Move your units individually
While it is more convenient to move your entire party at the same time while exploring or walking around towns, it can sometimes be beneficial to position your units individually. Traps are common in Wasteland 3, and your party won't avoid them on their own. Moving your units one by one will allow you to tiptoe around mines and tripwires. Also, you can use this strategy to gain positional advantage over oblivious enemies and dominate fights.
Save, save, save
We all do it, we might as well accept it. Strategy and RPG elitists may frown on rescues, but there are so many moving parts in the Colorado version of Wasteland 3 that it doesn't hurt to have a few save saves. Sometimes a dialogue option won't turn out the way you thought it would or you might make a mistake in battle. You can do a quick save to create a restore point that you can go back to quickly, which is a godsend considering how often this game's story branches and twists.
Don't underestimate mods
Maximizing your damage and armor is extremely important in Wasteland 3, and relying only on your gear's base stats is a quick way to get yourself killed. Armor mods will keep you alive for much longer, and weapon mods can turn that dusty old gun you found into a real killing machine. Make sure you have a party member who specializes in weapon modding and armor modding so you can set them up on your own.
Diversify your skills
While leading an entire team of snipers might sound like a fun idea on paper, it's a bad idea for a number of reasons. Ammo is scarce, so if your entire party is using the same type of weapon, your ammo stores will run out quickly. You also need to be prepared for all kinds of different threats, so having a team of identical units will leave you under-prepared in some situations. Try to make each of your units fulfill a different role.
Multiplayer has advantages
You can play the entirety of Wasteland 3 with a friend, and the game's cooperative implementation goes far beyond just having another player-controlled character in your party. In multiplayer, you can play both sides of a conflict to maximize the rewards. You and your friend can go their separate ways and do whatever you want as long as you stay in the same general area, and you can even have opposing factions quests at the same time. You can even continue playing when your friend logs out and have them join again after progressing on your own.
Always stay healed with first aid
Being taken by surprise can result in a quick death, so be sure to keep your characters' health on top between fights. Anyone can use the standard healing item - they're like the Stimpaks in Fallout - but you'll need a dedicated healer on your team with points in the First Aid skill. This skill allows you to use more advanced healing items, which can save your cheaper and faster healing items for use during combat. Have your healer end your party with first aid kits and other medical items between fights.
Don't sleep with generic benefits
Your characters gain an advantage at all other levels. You can choose from the perks based on your characters' skills and their levels in those skills, but there are a handful of perks that anyone can unlock regardless of their skills. These are little bonuses like increased health or armor, but they can really make a difference, especially at the start of the game. Plus, they're a great choice when you don't like any of the skill perks. available.
Don't rely on just one type of ammo
You might think rocking assault rifles with your entire party is a good idea, but you'll quickly run into issues if all six characters are using the same type of weapon. You'll run into the issues we've listed above regarding using similar characters, but you'll run out of bullets quickly as well. You need to equip weapons that fire various types of ammo, especially automatic weapons that fire in bursts. Ammo is very expensive, and your money is better spent on other things.
Think carefully about reputation and reputation
Your reputation and your notoriety with each of the factions of Colorado are not only spectacle. These not only affect how this faction sees you, but also your interactions with other factions. Each group does not exist in a bubble; factions have eyes and ears all over the wilderness, and the words of your deed will quickly spill over the frozen garbage. When making decisions, think carefully about how people are going to react. Not just the faction you interact with directly, but everyone you meet.
Voice skills don't come out of free jail maps
In games like Fallout, vocal skills are usually there to get you out of combat. They work the same in Wasteland 3, but sometimes you'll still need a smoking gun to match your silver tongue. Just because you're faced with a speech check in a scenario doesn't mean you can always avoid a fight. There will also be situations where you have the opportunity to use multiple skills and only one of them will avoid combat. Think carefully about the dialogue options you choose instead of just selecting the option that will use a skill.
Stop, and smell the roses
Wasteland 3 really starts near the end, but you shouldn't rush into the game. It's a massive game, so it's understandable to want to go through it as fast as possible in the hopes of someday completing it, but it does. There are some really good side quests and some characters that you can completely miss. Slow down, look around, and talk to people. Really take in environments and cities. You are sure to find something of interest.
Highlight your environment
You can easily miss things if you're not careful, but you can highlight interactive objects in the environment by pressing the Shift key on PC or L2 / LT on the console to highlight nearby objects such as corpses, containers and switches. This will prevent you from walking right next to a chest full of loot or other cool items.
Don't always skip random encounters
Random encounters are frustrating for a lot of people, but they can actually come in handy in Wasteland 3. When traveling the world in the Kodiak, you will occasionally be interrupted by enemies. These random encounters are not as frequent as other games, and you can avoid them by using the Survival skill or others in various situations. Skipping those encounters can mean skipping powerful gear, loot, and resources, so strongly consider engaging when encountering enemies, especially if you can use a skill to secure the first shot.
Repairing the toaster can be fun
While it may seem like an unnecessary skill at first, Toaster Repair is a staple in Wasteland and can actually come in handy more often than you might think. This is still only useful if you come across a toaster, but there are a lot more toasters in Colorado than you might expect. It might not be worth maximizing the skill, but if you put points in it you might be surprised at what rewards you find. You're going to have six party members with you, so it won't hurt to invest at least a little in the toaster repair.
Choose Bookworm as the background
When you create a character, you have the option to select a background. The backgrounds give your character a passive buff as well as a little bit of story that is just for fun. If you don't know what to choose, choose Bookworm. This gives you a permanent 10% increase in XP earned, so there's no reason not to choose it. There are other great backgrounds that have other awesome bonuses, but unless you really want something different, Bookworm is a solid choice.
