Playing as the Sole Survivor in Fallout 4, you have many options for character builds. Builds can be based on a single stat or multiple from the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck) skill tree. By putting a single point in each of these stats, your character build can be drastically affected, for better or for worse.
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This can also be affected by the stats you choose at the beginning of the game. Not only do stats play into your character build, but you also need the right weapons and perks to play into your character's strengths. These builds will be just the thing you need to make your next playthrough of Fallout 4 even better than your last.
5 The Walking Tank
No build list is complete without a build based around heavy weapons, armor, and the signature Power Armor that the Fallout series is known for. This build requires a complete set of Power Armor. Any set will do, but the T-51 and X-01 sets are highly recommended for their high damage and radiation resistance. Certain perks are also required that will increase effectiveness with the armor as well as heavy weapons. Below is the recommended S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats for The Walking Tank build in Fallout 4.
- Strength: 4
- Perception: 4
- Endurance: 10
- Charisma: 2
- Intelligence: 6
- Agility: 2
- Luck: 1
As you could probably see, Endurance is the backbone of this build and adds the most to damage and radiation resistance. Strength is at a four because it is pretty much only needed to pick up a few essential perks. Perception will aid with V.A.T.S. targeting and the ability to land some critical hits. Intelligence is also at six because it's needed for a few perks down the line. Agility, Luck, and Charisma aren't needed for this build, so they are left at their starting value.
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The first perk that should be grabbed is Armorer. This will aid in maintaining and upgrading your Power Armor with the best mods possible. The next perk you should get is Solar Powered under the Endurance tree. The perk starts with +2 strength between 6:00am-6:00pm and later gives the ability to slowly heal lost health and radiation damage. The Science perk is also recommended to help with armor modding. The Chem Resistant perk is also good because you will need to take plenty of Buffjet or Bufftats.
The perk will make you 50% less likely to become addicted to chems and, when upgraded, will make you completely immune to addiction. The weapons recommended for this build are the Sergeant Ash flamer, which is a part of the Far Harbor DLC and can be found in Arcadia, and the Kiloton Radium Rifle, which is found in the Nucleus with the Children of Atom.
4 The Lone Wanderer
This build is all about relying on yourself and no one else — besides your trusty companion Dogmeat, that is. The build is best for those who dislike dealing with the NPC companions and want a true Sole Survivor experience based on survival and wandering across the wasteland. The below stats are recommended for becoming the best Lone Wanderer you can be.
- Strength: 3
- Perception: 4
- Endurance: 3
- Charisma: 3
- Intelligence: 5
- Agility: 4
- Luck: 7
It is best to have at least seven luck because of the great bonus it adds to critical hit damage and is one of the main stats you will focus on leveling up. Intelligence is at five because it's needed for some weapon modding with the Gun Nut perk. The main perks for this build are Rifleman, Lone Wanderer, and Attack Dog.
Rifleman is best for the signature Lone Wanderer look and increases all rifle damage. Needless to say, any rifle of your choice will be best for this build. The perk Lone Wanderer is great because it increases your damage resistance, carry weight, and overall damage you deal if you don't have a companion. Attack Dog is a good addition because Dogmeat doesn't count as a traditional companion, and this perk makes him so much better than he normally is. He will do more damage and aid in your V.A.T.S. hit chance. Instead of Power Armor, for this build, it's best to stick to the classic vault suit and the armor pieces you can wear over it.
3 Grognak The Barbarian
It's important to not forget the melee aspects of Fallout 4, and this build is all about melee. Specifically, if you'd like to cosplay as the legendary Grognak the Barbarian. This build is all about two-handed melee weapons and making your enemies hurt as much as possible. Here are the recommended stats for this fantastic melee build.
- Strength: 9
- Perception: 1
- Endurance: 4
- Charisma: 1
- Intelligence: 1
- Agility: 8
- Luck: 4
The high Strength stat is perfect for a melee build because it directly correlates to how much damage you'll do with melee weapons. High Agility is recommended for useful perks as well as the movement speed increase it offers. The perk Big Leagues is a must-have as it will flat out increase all melee damage done to enemies and have a chance to disarm them. Armorer is also recommended for armor upgrades.
The reason for having exactly nine strength is so you can grab the Rooted perk and do more melee damage while standing still. Action Boy/Action Girl are great Agility perks that will increase your action point refresh rate. To complete the look, you'll need to get Grognak's Legendary Axe as well as his costume, which can be found inside of Hubris Comics in a locked display case.
2 The Wasteland Cowboy
This build is as close as you can get to becoming a cowboy from the wild west in the post-apocalypse. It is all about damage and accuracy with semi-auto pistols as well as accuracy in V.A.T.S. The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats listed below will reflect this.
- Strength: 1
- Perception: 6
- Endurance: 1
- Charisma: 6
- Intelligence: 4
- Agility: 8
- Luck: 2
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The most absolutely necessary perk you'll need is Gunslinger and the ability to level it as much as possible. It will make your non-automatic pistols do 80% more damage and cripple limbs. Another great Agility perk is Quick Hands, which increases your reload speed and removes the action point requirement of reloading in V.A.T.S.
The high Charisma stat will help you talk your way out of or into conflict with new dialogue options, and it allows you to grab the Lone Wanderer perk. Sneak is another good perk to have as it will make you harder to detect while sneaking and make you able to easily line up headshots.
1 The Idiot Savant
This build is purely based on the Strength and Luck stats plus the Idiot Savant perk in the category. This build is all about earning experience quickly as well as landing huge critical hits with melee weapons. All this being said, your starting stats and ending stats are going to look kinda funny. Below are the recommended starting stats for an Idiot Savant.
- Strength: 10
- Perception: 1
- Endurance: 4
- Charisma: 1
- Intelligence: 1
- Agility: 1
- Luck: 10
Obviously, the main perk you'll be picking up is Idiot Savant. It allows you to randomly get 3 times experience for any action and have a greater chance to trigger with lower Intelligence. Four Leaf Clover and Ricochet are also great perks to have, as they increase your critical charge rate and sometimes make enemy bullets ricochet back at them and instantly kill them. Big League is also recommended, as you will be using nothing but melee weapons with this build. Toughness is also a good perk to pick up, as it increases your natural damage resistance, so you can wear whatever clothes you want!
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