Level Up
Nuka-World is the brand new expansion for Fallout 4 and introduces an entertaining new world in the form of a twisted theme park overrun with Raiders. This expansion doesn’t require you to complete the base game or any of the previous expansions, but it isn’t exactly a walk in the park. It’s expected that you do some leveling up prior to embarking on this strange new quest.
There’s a reason that the starting quest, “All Aboard,” doesn’t trigger until the player is at least level 30. While you’re free to find the entrance to Nuka-World at any level, the threats that await you are not going to take it easy on you. New creatures such as Rad-Ants and Rad-Rats, powerful turrets, twisted Raiders, and more are lurking in every corner of this sunny theme park. There’s a lot more radiation, laser weapons by the dozens, and tons of explosions, too. You’ll want to get some top-notch armor, armor piercing weapons, and plenty of firepower if you’re to have a chance of surviving.
A skilled player can kick things off at level 20-25. If you’re unsure of your ability, it may be better to wait until you you’re at least level 35. That opening Gauntlet can be a doozy, so don’t get caught unprepared.
Prepare Yourself and Your Inventory
Nuka-World will take players to a brand new location. Like in the previous Fallout 4 expansions, a new location tends to mean a whole mess of new junk to pick up. You’ll find collectibles, weapons, armor, baubles, and materials that will serve a greater purpose as part of your inventory than they ever could hope to serve just laying on the ground. With that in mind, you’ll want to do some spring cleaning before setting out. That means removing any useless weapons, consumables, clothing, and Junk that you don’t want to carry. It will take you about an hour before you find your first real resting spot where you can keep your belongings, so you don’t want to be bogged down as soon as you hit the huge theme park.
Another way to prepare is to make sure that you mod the weapons that you do end up keeping. You’ll be facing a lot of irradiated creatures as well as armored raiders, so you’ll want to get rid of any guns that deal primarily radiation damage. Energy will prove to be useful, as will explosive (which is useful against just about anything). If you’re feeling extra sadistic, a flamethrower to deal with bandits in close quarters isn’t a bad idea either, although you can probably save that space for newer discoveries in the park.
When it comes to perks, build up your strength and weapons skills. You’re pretty much landlocked for the rest of the adventure, and humans will be your primary quarry, so keep that in mind. Any gear or perks that will help you with radiation and energy damage is a plus so go for it. You’ll want to be able to handle large firefights as well. The design of the park means you’ll constantly be flanked so damage resistance, as well as steady shooting are a must.
Nuka-World flips the experience on its head by making this mostly about humans vs. humans. It would normally mean an easy affair, but these aren’t your average raiders. They’re intelligent, and they’re in very large groups, so prepare accordingly. Also, remember that you have their same weaknesses and the enemy raiders will undoubtedly be aware of that fact.
Play Far Harbor
As we mentioned before, it’s not necessary to play any of the prior expansions before setting out for Nuka-World. However, Far Harbor had some of the best weapons you could find in Fallout 4. Those weapons were capable of doing massive amounts of damage to all types of enemies whether they be man, beast, or bot. You’re going to need some serious firepower to get through some of the tougher challenges ahead, so why not go for the best?
One weapon you should definitely try to get your hands on is the Kiloton Radium Rifle. It’s an assault rifle that does three types of damage – ballistic, radiation, and explosive. Not only is it one of the best weapons in the entire game (it sports a decent clip size and fire rate on top of its amazing damage), but you can actually get it pretty early on in the Far Harbor expansion, and it isn’t very expensive either. Other weapons to consider are the Harvester and Atom’s Judgement. You’ll be able to tear through and crush enemy raiders with ease.
Bring Nick Valentine
To be honest, you should take Nick Valentine everywhere simply because he’s possibly the coolest companion in the whole game. But the real reason you should bring Nick along for the Nuka-World ride is because he’s a Synth and they’re immune to silly things like radiation, which is something you’ll come across a lot in Fallout 4’s latest expansion. Bethesda held nothing back this time around, so you can expect to see a lot of bullets, laser blasts and, and radioactive waves headed your way. There also seems to be a lot more “glowing” enemies this time around too, and it manages to put Far Harbor’s irradiated Maine to shame.
If you don’t want to bring Nick alone for whatever reason, at least bring one of Automatron’s robots along for the journey. They can be customized more to your liking, with weapons and skills that rival any of your other companions. On top of that, these suckers can carry a whole lot more junk. You’re going to find a lot of interesting things to scavenge, so let’s not leave anything behind, okay?
If for some reason you feel that a living, breathing companion is better suited for the adventure, consider Hancock or Strong. While both will suffer greater from explosive and ballistic damage when compared to Synths or robots, they’re also both immune to radiation. It’s best to have someone who will survive than it is to have someone whose company you enjoy.
Don’t Forget Your Power Armor
Power Armor is like a layer of second skin… if your skin happened to be made of inch-thick steel, cool mechanical features, and badassery. If you haven’t caught onto the theme of Nuka-World just yet, it’s a very dangerous place. You’ll be under constant threat as you try to unify the raiders under your banner. From the moment you step foot into the new area, you’ll have turrets firing at you, cars exploding, traps set, and a fight with an electrified behemoth. This is a prime example of “the best offense is a good defense.”
A set with energy resistance as well as energy damage can prove useful, but just about any old suit will do in a pinch. If you’re worried about not being able to repair your set of Power Armor, don’t be. Shortly after beginning the DLC you’ll obtain a new safehouse that comes complete with a Power Armor station. When combined with the fact that there’s not shortage of materials to salvage, you’ll be all set on the defensive front.
About the author
