Unlike previous Fallout games, leveling in Fallout 4 is almost exclusively tied to your perks, so it is very important that you understand how they work. To elaborate on the video above, your perks are tied directly into your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats. These are the stats you set for your character at the beginning of the game, when the Vault-Tec salesman shows up at your door, and they determine your character build.
Your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points not only govern your field performance based on those attributes, however, they also govern the perks you have access to. Perks are themselves divided into these same S.P.E.C.I.A.L. categories, and they are gated by the number of points you have in that category. Put simply, say you want the Armorer perk. The Armorer perk is unlocked at S3 (that is, Strength Level 3), so unless you have 3 points attributed to Strength, you can’t get Armorer.
Moreover, each individual perk also has its own Rank. So, for example, take the aforementioned Armorer perk, right? It gives you access to armor mods- however, if you rank the Armorer perk up, you get the ability to pick and equip more and better mods. What this comes down to, then, is a choice between either diversifying your character, and giving him some of everything, by investing in a broad range of perks, or selecting a few perks that you want your character to absolutely specialize in, and then focusing on just those.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stands for:
- S – Strength
- P – Perception
- E – Endurance
- C – Charisma
- I – Intelligence
- A – Agility
- L – Luck
You can’t go wrong either way, and if you play the game long enough, you’ll probably end up with your fingers in all the pies anyway. However, personally, we recommending picking and choosing some perks, and then sticking with them.
Below, we discuss each perk within each attribute, and all of its ranks too:
STRENGTH
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| Iron Fist | Channel your chi to unleash devastating fury! Punching attacks do 20% more damage to your opponent. (Rank 1 – Strength 1) |
| Punching attacks now do 40% more damage and can disarm your opponent. (Rank 2 – Level 9) | |
| Punching attacks now do 60% more damage. Unarmed Power Attacks have a chance to cripple limbs. (Rank 3 – Level 18) | |
| Punching attacks now do 80% more daamge. Unarmed Power Attacks have a better chance to cripple limbs. (Rank 4 – Level 31) | |
| Punching attacks now do double damage. Criticals in VATS will paralyze opponents. (Rank 5 – Level 46) | |
| Big Leagues | Swing for the fences! Do 20% more melee weapon damage. (Rank 1) |
| You now do 40% more melee weapon damage and gain a chance to disarm opponents. (Rank 2 – Level 7 | |
| You now do 60% more melee weapon damage and gain an increased chance to disarm opponents. (Rank 3 – Level 15) | |
| You now do 80% more melee weapon damage and hit all targets in front of you. (Rank 4 – Level 27 | |
| You now do double damage with a melee weapon, and gain a chance to cripple opponents, or grand slam their heads clean off! (Rank 5 – Level 42) | |
| Armorer | Protect yourself from the dangers of the Wasteland with access to base level and Rank 1 armor mods. (Rank 1 – Strength 3) |
| Gain access to Rank 2 armor mods. (Rank 2 – Level 13) | |
| Gain access to Rank 3 armor mods. (Rank 3 – Level 25) | |
| Gain access to Rank 4 armor mods. (Rank 4 – Level 39) | |
| Blacksmith | Fire up the forge and gain access to base level and Rank 1 melee weapon mods. (Rank 1 – Strength 4) |
| Gain access to Rank 2 melee weapon mods. (Rank 2 – Level 16) | |
| Gain access to Rank 3 melee weapon mods. (Rank 3 – Level 16) | |
| Gain access to Rank 4 melee weapon mods. (Rank 4 – Level 29) | |
| Heavy Gunner | Thanks to practice and conditioning, heavy guns do 20% more damage. (Rank 1 – Strength 5) |
| Heavy guns now do 40% more damage, and have improved hip fire accuracy. (Rank 2 – Level 11) | |
