Fallout 76 Perks Guide: every perk listed and what they do

by RPG Site Staff on 24 November, 2018

Perks are a recurring staple of the Fallout series and Fallout 76 is no different. While Fallout 4 took a first step at changing how the system worked overall by combining the Skill system present in Fallouts 3 and New Vegas into a tree of perks partially dependant on your SPECIAL stats, 76 changes things up again, largely because of the multiplayer nature of the title.

Instead of choosing a perk with level up and being able to choose higher level perks the higher a given SPECIAL stat is, now there's a deck-building sort of element to the process. It can be a little complicated to understand fully at the start, even within the game's tutorial for the system, so this guide should help sort exactly how SPECIAL points and perks are obtained, and the multiple ways they can be used.

Check out our Camp Guide if you're looking for some basic survival tips. For some of the best combinations of perks, check out our Build guide. We've also got the low down on how to launch your first nuke. Lastly, here's where to find some of the game's more elusive materials.

Fallout 76: Perks and how to get them?

Up to level 50, you earn one S.P.E.C.I.A.L. point each level up to slot into one of the games primary stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck, each of which can be raised to a maximum of 15. Along with this selection, you also get choose a new perk card. Each card is assigned one of the SPECIAL stats for it to belongs to.

Every other level up to level 10 and event 5th level after, you'll additionally get a perk card pack, which is like a trading card booster pack of four random cards. Once you've leveled up a few times, you can access the perk menu at any time from your Pip-Boy to swap out your specific load-out of abilities.

Each perk card has both a level requirement as well as a Rank, which determines how many SPECIAL points are needed to equip it. For instance, a character with 3 Endurance can equip one Rank 1 Endurance Perk and one Rank 2 Endurance Perk, or just one Rank 3 Perk. So you'll need to be the appropriate level and have enough free point in the assigned stat to equip any given card.

Fallout 76 - how to upgrade and share Perks

After leveling up several times or opening card packs, it's likely that you'll end up with many duplicates of the same perk. Luckily, nearly all of the perks in Fallout 76 have three or more ranks and can be combined to upgrade them and make them more powerful. From the Perk menu, any duplicates can effectively be fused together additively. That is, you can combine two rank 1 perks into a rank 2 perk, and so on.

However, not only does this increase the effectiveness of the perk, but it also ups the cost. That is, ranking up any given perk from 1 to 2 means that it will now cost 2 SPECIAL points in that attribute to equip the now upgraded card.

Lastly, your favorite perks can be shared amongst your team if you wish, incentivizing teaming up with people whose builds compliment your own. In order to share a perk, you'll need three times the Charisma compared to the card’s rank/cost, meaning you'll need a minimum of 3 Charisma to share rank 1 perks. Then you can share it from the same menu as where you would rank it up.

Fallout 76 Perks List: every perk in the game

Here is the current list of known Perks present in Fallout 76. Note that much of this list has been populated by community data-mining, and not every entry has been confirmed in game with respect to assigned SPECIAL stat, the number of ranks, etc.

One final note to go into before the proper list. Many perks, especially ones related to weapon damage, also have Expert and Master perk cards of the same benefit. Note that this is not the same as perk ranks, and these perks can be stacked. For instance, you could theoretically stack a Rank 3 Iron Fist, Rank 3 Expert Iron Fist, AND a Rank 3 Master Iron Fist for a total of +60% damage while unarmed (20% from each perk). Note that this level of specialization in a given weapon would come with the heavy cost of 9 total SPECIAL points from that attribute, Strength in this example.

Any perk with Expert or Master versions alongside their base version will have the tag [Expert/Master] behind it.