Barter is really useful
If you're from Fallout, you can skip the Barter skill as it's not as useful in other RPGs. In Wasteland 3, shopping is brutal if you don't have points in barter. You will sell items at a fraction of their value and empty your pockets just by purchasing basic necessities like ammunition and medicine. Make sure one of your characters has at least a few barter points to get the best deals. There is a barter benefit that also gives you a discount when you buy in bulk, which is great for refueling on balls.
Use final actions in combat
If your character does not have enough AP to attack during his turn but still has AP left, use a Final Action. This will either prepare your character for their next turn or make them a bit more fortified using their remaining AP. Ambush is the more expensive option, but it allows your character to interrupt an enemy's movement with an attack if they get close enough. Defending increases a character's evasion for each remaining AP, and Preparation can carry over up to 2 AP to the next turn.
Ambush enemies to gain the upper hand
Combat is inevitable in Wasteland 3, so you should always try to gain an advantage over your enemies to make sure your Rangers can last as many fights as possible. You can position your units individually and dodge enemy detection circles to expand your squad and surround unconscious enemies. Your squad will instantly take cover nearby once combat begins, so you can use this trick to get your units to where you want them before firing a single shot. You can also take the first hit before the fight starts to get extra damage.
Companions can change more than fight
While four members of your party are Rangers, the fifth and sixth members of your squad are pre-made characters with their own voices and stories. At the start of the game you will come across characters like Marshall Kwon and Lucia Wesson who can become powerful allies of the Desert Rangers. Your companions are more than just additional weapons. They have their own opinions and perspectives on everything you do, and they will have conversations from time to time. Some companions can also drastically change parts of the game by being part of your party, so choose your allies wisely.
You cannot lose characters in battle
Despite sharing many similarities with games like XCOM, your characters cannot die in battle permanently. If a Ranger falls to the ground during a fight, you will have a certain number of turns to revive them. If you manage to collect them, they will return to the fray with a permanent debuff that can only be corrected by visiting an NPC medic or using a wound kit. If you don't reach them in time, they won't be available until you contact a doctor. Don't be afraid that anyone will die in battle, but also keep in mind the risks of being brash and ill-prepared in battle.
Don't buy equipment at the first opportunity
When you find a new merchant, your first instinct will be to check out the new weapons and armor they are selling and collect upgrades for your team. It's tempting, but you should probably wait a while. Chances are, the area surrounding this merchant has the same weapons and armor hidden in chests. It could also fall from enemies or local creatures. There is nothing more frustrating than spending hundreds of dollars on new equipment for your team so that you can clear out an encampment, only to find that the loot in that area is what you just bought. Of course, you can sell the other things or take them out for parts, but saving money is always the preferred option.
Wait to buy at Bizzare
The Bizzare is the first major market you'll come across in Colorado, and you'll probably want to shop for a bunch of stuff once you get there. Just like the advice above, you should wait, but not for the same reasons. Find Flab the Inhaler, the manager of the Bizzarre, and he will give you a quest to take down the Payaso gang hiding in the tunnels below. The quest he gives you is called "A Nightmare in the Bizzare," and if you complete it by killing the Payasos, he will grant you a permanent 20% discount on all of the Weird. This can make the prices of new weapons, armor, and ammo much more bearable, so wait until you receive this discount to buy anything.
You need a sniper on your team
In an RPG like Wasteland 3, you can create whoever you want, but you should probably have a sniper on your team. Snipers are incredibly powerful, and some of their late-game abilities can decimate even the strongest, most armored targets. The only downside is that sniper rifle ammo costs a lot of money, but you can still stock up if you're frugal. Their reach is insane and they can do bosses quick work with their strikes.
You need a team member with modding skills
Mods are essential to your survival in Wasteland 3, so it's important to have someone on your team who can modify your gear. Modification skills are divided into two categories: weapon modification and armor modification. It's good to have party members who can do both, but make sure at least one of your units invests heavily in one or the other. You either want to be able to survive a lot of shots so you can kill enemies with weaker weapons, or you want to kill enemies fast enough that your armor isn't first level.
Animal Whisperer is much more useful than it looks
Talking to animals doesn't seem like the most useful skill in a game where you'll be spending most of your time talking to people, but being able to communicate with wildlife has several advantages. Some animals will tell you secrets or useful information, and you can tame the animals to follow you into battle. Some enemies use animals as enemies, and you can tame them and turn them against their masters mid-fight if your Animal Whisperer skill is high enough. Also, you are going to see a lot of cyborg chickens and it will get really annoying not knowing what their problem is if you don't have enough points in Animal Whisperer to talk to them.
Mechanics can help in combat
While it might not seem like that on the surface, Mechanic is actually a super useful combat skill. There will be fights where you can bring the Kodiak into battle with you, and you will only be able to use repair kits to heal it if you have mechanical points. A mechanic can also deploy robotic allies in combat if their skills are high enough. These can quickly change the tide of battle, but they are rare and expensive. Still, having the ability to use them can be a lifeline.
Use strikes whenever possible
Each character has an ability called Strike which is charged by shooting enemies. Strikes are powerful shots that target specific body parts, each with a corresponding debuff or status effect deployed with varying chance of success. If your character's Attack is ready, feel free to use it. Attacking while your Strike is fully charged is a bit pointless as these attacks could charge a second Strike if you used yours now. Of course, don't waste it on a weak enemy that you can easily kill with a bullet or two, but definitely use it if there is a strong enemy in the field.
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