| Heavy guns now do 60% more damage. Hip fire accuracy is increased even more. (Rank 3 – Level 21) | |
| Heavy guns now do 80% more damage and have a chance to stagger opponents. (Rank 4 – Level 35) | |
| Heavy guns now do double damage. (Rank 5 – Level 47) | |
| Strong Back | What are you, part pack mule? Gain +25 to carry weight. (Rank 1 – Strength 6) |
| You now have +50 to carry weight. (Rank 2 – Level 10) | |
| When overencumbered, you can use Action Points to run. (Rank 3 – Level 20) | |
| When overencumbered, you can fast travel. (Rank 4 – Level 30) | |
| Steady Aim | Stay on target! Hip-fire accuracy is improved when firing any gun. (Rank 1 – Strength 7) |
| Hip-fire accuracy is improved even more when firing any gun. (Rank 2 – Level 28) | |
| Basher | Get up close and personal! Gun bashing does 25% more damage. (Rank 1 – Strength 8) |
| Gun bashing now does 50% more damage and possibly cripples opponents. (Rank 2 – Level 5) | |
| Gun bashing now does 75% more daamge and has an increased chance to cripple opponents. (Rank 3 – Level 14) | |
| Gun bashing does double damage and has an increased chance to cripple your opponent. It may also inflict a Critical Hit. (Rank 4 – Level 26) | |
| Rooted | You’re part tree! While standing still, you gain +25 Damage Resistance and your melee and unarmed attacks deal 25% more damage. (Rank 1 – Strength 9) |
| When standing still, you now gain +50 Damage Resistance and your melee and unarmed attacks deal 50% more daamge. (Rank 2 – Level 22) | |
| While standing still, you may automatically disarm enemies thatr use melee weapons against you. (Rank 3 – Level 43) | |
| Pain Train | Choo choo! All aboard! While wearing Power Armor, sprinting into enemies hurts and staggers them. Robots and oversized enemies are immune to stagger. (Rank 1 – Strength 10) |
| Sprinting into enemies while wearing Power Armor now causes severe damage and a more powerful stagger. (Rank 2 – Level 24) | |
| Sprinting into enemies while wearing Power Armor now causes massive damage and knocks them down. Impact landing near enemies inflicts even more damage. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
PERCEPTION
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| Pickpocket | Your quick hands and sticky fingers make picking pockets 25% easier. (Rank 1 – Perception 1) |
| Picking pockets is now 50% easier. You can place a live grenade in a person’s inventory. (Rank 2 – Level 6) | |
| Picking pockets is now 75% easier, and you can steal equipped weapons. (Rank 3 – Level 17) | |
| Picking pockets is now twice as easy, and you can steal equipped items. (Rank 4 – Level 30) | |
| Rifleman | Keep your distance long and your kill-count high. Attacks with non-automatic rifles do 20% more damage. (Rank 1 – Perception 2) |
| Attacks with non-automatic rifles now do 40% more damage, and ignore 15% of a target’s armor. (Rank 2 – Level 9) | |
| Attacks with non-automatic rifles now do 60% more damage and ignore 20% of a target’s armor. (Rank 3 – Level 18) | |
| Attacks with non-automatic rifles now do 80% more damage and ignore 25% of a target’s armor. They also have a slight chance of crippling a limb. (Rank 4 – Level 31) | |
| Attacks with non automatic rifles now do double damage and ignore 30% of a target’s armor. They have a slightly higher chance of crippling a limb. (Rank 5 – Level 46) | |
| Awareness | To defeat your enemies, know their weaknesses! You can view a target’s specific damage resistances in VATS. (Rank 1 – Perception 3) |
| Locksmith | Your nimble fingers allow you to pick advanced locks. (Rank 1 – Perception 4) |
| You can pick Expert Locks. (Rank 2 – Level 7) | |
| You can Pick Master Locks. (Rank 3 – Level 18) | |
| Your bobby pins never break during lockpicking. (Rank 4 – Level 41) | |
| Demolition Expert | The bigger the boom, the better! Your explosives do 25% more damage, and you can craft explosives at any Chemistry Station. (Rank 1 – Perception 5) |
| Your explosives now do 50% more damage, and grenades gain a throwing arc. (Rank 2 – Level 10) | |
