Core concepts

Learn about Critical Chance, Risky Shot, and Action Points in Wasteland 3. Optimize your sniper squad's damage and combat effectiveness with these core mechanics.

This guide covers essential mechanics in Wasteland 3, including Critical Chance, the Risky Shot ability, and Action Points (AP) management. Understanding these concepts is key to optimizing your squad's combat performance, especially for sniper-focused teams.

Critical Chance

Maximizing damage with a sniper squad often involves the Risky Shot ability, which offers a significant +70% critical chance at the cost of a -40% hit chance. To make this viable, focus on increasing your hit chance through skills and equipment. Aim for a 30% critical chance to ensure most Risky Shots are critical hits. This can be achieved by raising your Intelligence attribute to level 10 for a +20% critical chance bonus. Additionally, smoking cigarettes before difficult fights provides a temporary +10% critical chance. Alternatively, consider the Third Eye radiation mutation and prioritize critical chance over range scope modifications on sniper rifles.

Risky Shot

The Risky Shot special ability is found on three sniper rifles: Scout Rifle (Tier 2, Level 9), Red Dragon (Tier 4, Level 15), and Black Star (Tier 5, Level 19). The strategy involves equipping all five snipers with the best available Risky Shot-capable sniper rifle. By the end of the game, your squad can reach its full potential with 4-5 modded Black Star sniper rifles. Refer to the Equipment and Utilities section for detailed equipment progression.

Action Points

Early in the game, after the Prologue, your rangers start with 11 AP from Coordination at level 10, plus an additional 2 AP from calling Rally, totaling 13 AP. This allows two shots per turn with Tier 1-3 sniper rifles (6 AP each). However, Tier 4-6 sniper rifles cost 7 AP per shot, requiring 14 AP for two shots. Even with maxed Coordination and Rally, you'll still be 1 AP short. To compensate, utilize four unique equipment pieces found in the mid to late game that either grant an extra AP or reduce the AP cost of shooting. Consult the Equipment and Utilities section for more details.