Fallout 4’s world is an unforgiving place full of dangers. Thus, it’s a good idea to know what you’re doing to stay alive in this hellscape. However, Fallout 4 armor, guns, and companions aren’t enough to survive. You need some advantages, and that’s where the Perks and Perk Chart comes in. We’ll go over what it does, some of the more useful/hilarious perks it has, and how to get all of the game’s perks. Let’s begin.
What Is the Fallout 4 Perk Chart?
The Perk Chart is basically where all the perks that you can get on Fallout 4 can be found. These perks can range from incredibly useful to great in some situations and utterly hilarious. Overall, these perks, in addition to the all-encompassing S.P.E.C.I.A.L. System, are what makes Fallout 4 the game that it is.
How Does the Fallout 4 Perk Chart Work?
The Fallout 4 Perk Chart is where the player can see all of the perks that they’ve gained through their journey. All of the Perks in the Perk Chart fall under one of the stats in the game’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. System. Thus, the player needs to get a prerequisite level to a stat before they can choose and level up a perk under said stat. Some of the perks on the Perk Chart also have a prerequisite level before they can be activated. This means level grinding is a thing and we all have to suffer for it.
For example, a player wants to get the Wasteland Whisperer perk. This perk requires 9 Charisma. This means that if you’ve started from a Charisma stat of 1, you need 8 Perk Points to level up to 9 Charisma. You’ll then need additional perk points to max out the Wasteland Whisperer perk. You’ll then need to be level 21 to upgrade the perk to level 2 and level 49 to get level 3. All in all, pretty annoying, but it does give the player the chance to level other S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats or perks.
How To Access The Fallout 4 Perk Chart?
The Fallout 4 Perk Chart is easily accessed the moment the player obtains and opens their Pip-Boy. Simply bring the Pip-Boy up and go to the perks section, which will then open the Perk Chart.
What Are the Best Fallout 4 Perks?
Now that we know how the Perk Chart works, let’s talk about the best perks you can get in there. We’ll list some perks that help in combat. Some that help in talking to people. A few have weird effects, and two perks in particular will help in exploring Fallout 4’s Wasteland.
Concentrated Fire
Concentrated Fire is a very powerful perk when the user is constantly using VATS due to one reason: Increased accuracy. The more the user is firing at the same body part in the same person, they get an additional 10% accuracy. And that’s just the first rank. On Rank 3, this jumps to 20% and does an additional 20% damage up as well. Overall, a great perk for a VATS user.
The best way to use this perk is to get a gun that doesn’t consume a lot of Action Points. Pistols are the best weapons to use this perk with. Combine this with other perks Better Criticals and Critical Banker and well… Expect to be constantly using VATS to turn any enemy into nothing more than chunky salsa.
Better Criticals
Next is Better Criticals, which means that your critical hits now deal more damage. This… is very dangerous to your enemies, as, with a good weapon and several other perks, your critical hits will completely dumpster anything you’ll encounter in the Nuclear Wasteland. This, combined with the next perk on this list, is a basis for a hilariously overpowered build when done correctly.
Critical Banker
The next perk on the list is Critical Banker, which allows the player to bank their criticals for later use. The critical can then be used on VATS, and Rank 3, the user can save three Criticals, with the added benefit of saving an additional critical. This can lead to some pretty nutty damage being inflicted on a really difficult enemy.
Seriously, the sheer damage that Critical Banker, Better Criticals, and Concentrated Fire can do by themselves is no slouch. Yes, some perks can increase the player’s damage in a more consistent manner (The next perk we’ll talk about discusses this). But these three, combined with perks like Gunslinger/Commando/Heavy Gunner combined with Ninja, and expect your enemies to die before you.
Rifleman
Rifleman is a standard combat perk when compared to the three we’ve already talked about. This perk does three things: increases damage dealt by non-automatic rifles. At least on Rank 1, subsequent ranks add the ability to ignore a portion of an enemy’s armor as well as a chance to cripple limbs. All in all, a good combat perk that combined with the three perks we’ve talked about above, can be a devastating combo.
Intimidation
Intimidation is a pretty standard perk when it comes to dealing with some of the more… cognizant individuals in the Nuclear Wasteland. If you aim your gun at someone, specifically any human/synth/ghoul, there’s a chance that they’ll be pacified if they’re below your current level. Subsequent rank-ups of Intimidation will then allow the player to make them attack other enemies, or give them commands. All told, very cool, and can be useful. However, there’s another perk like this that’s way better, and we’ll talk about that below:
Wasteland Whisperer
Wasteland Whisperer is hilarious as all get out. Why? Because it allows the player to pacify some of the most terrifying of the Wasteland’s beasties by aiming their gun at them. If their level’s high enough, they can even intimidate Deathclaws. Yeah, you heard correctly, Deathclaws. The same creatures that can two shot any low leveled character or enemy. Why this perk was given this overpowered shenanigan, we will never know. But the fact that you can have a pet dDathclaw to sic into your enemies is a huge vibe.
Local Leader
Local Leader is more or less a perk that improves upon the player’s ability to create settlements. With this perk, players can establish supply lines between workshop settlements, allowing them to share inventory and resources. This perk is low-key useful, especially if you’re someone that’s not short on caps, as it allows them to get their gear topped up in any settlement. Overall a great Charisma perk to get, especially if you’ve made settlements throughout the Wasteland.
