Fallout 4 players horrified to realise they’ve been using VATS wrong for years

In my many hours playing Fallout, I never really got on with the VATS system, which slows down the gameplay and allows players to target particular spots on an enemy.

It’s a cool feature, but I, like many others, just preferred to run and gun in the Fallout wastelands.

Tips on how to use VATS from the Fallout 4 community are always great

It seems, however, that I, again, like many others, didn’t think to use it in a particular way, making certain tasks significantly easier.

A tip brought up by one fan, over on Reddit, suggests that they use VATS to check if any enemies are hiding when they enter a new area.

This started a wave of others chiming in to say that’s exactly how they also use the feature, leaving many with their jaws open.

“Spam VATS everywhere. Always,” comments mattbeck, in reply.

LokMatrona explains, “I spam VATS but rarely actually use VATS. It's just to know if there's someone or something around and then shoot them normally, can also make aiming very fast because when you exit VATS you immediately aim at them.”

It makes sense to use VATS this way, as it essentially acts like a radar, showing enemies even in darkened rooms.

Another user, roniechan, also uses VATS in this way, saying, “[I] turn in a circle and VATS behind me every few seconds.”

While I’d never thought to do this during my playthroughs, it’s certainly a tactic I’ll take advantage of next time - I really must go back to Fallout 4 again.

The whole Reddit thread is full of others advising how they use VATS, with another saying, “I do it to see which ghouls are dead and which aren't. That way, I don't have a heart attack each time they do that gurgle and slap sound as they get up.”

I love it when a community shares better ways to use the systems and mechanics of a game.