Modifications: Maximum Hit Points, Disease ResistanceBuffs: Endurance Bobblehead, Solar Powered (Endurance), Armor and Clothing bonuses and effects, Buffjet, Bufftats, Psychobuff, X-Cell, Bourbon
Endurance is a measure of your overall physical fitness. It affects your total health, the Action Point drain from sprinting, and your resistance to disease. Health is the amount of damage you can take before dying. Obviously a higher Health is more helpful, especially if you enjoy a more reckless fighting style, rather than lurking in the shadows when slaying foes. As Action Points (APs) and sprinting are both incredibly important, a larger AP reserve (and thus the ability to sprint over longer distances) is most helpful. The higher your Endurance, the lower your chance to catch a disease.
Value Max Health Sprinting AP Drain reduced by:
1
250
5%
2
255
10%
3
260
15%
4
265
20%
5
270
25%
6
275
30%
7
280
35%
8
285
40%
9
290
45%
10
295
50%
11
300
55%
12
305
60%
13
310
65%
14
315
70%
15
320
75%
Endurance Perks (31)
The following table shows all 31 Endurance Perk Cards, listed by the earliest level you can obtain them.
Perk Name C U R Level Ranks Description
Lead Belly
x
2
1, 2, 3
You take 30% less radiation /60% less radiation/no radiation from eating or drinking.
Dromedary
x
3
1, 2, 3
All drinks quench thirst by an additional 25/50/75%.
Iron Stomach
x
4
1, 2, 3
Your chance to catch a disease from food is reduced by 30/60/90%.
Slow Metabolizer
x
5
1, 2, 3
All food satisfies hunger by an additional 25/50/75%.
Thirst Quencher
x
6
1, 2, 3
Drinking any liquid has a 30/60/90% reduced chance to cause disease.
Good Doggy
x
8
1
Eating dog food is now three times as beneficial.
Natural Resistance
x
10
1, 2, 3
You are 30/60/90% less likely to catch a disease from the environment.
Hydro Fix
x
12
1, 3
Chems generate 50% less/no thirst.
Rejuvenated
x
12
1, 2
You gain increased/ much increased benefit from being Well Fed or Well Hydrated.
Cola Nut
x
14
1, 2
Nuka-Cola products are now twice/three times as beneficial.
Vaccinated
x
16
1, 2, 3
Chance of catching a disease from creatures is reduced by 30/60/90%.
Munchy Resistance
x
17
1, 3
Using chems induces 50% less/no hunger.
Homebody Card
x
19
1, 2
Gain gradual health regeneration/improved health and limb regeneration while in your camp or workshop.
Adamantium Skeleton
x
21
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Your limb damage is now reduced by 20/40/60/80/100%.
Solar-Powered
x
22
1, 2, 3
Gain +1/2/3 to STR and END between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m..
Chem Fiend
x
23
1, 2, 3
Any chems you take last 30/60/100% longer.
Cannibal
x
25
1, 2, 3
Eating human, Ghoul, Super Mutant, Scorched, or Mole Miner corpses restores some/more/even more Health and hunger.
Aqua Boy/Girl
x
26
1
You no longer take Rad damage from swimming and can breathe underwater.
Fireproof
x
27
1, 2, 3
Immediately gain +20/40/60 Fire Resistance.
Nocturnal Fortitude
x
29
1, 2
Gain +20/+40 to Max Health between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Ironclad
x
30
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
You now gain 10/20/30/40/50 Damage and Energy Resistance while not wearing Power Armor .
Revenant
x
32
1, 2
Gain a +25/50% damage bonus for 2 minutes when a player revives you.
Rad Resistant
x
34
1, 2, 3, 4
Gain +10/20/30/40 Radiation Resistance.
Ghoulish
x
36
1, 2, 3
Radiation now regenerates some/even more/even more of your lost Health.
Radicool
x
38
1
The greater your Rads, the greater your Strength (max +5 STR)!
Professional Drinker
x
39
3
There’s no chance you’ll get addicted to alcohol.
All Night Long
x
41
1, 2, 3
You suffer 20/40/60% less from hunger and thirst.
Chem Resistant
x
43
1, 2
You’re half as likely to get addicted when consuming Chems/you gain complete immunity to chem addiction.