| Your explosives now do 75% more damage and affect a larger area. (Rank 3 – Level 22) | |
| Your explosives now do double damage. Mines and grenades shot in VATS explode for double damage. (Rank 4 – Level 34) | |
| Night Person | You are a creature of the night! Gain +2 to Intelligence and Perception between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (Rank 1 – Perception 6) |
| You now have +3 Intelligence and Perception between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and night vision when sneaking. (Rank 2 – Level 25) | |
| Refractor | You must be part mirror! Instantly gain +10 Energy Resistance. (Rank 1 – Perception 7) |
| You now have +20 Energy Resistance. (Rank 2 – Level 11) | |
| You now have +30 Energy Resistance. (Rank 3 – Level 21) | |
| You now have +40 Energy Resistance. (Rank 4 – Level 35) | |
| You now have +50 Energy Resistance. (Rank 5 – Level 42) | |
| Sniper | It’s all about focus. You have improved control and can hold your breath longer when aiming with scopes. (Rank 1 – Perception 8) |
| Non-automatic, scoped rifles have a chance of knocking down your target. (Rank 2 – Level 13) | |
| Non-automatic, scoped rifles gain +25% accuracy to head shots in VATS. (Rank 3 – Level 26) | |
| Penetrator | There’s no place to hide! In VATS you can target an enemy’s body parts that are blocked by cover, with a decrease in accuracy. (Rank 1 – Perception 9) |
| In VATS when you target an enemy’s body parts that are blocked by cover, there is no decrease in accuracy. (Rank 2 – Level 28) | |
| Concentrated Fire | Stay focused! In VATS every attack on the same body part gains +10% accuracy. (Rank 1 – Perception 10) |
| In VATS every attack on the same body part gains +15% accuracy. (Rank 2 – Level 26) | |
| In VATS every attack on the same body part gains +20% accuracy and does 20% more damage. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
ENDURANCE
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| Toughness | If nothing else, you can take a beating! Instantly gain +10 Damage Resistance. (Rank 1- Endurance 1) |
| You now have +20 Damage Resistance. (Rank 2 – Level 9) | |
| You now have +30 Damage Resistance. (Rank 3 – Level 18) | |
| You now have +40 Damage Resistance. (Rank 4 – Level 31) | |
| You now have +50 Damage Resistance. (Rank 5 – Level 46) | |
| Lead Belly | Your digestive tract has adjusted to the weirdness of the Wasteland! Take less radiation from eating or drinking. (Rank 1 – Endurance 2) |
| You take even less radiation from eating or drinking. (Rank 2 – Level 6) | |
| You take no radiation from eating or drinking. (Rank 3 – Level 17) | |
| Life Giver | You embody wellness! Instantly gain +20 maximum health. (Rank 1 – Endurance 3) |
| You instantly gain another +20 maximum health. (Rank 2 – Level 8) | |
| You instantly gain another +20 maximum health, and slowly regenerate lost health. | |
| Chem Resistant | All the rush without the hassle! You’re 50% less likely to get addicted when consuming chems. (Rank 1 – Endurance 4) |
| You gain complete immunity to chem addiction. (Rank 2 – Level 22) | |
| Aquaboy | Water is your ally. You no longer take radiation damage from swimming, and can breath underwater (Rank 1 – Endurance 5) |
| You become totally undetectable while submerged. (Rank 2 – Level 21) | |
| Rad Resistant | Exposure to the Wasteland has made you more resilient, instantly granting +10 Radiation Resistance. (Rank 1 – Endurance 6) |
| You now have +20 Radiation Resistance. (Rank 2 – Level 13) | |
| You now have +30 Radiation Resistance. (Rank 3 – Level 26) | |
| Adamantium Skeleton | Your skeleton has been infused with indestructible metal, reducing limb damage by 30% (Rank 1 – Endurance 7) |
| Your limb damage is now reduced by 60%. (Rank 2 – Level 13) | |
| Your limb damage is completely eliminated. (Rank 3 – Level 26) | |
| Cannibal | Feast on mortal flesh to heal your wounds! Eating human corpses restores Health. (Rank 1 – Endurance 8) |
| Eating Ghoul or Super Mutant corpses restores health. (Rank 2 – Level 19) | |
| Eating human, Ghoul, or Super Mutant corpses restores a significant amount of health. | |
