Poll: Fallout 3: Energy weapons or Small Guns?

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I generally don't tag weapon skills, going instead for support skills such as Repair, Science and Medicine. During the early part of the game I'll put spare skill points into Small Guns, and generally I'll still be at Small Guns 100 before the Enclave turn up. Once the Enclave turn up, of course, my spare skill points go into Energy Weapons.

So - early game, Small Guns. Late game, Energy Weapons.

 

[Stollos]

Big Guns or bust.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh shocktrooper RP: winterised t51-b power armour with Eugene running around in 3rd person mincing shit up like it was nobodies business, with bodyguard Charon in Hellfire armour and t45 helmet with an Infiltrator. Good times. Would also throw on the ghoul mask and bandana/headwrap when there were ghouls around. They are superior beings to humans after all, being able to live longer and immunity to radiation and whatnot.

 

[TimeLord]

Energy weapons means the Plasma Rifle and Alien weapons from the DLC make the game hilarious fun!

 

[pavaoc0p]

energy weapons for me, but i completed the main quest only with small guns. then i started operation anchorage, got the gauss rifle and said fuck you small guns

 

[Scarecrow]

energy wepones are far cooler. That's all that matters.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

'BANG!' beats 'PEW PEW' for me anytime.

 

[Wereduck]

Small guns work just fine until you get to the armored hostiles in the end game. At that point you really need plasma and a respectable energy weapons skill.
If you go to the mothership early on with a strong science skill you can get both unique rayguns (don't know if you need 50 or 75 offhand), take the gunslinger perk and make it through the whole game using energy pistols and putting no points into small guns. To my astonishment, the Novasurge (super plasma pistol) does more damage than A3-21's rifle. Also, the atomic pulverizer (super alien pistol) in VATS works beautifully as a sniper plus it's a powerhouse at close range too & you leave the ship with enough ammo to use it on every hostile for the rest of the game.
However, it was a royal pain to get through the early levels with nothing but a worn-down nub of a laser pistol so I don't recommend an energy-exclusive build. For availability of parts and ammo it's got to be the slug-throwers.

 

[ultrachicken]

Energy weapons were unfortunately better than small guns (other than lincoln's repeater). I would have preferred to use small guns, since that makes the game seem much more post-apocalyptic, but that was just a formula of death.

Don't flame me!

 

[Blemontea]

I think ill have to choose energy weapons, but i rarley use them along with small guns mostly because i carry a railroad spike rifle with me all the time along with the Chinese assault rifle, and the hunting rifle, if things get desperate ill pull out the Gauss rifle but before that ill usually pull out the chain gun or grenades etc. so its not my bag really.

 

[Yureina]

I use Small guns for the early levels, but then convert to Energy weapons when the Enclave show up.

 

[voetballeeuw]

Small weapons definitely, that and bloody mess= AWESOME. Plus don't small weapons do more damage, while Energy weapons are more accurate.

 

[10zack986]

Real men use a plain old baseball bat.