Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Fallout 4’s overhauled perks explained in new video

Will Fulton
By

Fallout 4’s Character System
Fans excited to play Fallout 4 have been eagerly dissecting every scrap of information shared by developer Bethesda in the lead-up to the game’s long-anticipated November 10 release. Previously only shared in closed-door sessions at conventions like E3 and Gamescom, a newly-released video finally delves into how perks and character development will work in the open-world role-playing game.

In the Fallout franchise, perks are special traits and abilities that unlock over the course of gameplay, allowing players to customize how their character survives and thrives in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. These range from simple bonuses when using particular types of weapons to more radical abilities like healing through cannibalism, or a chance for shot enemies to explode in a bloody mess of gore and viscera. In Bethesda’s previous entry, Fallout 3, players chose one perk for each level from a growing selection that was gated by level and stat requirements.

Related Videos

Fallout 4 changes that model by doing away with level requirements, at least for the base level of every perk. Instead perks are laid out on a grid, with one corresponding to each SPECIAL stat value from 1 to 10. Players can select any perk for which their stats qualify them right from the start of the game. Each perk then has multiple levels that add new abilities, some of which still do have level requirements. For instance, anyone with a 10 in charisma can select Intimidation, which gives them a chance to pacify lower-level human enemies by pointing a gun at them. At level 23 this can be upgraded so that pacified enemies can be incited to violence, and at level 50 you can give them specific commands.

All in all, there are 70 base perks, with multiple ranks bringing it up to 275 different abilities available for character customization. Allowing for players to choose any of the initial 70 if they meet the stat requirements will open up a much wider range of character builds right out of the gate than was possible previously, when players only had a handful of options available at level 1.  Bethesda has underlined player freedom as a central design principle of the upcoming game, and this is certainly a strong move in that direction for its core systems.

Fallout 4 arrives on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 10, 2015.

Fallout 4’s Character System

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
All Resident Evil games, ranked from best to worst
A zombie crawls after someone in Resident Evil 2.

Many people credit the Resident Evil games with the birth of the survival-horror genre in video games. From spinoffs to sequels to remakes, sifting through all the Resident Evil games can be a challenge. If you’ve never played one before, you want to make sure you start with the right game. 

Everyone might have their own ideas about the “best” or “worst” Resident Evil games, but we’ve done our best to rank the games in the series for you. Keep in mind that we’ll only consider games with "Resident Evil" in the title, so we won’t include spinoff titles like Operation Raccoon City or Umbrella Chronicles.

Read more
Resident Evil 4: How long to beat and how many chapters
Leon holding a gun in Resident Evil 4.

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 remake isn't your typical video game double dip. Rather than taking a Dead Space approach and delivering a fairly faithful 1:1 remake, the new version of Resident Evil 4 is a radically reinvented version of the 2005 horror classic. Not only has the gameplay seen a major overhaul, but its story has too. Familiar beats have been entirely reimagined in some cases, which changes a few key things about the original's structure.

You might be wondering how that impacts the remake's length. Yes, there are some changes, especially to its chapter structure. Here's how long it'll take you to complete the remake and how many chapters you can expect.
How long is Resident Evil 4?

Read more
Aliens: Dark Descent: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more
Alien screaming close-up.

In space, no one can hear you scream. While the Alien franchise has been hit-and-miss when it comes to video games, the good ones have been great. Alien: Isolation is the most recent example of a game absolutely nailing the tone, atmosphere, and sense of dread of what it would be like to be trapped on a ship with the most dangerous hunter in the universe. Just like the jump from the first film to the second, though, our next Alien game to look forward to appears to be less about the horror and intends to mix in a healthy dose of action.

Aliens: Dark Descent is the newest game to drop us into the nests of the Xenomorphs. However, unlike most other games that used this license, it isn't a straight-up horror game, nor is it a first-person shooter.  This is one of the most beloved franchises in film history, so if you're at all curious about diving into Aliens: Dark Descent, we'll use our motion tracker to guide you along safely.
Release date

Read more