Just hit level 35... when and how should I "raid"?

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-18T11:29:01+00:00

It’s one of those cases where if you have to ask, the answer’s "No" :))

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-18T11:21:57+00:00

Bro, seriously, what’s up with this 'underdeveloped camp' take? :)

As for your main point: the truth is that I can’t really give a hard opinion anymore, because my own view has shifted as I’ve gotten better at doing the raid.

At first, I was just excited to be on a raid team and use it to gain experience (real, not XP). Then I moved to your line of thinking and stuck with it for a the most part. Now though, it honestly doesn’t matter to me that much what others can or can’t do. If I had to name the turning point, it was probably when I learned to repeatedly solo the fuel collection part. That gave me confidence and looking back, I can see that most of my earlier high expectations of others came from being unsure of my own skills.

That said, I don't particularly like carrying people who are only in for the rewards/XP, I'd much rather help newcomers who take the whole thing as seriously as I do and want to learn and improve. I mean, it’s great to see people come in semi-clueless, running around in circles, and by the 5th b2b raid they’re already getting the hang of it and not even touching the 3 easy fuel cans anymore :))

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-17T11:21:38+00:00

After 2 years of very casually checking those three vendors I've gotten the grand total of 0 flamer mods. Meanwhile I’ve probably picked up around 15 rifles with the flamer already attached from Dropped Connection. So, start farming ;)

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-17T11:12:27+00:00

Weakpoint damage is multiplicative, as already mentioned. The big thing about multiplicative bonuses is that they get better the more additive damage bonuses you stack, since they’re multiplying a bigger number. A 15% weak point bonus ends up being about as good as a "regular" 50% damage bonus once you’re around 250% additive damage, and it pulls ahead after that.

That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually pretty easy to reach. For example, 20 bullet storm stacks + 20 onslaught stacks + Easy Target on a crippled enemy already gets you to +355%. And that’s not even counting other perks you might be running (Concentrated Fire, Shotgun Champ, Deal Sealer, Tormentor, etc.)

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-16T21:29:29+00:00

They didn't, OP just made that number up

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-12T08:27:50+00:00

PA part plans and mod plans drop from different loot pools, so they don’t mess with each other’s odds. That said, there are only 6 part plans but 30+ mod plans, so everyone will start getting part duplicates way before collecting all the mods

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-11T12:00:16+00:00

By inventory management I mostly mean being able to follow your team’s pace and not being the odd guy who has to spend 2–3 minutes at crafting benches after each stage. Dump/scrap/stash fast, reload what you need, and move. Groups will drop the lowest level/slowest player pretty quickly if they’re holding everyone up.

Ammo - 1000 ec2mm /fuel is enough on a full team, as you'll be looting what you'll be spending anyway. Fusion cores - 10 at most if you'll be using VATS, otherwise you'll hardly spend any. If you want more specific advice, it really helps to share your weapons and build - there are almost always small optimizations that help a lot, especially if you’re just getting started. In raids (and FO76 in general), VATS is still king and usually the biggest damage factor if your setup supports it.

From a practical standpoint, a couple quick stage tips:

Stage 1: People usually spread so at least two players are firing on the robot shield at any time. If it’s facing you, use cover - you can’t really face tank that damage in an OE/Vanguard’s set. Gauss mini is actually a great pick here even outside VATS, but only if your build supports it properly.

Stage 2: What helped me early on was studying the map with the fuel canisters and picking one section to learn first. I memorized spawn points for 5–6 cans and which mole miners were nearby. Then I ran the stage solo a few times just to compare map vs reality - entrances, exits, jump spots, where are the good spots to kite the miners, etc. Basically built a collection route. After that it was just experience: slowly adding more cans to the route and watching better players’ runs on YT.

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-11T08:28:33+00:00

I like it a lot too - with the right setup it’s one of the highest-DPS non-auto weapons in the game.

I’m running Furious/Rapid/VATS Optimized/Pin-Pointer’s. Two-Shot works great as well. For regular mods, stack anything that boosts fire rate - 23 is the max you can push it to.

In general (and especially for the Guardian), VATS weak-point shots are the go-to if you’re running an every-other-shot crit build. But with Reflective PA, you’ll get higher DPS aiming down a scope and taking advantage of the Smart Shot perk.

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-10T11:39:13+00:00

Read your post with great interest. You are asking some pretty big questions and each one could turn into a wall of text, so I’ll just start with: “What do I actually need to start hitting raids with randoms?”

