Vault - Tec Assisted Targeting System The Vault - Tec Assisted Targeting System , or V . A . T . S . , is a queuing system for " Fallout 3 " , " " and " Fallout 4 " , inspired partly by the ability to shoot specific parts in the turn - based combat system of " Fallout " and " Fallout 2 . " It is also used to provide a visually dynamic combat experience . " Fallout 3 " . While using V . A . T . S . , the otherwise real - time combat is paused . Various actions cost Action Points , and the user can target specific body areas for attacks , inflicting specific injuries . When using V . A . T . S . against a humanoid enemy , seven different areas can be targeted : the head , torso , left arm , right arm , currently held weapon , left leg , and right leg . However , there may be other points available when facing off non - humanoid creatures ( e . g . robot combat inhibitors , ant antennae ) . When targeting a part , the screen displays a percentage of how likely the attack will hit the targeted area based on distance from the target , visibility of the targeted body part , and combat skill . The percentage of a hit cannot be any higher than 95 % , so there is a small 5 % chance to actually miss . A higher percentage does not equate to more damage done ; for example , an 95 % hit to the head will not do more damage than a 80 % hit to the head . The readout also displays the overall condition of the body parts on the target . The bar will be empty when the limb has been crippled . V . A . T . S . also displays a health meter indicating the target ' s overall health , as well as an indicator showing the amount of damage a V . A . T . S . attack round using the character ' s current weapon will inflict . Note that the indicator shows the weapon ' s " maximum " non - critical potential damage that the weapon would do if the character ' s relevant combat skill ( e . g . Small Guns ) were at 100 . If the character ' s combat skill is less than 100 , they will do less real damage with each attack than what the V . A . T . S . indicator shows . On the other hand , achieving a critical hit ( such as a Sneak Attack Critical ) can potentially produce more real damage than the indicator shows . There is a 15 % boost in the chance for a critical hit in V . A . T . S . mode , but weapons degrade at 4 times the regular rate . Unlike previous " Fallout " games , it is not possible to target the eyes or groin , nor target any individual body parts in melee and unarmed combat . However , one can still strike specific limbs without aiming for them , and still cripple and dismember enemies . Also , unlike in the previous games , children cannot be targeted . " Fallout 4 " . While largely similar in " Fallout 4 " , V . A . T . S . went through some changes . Instead of freezing time as in previous games , V . A . T . S . instead significantly slows time . Actions queued in V . A . T . S . can now be canceled before they are taken . Weaponry . Melee and V . A . T . S . . Melee player characters only benefit from critical hits while in V . A . T . S . They can queue up attacks on multiple opponents with the slowed time benefit , so long as targets are in range . With the Blitz perk , this becomes less of an issue - with Blitz that base damage gets multiplied by the distance , then sneak attack and crit bonuses for massive damage . Sneak built player characters can crit on a sneak attack along with the Blitz perk , which will let one deal even more damage . An enemy may use a melee attack during the V . A . T . S . sequence and stagger the player character causing them to drop out of V . A . T . S . Explosives and V . A . T . S . . As opposed to its predecessors , thrown explosives like the Fragmentation grenade cannot be directly used in V . A . T . S . , since grenades are not being equipped as primary weapons anymore . Grenades can be used in conjunction with V . A . T . S . by throwing them outside of V . A . T . S ( one can use the Demolition Expert perk at rank 2 to get the throwing arc for precision attacks ) , then entering V . A . T . S . and shooting the grenade by targeting it in its flightpath . Critical hits . Critical hits are no longer randomized ; instead , attacks in V . A . T . S . charge up a critical hit bar , the rate of which is in part influenced by Luck . At 10 luck , one can expect it to take about 5 hits to build the critical meter to full . The Critical Banker perk allows storage of more than one Critical Hit . Once full , a player character can choose which of their shots will be upgraded to a critical . Critical Hits are also guaranteed to hit , regardless of the actual V . A . T . S . percentage hit chance . Once used , the critical hit drains the bar and it must be recharged before another critical hit can be made . With Blitz that base damage gets multiplied by the distance , then sneak attack and critical bonuses for massive damage . Action Points . Cost per shot . The amount of Action Point consumption and critical damage a weapon will do is based upon the weapon type and ammunition type - . 50 caliber sniper rifles deal more critical damage , and 10mm pistols are capable of achieving 8 . 4 Action Points per shot . All mod AP costs stack by direct addition . " Rate of Fire " is the biggest indicator of how many shots one can queue in V . A . T . S . For automatic weapons , rate of fire will increase the amount of bullets / lasers / bolts / etc . and AP cost per burst , while on a semi - automatic or bolt - action weapon it is for single shots . There is a dramatic difference in the amount of V . A . T . S . points used per shot between various types of stocks and aiming devices attached to the same weapon . Scopes increase the amount of points consumed while reflex sights decrease the amount . V . A . T . S . will only allow up to 16 shots to be queued .