Fallout 3 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide

This is a wonderful guide. Long, informative, and it shows you EVERYTHING you need to know to surviving Fallout 3. I never use game guides, but I figured I would give this a shot because of the nature of Fallout 3, and I'm very happy I did. The book feels and looks great, and the fold out poster map is HUGE. The guide is a little confusing to some people at first, with the guide being separated into chapters going from Character Creation to The Main Quest to Side Quests to an Entire Run Though of EVERY SPOT IN THE GAME then the Appendix and finally the Extras section.

The way this is structured means, for example, when reaching the town of Megaton, you will have to read one chapter to do the main quest there, then the next chapter to do the major side missions, then the next chapter to read about all the secrets and such available in the city. Makes sense logically but confuses some people here and there.

Oh and the Extras section is awesome. It shows a lot of concept art in the game so if you didn't get the special editions, you can still see some cool concept work and developer commentary.

Overall a great guide that greatly informs you of everything you need to know in the content rich universe of Fallout.

This official collectors' guide looks like it's a weathered book straight out of the Fallout universe. It's a must-have for any Fallout fan.

The hardcover is a nice touch, and the paper on which the guide is printed has held up against two and a half weeks of heavy use. At first, I was a little worried about the paper tearing easily, but I no longer think that's an issue. The paper is the same kind that you would find in most paperback novels, but maybe a bit heavier.

The content is very in-depth with diagrams and charts for just about everything you need to know about. The guide starts with detailed tables of weapons, armor and enemy stats. It also goes over S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and skills in detail, giving advice and which skills would actually be the most helpful in the game. There is a comprehensive guide detailing all of the perks and gives advice on which combination of perks would work well for different types of characters.

For each quest, the author gives an excellent tree diagram showing you the various paths and the rewards and consequences to which they lead. These diagrams are usually enough to help you find your way in a quest, but the book also provides lengthy text directions for navigating through the levels along with lists of loot that you should look out for in each area. Sections that could affect your in-game karma level are clearly labeled with angel or devil icons so you can find what you need at a glance.

There's no denying that there is a TON of useful information in this guide book, but unfortunately, the organization makes it a bit difficult to use. Every town and location is listed in the guide's giant index, but instead going by alphabetical order, the locations are grouped by zones on the world map. For example, in the index, you would find Vault 101 listed under the section called "Zone 8: Southern Plains and D.C. Outskirts". If you needed to quickly know the page number for the Vault 101 section, you would have to know that it's in Zone 8 or you would have to search the giant index line-by-line until you find it.

Since this guide was written and published before the game was released, there are a few things that are wrong. The most obvious difference that I found regards the Barkskin perk. The guide says that it gives you Damage Resistance +10% and Endurance +1, however, in the final version of the game, the perk only gives you +5% Damage Resistance.

Despite the organizational issues and a few errors, this guide is an excellent companion to the game. There's an incredible amount of content hidden away in Fallout 3 so having this guide means that you won't miss out on anything in the game.

Very cool guide, awesome artwork and design job. My only complaint is the bind of the boom comes to far out and it's hard to read some words close to the spine.

Overall great guide.

Great book. Have everything you need to wade into the wastes, and more. CHaracter creation suggestions are very helpful. I am walking around with a fist's of wrath ninja and it is so much fun. Great Job Prima.

Takes the complex world of Fallout 3, and makes it accessible, lots of helpful advise and explainations. Fallout 3