Perks

Perks

Protecting the Mutants from Mercenaries

CONFIRMED BACHELOR/CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*****] / [**...]
Prerequisite: Male/Female gender
Description:  In combat, you do 10% damage against opponents of the same sex.
              You sometimes get access to unique dialogue options when dealing
              with the same sex.  While Confirmed Bachelor is supremely useful,
              as a woman you're better off taking the Black Widow perk.  There
              are simply more men than women in the game.

LADY KILLER/BLACK WIDOW
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...] / [*****]
Prerequisite: Male/Female gender
Description:  In combat you do 10% damage against opponents of the other sex.
              You sometimes get access to unique dialogue options when dealing
              with the other sex.  While Black Widow is supremely useful,
              as a man you're better off taking the Confirmed Bachelor perk.
              There are simply more men than women in the game.

FRIEND OF THE NIGHT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Sneak: 30, Perception: 6
Description:  Your eyes adapt quickly to low-light conditions indoors and when
              darkness falls across the post-nuclear wastelend.  Well that's
              just great, but it's better to turn up your TV's brightness a
              little (or better yet, check the in-game options) than to waste
              a perk spot.

HEAVE, HO!
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Explosives: 30, Strength: 5
Description:  All thrown weapons fly farther and faster for you.  Nothing more,
              nothing less.

HUNTER
¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Survival: 30
Description:  In combat, you do 75% *critical* damage against animals and
              mutated animals.  So your regular damage stays the same.  When
              you do get a critical, it's not even twice the extra damage, but
              only 75% extra, and only against animals and mutated animals.
              Ever been scared of Mole Rats?

INTENSE TRAINING
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        10
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Put a single point in a SPECIAL stat of your choice.

RAPID RELOAD
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Guns: 30, Agility: 5
Description:  Makes all your weapon reloads 25% faster than normal.  This can
              make a little difference, but it's better to always keep your gun
              reloaded anyway.  Reloading in the heat of battle can be annoying,
              but there are many other great perks to be chosen.

RETENTION
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Intelligence: 5
Description:  The bonuses granted by skill magazines last three times as long.
              You usually only need these bonuses for a very short while anyhow,
              for a dialogue challenge, picking a lock, hacking a terminal, etc.

SWIFT LEARNER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        2
Ranks:        3
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Intelligence: 4
Description:  You gain 10% extra experience points whenever EXP is given.
              Considering you'll reach Level 30 by yourself, this is only a
              waste of a perk spot.  Why hurry?  It's only 10%.
________________________________________________________________________________

CANNIBAL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  With the Cannibal perk you can eat corpses when in sneak bodies,
              allowing you to regain hit points with this action.  Everytime
              you feed, you lose Karma and if the act is witnessed, well, you
              get attacked.  This isn't one of the best perks..

COMPREHENSION
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*****]
Prerequisite: Intelligence: 4
Description:  You get double the temporary bonus from reading skill magazines
              ( 20 points instead of 10), and one extra permanent point from
              reading skill books ( 4 instead of 3).  A very useful perk as
              this allows you to boost a whole lot more skills.

EDUCATED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*****]
Prerequisite: Intelligence: 4
Description:  You get two more skill points every time you level up.  Take this
              perk at level 4 to get the most out of it: 52 skill points baby!

ENTOMOLOGIST
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Survival: 45, Intelligence: 4
Description:  You deal 50% extra damage to mutated insects such as Radroaches,
              Giant Mantises and Radscorpions.  Decent, but not more than that.

RAD CHILD
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Survival: 70
Description:  The higher your radiation sickness stage, the more health you
              recover.  Preferably, you don't even want to have radiation
              sickness because it comes with stats penalties..

RUN 'N GUN
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Guns: 45 OR Energy Weapons: 45
Description:  Reduces accuracy penalties when running and shooting with one-
              handed weapons (guns and energy weapons).

TRAVEL LIGHT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        4
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Survival: 45
Description:  While wearing light armor or no armor, you run 10% faster.  Cute,
              but hardly essential.
________________________________________________________________________________

BLOODY MESS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Enemies will often explode into a red, gut-ridden paste, and you
              do 5% extra damage with ALL weapons.  The gore is cute, but the
              additional damage - even though it's only 5% - is very welcome.

DEMOLITION EXPERT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        3
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Explosives: 50
Description:  All explosive weapons (including mines, grenades, missile launcher
              and Fat Men) do 20% damage.  That's quite a good bonus if you'd
              like to specialise in explosives.

FEROCIOUS LOYALTY
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Charisma: 6
Description:  When you drop below 50% health, your companions gain much greater
              resistance to damage.  Useful if you hate to see your companions
              die in Hardcore mode, but otherwise not useful.

FORTUNE FINDER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Luck: 5
Description:  You find more bottle caps in containers than you normally would.
              Meh.. Compared to other perks this one just doesn't compare,
              especially because you only receive around 20% extra.

GUNSLINGER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Your accuracy in V.A.T.S. is improved when using one-handed guns
              like a Pistol.  Handy, but you could always stand a little closer
              to your target.  Or, you know, use a Sniper Rifle.

HAND LOADER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Repair: 70
Description:  You know your way around reloading benches and don't let good
              brass and hulls go to waste.  When you use guns you're more likely
              to recover cases and hulls.  You also know all hand load recipes
              at all reloading benches.  A very decent perk to say the least.

LEAD BELLY
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Survival: 40, Endurance: 5
Description:  You take -50% radiation when consuming food and drinks.  What can
              I say?  RadAway!

SHOTGUN SURGEON
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Guns: 45
Description:  When using shotguns, regardless what ammo you use, you ignore an
              additional 10 points of the targets Damage Treshold.  Quite nice!

THE PROFESSIONAL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Sneak: 70
Description:  Sneak Attack Criticals with Pistols, Revolvers and Submachine Guns
              (both Guns and Energy Weapons) all inflict 20% damage.  That's
              quite a big bonus and you should definitely consider this perk.

TOUGHNESS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        2
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Endurance: 5
Description:  Adds 3 to Damage Treshold.  This is s decent boost to your DT,
              and you can take two ranks in it.

VIGILANT RECYCLER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        6
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Science: 70
Description:  When using Energy Weapons you are more likely to recover ammo.
              You also have more efficient recipes available at workbenches.
________________________________________________________________________________

COMMANDO
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Your accuracy is improved in V.A.T.S. with two-handed weapons
              (such as rifles).  Could be useful for those who like to play
              around with Sniper Rifles.

COWBOY
¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Guns: 45, Melee Weapons: 45
Description:  You do 25% damage with revolvers, lever-action firearms,
              dynamite, knives and hatchets.  Not bad.

LIVING ANATOMY
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Medicine: 70
Description:  Allows you to see the health and Damage Treshold of any target.
              You also do 5% damage against humans and non-feral ghouls.  This
              is quite cool to have, and the damage bonus is nice too, but at
              this point there's many competition..

PACK RAT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   Hardcore: [*****] / Non-hardcore [.....]
Prerequisite: Barter: 70, Intelligence: 5
Description:  Items with a weight of 2 or less only weigh half as much.  You'll
              definitely want to take this perk if you're playing on Hardcore.
              Otherwise, don't bother.

QUICK DRAW
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Agility: 5
Description:  You equip and holster weapons 50% faster.  The holstering part
              is completely useless and ... so is the equipping part to a great
              extent.  Worthless.

RAD RESISTANCE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Survival: 40, Endurance: 5
Description:  Rad resist 25%.  Nothing more, nothing less.

SCROUNGER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Luck: 5
Description:  You find more ammo in containers.  Can be useful, but the
              perk competition is getting tighter.

STONEWALL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Strength: 6, Endurance: 6
Description:  5 Damage Treshold against melee weaons and unarmed attack.
              You can also no longer be knocked down in combat.

STRONG BACK
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Strength: 5, Endurance: 5
Description:  Increases Carry Weight by 50.  Niiice!

SUPER SLAM
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Melee Weapons: 45, Strength: 6
Description:  All melee weapons (except thrown ones) and unarmed attacks have a
              chance of knocking your target down.  Handy, but not essential.
              Only useful if you're specialising in Unarmed.

TERRIFYING PRESENCE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        8
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [?????]
Prerequisite: Speech: 70
Description:  In some conversations, you gain the ability to initiate combat
              while terrifying a mob of opponents, sending them fleeing away
              for safety.  I don't know what the **** that means, but when I
              find out, this vague description will hit the garbage bin.
________________________________________________________________________________

ANIMAL FRIEND
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        2
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Survival: 45, Charisma: 6
Description:  Rank 1: Animals don't attack you.  Rank 2: Animals aid you in
              combat, but never against other animals.  The first rank is
              arguably useless, and it's too big a price to pay TWO perk spots
              just to get the effects from rank 2.  Furthermore, animals usually
              come in packs and won't attack each other.

FINESSE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  You have a higher chance to score critical hits, equivalent to
              5 extra points of Luck.  Well, that's not too bad, actually.