| Ghoulish | Sure, you’re still human – on the outside! Radiation now regenerates your lost Health. (Rank 1 – Endurance 9) |
| Radiation now regenerates even more of your lost Health. (Rank 2 – Level 24) | |
| Radiation now regenerates even more of your lost Health, and some Feral Ghouls will randomly become friendly. (Rank 3 – Level 48) | |
| Solar Powered | Catch some rays! Gain +2 to Strength and Endurance between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Rank 1 – Endurance 10) |
| Sunlight slowly heals your radiation damage. (Rank 2 – Level 27) | |
| Sunlight regenerates your lost Health. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
CHARISMA
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| Cap Collector | You’ve mastered the art of the deal! Buying and selling prices at vendors are better. (Rank 1 – Charisma 1) |
| Buying and selling prices at vendor are now much better. (Rank 2 – Level 20) | |
| You can invest a total of 500 caps to raise a store’s bounty capacity. | |
| Lady Killer / Black Widow | You’re charming… and dangerous. Women/Men suffer +5% damage in combat, and are easier to persuade in dialogue. (Rank 1 – Charisma 2) |
| Women/Men now suffer +10 damage in combat, and are even easier to persuade in dialogue. They are also easier to pacify with the Intimidation perk. (Rank 2- Level 7) | |
| Women/Men now suffer +15% damage in combat, and are much easier to persuade in dialogue. They are now even easier to pacify with the Intimidation perk. (Rank 3 – Level 16) | |
| Lone Wanderer | Who needs friends, anyway? When adventuring without a companion, you take 15% less damage and carry weight increases by 50. (Rank 1 – Charisma 3) |
| When adventuring without a companion, you take 30% less damage and carry weight increases by 100. (Rank 2 – Level 17) | |
| When adventuring without a companion, you do 25% more damage. (Rank 3 – Level 40) | |
| Attack Dog | Your faithful canine companion can hold an enemy, giving you a greater chance to hit them in V.A.T.S. (Rank 1 – Charisma 4) |
| When your dog holds an enemy, there’s a chance he’ll cripple the limb he’s biting. (Rank 2 – Level 9) | |
| When your dog holds an enemy, there’s a chance he’ll cause them to bleed. (Rank 3 – Level 25) | |
| Animal Friend | Commune with beasts! With your gun, aim at any animal below your level and gain a chance to pacify it. (Rank 1 – Charisma 5) |
| When you successfully pacify an animal, you can incite it to attack. (Rank 2 – Level 12) | |
| When you successfully pacify an animal, you can give it specific commands. (Rank 3 – Level 28) | |
| Local Leader | As the ruler everyone turns to, you are able to establish supply lines between your workshop settlements. (Rank 1 – Charisma 6) |
| You can build stores and workstations at workshop settlements. (Rank 2 – Level 14) | |
| Party Boy | Nobody has a good time like you! There’s no chance you’ll get addicted to alcohol. (Rank 1- Charisma 7) |
| The effects of alcohol are doubles. (Rank 2 – Level 15) | |
| Your Luck is increased by 3 while you’re under the influence of alcohol. (Rank 3 – Level 37) | |
| Inspirational | Because you lead by example, your companion does more damage in combat, and cannot hurt you. (Rank 1 – Charisma 8) |
| Your companion resists more daamge in combat, and can’t be harmed by your attacks. (Rank 2 – Level 19) | |
| Your companion can carry more items. (Rank 3 – Level 43) | |
| Wasteland Whisperer | Master the post-apocalypse! With your gain, aim at any Wasteland creature below your level and gain a chance to pacify it. (Rank 1 – Charisma 9) |
| When you successfully pacify a Wasteland creature, you can incite it to attack. (Rank 2 – Level 21) | |
| When you succesffully pacify a Wasteland creature, you can give it specific commands. (Rank 3 – Level 49) | |
| Intimidation | Time to show everyone who’s boss! With your gun, aim at any human below your level and gain a chance to pacify them. (Rank 1 – Charisma 10) |
| When you successfully pacify someone, you can incite them to attack. (Rank 2 – Level 23) | |
