A Weapon FAQ for the Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel for the XBox Console This is an ASCII art-less walkthrough by David Riley (Dave [at] frontbeat.com). ********** DISCLAIMER ********** Fallout: Brotherhood of steel is an "Action RPG" in the style of Baldur's Gate : Dark Alliance for the PS2 and Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes for the Xbox. Staunch Fallout fan that I am, I do not endorse this game in any way shape or form. If there ever was a game that bastardized the name of a good franchise, it would be this. FO:BOS is chocked to the brim with so much profanity and sophomoric "humor" that I'm fully convinced the script writing duties were handed over to a group of threeteen year olds. You know how many pee jokes "Team Chuck" needs to consider a game worth publishing? It's like THREE. You know how many you'll find in a *good* game? Well, I think you can guess. Not only this, but it shows a complete disregard for the Fallout universe, including rather blatantly killing off a character that appears in Fallout 2, which follows this pile of trash in the timeline. This walkthrough is merely being written because there isn't one out there yet and, well, I want to help the poor people who are struggling with this game. Nobody should have to play it for as long as my roommate and I did! This FAQ is for the XBox version of this game. There is no reason why it shouldn't work for the PS2 version as well. ****************************** Legal things I know nothing of ****************************** Don't steal this. If you steal it, or plagarise anything from it, that'd probably make me cry right here and now.. I'm a big guy and as my friends will attest I spend most of my time being angry. This document is not allowed to be included in any for-profit material in any way, shape, or form, even as a free bonus. If you're sniping the new releases on GameFAQs, go away. This FAQ is made for posting only on GameFAQS and our personal website, www.fan-service.com. If you see it anywhere else we'd be most grateful for the heads up. ***** MELEE ***** Melee weapons are kind of a sad state of affairs. They just build on each other without any real (significant) difference in attack speed or anything. Basically, whenever you find a new weapon, you use it. Characters have skills that improve either blunt or edged weapons, so that may impact on your choices, but I'd say the best choice is not to waste skill points on those ones at all. Iron Gloves Type: Glove Speed: Fast Value: 55 Caps Damage: 4-10 As good as you're gonna get, for the first 20 minutes or so. Some of the Gloves are nice because they're fast, but these ones are worthless. Spiked Baseball Bat Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 150 Caps Damage: 13-19 A good weapon that'll serve you for a fairly long time. Hold onto this one until you find a knife. It's a keeper! Spiked Gloves Type: Gloves Speed: Fast Value: 175 Caps Damage: 10-15 Only good in two player mode, because one person is still using the Iron Gloves. Otherwise, pawn it at your first opportunity. Combat Knife Type: Knife Speed: Fast Value: 190 Caps Damage: 11-19 A decent weapon. Swap out the Bat for it when you get the Knife, as it's much faster with only a slight decrease in damage. You'll have this one for a while yet, still. Torch Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 475 Caps Damage: 21-25 + fire Finally, something worth holding onto. The torch you'll keep a hand on for the entirety of the Crater portion of the game. Not only does it do VERY reasonable damage and not have the issues with hitting rodents that the knife does, but it lights 'em on fire too. Keep it around. It looks good on ya. Burning Gloves Type: Gloves Speed: Fast Value: 575 Caps Damage: 23-34 A weapon you could almost be proud of if something new didn't come along a scant few areas later. The burning gloves are faster and stronger than the torch and still light guys on fire. What more could you want? Cleaver Type: Polearm Speed: Slow Value: 900 Caps Damage: 32-37 It don't light people on fire like the torch does, but it's a better all around weapon. So try it on for size. It'll serve you for as long as any other melee weapon has to this point. Sledgehammer Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 1,000 Caps Damage: 35-38 The sledgehammer is a staple of Fallout games. Here, it's just another stupid melee prop. Same as any other one, slightly more damage than the Cleaver. There's no reason not to use it, but the damage is barely