Sun-Kissed
x
45
1, 1
Slowly/quickly regen radiation damage between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Photosynthetic
x
47
1, 2
Gain Health regeneration/improved Health regeneration between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Lifegiver
x
50
2, 3, 4
Gain a total of +15/30/45 to your maximum Health.
Endurance-Related Perks: Overview
Endurance focuses on your health and well-being; in fact, the first 12 available perks (in level order) feature a bonus to eating, drinking, or taking chems (including extra benefits from Nuka-Cola!). Expect more pronounced bonuses of this nature, with perks enabling limb regeneration and novel (and sometimes disgusting) new ways you can reduce your thirst and hunger. Additional types of resistance (Rads, and to a lesser extent, fire), help with alcohol withdrawal, and toward the higher-level perks, actual regeneration of health or radiation damage, or just a large bonus to your health. Need to tweak your ingestion and consumption? This is the attribute to check out.
Adamantium Skeleton
Rarity: RareLevel: 21Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5Description: Your limb damage is now reduced by 20%/40%/60%/80%/100%.
Advice: This effectively lessens and removes (at Rank 5) any chance of your limbs becoming crippled due to enemy attacks or environmental mishaps, such as falling. It stops any rival player from utilizing the bonuses of some weapon-specific and offensive perks like the Agility perk Modern Renegade, as well as V.A.T.S. limb targeting (i.e., a foe needs to target your head or torso) or weaponry with a crippling chance. However, the high point cost means you should weigh whether this perk is a better option than spending 5 Endurance Points on perks offering a more general level of protection. As crippled limbs are healed using a Stimpak, you can easily return from being crippled, so this perk’s usefulness is questionable. However, if you want to completely rid yourself of “extremities damage” (including occasional leg-breaking from being overly encumbered or vision loss from a sniper’s headshot) and heal using something other than Stimpaks (you’re using Rads with the Endurance perks Ghoulish and Sun Kissed together), then this perk becomes essential.
All Night Long
Rarity: CommonLevel: 41Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: You suffer 20%/40%/60% less from hunger and thirst.
Advice: By the time you reach the level necessary for this perk to become available, you’ll have eaten and drunk hundreds of times, so you may be thankful to ignore this aspect of “self maintenance” and go 60% longer (Rank 3) before needing a drink or meal. Though the perk still means you’ll need to keep your Hunger and Thirst meters above 75% for the relevant bonuses, not needing to craft recipes or hunt for boxed food or drinks frees you up for other activities. You can add this to the other perks that help stave off hunger and thirst, such as the Endurance perks Hydro Fix/Munchy Resistance and Dromedary/Slow Metabolizer and the Charisma perks Bloodsucker, Happy Camper, and Philanthropist.
Aqua Boy/Girl
Rarity: CommonLevel: 26Ranks: Points: 1Description: You no longer take Rad damage from swimming and can breathe underwater.
Advice: Assuming you’re not actively gathering Rads to become a “Ghoulish” character (see perk), being able to more thoroughly search bodies of water without worrying about Rads and health loss means you can grab absolutely everything there is to find in most locations, including in underwater alcoves. Breathing underwater is helpful, as it more easily allows you to search for and gather underwater objects (like junk in the middle of Twin Lakes or the underwater Kerwood Mine and some flooded quarries in Cranberry Bog) without worrying about drowning (especially as retrieving your junk bag can be a real pain). However, underwater activities are minimal across Appalachia, and the small amount of Rad damage (outside of Toxic Valley ) can be easily negated using a simple RadAway. Keep this ready in case of submerging, though!
Cannibal
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 25Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Eating human, Ghoul, Super Mutant, Scorched, or Mole Miner corpses restores some/more/even more Health and hunger.
Advice: Who needs Stimpaks?! If your answer is “Not me, I’ve acquired the taste for mutated flesh!” then welcome to your perfect perk, you deviant! While this may not be an etiquette-pleaser, it’s a stomach-filler, negating the need for Stimpaks AND food! As you’re always close to a dead ghoul, Scorched, or Super-mutant, you have an abundant crop of meals, even if they all taste a bit like mutated chicken. Human flesh is on the menu too—not from other players, but from the corpses of raiders and dwellers from other vaults that you may find rotting across Appalachia. While some deem this revolting and antisocial, others crave this perk, as it allows you to heal without Stimpaks and RadAway. This is key to staying alive while utilizing the benefits that Rads give you, as long as you have the Endurance perks Ghoulish and Sun Kissed working together, Radicool, the Charisma perks Overly Generous and Rad Sponge, and the Luck perk Storm Chaser.
