A tougher, weapon-swinging alternative that drops Small Frame for Finesse. You wield the Super Sledge, Ripper and Wakizashi Blade instead of fists. Finesse adds +10% critical chance on every swing, and the extra Endurance point gives you more HP to stand and trade blows.
Strength plan: identical logic — ST 6 start covers Bonus HtH Damage; Power Armor → ST 9 later. Super Sledge itself has generous ST requirements, so you're never under-strength.
Total = 47 points (base 35 + 5 creation + 7 Gifted). No Small Frame, so AG 10 comes from a base-9 investment.
| Stat | Val | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ST | 6 | Bonus HtH Damage; →9 in Power Armor |
| PE | 6 | Awareness + Better Criticals |
| EN | 7 | Extra HP to brawl toe-to-toe |
| CH | 2 | Dump; Mentats to recruit |
| IN | 8 | All quest dialogue; 16 skill pts/lvl |
| AG | 10 | Max AP/AC; melee perk gate |
| LK | 8 | Crit synergy with Finesse |
*8% Luck + 10% Finesse. Note the fat 175 lb carry — no Small Frame penalty, so you haul your own gear.
Gifted +1 to all stats (−10% skills, −5 skill pts/lvl). Same great deal as Build 1.
Finesse +10% critical hit chance on all attacks. Turns your Super Sledge into a crit cannon; downside is slower kills on ultra-armored foes.
Melee Weapons worth tagging — unlike Unarmed, Melee has few free trainers (John L. Sullivan +10% and Jordan +10% in Arroyo) and a lower base (20 + 2×(ST+AG) = 52% at AG 10 / ST 6). Tag it and pump toward 100%.
Speech most quest XP, and talks Cameron down for 600 XP in the Temple.
Doctor Living Anatomy (+5 vs living) and Vault City training.
Going for Slayer? Still don't tag Unarmed — its 62% base plus the Unarmed trainers (Sullivan, Sierra bags, Prizefighter, Lo Pan) reach 80% for free.
| Weapon | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ripper | Early powerhouse, low AP cost, great crit rate |
| Wakizashi Blade | Cheap AP, strong criticals, easy to find |
| Super Sledge | Late-game king — Weapon Knockback, big raw damage |
| "Little Jesus" | Unique combat knife, huge crit multiplier |
| Lvl | Perk | Req | Payoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Bonus HtH Damage | ST 6, AG 6 | +2 melee dmg/rank (x3) |
| 6 | More Criticals | LK 6 | +5% crit/rank — stacks with Finesse |
| 9 | Better Criticals | PE 6, AG 4, LK 6 | +20% crit table |
| 12 | Living Anatomy | Doctor 60% | +5 dmg vs living |
| 15 | Bonus HtH Attacks | AG 6 | −1 AP per swing |
| 18 | Action Boy | AG 5 | +1 AP (x2) |
| 21 | Toughness | EN 6, LK 6 | +10% DR/rank — you'll want this |
| 24+ | Lifegiver / Dodger / Slayer* | — | Survivability or crit apex |
Sturdier than The Fist — 35 HP, 175 lb carry, and Toughness make you a genuine front-liner rather than a flanker. You wade in, knock enemies back with the Super Sledge, and Finesse ensures a steady stream of criticals. Slightly lower ceiling than a Slayer fist build, but far more forgiving to pilot in the open.
Every build starts here in Arroyo. A melee character breezes through it — save often.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Don't hit Klint | Never attack Klint at the entrance (or any Arroyo tribal) — it can turn the village hostile later. |
| Chapel — fight | Kill the giant ants & radscorpions with your starting Spear (good early XP). Trick: attack once, then use leftover AP to run 3 hexes — they can't reach you. |
| Locked door out | Open it with Lockpick — any value works, just retry. |
| Passage traps | Disarm the spear/dart plates with Traps for 25 XP each (save first — a crit-fail locks that trap), or hug the right-hand wall to avoid them. |
| Sanctuary door | Only plastic explosives (in a nearby pot) open it. "Use" one, set the 10-second timer, place it, run. |
| Cameron (final test) | Talk him down (needs IN 4+ and Speech tagged) = 600 XP; steal his key (Steal) = 600 XP; or fight unarmed = 300 XP (drop then re-grab your weapon; he yields after ~20 damage but can still kill you — save). |
| Exit | Leave via the top grid: +15 Karma, and you step into Arroyo with the Pip-Boy 2000. |