How the SPECIAL Perk System Works in Fallout 4

The Fallout series from Amazon has brought back the interest of players to the cult franchise. Many are simply returning to their favorite game, and some are trying this series of post-apocalyptic role-playing games for the first time. Fallout 4, despite some controversial moments, remains an excellent game even now and will be the best option to remember/fall in love with this universe. In Fallout 4, your adventure will unfold in the Commonwealth, where you will find many quests and characters, but the first thing you need to do is carefully study the SPECIAL system. In this guide, we will analyze in detail the features of each SPECIAL and how they work.

SPECIAL in Fallout 4 replaces the skill tree that is common in other RPGs. Here you can not only develop the main characteristics of the character, but also get unique abilities or passive effects. From this guide, you will learn what each perk does and which skills are best to use.

Table of Contents

What is SPECIAL in Fallout 4

SPECIAL stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck, and each stat provides different abilities. You start the game with 21 stat points, and each time you level up, you have the choice of adding an extra SPECIAL point or spending it on a perk.

Your stats determine not only your overall stats, but also your combat capabilities. Whether you’re a melee fighter, a grenade launcher, a sniper, or a pistol shooter is entirely up to you. Proper distribution of your SPECIAL stats will enhance your chosen role or allow you to create a unique build. Each point spent unlocks a new perk, each of which provides powerful bonuses. There are items that can increase your SPECIAL stats, such as the glasses you can find in the first zone that increase your Perception by 1, and there are various chemicals that can temporarily increase your stats.

There is no hard level cap in Fallout 4, but like any RPG, the higher the level, the slower the progression of getting a new one will be. So it is important to plan your build in advance. Or use special mods for SPECIAL that can improve this mechanic or allow you to redistribute points at any time.

Below is a list of each of the SPECIAL attributes in Fallout 4 and an overview of the perks associated with each rank. Higher ranks of each perk provide progressively increasing bonuses and modifiers.

Force

Strength determines the physical capabilities of your musculature: how much weight you can carry and how much damage you can deal in close combat.

Iron Fist – Channel your chi into unbridled fury! Your punches deal 20% more damage. At max rank at level 46, your punches deal double damage and critical hits in VATS paralyze your enemies.
Major League – Hit with all your might! Melee weapons deal 20% more damage. At max rank (requires level 42), melee weapons deal double the damage and have a chance to cripple or decapitate your opponent with one blow.
Armorer – Protect yourself from the dangers of the wasteland with access to basic and tier one armor modifications. Upgrading this skill increases the level of armor crafting up to rank 4.
Blacksmith – Strike while the iron is hot by gaining access to basic and tier 1 melee weapon modifications. Upgrading this skill increases the level of melee weapon crafting up to rank 3.
Big Guns Fanatic – Physical and marksmanship training pays off. Heavy weapons deal 20% more damage. At max rank, heavy weapons deal twice as much damage.
Strong Spine – Are you related to mules? +25 to carrying capacity. Max rank allows fast travel available when max weight is exceeded.
Steady Hand – Hit the target! Increases hip-fire accuracy with all weapons. The second and final rank of the perk further increases hip-fire accuracy with all weapons.
Crack ! – Get in close contact with an enemy! Butt strikes deal 25% more damage. At max rank, butt strikes deal 100% more damage. Increased chance to cripple. Chance to deal a critical hit.
Tree Man – You are somewhat like a tree. +25% melee and unarmed damage and +25 damage resistance while stationary. At the highest rank, you can automatically disarm enemies that attack you with melee weapons while stationary.
Locomotive – Toot-toot! The train is leaving! Accelerating in Power Armor, you damage enemies and stun them. However, this does not work on robots and especially large enemies. The maximum level significantly increases damage to enemies and will knock them down.

As you might expect, Strength determines your physical prowess. A high Strength stat increases the number of items you can carry (and therefore the variety of weapons you can wield). It also increases the damage you deal with melee weapons like baseball bats and sledgehammers.

Strength is also tied to perks that increase your proficiency in fisticuffs, armor crafting, heavy weapon wielding, and hip-firing. The highest Strength stats will give you access to the Locomotive perk, which provides combat bonuses when wearing legendary Power Armor.