Chem Fiend
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 23Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Any chems you take last 30%/60%/100% longer.
Advice: While you’ll need to wait a while for the perfect partner perk to become available (i.e., the Endurance perk Chem Resistant, which removes any addiction problems associated with chems [Rank 2]), you may not need it if you can manage your narcotic intake correctly; taking chems that last twice as long means you’ll become addicted around half as often! Expect to become addicted after taking around five of the same type of chem (excluding Stimpaks), and if you don’t have Addictol (a rare chem that cures Addiction), using this perk lengthens the time before this occurs. Need additional Strength and Endurance buffs for double the time? Then take Buffout and have Chem Fiend active! Furthermore, the Strength perk Traveling Pharmacy reduces your chem weights, and the Endurance perks Hydro Fix and Munchy Resistance removes some or all of the thirst and hunger problems connected with chem consumption, too.
Chem Resistant
Rarity: CommonLevel: 43Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: You’re half as likely to get addicted when consuming chems or you gain complete immunity to chem addiction.
Advice: If you haven’t acquired a plentiful supply of Addictol by this point in your leveling up (a rare chem that cures you of chem dependency), forgo the entire hassle of negative consequences of chem withdrawal and become immune to everything chem-related, from Psycho to Mentats! By this point, you’re usually able to make your own chems (and the Intelligence perk Chemist gives you up to triple the quantity when crafting them) and carry a larger number of them (thanks to the Strength perk Traveling Pharmacy that reduces your chem weights), so you can start popping those Mentats like your life depended on it—because it could! Stack chem effects, carefully check the Chems section of this guide for good combinations of chems to utilize, and never worry about the side effects! Just be sure you have the Endurance perks Hydro Fix and Munchy Resistance (to remove some or all of the Thirst and Hunger) if you don’t have a stock of food and drink to take afterward.
Cola Nut
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 14Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: Nuka-Cola products are now twice/three times as beneficial.
Advice: If you had a Cappy bedspread back in Vault 76 , and you’ve acquired a hankering for that Nuka-Cola taste, there’s good news: Appalachia is full of the stuff! Even better news: this perk is available relatively early on, and the benefits—Hit Points and Action Points per Nuka-Cola—are pretty impressive. Relatively common are Nuka-Cherry drinks, which give much-improved HP and AP increases (and more Rads), but finding Nuka-Cherry is relatively random (expect between 1 and 3 in the larger locations). Much more rare is Nuka-Cola Quantum, offering a massive HP and AP gain (and low Rads), and the Kanawha Nuka-Cola Plant (the Forest, Zone D) is the best place to forage for those. While you may not be at a high-enough level to get the full, tripled (Rank 2) benefits of a Nuka-Cola Quantum, having this active every time you take a Nuka-Cola or Cherry is an excellent way to get free health and APs, and quench your thirst. Simply take a RadAway to ward off the Rads. Or, if you plan to use Rads to your benefit (see the Endurance perk Cannibal), this can heal you without using Stimpaks.
Dromedary
Rarity: CommonLevel: 3Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: All drinks quench thirst by an additional 25/50/75%.
Advice: As you may be wandering around the initial valley outside Vault 76 when this perk becomes available, it’s a great perk to take early on. Thirst is more of a problem than Hunger, so you should aim to keep your thirst meter above 75% to receive the Well Hydrated bonus (AP Regeneration and Disease Resistance), and never adventure when you’re below 25% or receive the Parched penalty (AP reduction and less Disease Resistance). How is this achieved? By adding this perk and lengthening the time between drinks. This allows you to utilize less water (or other liquids), and take more consumables (such as chems) that make you thirsty. Increase the hydration bonuses by employing later perks like the Endurance perk All Night Long, Hydro Fix, Lead Belly, Thirst Quencher, the Charisma perk Happy Camper, and Philanthropist. Note the “sister” perk of this is the Endurance perk Slow Metabolizer.
