Fallout 4 overhauled the franchise's RPG mechanics by merging perks with the skills system. Knowing the perks and what they do is vital to building your character. When I played the game blind, I had to discover which ones were relevant to get my character to where I wanted them to be. This guide will cover all the perks in Fallout 4 and what they do.
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All Perks in Fallout 4, listed
In this guide, we will list all Fallout 4 Perks in a chart, sorted by their relevant stat. The perk system does not strictly follow the traditional skill tree-type progression, which we all know from classic RPG games. Instead, it allows us to select any perk in any order as long as its base SPECIAL requirement is met. Note that only the base game perks are in this list; we didn't include any perks that modding Fallout 4 may give.
Agility Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Action Boy/Action Girl | AGI 5 | There's no time to waste! Action Points regenerate 25% faster. |
| Blitz | AGI 9 | Find the gap and make the tackle! V.A.T.S. melee distance is increased significantly. |
| Commando | AGI 2 | Rigorous combat training means automatic weapons do 20% more damage |
| Gun Fu | AGI 10 | You've learned to apply ancient martial arts to gunplay! Do 25% more damage to your second V.A.T.S. target and beyond. |
| Gunslinger | AGI 1 | Channel the spirit of the old west! Non-automatic pistols do 20% more damage. |
| Mister Sandman | AGI 4 | As an agent of death, you can instantly kill a sleeping person. Your silenced weapons do an additional 15% sneak attack damage. |
| Moving Target | AGI 6 | They can't hurt what they can't hit! Get 25+ Damage Resistance and 25+ Energy Resistance when you're sprinting. |
| Ninja | AGI 7 | Trained as a shadow warrior, your ranged sneak attack do 2.5x normal damage and your melee attacks do 4x normal damage. |
| Quick Hands | AGI 8 | In combat, there's no time to hesitate. You can reload all guns faster. |
| Sneak | AGI 3 | You are now 30% harder to detect while sneaking, and no longer trigger floor-based traps. |
Related: How to Wait in Fallout 4
Charisma Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Friend | CHR 5 | Commune with beasts! With your gun, aim at any animal below your level and gain a chance to pacify it. |
| Attack Dog | CHR 4 | Your faithful canine companion can hold an enemy, giving you a greater chance to hit them in V.A.T.S. |
| Black Widow / Lady Killer | CHR 2 | You're charming… and dangerous. Men/Women suffer +5% damage in combat, and are easier to persuade in dialogue. |
| Cap Collector | CHR 1 | You've mastered the art of the deal! Buying and selling prices at vendors are better. |
| Inspirational | CHR 8 | Because you lead by example, your companion does more damage in combat, and cannot hurt you. |
| Intimidation | CHR 10 | Time to show everyone who's boss! With your gun, aim at any human opponent below your level and gain a chance to pacify them. |
| Local Leader | CHR 6 | As the ruler everyone turns to, you are able to establish supply lines between your workshop settlements. |
| Lone Wanderer | CHR 3 | When adventuring without a companion, you take 30% less damage and carry weight increases by 100 |
| Party Boy/Party Girl | CHR 7 | Nobody has a good time like you! There's no chance you'll get addicted to alcohol. |
| Wasteland Whisperer | CHR 9 | Master the post-apocalypse! With your gun, aim at any Wasteland creature below your level and gain a chance to pacify it. |
Endurance Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adamantium Skeleton | END 7 | Your skeleton has been infused with indestructible metal, reducing limb damage by 30%. |
| Aquaboy/Aquagirl | END 5 | Water is your ally. You no longer take radiation damage from swimming, and can breathe underwater. |
| Toughness | END 1 | If nothing else, you can take a beating! Instantly gain +10 damage resistance. |
| Cannibal | END 8 | Feast on mortal flesh to heal your wounds! Eating human corpses restores Health. |
| Chem Resistant | END 4 | All the rush without the hassle! You're 50% less likely to get addicted when consuming Chems. |
| Ghoulish | END 9 | Sure, you're still human - on the outside! Radiation now regenerates your lost Health. |
| Lead Belly | END 2 | Your digestive tract has adjusted to the weirdness of the Wasteland! Take less radiation from eating or drinking. |
| Lifegiver | END 3 | You embody wellness! Instantly gain +20 maximum Health. |
| Rad Resistant | END 4 | All the rush without the hassle! You're 50% less likely to get addicted when consuming Chems |
| Solar Powered | END 10 | Catch some rays! Gain +2 to Strength and Endurance between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. |
Intelligence Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chemist | INT 7 | Any chems you take last 50% longer. Far out. |
| Gun Nut | INT 3 | Shoot first, kill first, with access to base level and Rank 1 gun mods. |
