fallout-4
In Fallout 4, there is a stat which counts the number of backstabs performed (at the bottom of the screen below). What is a backstab and how do I perform one ?
I suppose it has to do with melee attacks and sneak, but I never found how to backstab someone…
I got sick of waiting for an answer to my broader question regarding how the damage multiplys in general, so I did a bunch of testing myself.
Method:
All tests were done by shooting a friendly setler in the back of the torso at close range.
The NPC was wearing nothing but a Minuteman outfit and had their HP set to 5000 with the console. I did not check what their Damage resistance was nor did I modify it, though I probably should have.
A single shot was taken, NPCs HP remaining checked with the console, then the game was reloaded. This was done 5 times.
Due to perks etc, my Sneak attack bonus was at 4.2 Not sure what my exact critical bonus is, I had 4 ranks of Tesla Science (+20% crit damage) and no other perks or mods which would increase it.
Tests performed with a Laser Rifle, instigating tests performed with Old Faithful with the same mods. Both showed a base damage of 144 in the Pip-Boy interface.
Results:
Normal Shot
111.81, 214.99, 213.32, 214.57, 212.48
Average: 204.72 damage (Average may be low? First shot did much less damage)
Critical Hit:
350.93, 349.86, 350.63, 350.34, 351.00
Average: 350.552
Sneak Attack:
905.80, 905.97, 906.70, 906.38, 905.46
Average: 906.062
Sneak Attack + Critical Hit:
1040.25, 1042.20, 1040.83, 1038.45, 1040.27
Average: 1040.40
Normal Shot + Instigating Weapon
425.43, 430.58, 431.57, 430.70, 352.29
Average: 414.114 damage (Average may be low? Last shot did much less damage)
Critical Hit + Instigating Weapon:
565.44, 559.52, 566.39, 565.26, 566.12
Average: 564.546
Sneak Attack + Instigating Weapon:
1810.25, 1812.87, 1813.63, 1813.38, 1812.00
Average: 1812.426
Sneak Attack + Critical Hit + Instigating Weapon:
1944.69, 1946.42, 1947.35, 1947.74, 1947.11
Average: 1946.662
Discussion:
The above results show some variance, with some shots noted as being much lower than others. It is not clear if this was due to poor accuracy causing some bullets to hit the wrong location (though injuries on target suggested all shots hit the back), natural RNG spread of damage, or damage resistance of the target.
When roughly comparing Sneak attacks performed with both Instigating and normal weapons, the stated Sneak Attack bonus does appear to be multiplicative with Instigating ( [Weapon Damage x2] x4.2) or at least close enough to satisfy me that this is the case.
Interestingly, Critical Hits do not appear to be multiplicative with Sneak and Instigating. In all situations the additional damage inflicted was close to the weapons stated base damage (144, give and take some variance). This suggests to me that critical strikes are seperate damage which is calculated and then added after sneak attacks and instigating are multiplied ( {[Weapon Damage x2] x4.2} + [Weapon Damage xCrit Modifier])
The Wiki suggests that Critical Hits use the following formula:
Ranged: Critical Hit Damage = DamagePaper + DamageBase x CriticalMultiplier
Melee/Unarmed: Critical Hit Damage = DamagePaper x 1.5 + DamageBase x CriticalMultiplier
DamageBase = Weapon damage, including workshop mods, but excluding perks and other bonuses. DamagePaper = Damage displayed in PipBoy (PipBoy cuts off decimal places)
Conclusion:
Sneak Attack and Instigating are multiplicative with each other.
Critical Hits are not multiplicative with Sneak or Instigating
This suggests: ([Weapon Damage x Instigating] x Sneak Modifier) + (Weapon Damage x Crit Modifier)
The Vault-Tec Assisted Targetting System first appeared in Fallout 3, and was both inspired and adapted from the combat mechanics of the original Fallout and Fallout 2. The original games were entirely turn based, which differs greatly from the current generation of first person shooter titles that Bethesda make. A main influence in including VATS was the ability to play Fallout 3 with out any skill in first person shooters, which hardcore fans may not necessarily have had. [citation needed]
Primarily, this gives you the benefit of a Turn-Based Strategy Approach. However, there are many other benefits to using VATS, both intentional and unintentional. These benefits include Critical Hits, Threat Detection, and the aesthetic Cinematic Combat. There are also V.A.T.S. Specific Perks that provide benefits when particular actions are performed in V.A.T.S., both to improve your combat ability, and include additional function.