Fireproof
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 27Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Immediately gain +20/40/60 Fire Resistance.
Advice: While ostensibly helpful when you’re exploring the more “inclement” locations of the Ash Heap that are literally on fire (the aptly named Burning Mine is a great example), having the ability to shrug off over half (Rank 3) of any fire damage you receive is helpful if you find yourself on the receiving end of a Flare Gun or the heavy gun Flamer, if you step near a flamethrower trap (usually at a camp or workshop), if you’re struck by a Molotov Cocktail, or if you set oil ablaze. Mr. Handy robots also sometimes like to torch you (or explode in a fiery inferno) too. However, other than these examples, being hurt by fire is a relatively rare occurrence, so you may wish to play this Perk card under specific circumstances rather than all the time, freeing up other Endurance cards in the process. Note that Fireproof is required in order to construct Flamethrowers at your own camp or workshop.
Ghoulish
Rarity: CommonLevel: 36Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Radiation now regenerates some/even more/even more of your lost Health.
Advice: Radiation damage is eventually going to kill you; once that red bar fills up your HP meter from right to left, even the most mutated and radiation-riddled adventurer is unable to continue. However, if you can correctly manage your Rads, initially using Rad-X and RadAway, you can use radiation to your advantage, especially when the Ghoulish perk becomes available. Here’s how Ghoulish works: Step into an irradiated environment, and any missing health is gradually restored, while at the same time your radiation damage starts to increase. Eventually, they meet in the middle of your health bar, before the radiation continues to kill you. This has the hidden benefit of making anything radioactive that you ingest (like uncooked food) more “healthy,” as the radiation also bolsters health! When health starts to diminish instead of increase, reach for the RadAway, or better yet, have the Endurance perk Sun Kissed, which constantly knocks your radiation back out of danger levels. Add some insurance with the Agility perk Born Survivor, the Charisma perk Field Surgeon, Rad Sponge if you’re with a team and a host of other radiation or radiation resistance–related perks.
Good Doggy
Rarity: CommonLevel: 8Ranks: Points: 1Description: Eating dog food is now three times as beneficial.
Advice: Not all perks offer amazing benefits. But most offer something a little more impressive than a small Hit Points increase, some light radiation, and the ignominy of gulping down Fido’s lunch. If there was a Doghouse Brand Factory right next to the Kanawha Nuka-Cola Plant , then this would be a great perk to take. But Good Doggy isn’t anywhere near as useful as Cola Nut, and Canned Dog Food is far less prevalent across the Appalachian wilderness. Sure, you can check with a vendor or your friends, and scavenge every container or home with a blue plastic dog bowl you might spot. And when you find a can, be sure to activate this perk (if you accidentally chose to add it). Eating mongrel dog meat doesn’t count either!
Homebody
Rarity: CommonLevel: 19Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: Gain gradual health regeneration/improved health and limb regeneration while in your camp or workshop.
Advice: This is a particularly excellent “passive” perk to swap in after you limp home from a successful foraging, but with some rather worrying health loss and crippled limbs. By the level at which this perk appears, you should have figured out a proper use of your time, where you’re scavenging before returning to your home base (a camp or workshop) to craft, repair, and modify items; add new sections to your structures; and heal yourself. Partner this with the Endurance perk Photosynthetic or Sun Kissed if you’re camping during daylight hours; the Charisma perk Happy Camper; and the Luck perk Storm Chaser if the weather is lousy. Now you can save the Stimpaks; just potter around your base of operations and gradually become well again. There’s no place like home!
Hydro Fix
Rarity: Common
Level: 12Ranks: Points: 1, 3Description: Chems generate 50% less/no thirst.
Advice: If you don’t wish to gather components in order to make thirst-quenching recipes on your cooking station, and you’re a big fan of chems, then this is a helpful perk that’s available relatively early in your exploration. While this doesn’t negate the addiction aspects of chem dependency, it does reduce or wipe out (Rank 2) the reduction in your Thirst meter, allowing you to keep the Well Hydrated bonus for longer. However, if you’ve focused on making a quantity of drink, think about satisfying your thirst that way. Obviously, if you’re not using chems (and only the chems that make you thirsty), this isn’t necessary to utilize at all. You may want to lessen the problems of thirst by also employing the Endurance perks All Night Long and Chem Fiend. There is a Hunger-based variant of this perk called Munchy Resistance.
Iron Stomach
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 4Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Your chance to catch a disease from food is reduced by 30%/60%/90%.
Advice: Whether you’re gnawing down on a delicious Salisbury Steak, or taking in the broth-based benefits of a warm Carrot Soup, then worry no more; this perk lessens your chances of catching a disease from anything you eat. Now, you’ll still receive other negative effects from such conditions (like possible radiation damage), but diseases won’t be part of the aftereffects. As it’s relatively easy to find or concoct a Cure Disease salve, and diseases (while detrimental) never usually kill you and can lead to more impressive mutations (with both positive and negative effects), you may find this perk to be less helpful, especially as time passes. But if you’re overwhelmed by all the ways Appalachia is out to get you, remove one of these problems almost entirely (at Rank 3). If you want to remove disease threats from your drink, environment, and enemies (leaving only sleeping on the ground or being struck by a trap as the ways to become diseased), choose the Endurance perks Natural Resistance (environment), Thirst Quencher (drink), and Vaccinated (enemies).
Ironclad
Rarity: RareLevel: 30Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5Description: You now gain 10/20/30/40/50 Damage and Energy Resistance while not wearing Power Armor .
Advice: This perk is essentially some extra free armor, becoming accessible once you’re wearing no armor, or any piece of normal armor (not Power Armor ). Though the point cost can be steep (5 points for 50 Damage and Energy Resistance), the protection is from the two most common forms of damage (ballistic and energy). Shrugging off more of your enemies’ attacks (without adding to your Carry Weight) is always worth considering. While this is a simple and effective perk, you can use others to “stack” with this one, like the Strength perks Barbarian and Bullet Shield, the Charisma perk Lone Wanderer, and the Intelligence perk Nerd Rage.
Leadbelly
Rarity: CommonLevel: 2Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: You take 30% less radiation /60% less radiation/no radiation from eating or drinking.
Advice: Note the level that this perk becomes available and then utilize it; you’re likely to obtain this very early in your exploration. Any time you can eat and drink (activities you undertake frequently in order to maintain a Well Fed and Well Hydrated bonus), you are also ingesting a small amount of radiation through these consumables that you can lessen with Rad-X and remove with RadAway. This does away (at Rank 3) with radiation damage from food and drink, essentially giving you the full bonus of the meal or liquid. If you’re using RadAways too frequently, take this. If you’re fine with your RadAway management, this becomes less vital. Later on, you may want a bit of radiation to help with your mutations, and there are perks that actively reward you when you actually take radiation damage, like Ghoulish, but for the moment, radiation is bad.
Lifegiver
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 50Ranks: Points: 2, 3, 4Description: Gain a total of +15/30/45 to your maximum Health.
Advice: This is a good, old-fashioned, no-nonsense, high-level, easy-to-understand perk that simply increases your maximum health by a maximum of 45 (Rank 3). Unlike other perks that reward you with more health (like the Endurance perk Nocturnal Fortitude), there are no other stipulations; just add this perk, and receive additional Health to help prevent death, allow you to absorb more damage and Rads, and change the timing of when related perks kick in (like those that utilize Stimpaks or grant bonuses when you reach a certain low health threshold). As your Endurance Point score is the arbiter of increasing your Hit Points, this may be a good perk to use to bolster that, if you’ve not focused on Endurance earlier. Or, you can focus on boosting your armor, damage-resistance, and healing chems so losing Health is less of a threat to your overall well-being.
Munchy Resistance
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 17Ranks: Points: 1, 3Description: Using chems induces 50% less/no Hunger.
