Poll: Fallout 3: Energy weapons or Small Guns?

[RikSharp]

Like in all Fallout games, I go for Small Guns in the beginning and later change to energy weapons. Works like a charm in all three of them*.

[sub]*I know there are more than three of them, but I have yet to play the other ones.[/sub]

the other ones dont count, really, they dont.

i went energy weapons. you can get one in megaton, so are never without. also as above, A3-21 plasma rifle pwns

 

[Amnestic]

Small guns. Lincoln's rifle is just awesome.

Only Energy weapon that appealed to me was the sniper out of Operation Anchorage and that has a lot to do with it being the only actual accurate sniper weapon in the game (not needing me to rely on V.A.T.S for it).

Sniper? I don't remember any specail sniper rifle out of anchorage.

One would assume he means the Gauss Rifle which came with a scope and is indeed an Energy Weapon.

 

[RikSharp]

Small guns. Lincoln's rifle is just awesome.

Only Energy weapon that appealed to me was the sniper out of Operation Anchorage and that has a lot to do with it being the only actual accurate sniper weapon in the game (not needing me to rely on V.A.T.S for it).

Sniper? I don't remember any specail sniper rifle out of anchorage.

the gauss cannon, or as i named it, the beheadder.
seriously that gun removes heads.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

The Gauss Rifle sucked and it was the only Energy sniper.

Small guns.

 

[Mordwyl]

You and your little baby guns. Get Eugene.

 

[brodie21]

small guns, i have a stealth character with the infiltrator and the victory rifle, so i got it made, but i also have the metal blaster in case i run into an overlord or a reaver.

 

[Zhalath]

I prefer small guns, personally, because I love the shotgun and Sydney's SMG, as well as the Lincoln Repeater and the Hunting Rifle. Energy weapons just don't have that "boom you're dead!" feel that I get from actual firearms.
On my good playthrough, I also invested in Melee Weapons, for kicks. Got me a Shiskebab. It's actually really really useful, especially if you're stockpiling ammo or trying to avoid something that melees you (by backpedaling and swinging).

 

[Crazyshak48]

Big guns! Everything else is support!

In all seriousness, I do both. Both have good weapons (Scoped .44 and Plasma Rifle) and bad weapons (Chinese Pistol and Laser Pistol). I do think that some energy weapons (namely the plasma rifle) are more useful than small guns later on. Generally, I use small guns to deal with weaker enemies so I don't wear out my hard-to-repair energy weapons and big guns, and use those for dealing with tougher enemies. I'd agree that against tougher enemies, small guns smaller than .44 caliber don't tend to be that useful, but there's still plenty of raiders and mole rats that need killin'.

 

[Canid117]

I maxed them both about 2/3rds through the game so it isn't really that big a problem though the enemies in the swamp DLC (I forget the name) have a ridiculous amount of health even when using the Alien Laser rifle so I just avoided that one all together.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I find Energy weapons are more useful a little later in the game, or as soon as you can get hold of a Plasma Rifle really.

I say that because Laser Pistols must be the shittiest weapons in the game, you'd do more damage shining a flashlight at someone.

Take them, repair them and sell them. They'll bring you about 250 a piece I think and they're always lying around. Give them all to a companion for more money.

I always choose small guns to start then go for energy. I never max either though, the game is easy enough without them and speech is much more difficult without points invested in it.

 

[RelexCryo]

When I first started playing Fallout 3, of course I went for Small Guns since that's all that you can really use at the beginning. Not to mention all the weapons you can use for different situations, like busting out the shotgun in close range or the sniper rifle to sneak attack someone from afar. However it was a pain in the ass to be carrying one of every Small gun with me at all times. Yeah, I loved having every weapon on me at all times.

I never payed much attention to the energy weapons since the Laser Pistol kinda sucked and I never got the Plasma weapons.

Then someone told me that apparently the energy weapons are stronger, so on my next character I decided to specialize in Energy weapons and did not raise Small Guns even once.

I started seeing the results. Hellfire troopers were hard as fuck to take down with the Shotgun or Chinese Assault Rifle even when I got Small Guns to 100 and kept shooting their head, but my trusty Plasma Rifle took them down in a few hits. Also the rest of the Enclave soldiers went down with just 1-3 shots of my also trusty Laser Rifle.

Not to mention now I only carry both Laser and Plasma pistols and rifles which gives me much more weight to spare.

Lastly, it just feels cooler for me to use Energy weapons.

So asking all of you, do you wait to obtain Energy weapons and just rape with those or do you keep using Small guns for the variety or ease of use or whatever?

I like revolvers. Hence, Small Guns by default.

 

[Vrach]

Sniper? I don't remember any specail sniper rifle out of anchorage.

It's pretty much the only thing you get from the DLC aside from the Chinese suit.

Basically, it's a sniper with no spread that also has a very high impact upon killing iirc. Dunno how you could not notice it, I did most of Anchorage with it, you get it afterwards from the vault

 

[Jedamethis]

Once I get Lincoln's Repeater, that's pretty much all I use for the rest of the game. I spend the whole game hoarding .44 ammo and Hunting Rifles just for that reason.

Yup, same here.

Until of couse, I came across the Perforator...

 

[Lord Legion]

Honestly, with superior defender and the bugged goul ecology perk, anything is viable-but for insane damage use vengeance with both those perks.

But I am more partial to energy weapons.

 

[DannibalG36]

Once you get the Plasma Rifle (around when you fight through Raven Rock), you will OWN any enemy.

 

[Weslebear]

Small guns all the way for me, sound effects are a massive factor on how much I enjoy a weapon and I love the sound of a hunting rifle firing (in fact all the small guns have good sounds). It just adds that something extra to the inevitable head implosion afterwards that just isn't matched by the sound of the energy weapons firing.

And no matter how powerful some of the energy weapons are, I will take a gloriously gory head shot over melting into goo any day.

Spoiler: Yum.

[image=http://siliconsasquatch.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Fallout-3-Point-Lookout-headshot.jpg]

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I tend to stick with small guns as I found that using the Sniper Rifles (Reservists Rifle) and the Lincoln's Repeater for headshots were very powerful with maxed out skills and the right perks. However the Vengeance Laser Gatling Gun is also really awesome for serious room clearance or super mutant behemoths and I did rather enjoy using the V3 of the dart gun for easy attacking of the Deathclaws and Yao Guai.

But the alien blaster and the firelance can be epic weapons for very easy kills on tough enemies, they are just annoying to repair and find ammo. I liked the elite plasma pistol from in Mothership Zeta too ;-D

 

[Ninonybox_v1legacy]

I carry ever single weapon in the game....i have it on PC and xbox.....you don't have command codes on xbox though.

 

[JPH330]

D: WHY ARE PEOPLE VOTING SMALL GUNS OVER ENERGY WEAPONS? >.<

I just.. Just don't understand.

Well let me put it this way: Sarah Lyons uses Energy Weapons. The Mysterious Stranger uses Small Guns. What more needs to be said?

Hey now. You know who else uses energy weapons? Fawkes.

Fawkes uses Melee (Super Sledge) and Big Guns (Gatling Laser), not Energy Weapons.

Wait, gatling laser doesn't count as an energy weapon? That's retarded...