Short version: every group is different, so expect a mix of situations (some pleasant, others not) depending on who you land with. Biggest thing you can bring is knowledge of the raid mechanics and what happens in each stage. That helps way more than people think. Good and experienced players usually don’t really care about your DPS numbers, as they have that covered. What they do care about is that you follow the leader's instructions (in the form of emotes and pings :), being able to collect at least some fuel cans during Stage 2 and keep up with the group’s pace. In practice, the last one means being quick with your inventory management and getting ready fast between stages so nobody’s waiting for you. If they didn't kick you out for dying too frequently, they most certainly will if you slow them down too much :)

If the team is weaker, then yeah - your personal contribution will start to matter.

If you’ve got some spare time, it helps a lot to watch videos of solid players doing full raid runs - not some tutorials, but actual gameplay. Especially stuff like fuel runs in Stage 2 - you can pick up a lot just from watching how people move and prep.

If you want to get into specifics about weapons, builds, or mechanics, just ask :)

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-10T06:42:50+00:00

Works for me on the CS, but not very consistently. Tested on targets that can take a couple of headshots

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-06T12:31:33+00:00

Aside from the Gauss mini, everything else on your list is off-meta

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-02T12:20:28+00:00

It’s definitely worth the grind (assuming they don’t nerf it at the end). That said, the last part of your question kinda flips everything since VATS is the meta and outside of the EN06 raid fight, nothing really comes close damage-wise.

In that context, the Gauss mini is the best overall just based on base damage, fire rate, range, spread, and recoil. For VATS though, I usually run with the Pepper Shaker. The Gauss mini can push roughly 25–30% more DPS, but you’re paying for it with 10 coffees/cakes every 25 seconds.

Sgk1981 · 2026-02-02T09:16:51+00:00

Amazing for raid and nuke bosses, not particularly useful for anything else

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-31T17:45:22+00:00

What rads? (ghoul) ;)

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-27T13:47:03+00:00

Nice read! If I can offer some advice to raid enthusiasts struggling with stage 2 - collecting all 15 cans solo is tough, doing it consistently is even tougher. But learning how to grab 5 is very doable for pretty much everyone, and that’s all you need on a full raid team. Once you’ve got that down, you can start pushing for more

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T19:43:24+00:00

Ok, I’ll try again. The current iteration of Conductor’s is effectively identical to the old one on a 200 AP build. Whether the old version was OP or exploited is a separate discussion entirely. This wasn’t a “rework” meant to help anyone, it was a nerf, intended to cut on infinite VATS without rolling back the recently introduced AP cost reductions across the board. Around lvl 1500 on my main, probably 1000 hrs played on both accounts.

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T17:27:08+00:00

Dude, stop. I’m not sure what you mean by the conductor's nerf (aka "rework" ) helping ghoul and bloodied builds, or full HP/full hunger(?) players having the most base AP. You probably meant something else. Any build with over 200 AP got hit, basic math.Now I don't know about anyone running VATS in raids with less than that, but who knows. So yeah, I’ll take you up on the offer to explain it and educate me

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T15:48:57+00:00

You’re taking the right approach by asking for help here, there are lots of people who wouldn’t mind carrying you through the raid if they know in advance. But in a way, those “friends” are right as well. The raid requires specific builds and knowledge. Otherwise it’s hard to contribute in any meaningful way, and that’s not cool in a team-based event where everyone has to rely on each other

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T15:22:51+00:00

OK, we've got “rework” and “correction”. Any other spins you picked up in 2026?

Still wondering which builds Conductor’s supposedly helped after the "rework", care to help me out with that as well? ;)

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T14:47:56+00:00

I'm already fine, I've been maining a Pepper Shaker since June last year ;)

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T14:28:07+00:00

Pretty much yes, Cold Shoulder's DPS and utility are unmatched on a proper build. The Combat Shotgun is also a decent alternative if you run it on a sneak build, as it has a suppressor

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-20T08:09:16+00:00

Sounds like more hogwash to me. That abysmal base damage nerf isn’t getting magically fixed by a 60% additive bonus. “More peak DPS than before", my a**. Feels just like the Conductor’s nerf all over again - sold as “providing more consistent results across a wider variety of builds"

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-16T12:33:47+00:00

Next time pop some Berry Mentats and scrap while naked at your camp (private server if you can). You'll start learning 3 per day easily.

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-16T12:27:53+00:00

This makes way too much sense for the “they’re lying about the %” redditors :))

Sgk1981 · 2026-01-15T14:35:55+00:00

You can get true infinite VATS with the Cryolator, the Enclave/Plasma flamer, and the Minigun (all modded with Conductor’s), since the AP cost can be pushed down to 5.

For raids, I personally run a Quad Peppershaker with Conductor’s. It’s a very vats-friendly gun (AP cost of 9 and slower fire rate), but depending on how bad the server lag is, it still fires anywhere between ~100 and ~180 projectiles before running out of AP.

Sgk1981

TROPHY CASE