Strength Perks

Bandolier: Ballistic weapon ammo weighs 30/60/90% less.
Barbarian: Every point of Strength adds +2/3/4 Damage Resist (Max 40/60/80).
Basher: Gun bashing does +25/50% damages with a 5/10% chance to cripple your opponent.
Batteries Included: Energy weapon ammo weighs 30/60/90% less.
Bear Arms: Heavy guns weigh 20/40/60/80% less.
Blocker: Take 15/30/45% less damage from your opponents' melee attacks.
Bullet Shield: Gain +20/40/60 damage resistance while firing a heavy gun.
Full Charge: Full Charge Sprinting in Power Armor consumes half as much / no extra Fusion Core energy.
Gladiator [Expert/Master]: Your one-handed melee weapons now do +10/15/20% damage.
Heavy Gunner [Expert/Master]: Your non-explosive heavy guns now do +10/15/20% damage.
Incisor: Your melee weapons ignore 25/50/75% of your target's armor.
Iron Fist [Expert/Master]: Your punching attacks do +10/15/20% damage.
Lock and Load: Heavy guns reload 10/20/30% faster.
Martial Artist: Your melee weapons weigh 20/40/60% less, and you can swing them 10/20/30% faster.
One Gun Army: Heavy guns gain a 4/8/12% stagger chance and a 4/8/12% chance to cripple a limb.
Ordnance Express: Explosives weigh 30/60/90% less.
Pack Rat: The weight of all junk items is reduced by 25/50/75%.
Pain Train: Sprinting into enemies with power armor does massive damage and knocks them down.
Scattershot: Shotguns now weigh 30/60/90% less and you reload them 10/20/30% faster.
Shotgunner [Expert/Master]: Your shotguns now do +10/15/20% damage.
Slugger [Expert/Master]: Your two-handed melee weapons now do +10/15/20% damage.
Strong Back: Gain +10/20/30/40 to carry weight.
Sturdy Frame: Armor weighs 25/50% less than normal.
Travelling Pharmacy: Weight of all Chems (including Stimpaks) are reduced by 30/60/90%.

Perception Perks

Awareness: You can view a target's specific damage resistance in V.A.T.S
Butcher’s Bounty: 40/60/80% chance to find extra meat when you "Search" an animal corpse.
Commando [Expert/Master] : Basic combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20% damage.
Concentrated Fire: V.A.T.S. now targets limbs. Focus fire to gain accuracy and damage per shot.
Crack Shot: All pistols now have 10/20/30% more range and more/even more/much better accuracy when sighted.
Exterminator: Your attacks ignore 25/50/75% armor of any insect.
Fire in the Hole: See a throwing arc when tossing thrown weapons, and they fly 15/30/50% further.
Fortune Finder: You hear directional audio when in range of a Caps Stash
Glow Sight: Deal +20/40/60% damage to Glowing Enemies.
Green Thumb: Reap twice as much when harvesting flora.
Grenadier: Your explosives detonate with a 50/100% larger radius.
Ground Pounder: Automatic rifles now reload 10/20/30% faster and have better/even better/ excellent hip fire accuracy.
Long Shot: Your rifles have 10/20/30% more range and more accuracy when sighted.
Night Eyes: Gain Night Vision while sneaking between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Night Person: Gain +1/2/3 INT and +1/2/3 PER between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Pannapictagraphist: You hear directional audio when in range of a Magazine.
Penetrator: No V.A.T.S. accuracy penalty vs. enemy body parts blocked by cover.
Percepti-bobble: You hear directional audio when in range of a Bobblehead.
Picklock [Expert/Master]: Gain +1 lockpicking skill, and the lockpicking 'sweet spot' is 10% larger.
Refractor: Gain +5/10/15/20 Energy Resistance.
Rifleman [Expert/Master]: Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.
Skeet Shooter: Your shotguns have improved/even better/excellent accuracy and spread.
Sniper: Gain improved control and hold your breath 50/60/70% longer while aiming scopes.
Tank Killer: Your rifles ignore 12/24/36% armor and have a 3/6/9% chance to stagger.