The primary function of V.A.T.S. is to provide a turn-based approach to combat. In V.A.T.S., Fallout 4 drops into slow motion. During this time, you can choose specific body parts, on specific enemies. Each body part will display the percentage chance to hit, and when highlighted, will reflect the approximate damage you would cause on the enemies health bar.
This allows you to tactically plan out your attack. You can see your exact chances of landing a critical head shot. You can see how much damage your current weapon will land on the target, which gives you a good feel for enemy resistances to specific target areas, or from specific weapons. You should also keep in mind that guns tend to allow targeting specific parts of the enemy, where as melee and thrown weapons will only let you target the enemy.
This can be especially helpful at times where you wish to hit a specific part on the enemy for strategical reason. For example, a good shot to a ghouls leg will blow it straight off. The ghoul might still be at half health, but with the leg gone, the fight becomes a lot easier. As another example, you can target a grenade or explosive, either on an enemies belt or as it is being thrown. This can make for an easy way to dispatch of a group of enemies.
You can perform the same shots in real time, V.A.T.S. just makes it easier. You will also receive a 90% damage resistance, as with previous games. The damage reduction can be hard to make use of, due to the game moving in slow motion, but a quick hand can open V.A.T.S. as your player character is about to take a nasty hit, allowing a fair amount of the damage to absorb into V.A.T.S.
Keep in mind that to rely on V.A.T.S. constantly, you want to favor your agility stat and AP maximization. The higher your agility, the higher the weapon hit chances, and the more AP you have, the more shots you can fire off. AP is more directly impacted by a variety of things, including your weight, and your equipped weapon. There are a few consumables you can take to both replenish and temporarily increase it, and the actions of both running and melee attacking drains it regardless of if you are in V.A.T.S.
V.A.T.S not only lets you slow down time to fight the enemy in a strategic sense, but it also gives you the great benefit of critical hits.
Whenever you hit an enemy in V.A.T.S, your critical hit metre fills up. When your critical metre is full, you can hit the reload button to execute an automatic critical, in V.A.T.S. This guarantees a critical hit, which can be used to strategically blow a limb off a difficult enemy, or perform a high damage head shot at a distance normally difficult without luck and skill.
This ability is directly influenced by Luck. Luck not only determines how quickly you fill the metre, but you can unlock a perk that allows you to "bank" your critical hits. This allows you to execute several critical shots in one go, where normally you can only hold a single critical shot at a time.
This tactic comes from previous Fallout titles, and may reduce the experience of the game as it was intended.
V.A.T.S is designed to allow you to assess the enemy, and attack accordingly. As a result, V.A.T.S will detect targets that you normally would not see.
When you are in a dangerous area, you can attempt to enter V.A.T.S to locate potential threats. Enemies that are visible, but far in the distance or partially obscured by cover, will be highlighted. So will land mines. As a result, you can be more aware of the enemy presence, and reduce the risk of being accidentally blown up by land mines. In actual fact, this is a very important feature, if you find yourself easily blown up by unnoticed mines.
This is also a useful tactic, when approaching settlements or wandering NPCs, to determine whether they are aggressive or not. Traditionally, a friendly target will be displayed in a green outline, where a hostile target will be outlined in red.
Providing a great sense of cinematic immersion, actions carried out in V.A.T.S. will be acted out in slow motion. Furthermore, the camera will move to different angles, to give you a better view. It will zoom in on critical hits, and will even follow the enemy, at times. In some situations, this can help you determine the actions of enemies, where they might normally be too far away to tell.
There are several perks in the game that either add function to V.A.T.S., or provide increased ability in its use. Please note that accumulative benefits only count for the shots performed within the same sequence. To ensure I noted everything, I have used the Fallout 4 Wikia, for its page on Fallout 4 perks.
Ricochet
Killshot (Companion Perk, Robert MacCready): Increases the accuracy ,when targeting enemy heads in V.A.T.S., by 20%.
Best Answer
A backstab in Fallout 4 is simply a sneak attack using a melee weapon. It doesn't have to be done from the back, though it's much more difficult to pull off from the front.
Backstabbing can be done on any character, including your companions, or robots and synths (tested on Codsworth and Valentine).
Also, it can not be done with just any weapon, though I'm not too sure which weapons do work, and which weapons don't.
Weapons I've tested which don't work:
Weapons I've tested which work: