Fallout: New Vegas: Optimised Melee Build Guide

Perception – 1
Null for a melee build. Improved Criticals is a good perk but not good enough to waste four extra points

Endurance – 7
Allows you to get every implant if you skip Perception, and Charisma

Charisma – 1
The higher more skill points on level up, generally good to set to 9 on any build.

Agility – 6
Affects AP. Get the Agility implant before level 24 to get Slayer

Luck – 7
Gambling with any less than 7 luck isn’t worth it, and gambling is the one of the fastest ways to afford all the implants you’ll be getting.

If you like playing with Wild Wasteland I’d recommend getting rid of Good Natured

2 – Black Widow/Lady Killer/Cherchez La Femme/Confirmed Bachelor
+10% damage to almost half of all characters as well as extra dialogue options is very useful from the get-go. Each of the four options offers four separate sets of additional interactions. For example;
Black Widow: Lets you get Benny to his bedroom where you can kill in him in his sleep
Lady Killer: In Old World Blues, lets you gain Dr. Dala’s vote for the end of the DLC
Cherchez La Femme: Makes I Don’t Hurt Anymore easier
Confirmed Bachelor: Talking with Manny at Novac and choosing this option lets you skip Come Fly With Me

4 – Educated
IN 4

6 – Black Widow/Lady Killer/Cherchez La Femme/Confirmed Bachelor
Taking the other of this perk grants even more dialogue options and +10% damage to almost every enemy

8 – Super Slam
ST 6, Melee 45

10 – Here and Now
No other level ten perks are very appropriate for this build

12 – Piercing Strikes
AG 6, Sneak 50
Unstoppable Force (ST 7, Melee 90) is unlocked at this level. But the requirements may be too high at this point in the run

14 – Purifier

16 – Tag!
If you didn’t tag Repair at the start, tag it now. Else the choice is up to you.

18 – Paralyzing Palm
Unarmed 70

20 – Grim Reaper’s Sprint
You could argue Ninja is also useful for this build, but I would say this is better of the two

22
There are a few options for this level. You may want to take Ninja (Melee 80, Sneak 80), but that lends itself to a build that utilises sneak criticals, and not an attack-on-sight build. I’d recommend taking Intense Training and putting the point into Endurance (more health) or Agility (more AP), depending on whether you want to add to your survivability or attacking prowess*.
Or you could take Unstoppable Force here if you have the requirements.

24 – Slayer
AG 7, Unarmed 90

26
Nerves of Steel (AG 7), or Toughness (EN 5) depending on whether you prefer survivability or attacking prowess (see above*).

28 – Toughness
This can be taken twice if you took it last level

30
If you didn’t take Unstoppable Force at 12 or 22, take it here.
Else you could take Lessons Learned

Take Intense Training seven times, this will let you upgrade Endurance, Agility, and Luck up to 10.
With the remaining two level perks this would be the perfect time to take Jury Rigging, and catch up with any other perks you skipped up until this point;
Unstoppable Force (if not at 12, 22, or 30)
Lessons Learned (if not at 30. However, it might be a good idea to take this before the Intense Training binge to properly utilise it)
Or you could take a quality-of-life perk like Living Anatomy, Pack Rat, Explorer, etc

Keep in mind that if you didn’t take Intense Training at 22 you would need to spend an extra level fully upgrading your SPECIAL, and may need to skip the quality-of-life perk

Another thing you could do is sink five levels into Perception and spend the sixth on Better Criticals, then have an additional three to use how you please (Like on Sneak Crit enhancing perks such as Ninja, Silent Running, Hunter, Light Touch, etc.)

Good Karma
Grants +10% damage, and +10 max HP for every 100 positive Karma gained
If playing diplomatically (i.e. talking instead of fighting) this is the easiest to get. Siding with the NCR makes getting this easier as well considering enemies of the NCR grant positive Karma when killed. Generally this is a fine perk to get regardless of build considering it improves both HP and damage output.

Neutral Karma
+50% crit damage, +4 luck for three minutes if you finish a fight with <25% HP
This perk isn’t necessarily difficult to get, just a little annoying. Also the benefits it grants aren’t brilliant for this run: Crits are generally being neglected, and starting a fight with low health consistently isn’t easy (especially in this build!)

