Perks
Every two levels, you get to choose one of these fine perks to add to your cowboy. With the way things are, it is a very good idea to look over this list and decide which ones to take at what level. You will find there is very little slack or room for just taking perks in this game. After the name of the Perk, any skills or SPECIAL listed are the requirement to obtain the Perk as well as the max rank (where applicable).
Due
to the volume of perks, this will be updated daily until all the perks
are listed.
Level 2
Confirmed Bachelor
(Male)/Cherchez La Femme (Female)
You do an extra 10% damage against members of the same sex. When talking with
people, it will give you unique dialogue options when talking with people of the same sex.
Intense Training - Ranks: 10
For each of the 10 ranks you can take you can assign another point to a SPECIAL stat. This is very helpful for those Stats that you want to get up to max
rank but did not have the points to do it
initially.
Lady Killer (Male)/Black Widow
(Female)
You do an extra 10% damage against members of the
opposite sex. When talking with people, it will give you unique dialogue options when talking with people
of the opposite sex.
Rapid Reload - Guns 30,
Agility 5
Decreases Reload time on all weapons by
25%
Retention - Int 5
This increases the
length of time that you gain the boost from Skill
Magazines.
Swift Learner - Int 4, Ranks
3
For each rank of this Perk, you will gain an extra 10% experience each time you gain some. There is no need to rush the game, so unless you have slots
to burn and absolutely nothing else to take, then take
this.
Rank 1 - 10%
Rank 2 - 20%
Rank 3 -
30%
Friend of the Night - Sneak 30, Per
6
Your eyes will more quickly adapt to low-light
conditions.
Heave, Ho! - Explosives 30, Str
5
It increases the distance that you throw weapons, items,
grenades, spears, etc.
Hunter - Survival
30
It increases the damage that you do to animals and mutated
animals by 75%.
Level
4
Cannibal
While crouching you are given the option
to eat the corpses of the deceased. This will negatively influence your
karma and if someone sees you do so they consider it a crime against
nature. Very handy if desperate for food or just creative about
it.
Comprehension - Int 4
You gain
double the bonus from skill magazines and an extra point from skill
books! Do not read any books until you get this perk to maximize the
benefits of them.
Educated - Int
4
Take this perk
ASAP! You gain 2 extra skill points every time you level
up. The longer you wait to take it, the more skill points you've missed
out on. Combine with a high intelligence and you will want for nothing
in regards to skill points (especially supplemented with
books).
Entomologist - Survival 45, Int
4
Increases damage done to mutated insects by
50%.
Rad Child - Survival 70
As you
progress deeper and deeper into radiation sickness, you regenerate more
health.
Run 'n Gun - Guns 45 or Energy Weapons
45
Reduces accuracy penalties while moving and firing one
handed guns and energy weapons.
Travel Light -
Survival 45
While wearing Light or No Armor, you move 10%
faster. Sure you can hot key something for combat and something for
travel, but it's not the most useful perk. Also, having some heavier
armor on is better just to improve your ability to survival in
fights.
Level 6
Bloody
Mess
You are MUCH more likely to see heads explode with this
perk. You also do an extra 5% damage with ALL
weapons.
Demolition Expert - Explosives
50
All your explosive weapons do an extra 20%
damage.
Ferocious Loyalty - Cha 6
When
you drop to 50% or less health, your followers gain more Damage
Resistance.
Fortune Finder - Lck 5
You
will find roughly twice as many caps while searching or looting. There
are better things to
get.
Gunslinger
Using Single handed
weapons in VATS has greatly increased
accuracy.
Hand Loader
You are more
likely to recover cases and hulls while using guns. You also unlock all
recipes for ammunition at the reloading
bench.
Lead Belly - Survival 40 or End
5
You take 50% less radiation from irradiated food and
drink.
Shotgun Surgeon - Guns 45
While
using Shotguns, you ignore 10 addition points of Damage Threshold. This
stacks with anything from your ammo too.
The
Professional - Sneak 70
Your Sneak Attack Criticals using
Guns or Energy Weapons do an additional 20%
damage.
Toughness - End 5 Ranks: 2
With
each rank of this perk you gain +3 to your Damage
Threshold.
Vigilant Recycler - Science
70
You are more likely to recover drainer cells when using
Energy Weapons. You will also unlock more efficient recipes through the
Reloading Bench.