Advice: If you’re not wanting to forage for food components in order to make delicious meals using recipes on your cooking station (or grab Cram, Sugar Bombs, or Salisbury Steaks more frequently) and you’re a big fan of chems, then this is a helpful perk that’s available relatively early in your exploration. While this doesn’t negate the addiction aspects of chem dependency, it does reduce or wipe out (Rank 2) the reduction in your Hunger meter, allowing you to keep the Well Fed bonus for longer. However, if you’ve focused on making a quantity of food (of the non-spoiling kind), or you can easily pause the action and chef up a meal, think about satisfying your hunger that way. Obviously, if you’re not using chems (and only the chems that make you hungry), this isn’t necessary to utilize at all. You may want to lessen the problems of hunger by also employing the Endurance perks All Night Long and Chem Fiend. There is a Thirst-based variant of this perk called Hydro Fix.
Natural Resistance
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 10Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: You are 30%/60%/90% less likely to catch a disease from the environment.
Advice: Whether you’re journeying into an environment where Rad storms deluge you with irradiated rain, moving through irradiated ponds, breathing in fetid air in the Ash Heap or Toxic Valley , or otherwise experiencing unpleasant environmental effects (which are usually announced in the top-left corner of your screen), then rest assured, your chances of catching a disease from such inclement conditions is lessened by using this perk. Now, you’ll still receive other negative effects from such conditions (like radiation damage and health loss if you’re breathing in toxic vapors), but diseases won’t be part of the aftereffects. As it’s relatively easy to find or concoct a Cure Disease salve, and diseases (while detrimental) never usually kill you and can lead to more impressive mutations (with both positive and negative effects), you may find this perk to be less helpful, especially as time passes. But if you’re overwhelmed by all the ways Appalachia is trying to damage you, remove one of these problems almost entirely (at Rank 3). If you want to remove disease threats from your food, drink, and enemies (leaving only sleeping on the ground or being struck by a trap as the ways to become diseased), choose the Endurance perks Iron Stomach (food), Thirst Quencher (drink), and Vaccinated (enemies).
Nocturnal Fortitude
Rarity: RareLevel: 29Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: Gain +20/+40 to Max Health between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Advice: More health during nighttime prowls? What an excellent idea, especially if you’re one to utilize the cover of darkness for clandestine sneaking, which makes you visually a little more difficult to spot, especially if you’re trying to get the jump on an enemy human, team, or workshop settlement. Even if you’re wandering around, shooting anything with the subtlety of a super mutant, some extra health is obviously extremely handy. If you’re tailoring your more violent explorations to the night (meaning you craft, rest, build your camp and workshop, or trade during the day), partner this with the Perception perks Night Eyes and Night Person, as well as the Agility perk Mister Sandman.
Photosynthetic
Rarity: RareLevel: 47Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: Gain Health regeneration/ improved Health regeneration between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m..
Advice: If you don’t want to expend items like Nuka-Cola or Stimpaks in order to raise your Hit Points, you could simply bask in the sun all day and not worry too much about your health, as it’s always healing back to maximum (minus your Rad damage)! Though not available until later into your exploration, this enables you to ignore damage unless you’re almost dead, and instead romp through the Appalachian wilderness like you own the place. Look at your Pip-Boy to determine the correct time and your active effects, or ignore this perk and just use a Stimpak or other healing items; it’s up to you. With this perk in effect, you’re better able to explore the hardest environments, tackle enemy workshops, and further improve your daytime prowess with the Endurance perks Photosynthetic and Solar Powered, before returning to your camp or workshop to craft, build, trade or relax during the night. Just ensure you’re healed before dusk!
Professional Drinker
Rarity: CommonLevel: 39Ranks: Points: 3Description: There’s no chance you’ll get addicted to alcohol.
Advice: This is a single, three-point perk but one that does exactly what it says on the tin: It stops the negative effects of alcohol addiction, removing withdrawal problems and essentially allowing you to drink as much as you want! If you utilize the buffs that the different types of alcoholic beverages bring, and you’re content to keep searching for them, then this offers a no-nonsense alternative to Addictol (a rare chem curing addiction). Alcohol includes all the beer, moonshine, bourbon, run, vodka, whiskey, and wine you can find. Then use the partner Charisma perks Happy-Go-Lucky and Party Boy/Girl to heighten the benefits of alcohol, with none of the downsides.
Rad Resistant
Rarity: CommonLevel: 34Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3, 4Description: Gain +10/20/30/40 Radiation Resistance.