Negative Karma
25% faster AP regen., 20% attack speed increase
Solving moral problems with your fists and killing enemies of the Legion makes this far easier to acquire.
This is definitely the perk you want for this run: The only of these three perks that exclusively directly affect damage output.
With this perk you are solidified as the biggest, meanest bastard in the Mojave

Veronica
The best companion to be running headfirst into fights with. She also makes getting Power Armour (from the Brotherhood) far easier, something you may prioritise regardless of build.
With regard to her companion quest, having her leave the BOS is better for this build.
After completing the Sierra Madre DLC, giving her Elijah’s holotape is a good idea; The chance at an enemy being knocked down lets you and your companions wail on them for free

The other melee companion is Lily, but she’s better at complimenting a sneak crit build

You could take a ranged companion to make up for the shortcomings of your up-and-personal build like Boone or Raul. But Veronica is the most similar companion to this build, not to mention the additional perks she can gain later in the run

Rex
A melee only pet, maybe you want to form a melee exclusive trio.
In regards to his companion quest, Rey’s brain lets him deal more damage.

ED-E
Drastically improves your compass’ detection radius which could be useful considering how low your Perception is with this build.
And don’t forget all the upgrades he gets with Camarader-E in Lonesome Road. First rank lets you repair weapon condition once a day, third onward improves his attacking capability. Second rank produces energy ammo once a day, which is only good for some extra money, which you probably won’t need anyway at that point in the run

Various characters in the game can better your unarmed attacking capabilities;

• Complete “Aba Daba Honeymoon: Lets you throw dirt in enemies eyes to stun them
• Talk to Lucius (50 Unarmed): Knock back opponents (If you don’t want to side with the Legion in your run, do this after being pardoned, and while retrieving the Legion dog brain for Rex).
• Talk to Ranger Andy (30 Speech)/Complete Andy and Charlie: Knock down opponents
• Put Formal Wear/White Glove attire in Veronica’s inventory: Grants counter-attack after a block (Another reason to have Veronica as a companion).

At the end of the run you’re given the option to swap your brain, heart, and spine with mechanical versions, with each option giving different effects. The following choices are best for a melee build;

• Brainless: The alternate option doesn’t work – always take this
• Cardiac Arrest: Compared to it’s alternative it offers a lesser poison resistance, and a smaller decrease in robot enemy crit attack chance. However, it grants a far larger bonus to healing from consumables, and the poison resistance it does grant brings your total poison resistance to 95% (considering you have 10 Endurance), as opposed to a complete immunity making the difference negligible
• Spineless: This grants +1 strength, with the other granting +2. Considering you would have max strength from the implant either way, this variable could be ignored. Although this perk offers a smaller DT bonus, it makes your torso immune to being crippled.

Regardless of whether or not you launch the nuke, or who you launch it at, you’re given a point to add to your SPECIAL. The only difference in the choices is which factions you gain/lose fame with.

Combining this knowledge with the fact that you can gain +1 strength from Old World Blues (or even +2 strength if you prefer the other option!), you may want to redistribute where you put your SPECIAL points at the start of the game (e.g. taking three points from Strength and regaining them all after completing the DLCs)

Knock-Knock
118.8 DPS
Low AP
Less durable than common variant
Find Logan in Camp Searchlight Church Cellar and get his keys, then go to the Fire Station restroom

Oh, Baby!
138.9 DPS
Highest DPS of two-handed blunt weapons
Low durability and is expensive to repair (ED-E’s repair perk would be good here, or, to a lesser extent, Raul’s slower condition degradation)
Charlestone Cave north of Jacobstown next to Super Mutant corpse (which will only appear after starting Guess Who I Saw Today)

Thermic Lance
100 DPS
Ignores DR and DT
Degrades faster than other weapons (It also takes up loads of space on the screen which annoys me)
Can be bought from Blake at Crimson Caravan, the Great Kahn Armoury, Vendortron, BOS armoury, Mick’s special stock at Mick and Ralph’s, etc.
To get early in the run, become vilified by the Legion before being pardoned by Caesar and take it from Legion Assassins