Perception

Perception is your ability to notice what’s going on around you. It affects the accuracy of your weapons in VATS.

Pickpocket – Your quick hands and nimble fingers make stealing 25% easier. Rank 4 makes stealing twice as easy, and you can even steal equipped items.
Marksman – Stay away from enemies, and the number of notches is higher. Attacks with non-automatic weapons do 20% more damage. Rank 5 – 100% more damage, ignore 30% of the target’s armor, more chance to break a limb.
Perception – To defeat an enemy, you exploit their weaknesses! You can study a target for resistance to certain attacks in VATS.
Lockpicker – Your quick fingers allow you to pick advanced locks. As you level up, you can pick more complex locks, and at max rank, you can make very strong pins.
Explosives Expert – The bigger the explosion, the better. Explosives deal 25% more damage, and you can also make explosives at a chemical plant. Rank 4 – +100% damage. Mines and grenades detonated in VATS deal twice as much damage.
Night Personality – You live in the night! Gain +2 Intelligence and Perception between 6pm and 6am. At rank 2 – +3 Intelligence and Perception, you gain night vision while sneaking.
Refractor – You must be a mirror! Instantly gain +10 Energy Resistance. The final rank grants +50 Energy Resistance.
Sniper – Focus is everything. Your control is improved and you can hold your breath longer when using scopes. Rank 3 – Scoped non-automatic rifles gain +25% headshot accuracy through VATS.
Piercing – You can’t hide! When using VATS, you can target hidden body parts, but with less accuracy. Rank 2 – No reduction in accuracy.
Concentrated Fire – Focus! When using VATS, each attack to one body part adds +10% accuracy. Max rank gives +20% accuracy and 20% more damage.

Perception primarily affects weapon accuracy in VATS, Fallout’s slow-motion auto-aim system. It also affects abilities like lockpicking, pickpocketing, and explosives. Perception also grants perks that improve rifle and sniper skills.

Endurance

Endurance determines your physical fitness. It determines your maximum health and the amount of AP (Action Points) spent on acceleration.

Durability – You now have +10 Damage Resistance. Rank 5 – +50 Damage Resistance
Lead Belly – Your digestive tract has adapted to life in the Wasteland! You receive less radiation from food and drink. At max rank, you can completely ignore radiation from food and drink.
Life Giver – You gain +20 to your maximum Health. Each rank (max 3) increases your health by 20 units.
Chemical Resistance – All the perks and none of the hassle! The chance of becoming addicted to chemicals is reduced by 50%. Rank 2 allows you to avoid addiction.
Aqua-fight – Water is your friend. You do not take damage from swimming, and you can also breathe underwater. Rank 2 makes you completely invisible in water.
Radiation Resistance – Living in the Wasteland has made you more resilient. Gain +10 Radiation Resistance. Rank 3 – another +30 Radiation Resistance.
Adamantine Skeleton – Your skeleton has been infused with an indestructible metal. Decreases limb damage by 30%. The third and highest rank makes your limbs indestructible.
Cannibal – Feed your hunger to heal your wounds! Eating human corpses restores your Health. Leveling up allows you to eat ghoul and super mutant meat, and greatly increases the healing effect.
Ghoul-like – On the outside you are still human. However, now radiation regenerates lost Health. Rank 3 – radiation regenerates even more Health, some wild Ghouls will be friendly
Child of the Sun – Catch the rays! Gain +2 Strength and Stamina between 6am and 6pm. Rank 3 – Light regenerates Health

Stamina directly affects your health and movement speed. Stamina is tied to benefits such as damage resistance, the ability to eat a variety of foods and drinks (including human flesh), and the ability to heal from sunlight.

Charisma

Charisma determines your ability to influence other people. It determines your persuasiveness in conversations, as well as the prices at merchants.

Charisma expands your toolbox of conversational tools in the game. With higher charisma, you can persuade other characters to do your bidding and get lower prices from merchants and vendors. Charisma perks increase your ability to command your companions. Additionally, you can use charisma perks to improve your settlement, build supply lines, and build shops.

