Fallout 3 hosts dozens of fun and exciting weaponry, with which to devastate (or liberate) the wasteland. From silenced pistols, to the Fatman (a mini nuke launcher), your weapon choices are quite diversified, no matter your playstyle.

Some weapons, however, feel particularly rewarding to use. Not just because of their effectiveness, but their highly specialized (and often comical) natures lend them to a crazy and chaotic good time. The weapons I speak of, are the crafted ones.

How to: Crafting Weapons

In order to craft anything in Fallout 3, you’ll need three things:

1. A workbench. The crafting station from which you’ll actually be prompted to create your jury-rigged wasteland weaponry.

2. The schematics, which are found either dispersed throughout the wasteland, sold by merchants, or rewarded through quests.

3. The materials. Once you’ve picked up a schematic, you’ll have an entry in the “Notes” section of your Pip-Boy that tells you the required materials to craft it. Conversely, you can always see the materials in the crafting prompt via a workbench.

Multiple schematics for the same craft can be found throughout the wasteland. Having multiple of the same schematic can lend benefits to crafting the respective weapon(s).

Your repair skill will affect the base condition of your crafted items. Otherwise, to repair them, you’ll need to create a new one to repair your old one with, or have them repaired by merchants (who you’ll probably just scam for your caps back anyways).

Bottlecap Mine

The Bottlecap Mine is governed by the “explosives” skill, and is the most powerful type of mine (and therefore the most powerful explosive) in Fallout 3. When armed, the mine will detonate when walked over by an NPC, doing tons of damage, and making a jingling sound (yay!).

One Bottlecap Mine can be found laying on almost every workbench you come across.

Required materials:

• 10 x bottlecaps

• 1 sensor module

• 1 cherry bomb

• 1 lunchbox

Schematic locations:

• Reward from Moira Brown, in Megaton, for completing the optional objective of bringing her a mine in the quest The Wasteland Survival Guide.

• Sold by Knick Knack, the merchant of Little Lamplight.

• Found on a workbench at Jocko’s Pop & Gas Stop, in the midwestern portion of the map (northwest of Tenpenny Tower).

• Reward from Herbert Dashwood, in Tenpenny Tower, if you have found the corpse of his manservant, Argyle, and inform him. Alternatively, the schematic may be found in his safe, if you obtain the key through… nefarious means (pickpocketing, or killing him).

For each additional level of schematic you possess, you will craft an additional mine (at no extra material cost) to a maximum of 4 mines, per craft!

Dart Gun

The Dart Gun is governed under the “small guns” skill, and uses darts as ammo. While not particularly powerful in terms of outright damage, it has some truly wonderful combat applications!

The first shot will effectively cripple both legs of the target, and any hit beyond that will build up stacking poison damage. It’s also considered a stealthy weapon, and has no spread (meaning it shoots “true” with max small guns skill.

Required materials:

• 1 Paint gun

• 1 Toy car

• 1 Radscorpion poison gland

• 1 Surgical tubing

Schematic locations:

• Reward from Hannibal Hamlin, in Rivet City, from the quest Stealing Independence.

• Found at MDPL-05 power station, beside a skeleton (west northwest portion of the map).

• Sold from the merchant of Boutique Le Chic, in Tenpenny Tower.

For every additional copy of the schematic you own, the base condition of the weapon is increased, based on your repair skill (1=75% repair skill, 2 = 100% repair skill, 3 = 125% repair skill).

Deathclaw Gauntlet

Yes, it is as cool as it sounds. The Deathclaw Gauntlet is governed by the “unarmed” skill, and is the most powerful unarmed weapon in the game. It has an enhanced base crit multiplier of 5x, and ignores all of the target's armour when used.

Required materials:

• 1 Deathclaw hand

• 1 Leather belt

• 1 Medical brace

• 1 Wonderglue

Schematic locations:

• Reward from Bannon, in Rivet City, for helping him in the unmarked quest Council Seat.

• Found at F. Scott Key Trail & Campground, inside a small camper (west southwest portion of the map).

• Found on a dead wastelander, during a random encounter Wounded Deathclaw, in which a wastelander is stalked and killed by a deathclaw.

Like the Dart Gun, for each additional schematic you own, the base condition that the Deathclaw Gauntlet is in upon crafting is increased (1=75% repair skill, 2 = 100% repair skill, 3 = 125% repair skill).

