Gameplay

## Plan before you go

Before you head out to a certain location outside of base camp, be sure you are well prepared. Heal up, repair weapons and armor, pick up ammo, potions and other things that will keep you alive while exploring. Think of medicine, lock picks, weapons and wall-breaking-things. Certain locations have high levels of radiation, other locations high level enemies and some may even have underwater sections. Be prepared for the location you will be visiting.

## Time to explore

   From base camps you can travel to the other locations. Hop to the “Wasteland Map” and activate it with pointing at it with pressing [E]. You'll see a map with currently available locations. You’ll see a little descriptions next to them, plus the recommended level.

Certain locations will only show up if you’ve completed other locations and have the needed key to open it’s entrance door. Every time you pass through the exit door within a certain location, that location is increased in difficulty when you return again.

## Open Sesame

   While moving through locations you’ll pass through many types of doors. Some you’ll have to break open - by strength, weapon, lockpicking or trying a nearby computer to unlock it. Some doors lead directly to the next room, some doors (or ventilation shafts) lead to other locations (some that will not show up on your minimap). There is one door (at the bottom right of the picture) that can not be opened with any means, this is actually an impenetrable fence that you can shoot through, open containers and levitate some objects through. You’ll have to go around it.

The most significant door is the “EXIT door”, the door that concludes a certain location. When stepping through the exit door you’ll enter a small room (free from any danger) where most of the times there will be crafting stations. In that small room you’ll find a checkpoint, the real exit door and a door to the next level of location.

Activate and use the checkpoint to return to base camp; step through the real exit door and return to the same location, but now more difficult; step through the door to the more advanced (next) location. This is only possible when you have completed a certain amount of location levels.

## Watch your step

   Once you arrive on location and begin to explore, you’ll have to watch your step. Next to the obvious threat of enemies, some terrain features cause injury as well. It will not be an immediate death, but many little injuries together make facing a real enemy a serious threat. Watch out for sharp spikes sticking out the floor and ceiling. Certainly falling on such spikes will cause bleeding wounds.

Another general threat throughout many locations is radioactive waste. Water is always - per definition - contaminated and radioactive. Try to wear protective armor before taking a swim in this water. There are also plenty of (small) barrels with stored radioactive waste. Better stay away from these.

Some obstacles can be "disarmed" with the correct repair skill. these are traps and include: Bear traps, Mines and Mined containers (usually on safes). Note that in order to access mined containers the explosive must be disarmed first, if you fail to disarm it the mine may explode damaging the contents inside, however this usually also breaks the lock, and unlike other traps, you can walk by mined containers without worry of damage. Bear traps can also be levitated and used to harm enemies and with the correct perks they can also be thrown, and mines can be levitated but they may explode if done so.

All these exploring threats become less and less dangerous when leveling up skills such as Survival or Repair, and choosing necessary perks.

## Hide and Seek

    You can face your enemies head on, but you can also try to be sneaky. When you invest your skillpoints in sneaking - and your caps in matching sneak armor - you might do well hiding behind furniture or trying to blend in with wall crevices.

You can then safely wait until an enemy has past you, and you can go along your way… Or you can wait in the dark until an enemy walks by and you kill them from behind, however they may not die quickly and will call for help from nearby "allies", this may cause you to get swarmed.

## Treasures

Many things can be found when you’re on a scavenger hunt. Every location has many (hidden) treasures, in all sorts of containers.

### Horseshoes

    *Main article: Horseshoes*

The main "treasure" might be the golden horseshoe. Collecting these will give you experience points. Every room of any given grind map has 5 horseshoes to collect. Collecting all five horseshoes in a section will harvest plenty of xp; the last horseshoe will give you 5x the normal xp. When you collect all five without being noticed by nearby enemies, you receive a sneak bonus!

### Containers

    Most treasures you’ll find are found in all sorts of containers: boxes, cupboards, desks, safes, cabinets, lockers, chests, bookshelves, etc. Many of these containers are locked and need to be unlocked by either lock picking them, with brute force, e.g. planted explosives or a crowbar. C4 and Homemade Explosives may be used. But note, force may damage the treasures inside. Additionally, safes and wall safes may be mined or alarmed. These will need to be deactivated with the Explosives and Sneak skills, respectively, before they can be unlocked. Explosives that are set off are considered deactivated, as are triggered alarms. However, sometimes containers will not contain treasure, and may instead spawn a Radroach, a Rat, or Bloatsprites. Info-terminals will contain, as a treasure, valuable data-discs.

### Ministry of Awesome stashes

*Main article: Ministry of Awesome stash*

Here and there you might find “the mark of the Ministry of Awesome”. It is a blue circular emblem with a Rainbow Dash cutie mark. This indicates that there is a secret passage/room close by with treasure. Try to knock down walls, break through the floor or break open the ceiling. The secret treasures will be behind a wall that can be broken with any weapon (even hind legs).

## Computers and Buttons

    Some computers, when hacked, will give you valuable data discs that can give you a nice sum of caps. There are also computers that, when hacked, will unlock certain doors or turn off certain turrets. When the respective perk you can even reprogram such computers to let the turrets attack your enemies! Just watch the turrets take down your enemies, and still cash in the xp and the dropped loot.

Here and there you’ll find a set of buttons. Most of the times you’ll need to repair them first, before you can activate them. Buttons are mostly used to open certain doors and to operate platforms. The red alarm button on a pole is what enemies will use to alert others when they spot your presence. If you shut it down, they can’t use it. On the other hoof, if you want an extra (tough) fight, press the alarm button yourself for more enemies.

## Random Merchants

    Not only base camps have merchants (and a doctor) for you to visit and do business with. The locations you’ll be exploring may also have merchants. They will probably be of less use to you than the merchants in base camps, when it comes to buying ammo and such things. Yet, they also offer repairing your weapons and armor. Keeping your weapons and armor repaired is always recommended to keep the edge on your enemies.

While these merchants make themselves known by shouting out some sales talk, sometimes you’ll see two green icons above and/or below the location where there are at. For these locations are sometimes hidden from direct view. These are part of a larger vendor icons that clip through the ceiling above them.

## **Building Blocks**

    While travelling the several locations you’ll find plenty of boxes and crates, together with some tables, couches, beds, refrigerators and more. These can be used to stack on top of each other to form a makeshift ladder, though, for the heavier ones you’ll need more telekinetic skills to move them.

The boxes (and with good aim some furniture) can also be used as a shield to block enemy fire. Objects can be dropped or thrown at enemies - with certain perks and (again) some telekinetic skills.

## Checkpoints

    *Main article: Checkpoints*

When activated, checkpoints let you travel back to the base camp (some difficulty levels prohibit this). Every checkpoint you activate for the first time gives you experience points and restores some magical power. For every new checkpoint you activate the previous one you activated is deactivated. When you die on location you’ll be respawned at the checkpoint you activated last.

## Trial rooms

    *Main article: Trials*

During your travels you’ll encounter special doors that lead into a trail room. You'll have to either solve some sort of puzzle, or kill all enemies inside.

Once you have passed a trail, it will not show up again. Every grind map has a set of unique trials that only show up in that locations. Many trial rooms reward you with valuable treasure - often quest items. Be sure to collect this treasure - you will not be able to return once you have left the current map, either by EXIT room or by reloading the game. Quest items given here are needed to boost your reputation, which can be found in the Stats menu in your PipBuck and currently has a maximum of 50.