Advice: This is an instant and impressive resistance against environmental radiation, as well as the attacks from an enemy that inflicts radiation damage. While it’s no substitute for a good frame of Power Armor or a hazmat suit, this resistance is great if you’re unable or unwilling to wear such attire (e.g., due to your specialization in stealth). While Rad-X and RadAway should still be in your back pocket, they’re used infrequently, while traversing more irradiated landscapes becomes more feasible (though very high Rad zones are to be avoided). Continue your more laissez-faire attitude toward Rads by adding a few additional insurance policies, such as the Agility perk Born Survivor, the Charisma perk Field Surgeon, the Endurance perk Aqua Boy/Girl, Lead Belly, Sun Kissed, the Intelligence perk Pharmacist, and the Luck perk Starched Genes.
Radicool
Rarity: RareLevel: 38Ranks: Points: 1Description: The greater your Rads, the greater your Strength (max +5 STR)!
Advice: Step 1: Figure out exactly what benefits a boost in Strength is going to get you (additional melee damage and an increase in your Carry Weight). Step 2: Figure out exactly what you’ll do with your newfound Strength (gather more items, especially from highly irradiated areas, while dropping any Rad-removing chems into your Stash Box and utilizing melee weapons in combat for that extra damage). Step 3: Plan a method of becoming irradiated without actually dying: This final step requires the most forethought, and that starts with the Endurance perk Ghoulish, which you can use to keep from dying (though you need to keep some RadAway since your radiation poisoning still rises; use Sun Kissed or RadAway to negate this). Be sure to bolster your defenses, so enemy damage hits your armor, rather than your mediocre health. Also think about the Agility perk Born Survivor for insurance purposes—you don’t die but can still utilize that high Rad damage. Partner Radicool with the Charisma perks Overly Generous and Rad Sponge. This is good if you’re with others and are playing the “freak” role!
Rejuvenated
Rarity: CommonLevel: 12Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: You gain increased/much increased benefit from being Well Fed or Well Hydrated.
Advice: Some aspects of life in Appalachia are constants: the choking air of the Ash Heap, the penchant for Super Mutants to bludgeon their victims into pulp, and the fact that from time to time, you’ll start to feel thirsty and (to a lesser extent) hungry. While foraging for food and water, and then cooking and boiling it so you’re not struck down with a disease, is a worthwhile endeavor, you may wish to spend time with other explorations. Lengthen that time with this perk. This also keeps your Well Fed and Well Hydrated bonuses for having 75% or higher Hunger and Thirst meters. Note you need to have eaten and drunk enough for the bonuses to activate in the first place. Partner this with the Charisma perk Happy Camper, as well as all the related Endurance perks: All Night Long, Cannibal, Dromedary, Good Doggy, and Slow Metabolizer.
Revenant
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 32Ranks: Points: 1, 2Description: Gain a +25%/50% damage bonus for 2 minutes when a player revives you.
Advice: When adventuring with a group of like-minded Vault Dwellers, whether you’re entering hostile territories (guarded by rival humans or Appalachian entities) or defending your own workshop from enemy attacks, it’s good to know that if you fall, you can add an impressive 50% (Rank 2) to any attacks for 2 minutes after your return. Naturally, this involves team-play, another individual helping you back into battle, so it’s mainly used to get a downed team member to immediately push back previously overly enthusiastic foes who may not be expecting a respawned player to be so vicious. Take back that location! Seek immediate and satisfying revenge! Be sure your team is fully aware of the semi-related “revival” perks, which provide additional and concurrent benefits, though unlike this perk, those must be utilized by the reviver, rather than the fallen player.
Slow Metabolizer
Rarity: CommonLevel: 5Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: All food satisfies hunger by an additional 25/50/75%.
Advice: As you may be staggering around the Flatwoods when this perk becomes available, it’s great to take early on. Though Thirst is more of a problem than Hunger (you need to consume more drinks than meals), you should still aim to keep yourself full of food, with your Hunger meter above 75% to receive the Well Fed bonus (Health and Disease Resistance). Never adventure when you’re below 25% or you receive the Famished penalty (AP reduction and less Disease Resistance). How is this achieved? By adding this perk and lengthening the time between meals. This allows you to ignore your cooking station (or opening packaged food) for a longer amount of time and take more chems that induce hunger. Further enhance the food-based bonuses by employing later perks like the Endurance perk All Night Long, Cannibal, Good Doggy, Iron Stomach, Lead Belly, Munchy Resistance, the Charisma perk Happy Camper, and Philanthropist. The “sister” perk of this is the Endurance perk Dromedary.