Cap Collector – Buy and sell prices are more favorable for you. The maximum rank allows you to invest 500 caps to increase the purchasing power of the store.
Ladies’ Seducer – You are a seducer… and you are dangerous. (similar to the “Black Widow” perk for female characters) Women (Men) take 5% more damage in combat with you and it is easier for you to persuade them in conversation. Rank 3 – +10% damage and a higher chance of persuasion. Girls (Men) are even easier to pacify with the Intimidation perk.
Lone Traveler – Who needs friends? When traveling without a companion, you take 15% less damage and can carry 50 more weight. If you travel with a dog, you are considered to have no companion.
Attack Dog – Your canine companion can hold down an enemy, giving you a chance to use VATS. Ranking up increases the chance to cripple an enemy’s limb and cause bleeding.
Beast Friend – Befriend animals! Equip a gun, aim at any animal below your level and get a chance to pacify it. Higher rank in case of pacification allows you to give commands.
Local Leader – As a leader, you can establish supplies between your settlements. Rank 2 unlocks the ability to build shops and workstations in settlements
Party Animal – No one parties like you! No longer will you be dependent on alcohol. When upgraded, the effect of alcohol increases, and the maximum rank increases luck by 3 points while under the influence of alcohol.
Inspiring – You have become a role model. Your companions deal more damage in combat and cannot hurt you. Rank 3 – Companions carry more weight.
Whisperer in the Wasteland – You have become a Master of the Wasteland! Take a gun, target any Wasteland creature below your level, and get a chance to pacify it. Rank 3 – Once pacified, you can issue commands.
Intimidate – It’s time to show who’s boss! Take a gun, target any human opponent below your level, and get a chance to pacify them. Rank 3 – Once pacified, you can issue commands.

Intelligence

Intelligence determines your overall mental capabilities. It affects the amount of experience points you receive.

Intelligence primarily increases the amount of experience points you gain from performing wasteland activities, allowing you to level up faster. Intelligence perks focus on crafting, hacking computers, and even robots, turning them into your allies. The highest perk allows you to go into a rage when your health is low, slowing down time and increasing damage.

VANS – Vault-Tec will teach you! The path to the nearest quest objective is displayed in VATS.
Medic – Stimulants restore 40% Health, Anti-Radin removes 40% of radiation. Maximum rank – stimulants and Anti-Radin work with 100% efficiency.
Gun Enthusiast – Shoot and kill first with access to rank 1 weapon mods. Each level (up to 4) unlocks access to advanced modifications.
Hacker – Knowledge of advanced encryption technologies allows you to hack advanced terminals. Upgrading this perk allows you to hack more complex terminals, and the maximum rank will not lock the terminal in case of failure.
Scavenger – Everything will be useful! You can get unusual components like aluminum, copper and screws from dismantling weapons and armor. The second rank – you get rare materials like chains, nuclear materials and more from dismantling weapons and armor. Preferred items are highlighted.
Science ! – Use all the advantages of advanced technologies and get access to high-tech mods of the first Rank. 4 Rank – high-tech mods of the 4th level.
Chemist – Any Chem you take lasts 50% longer. Rank 4 – 200% longer.
Robot Expert – Machines will always serve humans. Hack a robot and gain the ability to turn it on and off, or activate self-destruction. The second and third ranks allow you to give commands when you successfully hack a robot.
Nuclear Physicist – You’ve learned to split the atom… and control it. Radioactive weapons deal 50% more damage, and Fusion Cores last 25% longer. Rank 3 – Cores can be fired from Power Armor like destructive grenades, and last 100% longer.
Nerd Madness – Genius. In. Madness! When your health drops below 20%, time slows down and you gain +20 damage resistance and deal 20% more damage for the duration. Max rank gives +40 damage resistance, +40% damage dealt. Kills in this state restore health.

Dexterity

Agility determines the speed of your reflexes and the precision of your movements. It determines the number of APs in VATS and the ability to act stealthily.