higher and so the reasons aren't too compelling either. You know what I mean? Ripper Type: Knife Speed: Fast Value: 2,000 Damage: 35-42 Funny, looks more like a rusty knife. Not exactly the Ripper we've come to appreciate in Fallout's gone past. Still, it does a hefty bit of damage and it's faster than the Sledgehammer. Honestly, you've been holding onto that thing for like, six areas. Aren't you tired of it already? Spiked Sledgehammer Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 2,100 Damage: 41-52 I know what you're saying. It's "Eeeeh" and I am too. But the fact is that it's better than what you've got. Just take it. Power Fist Type: Gloves Speed: Fast Value: 4,000 Damage: 50-65 Super Sledge Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 5,800 Caps Damage: 80-100 It would be a GREAT weapon, but you probably already have the Slugger. If you decide to play this game legitimately, though, the Super Sledge will hold you over for quite some time. I don't know why you would, though, as playing it the legit way only increases the excruciating pain you'll suffer while doing it. Monster Ripper Type: Polearm Speed: Slow Value: 4,750 Damage: 70-85 If you didn't get the Slugger from the Ghoul or the Super Sledge from Giese this thing would be a good addition. However, you probably got at least one or the other. Because of this, it's just another useless melee weapon. Ripper Gloves Type: Gloves Speed: Fast Value: 6,750 Caps Damage: 60-110 Not bad, for a pair of gloves. If you're playing two player this might be the best your second player gets for awhile. If not, you might as well jsut sell them straight off. You've got better, in fact, there's better in the room prior to the one you find these in. Tesla Cleaver Type: Polearm Speed: Slow Value: 7,500 Caps Damage: 110-120 If you've been using the Slugger since chapter 2, dump it now. The cleaver has 3 less on the high end, but practically THIRTY more on the low end. It's a pretty good trade. Mega Power Fists Type: Gloves Speed: Fast Value: 11,000 Caps Damage: 140-200 The second best hand to hand weapon in the game, no reason not to use it. Plasma Saw Type: Polearm Speed: Slow Value: 14,500 Damage: 120-200 When you find the Plasma saw, you might be excited. You've been using that Slugger for so long, with only a short break on the Tesla Coil and here's this weapon that actually does a ton of damage! Too bad that you find it in the same room as the (better) Mega Power Fists. So, good for two player... not much else. Turbo Super sledge Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 15,000 Caps Damage: 160-200 Best in the game. No reason to NOT use this. Even if you're Cain (why?) with maxed out Butcher (WHY?!). ****** RANGED ****** Showing more variety than the Melee weapons, the Ranged weapons are just as annoying at times, it's just nice that there's a weapon to use more than one of them at a time. Too bad it's not MUCH of a reason. Home-Made Pistol Type: Pistol Speed: Moderately Slow Value: 45 Caps Ammo: Light Bullet Damage: 7-10 Utter trash. You'll only have this in the beginning and by the time you'll want to start using bullets you'll get the Beretta. Don't bother. Beretta Type: Pistol Speed: Moderate Value: 165 Caps Ammo: Light bullet Damage: 8-14 At least it doesn't TOTALLY suck. Faster than the Home-Made Pistol and more of a punch, too. Worth keeping around for the entirety of the Warehouse. Home-Made Rifle Type: Rifle Speed: Slow Value: 200 Ammo: Light bullet Damage: 17-23 It's not useless. More damage than the Beretta for the same ammo, but painfully slow. Fortunatelly you can dodge around to speed it up a little. Might as well use it, because you get it for free... but don't blame me when you start to hate it. It simply doesn't do enough damage for how fast (i.e.: how slow) it fires. Hunting Rifle Type: Rifle Speed: Moderately Slow Value: 475 Caps Ammo: Light Bullet Damage: 23-30 Desert Eagle Type: Pistol Speed: Moderate Value: 500 Ammo: Heavy bullet Damage: 16-21 Kind of a waste of a gun. Faster than the Home-Made Rifle, sure, but its bullets are the heavy ones, and it just doesn't feel right using those. Potentially you can break it out if you can't use the Dual Berettas (Cyrus) and haven't gotten anything better yet (During the third portion of Chapter 1) Dual Berettas Type: Pistol Speed: Moderately Fast Value: 475 Caps Damage: 8-14 (x2) Better than just one beretta, but uses twice the ammo. Anyway, it's a heck of a lot faster than using the Home-Made Rifle and it's not like ammo is exactly in short supply. If