Summary
Perks are an essential part of anyFalloutgame. They can give any survivor in post-apocalyptic America an edge in so many ways, ranging from additional protection and skills in fights tousing one’s silver tongueto persuade or intimidate others. They are, without a doubt, an iconic feature.
Sure, some are overpowered and others are rubbish. There’s no glossing over the fact that there have been some that tip the balance of the game either far too much, or barely enough to make any sort of impact. Then again, there are the strange perks in the series that are enough to get people scratching their heads and questioning how it makes sense, not to mention what the developers were doing when they came up with such a barmy idea.
Who knew shoveling literal poop could teach a person life skills? Apparently, that’s exactly what happens inFallout 2. First off, the Vault Dweller must have an Intelligence score of no less than 4 points. After that, visit Broken Hills, speak to Bill, and shovel some Brahmin dung at least five times.
The game is cryptic with the benefits of the perk, stating “You can sling Bull with the best of them.” In truth, while the player will take a reputation hit (likely because digging up mutated cow poo isn’t the kind of thing that’d make anyone look great), it also offers a 5% bonus to one’s Speech. Slinging bull in conversations - get it? An award-winning pun, for sure.
Studying medicine is difficult. So much brain power is required, and too many chemicals and names to memorize… but what if there was aneasier solution to recovering a downed ally? Well, with “Quack Surgeon,” a player can laugh in the face of post-apocalyptic medical experts completely!
With this perk, a simple bottle of alcohol will be more than enough to help a buddy recover from their injury-induced comatose state. One can imagine pouring an entire bottle of wine or whiskey down a person’s throat, only for them to miraculously clamber back to their feet and continue fighting as if nothing happened.
When the Courier is injured, food and stimpacks are often an excellent choice for replenishing lost health. With the “Them’s Good Eatin'” perk - implemented inFallout: New Vegas’Old World BluesDLC - there’s an even better cure for gunshot wounds and slashes: Blood Sausages and Red Pastes.
These weightless foodstuffs will appear on any enemy’s corpse and will heal an incredible amount of health. While it won’t keep the hunger gauge at bay for Hardcore players (which is either a glitch or a deliberate decision for the sake of balance), they can be sold in bulk for a hefty amount. Still, why would mutated animals, soldiers, ghouls, Nightkin, raiders and the like all be carrying sausages and pastes all of a sudden?
Should the furry canine companion Dogmeat die inFallout 3, with theBroken SteelDLC, one can snag this perk and recruit a duplicate companion on one’s travels. If one of them dies, don’t worry. Another can be found, right back at the entrance of Vault 101. If a hundred die, then yet another can be recruited. There’s no limit here.
With that being said, how many offspring did Dogmeat even produce in his lifetime? Clearly, he must’ve had the time of his life with the other hounds of the Capital Wasteland if he’d somehow got an entourage of estranged pooches ready to carry on his legacy.
Charisma can be a powerful skill to have. It may seem useless in combat, yetFallout 4(and, eventually,Fallout 76) certainly shut that argument down with the “Wasteland Whisperer” perk. It requires a hefty number of points in said skill - nine, to be exact.
Creatures of all kinds, so long as they’re at a lower level, will obey the player’s command. At rank 1, they’ll be tamed after the gun is aimed at them. At rank 2, they can fight on behalf of a player. And, finally, at rank 3, it’s possible to have them obey one’s orders when it comes to moving around. Strangely, holstering a weapon will make them turn hostile, likely thinking you’re no longer a threat anymore. Still, to turn a hulking Deathclaw into a submissive whelp is always good for a giggle.
6Kama Sutra Master (Fallout 2)
This Perk Gives Players Additional Skills In The Art Of Seduction… And In Bed
This is one of theFalloutfranchise’s naughtier perks. “Kama Sutra Master” isexclusive toFallout 2(no surprise there), whereby a player can romance and get intimate with certain figures with at least 5 points towards Endurance and Agility (which only makes sense).
All the steamy dialogue options will be opened, and the Chosen One can quit beating around the bush and jump into the +18 talk. Plus, it’ll give its users a slight benefit when “auditioning” for the Golden Globes adult film studio. Oh, those smutty developers!
7Nuclear Anomaly (Fallout 3)
If The Hit Points Drop Below 20… BOOM!
One can turn themselves into awalking, unstable radioactive power plantwith the “Nuclear Anomaly” perk. With it, the Lone Wanderer will explode when at 20 points of health or lower.
This big blast is the equivalent of a detonation of a mini-nuke and is likely going to kill all enemies and allies caught in the blast. Upon detonating, all Rads are reduced to zero, and the player is compensated with a small amount of health. What’s even more chaotic and nonsensical about this is that, so long as the Lone Wanderer’s health remains under 20 points, the explosions will keep occurring every 10 seconds!
8Idiot Savant (Fallout 4)
Get XP For Doing Pretty Much Anything. The Lower The Intelligence Skill, The Higher The Odds!
Being a character with low Intelligencemakes playing any entry in the series a big challenge. After all, there are little-to-no skill points to earn if a player hasn’t got their brain box wired properly, since they’re not smart enough to learn from their experiences.
This is where “Idiot Savant” comes in to subvert the long-standing difficulty curve that comes with not sinking enough points into Intelligence. What it does is offer big XP payouts for doing absolutely anything whatsoever. The lower the intelligence, the higher the odds. Increasing the rank will inflate the XP that is offered, going so far as to offer additional bonuses per killed enemy within a short amount of time. Now, even foolhardy survivors can become stronger way faster.
9Wild Wasteland (Fallout: New Vegas)
Crazy Encounters And References Run Amok
There’s no denying that “Wild Wasteland” needs to be mentioned. After all, its sole purpose is to introduce easter eggs and strange encounters galore acrossFallout: New Vegasand itsrespective DLCs, too.
There are too many memorable encounters to list: cyborg dogs playing poker, numerous nods toMonty Pythonmovies and sketches, a ghost train, a fossilized hound named Seymour, and a total rework of the names in the credits to include silly in-jokes. It may not be geared toward those after a more serious experience, yet it’s certainly one of the most memorable perks in the series.
