Unforgiving Combat

The idea to make this mod came from becoming bored in how easy combat had become once I was too high level (I use 2 perks per level and level uncapper mods) and became a walking wasteland god with tons of hp to spare.  I often found myself standing in the open like an idiot spraying my targets with a minigun and not caring about the hits I took because the vanilla enemies simply weren't strong enough anymore to pose a serious treat, goodbye realism.

I fondly remembered the very different cautious approach I took when facing those same enemies while I was low level and the rush of adrenaline when getting hit, seeing half my hp bar go down and run for cover in semi-panic, often not making it in time because I got the kill shot in my back!  Fun times! So, I wanted to have that intensity back, and I started to work on unforgiving combat.

My goal was to make this mod non-intrusive, light weight, with no performance hit and compatible with almost everything.  So while most rebalancing mods focus on buffing weapon stats (make weapons so powerful they one shot kill almost anything in the worst case) and/or buffing enemy stats (making the enemies bullet sponges in the worst case), that approach has the disadvantage of often being incompatible with or overriding each other.

Instead I focused on locational damage, enemy AI and VATS rebalancing.  This mod is designed to work as a stand alone or in combination with other combat overhaul mods alike.  I use it in conjunction with Project Nevada and BLEED myself.

Remember,  this mod is primarily aimed at high level characters.  You are welcome to start a new game and try this with a fresh character but prepare for a harsh experience.  Combat is now unforgiving, even more so for lower level characters, and now you know where the name for this mod comes from :)

If you feel bold or want it even more difficult, I recommend using the optional file, "the Bleed edition" in combination with the excellent BLEED mod by RoyBatterian for a very harsh experience.  Save often.

[ Gameplay changes]

1) Locational Damage, VATS made less reliable.

The locational damage on the player and vanilla enemies have changed in these ways:

[] headshots are now often lethal, as in real life.  The damage output has been severely increased and can effectively one shot kill you and most enemies, depending on the caliber/weapon and range when impacted.  To balance this however, the chance of being hit in the head or to hit something in it's head have severely decreased, both in regular gameplay and in VATS. [] hits to the torso area are now slightly more lethal and the chance to hit has also slightly decreased for