Level
8
Commando
While using Rifles (and similar two
handed weapons) you get a significant boost to accuracy in VATS. You
gain an additional 25% accuracy to your base
accuracy.
Cowboy - Guns 45, Melee 45
You
do an extra 25% using any Revolver, Lever-action firearm, dynamite,
knife or hatchet. Look into the weapons you use the most. If one of
these is on that list, you may want this
perk
Living Anatomy - Medicine 70
Allows
you to see the damage threshold and health of any target. This perk
also grants an extra 5% damage against Humans and nonferal
Ghouls.
Pack Rat -Int 5 Barter 70
Items
that weigh 2 pounds or less weigh only half as much for you.
Quick Draw
- Agl 5
You draw and holster all your weapons 50% faster.
Useful if you change weapons a lot during
combat.
Rad Resistance - End 5 Survival
40
This perk grants you an extra 25% rad
resistance.
Scrounger - Lck 5
You find
considerably more ammunition.
Stonewall - End 6,
Str 6
You gain a +5 to your damage threshold against Melee
attacks and cannot be knocked down.
Strong Back -
Str 5, End 5
Carry an extra 50 pounds of
stuff.
Super Slam - Str 6, Melee 45
All
your Unarmed and Melee attacks have a chance to knock down
foes
Terrifying Presence - Speech 70
You
gain the ability to start combat while terrifying a mob of
opponents.
Level 10
Animal Friend - Cha
6, Survival 45 Ranks: 2
The first rank of this perk, animals
will not attack you unless you attack them first. With the second rank,
they will come to your aid, except against other
animals.
Finesse
You gain the equivalent
of 5 extra points of luck in combat for your chances of getting a
critical hit.
Here and Now
You get
another level, here and now, with all the benefits that come with it.
Seriously, why? All you need to do is kill/do things until you level
again. There is no reason to take this one.
Math
Wrath - Science 70
This perk reduces the AP cost of all
attacks through VATS by 10%. If you use VATS a lot, this is a must
have.
Miss Fortune - Lck 6
When you VATS
you have a 10% chance to encounter Miss Fortune. She will sweep in and
do one of a number of things to your opponent:
35% -
Knockdown
30% - Weapon flies out of their hands
35%
- Random limb is cripple (if already crippled, it will reroll and
choose another)
Limbs - Head 10%, Left Arm 15%, Right Arm
15%, Left Leg 15%, Right Leg 15%, Torso 30%
Mister
Sandman - Sneak 60
You get extra experience for sneaking in
and killing people in their sleep. Handy if your evil, want to keep a
reputation intact (but someone just has to die) or on a quest to kill
someone.
Mysterious Stranger - Lck
6
Appearing only through VATS, this person will come when
particular conditions are met. The opponent must have 150 or less HP at
the end of a VATS attack. There is a 10% chance that he will appear and
just blow their head off.
Nerd Rage! - Int 5,
Science 50
When your health drops below 20% your strength is
raised to 10 and you gain a +15 to your damage
threshold.
Night Person
Between the
hours of 6 pm and 6 am, your character will gain a +2 to Perception and
Intelligence. This is effective if you are inside or
outside.
Plasma Spaz - Energy Weapons
70
The AP cost of using Plasma Weapons (including Plasma
Grenades) is reduced by 10%.
Level 12
Fast
Metabolism
You get an extra 20% HP from using
Stimpaks.
Ghastly Scavenger -
Cannibal
While in sneak mode, your menu is expanded to
include super mutants and feral ghouls. Again, the whole crime against
nature and negative karma.
Hit The Deck -
Explosives 70
Your damage threshold is increased by 50%
against explosives, even your own.
Life Giver -
End 6
Get an extra 30 HP. That's it. What's to complain
about?
Long Haul - End 6, Barter 70
Even
when over-encumbered, you can fast travel. If you don't use followers,
handy, if not, don't bother.
Piercing Strike -
Unarmed 70
Makes all your unarmed, melee and thrown weapons
negate 15 points of damage threshold. Great if this is your
focus.
Pyromaniac - Explosives 60
With
this, you do an extra 50% damage when using flame based weapons
(Flamer, Shishkebab, etc). Again, if this is your
style.
Robotics Expert - Science 50
You
do an extra 25% damage against robots. If you can sneak up on them, you
can put them into permanent shutdown. Adds some extras for
conversations and quest too. If you like it and have the space, go for
it.
