Fallout 4 build guide: Best starting stats to level

The most crucial aspect of Fallout 4, or any RPG, is character progression. As such, stats are vital in Fallout 4 as they determine how your character grows. Knowing which stats to level up first is essential.

All SPECIAL stats in Fallout 4

Stat types in Fallout 4 are different from other RPGs. Players who have played the older Fallout games would be familiar with the stat system in Fallout 4 since it follows the same SPECIAL system introduced in the earlier games in the series. SPECIAL is an acronym comprising seven different stats you can choose from in the game.

• S: Strength
• P: Perception
• E: Endurance
• C: Charisma
• I: Intelligence
• A: Agility
• L: Luck

Each has its benefits and leveling them up as per your choice will determine how your character progresses throughout your playthrough of Fallout 4. We recommend focusing on one stat and then leveling up the others as your character progresses throughout the story.

Maxing out one stat early on will ensure smoother progression in your chosen playstyle and make it easier to clear through the vast open world in the game’s early stages.

Benefits of each starting stat in Fallout 4

Each of the seven stats in Fallout 4 affects a particular key trait of your character. We will be breaking it down so you can make a more informed choice about what stat is ideal for you to focus on and how quickly you can max it out without affecting your early gameplay progression. Once you invest enough points, every stat grants you access to their respective perk trees.

Strength

Strength is your primary stat if you want to focus on a more in-your-face, melee-centric character. The more Strength you have, the more melee damage you will deal, with each point in Strength increasing your overall melee damage by 10 percent.

In addition, the Strength stat also increases your carry capacity per point by 10, allowing you to hold many more items, weapons, and armor before becoming over-encumbered. This is great because if you carry more than you can, your character’s movement slows to a crawl.

The Strength perk tree is relatively straightforward as well. Most of the perks grant you even more melee damage. Some grant you additional damage with heavy weapons if you go down that route. And finally, armor modification becomes easier with some Strength perks.

Perception

The Perception stat is a lot more focused compared to the Strength stat. While Strength affects a variety of factors, Perception is all about accuracy. Putting more points into this stat increases your accuracy when using your VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), which starts clunky in Fallout 4.

Each point in Perception grants you a 10 percent increase in accuracy during VATS, which allows you to use your ranged weapons more easily. This accuracy increase caps out at 95 percent, leaving little room for error when using all types of guns.

Regarding perks, the Perception tree grants you enhanced VATS capabilities beyond the accuracy boost. Some perks grant you increased damage with non-automatic rifles. Other perks allow you to lockpick and pickpocket much easier, making them viable.

Endurance

Endurance is the stat you need to go for to survive longer. Each point you put into Endurance will increase your overall health and multiply the number of hit points you gain per level up. Any build you go for will need some points into Endurance if you want to survive the later levels.

A significant positive about Endurance is that you will probably only need a little of it early on. If you’re worried about missing out on potential health boosts early in the game, it would help to know that the bonuses are applied retroactively. So, no matter when you put additional points into Endurance, you will gain all the hit points you would have acquired if you added those points earlier.

The Endurance perk tree grants you damage resistance, with some perks effectively reducing all the damage you take. Other perks decrease the amount of radiation you absorb while traveling the wasteland. Finally, some perks reduce the AP (Action Points) you use while sprinting.

Charisma

Charisma is the stat you would want to focus on if your playstyle revolves around character development. If you prefer solving your problems with words instead of violence, Charisma is the way to go. Any persuasion or intimidation attempts you make will directly use your Charisma stat.

The more Charisma you have, the easier it is to get NPCs to do what you want. This includes skipping combat situations, getting items cheaper from shops, and keeping the inhabitants of your settlements happy. Your followers will like you more if you can keep them happy.

The Charisma perk tree grants you bonuses to different speech checks, increasing your chances of a successful negotiation. You can also improve the quality of life at your settlements with some of the perks in this tree. If you have a regular follower, other Charisma perks allow you to dictate their playstyle, which enables them to synergize with your playstyle.

Intelligence

Intelligence is the backbone of any stat build you want to go for. Almost every build in any Fallout game requires a few points into Intelligence because it directly affects your character’s growth via increased experience gains from all sources.

Every point you put into the Intelligence stat gives you a three percent increase in your overall experience gain. This allows you to level up faster and access more stat points quicker. Hacking becomes much easier since more Intelligence grants you fewer checks to pass when you attempt to hack a terminal.

Even though the Intelligence stat is essential to level up quicker, the Intelligence perk tree might not have the best options available. The good perks involve giving you more options to modify the weapons of your choice and granting you improved benefits from chem consumption.

Agility

Agility is relatively straightforward compared to the other stats. If you want to be more agile in combat and move faster in any situation, Agility will get you there. Action Points are everything regarding combat and movement; more points in Agility will give you more AP to work with.

Every point in Agility will increase your total AP by 10, giving you a lot of actions to use before they run out, be it shooting, running, or otherwise. Each point also gives you an additional one percent chance of success in any pickpocketing attempt you make. Agility and Perception stats go hand-in-hand to create a sneaky character focusing more on stealth and guns.

The Agility perk tree involves improving every facet of your stealth gameplay, increasing your odds of success for sneak attempts. Your damage with pistols and small firearms increases, allowing you to add some ranged firepower. VATS combat also improves, granting even more synergy with the Perception stat.

Luck

The most straightforward stat in the game is Luck. It does exactly what it says, increasing your chances of success in every aspect of the game. The one mechanic that Luck directly affects in the game is your critical hit meter and how quickly you can recharge it.

The more points you have in Luck, the fewer shots you need to recharge your critical hit meter. This stat is less important than the others, and a few points in Luck at the most should help you get through the whole game.

The Luck perk tree is quite interesting, though. Increasing the loot you find is always a great way to maximize your returns. Your critical hit-based abilities get better, too, improving your overall damage output. Several perks will enhance your chances at just about everything you do, so it’s always a good idea to invest in Luck perks when you can.

Best starting stats to level in Fallout 4

While you can use several stat builds while traveling the wastelands of Fallout 4, some work better for newer players because of their ease of execution. The most standard starting build that people follow looks something like this.

• Strength — 3
• Perception — 4
• Endurance — 3
• Charisma — 2
• Intelligence — 9
• Agility — 5
• Luck — 3

This gives you enough starting points in Intelligence to level up quicker, and you’ll get access to the better perks in that tree. For instance, the V.A.N.S. perk helps beginners or those who get lost easily. The Gun Nut and Science perks support the modding mechanics for weapons and armor, which play a massive role in the game. The hacking perk allows you to hack computers, enter locked areas, and disarm defenses. Lastly, the Nerd Rage perk acts as a sound trump card for those who take a lot of damage.

A good amount of Strength and Endurance at the start will let you carry more equipment around while you absorb most of the early-game damage. This synergizes well with your Luck stat, giving you more loot than usual when you go explore.

A good balance of Perception and Agility will allow you to perform well with small firearms and ensure that you have enough AP to survive early fights. A low Charisma stat is not a big issue early on because few valuable conversations will net you better rewards than an actual battle would.

Settlements also come into play later in the game, and by then, you should be good on the Charisma front. If you want to lean more into Charisma, however, investing early is a good idea. Just know your other stats will suffer, and your early survival will be impacted.

Fallout 4 is a highly replayable RPG, so if this build isn’t working the way you want it to, you can experiment with some of your own now that you know how the stats work. However, if you’re new to the game and enjoy a good starting build, you can go right with this one.