Fallout 4 combat

The combat system of Fallout 4 has been changed considerably from that of its predecessors Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
==V.A.T.S.==
The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System returns to Fallout 4 allowing the player to interrupt active combat to specifically target six different limbs (on humanoids) at the cost of Action Points, and execute Critical Hits. It has been reworked considerably from the V.A.T.S. systems in both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
===Changes===
* Time no longer is frozen but instead slowed down.
* The player takes full damage in V.A.T.S. instead of 75%..
* Critical Hits can also be executed manually while shooting after the critical chance bar is filled.
==Aim down sights==
A returning feature from Fallout: New Vegas, the predecessor which had introduced the mechanic, is the ability for the player to aim down the sights of a weapon. However, different from Fallout: New Vegas, aiming down sights affects the accuracy of the weapon and not just the zoom. Hip-fire and sighted accuracy are separate factors for weapons; and are both still enhanced by crouching.
A new feature in Fallout 4 is the ability to make use of cover in combat. If one approaches the edge of an object that provides cover, such as the corner of a building or vehicle with a ranged weapon drawn, it will visibly dip down after a second. One can then sight down the weapon, and the player will lean around the edge of cover, being able to fire at an enemy while reducing the chance of being hit in return.
==Critical hits==
Critical Hits still occur based on one's critical chance (which can be modified by having weapons with a related legendary weapon effect), but now they can also executed manually by the player in V.A.T.S. with the Critical Hit Bar. This bar fills up per attack in V.A.T.S., and once it is completely full, a Critical Hit can be executed with the press of a button; when using a firearm, a Critical Hit is always guaranteed to hit the targeted limb on an enemy as long as there is a non-zero accuracy chance. One's Luck attribute level determines the rate at which the bar fills, with several perks also affecting the effectiveness and abilities of Critical Hits.
==Melee==
Hand-in-hand with the Skills system being swapped out for Perks in Fallout 4, it is no longer required to have a certain skill level nor Strength attribute level to wield a melee weapon to its full effectiveness, plus several perks can modify the damage dealt and additional effects that come from blocking with a melee weapon. Unlike Fallout: New Vegas, there is no unique "special move" per melee weapon, instead they all have both regular attacks and power attacks that are performed with different button presses.
Fallout 4 also introduces new mechanics to melee combat with executions and counters; the former typically occur when using a power attack on an enemy when they are at a low enough HP amount that the attack will kill them, and the latter can happen by entering third-person view and double-tapping the power attack button when near an enemy, resulting in the player character either shoving them away, sweeping their legs out from under them, flipping them on their back, or bodyslamming them in the opposite direction, effectively stunning them for a brief window to leave them open to direct attack. Executions and counters exclusively work when against human, synth, and non-feral ghoul enemies, and cannot be performed on animals, feral ghouls, or super mutants.
==Combat damage==
Damage calculations that follow are not to be taken as 100% accurate. There are various exceptions in how certain modifiers get included (such as DT), so this is intended to be a general guide.
Combat
Category:Combat