Silent Running - Agl 6, Sneak
50
Running, while in sneak mode, no longer factors into your
successful sneak. Great if this is your
style.
Sniper - Agl 6, Per 6
With this
perk, through VATS, your chances of hitting a target's head are greatly
increased (about 25%). Take this is that is part of your style of
play.
Splash Damage - Explosive 70
All
your explosives have a 25% larger area of effect. Great if you like to
chuck grenades and other explosives and from a
distance.
Unstoppable Force - Str 7, Melee
90
You do a larger amount of additional damage through enemy
blocks. If you are for brawling, if you like to put fists to face, this
is what you want.
Level 14
Adamantium Skeleton
Your limbs only receive 50% damage they normally would.
Center of Mass - Guns 70
In VATS you do an extra 15% damage with attacks that hit the torso. Recommended if you just aim for the middle with VATS and don't bother with the head.
Chemist - Medicine 60
Any chems you take will last twice as long as they would otherwise. If chems are a big part of your combat, take this perk!
Jury Rigging - Repair 90
You can repair any item using something that is roughly similar. This means you can use a Hunting Rifle to repair a Trail Carbine, a Plasma Defender with a Laser Pistol etc. Very handy if you use stuff that needs rare replacement parts.
Light Step - Per 6, Agl 6
You will never set off enemy mines or floor based traps. Handy if you are not too observant about traps or mines or just clumsy in general. That or slow down.
Purifier
You do 50% extra damage with melee and unarmed strikes against Centaurs, Nightstalkers, Spore Plants, Spore Carriers, Deathclaws, Super Mutants and Feral Ghouls. Again, great if this fits into your style of doing things.
Level 16
Action Boy/Girl - Agl 6
Add an extra 15 AP to your VATS. If you use VATS regularly, this is a must-have perk.
Better Criticals - Per 6, Lck 6
You gain a 50% damage bonus to your criticals. Great when combined with things that have a high critical rate, the Finesse perk or high luck.
Chem Resistant - Medicine 60
You are 50% less likely to develop an addiction to chems. Great if you are regularly using Chems and want to avoid some of those Doctors Bills to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms.
Meltdown - Energy Weapons 90
When you kill an enemy with your energy weapons they will let of a corona of harmful energy. This has the potential to set of a chain reaction. Think of it like Bloody Mess, without the damage bonus. Great for wiping out a room of enemies, not so great if there are hostages to be found in the same room.
Tag!
Allows you to tag a fourth skill. This instantly 15 points to any skill. Great if there is a skill you have neglected and you want to raise it up quickly by a tier.
Weapon Handling - Str <10
Strength requirements for weapons are now 2 points lower for you. Remember that you will see a detreminent to your strength, so think about this perk during character creation. It will give you less of a reason to max out strength.
Level 18
Computer Whiz - Int 7, Science 70
Got locked out a computer (or five)? This perk gives you a second chance at those terminals. Great if you misjudged the password on that last attempt and didn't back out of the computer and wait for it to reboot.
Concentrated Fire - Guns 60, Energy Weapons 60
Your accuracy increases with each hit trough VATS. It scales up by 5% each hit. Great when paired with a weapon that does not use much AP. Doesn't mix too well with perks like Commando, Gunslinger or Sniper, as you will likely kill the target before its full effects kick in.
Infiltrator - Per 7, Lockpick 70
You can attempt those locks that you broke one more time. Great if you failed at forcing a lock when you were not as practiced at the mini game.
Paralyzing Palm - Unarmed 70
When using VATS, you have a chance to perform a special palm strike that will paralyze your target for 30 seconds. Unarmed characters, this is a must have perk. Giving you a chance to line up your best attack to kill an opponent.
Level 20
Explorer
Every location on the map is revealed. Great if you don't have a guide or care to wander through all of the desert.
Grim Reaper's Sprint
When you kill a target using VATS, you regain 20 Action Points. Great you are VATS heavy in combat and there are plenty of targets to kill.
Ninja - Melee 80, Sneak 80
You gain the powers of a fabled shadow warrior. When using either melee or unarmed attacks you gain an extra 15% critical chance on every strike. Sneak attacks do an extra 25% damage. This is great if you've been following that route.
Solar Powered - End 7
You will slowly regenerate health when in direct sunlight. You will also gain an extra 2 points of strength. Great if you like to spend the day exploring and the night resting.