HERE AND NOW
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Instantly grants you a level.  Absolutely worthless, considering
              there's a limited amount of levels and you *will* get there
              anyway, but to waste a perk spot with this would be ridiculous.

MATH WRATH
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Science: 70
Description:  Reduces all Action Points (AP) costs by 10%.  Quite nice,
              especially in combination of other AP boosting perks!  You can
              make a realy V.A.T.S. killer character eventually.

MISS FORTUNE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Luck: 6
Description:  Just when your enemies think they have the upper hand, Miss
              Fortune appears to turn their world upside down.  Appearing only
              in V.A.T.S., she has the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of
              victory.

MISTER SANDMAN
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Sneak: 60
Description:  When in sneak mode you can silently kill any sleeping human or
              ghoul, gaining experience too.  But.. if they're sleeping, why
              not just grab a Silenced Pistol or powerful melee weapon?  This
              perk is worthless compared to all others you can choose.

MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Luck: 6
Description:  The Mysterious Stranger will randomly appear if the opponent is
              still alive with 150 HP or less, with a chance of 10%, finishing
              it off.  Probably interferes with Grim Reaper's Sprint (although
              dumbed down still preferable), so the Mysterious Stranger is not
              too useful.

NERD RAGE!
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Science: 50, Intelligence: 5
Description:  When health is at 20% or below (like, the point where any sane
              person starts healing - I mean, c'mon, there's a *reason* your
              health dropped that low, and that reason is likely to be four
              sentry bots or a pack of ferocious deathclaws), only THEN will
              your Strength get raised to 10, and do you gain 15 Damage
              Treshold.  Extremely conditional usage.

NIGHT PERSON
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  When the sun is down this perk grants 2 INT and PER (max = 10).
              This works both outside and inside.  Did I mention it's worthless?

PLASMA SPAZ
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        10
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Energy Weapons: 70
Description:  Action Point costs for Plasma Weapons (including Plasma Grenades)
              are reduced by 10%.  Since Math Wrath reduces *ALL* AP costs by
              10%, you should always take that one first.  Regardless, this
              could still be a decent choice if you really want to make a
              killer character in V.A.T.S., equipped with a Plasma Rifle
              (because let's face it, that'd be the sole reason to take this
              perk, because who cares about Plasma Grenades Action Point costs?)
              I'm not going to make a joke about the name Plasma Spaz, because
              I'm not *that* dirty.
________________________________________________________________________________

FAST METABOLISM
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  20% Stimpak effectiveness.  Quite useful, but you can also be
              more careful or hold more Stimpaks close to your heart..

GHASTLY SCAVENGER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Cannibal Perk
Description:  You can now also devour Super Mutants and Feral Ghouls.  Once
              again a worthless perk.

HIT THE DECK
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Explosives: 70
Description:  Damage Treshold 50% against *ALL* explosions.  Can be useful!

LIFE GIVER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Endurance: 6
Description:  Grants 30 Health Points.  Unique and useful.

LONG HAUL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Barter: 70, Endurance: 6
Description:  Being overcumbered no longer prevents you from Fast Travelling.
              Brings mixed feelings.  Sounds great, right?  Grab everything you
              want (at least on the Mojave Wasteland), then Fast Travel to a
              place where you can sell it all and dump it.  But this still
              requires an *entire* perk spot and the competition is big.  Can't
              you just dump your companion full with items anyway?

PIERCING STRIKE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Unarmed: 70
Description:  When strikeing unarmed or melee weapons (including thrown ones),
              this perk negates 15 Damage Treshold points.  Very useful for
              Unarmed character builds, arguably even essential.  It can also
              have its uses for regular characters, as this greatly improves
              melee combat in general.

PYROMANIAC
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Explosives: 60
Description:  50% damage with fire-based weapons like Flamer and Shishkebab.
              Useful, sure, but essential?  Maybe for melee characters.

ROBOTICS EXPERT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Science: 50
Description:  25% damage to all robots.  Sneaking up to a robot undetected
              gives you the option to permanently shut them down.  Good stuff!

SILENT RUNNING
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Sneak: 50, Agility: 6
Description:  You run just as silently as crouched.  But in all seriousness,
              learn to sneak properly by staying undetected and save a perk
              spot for something more useful.

SNIPER
¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Perception: 6, Agility: 6
Description:  The chance to hit an opponent's head is significantly increased.
              Probably by 25%.  Decent, not more than that.

SPLASH DAMAGE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Explosives: 70
Description:  25% area effect for all explosions you cause.  If you're a pyro,
              this is for you!  Otherwise, well, it's decent.

