Why did it take me 9 years to find out you could hold VATS in Fallout 4 to free aim?
May. 29, 2024An old discovery that’s new to me
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) is a long-time Fallout feature that pauses the game and lets players take aim at specific enemy body parts to disarm a limb, break a knee, or pop a ghoul’s head like a rotted grape. But almost a decade afterFallout 4came out, I’m only now learning about a game-changing VATS fact.
Brought to our attention by twitterer Jamie Moran, holding down the VATS button in Fallout 4 lets you free aim with the VATS UI turned on, as opposed to toggling between available enemies in ultra slow motion. Doing this seems more than ideal when scouting for nearby baddies since enemies will still be highlighted with that radioactive green color as well as percentage hit points for limbs - only this time with full control over the camera.
Replies to the viral tweet imply that many wasteland survivors were just as clueless about the hidden feature as me - the people yearn for in-the-box instruction manuals - though, this is hardly the first time a group of Fallout 3 players have had their collective minds blown, as a Redditpostfrom 9 years ago shared a similar sentiment. Either the Fallout TV show renaissance courted a fresh face of VATS discoverers, or the same post goes viral every year. (Both are likely.)
The unexplained VATS feature is more handy than one might think, however. Not only is it great for scouting out enemies, but it’ll highlight hidden mines too, turning those pesky minefields into a breezy walk. After unlocking the VANS (Vault-Tec Assisted Navigational System) perk, holding down VATS will also show a green breadcrumb trail leading to your nearest quest marker, similar to the guidance spell in Skyrim. My Fallout 4 playthroughs will never be the same.
Check out our rankings of thebest Fallout games.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
Fallout creator wishes he made different genres in the RPG series like a “really good FPS” similar to Borderlands or an adventure game all about stealing from Vaults
Baldur’s Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon messaged the Fallout London team early on to say he wanted “to be involved,” only to be left on read for nearly 2 years
All of the OG MCU Avengers should return as villains, starting with Avengers: Doomsday