Nuke-Grenade

The Nuka Grenade, like the Bottlecap Mine, may be found across the wasteland. It is the most outright powerful grenade, and second most powerful explosive in Fallout 3. It has a larger explosion radius than most grenades, and leaves a briefly lingering cloud of heavy radiation after it detonates.

Required materials:

• 1 Abraxo cleaner

• 1 Nuka-Cola Quantum

• 1 Tin can

• 1 Turpentine

Schematic locations:

• Sold by Doc Hoff, the wandering merchant (who can be found sometimes at Canterbury Commons, in the east northeastern portion of the map).

• Reward from Sierra Petrovita upon completion of the quest The Nuka-Cola Challenge.

• Found in the Yao Guai Cave, near a pile of skeletons. The cave is accesses through the Cliffside Cavern (in the south-midwestern portion of the map)

Like the Bottlecap Mine, for each additional level of schematic you possess, you will craft an additional grenade (at no extra material cost) to a maximum of 3 grenades, per craft.

Railway Rifle

The Railway Rifle is governed by the “small guns” skill, and uses railway spikes as ammunition. This is a particularly fun weapon to use, as not only does it have an enhanced ability to cripple limbs (3x damage against limbs), on crits it can pin severed limbs to the environment.

Required materials:

• 1 Crutch

• 1 Fission battery

• 1 Pressure cooker

• 1 Steam gauge assembly

Schematic locations:

• Sold by the merchant Tulip, at Underworld Outfitters.

• Reward from Abraham Washington for completing the quest Stealing Independence.

• On a workbench in the MDPL-13 Power Station Substation (midwestern portion of the map).

Like the Dart Gun and Deathclaw Gauntlet, for each additional schematic you own, the base condition that the Railway Rifle is in upon crafting is increased (1=75% repair skill, 2 = 100% repair skill, 3 = 125% repair skill).

Rock-It Launcher

The Rock-It Launcher is possibly the most fun of all crafted weapons in Fallout 3. This weapon is governed by the “big guns” skill, and uses any misc junk you load it with as ammunition! The damage remains consistent, regardless of what junk you choose to use as ammunition.

Required materials:

• 1 Conductor

• 1 Firehose nozzle

• 1 Leaf blower

• 1 Vacuum cleaner

Schematic locations:

• Sold by Crazy Wolfgang, the wandering merchant (who can be found sometimes at Canterbury Commons).

• Sold by Moira Brown, in Megaton’s general store, The Craterside Supply.

• Found in the Rivet City armoury, behind a “very hard” locked door.

• Found in the medical office, in Vault 101, inside the framed quote of Revelation 21:6.

Like the Dart Gun, Deathclaw Gauntlet, and Railway Rifle, for each additional schematic you own, the base condition that the Rock-It Launcher is in upon crafting is increased (1=75% repair skill, 2 = 100% repair skill, 3 = 125% repair skill).

While there are 4 schematics in game, having the 4th does not provide any additional benefit beyond the 125% repair skill bonus.

Shishkebab

Possibly the coolest “melee weapon” in the game, the Shishkebab is a weapon of biblical proportions. This flaming “sword” sets targets aflame, in addition to having decent base damage.

Required materials:

• 1 Lawn mower blade

• 1 Motorcycle gas tank

• 1 Motorcycle handbrake

• 1 Pilot light

Schematic locations:

• Sold by Lucky Harith, the wandering merchant (who can be found sometimes at Canterbury Commons).

• Reward from Vance, for completing the quest Blood Ties.

• Found in an unmarked Brotherhood Outcast shack west of SatCom Array NN-03d (mid north-mid portion of the map).

Like all other non-explosive weapons, for each additional schematic you own, the base condition that the Rock-It Launcher is in upon crafting is increased (1=75% repair skill, 2 = 100% repair skill, 3 = 125% repair skill).

Warmonger Perk

Additionally, if you have the DLC Broken Steel, there’s a perk at level 26 that unlocks all 3 stages of all weapon schematics, although there is a bug in which the actual schematic quality of the weapons will not be increased properly.

Feeling Crafty?

Whether you’re an experienced Fallout 3 veteran, or a newcomer looking to see what all the hype is about, try taking advantage of some of these devastating and (in some cases) hilarious crafted weapons. You certainly won’t be sorry!

Have a particularly favourite crafted weapon? Or maybe you’re a salty “energy weapons” user, upset that you didn’t get a fun craft? Leave a comment, sharing your thoughts and opinions!