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| This page lists all perks in Fallout 2. |
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General information[]
In Fallout 2, perks are selected every third level (or fourth with the Skilled trait). There are 70 regular perks and 12 special perks. For perks with multiple ranks, the benefit listed should be interpreted as "per rank".
Chems can be taken (e.g., Mentats or Buffout) to increase desired SPECIAL stats temporarily; this allows gaining perks that normally would be unavailable. Perks taken under drug influence remain permanent, even when the stats fall under the requirements after the chems wear out.
List of perks[]
One quirk of Fallout 2 it inherited from its predecessor is the absence of balance in perks, although the lack of an arbitrary level limit has eliminated some of the systemic issues, increasing the number of viable perks. As in the previous games, Awareness (detailed combat information) alongside Bonus Rate of Fire/Bonus HtH Attacks (global reductions of AP costs for attacks) are universally useful, joined by Slayer and Sniper, which become available due to the increase in the amount of experience gained in a regular playthrough. The remainder of viable perks is virtually the same (Action Boy/Girl, Bonus Move, More Criticals/Better Criticals, Quick Pockets, Dodger, and Toughness), joined by Living Anatomy.
The remaining perks
- Several of the newly added perks rely heavily on the player's build and min-maxing, such as the seven Gain Attribute perks, or Mutate!
- The virtually unlimited amount of experience points and absence of an arbitrary level limit make perks focused on increasing the rate of experience gain (Swift Learner) slightly attractive, but also eliminate the need for skill point perks like Educated, Gambler, Harmless, Master Thief, Medic, Mr. Fixit, Negotiator, Salesman, Speaker, or Survivalist. Unlike later games, these perks do not unlock any additional dialogue options either. Here and Now is also made pointless by the absence of a clear benefit outside a bulk experience gain.
- Design of stealth and theft is primitive. Failure to steal causes most, if not the entire map, to become permanently hostile, as does failing to sneak (Ghost, Silent Death, Silent Running, and Pickpocket).
- Dialogues have systems that are poorly or even unimplemented. The reaction system is fundamentally broken, making it nearly impossible for a character to react negatively (rendering Cult of Personality, Empathy, and Presence useless), while Speech is far more important than Intelligence (Smooth Talker).
- Lack of balance in combat marginalizes most combat perks. Bonus HtH Damage and Bonus Ranged Damage offer minimal bonuses, Demolition Expert and Pyromaniac affect marginal use weapons, Earlier Sequence is meaningless due to the way turn-based combat is implemented in the game, Rad Resistance and Snakeater increase resistance to marginal threats, Weapon Handling, Night Vision and Sharpshooter have a limited impact due to the underlying chance to hit calculation that prioritizes weapon skills, while Animal Friend does not affect genuine threats like deathclaws. Heave Ho! does not have any effect unless the player character's strength is less than 4 (and affects weapons of marginal usability). Quick Recovery and Stonewall affect a marginal issue in combat.
- Despite the variety of world map encounters, perks related to it provide marginal benefits (Cautious Nature, Mysterious Stranger, Pathfinder, Scrounger, Survivalist), while special encounters rely principally on raw Luck, eliminating the need for Explorer, Ranger, Scout.
- The remainder of perks is affected by general balance. Strong Back and Pack Rat are rendered meaningless by the relatively large capacity of party members like Ian, while Fortune Finder and Master Trader have little impact due to the abundance of loot for trading. Traps are extremely rare, eliminating the need for Light Step, while the ready availability of Sexpert obviates the need for Kama Sutra Master, while the presence of stimpaks does the same for Faster Healing and Healer. Finally, Comprehension is rendered useless due to the fixed threshold at which skill books stop giving benefits.
