Fallout 3: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) (Paperback)

by David Hodgson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
• Every major ammo and health cache, Bobblehead, Skill Book, Unique Weapon, Weapon Schematic, Mini Nuke, and more!

• A gigantic tour of the Capital Wasteland with over 100 maps showing nearly every area in the game.

• Multiple tactics and tips for every Main, Miscellaneous, and Freeform quest.

• Flowcharts and every major Karmic choice detail exactly where your decisions lead. Plus: All you need to know about completing all endings.

• Examples for creating different types of characters, from heavy-weapon specialists to stealthy lockpicking pros.

• Expert tactical advice on utilizing V.A.T.S. combat techniques, how best to allocate your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities, plus which skills to pick as your adventure progresses.

• Need help taking down a Super Mutant Behemoth? Then check damage and health statistics for every weapon and enemy.

• Giant map poster to guide you through the Wasteland!

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Prima Games; Pap/Pstr edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761559965
• ISBN-13: 978-0761559962
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,484 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detail informative thick wasteland survival guide, even thicker than Oblivion. Wish it has a search engine, October 31, 2008

By	C. Law - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really hope that the publisher of this strategy guide can provide access to digital search. Since Fallout 3 is a very open ended game, the strategy guide has 7 chapters with nearly 500 pages with no INDEX but only a Table of Contents. This makes this guide hard to search for the exact information you need because the side quests are not in sequential order so the guide has to split them into Ch4 and Ch5 in terms of zones on the map.

Chapter 1 teaches you the basics of the system, background settings of the Fallout world, and some stats. Chap 3 tells you all kinds of strategies in detail for the actual main quest including all the conversation selection and consequences after the choice, but the main quest has only less than 1/4 of the entire book pages. The rest of the chapters are side quests. This book while able to provide all the details, it does overwhelm me that i can't even search fast enough to look for a specific small quest from an Index. It's really difficult for me to go through the entire Table of Contents to look for a key term to search for a small side quest.

I really really hope that the publisher should provide us all the access to an electronic search engine so we can find the pages on the guide a lot more efficient, or add an index at the end of the book.

I recommend anyone who has purchased this book to see if you can find any electronic version of the exact book to search for the pages, then go back to this physical book and read it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Thing Is Huge!, October 31, 2008

By	Christopher Deweese (Kansas City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Fallout 3 strategy guide is quite possibly the largest guide I've ever purchased or seen. It's roughly 500 pages chock full of pretty much all the info you could ever need to be successful in the game (covers all versions). The paper used seems a little cheap in that it's very thin, but the layout and design is top notch. The photos are all large and clear. The walkthrough is detailed (almost to a fault). It comes with a foldout map of the DC area (very big). Plenty of info about damage points can be found throughout the tome. I was happy to see that David Hodgson was the writer as I have several of his guides. He always does a good job. If you are looking for detailed info about this game, look no further. Between reading this guide and playing the game, don't plan on sleeping very much.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the OFFICIAL ENCYCLOPEDIA, GRADE REFERENCE MANUAL for FALLOUT3 WASTELAND! (explained) , November 22, 2008

By	forrie lowell - See all my reviews

Welcome to another indepth Bethesda Softworks OFFICIAL GAME GUIDE adventure. Outstanding reference and heavily detailed explanation of the designers minds in their four year journey in the development of FALLOUT 3.

I have been a follower since MORROWIND and I must say these games get better each and every time. I must admit this guide like the game is loaded with every possible detail regarding the world of Fallout 3.

Qualifying Statement: I've played the game since October 18th and I finished the main Quest today (November 22nd) what a ride!!!! So after 128 game hours, over 500 saves, maximum level of 20 / 435 hit points / 106 action Points, with a HIGH KARMA of Very Good / The last best hope of Humanity. Completing a total of 23 side quests, discovering over 160 locations (and explored them all). Attaining a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. rating of 8+, 7+, 7, 5, 6, 8, and 6 respectively out of 6 tops, out of a max of 100 my targrted skills of LOCKPICKING, SNEAK and SMALL GUNS was 100, Medicine 86, Repair 87 and SCIENCE 76. SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN??????

NOTE: Your character goes from birth to this quest outside VAULT 101 with every detail of every action / decision you make during these quests is recorded and your "KARMA" is constantly adjusted on everything you do. Never is your KARMA ignored. The details and variables of this game are "SIMPLY AMAZING".

So the bottomline to this unbelievable journey and your fate (the open ended game play and the multiple ending) is all formulated. Believe me when the finale is played out for your efforts it is so personalized and gratifying that you sit their in awe. NOTE: Save the game often to replay those outstanding moments of victory!!!!

NOW my EXPLANATION of this GUIDE; This manual is designed to use as that a guide to answer specific questions. But I must admit it is clear only after you invest the time into "THE GAME". The details are very precise and cryptic if you are trying to use this as a WALK-THRU guide a quick reference to get it done the answers are ALL there but like life you must be prepared for the quest and the savage environment of the WASTELAND.

This Manual also has a great two sided map; THE CAPITAL WASTELAND a gridded map 24 x 36" with ALL points of interest with map legend & locations. On the reverse side a "DC METRO INTERIOR" divided by ZONES and Zone Links with map legend and Metro Locations. Awesome reference. This will be posted and used for constant input s to your planned quests. I love this Guide and all its details.

I was totally pleased to read this guide to see how much my focused game play all made sense in the end. This guide is a must have if only to help you enter this complex world of FALLOUT 3!!! This guide will give you a written reference to all aspects, characters, sanctions, monsters, DC Metro versus the Wasteland quests, character gender,development, skills (GOOD/BAD KARMA), weapons, V.A.T.S., PIP-BOY, Quests, BOBBLE-HEADS, and soooo much more a new kind of GAME OF LIFE!!! ENJOY!!!

P.S - I almost forgot the PERKS these are some of the MUST HAVE SKILLS in FALLOUT 3. EXPLORER - Allows every location to be revealed on your PIP-BOY (you must still find/visit it first before FAST TRAVEL is allowed). SILENT RUNNING - +10 on SNEAK. THIEF - +5 on SNEAK and LOCKPICK. LEAD BELLY - minus 50% radiation poisoning from irraddiated water. ADAMANTIUM SKELETON - minus 50% skeleton damage (from attacks). And finally ACTION BOY - +25 Action Points using V.A.T.S. These are some of my favorite skill choices awarded at higher Levels.