Fallout 3 players horrified to learn they've been hacking terminals wrong for years

Hacking terminals is a key part of the Fallout games but with some of them testing even the strongest of minds, this handy trick is one we wish we had known sooner.

It is not a Fallout title unless we are hacking terminals in order to get our hands on some precious loot.

Check out the official trailer for Fallout 3 below!

Although the hacking screen can look a bit complicated at first, it is pretty easy if you know what to do as it is just a word game at its core.

However, with many players having to restart Fallout 3 after getting locked out for too many incorrect attempts, one player has quite the handy trick.

Posted to r/Fallout, the user recommends a way to hack the terminals without cheating or save scumming.

“Apparently everyone thinks the only way to hack terminals is to click random words and loading a save when you get locked out,” they wrote.

“The hacking minigame is not a guessing game, it's actually a very simple puzzle game.”

The user then goes on to suggest a series of steps in order to crack the code beginning with searching for brackets, removing duds and then searching for words until you know which letters belong in what place.

I suggest checking out the original post for a more detailed explanation but it wasn’t long before other players were recommending their own techniques.

“In addition, start with words ending in "ING" or "TION" if available,” a comment read.

“If you get a 3/9 or 4/9 you can pretty much assume the correct choice ends with the same. If you get 0/9 it really narrows your choices.”

Additionally, another Fallout 3 fan reveals that reloading a save is not necessary if you fail the mini-game.

“I've never had to reload a save to prevent being locked out, if I ever hit 3 wrong and only one try left, just exit the minigame and start the computer over and try again with a new set of words,” they shared.