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        12
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Melee Weapons: 90, Strength: 7
Description:  You do a large amount of additional damage through enemy blocks
              with all Unarmed and Melee attacks.  Sounds great, but think about
              what it says.  It increase your damage when an enemy is blocking
              only.  It might be semi-handy for Unarmed characters, but even
              then you might want to pick an other precious perk.
________________________________________________________________________________

ADAMANTIUM SKELETON
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        14
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Your limbs only receive 50% of the damage they normally would.
              Sounds amazing, but this does nothing with regards to the regular
              damage taken.  And how often are your limbs crippled in combat?
              Well.., yeah, *sometimes*, but not *that* often.  This perk has
              limited use.

CENTER OF MASS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        14
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Guns: 70
Description:  15% damage in V.A.T.S. when targetting the torso.  Certainly
              a notable perk, especially for V.A.T.S. lovers.

CHEMIST
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        14
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Medicine: 60
Description:  Chems last twice as long.  Nice, but can't you just take a second
              one when it wears off?  Sure, sure, you might get addicted, but
              that chance isn't too high and you can always cure that "Ave"!

JURY RIGGING
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        14
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Repair: 90
Description:  You possess the amazing ability to repair any item using a roughly
              similar item.  Fix a Trail Carbine with a Hunting Rifle, a Plasma
              Defende with a Laser Pistol, or even Power Armor with Metal Armor.
              How does it work? Nobody knows... except you.  This is actually
              a unique and quite handy perk, allowing you to fix a wider
              arsenal of weapons and equipment.

LIGHT STEP
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        14
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Perception: 6, Agility: 6
Description:  You never set off enemy mines or floor-based traps.  Who cares?
              Just be more careful and save often, or disarm the things.

PURIFIER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        14
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   Unarmed Builds: [****.] / All-Round: [**...]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  50% damage with Unarmed and Melee Weapons against Centaurs,
              Nightstalkers, Spore Plants, Spore Carriers, Deathclaws, Super
              Mutants and Feral Ghouls.  Only useful for unarmed character
              builds.
________________________________________________________________________________

ACTION BOY
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        16
Ranks:        2
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Agility: 6
Description:  You gain 15 AP.  Nice!

BETTER CRITICALS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        16
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Perception: 6, Luck: 6
Description:  50% damage bonus for all critical hits you deliver.  Very nice
              indeed.  Unfortunately it requires relatively high PER and LCK
              stats, so you might need to skip it with certain character builds.

CHEM RESISTANT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        16
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Medicine: 60
Description:  50% less chance to develop an addiction to chems.  Then again, if
              you're careful you'll never need to build up an addiction at all.

MELTDOWN
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        16
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: Energy Weapons: 90
Description:  Enemies killed by Energy Weapons give off a corona of harmful
              energy.  This can cause a chain reaction.  More a fun perk than
              actually helpful - it won't happen all that often to have enemies
              grouped together tightly enough for this to cause a lot of damage.

TAG!
¯¯¯¯
Level:        16
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Raises one skill with 15 points.  Would've been "cute" at level
              10, but at level 16, this is simply not worth the effort.  There
              are better ways to raise your skills.

WEAPON HANDLING
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        16
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Strength lower than 10.
Description:  Weapon strength requirements are now 2 points lower than normal.
              Again, this has limited usefulness.  It'd be better to select
              Intense Training - besides, you wouldn't want to have low strength
              in any character build.
________________________________________________________________________________

COMPUTER WHIZ
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        18
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Science: 70, Intelligence: 7
Description:  If you are locked out of a computer, you get a second attempt.
              They're back, the two useful hacking and lockpicking perks.  The
              solution is simple: Save before hacking, and don't force locks.

CONCENTRATED FIRE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        18
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [***..]
Prerequisite: Energy Weapons: 60, Guns: 60
Description:  Your accuracy to hit any body part in V.A.T.S. increases slightly
              with each subsequent hit on that body part.  All in all this
              results in a decent increase of accuracy.

INFILTRATOR
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        18
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Lockpick: 70, Perception: 7
Description:  If you break a lock you get a second chance. This is the worthless
              twin of Computer Whiz, and no one should ever bother with it on
              a level as high as 18.  Even at level 2 it would be bad!