Endurance Perks

Adamantium Skeleton: Your limb damage is now reduced by 20/40/60/80/100%.
All night long: You suffer 20/40/60% less from hunger and thirst.
Aquaboy/Aquagirl: You no longer take Rad damage from swimming and can breathe underwater.
Cannibal: Eating Human, Ghoul, Super Mutant, Scorched, or Mole Miner corpses restores / restores more / even more Health and hunger.
Chem Resistant: You have 50/100% immunity to chem addiction.
Cola Nut: Nuka-Cola products are now twice/three times as beneficial.
Dromedary: All drinks quench thirst by an additional 25/50/75%.
Fireproof: Immediately gain +20/40/60 Fire Resistance.
Ghoulish: Radiation now regenerates/more/even more of your lost health.
Good Doggy: Eating dog food is now three times as beneficial.
Homebody: Gain gradual/improved health regeneration while in your camp or workshop.
Hydro Fix: Chems generate 50/100% less thirst.
Iron Stomach: Your chance to catch a disease from food is reduced by 30/60/90%.
Ironclad: Gain 10/20/30/40/50 Damage and Energy Resistance while not wearing Power Armor.
Lead Belly: You take 30/60/90% less radiation from eating or drinking.
Lifegiver: Gain a total of +10/15/25% to your maximum Health.
Munchy Resistance: Using chems induces 50/100% less hunger.
Natural Resistance: You are 30/60/90% less likely to catch a disease from the environment.
Photosynthesis: Gain Health regen / improved health regen between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Professional Drinker: There’s no chance you’ll get addicted to alcohol.
Rad Resistant: +10/20/30/40 Radiation Resistance.
Radicool: The greater your Rads, the greater your Strength (max +5/STR)!
Rejuvenated: You gain increased / much increased benefit from being Well Fed or Well Hydrated.
Revenant: Gain +25/50% damage bonus for 2 minutes when a player revives you.
Slow Metabolizer: All food satisfies hunger by an additional 25/50/75%.
Sun Kissed: Slowly/Quickly regen radiation damage between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Thirst Quencher: Drinking any liquid has a 30/60/90% reduced chance to cause Disease.
Vaccinated: Chance of catching a disease from creatures is reduced by 30/60/90%.

Charisma Perks

Animal Friend: Aim your gun at any Animal below your level for a 25/50/75% chance to pacify it.
Anti-Epidemic: Your disease cures have a 50/100% chance to cure a disease on nearby teammates.
Bloodsucker: Bloodpacks now satisfy thirst/more thirst/greatly satisfy thirst, no longer irradiate, and heal 50/100/150% more.
Bodyguards: Gain 6/8/10/12 Damage and Energy Resist (max 18/24/30/36) for each teammate excluding you.
Dry Nurse: You have a 50% chance to keep your Stimpak when you revive another player.
E.M.T.: Players you revive come back with health regen for 15/30/60 seconds.
Field Surgeon: Stimpaks and RadAway will now work much more quickly.
Friendly Fire: Teammates hit by your flame weapons regen health/ more health/ even more health briefly.
Happy Camper: Hunger and thirst grow 40/80% more slowly when in camp or in a team workshop.
Happy-Go-Lucky: Your luck is increased by 2/3 while under the influence of alcohol.
Hard Bargain: Buying and selling prices at vendors are better/even better/much better.
Healing Hands: Players you revive are cured of all Rads.
Injector: Players you revive have +6/12/18 Action Point regen for 10 minutes.
Inspirational: When you are on a team, gain 5/10/15% more XP.
Lavish Lender: Your generosity knows no bounds. Perk card sharing duration is extended by 25/50/75.100%.
Lone Wanderer: When adventuring alone, take 10/15/20% less damage and gain 10/20/30% AP regen.
Magnetic Personality: Gain 1/2 Charisma for each teammate, excluding yourself.
Outlaw: Your maximum Bounty timer is reduced by 20/40/60%.
Overly Generous: Rads increase your chance to inflict 25/50 Rads with melee attacks!
Party Boy/Girl: The effects of alcohol are doubled/tripled.
Philanthropist: Restore some/more/much more of your teammates' hunger and thirst when you eat or drink.
Rad Sponge: When affected by rads, you periodically heal 80/140/200 rads on nearby teammates.
Quack Surgeon: Revive other players with liquor!
Spiritual Healer: You regenerate health for 5/7/10 seconds after reviving another player.
Squad Maneuvers: Run 10/20% faster when part of a team.
Strange in Numbers: Positive mutation effects are +25% stronger if teammates are mutated too.
Suppressor: Reduce your target’s damage output by 10/20/30% for 2 seconds after you attack.
Team Medic: Your Stimpaks now also heal nearby teammates for 50/75/100% the normal strength.
Tenderizer: Make your target receive 5/6/7% more damage for 5/7/10 seconds after you attack.
The Weird: While mutated, you provide your teammates with +10/20/30 Radiation Resistance.
Travel Agent: You pay 30% fewer Caps when Fast Traveling.
Wasteland Whisperer: Aim your gun at a creature below your level for a 25/50/75% chance to pacify it.