Gunslinger – Draw on the power of the Old West! Non-automatic pistols do 20% more damage. Rank 5 – Double damage, higher chance to disarm and cripple
Commando – Automatic weapons deal 40% more damage, hip fire is more accurate. Rank 5 – twice as much damage, higher chance to knock down an enemy
Stealthy – Become a whisper, a shadow. You are 20% harder to spot while stealthed. Max Rank (5) – Stealth makes enemies far away from you forget about you.
Mr. Sandman – As an agent of death itself, you can kill a sleeping target in one hit. Your silenced weapons deal 15% more damage while stealthed. Ranking up increases the damage of your silenced weapons by up to 50%.
Action Fight – No time to waste! Your Action Points regenerate 25% faster. Rank 2 – regenerate 50% faster.
Moving Target – They can’t hurt anything that’s moving! Gain +25 damage resistance and +25 energy weapon resistance while running. Rank 2 – Gain +50 damage resistance and +50 energy weapon resistance while running. Rank 3 – Running consumes fewer Action Points.
Ninja – Trained in the art of the shadow warrior. Your stealth ranged attacks deal 2.5x damage, and your melee attacks deal 4x damage. Max rank – ranged attacks 3.5x, melee attacks 10x.
Quick Hands – You don’t hesitate during combat. Reloading all weapons is faster. The second and final rank allows you to not consume Action Points to reload.
Blitz – Find an opening and strike! VATS melee range has been increased significantly. Rank 2 – VATS melee range is even greater – the longer the range, the more damage.
Gun-Fu – You have learned to apply an ancient martial art to weapons! Deal 25% more damage to your second and subsequent targets in VATS. Rank 3 – In VATS, you gain a Critical Hit against your fourth and subsequent targets.

Agility increases the frequency of using the VATS targeting system, and also provides bonuses to sneaking. Perks tied to Agility increase your ability to use one-handed weapons with a silencer, and also increase damage when attacking from stealth.

Luck

Luck determines your overall luck and affects how quickly your Critical Hit gauge fills.

In Fortune Quest – You find even more caps in containers. As you level up, the number of caps increases, and the maximum upgrade (4) gives a chance for the enemy to explode with caps when killed.
Beggar – You find more ammo in containers. Each rank increases the amount of ammo found.
Bloody Mess – Be careful with the eyeballs! You deal 5% more damage in combat, sometimes causing enemies to explode into a bloody mess. Rank 2 – +10% damage, Rank 3 – +15% damage, Rank 4 – during a bloody explosion, nearby enemies may die the same death.
Mysterious Wanderer – Who is he? Why does he help? Who cares! The Mysterious Wanderer occasionally appears in VATS to help you with deadly efficiency. At the maximum rank of the perk, the wanderer appears even more often. In case of killing an opponent, there is a chance to fill the crit meter
Gifted Idiot – You’re not stupid! Just… different. Randomly gain three times more experience for any action. The lower your intelligence, the higher the chance. Rank 3 – Randomly gain bonus experience and a chance to double experience from all kills for a short time.
Better Crits – Advanced training benefits you in combat! Critical hits deal 50% more damage. Rank 2 deals 100% more damage, and Rank 3 deals 150% more damage.
Crit Collector – You are a patient tactician and can save Critical Chance to use in VATS when you need it most. Max rank saves 3 crits and gives a chance to get an additional crit.
Follower of the Grim Reaper – Death is you! Any kill in VATS has a 15% chance to restore your Action Points. Max rank – a kill in VATS has a 35% chance to restore Action Points and refill the Crit gauge.
Four Leaf Clover – Feeling Lucky? You are right! Every hit in VATS adds to the Critical Chance meter. As your rank improves, the chance increases each time.
Ricochet – What goes around comes back around! Enemy ranged attacks ricochet off you and kill the enemy. The closer you are to death, the higher the chance. Rank 3 – In the case of Ricochet and a kill, a chance to refill the Crit gauge.

Luck determines the frequency of critical hits, which deal increased damage. It also increases the chance of finding quality items when looting containers in the wasteland. Some luck perks include additional bonuses to crit chance, as well as additional bonuses that appear randomly.