PARALYZING PALM
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        18
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   Unarmed Builds: [*****] / All-Round Builds: [*....]
Prerequisite: Unarmed: 70
Description:  You will sometimes perform a special V.A.T.S. palm strike that
              paralyzes your opponent for 30 seconds.  You must be completely
              Unarmed for this to sometimes happen.  A good perk for Unarmed
              builds, otherwise it's kind of got a limited use.
________________________________________________________________________________

EXPLORER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        20
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [**...]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  All locations are revealed on the Mojave Wasteland.  It's a quick
              practical solution, but it's nothing you can't do yourself.  Two
              stars for practical uses, but otherwise zero for completionists.
              It can be very annoying to not know which locations you haven't
              explored yet, though, so keep that in mind.

GRIM REAPER'S SPRINT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        20
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*****]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  If you kill a target in V.A.T.S., twenty Action Points (AP) are
              restored upon exiting V.A.T.S. mode.  Although heavily dumbed down
              from Fallout 3 (where it restored all AP), this is still a great
              perk to take.

NINJA
¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        20
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   Unarmed Builds: [*****] / All-Round Builds: [***..]
Prerequisite: Melee Weapons: 80, Sneak: 80
Description:  When attacking with Melee Weapons or Unarmed you gain a 15%
              critical chance on every strike.  Sneak Attack Criticals do 25%
              more damage than normal.  A must for all Unarmed builds, and even
              decent for All-Round Builds.

SOLAR POWERED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        20
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: Endurance: 7
Description:  When walking in direct sunlight: 2 Strength and slow health
              regeneration.  It's like getting 'Night Person' at level 20, and
              yes, it's worthless.
________________________________________________________________________________

LASER COMMANDER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        22
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Energy Weapons: 90
Description:  15% damage and 10% chance to get critical hits with all
              Laser Weapons.  Well, that *is* quite useful!

NUKA CHEMIST
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        22
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [?????]
Prerequisite: Science: 90
Description:  You can now create a special kind of Nuka-Cola at workbenches.

SPRAY AND PRAY
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        22
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [*....]
Prerequisite: ---
Description:  Your attacks do much less damage to your companions.  (Oh, right,
              I'm level 22, so we must be so dumb to actually start randomly
              "spraying" bullets at my companions when firing at enemies).  The
              only useful scenario would be when explosions are involved.
________________________________________________________________________________

SLAYER
¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        24
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   Unarmed Builds: [*****] / All-Round Builds: [**...]
Prerequisite: Unarmed: 90, Agility: 7
Description:  Speed of all Unarmed and Melee Weapon attacks increased by 30%.
              Again, this really shows how much the developers wanted people to
              "like" Unarmed builds.  It's a must for Unarmed builds, but not
              more than decent for all-round builds.
________________________________________________________________________________

NERVES OF STEEL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        26
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [****.]
Prerequisite: Agility: 7
Description:  Action Points recover much more quickly than normal.  Yet another
              crown for V.A.T.S. lovers.
________________________________________________________________________________

RAD ABSORPTION
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Level:        28
Ranks:        1
Usefulness:   [.....]
Prerequisite: Endurance: 7
Description:  Your radiation level slowly decreases on it's own over time.  It
              removes -20 RAD every 20 seconds.  The real question is, who
              really cares?  I say, RadAway!
________________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
BETTER HEALING
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Arcade Gannon
Usefulness:   [***..]
Description:  You regain more health from all consumable sources.  Quite handy!

ENHANCED SENSORS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    ED-E
Usefulness:   [*....]
Description:  You can detect enemies from very long distances, and stealthed
              enemies can also be detected.  Nifty, but not very useful.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Raul
Usefulness:   [***..]
Description:  Your weapons and equipment condition decays 50% slower.  That
              is actually decently useful.

SCRIBE ASSISTANT
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Veronica
Usefulness:   [*....]
Description:  You are allowed to craft workbench items through dialogue options
              with Veronica.  Sounds awesome, but you might as well be patient
              and find a Workbench.

SEARCH AND MARK
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Rex
Usefulness:   [.....]
Description:  Chems, firearms and ammo in your close surroundings are all
              highlighted when you zoom in with the camera.  Hardly useful at
              all.

SPOTTER
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Craig Boone
Usefulness:   [.....]
Description:  Hostile targets are highlighted when you're actively aiming.
              Not very useful either.

STEALTH GIRL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Lily
Usefulness:   [****.]
Description:  Increases Stealth-Boy duration by 200% and also increases Sneak
              Attack Critical hits by 10% damage.  Very nice for a companion
              perk!

WHISKEY ROSE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Companion:    Cass
Usefulness:   [****.]
Description:  Consuming Whiskey doesn't reduce your SPECIAL stats and you are
              no longer at risk of getting addicted to Whiskey, but you do raise
              your Damage Treshold.  Useful to say the least!