Fallout 4 - V.A.N.S... What Does It Do? Why Would Anyone Want To Take/Use It? [Explanation with Example]

I saw someone ask this in the Official Steam Forum, wondering why someone would even pick the VANS Perk (the Skill to use it) while levelling. I wanted to come back here and post, as a Quick Tip perhaps, a short explanation on what V.A.N.S. actually does (and how it can be helpful to players).

Briefly summarized, V.A.N.S. is a Perk of Intelligence (requiring only 1 INT to Unlock) that lets the V.A.T.S. interface 'show you the way' to your marked objective/quest/mission location. An example I recorded of how it looks, is below:

Recorded aboard The Prydwen, this is a short example of how VANS looks in Fallout 4.
(Reduced size, framerate and quality, to fit Upload requirements at Steam)
Click to see slightly larger Full Size

On Steam, at http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=966498722

To use V.A.N.S., simply hold the Hotkey for opening VATS for a short time (eg. on PC, instead of hitting 'Q' quickly once, to enter V.A.T.S., hold it down) - let go of the 'Q' key, after about two full seconds or so - even if the Pip-Boy has not fully opened yet. Then hit 'TAB' to close the Pip-Boy right away, once the 'green trail' is seen.
You do not need to move or turn at all, until after closing the Pip-Boy fully (for example, I do not use the mouse at all to use V.A.N.S., on PC, I just open the Pip-Boy with 'Q' and close the Pip-Boy with 'TAB').
[Perhaps this will help those having issues with opening/closing/viewing the 'trail'...]

If you've played Skyrim, it is similar to the Clairvoyance Spell in that game, as it will then illuminate a 'trail' that looks like a tube of smoke along the ground, that you can follow (but in Fallout 4 it is 'Pip-Boy Green', as opposed to 'SKYrim Blue').

While this doesn't seem needed as Fallout 4 has both Map Marks (on the Map in the Pip-Boy and at the bottom of the Screen in a Compass) and Floating Markers (that can be seen on Doors, above NPCs, etc). V.A.N.S. is helpful in a slightly different way. It shows you the 'Main Path to take' to get to your Marked Objective/Quest/Mission (as in, "go to this Street and use this Road").

For example, if you are jumping around in the back hills or lost in the skyscrapers of Downtown, it will guide you out of where you are with the 'green steam trail' and show you how to get back to the main roads, then it will illuminate which way to go from there, too.

The Map Markers that are normally available only show the 'overall' or 'general' Heading, like a Compass (N, E, W, S) and not 'how to go around this thing in front of you' or 'how to get back to the main road first'. Those last concepts are where the usefulness in V.A.N.S. shines; in how it can guide you from exactly where you are, first around whatever is in front of you (to the nearest main path), then how to go on from there to your next objective.

Try it out on your next Character perhaps - and have fun in Fallout 4!

Achievement - Diablo III - 'No Time To Rest' Challenge with Level 25 Demon Hunter (Video)

Recorded with Bandicam ('For Edit' Preset)
Resized to 720p, 4000kbps h.264/AVC (for smaller upload size)
Resampled to x1.5 speed (to assist in reducing watching boredom)

Playtime: 47:47 (forty-seven minutes, forty-seven seconds)
Character: Level 25 Demon Hunter (Female)
Skills most used: Vault (Rattling), Elemental Arrow (Ball Lightning)
DPS: 154.96
Dexterity: 207
Follower: Templar (Intervene, Loyalty, Charge, Gaurdian)

Usually playing games through slowly and savouring every graphic effect, listening to every environmental sound, I don't ever do "Speedruns"; but feeling that my Level 25 Female Demon Hunter [yes I know lolxDeathDeeler1337x] kicked a bit of butt, I decided to try running Act I Normal for the No Time To Rest Achievement.

The first time I tried it didn't register for some reason, so I had to try again. Then the second time I got disconnected halfway through! That saying The Third Time's The Charm came true once again and this is the result:

The slow moving big blue orb, similar to D2's Frozen Orb, is Elemental Arrow with the Ball Lightning Rune/buff. It acts very similar to the old Sorceress FO as it sails over the enemies, hitting most of them as it passes. Running through Act I I found I could just Fire-And-Forget, launching one and then continue running past.

The Demon Hunter Elemental Arrow, with Ball Lightning Rune 

The acrobatic cartwheel she does (a lot) is Vault, an evasion move that lets you get away, even moving through enemies, I believe. I have the Rattling Rune/buff on it, that lets you shoot a couple arrows off as you cartwheel by, which has showed me some barrels/jars at times that I have missed. It uses the slower-regenerating Discipline as it's 'mana', so you can't just cast it constantly (which I would have liked, heh).

The Demon Hunter's Vault skill/ability

For the most part, to get this Achievement you just have to be willing to run past a lot of things. I gave up Uniques and what they might drop, Treasure Chests and Treasure Goblins. I suggest having all of the Act completed ahead of time, so you don't have to miss all the story and plot, of course. Also, I had created and done the Act with a few characters already, so I was familiar which what should (relatively) come next and had a feel for the dungeons, which helps a lot. There were a couple small things that I couldn't figure out, like why I didn't get the achievement at The Butcher for not getting burned by the floor fire. I thought I got away clean from it - I realize now that it says "on Hell difficulty or higher". Regardless, these types of Achievements are ones you can go for at the same time, while getting the Challenges like the one above.

The video is unedited and you can see all the mis-clicks I do, like going into the wrong doorway and the dialogue with the caravaneer at the end, heh. I am also not the greatest at picking Pathing routes to take, as I haven't done Act 1 more than a few times; but all in all this was enjoyable to run, with it's own sense of Tension added to the gameplay session. Nice Challenge Blizz, it was fun.

See you in there!