I would also grab the best gun for your skill even if it makes you go out of your way. This also lets you ignore 3 skills entirely so that you boost your chosen skill even quicker. I would suggest picking what you are going to use as a weapon and keep only that ammo and sell the rest. On ammo: Ammo is a great way to make money, it's by far the lightest trade good in the game. On companions: Boone and Ed-e, 'Nuff said. To this end skip the Booted! quest as you don't want to have to run and gun all those assassins. You can also keep all the various factions off you until you have already gotten a bunch of fast travel spots in the strategic spots, which will save you time in the long run. You can beat the game by the quickest method at level 24 or 25 as long as you don't do any of the long trek quests. On quests: The trick with the quest is do the main plot and the ones you can do along the way. The fallout games make you want to be hoarder, but those guys smell funny and you don't even get be on T.V. You take what you need along with you and leave the rest behind with out a backward glance.

(As your speed running, your level will still be low at the end of the game). I would save your stimpacks for your companions as they have a tendancy to drop quickly if it ever drops in the pot with things that are over your level. The sunsets are a better option than the nukas but dealers choice. On healing: Med supplies still don't have weight so get those! I also like to use soda but only when I have a ready source of water (irradiated or not). I would recommend not using food to heal as the hit points aren't worth it on a weight basis, although if your hurt and hungry, they are a nice bonus. Concentrate on things that have a high food to weight value like the squrriel-on-a-stick and the brahmin steak.

On food: You should be able to scavange more than enough food from those you kill through the quests and just laying around to never even need to touch a campfire. Also, remember that even an irradated source will reset you to zero so drink when you can to save bottles for when you can't. The best of these are Good Springs Source, the camp in the far south where you get Rose, and the NCR tenant farm. this will give you the stamina necessary to accomplish your quests with out the bouncing out to drink from the rad free sources convientiently located around the map. On water: You should devote as much space as you need to water, both purified and dirty. The way of the hardcore is not easy or quick, but you can be the one to conquer it with just a few simple steps.

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