ULTIMATE Fallout 4 Perks Guide! Ranking ALL 70 Perks

Overview

Moe ranks Fallout 4 perks by their usefulness for a general build, rather than for a specialized character. The video covers all seven SPECIAL trees and emphasizes that perks improving damage, armor, carrying capacity, or broadly useful crafting tend to rate highly. Situational perks—especially those tied to companions, V.A.T.S., power armor, or particular playstyles—vary more by build.

Rankings by SPECIAL Tree

Strength

• S: Armorer, Strong Back
• A: Big Leagues, Blacksmith, Heavy Gunner
• B: Iron Fist, Rooted
• B/C: Steady Aim
• C: Pain Train
• D: Basher

Armorer is recommended for access to armor upgrades, while Strong Back helps with carrying loot and can be especially useful in Survival. Pain Train rises to an S-tier choice for a power-armor-focused build. Steady Aim is more valuable if you frequently hip-fire.

Perception

• S: Rifleman
• A: Locksmith, Demolition Expert, Concentrated Fire
• B: Night Person, Sniper
• C: Refractor
• D: Pickpocket, Awareness, Penetrator

Rifleman is rated highly because non-automatic rifles are common and the perk boosts their damage. Locksmith opens access to locked areas, while Demolition Expert improves explosives and helps with crowd control. Concentrated Fire is especially strong for V.A.T.S.-focused characters.

Endurance

• S: Toughness
• B: Lifegiver, Solar Powered
• C: Chem Resistant, Aquaboy/Aquagirl, Adamantium Skeleton, Ghoulish
• D: Lead Belly, Rad Resistant, Cannibal

Toughness is a valuable early investment for survivability. Lifegiver and Solar Powered offer health benefits, while the video considers several other defensive perks less necessary because damage, radiation, and limb injuries can often be managed with items, armor, or doctors.

Charisma

• S: Lone Wanderer
• C: Lady Killer/Black Widow, Attack Dog, Animal Friend, Local Leader, Party Boy/Party Girl, Wasteland Whisperer, Intimidation
• D: Cap Collector, Inspirational

Lone Wanderer is a standout for solo play: it improves defense, carrying capacity, damage, and Action Points when traveling without a companion. Dogmeat does not disable its benefits, according to the video. Attack Dog is more worthwhile if Dogmeat is a regular companion, while Local Leader is mainly useful for settlement building.

Intelligence

• A: Medic, Gun Nut, Hacker, Science!, Chemist, Nerd Rage!
• C: Robotics Expert, Nuclear Physicist
• D: V.A.N.S., Scrapper

Gun Nut and Science! unlock weapon modifications, while Medic is especially useful in Survival. Chemist extends the effects of chems. Nerd Rage! can turn a low-health situation into a brief opportunity to slow time and gain offensive and defensive bonuses.

Agility

• S: Ninja
• A: Gunslinger, Commando, Mister Sandman, Blitz, Gun-Fu
• B: Sneak, Action Boy/Action Girl, Moving Target
• D: Quick Hands

Ninja is a major damage perk for stealth attacks and pairs well with silenced weapons and Mister Sandman. Blitz is powerful for V.A.T.S.-based melee builds. Action Boy/Action Girl is most useful for characters who rely heavily on V.A.T.S.

Luck

• S: Better Criticals
• A: Bloody Mess
• B: Scrounger, Mysterious Stranger, Critical Banker, Grim Reaper’s Sprint, Four Leaf Clover
• C: Ricochet
• D: Fortune Finder

Bloody Mess boosts damage across weapon types, while Better Criticals makes critical hits much stronger. Several other Luck perks can be effective in V.A.T.S., but their value depends on how often the player uses it. Ricochet is rated lower partly because it requires substantial Luck investment.

Idiot Savant: The speaker strongly recommends considering it early, particularly for low-Intelligence characters, because it can speed up leveling. He favors the first two ranks and says the third is not worth taking, but the subtitles do not clearly give it a final letter grade.

Main Gameplay Tips

• Invest early in broadly useful perks such as Toughness, Armorer, Strong Back, and damage perks that match your preferred weapons.
• Choose weapon-damage perks according to your build: Rifleman for non-automatic rifles, Gunslinger for non-automatic pistols, Commando for automatic weapons, and Heavy Gunner for heavy weapons.
• Consider Locksmith and Hacker for access to locked areas and terminals; the video views both as useful exploration perks.
• For stealth builds, combine Sneak, Ninja, and Mister Sandman, especially when using silenced weapons.
• For V.A.T.S. builds, consider Concentrated Fire, Action Boy/Action Girl, and Luck perks that improve or replenish criticals and Action Points.
• Treat perks tied to companions, settlement construction, power armor, or specific enemy types as build-dependent rather than universally essential.

Gamers and Sources Featured

• Moe, host of Trapped In Fallout.
• The video recommends another Trapped In Fallout video ranking Fallout 4 companion perks.