Perception

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Perception is one of the seven primary statistics in the SPECIAL system.

Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout TacticsEdit

Modifies: Sequence, ranged combat distance modifiers and the First Aid, Doctor, Lockpick, Traps and Pilot skills. A player character with higher Perception may notice things that allow them to open up new dialogue options on occasion. It also determines how far away they start from hostilities in random encounters.

Perception is required for many perks, notably PE 8 for Sniper in Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics.

Ways to increase PerceptionEdit

• In Fallout, Lorri in the Brotherhood of Steel's Lost Hills bunker can perform an operation to permanently increase Perception by 1, assuming it can be afforded.
• In Fallout 2, Perception can be permanently raised by 1 with the Green memory module using ACE, or by taking the Gain Perception perk.
  • Also in Fallout 2, Perception can be temporarily raised by 1 with Jet.
• In both Fallout and Fallout 2, Mentats can be used to temporarily raise Perception by 2.

Perception-based perksEdit

Fallout 3Edit

Modifies: Explosives, Lockpick and Energy Weapons skills

Perception determines how far away enemies can be detected on the compass (enemies show as red bars). When playing with a high Perception, it is possible to "sense" the enemies even before they come into view.

Having a high Perception can yield dialogue options with some NPCs, such as Moira Brown, Mel and Machete.

Perception-based perksEdit

The benefit of the Survival Expert perk is affected by what is said to Moira Brown after each portion of the Wasteland Survival Guide quest. Having a Perception of 7 yields relevant "smart" dialogue options at the end of the Contract Radiation Sickness and Traversing a Mine Field objectives.

Ways to increase PerceptionEdit

Permanent

• Bobblehead - Perception (+1)
• Ant Sight quest perk (+1)
• Intense Training perk (+1)
• No Weaknesses perk (will raise base to 5 if below 5)
• Almost Perfect perk (will raise base to 9 if below 9)

Temporary

• Armor and clothing
  • Maple's garb (+1)
  • Vance's longcoat outfit (+1)
  • Multiple hats give +1.
• Chems
  • Mentats (+5)
  • Orange Mentats (+5)
• Night Person perk (+2 between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM)

Fallout: New VegasEdit

Modifies: Explosives, Lockpick and Energy Weapons skills

Perception affects the distance at which the Courier is able to detect other creatures. It also factors into some conversations with some NPCs.

Perception-based perksEdit

Perk	Requirement	Level	Additional Requirements
Friend of the Night	6	2	Sneak 30
Alertness	6 - 9	12	—
Sniper	6	12	Agility 6
Hobbler	7	12	—
Light Step	6	14	Agility 6
Better Criticals	6	16	Luck 6
Infiltrator	7	18	Lockpick 70

Ways to increase PerceptionEdit

Permanent

• Perception Implant available at the New Vegas medical clinic (+1)
• Intense Training perk (+1)
• Completing the quest The Apocalypse or The End will allow raising any one primary statistic by 1.

Temporary

• Armor and clothing
  • Marked patrol armor (+1)
  • Stealth suit Mk II (+1)
  • Multiple types of headgear give +1.
  • Advanced riot gear helmet (+2)
  • Elite riot gear helmet (+2)
  • With the Four Eyes trait, glasses give +2 or +3.
• Chems
  • Coyote tobacco chew (+1)
  • Mentats (+2)
  • Party Time Mentats (+2)
• Drinks
  • Absinthe (+1 - +3 depending on Survival skill)
  • Nightstalker squeezin's with Mile in Their Shoes perk (+1)
• Traits
  • Claustrophobia (+1 while outdoors, but -1 indoors)
  • Early Bird (+2 between 6am and 12pm, but -1 between 6pm and 6am)

