Editor’s note: This is yet another in a long list of kick ass Sarcastic Gamer Survival Guides. If you want to check out the other ones in the series, click here for our list of guides for games like GTA IV, Call of Duty 4, Gears of War 2 and Far Cry 2, among others.

So, you just picked up your copy of Fallout 3.  Well good luck man, cause the wastelands of the former D.C. metro area are not for the faint of heart.  Luckily, I’ve played through a significant portion of the game, so far, and I’ve got ten great tips to get you richer quicker, keep you alive longer, and give you a leg up against the roaming marauders.

Unleash your inner Mad Max on the Capital Wasteland, after the jump.

Getting started and staying alive in Fallout 3 is a daunting task for most newbies.  Besides the roaming bandits, irradiated wildlife and Super Mutants, there’s a whole wide world out there, just waiting for you.  Here’s ten tips that will help keep your ass alive and your pocketbook full.

1. Pick every lock and hack every computer you find.  Successfully picking locks and hacking computers nets you more XP than killin’ baddies.  Nerd power!

2. Save the VATS for medium to short range. VATS is incredibly useful, at medium to close range, but a total waste at long range.  If you see an enemy at long range, crouch and take the shot yourself.  You’ll have a much higher chance of hitting your target yourself at long range, especially with a scoped weapon, than you will with the VATS system, especially in the early part of the game.

3. You will find a TON of weapons lying around in your travels. Don’t over do it with weapons.  There’s a tendency in these types of games to take and carry every weapon that you find.  Don’t.  While the ammo you carry doesn’t count against your total carrying weight that you are limited to, your weapons do and they are usually some of the heaviest things you’ll carry.

4. You have 8 hot keys to store weapons.  Try to stick with four main ballistic weapons, one melee, one explosive and one, or two heavy weapons.  As I said in number 3, don’t carry more weapons than you’ll use. Sure that flamethrower is mighty fun to use, but if you’re just toting it around and not using it, that’s 30 lbs of equipment that you could really put to better use.  I recommend a scoped weapon, an assault rifle (or other automatic rifle), a pistol, or silenced pistol and a combat shotgun.

5. Explore at your own peril.  I mean it, just wandering around can be fun, but it also gets expensive.  Factoring the cost of stim packs (health)  and repairing your overused weapons after a brisk walk around the Washington Mall, will most likely set you back more cash than you’ll earn from scavenging. When you’re wandering about, have a plan and prepare to fast travel back to your preferred buyer when you’ve stocked up on scavenged crap.  Don’t dawdle, the longer you remain out there, the more expensive it gets.

Six through ten, on the next page.

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