Fallout 3 beginner guide: leaving Vault 101 and reaching Megaton
Choose early skills, establish a trading stop and prepare for the first Capital Wasteland expeditions.
Original 2008 Fallout 3 base campaign with official patches. Broken Steel, other DLC, mods and mechanics from New Vegas or Fallout 4 are outside this guide. Pictures come from the original Fallout 3 Steam listing.
Review the character before leaving Vault 101
The exit provides a final chance to revise the character you built during the tutorial. Choose tagged skills that match your intended actions rather than relying on the G.O.A.T. result as a permanent instruction. A practical opening can combine a weapon skill with Repair and a utility skill. Keep a separate exit save if you want to compare different choices.
Visit Megaton before a long trek
Megaton is the nearby settlement built around an unexploded bomb. Find Craterside Supply, speak to the residents and follow the father-related conversation leads at Moriarty’s Saloon. Treat the bomb quest as a significant decision rather than background decoration. Gathering several quests is useful, but choose a manageable first destination before leaving the safety of town.
Watch condition, weight and radiation
The Pip-Boy separates equipment, aid and status information. Check a weapon’s condition as well as its ammunition before a trip, and compare heavy loot by usefulness instead of displayed price alone. Food and water can restore health while adding radiation. Watch the radiation meter and keep medical supplies for the problem they actually treat.
Use maps and saves deliberately
Select the quest you intend to follow so its marker gives relevant direction. Discovered outdoor locations support fast travel when the usual restrictions allow it; unexplored points still require reaching them first. Keep manual saves before major decisions. The base game has a level cap of 20 and a story ending; Broken Steel changes those expectations.
A common gun in good condition with plenty of ammunition is often a better first expedition choice than an exotic weapon you cannot maintain.
Picture details
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