Fallout 4 Perk Tier List

Overview

The video ranks Fallout 4 perks from S to F, judging them by general usefulness while noting that some perks are much better—or worse—depending on the character build. The main advice is to prioritize perks that suit your weapons and playstyle rather than treating the tier list as a strict rule. Characters can keep leveling and eventually unlock every perk, so lower-tier perks are not necessarily wasted forever.

Highest-Rated Perks

S Tier

Armorer, Rifleman, Toughness, Chem Resistant, Lone Wanderer, Commando, Ninja, and Idiot Savant

• Armorer supports armor upgrades, including Ballistic Weave, which can make a wide range of outfits much more useful.
• Rifleman boosts semi-automatic rifles, including many powerful long guns.
• Toughness provides broadly useful damage resistance from early in the game.
• Chem Resistant lets you benefit from drugs such as Jet and Psycho without worrying about addiction.
• Lone Wanderer offers substantial defensive, carry-weight, damage, and Action Point bonuses when traveling alone. Dogmeat does not disable it.
• Ninja greatly increases sneak-attack damage and can make many builds lethal.
• Idiot Savant speeds up leveling, especially with low Intelligence, and is particularly useful early.

Strong Back is especially valuable on Survival for its early carry-weight ranks; later ranks are less compelling.

Other Strong Picks

A Tier

Generally strong choices include Big Leagues, Locksmith, Demolition Expert, Medic, Gun Nut, Gunslinger, Sneak, and Action Boy/Girl.

• Big Leagues is a solid melee-damage perk, though melee combat can feel awkward when enemies block.
• Locksmith is useful for accessing higher-level locks.
• Demolition Expert improves explosives and eventually shows the grenade arc.
• Medic strengthens Stimpaks and RadAway, while Gun Nut enables useful firearm modifications.
• Gunslinger boosts non-automatic pistols, while Sneak helps avoid detection and set up attacks.
• Action Boy/Girl is most useful earlier, when Action Points are more limited.

For VATS characters, Concentrated Fire and Better Criticals are strong choices. Refractor becomes more valuable later, when energy-weapon enemies are more common.

Strong Back is around B tier outside Survival, where fast travel can make carrying less of a problem. Its first few ranks are more useful than later ones.

Pain Train is fun and potentially effective for Power Armor melee builds, but less useful for other characters.

Situational and Mid-Tier Perks

B Tier

Broadly, this tier includes Iron Fist, Blacksmith, Steady Aim, Penetrator, Nerd Rage, Mr. Sandman, Bloody Mess, Grim Reaper Sprint, and Four Leaf Clover.

• Iron Fist and Blacksmith suit unarmed or melee characters; Blacksmith has little value outside those builds.
• Steady Aim helps with hip-fire accuracy, particularly for automatic weapons.
• Penetrator, Grim Reaper Sprint, and Four Leaf Clover are mainly attractive to VATS users.
• Nerd Rage can help rescue a character in danger, but requires substantial Intelligence investment.
• Bloody Mess adds damage and can cause explosive chain reactions.

C Tier or Conditional

This group includes Heavy Gunner, Rooted, Life Giver, Ghoulish, Solar Powered, Attack Dog, Animal Friend, Inspirational, Scrapper, Robotics Expert, Nuclear Physicist, Moving Target, Blitz, Scrounger, Mysterious Stranger, and Ricochet.

• Heavy Gunner is worthwhile for a dedicated heavy-weapons character, but those weapons can be inconvenient to carry, especially on Survival.
• Rooted and Moving Target can help melee characters, but depend on standing still or sprinting at the right moment.
• Blitz is useful for VATS melee builds but offers little to firearm-focused characters.
• Scrounger can help find ammunition, including Fusion Cores, though the speaker rarely found ammo shortages to be a long-term problem.
• Ricochet is entertaining but unreliable.

Lower-Priority Perks

D Tier or Lower

In most builds, these perks are lower priority: Basher, Pickpocket, Night Person, Sniper, Lead Belly, Rad Resistant, Adamantium Skeleton, Caps Collector, Lady Killer/Black Widow, Local Leader, Party Boy/Girl, Wasteland Whisperer, Intimidation, V.A.N.S., Fortune Finder, and Quick Hands beyond its first rank.

• Basher improves gun-bashing, which the speaker considers an inefficient way to fight.
• Pickpocket is rarely necessary for the rewards it offers.
• Sniper has useful-sounding bonuses, but the speaker finds them less impactful than other perks.
• Local Leader is mainly a convenience perk for settlement supply lines and construction; it is less useful when fast travel is available.
• Quick Hands is most worthwhile for its first rank’s reload-speed benefit.

F Tier or Nearly So

Awareness, Aqua Boy/Girl, and Cannibal are generally unnecessary in the speaker’s view. Awareness’s information and small VATS damage bonus are not considered worth the investment. Underwater breathing and Cannibal’s healing have limited value given other ways to handle those needs.

Practical Tips

• Match damage perks to your weapon: Rifleman for semi-automatic rifles, Commando for automatic weapons, Gunslinger for non-automatic pistols, and Big Leagues or Iron Fist for melee or unarmed combat.
• Consider broad defensive perks such as Armorer and Toughness on many builds.
• Use Lone Wanderer if you generally travel without companions; Dogmeat can accompany you without removing its bonuses.
• Choose VATS perks only if you use VATS regularly. Many Luck and Perception perks are much less useful outside a VATS-focused build.
• Legendary weapon effects can dramatically change a weapon’s effectiveness, so a perk’s value may depend on the gear you find.
• On Survival, carrying capacity and settlement logistics matter more, making early Strong Back ranks and Local Leader more attractive.

Featured Creator

Ron (ReapeeRon) is the featured gamer and creator. No other gamers or sources are identified in the subtitles.