Fallout 4 perks system explained | Best perks to pick and why | Radio Times

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more)

Knowing the best perks to choose will probably prove tricky to Fallout first-timers. Fortunately, that's where we come in.

It's not worth getting too worried about which perks to choose, though, even if you want the best build. There is a way to respec your survivor and there is no proper level cap, meaning you can unlock every single perk and skill.

Keep reading to find out how the perks system works and to see our list of the best perks in Fallout 4. Skip to the end of the page for the full list of perks to unlock.

How does the perks system work in Fallout 4?

The Vault Boy in an animated feature looking at pop-ups of the five senses — Vault Boy. Bethesda

The perks and skills system for Fallout 4 is quite different to previous entries in the series, and is more akin to how it works in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Each skill has a number of levels, and these unlock perks – which in turn can be levelled up in rank.

In Fallout 4 (and the rest of the Fallout games), there are seven skills, which are:

S – Strength
P – Perception
E – Endurance
C – Charisma
I – Intelligence
A – Agility
L – Luck

When you create a character, you have 21 points to dish out to each of these skills. When you level up in the game, you can increase one of these seven skills or spend it on a perk pertaining to that skill.

You can also increase skills by finding and reading magazines or coming across bobbleheads.

What are the best Fallout 4 perks?

Ultimately, it depends on what sort of build you want to go for in Fallout 4, but there are some that are useful no matter what path you go down.

The ones we would recommend are:

Fortune Finder (Luck) – Find more caps in the wasteland
Scrounger (Luck) – Find more ammunition in the wasteland

Something that is eternally useful is being able to pick locks and unlock terminals, as these can make your job of navigating locations far simpler. For this, go with the following:

Locksmith (Perception) – Each rank unlocks the ability to pick more difficult locks
Hacker (Intelligence) – Gain the ability to hack increasingly difficult terminals and never get locked out

You can also find a lot of traction in perks that increase your health and resistance to damage and radiation:

Toughness (Endurance) – Each rank unlocks additional damage resistance
Rad Resistant (Endurance) – Each rank unlocks additional radiation resistance
Ghoulish (Endurance) – Health regenerates in the presence of radiation

Quite often, too, you may need to buy something in a pinch rather than crafting it, so perks that improve trading can make your caps go further:

Cap Collector (Charisma) – Get better deals with vendors

Full list of Fallout 4 perks

A player in power armour in Fallout 4 — Fallout 4. Bethesda

Below you can find all of the perks and what they do found in Fallout 4 for each SPECIAL category:

Strength perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: Iron Fist – Each rank unlocks additional punching damage and abilities
Level 02: Big Leagues – Each rank unlocks additional melee damage and abilities
Level 03: Armorer – Gains access to Rank 1-4 armour mods depending on player level
Level 04: Blacksmith – Unlocks Rank 1-3 melee weapon mods depending on player level
Level 05: Heavy Gunner – Each rank unlocks additional Heavy Guns damage and abilities
Level 06: Strong Back – Gain additional carrying capacity
Level 07: Steady Aim – Improved hip-fire accuracy and fast travel when overencumbered
Level 08: Basher – Bashing enemies with your gun does more damage
Level 09: Rooted – Increased resistance to damage when standing still
Level 10: Pain Train – Gain the ability to cause damage when running and landing in power armour

Perception perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: Pickpocket – Pickpocketing becomes easier and you can steal equipped items
Level 02: Rifleman – Each rank unlocks additional damage and abilities for non-automatic rifles
Level 03: Awareness – VATS will display an enemy’s weakness
Level 04: Locksmith – Each rank unlocks the ability to pick more difficult locks
Level 05: Demolition Expert – Each rank unlocks additional explosives damage and abilities
Level 06: Night Person – Your intelligence and perception is better at night
Level 07: Refractor – Each rank nets you better Energy Resistance
Level 08: Sniper – Improved accuracy and ability to hold breath longer when aiming down scopes
Level 09: Penetrator – Enables you to target enemies behind cover in VATS
Level 10: Concentrated Fire – When targeting the same body in part in VATS, accuracy and damage is increased

Endurance perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: Toughness – Each rank unlocks additional damage resistance
Level 02: Lead Belly – Incur less and less radiation poisoning from eating and drinking
Level 03: Life Giver – Unlock additional HP and regenerative health
Level 04: Chem Resistant – Become more immune to addiction to the point of inconsequential chem usage!
Level 05: Aquagirl/boy – Take no radiation damage in water, breathe underwater and become undetectable underwater
Level 06: Rad Resistant – Each rank unlocks additional radiation resistance
Level 07: Adamantium Skeleton – Limbs damage is reduced each rank until you take none
Level 08: Cannibal – Consuming human flesh and then ghoul and super mutant flesh restores your health
Level 09: Ghoulish – Health regenerates in the presence of radiation
Level 10: Solar Powered – During the day, you are stronger and more resilient

