Nails

CONTRACT

HIRING COST : $16,000
EQUIPMENT COSTS : $4,606
TOTAL COSTS : $20,606

STARTING GEAR

GEAR	IMAGE
NF shotgun
12 gauge x14
Tool kit
Locksmith kit
Sunglasses
Motorcycle jacket
Leather trousers
Biker boots

ATTRIBUTES

SKILLS

TRAITS

Shotguns : Skilled at using shotguns

Tough : Takes less damage in melee combat

Strengths/Weaknesses

Nails' main talents lie in his dexterity-based skills. Explosives, mechanical, and marksmanship all start on the high side, and they all get the added boost from his 78 dexterity.

Nails is also naturally sneaky, with the game's third-highest starting stealth rating. The key is to not let his traits fool you.

The small bonuses Nails will get are more than offset by his natural skills. If you're only using him for close-quarters actions and melee combat, then you're wasting his many talents.

Tactics

As mentioned above, the key with Nails is to not fall into the traits trap. Have him hand off his starting shotgun to a more close-quarters-oriented squad member and give him a machine gun or assault rifle instead.

You'll also want to get him some kind of rocket or grenade launcher if you don't already have an explosives handler on your squad.

It's true that Nails' stealth skill doesn't really fit into this equation; think of him less as a covert ops guy and more as someone who is ideal for setting up ambushes.

The 91 stealth rating is very useful for getting Nails into a flanking position. It doesn't matter how much noise he makes when anyone who hears it is already doomed to begin with.

Nails can't be hired at the start on his own, but he'll join any team that Fox is on. Be aware though that hiring both at the start of the game won't leave you with enough scratch to pick up anyone else.

Save Nails instead as one of your possible second-round hires, especially if you're going to have him working with Fox.

Long-Term Play

With Nails, just keep on boosting his natural skills. Focus on dexterity most of all, since it informs all explosives/mechanical/marksmanship checks.

Leave stealth alone; those points will do much more good elsewhere and the starting 91 rating is plenty for any of the sneaking you'll have him doing.

You could always drop some points into Nails' agility rating because his 60 stamina is a weak-ish link. Think carefully about how you'll be using him, though. Nails will spend most of his time operating close to his squad.

Whenever you do send him out to sneak, it's more than likely just going to involve getting him into a nearby position for an eventual ambush.

Nails' stamina could be higher, but it's really not necessary when those same points could just as easily be used to improve his natural talents.