InXile Entertainment has really knocked it out of the park with Wasteland 3. Despite technical issues, it is turning out to be one of the finest western RPGs of the year. One wonders what the company has up their sleeve next now that they are owned by Microsoft.
Those new to CRPGs might be overwhelmed by Wasteland 3's massive scope. The adventure takes well over 50 hours to complete and the opening hours are especially difficult as one levels up the party and grows accustomed to the mechanics. For anyone having trouble, these 13 tips will hopefully help make the trek through Colorado easier.
Updated June 1st, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Wasteland 3 is a long, complex, and engaging RPG adventure for anyone that's looking for something to scratch the Fallout-type itch. Although the game is a top-down turn-based style, it's got a surprising amount of depth to it and gives players a lot of freedom when making choices and leveling up their characters. Between all the specializations, skill points, and quests, it can be difficult to keep up with all the mechanics present in Wasteland 3. To better prepare new players for their adventure through Colorado, the following list has been updated to include even more beginner tips and tricks for Wasteland 3.
13 Use Smoke Grenades
One wants to avoid taking damage for as long as possible. While cover is essential, sometimes none is available. In this case, use Smoke Grenades to make it harder for enemies to hit the party even if they are standing in the open. The only drawback is if enemies move in too close and also become concealed. Make sure they are dead before then.
12 Keep A Varied Party
Even from the start, keep the party's skills and abilities varied. There is no sense in having two characters who are great at picking locks or charming animals. Spreading out the abilities ensures the largest amount of choices during quests at the earliest moments of the campaign. It also helps in combat and conserves ammo when the party is using different types of guns and not taking bullets from the same resource.
11 Don't Be Afraid To Revive Teammates
It's inevitable that many players will see a few of their characters enter a downed state at least once in Wasteland 3. Between traps, harsh conditions, and brutal combat, it's easy for teammates to hit the ground. Thankfully, though, players can pick them up by sending another teammate to them to "revive."
The best part about this is that reviving teammates won't cost any valuable materials or money. In fact, all it costs to pick a teammate up from a downed state is AP. The teammate will likely suffer from a debuff when rising back to their feet but it's better than being down a character when in a particularly difficult battle. It's also important to note that players will need to be revived before their "timer" or meter empties. If it does before they're picked up, players will lose access to them for the duration of a battle (or even entirely under certain conditions like permadeath).
10 Save Often
Several reasons exist as to why one should save as often as possible. The game has a tendency to crash more than the average title, so saving prevents losing too much progress in these cases. Additionally, some choices in quests may not have the immediate outcome one expects, so be sure to have the chance to back step and make a different decision. Considering the long-term consequence of many dialogue choices, this strategy only works to a small extent.
9 Save Skill Books
These items increase a particular skill by one. It is best to save these for two reasons. Using them when a skill is almost maxed out saves skill points because the the last several increases cost more than usual.
Additionally, one may want to upgrade a skill in a pinch for a quest to either unlock a door or hack a computer, and these books can help nudge the skill just high enough to proceed.
8 Utilize The Animal Whisperer Skill
Wasteland 3 can be a pretty punishing game when it comes to combat, and it's important that players have as much defense as possible to stave off strong attacks from their opponents. Although there are a variety of skills, armors, and abilities that players can use to achieve this, one of the best ways to mitigate damage is to offer up a "decoy." By using the Animal Whisperer skill and taming any nearby animals they come across, players can sometimes use them in battle, helping to mitigate damage as enemies focus on the creatures instead.
Best of all, each animal will award players with a specialized buff, giving them even more reasons to tame them along the way.
7 Give Everyone First-Aid
While it is important to have a variety of abilities spread out among the party members, everybody should have at least a little bit of first aid. Without it, players are unable to heal even themselves, which can turn out disastrous during a tough battle. With just one point allotted to First-Aid, characters can at least treat their own wounds.
6 Always Start A Battle In Stealth
Stealth is perhaps one of the more unexpected skills to be included in Wasteland 3. One does not need to invest a lot of points in this skill to start off each battle in stealth and get the drop on enemies. It is typically best to start off a battle by using a sniper rifle and shooting an enemy from afar, which in turn lets the rest of the party act first.
5 Use Doctors As Often As Possible
The doctors of the Wasteland can be a bit strange but players should definitely utilize their services whenever they can. Although it's completely possible to heal up a party using First Aid skills and abilities, players will soon realize how valuable healing items can be as they sift through the wreckage of old buildings and camps. There is nothing worse than entering a battle and not having enough medical supplies to keep characters adequately healed, because of their scarcity or overall cost.
Instead, players should simply pay doctors to patch up their entire team as it's much more cost-effective in the long run.
4 Pay Attention To The Wording In Quests
It is easy to get turned around and confused in quests, especially since waypoints do not exist to the extent they do in most modern western RPGs.
If something is described as being north of a particular location, it usually means the location is one the same map and not on the world map. If a location is on the world map, it is generally marked as a waypoint. Additionally, one does not mark quests, so they have to know where to go based on clues in the writing.
3 Use Turrets, Decoys, And Other NPCs
Turrets, Decoys, and NPCs such as animals are extremely useful. While Turrets can do some damage, they are just as helpful as bullet sponges. Party members generally only take a few hits before death, so any turn enemies waste shooting something else gives the party a significant advantage. Charming animals helps exponentially, but the player has to stomach seeing a lot of cute animals die.
2 Buy Plenty Of Ammo
Unlike many other turn-based RPGs, players have to be weary of the ammunition count. Bullets run out faster than most realize. To prevent running out in the middle of a dungeon or a battle, always have a surplus of bullets. This also goes true for deployable items like turrets and grenades. Rockets, while expensive, are endlessly helpful and one should not venture into a battle without some.
1 Reload Assault Rifles
Some weapons shoot several bullets at once. With this in mind, it is important to reload assault rifles when they only have a couple of bullets left in the magazine, otherwise the attack will be wasted and the character will only shoot a couple of bullets. Reloading uses action points, so calculate the numbers if you want to reload and shoot in the same turn.