&H Tools Nail Gun is an automatic weapon that functions similarly to a submachine gun, and it's considered a regular gun so you'll want to focus your attention on the Guns skill while creating the Construction Courier build.
3 The Dog Whisperer
Most people love dogs, so it's no surprise that there are many dog companions to recruit throughout the Fallout franchise. You can recruit the dog Rex in New Vegas by completing it's companion quest, "Nothin But A Hound Dog".
However, that's not the only dog that you can recruit; there's also a weapon that uses a canine brain as it's operating system. The K9000 Cyberdog Gun is a powerful weapon that you can obtain from the Y-17 Master Trauma Harness in the X-12 Research Center while exploring the Old World Blues DLC. With this gun and Rex by your side, you'll be the strongest Dog Whisperer in the Mojave Wasteland.
2 The Pyromaniac
The Pyromaniac is a unique yet simple build, but it's very powerful, and you can easily overlook it while starting a new playthrough. To create the Pyromaniac build, you need to acquire a flamer. You can buy a flamer in the Silver Rush store.
Flamers are governed by the Energy Weapons skill, so this is the stat that you should increase when you level up. Explosive weapons also work well with the Pyromaniac build, such as Fire Bombs from the Honest Hearts DLC.
1 The Mine Master
If you want a stealth build that's also a lot of fun, then the Mine Master will be a great fit. Mines are explosive weapons that you can place on the ground to trap enemies when they walk by. Mines are found all over the Mojave Wasteland, similar to other explosive weapons.
The best way to use the Mine Master build is to place down mines near where an enemy is walking and then lead them into the trap. With this build, you don't need to fight enemies head-on. When you're trying to conserve mines, you can use other explosive weapons, including the Fat-Man and Dynamite. You can also use Plasma Mines if you prefer to deal energy damage.