you're able to use them, might as well. If you're Cyrus, well, I'm sorry. You're a stereotype. Flamethrower Type: Flame (Explosive?) Speed: Continuous Value: 600 Ammo: Fuel Damage: 2-11 "Sure, I'd love a gun with no range, useless damage and incredibly rare ammo." If you just thought that, help yourself to a flamethrower. Double Barrel Shotgun Type: Shotgun Speed: Very Slow Value: 900 Ammo: Shotgun Shells Damage: 30-96 A pretty handy weapon if you can get up close, but painfully slow. Worth keeping around until you get the Combat Shotgun (a very long time) as there's nothing else to use those shells on. Home-Made Machine Gun Type: Machine Gun Speed: Fast Value: 950 Caps Ammo: Small Bullet Damage: 10-15 A useless weapon if I ever saw one (Even in the hands of the Vault Dweller and his 100% critical with Home-Made weapons), but at least it fires quicker than the Home-Made Rifle. By now you've probably got plenty of bullets to pour into the thing so it's your choice. Just realize that you won't have plenty of bullets for LONG if you use it. Sub-Machine Gun Type: Machine Gun Speed: Very Fast Value: 1,100 Caps Ammo: Small Bullet Damage: 10-15 Nothing to shout about, but superior to the Home-Made Machine Gun. It does the same damage and fires way faster. If you're using the former, it's time to upgrade. Really. It'll hold you over until the end of Chapter 1, but by Chapter 2 it's quickly made obsolete. Simply doesn't do enough damage for the amount of ammo it consumes. Then again, I'm basing a lot of this on my plays through Apocalyptic mode. You might find the Sub-Machine Gun has more life in it than I'd suggest. Dual Desert Eagles Type: Pistol Speed: Fast Value: 1,050 Caps Ammo: Heavy Bullet Damage: 16-21 (x2) Same principle as the Dual Berettas. Not a bad weapon, fast and damaging. But by the time you get it you probably won't even care. Use it if you want, sell it if you don't. Combat Shotgun Type: Shotgun Speed: Medium Value: 3,750 Caps Ammo: Shotgun Shells Damage 48-76 A much improved version of the Double Barreled Shotgun. No reason to not use this instead of the former, when you have the option. Home-Made Laser Pistol Type: Laser Speed: Moderate Value: 1,975 Caps Ammo: Small Energy Damage: 38-45 More efficient than the generic pistols and rifles, the laser pistol doesn't do bad damage and it does it at a relatively fast rate. Lasers have the added benefit of shooting right through their targets too. Score! Home-Made Laser Rifle Type: Laser Speed: Slow Value: 2,750 Caps Ammo: Small Energy Damage: 45-56 Slightly more damage efficient than the pistol, but exceedingly slower. It's your call. Heavy Machine Gun Type: Machine Gun Speed: Fast Value: 4,500 Caps Ammo: Heavy Bullet Damage: 18-25 Pretty good, but not great. You've probably got a huge stash of Heavy Bullets by now, but the fact of the matter is it just doesn't use the ammo as smartly as it could. Terribly inefficient. But by the next time you'll need Heavy Bullets you'll have more money than you could ever know what to do with. Dual Sub-Machine Guns Type: Machine Gun Speed: Very VERY Fast Value: 2,500 Caps Ammo: Small Bullet Damage: 10-15 (x2) As if the Sub-Machine Gun didn't waste bullets fast enough, you'll have no problem going through multiple THOUSANDS of them with this baby. The damage adds up, sure, but you're basically spending 100+ Caps for every enemy you kill. Assault Rifle Type: Machine Gun Speed: Fast Value: 6,250 Caps Ammo: Small Bullets Damage: 20-31 A reasonable thing to use those small bullets on, it does pretty good damage and you've been hoarding the things anyway. So break it out if you feel pressured, but it's probably not worth it to just throw them away on anything that comes your way. Good for the earlier bosses of Stage 3. Shredder Type: Shotgun(?) Speed: Very Slow Value: 10,200 Caps Ammo: Large Bullets Damage: 480-606 In the end of the game, the Shredder quickly becomes your main man in regards to damage dealing on the last few bosses. Next time you can, buy as much Big Bullet ammo as possible. At 10 per shot, you're gonna need it. Minigun Type: Machine Gun Speed: VERY, VERY, VERY Fast Value: 9,245 Caps Ammo: Small Bullets Damage: 30-50 Too little too late. The Minigun does an impressive amount of damage per bullet, but the fact of the matter is you get it at a point in the game where the only reason to use it is if you've got a TON of small bullets lying around. It wastes ammo in droves. The result is pretty good (and satisfying to watch the damage rank up), but very costly. Dual Laser Pistols Type: Pistol