Inspirational
Inspirational, on the other hand, is related to the player’s current companion. When this is taken, any companion that the player has cannot hurt them by friendly fire, in addition to dealing more damage against your enemies. More benefits will be added the higher its rank goes, giving them increased damage resistance, as well as getting a bigger carrying capacity. An altogether useful Perk if you’re the kind of guy that goes around with a companion kicking ass and taking names.
Hacker
Next is Hacker, a skill that allows the user to get inside those pesky terminals scattered throughout the Nuclear Wasteland. Higher tiers of the Hacker perk will allow the player to hack more difficult terminals. The last rank of Hacker will eventually prevent the player from being locked out when the hacking attempt goes on. This gives the player unlimited tries on Terminal Hacking basically, which is a great thing to have.
Locksmith
Locksmith is the locked chest version of Hacker and is just as good. When picked, it allows the player to lockpick and opens locked lockers, doors, et cetera. Higher ranks of Locksmith can unlock more difficult doors, which is always good for getting into, and outside trouble.
The main draw for Locksmith (and Hacker, which we talked about above), is the fact that it can allow players to obtain great loot. Some of the more powerful weapons and armor in Fallout 4 can only be obtained by lockpicking a chest or hacking a particular computer terminal. All in all, it’s a really good idea to get both Hacker and Locksmith maxed out the moment you unlock them.
Ricochet
Ricochet is weird. No questions asked. Its main shtick? The ability to rebound any ranged attack back to the enemy that fired the shot. This ranged attack will immediately kill them, without fail and without any mercy. All in all, a very niche perk that can activate in opportune moments when the player needs it most. Sometimes.
See, here’s the problem with Ricochet: It rarely activates in the middle of a battle. Some would even say outright that Ricochet is a bad perk to get and will point players to other perks on the Perk Chart. However, for those that want to go for a bit of a meme build and just have a laugh or five, Ricochet is the best thing to get.
Nerd Rage
The next perk on this list is Nerd Rage and yes, that’s the name of the perk, don’t judge. Nerd Rage is a perk that requires 10 Intelligence to get and the effects can be hilariously overpowered if used correctly. When the player’s HP drops to below 20%, the time immediately slows down, you take less damage, and you deal more damage.
Just like Ricochet, Nerd Rage isn’t the usual perk that you get on a base playthrough. There are way better perks out there that help your damage, and there are also items that give the same effect as Nerd Rage without the really dangerous requirements. However, the same deal with Ricochet: If you’re going for a meme build, getting Ricochet might be a great way to pad out the shenanigans your character will deal with.
Idiot Savant
Idiot Savant isn’t your typical perk, but the sheer benefits that it gives to the user outweigh the initial weirdness. Why? Because at Rank 2, it gives a 5x EXP bonus from any action. Normally, this is determined by how low your Intelligence stat is. However, some enterprising Fallout 4 players found that you can still get a whopping 147% EXP bonus with Idiot Savant at Rank 10 Intelligence. This meant that proccing Idiot Savant is still a viable option for leveling up your character and getting perks even if you’re at max Intelligence. Pretty cool if you ask us.
Bloody Mess
Last but not least in this Perk List is Bloody Mess, which is one of the gorier, and hilarious meme perks available in the game. Bloody Mess isn’t your typical perk, and you shouldn’t treat it like one. After all, this perk makes your enemy’s heads or limbs fly off when you kill them. This is a percentage chance of course, and it also gives a good amount of damage amplification. However, the main draw of this perk is the gory limbs and torsos flying off into the sunset.
Now, is this a good perk to get? No. Is this perk hilarious when it activates? Yes. Still, the additional damage amplification is a good enough reason to get Bloody Mess. Just make sure you get perks like Rifleman or Gunslinger first before getting this one.
Can You Get All Perks on Fallout 4?
Now, the big question: Can you get all the perks in Fallout 4? The answer is, surprisingly, yes. See, leveling up gives a player a perk point that they can then invest in the Perk Chart. That’s all well and good, but good luck getting to level 200+ to do it. Overall, getting the Perk Chart filled up is an incredibly painful process when done legitimately, and cheating your way to it is a scummy move.
There are ways to make this torture less painful though. Here are a few tips on what to do to have a relatively smooth time getting all the perks in Fallout 4:
- Don’t max out your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats first: This is important as if you max them out first, you wouldn’t be able to max out other essential perks like Gunslinger or Better Criticals. Best get your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats to that level, then get those Perks to having a smoother time in the grind.
- Always max out Weapon damage perks first: Self-explanatory. Get the perk that corresponds to your weapon preference. Do you like rifles? Get Rifleman. Pistols? Gunslinger, et cetera.
- Lockpick and Hacking are your friends: You want to get that juicy power armor but can’t because of a locked terminal? What about a great weapon locked in a locker stall? Well that’s what Hacking and Lockpicking are for
- Get Gun Nut/Blacksmith and Armorer: Weapon and armor upgrades are key to surviving the Wasteland. Also, get Science for extra spice.
- Cap Collector is awesome: You gotta spend money to get where you want to go after all.
- Local leader: Great for outsourcing your equipment needs. Combined with Cap Collector, this can get a bit insane.
Make Use of Your Fallout 4 Perk Chart Today
In short, Fallout 4’s Perk Chart is a good way to see which perks you have and which ones you don’t have and pick which perks to go for. It’s very easy to use, shows the essentials, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. All told a very useful tool that must be utilized to survive the Nuclear Wasteland.