| Hacker | INT 4 | Knowledge of cutting-edge computer encryption allows you to hack Advanced terminals |
| Medic | INT 2 | Is there a doctor in the house? Stimpaks restore 40% of lost Health, and RadAway removes 40% of radiation. |
| Nerd Rage | INT 10 | 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. |
| Nuclear Physicist | INT 9 | You've learned to split the atom… and command it. Radiation weapons do 50% more damage and Fusion Cores last an extra 25% longer. |
| Robotics Expert | INT 8 | 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 initiate a self-destruct. |
| Science | INT 6 | Take full advantage of advanced technology with access to base level and Rank 1 high-tech mods. |
| Scrapper | INT 5 | Waste not, want not! You can salvage uncommon components like screws, aluminum, and copper when scrapping weapons and armor. |
| VANS | INT 1 | Let Vault-Tec guide you! The path to your closest quest target is displayed in V.A.T.S. |
Luck Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Better Criticals | LCK 6 | Advanced training for enhanced combat effectiveness! Criticals do 50% more extra damage. |
| Bloody Mess | LCK 3 | +5% bonus damage means enemies will sometimes explode into a gory red paste. Watch out for flying eyeballs! |
| Critical Banker | LCK 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. |
| Fortune Finder | LCK 1 | You've learned to discover the Wasteland's hidden wealth, and discover more bottle caps in containers. |
| Four Leaf Clover | LCK 9 | Feeling Lucky? You should! Each hit in V.A.T.S. has a chance of filling your Critical meter. |
| Grim Reaper's Sprint | LCK 8 | Death becomes you! Any kill in V.A.T.S. has a 15% chance to restore all Action Points. |
| Idiot Savant | LCK 5 | You're not stupid! Just… different. Randomly receive 3x XP from any action, and the lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance. |
| Mysterious Stranger | LCK 4 | Who is he? Why does he help? Who cares! The Mysterious Stranger will appear occasionally in V.A.T.S. to lend a hand, with deadly efficiency… |
| Ricochet | LCK 10 | What goes around comes around! Any enemy's ranged attacks will sometimes ricochet back and instantly kill them. The closer you are to death, the higher the chance. |
| Scrounger | LCK 2 | You know just how to scavenge to keep the fight going, and find more ammunition in containers. |
Related: Best Weapon Mods in Fallout 4
Perception Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | PER 3 | To defeat your enemies, know their weaknesses! You can view a target's specific damage resistances in V.A.T.S. |
| Concentrated Fire | PER 10 | Stay Focused! In V.A.T.S every attack on the same body part gains +10% accuracy. |
| Demolition Expert | PER 5 | The bigger the boom, the better! Your explosives do 25% more damage, and you can craft explosives at any chemistry station. |
| Locksmith | PER 4 | Your nimble fingers allow you to pick Advanced locks. |
| Night Person | PER 6 | 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. |
| Penetrator | PER 9 | There's no place to hide! In V.A.T.S you can target an enemy's body parts that are blocked by cover, with a decrease in accuracy. |
| Pickpocket | PER 1 | Your quick hands and sticky fingers make picking pockets 25% easier. |
| Refractor | PER 7 | You must be part mirror! Instantly gain +10 Energy Resistance. |
| Rifleman | PER 2 | Keep your distance long and your kill-count high. Attacks with non-automatic rifles do 20% more damage. |
| Sniper | PER 8 | It's all about focus. You have improved control and can hold your breath longer when aiming with scopes. |
Strength Perks
| Name | Attribute Rank | Base Perk Description |
|---|---|---|
| Armorer | STR 3 | Protect yourself from the dangers of the Wasteland with access to base level and Rank 1 armor mods. |
| Basher | STR 8 | Get up close and personal! Gun bashing does 25% more damage. |
| Big Leagues | STR 2 | Swing for the fences! Do 20% more melee weapon damage. |
| Blacksmith | STR 4 | Fire up the forge and gain access to base level and Rank 1 melee weapon mods. |
| Heavy Gunner | STR 5 | Thanks to practice and conditioning, heavy guns do 20% more damage. |
| Iron Fist | STR 1 | Channel your chi to unleash devastating fury! Punching attacks do 20% more damage to your opponent. |
| Pain Train | STR 10 | Choo Choo! All aboard! While wearing Power Armor, sprinting into enemies hurts and staggers them. (Robots and oversized enemies are immune to the stagger.) |
| Rooted | STR 9 | You're part tree! While standing still, you gain +25 Damage Resistance and your melee and unarmed attacks deal 25% more damage. |
| Steady Aim | STR 7 | Stay on target! Hip-fire accuracy is improved when firing any gun. |
| Strong Back | STR 6 | What are you, part pack mule? Gain +25 to carry weight |
For more information on Fallout, check out How to mod Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 76 Nuke Codes This Week on Pro Game Guides.
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Published: Jun 19, 2023 07:33 am