| When you successfully pacify someone, you can give them specific commands. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
INTELLIGENCE
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| V.A.N.S. | Let Vault-Tec guide you! The path to your closest quest target is displayed in V.A.T.S. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 1) |
| Medic | Is there a doctor in the house? Stimpacks restore 40% of lost health, and RadAway removes 40% of radiation. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 2) |
| Stimpaks now restore 60% of lost Health, and RadAway removes 60% of radiation. (Rank 2 – Level 18) | |
| Stimpacks now restore 80% of lost health, and RadAway removes 80% of radiation (Rank 3 – Level 30) | |
| Stimpacks and RadAway restore all lost health and radiation, and work much more quickly. | |
| Gun Nut | Shoot first, kill first, with access to base level and Rank 1 gun mods. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 3) |
| You gain access to Rank 2 gun mods. (Rank 2 – Level 13) | |
| You gain access to Rank 3 gun mods. (Rank 3 – Level 25) | |
| You gain access to Rank 4 gun mods. Rank 4 – Level 39) | |
| Hacker | Knowledge of cutting-edge computer encryption allows you to hack Advanced terminals. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 4) |
| You can hack Expert terminals. (Rank 2 – Level 9) | |
| You can hack Master terminals. (Rank 3 – Level 21) | |
| When hacking, you never get locked out of a terminal when things go wrong. (Rank 4 – Level 33) | |
| Scrapper | Waste not, want not! You can salvage uncommon components like screws, aluminum and copper when scrapping weapons and armor. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 5) |
| You can salvage rare components like circuitry, nuclear material, and fiberoptics when scrapping weapons and armor. Items with favorited components are highlighted. (Rank 2 – Level 23) | |
| Science! | Take full advantage of advaned technology with access to ase level and Rank 1 high-tech mods. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 6) |
| You gain access to Rank 2 high-tech mods. (Rank 2 – Level 17) | |
| You gain access to Rank 3 high-tech mods. (Rank 3 – Level 28) | |
| You gain access to Rank 4 high-tech mods. (Rank 4 – Level 41) | |
| Chemist | Any chems you take last 50% longer. Far out. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 7) |
| Any chems you take last twice as long. (Rank 2 – Level 16) | |
| Any chems you take last an additional 150% longer. (Rank 3 – Level 32) | |
| Any chems you take last an additional 200% longer. (Rank 4 – Level 45 | |
| Robotics Expert | Machines will always serve humans, if you have anything to say about it. Hack a robot, and gain a chance to power it on or off, or initate a self-destruct. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 8) |
| When you successfully hack a robot, you can incite it to attack. (Rank 2 – Level 19) | |
| When you successfully hack a robot, you can give it specific commands. (Rank 3 – Level 44) | |
| Nuclear Physicist | You’ve learned to split the atom… and command it. Radiation weapon do 50% more damage and Fusion Cores last an extra 25% longer. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 9) |
| Radiation weapons now do double damage and Fusion Cores last an extra 50% longer. (Rank 2 – Level 14) | |
| Fusion Cores can be ejected from Power Armor like devastating grenades and Fusion Cores last twice as long. (Rank 3 – Level 26) | |
| Nerd Rage | Genius. Is. ANGRY! When your Health drops below 20%, time slows and you gain +20 Damage Resistance and do 20% more damage while the effect lasts. (Rank 1 – Intelligence 10) |
| You now gain 30 more Damage Resistance and do 30% more damage while Nerd Rage is in effect. (Rank 2 – Level 31) | |
| You now gain 40 more Damage Resistance and do 40% more damage while Nerd Rage is in effect. Kills you make while enraged restores some lost Health. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
AGILITY