Solar Powered
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 22Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Gain +1/2/3 to STR and END between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m..
Advice: With a small bonus to your Carry Weight and Melee attacks (courtesy of the Strength bonus), and a slight increase in your Hit Points and Disease Resistance (courtesy of the Endurance bonus), use this perk to plan out your days (and nights) more stringently. Look at your Pip-Boy to determine the correct time and your active effects. Then spend the days foraging, fighting, and exploring (using the bonuses this perk grants you to give you the edge), but always be home before sundown! Then, at night, focus on camp building, local foraging, and perhaps crafting, where this bonus isn’t necessary to have. Further increase your daytime prowess with the Endurance perks Photosynthetic and Sun Kissed.
Sun Kissed
Rarity: CommonLevel: 45Ranks: Points: 1, 1Description: Slowly/Quickly regenerate radiation damage between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Advice: There’s little need for RadAway when you can naturally regenerate lost radiation damage during daylight hours. This allows you to get well, save RadAway, or ignore this chem until you attempt nighttime explorations. Look at your Pip-Boy to determine the correct time and your active effects, and watch the Rads on your Health bar start to melt away! Or, ignore this perk and just use a RadAway; it’s up to you. You may wish to spend your convalescence time building a camp or workshop or crafting and trading. Or, you may wish to further your daytime prowess with Endurance perks Photosynthetic and Solar Powered, and spend the days scavenging, slaying, and exploring, using the bonuses of these perks to give you the edge. Just be home by nightfall! Finally, think about using Sun Kissed in conjunction with the Endurance perk Ghoulish; then wander irradiated areas (during daylight hours!), with Ghoulish healing you and Sun Kissed removing the radiation damage as it accumulates!
Thirst Quencher
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 6Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Drinking any liquid has a 30%/60%/90% reduced chance to cause disease.
Advice: Whether you’re sipping on a Firecracker Berry Juice or even grabbing the nearest Boiled Water, you don’t have to fret anymore; the chances of catching a disease from anything you’re drinking is lessened by using this perk. Now, you’ll still receive other negative effects from such conditions (like possible radiation damage), but diseases won’t be part of the aftereffects. As it’s relatively easy to find or concoct a Cure Disease salve, and diseases (while detrimental) never usually kill you and can lead to more impressive mutations (with both positive and negative effects), you may find this perk to be less helpful, especially as time passes. But if you’re overwhelmed by all the ways Appalachia steadfastly refuses to let you live, remove one of these problems almost entirely (at Rank 3). If you want to remove disease threats from your food, environment, and enemies (leaving only sleeping on the ground or being struck by a trap as the ways to become diseased), choose the Endurance perks Iron Stomach (food), Natural Resistance (environment), and Vaccinated (enemies).
Vaccinated
Rarity: UncommonLevel: 16Ranks: Points: 1, 2, 3Description: Chance of catching a disease from creatures is reduced by 30%/60%/90%.
Advice: Whether you’re fending off the fetid fangs of a saggy-skinned Ghoul, nimbly avoiding the darting proboscis of a Bloodwing, or sidestepping the revolting airborne pestilence of a Bloatfly, don’t worry about disease damage from these revolting attacks; the chances of catching a disease from a creature’s attack is lessened by using this perk. Now, you’ll still receive other negative effects from such conditions (like Hit Point damage or crippling blows), but diseases won’t be an aftereffect. As it’s relatively easy to find or concoct a Cure Disease salve, and diseases (while detrimental) never usually kill you and can lead to more impressive mutations (with both positive and negative effects), you may find this perk to be less helpful, especially as time passes. But if you’re overwhelmed by all the times you’ve caught the Scorched Plague, remove this problem almost entirely (at Rank 3). If you want to remove disease threats from your food, drink, or environment (leaving only sleeping on the ground or being struck by a trap as the ways to become diseased), choose the Endurance perks Iron Stomach (food), Thirst Quencher (drink), and Natural Resistance (environment).
