This page examines the benefits of building a neutral character in Fallout 3.

Fallout is perhaps unique in its Karma system. While many players focus on building either Very Evil or Very Good characters, there is substantial benefit in building a Neutral one...and the key lies in a seemingly useless Perk.

To begin, the game gurus at Bethesda even cited the hidden benefits of a Neutral character. While they do not elaborate as to exactly how to achieve this, there is a path towards building a very powerful character via the Neutral route. And here is how it works...

Speech is a given necessity, among several other things. However, it must slowly built as the character naturally develops. One Perk which stands-out among others is Impartial Mediation. It adds a whopping 30 points to speech while Neutral Karma is maintained. That, by the way, is nearly all points allocated from two level ups!

In other words, you can then use those additional points, and later focus on other Perks, to focus on other attributes. It's like getting 30 free points. No other Perk comes even close. Call it a hidden level-up. Almost like being one level higher in functional power and ability than your listed level.

After completing the game several times, it becomes readily apparent that a stealthy offensive character is much more capable of completing a given task than a defensive character. So, in addition to building a Neutral character, it is advised to consider choosing Perks which are offensive in nature. In other words, do NOT choose things such as Rad Resistance, Lead Belly, Chem Resistant, Toughness, Adamantium Skeleton, Life Giver or even Strong Back (just take your stuff home and return). Instead, DO take Perks such as Commando, Finesse, Sniper, Cyborg, Action Boy, Better Criticals, Concentrated Fire, Ninja and Grim Reaper's Sprint. Perks also to generally be avoided include Black Widow/Lady Killer (though Agatha likes it), Child at Heart (somewhat interesting at Little Lamplight), Entomologist (the worst), Fortune Finder (you'll get rich enough), Scrounger (so what about Alien Cells?), Animal Friend (you can't kill a mole rat?), Mysterious Stranger (can't do it on your own?), Here and Now (complete waste of a Perk), Cannibal (just too gross, and gets you nada really), or Master Trader (already said you'll be rich enough). Perks such as Contract Killer and Lawman are wasteful unless you are just looking for a different spin on the game - and both will offset your Neutral Karma if you choose them. Tag is nice, as it gives you a quick extra 15 points...points you won't have to allocate to that trait at the next level-up. Light step is useful, and Silent Running also instantly adds 10 to Sneak - an attribute I cannot stress enough. Robotics Expert is quite handy when Sneak is high enough, as robots no longer pose any threat with the ability to deactivate them.

Be careful when building your character. Study what the requirements are for each desired Perk and plan accordingly. Use the Intense Training Perk only when absolutely necessary, such as to raise Perception to gain Sniper at the next level-up.

In short.....

Think Neutral. Think silent. Think offensive. Take the battle to them, without them knowing it, and don't choose sides.

They'll never know what hit them.