Highlights
- Fallout 4 offers the freedom to choose perks and specializations, allowing you to create unique and powerful characters.
- The Hacker and Locksmith perks grant early access to valuable loot, making them worthwhile choices if you prioritize looting.
- Perks like Gun Nut, Blitz, and Sneak enhance combat abilities for different playstyles, offering options if you prefer different approaches to combat.
Its immersive post-apocalyptic world aside, Fallout 4 is one of the best games to create original characters. Unlike many other titles that have objectively powerful common builds, Fallout 4 gives you the freedom to pick between different perks and specializations.
Although it's recommended to try different builds and complete the game several times to get the full experience, there are a few perks that can give your character a powerful edge that might be worth exploring to build your ultimate hero of the post-nuclear wasteland.
Updated on August 10th, 2023 by Andrew Scariati: Fallout 4 perks can be applied from a variety of sources ranging from temporary magazine increases to permanent S.P.E.C.I.A.L. perks. Some of Fallout 4's best perks were introduced later with its DLCs, particularly Nuka World, which featured over ten new options.
Whether you're looking to improve your aim or you need a little help from a stranger in combat, these are some of the best perks in Fallout 4.
16 Hacker & Locksmith
These two perks may not be unique, but they will come in handy in the long run depending on whether you choose a computer-whiz companion to join you. If you know your friend will possess one of these skills, pick others instead.
These two perks allow you access to terminals and safe boxes early on in the game, which may have important or valuable loot. If you're one to go around looting and gathering everything you can, these are worth considering.
15 Gun Nut
Fallout 4 has three different kinds of perks that will boost your weapon damage for either melee weapons, firearms, or energy weapons. For anyone starting their first adventure – Gun Nut is the ideal pick, as it increases Small Gun and Repair proficiency by five with each upgrade.
It's a great basic perk to invest in and is without a doubt a staple selection in the game. However, if you want to spice things up, then challenge yourself with a melee build using the Blacksmith perk or an energy build with the Science! perk.
14 Blitz
Whoever said Fallout 4 can't be beaten with close combat? For any melee lovers out there wanting to finish the game with short-range weapons only, this perk will be a must-pick due to how overpowered it can be.
Blitz allows you to quickly close the distance between you and your enemies, as long as you have a way of walking up to your opponent. As you level up this perk, you'll also receive a damage boost to your melee attack in Blitz, calculated by the distance you're closing.
13 Sneak
Depending on your character build, Sneak is also a good option for those wanting to get around their enemies and set up close-range attacks. You start this tree with a 20 percent bonus to your sneaking, which increases by ten with each level-up of this perk.
There are lots of other abilities that work well when paired with Sneak, including high agility and Stealth Boy, perfect for turning your hero into a silent killer. Enjoy roleplaying as a deadly assassin of the Wasteland.
12 Mysterious Stranger*
The Mysterious Stranger perk is a classic in the series and a powerful option to select once again via the Nuka World DLC. As one of the best perks Fallout 4 has to offer, the Mysterious Stranger will be there for you when you're in dire need, randomly appearing mid-combat.
When you unlock the max rank that becomes available at level 49, there is a high chance your critical meter will be filled when the Mysterious Stranger gets a kill.
Regardless of how many hours you've played, every encounter with the Mysterious Stranger is a memorable moment in your Fallout journey.
11 Scrounger
When it comes to surviving in the wasteland, loot is one of the most important things to keep the Sole Survivor going. Especially at higher difficulty levels, it's crucial to find powerful gear and gain every advantage you can get when it comes to luck.
This is where the Scrounger perk comes into play.
Thanks to this perk, the Sole Survivor will find more ammo when looting desks and boxes and the like. At each level, the likelihood goes up, until it gets to 100 percent at rank three. At rank four, emptying a gun will allow you to reload an extra magazine, which is even more handy.
10 Toughness
Any perk that boosts your character's ability to survive is always a bonus, which is why Toughness is among the very best perks in Fallout 4. When first unlocked, you receive a ten percent resistance to all damage with an additional ten for each level.
Toughness is a good general addition for any character but will be especially useful if you've chosen to wear Light Armor and need a little bit of extra defense to get through your battles.
