Did you know that VATS is actually an acronym that stands for “Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System”? Vault-Tec is good for something, it seems! VATS returns from Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas to appear again in Fallout 4, but with some significant changes. The biggest change is that VATS no longer pauses the game fully once you use it. Seriously, in Fallout 3 you could enter VATS and go make a sandwich or take a bathroom break but no more! Instead, VATS in Fallout 4 slows down time significantly but keeps the action going.

Still, VATS is an essential combat tool in Fallout 4 and while its use is completely option you can use it to great effect. To help you do that, lets go over some basics, hints and tips!

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• There are key abilities you will want to get if you are a fan of VATS. The biggest one (by far - and totally worth its own bullet point) is Action Boy/Girl, as it refreshes your AP much quicker than normal. Incredibly helpful.
• VATS allows you to target specific body parts of most enemies. Legs, arms, head… claws, tentacles, tails, you name it. Your chance to hit in VATS however is tied to your Perception rating, so don’t skip on the Perception if you plan to use VATS. Your accuracy is also of course strongly related to the enemies position and your line-of-sight so don’t blame every miss on your Perception (Hint: Look into the “Penetrator” if you want to overcome that bothersome “moving into cover” thing that enemies sometimes do). Also note that the best you can do, accuracy-wise, is 95%.
• VATS can be cheap, but it can also save your life. Facing a tough enemy that you can’t take on one-on-one? Have some good cover nearby? Use VATS to attack the enemy then get in cover to allow your AP to replenish. Once it has, pop back out of cover and attack again. Rinse and repeat. Whatever it takes to come out on top, right?
• Your AP bar is affected by things other than VATS. Actions such as sprinting will drain your AP, so be careful when you are sprinting through the wasteland as you may find yourself suddenly needing AP you don’t have!
  With all of these basic facts, hints and tips about VATS you are now well equipped to use it to its fullest. It may be optional, but it is still a fantastic tool that will help you throughout the entire game.