Best Perks To Unlock First In Fallout 4

Fallout 4 may have been released in 2015, but some players are still enjoying it to this day, no matter what other games Bethesda has released since then, such as Starfield. Although many players are sure to already have countless hours in the title, others may still be new to Fallout 4 even after eight years of the game being available on a variety of platforms.

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At the start of the game, players are free to select their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes. This defines what perks they can unlock later once they can finally explore the nuclear wasteland. Each Attribute tree has ten possible perks for the player to unlock. These are the skills a player should consider unlocking earlier than the rest.

Updated November 29, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: Fans of Bethesda games who have just played through the Shattered Space expansion of Starfield might want to play something more "down to Earth," and Fallout 4 can take players there quite literally. Although no longer in the space western setup of Starfield, the atompunk post-apocalypse of Fallout 4 is always a refreshing place to enter for fans who just want an open world to explore and a lot of bizarre adventures to encounter.

And for players who want to start a fresh playthrough of the game, perhaps getting into Fallout 4 with the right Perks should be the way to go. Among must-have beginner-friendly Perks include being able to breathe underwater, being able to get more out of their eventual Settlement, and even being able to level up more efficiently.

1 Idiot Savant

Perfect For Silly Builds

• Requires: Luck 5

The concept of a gag build isn't new in Bethesda games, especially in Fallout 4 where crazy stories can also intersect riveting storylines. In the case of Idiot Savant, players can try going all out on their experimental builds - which in this case depends on them getting Luck 5 and lowering their Intelligence as much as possible.

While doing this can result in some hilarious interactions, this detriment can transform into a potential way for characters to become a powerhouse. When they do any action, Idiot Savant can cause characters to earn 3x (or 5x) XP from that action. At max rank, doing so will even trigger an event that lets players earn 3x XP from killing foes for a short while. Players who need a level-up boost can certainly benefit from this skill.

2 Aquaboy/Aquagirl

Breathe Underwater For Extra Exploration

• Requires: Endurance 5

The implication of characters receiving mutations in the Fallout series is nothing new. However, players who want something more bizarre as a character upgrade might want to consider Aquaboy/Aquagirl.

This Perk gives players the ability to completely bypass the Radiation Damage one ordinarily gets when trying to traverse water. Not only that, their first rank allows them to breathe underwater without any repercussions. At maximum rank, being underwater makes players undetectable, making for easy escapes. Players who are into exploration builds should consider getting Aquaboy/Aquagirl for the ease of touring around the game.

3 Lone Wanderer

Traveling Alone Means Being Stronger

• Requires: Charisma 3

While the idea of having Companions can certainly make one's Fallout 4 journey more enjoyable, the game also allows players to travel solo - and Lone Wanderer gives them a worthwhile advantage to consider doing so. Players who want to focus on busting some heads and killing some monsters should get this Perk for its many benefits.

As long as they don't have Companions with them, this Perk gives them -15% Damage taken from all sources and even +50 Carrying Weight, easily allowing them to get more items during exploration and fight with less risk. The higher the Perk level, the less damage players receive and the more Carrying Weight to use. The 3rd and 4th ranks of the Perk even allow players to deal more Damage and use more Action Points, giving them more flexibility in combat.

4 Big Leagues – More Melee Damage

Hitting Harder Sooner Is Vital For Any Melee Build

• Requires: Strength 2

Out of all the attributes players use, strength is just as forgotten as luck is. However, with such an assortment of melee weapons for players to equip, some players may be intrigued about trying out a melee build in Fallout 4.

When focusing on a melee build, taking skills like Big Leagues is one of many ways early into the player's exploration of the commonwealth that they can be sure using baseball bats and police batons will outmatch those that are wielding guns. Being able to hit harder early through an increased buff of damage will mean the player is less likely to be downed by a rifle.

5 Blacksmith – Improved Melee Weapons

Weapon Mods Are Crucial For Damage

• Requires: Strength 4

Alongside doing increased damage with any melee weapon, there are various skills players can unlock that allow them to use the junk they pick up to create upgrades for their weaponry, including melee weapons which can be upgraded with mods built using the Blacksmith skill.

Increasing this skill further in the strength category will see players be able to give their melee weapons all sorts of upgrades that can see them set opponents on fire, or an increased chance of crippling foes. These effects will only become better by putting even more points into Blacksmith and finding the resources needed to make them a reality.

6 Lady Killer / Black Widow – Buffs Against The Opposite Gender

Small Boosts Are Great For Early Game

• Requires: Charisma 2

Charisma is an attribute that players are likely to invest heavily in, mostly due to how it helps with various moments of dialogue in Fallout 4. Investing three skill points in Lady Killer – or Black Widow depending on the gender of the character – can increase the players' chances of not only succeeding in dialogue vs the opposite gender but also deal more damage to them as well.

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This perk also works nicely with others, such as by increasing the amount of perk points the player has in Lady Killer, they will also have an easier time intimidating people, which can cause them to back down from a fight.

7 Chem Resistant – No Longer Be Addicted To Chems

Never Be Afraid To Use Chems Even When Short On Caps

• Requires: Endurance 4

As the name of the perk suggests, players that have at least 4 points in Endurance will be able to start making themselves resistant to the addictive nature of Chems. In a wasteland of a world, players can find nefarious drugs for their character to take that can improve their prowess in combat.

The only issue with taking a lot of chems is becoming addicted to them, which not only reduces how effective they are but also makes the player feel worse without them. With Chem Resistant, players can make it, so they no longer become addicted to it once they have put two perk points into it by level 22.

8 Awareness – Exploit The Weaknesses Of The Enemy

Do The Most Damage Even At The Start Of The Game

• Requires: Perception 3

VATS is a skill in Fallout 4 that allows players to focus on the various parts of an enemy and shoot them. With the Awareness skill, players can now target an enemy's various weaknesses and damage resistance to do the most amount of damage possible.

Awareness originally only had one perk point that could be added to it. However, with the introduction of the Nuka-World DLC, players were able to improve this perception skill a point further at level 14, where they could now do an increased amount of damage and chance of hitting the limb the player had targeted.

9 Cap Collector – There Are Deals To Be Found

Being Able To Sell For A Better Profit Means Money To Play With

• Requires: Charisma 1

Cap Collector only requires a single attribute point in the ever-popular RPG mechanic: Charisma. A player in Fallout 4 will always have the potential to get better deals when talking to merchants. Caps are the vital currency used by all the folks that are currently surviving in Fallout 4 and therefore being able to sell items for more of these is always better.

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Sometimes these merchants even have interesting modifications, weaponry, or armor that a player may wish to purchase. With the Cap Collector perk, these items can be cheaper. Investing more perk points in Cap Collector can improve these prices further.

10 Strong Back – No More Encumbrance

Players Will Never Need To Leave Behind Loot

• Requires: Strength 6

Like any RPG, especially Bethesda RPGs, there are countless bits of random junk for the player to collect. Those who enjoy hoarding bits and bobs will quickly run out of inventory space. Thankfully, the Strong Back perk can reduce some of that heavy lifting.

Unlike many of the other available perks in Fallout 4, Strong Back usually has four levels to it. However, players that have one of the best Fallout DLCs, Far Harbor, can even unlock a fifth level to the Strong Back perk that reduces the number of Action Points used when running while encumbered.