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The best perk cards to stick with in Fallout 76
Whether you’re solo queuing or trading in Starbursts for Mentats, here’s a guide on the best perk cards you can find in the state of West Virginia.
It’s true: ‘Fallout 76’s’ new perks system is a hop, skip, and Power Armor * swoosh * away from what it was in 2015’s ‘Fallout 4’. Instead of being the Vault Boy version of a dorm poster, it’s now in the form of a Bethesda trading card system that would have lived in said dorm and destroyed our nerd hopes and dreams of experiencing unrequited love (here’s looking at you ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’).
In the lands of West Virginia, levelling is based on Perk Cards which are earned after you level up or complete challenges. With every level you gain, you earn a point that can be put into one of the seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills (i.e. Strength, Luck) where you then pick a card to equip under that skill. The number of points you have in a skill dictates the number of cards you can have – whether it’s five Rank 1 cards or one Rank 3 card with one Rank 2 card. Every perk card starts at Rank 1, but they can also be upgraded to a higher tier if they’re combined with a duplicate.
It’s a system that wholeheartedly blends Pokemon Trainers with ‘Dark Souls’ builds – especially since there’s (usually) a new type of card per S.P.E.C.I.A.L. rank. You can also get Perk Card Packs as you level up but since they’re full of ‘special gum’ and ‘90s-era dad jokes, we decided to put together a guide that’s a little less randomised. The following highlights the best perks for each category while also adhering to play styles, strategies, and the one friend who’s solely concerned with turning every super mutant into a ‘Super Mario Bros.’ meme.
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For when “thicc” boys need to “thicc"
© Bethesda
Strength
Strength cards are for the ‘Old School’-loving, melee-first caveman that’s hell bent on destroying everything in its in path in ‘Fallout 76’ (see Gladiator, Slugger). They can also be used to boost carrying capacity, swing speed, reload times, and the total amount of damage you can do when you’re cosplaying as a Hulkbuster and sprinting into an enemy with a full suit of Power Armor.
Pack Rat (Lvl. 6): The weight of all junk items is reduced by 25 percent to 75 percent.
Shotgunner (Lvl. 10): Your shotguns now deal +10 percent to +30 percent damage.
Strong Back (Lvl. 26): Five different ranks of +10 to +50 carry weight.
It’s “open season” in West Virginia
© Bethesda
Perception
If stealthing, rifling, accuracy, and wandering the wasteland at night are hobbies you would list on your dating profile, then Perception is for you. Perks like PerceptiBobble and Fortune Finder will point you in the direction of bobbleheads and cap stashes while the three levels of Picklock grant you access to multiple tiers of safes and remote areas that are full of bonus goodies.
Picklock (Lvl. 5): Gain +1 lockpicking skill; the lockpicking sweet spot is 10 percent larger.
Refractor (Lvl. 32): Gain +5 to +20 energy resistance.
Night Eyes (Lvl. 47): Gain night vision while sneaking from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
There’s radiation, and then there’s Scorchbeasts
© Bethesda
Endurance
Endurance perk cards are more about survival than stamina as they’ll increase your resistance to radiation, diseases, and limb damage. They also make your health items more effective and help reduce hunger and thirst if you’re a vault dweller who has traded Starbursts for Mentats.
Slow Metabolizer (Lvl. 5): All food satisfies hunger by an additional 25 percent to 75 percent.
Adamantium Skeleton (Lvl. 20): Your limb damage is reduced by 20 percent to 100 percent.
Ghoulish (Lvl. 36): Radiation now regenerates more of your lost health
Redefining the meaning of ‘Zootopia’
© Bethesda
Charisma
Charisma is more of a team-based perk thanks to West Virginia’s stance on NPCs, but it’s one that increases XP, aids revives and health regen time, and generates better prices at vendors. For solo players, it can either reduce fast travel costs and allow you to pacify animals or it can turn you into a raging ‘Waterworld’ reject who satisfies their thirst via alcohol and blood packs.
Inspirational (Lvl. 2): When you are on a team, gain 5 percent to 15 percent more experience.
Team Medic (Lvl. 20): Your stimpaks also heal nearby team-mates from half to all of their health.
Travel Agent (Lvl. 26): Pay 30 percent fewer caps when fast travelling.
A test of wits, might, and weapon degradation
© Bethesda
Intelligence
Intelligence perks are a subtle way of turning your fourth into an expert craftsman that is several shades of Donatello, Bender, and Rick Sanchez. They improve your ability to craft weapons and armour but they also reduce weapon degradation, unlock mods, buff stimpaks and RadAway, and reward anyone who has ever dreamed of auditioning for the sequel to the 1995 film ‘Hackers’.
Hacker (Lvl. 4): Gain +1 Hacking skill; terminal lock-out is reduced.
Demolition Expert (Lvl. 10): Your explosives deal +20 percent to +100 percent damage.
Grease Monkey (Lvl. 33): Workshop items are 30 percent to 60 percent cheaper to repair.
Because falling off a cliff is (too) easy
© Bethesda
Agility
It’s not easy living out in the wasteland of West Virginia -– especially if your sprint speed makes Kristen Stewart look like a high school track star in the ‘Twilight’ series. Agility perk cards offer bonuses for Action Points and running speed, and they even go to lengths to buff ‘stealth-perts’ who prefer to sneak, disarm traps, pistol-whip enemies, and silently fall off cliffs while doing so.
Action Boy / Action Girl (Lvl. 2): Action Points regenerate 15 percent to 45 percent faster.
Marathoner (Lvl. 13): Sprinting consumes 20 percent to 60 percent fewer Action Points.
White Knight (Lvl. 39): Your armour breaks 30 percent to 90 percent more slowly and is cheaper to repair.
For when the going gets going and gets tough
© Bethesda
Luck
Fun fact: Not all Luck perks are useful. Some can help you find more caps, let your armour repair itself, and even double the benefit of bobbleheads and magazines while others are more or less there to make sure you drop a live grenade from your inventory when you die (see Last Laugh). They can be oddly specific but cards like Woodchucker and Better Criticals are game-changers.
Good With Salt (Lvl. 9): Food in your inventory will spoil 30 percent to 90 percent slower than normal.
Woodchucker (Lvl. 17): Collect twice as much when harvesting wood.
Grim Reaper’s Sprint (Lvl. 33): Any kill in VATS has a 15 percent to 35 percent chance to restore AP to full.