9 Critical Banker
If you love critical hits then this perk – allowing you to store critical hits for a later time – is going to be your best friend. On the first tier, you start off with one hit stored in the "bank" and as you progress you unlock additional slots for your critical hits.
Once Critical Banker is fully leveled up you can store up to four critical hits and show those wasteland critters what you're truly made of. If you really want to go the extra mile on this perk, we recommend getting the Far Harbor add-on to unlock your final fifth critical hit.
8 Quick Hands*
Fallout 4 is a pretty fast-paced game, so if you're not careful, a fight against a tough enemy could be over within seconds. This is why it's important to take advantage of your arsenal with useful perks like Quick Hands that assist when things get especially hairy.
Quick Hands essentially lets the Sole Survivor reload their weapon much faster. To unlock the third rank for this perk, the Nuka World expansion is needed. At rank 2, reloading in V.A.T.S. costs no action points, while at rank one the reload time is a whopping 35 percent faster.
7 Four Leaf Clover
Speaking of critical hits, in order to increase your likelihood of getting one, you need some serious luck. Four Leaf Clover increases your critical hit chance by one extra luck point with every unlocked level.
Pair this up with Critical Banker, and you'll be hitting your killing shots and bashing the skulls of your enemies with high damage. Because both of these perks are compatible with just about any build, we highly recommend them to boost the deadliness of your character.
6 Wasteland Whisperer
This perk might raise some eyebrows, but hear us out. While your Fallout 4 journey through the wastelands should be all about strategy and making the right choices, having a bit of fun never hurt anyone.
Next time you're dealing with a group of enemies you can't quite seem to get through, call upon any of the monsters that wander the lands with you to set up the perfect distraction while you prey on your enemy. Besides, who wouldn't want a Super Mutant friend or a tame Deathclaw to tag along?
5 Medic*
When surviving the horrors of the wasteland, it's pretty important to keep an eye on your health. Since Stimpaks aren't super common at higher difficulty levels, it's crucial to get the maximum amount of health from them. This is why the Medic perk is so good, despite sounding so basic.
The perk also affects how much RadAway removes radiation damage, so it's sort of a two-in-one deal. At level one, both items restore 40 percent of missing health and remove 40 percent of radiation damage taken, which is a pretty significant boost.
4 Ghoulish*
Ghouls have some pretty amazing perks. Yes, they've lost their humanity to a degree, but they also don't seem to care about radiation, due to how much it has already altered their bodies and minds. B
The Ghoulish perk allows you to absorb radiation, using it to heal your lost HP rather than reducing your max HP when exposed. Each consecutive rank provides more healing through radiation.
3 Action Boy*
Fallout 4 wouldn't be the same game without V.A.T.S., an essential part of gameplay that allows the Sole Survivor to do so much more in a short amount of time. From critical hits to examining enemies, V.A.T.S. has many advantages when the right perks are unlocked. Action Boy is one of them.
Since using V.A.T.S. requires action points, a perk like Action Boy is pretty much vital for any V.A.T.S. heavy builds. With each rank the regeneration percentage is higher, capping at rank three, at 75 percent. This max upgrade is only available in the Far Harbor DLC.
2 Idiot Savant
You don't have to be smart to succeed, that much is certain in Fallout 4 thanks to the Idiot Savant perk. Sure, your character might be laughably dumb, but at the end of the day, you'll be the one to collect all the experience points to level yourself up into the strongest and dumbest survivor of the wastelands.
At level one, you can gain up to three times the XP you would normally gain from any action. If your intelligence is particularly low, the chance of this happening becomes increasingly higher.
1 Rifleman*
Rifles are undoubtedly one of the most common and most powerful weapons in Fallout 4. With that in mind, what better perk to choose for your build than Rifleman?
The bonuses with each level are remarkable, starting with a 20 percent damage increase at level one and going up by twenty percent for each additional level.
At level four you also gain a slim chance of crippling the body part of the enemy you've hit. All rifles, muskets, and shotguns are affected by this perk, so if you prefer engaging your opponents from afar and dealing serious damage, this is an obvious pick.