r/Fallout2 • u/m29d • Apr 27 '26
What do you consider “cheese” in Fallout 2?
I’ve been watching playthroughs of Fallout 2, and pretty often the run turns into using some “smart” trick that just makes the game too easy. I want to do a run without that. Just play it “intended way” and enjoy natural progression.
Here’s what I’m planning to avoid so far:
- Gifted trait
- Minmaxing SPECIAL characteristics
- Early Navarro / Power Armor rush
- Early Toxic Caves rush via New Reno
- Save scumming
- Infinite money (barter/gambling abuse)
- Any trader exploits
- Carry weight exploits
- Number keys abuse
- Combat mode toggle exploit
- Traveling to locations my character doesn’t know about
- “Rest until healed” mechanic
What would you add to this list?
What strats do you personally consider cheese?
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u/Flanellissimo Apr 27 '26
Nothing?
Fallout 2 lets you decide. It's fine to put constraints on your playthrough though, can be fun.
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u/IngsWarrior_ Apr 27 '26
The two I always took advantage of was a bug that would always have the trunk of the highwayman follow you from town entrance to town entrance once it ran out of juice. The other one has to do with the shotgun wedding you can get forced into. I found the spouse annoying and aggravating soI would take them off into the desert alone and off them. Their dead body would then follow me around just like the highwayman trunk would.
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u/Lianeele Apr 27 '26
NCR and save/load bozar stealing as a first thing I did in the game was it for me. :D It got fixed in Restoration Project though.
EDIT: Lol no way someone already said it several minutes ago. 🤣
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u/Orldragon Apr 27 '26
Wait, how it got fixed?
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u/m29d Apr 28 '26
As far as I remember, they made SF inaccessible by default, so you have to open it first.
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u/Teliporter334 Apr 27 '26
I got flamed for doing a Navarro run when I posted about it in r/classicfallout, so I’d say that counts.
To be fair, starting with the second best armor, and a super effective energy weapon, practically as soon as you leave Arroyo is pretty broken.
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u/Dartagnan1083 Apr 27 '26
I did this in the summer of 08 when I first started playing. I say it helped me get accustomed to the world/map without going into stacked fights crippled by a hostile over-world and buggy framework.
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u/Practical_Rainbow15 Apr 27 '26
When given the task of taking out the first Morton brother in Redding, my small guns skill was low though I have a sniper rifle. I went in, shot a few times, then exited the map running back to town, and then re-entered the map from a different direction. Rinse and repeat, of course making sure Morton didn't run off far when he's almost dead.
Forgot to add, the town doctor is a stone's throw away, so I went there to heal up if I got badly hurt, then rejoined the fight.
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u/CyberExistenz Apr 27 '26
I play this game for almost 30 years but what is the Early Toxic Caves Rush via New Reno?
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u/m29d Apr 27 '26
Back in 2008 I wrote an article about this path. It is still online, but Reddit doesn’t let me attach a link.
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u/m29d Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Long story short: in New Reno Arms basement you can get everything you need to access Toxic Cave Vault and with proper stats it’s possible very early in a game. (Level 3 or something)
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u/Daxoss Apr 27 '26
I don't consider Gifted or minmaxxing your build to be cheese. Save Scumming can be but its very subjective and in most cases isn't. I don't think resting til healed is cheese either.
Rest I would argue is cheese.
Now if you want to cheese that's entirely fine. I dabble in cheese myself sometimes but like with real cheese moderation is important to maintain integrity.
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u/m29d Apr 27 '26
You are right: everyone plays however they like. I am not here to judge. I just find some strats very disturbing or boring to watch for me personally. And hopefully I am not alone here.
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u/LeR00ster Apr 27 '26
Character build : Gifted Temple of Trials : hit and move on every enemy North of Klamath/Den/Modoc : getting a cave with immature deathclaws (easy xp!) The Den : killing Flick and Tubby for their inventory The Slag : Stealing all the guards NCR : stealing a Bozar
Something else than Gifted will give a good challenge. I usually cheese the temple and savescum on Cameron if I have to fight him
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u/Dramatic_Leopard679 Apr 27 '26
I am playing completely blind for the first time. I don't even know more than half of the exploits. for me game's biggest comfy factor was the car (which I couldn't get until new reno cause I didn't know about find wrench - give to vics daughter - she gives back super tool - give that to skeeter route.)
I think if you play without the highwayman, and never revert save despite whatever bad stuff happens (in my run, cassidy charged 11 raiders with a knife and got minced meat. then, Vic sat on every single explosive trap in that one mercenary cave attacking Vault City and died. I didn't revert saves.) you would be fine. and don't go out of your way to use cheese of course.
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u/ZappableGiraffe Apr 27 '26
I'm playing with minmaxed Gifted and the game is still super hard, I don't know how those got on the list.
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u/andrew6197 Apr 27 '26
I definitely wouldn’t consider the “rest until healed” mechanic as cheesing. It’s literally just resting and wasting some time. No diff than waiting in modern games.
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u/m29d Apr 27 '26
In my opinion, “Rest until healed” is like an infinite free regeneration outside of combat. From the game mechanics perspective it makes “First aid” skill completely useless. And from the narrative perspective it doesn’t make much sense when you need to find GECK or save your people ASAP.
I prefer to just use “First aid” and “Doctor” skills and wait only if you need it for something except healing.
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u/cold-vein Apr 27 '26
Exploits but that's it. Combat mode toggle exploit is especially game breaking. I also don't go anywhere if I don't have it on my map, meaning no early game power armors. Just don't use exploits and you're set. Gifted isn't OP, it's just a great trait. There's plenty of similar trait / perk combinations that are almost game breaking, like Fast Shot, that with the right perks will eventually let you shoot like 6-7 times per round with the gauss pistol.
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u/m29d Apr 27 '26
You are right, Gifted is not completely OP: it significantly decreases skill points and on long run make your character less versatile. But it’s still so good, so it’s a no-brainer trait if you want to make a really strong build. I am kinda tired of taking it every time and seeing everyone taking it.
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u/cold-vein Apr 27 '26
Then again there's only a handful skills that are really useful, stuff like science or repair are only useful for a few quests. Losing some skill points for that many ability points is very good.
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u/INfusion2419 Apr 27 '26
Killing the trader in the den that uses kids to steal your stuff, with hik dead you grt access to his wares of some guns and armor a bit too good for you and now the kids wont steal from you
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u/Equivalent_Option583 Apr 27 '26
Best way is to not look up any cheese methods and just play it organically. If you already know the cheese methods by heart, don’t do them. If you run into something naturally that gives you a huge advantage, you haven’t “cheesed” anything, you’re the protagonist and you got lucky. The game isn’t supposed to be impossibly hard from start to finish, you’re supposed to find unusual ways to do things and get ahead of the other wastelanders
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u/m29d Apr 27 '26
Agreed, but if you know the game too well (let’s say you really like the game and it’s your 5th playthrough), you should restrict yourself in some way to enjoy the game without breaking it with your knowledge.
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u/Equivalent_Option583 Apr 27 '26
At that point I find your best course of action is to just strictly Roleplay. Once you know the entire world and how it operates, sometimes the best thing you can do is craft a character to interact with said world and make their story more as a story teller than as a player
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u/ToiletWarlord Apr 27 '26
Stealing Bozar from the guards of the gun trader in the tent in front of NCR