Speed: Fast Value: 8,020 Caps Ammo: Small Energy Damage: 70-85 (x2) Not bad at all! The Dual Pistols fire fast, to VERY reasonable damage and make you feel like an Outer Space version of Chow Yun Fat. Enjoy them with my compliments. These and the Shredder should last you until the end of the game. Continuous Fire Laser Type: Laser Speed: Continuous Value: 8,000 Caps Ammo: Heavy Laser Damage: 16-26 q.v. Rocket Launcher. Way too expensive to use. It eats ammo like crazy and does a pitiful 16-26 per shot. You've got maybe 400 heavy ammo at the end of the game, and this is no way to waste it. Plasma Cannon Type: Laser Speed: Moderate Value: 13,500 Ammo: Heavy Laser Damage: 201-338 Not the worst choice you could make, but not the best one either. It uses 5 a shot, which isn't too bad, but the damage is surprisingly not too much more than the Plasma Rifle. Probably best to avoid. Plasma Rifle Type: Laser Speed: Fast Value: 9,120 Caps Ammo: Heavy Laser Damage: 130-151 Actually a pretty good endgame weapon and a reasonable use of all that heavy energy ammo you've been picking up. The Plasma Rifle does good damage per shot and fires pretty fast. Unfortunately, the only way I know to get this gun is via one of the two high level Shop-Tecs at the end of the game. If you have the cash to pick it up (you probably do) you won't find a more efficient way to use your heavy energy ammo. Turbo Plasma Rifle Type: Laser Speed: Very, VERY Fast Value: 11,500 Caps Ammo: Heavy Laser Damage: 70-84 Found in the second level of the Vault Labs near the Adolescent Deathclaw boss. The damage is impressive, with the low end being 70 per shot, so it's the quickest way to deal big damage in the game, but it's also the most expensive by far. --------------------- GRENADES (EXPLOSIVES) --------------------- All grenades are a joke and the Incendiary Mortar and Rocket Launchers aren't much better. The damage listed is never even close to what you actually end up doing. Consider them money at the shop when you find them, but keep grenades around to help you get the secret boss of level 2. From then on you're better off selling them. Home-Made Bomb Type: Bomb Value: 100 Damage: 160-200 Frag Grenade Type: Bomb Value: 350 Damage: 300-350 Toxic Grenade Type: Bomb Value 200 Caps Damage: 200-260 Incendiary Grenades Type: Bomb Value: 450 Caps Damage: 300-350 + Fire Plasma Grenade Type: Bomb Value: 600 Caps Damage: 350-450 ---------- EXPLOSIVES ---------- Increndiary Motar Type: Explosive Speed: Slow Value: 1150 Caps Ammo: Flamethrower Fuel Damage: 83-123 Well, it does reasonable damage and it fires fast enough. That's good. Too bad it uses the ungodly amount of flamethrower fuel that it does. Each motar costs you a whopping TWENTY SHOTS. I mean, it's pretty good and you might as well use it, because you're not getting flamethrower stuff like, ever again... but still. What a waste. Home-Made Rocket Launcher Type: Rocket Launcher Speed: Very Slow Value: 5,500 Caps Ammo: Rockets Damage: 100-121 One of only two weapons that uses Rockets, this is definitely the less useful of the two. If you're playing as the Vault Dweller, who gets a HUGE bonus to Home-Made weapon damage, fine, but otherwise... Rockets are expensive enough as it is. You can't be throwing them away with this thing. Rocket Launcher Type: Rocket Speed: Slow Value: 10,000 Caps Ammo: Rockets Damage: 200-226 If you've been studiously collecting Rockets by the time you get this you'll have about 28 of them. 28? That's NOTHING. The rocket launcher is too slow, has too big a blast radius and doesn't do nearly as much damage as the shredder. To top it off every SHOT costs you 450 caps. No thanks. -------------- SECRET WEAPONS -------------- Red Ryder BB Gun <<SECRET WEAPON>> Type: Rifle Speed: Moderate Value: 4,000 Caps Ammo: Infinite Damage: 1-101 Meat Cannon <<SECRET WEAPON>> Type: Explosive Speed: Slow Value: 24,000 Caps Ammo: Infinite Damage: 369-609 This gun is RIDICULOUS. First off, it's the only explosive weapon that's actually worth its salt (mostly due to infinite ammo) and it does a ridiculously good amount of damage, even up until the end game. You'll kill basically any normal enemy in one hit until you reach the Vault on Apocalyptic. It's gained on the East Bridge level in Chapter 2, it does crazy damage to everyone WITH splash. Like the Incendiary Motor, but good! Slugger <<SECRET WEAPON>> Type: Bat Speed: Slow Value: 10,000 Caps Damage: 81-123 The end all-be all of melee weapons until practically the end of the game. The Slugger does all the damage you could