Sneak Attack Critical

A Sneak Attack Critical occurs in Fallout 3 when attacking while. Successfully hitting the target will result in a guaranteed critical-strike.

(Loud) Silent Kills

 * It is possible to kill an enemy without alerting those around them if the "sneak" critical is also a one-hit-kill, even with loud weapons like the Assault Rifle. Additional attacks after the first, queued in V.A.T.S., will not be treated as sneak attacks and will reveal the player's location to the target and possibly other enemies, presumably because the target then alerts their friends. This happens with all weapons except silent weapons like the 10mm Silenced Pistol or Dart Gun which have reduced chance to alert opponents.

(Silent) Silent Kills

 * It has been reported that all melee attacks are considered silent. However one should note the intimate proximity the player needs to be in to deliver a melee attack, the transition to almost instantly proceeds to  as the opponent is programmed to turn around and start moving in the direction of where the attack came from, looking for the enemy in  mode. The instant the enemy spots the player, it goes directly into  mode which alerts all nearby creatures, even its own enemies. Occasionally, this will result in the enemy that spotted the player being attacked by another that was formerly unaware of the first enemy's presence.


 * Still, it is possible to get in 2-3 melee attacks without alerting the whole room. If the player sneaks up in back of one of the more lumbering creatures, it is possible it will not turn around fast enough. Note: It will take a Stealth Boy, Chinese Stealth Armor or the Silent Running perk with maxed skill to get that close.


 * This is quite unlike sneak attacks with a Dart Gun, with which a player can dart an enemy three times in one use of V.A.T.S. and then just sit still, hiding in the dark a good distance away, only under a temporary while the enemy searches (slowly, with crippled legs) and then hopefully drops dead from poison, its death setting the player's status back to . Note: Enemies shot with a silent weapon still have some clue as to what direction the shot came from, and will search for the player.

Sneak Criticals & Slow projectiles
Certain weapons like the Plasma Rifle have relatively slow projectiles. Outside of V.A.T.S. this may sometimes cause an enemy to detect your presence before the shot reaches him, nullifying the Sneak Attack Critical bonus. For that reason, make sure you are close to your foe before trying to Sneak Attack Critical him, if you are using these weapons.

Choice Weapons
The best weapons for sneak attacks are the ones with the highest critical damage bonus (affected by +50% damage Better Criticals perk). Here's a number of common weapons with big bonuses. The number marked in bold is the critical damage when the Better Criticals perk is taken.


 * A3-21's Plasma Rifle +50/75
 * Blackhawk +45/67.5
 * Dart Gun +12/18 (+64 poison)
 * Combat Shotgun +27/40.5
 * Gauss Rifle +50/75
 * Hunting Rifle +25/37.5
 * Lincoln's Repeater +50/75
 * Plasma Rifle +44/66
 * Scoped .44 Magnum +35/52.5
 * Sniper Rifle +40/60
 * The Terrible Shotgun +40/60 ( +360/540 )

Damage calculated if the weapon is fired outside of V.A.T.S., and all pellets make contact. (See below).

Sneak Attack Targeting in VATS
For most creatures in the game, a sneak attack headshot, along with the Better Criticals perk, can be an instant one-shot kill on Normal difficulty or lower. (Even the low-damage Dart Gun can kill Raiders with one sneak attack headshot ) In some cases, however, it may not be possible to line up a headshot on a target, due to target facing or an obstructed line of fire.

In these cases, even a sneak attack critical on an arm or leg can prove fatal to the target. Though results may vary based on the character's skills and perks, it is possible to shoot off a target's limb -- an instant kill -- with one shot from a Sniper Rifle. This may be a worthwhile consideration when chances to hit an appendage are significantly higher than head or torso shots.

Multi-Shot Weapons
Weapons that fire several "shots" at the same time, such as Combat Shotguns (and The Terrible Shotgun), Metal Blaster (from The Pitt), and the Tri-Beam Laser Rifle (from Broken Steel) are one of the most effective weapons for sneak attacks (when done outside of V.A.T.S.). This is because outside of V.A.T.S., each shot's critical damage is calculated individually. This aspect makes these weapons (especially The Terrible Shotgun, which deals huge damage and fires 9 pellets) incredibly effective in sneak attacks (and regular critical hits). With the right addition of perks, such as Better Criticals and Finesse, these weapons will deal massive damage.

Example:

The Terrible Shotgun is one of the most powerful weapons in the game. While in perfect condition, and with a Small Guns skill of 100, the weapon deals a whopping 80 damage, and an extra 40 damage for critical hits. However, this weapon fires 9 pellets. Because of this, when the weapon is fired outside of V.A.T.S. and scores a critical hit, the critical hit for each pellet is counted individually. This means that (if all pellets make contact), the weapon will deal 440 damage (80 base damage, plus 9 extra 40 critical damages). In Sneak Mode, this damage is doubled, increasing it to 880 points of damage. And if the player has the Better Criticals perk, the damage will increase to 1240. This is likely a bug.

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