Intelligence Perks

Ammosmith: Produce 40/80% more rounds when crafting ammunition.
Armorer: You can now craft advanced armor mods. R2: Crafting armor now costs fewer materials. R3:Your crafted armor has improved durability.
Chemist: You get double/triple the quantity when you craft chems!
Contractor: Crafting workshop items now costs 25/50% fewer materials.
Demolition Expert: Your explosives do +20/04/60/80/100% damage.
Exotic Weapons: You can now craft crossbows, black powder guns, and more! R2: You can now craft Rank II exotic weapon mods.
First Aid: Stimpaks restore 15/30/45% more lost Health.
Fix It Good: You can repair armor and Power Armor to 130/160/200% of normal maximum condition.
Grease Monkey: Workshop items are 30/60% cheaper to repair.
Gunsmith: Guns break 10/20/30/40/50% slower and you can craft Tier 1/2/3/4/5 guns.
Hacker [Expert/Master]: Gain +1 hacking skill, and terminal lock-out time is reduced.
Licensed Plumber: Your pipe weapons break 30/60/90% more slowly and are cheaper to repair.
Locksmith: You can craft Level 1/2/3 locks for your C.A.M.P. or workshop.
Makeshift Warrior: Melee weapons break 10/20/30/40/50% slower and you can craft Tier 1/2/3/4/5 melee weapons.
Pharmacist: RadAway removes 30/60/90% more radiation.
Portable Power: All Power Armor parts and chassis weights are reduced by 25/50/75%.
Power Patcher: Your Power Armor breaks 20/40/60% more slowly and is cheaper to repair.
Power Smith: You can now craft advanced Power Armor mods. R2: Crafting Power Armor now costs fewer materials. R3: Your crafted Power Armor now has improved durability.
Power User: Fusion Cores now last 20/40/60/80/100% longer.
Robotics Expert: Hack an enemy robot for a 25/50/75% chance to pacify it.
Science [Expert/Master]: You can now craft energy guns/cheaper/more durable. R2: You can craft Rank 1/2/3 energy gun mods.
Scrapper: Obtain more components when you scrap weapons and armor.
Weapon Artisan: You can repair any weapon to 130/160/200% of normal maximum condition.
White Knight: Your armor breaks 30/60/90% more slowly and is cheaper to repair.
Wrecking Ball: You deal +40/80/120% damage to workshop objects.