Regular perks[]
| Name | Level req | Other requirements | Ranks | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action Boy | 12 | AG 5 | 2 | Additional action point available in combat |
| Adrenaline Rush | 6 | ST < 10 | 1 | +1 to Strength when HP drops below 50% |
| Awareness | 3 | PE 5 | 1 | Examining a target shows hitpoints, weapon and ammunition count |
| Better Criticals | 9 | PE 6, AG 4, LK 6 | 1 | 20% bonus on the critical hit table |
| Bonus HtH Attacks | 15 | AG 6 | 1 | Hand-to-hand attacks cost 1 AP less to perform |
| Bonus HtH Damage | 3 | ST 6, AG 6 | 3 | +2 points of damage for hand-to-hand and melee attacks |
| Bonus Move | 6 | AG 5 | 2 | Two extra APs per turn that can only be used for movement |
| Bonus Ranged Damage | 6 | AG 6, LK 6 | 2 | +2 points of damage for attacks with ranged weapons |
| Bonus Rate of Fire | 15 | PE 6, IN 6, AG 7 | 1 | Ranged weapon attacks cost 1 AP less to perform |
| Cautious Nature | 3 | PE 6 | 1 | +3 to Perception during random encounters |
| Comprehension | 3 | IN 6 | 1 | 50% more skill points when reading books |
| Cult of Personality | 12 | CH 10 | 1 | People will always view the user favorably, regardless of reputation nor their alignment |
| Demolition Expert | 9 | AG 4, Traps 75% | 1 | Explosives do more damage and always detonate on time |
| Dodger | 9 | AG 6 | 1 | +5 to Armor Class |
| Earlier Sequence | 3 | PE 6 | 3 | +2 to attack sequence |
| Educated | 6 | IN 6 | 3 | +2 skill points at level up |
| Empathy | 6 | PE 7, IN 5 | 1 | Reaction levels are shown when in an indepth conversation |
| Explorer | 9 | 1 | Higher chance of finding special places and people in random encounters | |
| Faster Healing | 3 | EN 6 | 3 | +2 bonus to user's healing rate |
| Fortune Finder | 6 | LK 8 | 1 | Additional money is found during random encounters |
| Gain | 12 | (Statistic) < 10 | 1 (x7) | +1 to the respective Statistic |
| Gambler | 6 | Gambling 50% | 1 | +20% to Gambling |
| Ghost | 6 | Sneak 60% | 1 | +20% to Sneak in dark conditions |
| Harmless | 6 | Steal 50%, Karma 50 or more | 1 | +20% to Steal |
| Healer | 3 | PE 7, IN 5, AG 6, First Aid 40% | 2 | 4-10 more hit points healed when using First Aid or Doctor skills |
| Heave Ho! | 6 | ST < 9 | 3 | +2 to Strength when determining range of a thrown weapon |
| Here and Now | 3 | 1 | Immediately gain an extra level | |
| HtH Evade | 12 | Unarmed 75% | 1 | +2 for each unused Action Point, plus 1/12 to user's Unarmed skill to Armor Class at the end of a combat turn |
| Kama Sutra Master | 3 | EN 5, AG 5 | 1 | Some characters more likely to have sex with user |
| Karma Beacon | 9 | CH 6 | 1 | Karma is doubled for the purposes of dialogue and reactions |
| Lifegiver | 12 | EN 4 | 2 | Additional 4 Hit Points on level-up |
| Light Step | 9 | AG 5, LK 5 | 1 | 50% reduction in user's chance of setting off a trap |
| Living Anatomy | 12 | Doctor 60% | 1 | +10% to Doctor and +5 damage to living creatures |
| Magnetic Personality | 6 | CH < 10 | 1 | +1 to the number of party members who can be recruited |
| Master Thief | 12 | Lockpick 50%, Steal 50% | 1 | +15% to skills: Lockpick and Steal |
| Master Trader | 12 | CH 7, Barter 75% | 1 | 25% discount when purchasing items from stores and traders |
| Medic | 12 | First Aid 40% or Doctor 40% | 1 | +10% to skills: First Aid and Doctor |