ever need and launches guys across the screen to boot. A real keeper, though sort of a pain to get. ******* ENEMIES ******* CHAPTER 1 Rats ---- Big or small, these guys all have one thing in common. They're useless. Don't break a sweat as, even in the beginning, it won't take more than a hit or two to waste these guys. Tend to pop out of "generators" a la Gauntlet, but the stream doesn't last long. Radscorpions ------------ The red ones are just as pointless as rats, the white ones are a little more of a pain, as they tend to be radiated and some of the bigger ones will actually SHOOT radiation at you. Still not a huge deal, just keep your finger on the stimpack button. Be aware that the white/black ones explode in a burst of radiation when they die. It'd be prudent to stay away from that. Beetles ------- WhatEVER. Similar to the Rats/Radscorpions, only way more annoying. Beetles have a habit of scurrying all over the place instead of staying still and letting you hit them. When they're attacking en masse it's easy to swing your knife/club and get four of 'em at a time, but by themselves it might be best to take out your pistol and try to get 'em that way. The funny thing about beetles is that way they don't gain more hit points. Beetles are beetles whether they're in Chapter 1 or Chapter 3. Which is funny, because at the end of the game one hit tends to make them explode, more than anything. Raiders ------- Raiders come with a variety of weapons. Most drop caps, some drop ammo, which is good. The Hand-To-Hand raiders are a joke, with the ranged ones being only slightly less so. The Flamethrower raiders are JUST a bit more scary, but only because they explode when they die (for pitiful damage). Smart players take them out at a range. But then again, Smart players don't play Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Female Raiders -------------- A similar get-up to Tina Turner in Beyond Thunderdome, one of the few bits of post-apocalyptic effluvia that this game is more entertaining than (but not by much). "Tinas" are found firing at you with guns akimbo or, more frequently, machineguns and aren't really any harder than their male counterparts. Dogs ---- Compared to the Raiders, barely worth mentioning. They'll take maybe three hits from you and barely dole out any damage. Kill them when nobody stronger is around. CHAPTER 2 Ghouls ------ Basically just a reskin of a Raider. Ghouls tend to carry Desert Eagles and Knives and are pretty tough customers HP-wise, compared to the weaker Raiders. Otherwise they're exactly the same though. The same tactics will work. You know, the "run straight at them and shoot/swing" tactic that this game instills. Poison Rats ----------- A poison rat is just a rat. They're not particularly tougher or anything, but it does look like they have bandages around them! Poor rat. Did you get a boo- boo? Rad Ghouls ---------- A little sturidier than your average ghoul, these glowing, white monstrositious hurl poison at you from afar. Hm, that's weird. That kind of reminds me of ANTOHER enemy that hurled poison at you from far away. Another enemy in CHAPTER ONE. Explodey Ghouls --------------- Suicide bombers you won't see very long (but don't worry, they're recycled in robot form just one chapter later!). They're pretty pathetic, and the damage they do when they explode is even less scary. Don't worry about them, run into them if you want, even. It doesn't matter. Giant Beetles ------------- You'll start seeing these guys near the end of Chapter 2. They're much harder than the small beetles (which they're often seen in the company of), but for the most part, nothing to worry about. Mutants ------- Mutants come in as many varieties as the Raiders and Ghouls did. The most scary tend to be the ones with miniguns (lots of damage) and the heavily armored ones with rocket launchers (take forever to kill). Otherwise they're pretty run of the mill. Does that really come as any sort of surprise? I don't think it should. Robots ------ Robots aren't particularly scary, but they are pretty common in the latter part of the game. They have lasers or machine guns, mostly and they do pathetic damage (some with the Continuous Laser can put the hurt on you, but Tesla Armor tends to put the kibosh on that). Robots often drop Computer Parts, which you should always grab. Eventually you'll be able to turn them in for mucho XP. Explodey Robots --------------- q.v. : Explodey Ghouls. In Closing ---------- Kill some mutants, dummy. www.fan-service.org Anime... for your FIST!!