Agility Perks

Action Boy/Action Girl: Action Points regenerate 15/30/45% faster.
Adrenaline: Gain +6/7/8/9/10% (max 36/42/48/54/60%) damage for 30s per kill. Duration refreshes with kills.
Born Survivor: Falling below 20/30/40% health will automatically use a Stimpak, once every 20s. (level 0)
Covert Operative: Your ranged sneak attacks deal 2.15/2.3/2.5x normal damage.
Dead Man Sprinting: Sprint 10/20% faster at increased AP cost when your health is below 40/50%.
Dodgy Avoid 10/20/30% of incoming damage at the cost of 30 Action Points per hit.
Enforcer: Your shotguns gain a 5/10/15% stagger chance and a 10/20/30% chance to cripple a limb.
Escape Artist: Sneak to lose enemies, and running no longer affects stealth.
Evasive: Each AGI point adds +1/2/3 Damage and Energy Resist (max 15/30/45).
Goat Legs: Take 40/80% less damage from falling.
Guerrilla [Expert/Master]: Your automatic pistols now do +10/15/20% damage.
Gun Fu: V.A.T.S swaos targets on kil with +10/20/30% damage to you next 1/2/3 target(s).
Gun Runner: Your running speed is increased by 10/20% when you have a pistol equipped.
Gunslinger [Expert/Master]: Your non-automatic pistols now do +10/15/20% damage.
Home Defense: You can craft and disarm better/advanced/expert traps and turrets.
Light Footed: While sneaking, you never trigger mines or floor-based traps.
Marathoner: Sprinting consumes 20/30/40% fewer action points.
Mister Sandman: At night, your silenced weapons do an additional 25/50% sneak attack damage.
Modern Renegade: Gain Pistol hip fire accuracy and a 2/3/4% chance to cripple a limb.
Moving Target: Gain +15/30/45 Damage and Energy Resistance while sprinting.
Ninja: Sneak attacks with melee weapons do 2.3/2.6/3x normal damage.
Packin' Light: Your pistols weigh 25/50/75% less.
Secret Agent: Stealth Boys last twice/three/four times as long!
Thru-hiker: Food and drink weights are reduced by 30/60/90%.

Luck Perks

Can Do!: 40/60/80% chance to find an extra canned food when your “Search” a food container.
Cap Collector: You have a chance/better chance/always find more bottle caps when opening a caps stash.
Class Freak: The negative effects of your mutations are reduced by 25/50/75%.
Curator: The benefits of bobbleheads and magazines last twice as long.
Critical Savvy: Critical Hits now only consume 85/70/55% of your critical meter.
Good with Salt: Food in your inventory will spoil 30/60/90% more slowly.
Grim Reaper’s Sprint: Any kill in V.A.T.S has a 15/25/35% chance to restore all action points.
Junk Shield: Carry junk to gain up to 10/20/30 Damage and Energy Resistance.
Last Laugh: You drop a live grenade from your inventory when you are downed.
Luck of the Draw: Slight chance your weapon will repair/repair even more/greatly repair itself when hitting an enemy.
Lucky Break: Slight chance your equipped armor will repair itself/even more/greatly repair when struck.
Mysterious Savior: A Mysterious Savior will occasionally/frequently/regularly appear to revive you when downed.
Mysterious Stranger: The Mysterious Stranger will appear occasionally/frequently/regularly in V.A.T.S. to lend a hand.
Mystery Meat: Stimpaks may generate edible/more edible/excessive meat tissue. Higher Rads improve the chance.
Pharma Farma: 40/60/80% chance to find extra first aid Chems when you "Search" a chem container.
Psychopath: Every kill in V.A.T.S. has a 510/15% chance to refill your Critical Meter.
Quick Hands: Gain a 5/10/15/20/25% chance to instantly reload when your clip is empty.
Ricochet: Gain a 6/12/18% chance to deflect back some of enemies' ranged damage.
Scrounger: 40/60/80% chance to find extra ammo when you “Search” an ammo container.
Stabilized: In Power Armor, heavy guns gain more accuracy and ignore 15/30/45% armor.
Serendipity: While below 30% health, gain 15/30/45% chance to avoid damage.
Starched Genes: Less chance to/never mutate from rads or for Radaway to cure mutations.
Storm Chaser: Gain health regeneration/high health regeneration while outside during rain or Rad Storms.
Super Duper: When you craft anything, there is a 10/20/30% chance you'll get double results!
Tormentor: Your rifle attacks have a 5/10/15% chance of crippling a limb.
Woodchucker: Collect twice as much when harvesting wood.