Lonesome Road – Fist of [The North] Rawr
97.8 DPS
Bonus critical chance/damage, and double damage to limbs
Low durability, and doesn’t ignore armour
Find Rawr in a cave south of Ulysses’ Temple, kill it and retrieve the claw, then craft the weapon at a workbench (Unarmed 75)

Pushy (Unique Displacer Glove)
88.4 DPS
Highest DPS of base game unarmed weapons
Ruby Hill Mine, Northeast of Jacobstown. Loot dead Jackal gang member at the back of the cave

Old World Blues – Saturnite Fist Super Heated
90.8 DPS
Faster attack speed than power fist and Fire damage on crit
Pyromaniac Perk (Level 12, Explosives 60) increases fire damage by 50%
Slower attack speed than Saturnite Fist (However, DPS is still higher)
Upgrade the sink toaster and get it to process a Saturnite Fist

–

Cosmic Knife Clean
45 DPS
3x Damage to limbs (Very useful against Ghost People, as crippling them is an instakill)
Highest damage per strike/crit, and durability of all three cosmic knife variants
Must be crafted with 2x Abraxo Cleaner, Cosmic Knife, Repair 25

Bear Trap Fist
29.5 DPS
Slowest attack rate of any unarmed weapon
Low crit damage, high AP cost, low durability, high weight
Bonus limb damage, Bonus crit chance
Unless you prefer the special unarmed attacks, stick with the Cosmic Clean Knife
Looted from Ghost Trapper enemies, so fairly common and can be repaired easily

Honest Hearts
You can start this DLC literally as early as you like; Apart from Ghost of She the enemies are all easy to deal with (especially if you take more diplomatic approaches and avoid fighting).
Whether you want to follow the main story line or to go through with Chaos at Zion is up to you and where your run’s allegiances lie, however the main story line will easily get you at least another 5 levels before you return to the Mojave. And can get you even more if you do the side quests and challenges.
The arsenal of this DLC is heavily reliant .45 ammo, although all the melee weapons are still very good and which ones you use are up to you (She’s Embrace is fine but I would argue not worth the trouble).
Taking Sneering Imperialist lets you deal more damage to the tribals (friendly or otherwise)

Dead Money
Much of the appeal of this DLC derives from how the difficulty doesn’t all necessarily come from enemy difficulty, and more environmental dangers. Because of this, it will be difficult regardless of level.
Enemies will actively avoid your aim, so being close to them will almost completely negate this ability. Also, enemies can only be killed if their limbs are dismembered, which makes items that deal extra limb damage very useful
After completing the DLC, there will be a holotape in the bunker, this is the holotape you need to give to Veronica for her additional perk
Taking Light Step will greatly help you traverse the area with the most traps of any in the entire game.

Old World Blues:
The enemies here are complete bullet sponges, it might even be a good idea to turn your difficulty down a notch for just this DLC.
The main reason to want to complete this DLC is the benefits the machines can give you. After completing this, you can return as many times as you like to make full use of everything here. For a more extensive look at what the machines in the sink let you do go here[fallout.fandom.com]. One of the machines lets you rebuild your entire character exactly once, which you may want to utilise later rather than sooner

Lonesome Road
Start this DLC before Level 40; after that enemies will use ammo that can be armour piercing, generally making them more formidable foes. They can also use stealth boys and grenades, and regain health if in radiation. You’ll also face deathclaws
Melee builds are great for dealing with one enemy at a time, but much harder when dealing with two, three, or four abominations at the same time. Luckily the Flare Gun[fallout.fandom.com] has the ability to scare away such abominations. This is probably the one ranged weapon you’ll absolutely need to use in the run.
Using cover and taking fights slowly is a good strategy; many enemies will stand on buildings or otherwise out of reach

The Health Regen. implant is only useful for slowing the Dead Money Hardcore passive damage. You can skip it and add an extra point to Agility

Veronica
With regard to her companion quest, have her leave the BoS

Rex
In regards to his companion quest, take Lupa’s Brain. This might be tricky considering it requires a good rep with the Legion, you might wanna do this immediately after being pardoned by Caesar, then you can betray him later (if you like)

Old World Blues:
The only companion in this DLC is a cyborg dog, Roxie, who is able to die even if out of Hardcore mode, but can be revived either way

Lonesome Road:
ED-E is a story reliant companion and can’t die if you have Hardcore on