Level names and statisticsEdit

NotesEdit

• Contrary to what the name would make one believe, Perception does not actually increase V.A.T.S or regular accuracy at all.
• If Perception is at the most extreme (highest or lowest), Doc Mitchell will either respond that nothing gets by the Courier, thinking he could use them when he lost his keys last month [of awakening the Courier] (for highest) or that he is no optometrist, but suggests the Courier should be fitted some with glasses while at the Doc's place (For lowest). However, having perception this low means that you cannot take the Four Eyes trait which would make glasses beneficial.
• Dialogue with Christine has numerous Perception checks between 6 and 8. Intelligence checks of similar levels can substitute for some, but not all of them.
• Old World Blues has the highest Perception check in Fallout: New Vegas (and by extension all of the New Vegas add-ons), at 8, though it can be bypassed.
• It is possible to artificially get a Perception of 10 with only 6 natural points, by combining the Four Eyes trait, Lucky shades, a hat and the Perception Implant (6 - 1 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 10).
  • Similarly, it is possible to achieve a temporary boost to 10 from a mere score of 2 using both kinds of Mentats, Absinthe, Coyote Tobacco Chew, and a hat (2 + 4 + 3 + 1 = 10).
  • By having access to DLC items, it is possible to get up to PE 10 without the Four Eyes trait, even if starting at only 1. The Elite riot gear helmet (+2) can be worn together with the 1st Recon beret (+1) and a Stealth suit Mk II (+1). After installing the Perception implant, Perception is at 6. From there, any combination of Perception-enhancing chems can reach 10.

Fallout 4Edit

With the removal of skills in Fallout 4, Perception now directly affects accuracy in V.A.T.S., lockpicking, and stealing attempts.

The main difference from Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas is that perception no longer affects the distance at which enemies appear on the player character's compass. Enemies do not appear on the compass in Fallout 4 unless they are looking for the player character (Caution in sneak mode) or are fighting the player character (Danger in sneak mode). Friendly NPCs do not appear on the compass at all. Perception does however, increase accuracy in V.A.T.S. by 10% per point invested into it, but V.A.T.S. accuracy cannot go above 95%.

Perception-based perksEdit

Perk	Rank	Requirement	Level	Additional Requirements
Pickpocket	—	1	—	—
	2	1	6	Pickpocket
	3	1	17	Pickpocket 2
	4	1	30	Pickpocket 3
Rifleman	—	2	—	—
	2	2	9	Rifleman
	3	2	18	Rifleman 2
	4	2	31	Rifleman 3
	5	2	46	Rifleman 4
Awareness	—	3	—	—
	2	3	14	Awareness,
Locksmith	—	4	—	—
	2	4	7	Locksmith
	3	4	18	Locksmith 2
	4	4	41	Locksmith 3
Demolition Expert	—	5	—	—
	2	5	10	Demolition Expert
	3	5	22	Demolition Expert 2
	4	5	34	Demolition Expert 3
Night Person	—	6	—	—
	2	6	25	Night Person
	3	6	37	Night Person 2,
Refractor	—	7	—	—
	2	7	11	Refractor
	3	7	21	Refractor 2
	4	7	35	Refractor 3
	5	7	42	Refractor 4
Sniper	—	8	—	—
	2	8	13	Sniper
	3	8	26	Sniper 2
Penetrator	—	9	—	—
	2	9	28	Penetrator
Concentrated Fire	—	10	—	—
	2	10	26	Concentrated Fire
	3	10	50	Concentrated Fire 2

Ways to increase PerceptionEdit

PermanentEdit

• +1 Perception Training upon level-up (up to 10 Perception)
• You're SPECIAL! - optional +1 Perception upon acquiring
• Perception bobblehead (+1)
• V.A.N.S. 2 (+2)

TemporaryEdit

Fallout 76Edit

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Fallout ShelterEdit

Perception affects how efficient a dweller is while working in the water treatment and water purification facilities as well as the speed of the critical hit arrows. It can be increased on different dwellers by assigning them to the armory.

Fallout: The Board GameEdit

Unlike other games, Perception is not treated as a variable ranging from 1 to 10, but instead as a token that can be obtained at the start or when leveling up. A player character with the Perception token gets free rerolls during certain tests, as well as during fights if equipped with a Perception-based weapon.

The Ghoul player character always begins the game with Perception. During any Perception test or fight, Calmex or Mentats can be used to gain one free hit.

Perception-based perksEdit

• Night Person
• Sniper

Perception-based weaponsEdit

• Pipe rifle
• Sniper rifle

BugsEdit

PC It is possible that your perception will be reduced with a "(-)" shown to indicate a temporary effect, even if there are no visible temporary effects. Console commands can only mask the issue, not solve it. For players on Survival mode, the lack of a console means that they are stuck with a low perception.^[verified]

• Because the (-) indicates a temporary effect, perks can still be chosen as normal based on your "true" perception.
• A commonly reported culprit is being crippled in the head; having your head cured may not remove the debuff. Having your head re-crippled and cured may resolve the issue, but is inconsistent.

VideoEdit