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 not exactly the same as the original Fallout games. 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 not uncommon for new players to assume that FOnline is just like single-player Fallout games designed to accommodate their choices. While it's not entirely wrong (many different playstyles are indeed supported), rolling an unoptimized build will severely limit your gameplay in ways that you wouldn't experience in a single-player game. The upside is that investing time into preparation can reward you in ways a single-player game wouldn't.
• 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.
• 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.
• Some NPCs have a minimum Charisma/Intelligence requirement that must be met if you wish to interact with them, but it can usually be overcome with Mentats and/or Beer/Roentgen Rum.
• Communicate with other players! The game has a dedicated Discord server, and an in-game chat system (press Enter to toggle the message bar; precede your message with /g and it will be sent to the global chat, or don't and it will only be visible locally). After you join the Discord server, be sure to check out the #help channel where players often share builds and guides, such as this season 5 guide which is one of the most comprehensive starting tutorials available.

Rockside exploration

• Once you're in the game, press F1 and review the list of hotkeys, such as Shift + F4 which allows you to toggle the hotbar.
• Rockside is a starting area everyone ends up in first. Don't just leave it! Instead, use its support systems and substantial bonus to all experience gained to level up quickly. Killing creatures, completing quests, and obtaining gear is significantly easier here than in the Wasteland. As 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 characters can be rerolled for free, which allows you to test all of your early build ideas without having to worry about the cost.
• You can delay choosing a level perk for a short while, but you need to make your decision 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.
• Remember that once you leave Rockside, you won't 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 you're a ranged weapon user (the recommended playstyle for new characters), you want to get the level perk Bonus Rate of Fire to reduce the AP cost of your attacks by 1.
• 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.

Wasteland survival

• In the beginning, trust nobody. There are plenty of lowlifes looking to take advantage of fresh meat.
• Beware when you're in towns without guards. Players and gangs there will kill you without hesitation. Never leave the game unattended if your character is in a public location.
• Keep in mind that when you exit the game, it takes 3 minutes for your character to disappear. During that time, it remains vulnerable to being killed, robbed, etc. so be careful where you log off; the world map is the safest place to do so.
• 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 if you don't know how to handle them.
• Increasing your Outdoorsman skill will help you avoid unwanted random encounters, and you may even get some XP for spotting them ahead of time.
• Once you have your first weapon, and your chosen gun skill is at 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 that it conveys.

Tips & tricks

• 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 make your weapons last longer.
• 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, barter for it using some of the junk items you've collected. 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.
• "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.
• 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.
• Pay attention to your reputation. In FOnline 3, your actions have real consequences.