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| Gunslinger | Channel the spirit of the Old West! Non-automatic pistols do 20% more damage. (Rank 1 – Agility 1) |
| Non-automatic pistols do 40% more damage and have increased range. (Rank 2 – Level 7) | |
| Non-automatic pistols now do 60% more damage and range is increased even further. (Rank 3 – Level 15) | |
| Non-automatic pistols now do 80% more damage and their attacks can disarm opponents. (Rank 4 – Level 27) | |
| Non-automatic pistols now do double damage. Their attacks have a much better chance to disarm opponents, and may even cripple a limb. (Rank 5 – Level 42) | |
| Commando | Rigorous combat training means automatic weapons do 20% more damage. (Rank 1 – Agility 2) |
| Your automatic weapons now do 40% more damage, with improved hip fire accuracy. (Rank 2 – Level 11) | |
| Your automatic weapons now do 60% more damage. Hip fire accuracy is improved even more. (Rank 3 – Level 21) | |
| Your automatic weapons now do 80% more damage and gain a chance to stagger opponents. (Rank 4 – Level 35) | |
| Your automatic weapons now do double damage and have a greater chance to stagger opponents. (Rank 5 – Level 49) | |
| Sneak | Become whisper, become shadow. You are 20% harder to detect while sneaking. (Rank 1 – Agility 3) |
| You are now 30% harder to detect when sneaking, and no longer trigger floor-based traps. (Rank 2 – Level 5) | |
| You are now 40% harder to detect when sneaking, and no longer trigger enemy mines. (Rank 3 – Level 12) | |
| You are now 50% harder to detect when sneaking, and running no longer adversely affects stealth. (Rank 4 – Level 23) | |
| Engaging stealth causes distant enemies to lose you. (Rank 5 – Level 38) | |
| Mister Sandman | As an agent of death itself, you can instantly kill a sleeping person. Your silenced weapons do an additional 15% sneak attack damage. (Rank 1 – Agility 4) |
| Your silenced weapons do an additional 30% sneak attack damage. (Rank 2 – Level 17) | |
| Your silenced weapons do an additional 50% sneak attack damage (Rank 3 – Level 30) | |
| Action Boy | There’s no time to waste! Your Action Points regenerate 25% faster. (Rank 1 – Agility 5) |
| Your Action Points now regenerate 50% faster. (Rank 2 – Level 18) | |
| Moving Target | They can’t hurt what they can’t hit! Get +25 Damage Resistance and +25 Energy Resistance when you’re sprinting. (Rank 1 – Agility 6) |
| You now get +50 Damage Resistance and +50 Energy Resistance when you’re sprinting. (Rank 2 – Level 24) | |
| Sprinting costs 50% fewer Action Points. (Rank 3 – Level 44) | |
| Ninja | Trained as a shadow warrior, your ranged sneak attacks do 2.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 4x normal damage. (Rank 1 – Agility 7) |
| Your ranged attacks do 3x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 5x normal damage. (Rank 2 – Level 16) | |
| Your ranged attacks so 3.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 10x normal damage. (Rank 3 – Level 33) | |
| Quick Hands | In combat, there’s no time to hesitate. You can reload all guns faster. (Rank 1 – Agility 8) |
| Reloading guns costs no Action Points in VATS. (Rank 2 – Level 28) | |
| Blitz | Find the gap and make the tackle! V.A.T.S. melee distance is increased significantly. (Rank 1 – Agility 9) |
| VATS melee distance is increased even more, and the farther the Blitz distance, the greater the damage. (Rank 2 – Level 29) | |
| Gun Fu | You’ve learned to apply ancient martial arts to gunplay! Do 25% more damage to your second VATS target and beyond. (Rank 1 – Agility 10) |
| In VATS you do 50% more damage to your third target and beyond. (Rank 2 – Level 26) | |
| In VATS you instantly do a Critical hit against your fourth target and beyond. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
LUCK
| Perk Name | Description (Rank and Requirements) |
| Fortune Finder | You’ve learned to discover the Wasteland’s hidden wealth, and find more bottle caps in containers. (Rank 1 – Luck 1) |
| You find even more bottle caps in containers. (Rank 2 – Level 5) | |
