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There is no level cap in Fallout 4 so you’ll eventually get all the perks you want and allocate as many points in your SPECIAL. However, at that point, you probably won’t have much to do in-game. Most players also finish the game (side quests included) at around level 50-70. Hence, being wise with your perks in Fallout 4 means you get to experience the game more optimally, especially since you can’t re-spec (in consoles, at least).
These are the perks in Fallout 4 I recommend for a good combination of fun and accessibility, ranked from least recommended to most.
10. Science!
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intelligence – 6 | Take full advantage of advanced technology with access to base level and Rank 1 high-tech mods. |
| 2 | Level 17 Intelligence – 6 | You gain access to Rank 2 high-tech mods. |
| 3 | Level 28 Intelligence – 6 | You gain access to Rank 3 high-tech mods. |
| 4 | Level 41 Intelligence – 6 | You gain access to Rank 4 high-tech mods. |
Being a McGuyver scientist in Fallout 4 isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be since playstyles are optional, and you might not even prefer Energy weapons. Energy weapons benefit the most from this.
But a few outliers such as Power Armor and the Power Armor Jetpack, especially, need this perk. So if you have a certain playstyle in mind (Power Armor + Energy weapon), then this mod is a must-have. Besides, it’s great for roleplaying as a nerd who uses brains instead of brawn to get by. I imagine it must be a hassle to hoard Fusion Cores, however.
9. Lone Wanderer
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charisma – 3 | Who needs friends, anyway? When adventuring without a companion, you take 15% less damage and carry weight increases by 50. |
| 2 | Level 17 Charisma – 6 | When adventuring without a companion, you take 30% less damage and carry weight increases by 100 |
| 3 | Level 40 Charisma – 6 | When adventuring without a companion, you do 25% more damage. |
| 4 | Level 50 Charisma – 6 | When adventuring without a companion, you have 25 more action points. |
The benefits are huge and rather significant, but you’ll be giving up the prospect of companions– talking companions. And the only companion you can take hereafter without disabling this perk’s effects is Dogmeat.
In any case, if you find companions bothersome since they keep blocking your way in tight corridors, this is worth considering. It’s a shame the damage bonus kicks in somewhat late, however. But at least Dogmeat is there to help distract enemies. The added carry weight is also a big deal when keeping backup weapons.
8. Better Criticals
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luck – 6 | Advanced training for enhanced combat effectiveness! Criticals do 50% more extra damage. |
| 2 | Level 15 Luck – 6 | Your criticals now do twice as much extra damage. |
| 3 | Level 40 Luck – 6 | Your criticals now do 2.5x as much extra damage. |
If you only have room for one critical perk, then I recommend Better Criticals since there’s a complimentary perk below that will let you take advantage of it. This perk goes hand in hand and works well for fully automatic weapons and those with fast fire rates.
It also works great for melee weapons, especially the fast ones. If you have More Criticals, you can also forego some of the perks like Scrounger, as you’re usually going to need less ammunition if you’re lucky enough (which you will be thanks to the next perk…
7. Critical Banker
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luck – 7 | You’re a patient battlefield tactician, and can save a Critical Hit, to be used in V.A.T.S. when you need it most. |
| 2 | Level 15 Luck – 7 | You can now save 2 Critical Hits, to be used in V.A.T.S. when you need them the most. |
| 3 | Level 43 Luck – 7 | You can now save 3 Critical Hits, to be used in V.A.T.S. when you need them the most. Banking a Critical has a 5% chance to save an additional Critical. |
| 4 | Level 50 Luck – 7 | You can now save 4 Critical Hits, to be used in V.A.T.S. when you need them the most. |
This is why you’ll want to take the Better Criticals perk above. The Critical Banker is practically a critical hit on demand (if you have enough restraint to not use it in every encounter). It’s best to reserve it for the toughest Legendary enemies or bosses in the Commonwealth wasteland.
Critical Banker is also one of the handiest perks in Fallout 4 and can save you in a pinch, especially if you’re low on health and the only option left is to go all out in VATS. Paired with Better Criticals, you can both deal more damage while saving up your banked critical hits.
6. Gun Nut
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intelligence – 3 | You gain access to base level and Rank 1 gun mods |
| 2 | Level 13 Intelligence – 3 | You gain access to Rank 2 gun mods |
| 3 | Level 25 Intelligence – 3 | You gain access to Rank 3 gun mods |
| 4 | Level 39 Intelligence – 3 | You gain access to Rank 4 gun mods |
All those critical perks wouldn’t be worth much if your weapons were not up to par. That’s why the Gun Nut perk is somewhat mandatory for any gunslinger out there. With this perk, you’re no longer at the mercy of vendors and scavenging when it comes to upgrades and increasing your gun’s usability.
