Advice for beginners

Advice

Pregame

• Read our quick summary of the Game Rules.
• Review the list of in-game Commands and the list of commonly used Abbreviations.
• Keep in mind that FOnline 3 is significantly different from the original Fallout games in terms of mechanics. Old builds, perks, weapons, quests, and NPCs may not behave the way you'd expect them to as everything has been rebalanced for multiplayer.
• Research and plan out your character's build. It is very easy for new players to treat this like a single-player Fallout game with no real thought put into builds. Rolling a poorly planned build will get you killed frequently and may severely limit your gameplay.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Think about your character's target SPECIAL, nine level perks, (keeping perk synergies in mind), and the class perk it will ultimately want to acquire ahead of time. The character planner may come in handy.
• Creating a well-rounded character (with all SPECIAL stats around 6 points) is one of the most common mistakes made by new players. No matter what the character is for, specialized builds are the way to go.
• You can delay choosing a level perk for a short while, but you must choose it before you reach the next. If you have an unallocated level perk and gain another one, that unallocated perk will be lost. Your last perk needs to be chosen before level 30, which is the level that unlocks access to implants.
• Some NPCs might require a certain minimum of Charisma or Intelligence to talk to, but it can usually be overcome with Mentats and/or Beer/Roentgen Rum.
• Drugs are an effective way of enhancing your build. Note that temporary SPECIAL points gained via drugs will not impact your character's available level perks.
• Communicate with other players. The best way to communicate with other players is Fonline 3's Discord server or in-game chat (press Enter to toggle the message bar; precede your message with /g and it will be sent to the global chat.
• You might be interested in FO3 Discord's #help channel where people share builds and other helpful guides such as this Season 5 guide which it is one of the most comprehensive starting tutorials available.

Basics

• Once you're in the game, press F1 and review the list of hotkeys, and press Shift + F4 to toggle the hotbar.
• Rockside is a starting area everyone ends up in first. Don't leave it as soon as possible! It's a place where you can level up very easily since experience gained is significantly faster than in the wasteland, scaling with each major patch.
• While you are in Rockside you can Reroll for free allowing you to experiment and test multiple builds much easier than it is outside.
• It is also filled with opportunities for leveling. Players can kill creatures, complete quests, and obtain gear significantly easier than in the Wasteland.
• Some classes require a high level to acquire, and there's no better place than Rockside to get there. You should aim for at least level 300 before you leave Rockside.
• Remember that once you leave Rockside, you wont be able to return.
• First Aid is an incredibly useful skill; you should increase it to 200% as soon as possible to be able to self-heal for free.
• If your gear keeps breaking, investing points into Engineering will help with armor, and a higher combat skill will extend the life of your weapons. For more information, see the article on gear condition and repair.
• If you keep getting pulled into unwanted random encounters, increase your Outdoorsman skill.
• If you're a ranged weapon user, you want to get the level perk Bonus Rate of Fire to reduce the AP cost of your attacks by 1.
• Beware when you're in towns without guards (most Northern towns!). Players and gangs there will kill you without hesitation.
• Pay attention to your reputation. In FOnline 3, your actions have real consequences.
• When you exit the game, it takes 3 minutes for your character to disappear (and in some locations, it never will). In that time, other people can see you, kill you, Steal from you, etc., so be careful where you log out; the world map is the safest place to do so.

Survive

• In the beginning, trust nobody. There are plenty of lowlifes looking to take advantage of fresh meat.
• If you do idle in a public area, do not bring anything you don't wish to lose.
• Random encounters are deadly at the start of the game. Even rats can kill you if you don't run fast enough, and guns will often explode in your face with gun skills under 100.
• Once you have your first weapon and gun skill of 200 or more, look for creature encounters. Human NPCs are tough for a new player to kill since they're armed. They also don't reward as many experience points as monsters. Spore plants, rats, silver geckos, radscorpions, brahmin, molerats, and pigrats, on the other hand, are perfect for a new player to target.
• Occasionally, you may run into various resources scattered around in random encounters. These raw resources can be turned into usable items and equipment. Look for a UI button that says "FIX" to see what your options are. Crafting your gear can often get your better results than looting it due to various item luck bonuses.

Grow stronger

• Establishing a base should be your first priority. You can get a free Folded Tent as a reward for completing the starter quest A Tent in the Wasteland whose location will be marked on your world map right after you leave Rockside. Once you have your first base, you're ready to begin hunting for crafting materials and equipment.
• A good place to level up at the beginning is the Strange Farm, which is always full of rats to kill. If you have 150 party points, consider getting a companion to tank some damage for you but keep in mind that companion kills don't give you XP.
• Increase your weapon skill to a minimum of 200% to boost your accuracy and slow down condition loss.
• If you often run into locked chests, consider investing some skill points into Robbery.
• Every Sunday, there is a serverwide XP bonus event to help you gain levels faster.
• Take a class perk as soon as you can.
• Read the article on currency; FO3 has much more than just the bottle caps.
• Do not spend currency at merchants. If you want an item from a trader, offload some of the junk you don't need. Your funds are best saved for buying vehicles, bases, Junk Machines, Mining Machines, or trading with players.
• Most of the currency in circulation is already in the hands of other players. To get around this, check back at the shops every hour because the storekeepers' supply of cash is periodically refreshed. If you get lucky, you can find individual traders who haven't been relieved of their wealth yet.
• If you're looking for rare items such as implants, or high-tier base maps, be sure to check out the player shops located in New Vault City and NCR.

Loot for the win

• "Infinity" Mines can provide good exp, loot, parts, and even Implants!
• Even better loot can be found in public dungeons; check out the loot table for details.
• Patrol hunting and contracts are two more great ways to get better gear.

You Can't Skill Wrong, Reroll is the Answer

• No matter how bad your build is, rerolling can instantly fix it.
• If your Barter is 150% or higher, rerolling will only cost 10,000 caps.
• Day 1 daily quest has a free reroll as one of its possible rewards.
• In Rockside, rerolling is free!