| You find even more bottle caps in containers. (Rank 3 – Level 25) | |
| You find even more bottle caps in containers, and there is a chance of enemies exploding in a shower of caps when you kill them. (Rank 4 – Level 40) | |
| Scrounger | You know just how to scavenge to keep the fight going, and find more ammunition in containers. (Rank 1 – Luck 2) |
| You find even more ammunition in containers. (Rank 2 – Level 7) | |
| You find even more ammunition in containers. (Rank 3 – Level 24) | |
| You find even more ammuntion in containers. (Rank 4 – Level 37) | |
| Bloody Mess | +5% bonus damage means enemies will sometimes explode into a gory red paste. Watch out for flying eyeballs! (Rank 1 – Luck 3) |
| You now inflict +10% damage in combat. (Rank 2 – Level 9) | |
| You can now inflict +15% damage in combat. (Rank 3 – Level 31) | |
| When an enemy explodes, nearby enemies may suffer the same fate. (Rank 4 – Level 47) | |
| Mysterious Stranger | Who is he? Why does he help? Who cares! The Mysterious Stranger will appear occasionally in VATS to lend a hand, with deadly efficiency… (Rank 1 – Luck 4) |
| The Mysterious Stranger appears more often in VATS. (Rank 2 – Level 22) | |
| The Mysterious Stranger appears more often in VATS. When he kills an opponent, there is a chance your critical meter gets filled. (Rank 3 – Level 41) | |
| Idiot Savant | You’re not stupid! Just… different. Randomly recieve 3x XP from any action, the lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance. (Rank 1 – Luck 5) |
| You now randomly recieve 5x XP from any action. The lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance. (Rank 2 – Level 11) | |
| Randomly receiving bonus XP from any action may trigger 3x XP for all kills for a short period of time. The lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance. (Rank 3 – Level 34) | |
| Better Criticals | Advanced training for enhanced combat effectiveness! Criticals do 50% more damage. (Rank 1 – Luck 6) |
| Your criticals now do twice as much damge. (Rank 2 – Level 15) | |
| Your criticals now do 2.5x as much extra damage. (Rank 3 – Level 40) | |
| Critical Banker | You’re a patient battlefield tactician, and can save a Critical Hit, to be used in VATS, when your need it most. (Rank 1 – Luck 7) |
| You can now save 2 Critical Hits, to be used in VATS, when you need them most. (Rank 2 – Level 17) | |
| You can now save 3 Critical Hits, to be used in VATS when you need them most. Banking a Critical has a chance to save an additional Critical. (Rank 3 – Level 43) | |
| Grim Reaper’s Sprint | Death becomes you! Any kill in V.A.T.S. has a 15% chance to restore all Action Points. (Rank 1 – Luck 8) |
| Any kill in VATS now has a 25% chance to restore all Action Points. (Rank 2 – Level 19) | |
| Any kill in VATS now has a 35% chance to restore all Action Points and refill your Critical Meter. (Rank 3 – Level 46) | |
| Four Leaf Clover | Feeling lucky? You should! Each hit in V.A.T.S. has a chance of filling your Critical meter. (Rank 1 – Luck 9) |
| Each hit in VATS now has an even better chance of filling your Critical Meter. (Rank 2 – Level 13) | |
| Each hit in VATS now has a very good chance of filling your Critical Meter. (Rank 3 – Level 32) | |
| Each hit in VATS now has an excellent chance of filling your Critical Meter. (Rank 4 – Level 48) | |
| Richochet | What goes around comes around! An enemy’s ranged attack will sometimes richochet back and instantly kill them. The close you are to death, the higher the chance. (Rank 1 – Luck 10) |
| There’s an increasd chance that an enemy’s shot will ricochet back and kill them. (Rank 2 – Level 29) | |
| When an enemy’s shot ricochets back and kills them, there’s a chance your Critical meter gets filled. (Rank 3 – Level 50) |
Alright, so that may all look daunting, but believe me, it is not- it’s a highly simplified way to let you have a specialized (or diverse, though again, that is not something we recommend) build for your character, equipping you with what you need to survive and prosper in the wasteland.