That translates to saved bottlecaps. Moreover, the bar of entry is low enough for this mod, and you get to max it out long before you reach level 50. Simply being able to put a scope on any weapon opens up your playstyles, and being able to use Legendary mods is quite satisfying.
5. Scrapper
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intelligence – 5 | Waste not, want not! You can salvage uncommon components like screws, aluminum, and copper when scrapping weapons and armor. |
| 2 | Level 23 Intelligence – 5 | You can salvage rare components like circuitry, nuclear material, and fiber optics when scrapping weapons and armor. Items with favorited components are highlighted |
| 3 | Level 40 Intelligence – 5 | You get more from salvaging. |
You can stop at Rank 2 for the Scrapper perk, as it’s already good at that point. It’s a convenient perk all around since it lessens your dependence on luck and looting. You also can craft your gun mods right away, depending on how diligently you collect and salvage junk items.
Some rare components like nuclear material are even important for crafting scopes. And regardless of whether you took Science! or Gun Nut, the Scrapper will work well. Besides, you’re already looting compulsively in Fallout 4 anyway; this perk makes it more worth it.
4. Ghoulish
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Endurance – 9 | Sure, you’re still human – on the outside! Radiation now regenerates your lost Health. |
| 2 | Level 24 Endurance – 9 | Radiation now regenerates even more of your lost Health. |
| 3 | Level 48 Endurance – 9 | Radiation now regenerates even more of your lost Health, and some Feral Ghouls will randomly become friendly. |
| 4 | Level 50 Endurance – 9 | Rad damage will now begin to slowly heal, restoring health in the process. |
Let’s get one thing straight, I hate that red radiation debuff; no one likes that red radiation debuff. It’s annoying and makes you waste RadAway, no matter how careful you are. If you’ve finally had it with the radiation mechanic, the Ghoulish perk should be your go-to.
You have to be level 50 to fully eliminate rad damage, but the earlier perk effects are still nice to have. I don’t recommend taking this too early, of course. It’s something you might want to reserve for when you’re cruising from level 40 to 50. Otherwise, you might have difficulty farming Feral Ghouls for XP.
3. Idiot Savant
| Rank | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luck – 5 | You’re not stupid! Just… different. Randomly receive 3x XP from any action, and the lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance. |
| 2 | Level 11 Luck – 5 | You now randomly receive 5x XP from any action. The lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance. |
| 3 | Level 34 Luck – 5 | 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. |
Speaking of leveling up and XP, Idiot Savant is one of the best perks in Fallout 4 for that kind of activity. You can even stop at the first Rank as it has a low bar of entry. Once you have it, you can just seek out Legendary enemies all over Boston and hopefully trigger this perk.
More than anything, it should help you acquire all those perk ranks much faster, depending on what you’re doing. Getting to max out Idiot Savant pretty early is also quite a thoughtful balancing choice. Be sure to claim it even if you have high Intelligence.
2. Hacker & Locksmith
| Rank | Requirements | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intelligence – 5 | Knowledge of cutting-edge computer encryption allows you to hack Advanced terminals. |
| 2 | Level 9 Intelligence – 5 | You can hack Expert terminals. |
| 3 | Level 21 Intelligence – 5 | You can hack Master terminals. |
| 4 | Level 33 Intelligence – 5 | When hacking, you never get locked out of a terminal when things go wrong. |
| Rank | Requirements | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perception – 4 | Your nimble fingers allow you to pick advanced locks. |
| 2 | Level 7 Perception – 4 | You can hack Expert locks. |
| 3 | Level 18 Perception – 4 | You can hack Master locks. |
| 4 | Level 41 Perception – 4 | Your bobby pins never break during lockpicking. |
If you have to pick only one, make sure to go for Locksmith, as it’s less of a pain to pick locks compared to hacking terminals in Fallout 4. But really, you can’t go wrong with both. Being able to simply go anywhere without any technical obstruction makes for a smoother wasteland exploration.
You might even get to unlock weapons and certain rare items early on. For priorities, Rank 4 in Hacker is simply better than Rank 4 in Locksmith as you can just collect an unlimited supply of Bobby Pins for the latter.
1. Your Weapon Perk of Choice
Last but not least, pick one or two perks for your favorite weapon type. These are your choices:
- Gunslinger (non-auto pistols)
- Commando (auto weapons)
- Rifleman (non-auto rifles)
- Ninja (melee sneak damage)
- Mister Sandman (silenced weapons)
- Iron Fist (unarmed)
- Big Leagues (melee)
Generally, fully automatic weapons feel better to use with the critical perks we picked above, but it’s up to you which weapons you like. The main activity you’ll be doing in Fallout 4 is usually murdering hordes of miscreants all over the wasteland, and ensuring your weapon of choice is at peak performance is always a must.
