Forum:Discussion of the "Best" perks

While perk preference is obviously a choice of play style, I'm interested in the respective magnitudes of the perks (or which perks have the most impact on gameplay). I would greatly appreciate input from anyone else who has any opinions on the perks.

First off, I have a number of generalizations and strategies about perk selection.

1) Unless you need an immediate boost in a particular skill, any skill boosting perks (except Comprehension and Educated) are relatively useless. Here's a trick - instead of using skill boosting perks, increase your intelligence during character creation and improve whatever statistics you pulled points from through intense training perks.  In essence, if you do the math, the largest skill boost perks give 15 skill points, however, every point of intelligence gives you 1 skill point per level (so 19 levels means 19 points) AND +2 skill points to science repair and medicine.  So, if you add this up, you get 25 skill points per point of intelligence and only 15 for a skill perk. An addition to this is that there are two skill based perks you should take before you start increasing intelligence for this reason.  Educated will yield 48 skill points if you take it at level 4 (almost twice what 1 point of intelligence yields) and Comprehension can yield massive amounts of skill points depending how many skill books you find (if you find 50 skill books it yields 50 points). So the moral to this very long-winded story is that unless you're addicted to skill points, don't take any skill boosting perks. Instead, take points out of some other attribute (lets say for example that you want strength 7 - take 2 points out and put them into intelligence) and improve the attribute with intense training later. Oh, and for those of you with Intelligence 10... Educated and Comprehension should be MORE than enough to get you WAY too many skill points.

My second generalization is that the perks that give you extended dialogue options really are not worth it - the options are too infrequent and most of the same things can be accomplished through speech checks. I tried both Lady Killer and Child at Heart and they're just not worth a perk in my opinion.

Now, to specific perks

Ironfist: I used this perk and found that it was extremely powerful if you plan to be a melee character (this can most certainly make unarmed combat more powerful than using any melee weapon). While I didn't obtain a deathclaw gauntlet, I have been using a plain powerfist and playing on hard mode and I can punch a supermutant out with little hassle at level 3 of this skill. I'd imagine that with a weapon that bypasses armor, as long as you could get into melee range you could wreck anything. If anyone has experimented with this, I'd like to hear how it went.

Lady Killer/Black Widow: Personally I enjoy this trait, and I do find that the 10% appears to help (more than I think it should). Objectively, I do have to say that the extra dialogue options are not worth a perk as you can accomplish most of the same ends through speech checks (and speech checks grant experience). If you enjoy interesting dialogue options and a little combat bonus, this is a decent option, but if you are trying to create the ultimate combat engine this perk isn't necessary.

This is all I have time to write now, but I'll try to come back later and write more. I was wondering if anyone has any input on: Demolitions expert, Sniper, Commando/Gunslinger, and concentrated fire.

-REPLY

My favorite weapon in the game is the Shishkebab. Once you can build at least a level 2 version of it, the weapons is insanely overpowered imo. That being said, if you add the Pyro perk, forget it. +50% damage and you're practically a 1 hit kill wonder.


 * Always look for the unique perks which changes something more than skill points. For example Nerd Rage! works great at unique situations, especially if you have no strength.
 * First time playing through I wanted to stick to my old Fallout2 fun strategy, which was plant explosives on people and watch them walk into a group and explode.Obviously you need a lot of stealth and explosive skills to pull it off without killing yourself. Perks to look into regarding fallout3 would be, Demolition Expert and Silent Running. Stealth Boys comes in handy if you lack the sneaking skills. However, to my disappointment there was no more dynamite, so it was impossible to time your explosions. There was only planting a live frag grenade which explodes extremely quickly if you don't run out he way. Obviously not as powerful of a strategy if you are unable to time your explosives like in Fallout2. However, it still pretty much kills the person in one hit. If you're lucky enough, the enemy will walk close enough to kill another person in one hit as well.
 * I took up my Oblivion strategy after my Fallout2 fun strategy failed, and went for headshots. Perks to look into would be Bloody Mess, Commando, Finesse, Sniper, Better Criticals, Concentrated Fire. Works great since you combine that with sneak attacks to take down some serious damage in the first hit if not killing the target in one shot. Obviously in the beginning you don't want to use VATS since the targeting system is too inaccurate. Just do the good old Oblivion zoom in, aim, shoot and hope it hits. In late game you'll get enough perks to make it worth wild actually using the VATS at long range rather than mid-range.
 * The second time playing, I went for Deathclaw Gauntlet sneak attacks. Pretty much focused mainly on unarmed perks like Iron Fist and sneaking perks like Silent Running. Ninja perk is the last one you want. --Lord0din69 01:55, 3 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Demolitions Expert: If you take all 3 levels and max out your explosives skill frag grenades become super mutant kryptonite. You hit for just over 160 dmg, and that's enough to outright kill regular Super Mutants, the brutes and masters take 2 grenades each, or one with a little small arms mop-up. Its easy to engage a mutant after using grenades because the first blast always seems to cripple their legs making them easy pickings. From what I've seen getting the Wired Reflexes perk is the only way to increase V.A.T.S. grenade hit%. Having already tapped Outcast Casdin for the technology side quest is helpful if you're going to be a pull-the-pin-with-your-teeth styled Rambo character, you can buy cheap, nearly broken power armors and laser weapons from the merchants and trade them in for tons of Frags. --AshRandom 21:23, 5 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Combining perks really gets you where you need to go. My weapons of choice are the combay shotgun, the Chinese assault rifle, and the sniper rifle. Over the course of leveling I've combined the Sniper perk with Commando and I already get 95% head shot chances from fairly long distances. I plan on coupling this with Concentrated Fire, and the Grim Reaper's Sprint in the coming levels to become increasingly deadly.

Additionally, as previously noted, a GREAT base for any character is 10 SPECIAL points in intellegence. Place nine in it to star and make attaining the bobble head from Rivet City your first course of action when you leave the Vault. Educated and Comprehension are MUSTS for anyone who wants to try and max out all skills. I myself am very close to doing so.--Greensborohill 17:23, 29 December 2008 (UTC)

My opinion on Perks : 1- Avoid skill perks, get comprehension and educated and level them that way , because if you take skill perks , its just a waste because there are far more usefull ones 2- try and get Silent running, even if you arent a very stealthy charecter it can be usefull,i once recall trying to attack fort bannister but being unable to get best the bastard with the Missile launcher , so i snuck around the base from a distance and would have been seen usually but with silent running my guy was very hard to spot and i only had around 30 sneak skill , pulled out my hunting rifle and blew his head of using its sniping trick and the sneak critical 3- Perks with good combat uses, like Adamantium skeleton , are also great , i use to get my arms crippled each time a guy hit me with a missile launcher or grenade , with Adamantium skeleton , i havent had a crippled limb for a while now