If a trip through the Commonwealth's wasteland is starting to sound boring, it might be high time to try out a brand new character build in Fallout 4. The great thing about this Bethesda masterpiece is that there really isn't any right or wrong way to go about experiencing the story in all of its glory. In fact, players are encouraged to carve their own path.
As a result, the community has come up with a ton of builds that bored players can try. Some builds have simply become popular overtime due to how powerful they are even early on in the game, while others take advantage of some of the more unorthodox aspects of gameplay that few would ever use.
10 Overpowered: The Scientist
One often overlooked aspect of the gameplay is energy weapons. Indeed, many players tend to gravitate towards classic rifles and even heavy weapons, laser rifles and pistols without the much-needed love that they deserve. That's where the Scientist build comes in, however.
The main SPECIAL attribute to focus on is Intelligence, to ensure access to the Science! perk as early as possible to get access to energy weapon mods. The most popular energy weapon tends to be the Gatling laser, so investing in Strength to boost heavy weapons through the Heavy Gunner perk is key as well. The rest is up to the player, but this should lay a solid foundation for the build.
9 Ridiculous: The Charmer
Charisma has often been considered as a useless attribute. It's definitely not an easy build to pull off, and if anything, it's more on the ridiculous side, as it basically involves talking one's way out of trouble and forcing others to do the fighting for them.
Start the game off with as much Charisma as possible, preferably 9 or 10. This allows the player to quickly unlock additional perks like Wasteland Whisperer or Intimidation. Essentially, the player can pacify almost any creature or human, if lucky enough. This build works best with a tanky companion like Paladin Danse who can take on the fight while the player sits back and pokes from a distance with explosives or a pistol.
8 Overpowered: The Gunslinger
Who doesn't love a classic Gunslinger build? It's the original wasteland experience for many players, and involves a good old pistol or rifle depending on the player's preference. It's a versatile build that can adapt to almost any situation and is very forgiving even in the hands of beginners.
Invest in Agility for perks like Gunslinger, Quick Hands and Gun Fu to get maximum value out of each bullet, even against a horde of enemies. Also put points in Luck to get Better Criticals, Critical Banker and Four Leaf Clover, as the Gunslinger build relies heavily on doing as much as possible in V.A.T.S.. Finally, add a few points in Intelligence to unlock Gun Nut to make the best modded weapons.
7 Ridiculous: The Demolitioner
If explosions and booms sound like a fun time, rest assured there's a build for just that in Fallout 4. Utilizing a bunch of heavy weapons such as the Fat Man and the rocket launcher, as well as the various explosives like mines, grenades and Molotov cocktails, this build is all about bringing in the chaos.
What makes it ridiculous is that it can be hard to play in certain combat situations, and many of the heavy weapons require rare ammo. Make sure to invest in Strength to get maximum benefit from the Fat Man and rocket launcher. Then, invest in Perception to max out the Demolition Expert perk, which will make all explosives even deadlier.
6 Overpowered: The Sniper
Deadly and silent, the sniper prefers to take down their foes from afar without ever revealing themselves. They have impeccable aim and are able to cross the terrain without being noticed. In Fallout 4, the sniper build is as popular as it is deadly based on its ability to do so much while keeping the player at a safe distance.
Invest in Perception to unlock Rifleman, Sniper and Penetrator to get maximum benefit from sniper rifles. The second most important is Agility, to unlock Sneak and Ninja for increases stealth and damage during stealth mode. Finally, add in a few for Luck to get Better Criticals to really secure those kills from a distance with massive damage output.
5 Ridiculous: The Barbarian
Melee weapon builds are often the go-to ridiculous meme build in Fallout 4, and for good reason. The game isn't exactly designed in a way that would encourage players to adapt this approach, and it can even become very punishing against long-range high damage enemies.
That said, for those wanting a fun challenge, here's how to make a ridiculous Barbarian build. The most important attribute to invest is Strength, for perks like Iron Fist (unarmed builds only) and Big Leagues (melee weapons only). Also unlock the Armorer and Blacksmith perks to get the best gear and weapon mods for close combat. Rooted is also a great perk when whacking enemies while standing still at close range. Basically, just favor the Strength attribute with this one.
4 Overpowered: The Loner
Showcased heavily in the trailer for the game, the Loner is a strong solo character build that doesn't rely on any of the humanoid companions in the game. In fact, this build centers around having Dogmeat as companion, as well as unlocking the special Lone Wanderer perk.
This build has quite a bit of flexibility to it, since it only centers around one specific Charisma perk, which increases carry weight and damage resistance. So invest in Charisma at the start of the game. Make sure to also unlock Attack Dog, Animal Friend, Wasteland Whisperer and Intimidation in the Charisma tree to help out in the wasteland. After that, it's recommended to go for one of the three gun perks — Rifleman, Gunslinger or Commando — to ensure a decent source of damage.
3 Ridiculous: The Idiot Savant
The Idiot Savant is an iconic yet incredibly silly perk in the game. This build is based around it, and requires the player to have extremely low Intelligence to reap the maximum benefits. The player will be swimming in XP points, but they won't be the sharpest pencil in this case.
The Luck attribute tree is the player's best friend in this build. Unlock Better Criticals, Critical Banker and Four Leaf Clover for incredibly easy fights in V.A.T.S. alone. The choice of weapon is up to the player, but Rifleman and Gunslinger are the two best to choose from.
2 Overpowered: The Tank
There's nothing better than a classic tanky build in Fallout 4. With a trusty power armor, the player will become absolutely unstoppable no matter what they take on. The tank likes to play up close and personal, but also has some ranged heavy weapons to aid them in fights where closing the distance might not be that easy.
Invest in Strength to get Heavy Gunner, Armorer and Pain Train perks. Make sure to also invest in Intelligence to get Gun Nut or Science! depending on any other weapons chosen for the build, but most importantly to get Nuclear Physicist, which will maximize the lifespan of fusion cores.
1 Ridiculous: The Raider
Done with being the good guy? The crazy Raider build might just be the answer. It's the build that goes to the maximum with absolutely everything — and doesn't apologize for it. Chems are extremely useful in this build, and so is the flamethrower, although variants of the build can include other types of weapons, too.
Invest in Intelligence to unlock Chemist for maximum chem boosts, as well as Endurance to unlock Chem Resistant to never have to worry about addiction. Also unlock Cannibal in Endurance for health restoration. To get the most value out of the flamer, unlock Heavy Gunner in Strength and go absolutely ham on enemies.