| More Criticals | 6 | LK 6 | 3 | +5% chance of critical hits |
| Mr. Fixit | 12 | Science 40% or Repair 40% | 1 | +10% to skills: Repair and Science |
| Mutate! | 9 | 1 | Change one of user's traits | |
| Mysterious Stranger | 9 | LK 4 | 1 | Chance of gaining a temporary ally in random encounters |
| Negotiator | 6 | Barter 50%, Speech 50% | 1 | +10% to skills: Speech and Barter |
| Night Vision | 3 | PE 6 | 1 | 20% reduction in darkness level |
| Pack Rat | 6 | 1 | Carry an additional 50 lbs. of equipment | |
| Pathfinder | 6 | EN 6, Outdoorsman 40% | 2 | 25% reduction in travel time on the world map |
| Pickpocket | 15 | AG 8, Steal 80% | 1 | Size and facing modifiers are ignored when stealing from someone |
| Presence | 3 | CH 6 | 3 | +10% to initial reaction of non-player characters |
| Pyromaniac | 9 | Big Guns 75% | 1 | +5 points of damage with fire-based weapons, more violent fire death animations |
| Quick Pockets | 3 | AG 5 | 1 | Inventory access during combat only costs 2 AP |
| Quick Recovery | 6 | AG 5 | 1 | Getting up after being knocked down in combat only costs 1 AP |
| Rad Resistance | 6 | EN 6, IN 4 | 2 | +15% to Radiation Resistance |
| Ranger | 6 | PE 6 | 1 | +15% to Outdoorsman |
| Salesman | 6 | Barter 50% | 1 | +20% to Barter |
| Scout | 3 | PE 7 | 1 | Amount of viewable map increased |
| Sharpshooter | 9 | PE 7, IN 6 | 1 | +2 to Perception when determining range modifiers |
| Silent Death | 18 | AG 10, Sneak 80%, Unarmed 80% | 1 | When sneaking, HtH attacks from behind do double damage |
| Silent Running | 6 | AG 6, Sneak 50% | 1 | Able to sneak and run at the same time |
| Slayer | 24 | ST 8, AG 8, Unarmed 80% | 1 | All HtH attacks are critical hits |
| Smooth Talker | 3 | IN 4 | 3 | +1 to Intelligence for the purposes of dialogue |
| Snakeater | 6 | EN 3 | 2 | +25% to Poison Resistance |
| Sniper | 24 | PE 8, AG 8, Small Guns 80% | 1 | Increased chance to score a critical hit with ranged weapons |
| Speaker | 9 | Speech 50% | 1 | +20% to Speech |
| Stonewall | 3 | ST 6 | 1 | Reduction in chance to be knocked down during combat |
| Strong Back | 3 | ST 6, EN 6 | 3 | Carry an additional 50 lbs. of equipment |
| Survivalist | 3 | EN 6, IN 6, Outdoorsman 40% | 1 | +25% to Outdoorsman |
| Swift Learner | 3 | IN 4 | 3 | +5% bonus whenever XP is earned |
| Tag! | 12 | 1 | Pick an addition Tag Skill | |
| Thief | 3 | 1 | +10% to skills: Sneak, Lockpick, Steal and Traps | |
| Toughness | 3 | EN 6, LK 6 | 3 | +10% to damage resistance |
| Weapon Handling | 12 | ST < 7, AG 5 | 1 | +3 to Strength for weapon calculations |
Special perks[]
| Name | Requirements/cost | Location(s) | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol Lowered Hit Points | 2 Luck, Consume 100 bottles of Alcohol-Z | Vault City | -2 HP |
| Alcohol Lowered Hit Points II | 1 Luck, Consume 100 bottles of Alcohol-Z | Vault City | -4 HP |
| Alcohol Raised Hit Points | 9 Luck, Consume 100 bottles of Alcohol-Z | Vault City | +2 HP |
| Alcohol Raised Hit Points II | 10 Luck, Consume 100 bottles of Alcohol-Z | Vault City | +4 HP |
| Autodoc Raised Hit Points | <4 IN, 9 Luck, Ride the Autodoc Rodeo | Vault City | +2 HP |
| Autodoc Raised Hit Points II | <4 IN, 10 Luck, Ride the Autodoc Rodeo | Vault City | +4 HP |
