Starting out as a new player it will obviously take longer. You won’t know the mechanics of the game as well, things like enemies or weapons would look daunting, finding resources, etc. will inhibit you, but once you get a good feel of the game you’ll definitely be more efficient in getting characters to the end game.
For me, as a veteran it’ll take me about 2 months in game to get to the point where i’m well established and nothing can really kill me if i’m careful. It’ll be shorter if i’m lucky, my shortest is about 2 weeks.
About a year in (91 day seasons) i’ll basically be unstoppable.
My general “I basically won the game at this point” is where i’m fully optimized (mutations, bionics, weapons, armor) and basically nothing can kill me except my by own error.
But by this point I make a death mobile and travel around the map and explore, and try out new things in the game I haven’t touched on, i.e. mastering martial arts, braving a temple, exploring underground mines, getting to the end of labs and finding their high-tech weaponry, etc.
In all honesty the end game is where you get bored of the character and restart to the beginning. This game is more about short term goals than long term ones. There is no “Defeat mcguffin villian”, it’s more of “Find water, find food, find shelter, find a good weapon, find books, build a car, train skills, explore, get better equipment, etc.”
I like to think of progress as tiers, the longer you survive and better equipped you become your tier increases.
But if you truly, and absolutely need a goal, like, without it you will literally die? Try this.
http://smf.cataclysmdda.com/index.php?topic=7891.0
I have a guide below for new players, just click it and it’ll help you out with the basics.