Charisma perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: Cap Collector – Get better deals with vendors
Level 02: Black Widow/Lady Killer – Cause more damage to and have better skill check percentages with men or women
Level 03: Lone Wanderer – Take less damage, gain carrying capacity and action points as you rank up when not travelling with a companion
Level 04: Attack Dog – In VATS, your dog will hold an enemy still
Level 05: Animal Friend – Gain the potential to pacify animals and command them when you aim your gun at them
Level 06: Local Leader – Create supply lines between settlement workshops
Level 07: Party Boy/Girl – Become immune to alcohol addiction, increase their effect and luck when under the influence
Level 08: Inspirational – Any companion will take less damage, be immune to your attacks and can carry more weight
Level 09: Wasteland Whisperer – Gain the potential to pacify creatures and command them when you aim your gun at them
Level 10: Intimidation – Gain the potential to pacify humans and command them when you aim your gun at them

Intelligence perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: VANS – Path to closest quest target is displayed in VATS
Level 02: Medic – Stimpacks and RadAway become much more effective as you rank up
Level 03: Gun Nut – Unlock base level and Rank 1 gun mods in the crafting menu
Level 04: Hacker – Gain the ability to hack increasingly more difficult terminals and never get locked out
Level 05: Scrapper – Gain the ability to salvage increasingly uncommon parts and components
Level 06: Science – Unlock base level and Rank 1 high-tech mods in the crafting menu
Level 07: Chemist – Chems’ effects become increasingly longer with each rank
Level 08: Robotics Expert – Allows you to hack robots to disable or control them
Level 09: Nuclear Physicist – Inflict increasingly more damage with radiation weapons, have longer lasting Fusion Cores and eject Fusion Cores like grenades
Level 10: Nerd Rage! – When you go under 20 per cent health, time slows and you inflict more damage and are resistant to incoming attacks

Agility perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: Gunslinger – Each rank unlocks additional damage and abilities for non-automatic pistols
Level 02: Commando – Deliver more damage and have increased accuracy with automatic weapons
Level 03: Sneak – Become stealthier with each rank and gain the ability to bypass traps as well as run silently
Level 04: Mister Sandman – Suppressed weapons deliver more damage with each rank
Level 05: Action Girl/Boy – Your Action Points regenerate faster with each rank
Level 06: Moving Target – Take less damage and increase Energy Resistance with each rank
Level 07: Ninja – Attacks when sneaking or with melee weapons cause more damage with each rank
Level 08: Quick Hands – Reloading becomes faster and uses no Action Points in VATS
Level 09: Blitz – Melee distance in VATS becomes increased with each rank
Level 10: Gun Fu – Do increasingly more damage to each subsequent target in VATS

Luck perks in Fallout 4

Level 01: Fortune Finder – Come across more caps in containers and even have enemies explode into a shower of them
Level 02: Scrounger – Find more ammunition in containers and even at the end of your weapon’s magazine at times
Level 03: Bloody Mess – Deal more damage with each rank and enemies may explode upon death
Level 04: Mysterious Stranger – Have the Mysterious Stranger appear more often in VATS
Level 05: Idiot Savant – Gain up to 5x more XP randomly for actions. A lower Intelligence increases your chances
Level 06: Better Criticals – Critical hits will do more damage with each rank
Level 07: Critical Banker – Critical hits can be to be used in VATS
Level 08: Grim Reaper’s Sprint – Kills in VATS can restore Action Points
Level 09: Four Leaf Clover – Hits in VATS can restore your critical hit meter
Level 10: Ricochet – Ranged attacks from opponents can loop around and kill them instead

Read more on Fallout:

Fallout games in order - best place to start
Best Fallout 4 mods - and how to use them
Fallout 4 cheats - the full list
When is Fallout 4 set? Timeline explained
Is Fallout 76 cross-platform?
How to get Fallout 76 free - Prime Gaming deal
Fallout: New Vegas cheats
Fallout: New Vegas explained - how will TV address it?
Fallout London release date - latest news
Will there be a Fallout 3 Remastered? What we know
Fallout 3 cheats
Fallout 5 release date speculation
Fallout season 2 - will the TV show continue?
Fallout 4 power armour - where to get it
Fallout 4 trophies and achievements guide
Fallout 4 registration form - top tips and best builds
Fallout 4 canon ending - did TV confirm it?
How to scrap junk in Fallout 4
How to wait in Fallout 4
Hack your game of choice with Fallout 4 mods, Fallout 76 mods or Fallout: New Vegas mods

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Cole Luke

Cole LukeFreelance Writer

Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.