| Autodoc Lowered Hit Points | <4 IN, 2 Luck, Ride the Autodoc Rodeo | Vault City | -2 HP |
| Autodoc Lowered Hit Points II | <4 IN, 1 Luck, Ride the Autodoc Rodeo | Vault City | -4 HP |
| Dermal Impact Armor | Combat armor, $5000–$7000, 2 days | Vault City, Redding, San Francisco | +5% to Damage Resistance against normal and explosion damage |
| Dermal Impact Assault Enhancement | Dermal Impact Armor, combat armor, $30000-$40000, 5 Days | Vault City, Redding, San Francisco | +10% to Damage Resistance against normal and explosion damage, -1 Charisma |
| Expert Excrement Expeditor | >4 Intelligence | Broken Hills | +5% Speech skill |
| Gecko Skinning | Rescue Smiley | Toxic caves | Ability to skin geckos for sale |
| Phoenix Armor Implants | Combat armor, $8000–$10000, 3 days | Vault City, Redding, San Francisco | +5% to Damage Resistance against plasma, laser and fire weapons |
| Phoenix Assault Enhancement | Phoenix Armor Implants, combat armor, $30000-$50000, 4-6 Days | Vault City, Redding, San Francisco | +10% to Damage Resistance against plasma, laser and fire weapons, -1 Charisma |
| Vault City Training | 75% Doctor Skill | Vault City | +5% to skills: Doctor and First Aid |
| Vault City Inoculations | 75% Doctor Skill, Vault City Training | Vault City | +10% to poison and radiation resistance |
Weapon perks[]
These are hidden perks that apply whenever the user has a particular weapon equipped, providing additional bonuses.
| Name | Effect | Weapons using the perk |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon Accurate | +20% hit chance at all ranges | See article |
| Weapon Knockback | Knocks back the target (1 hex per 5 points of damage) | See article |
| Weapon Long Range | Hit chance reduced for targets farther than 4*(Perception - 2) hexes (+100% or x2 improvement) | See article |
| Weapon Penetrate | Target's Damage Threshold reduced by 80% | See article |
| Weapon Fast Reload | Reduces reloading cost to 1 AP | .44 Magnum (speed load) |
| Weapon Flameboy | Lowers threshold for burning death animation to 15 points of damage | Improved flamer |
| Weapon Night Sight | Removes penalties for illumination | FN FAL (night sight) |
| Weapon Scope Range | Hit chance reduced for targets farther than 5*(Perception - 2) hexes (+150% or x2.5 improvement) | Scoped hunting rifle |
Armor perks[]
These are hidden perks that apply whenever the user wears a particular armor, providing additional bonuses.
| Name | Effect | Armors using the perk |
|---|---|---|
| Combat Armor | Radiation Resistance is increased by +20% | See article |
| Powered Armor | Strength is increased by +3 and Radiation Resistance by +30% | See article |
| Armor Advanced I | Strength increased by +4 and Radiation Resistance +60% | Advanced power armor |
| Armor Advanced II | Strength increased by +4 and Radiation Resistance +75% | Advanced power armor Mk II |
| Armor Charisma | Charisma increased by +2 | None |
Cut or legacy perks[]
Some Perks were either cut from the game or leftover as legacy content from Fallout and thus still can be found in the game files.
See also[]
- Fallout 2 traits
- Fallout perks
- Fallout 3 perks
- Fallout: New Vegas perks
- Fallout 4 perks
- Fallout 76 perks
- Fallout Tactics perks
- Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel skills