Perception — Fallout 76 eGuide | Prima Games eGuides

Modifications: Compass range, Lockpicking, V.A.T.S. accuracy
Buffs: Perception Bobblehead, U.S. Covert Operations Manual 4 and 5 Magazines, Night Person (Perception), certain types of armor and clothing, chems (such as Bufftats, Calmex, Daddy-O, Mentats, X-Cell)

Perception affects your awareness of nearby enemies, your ability to detect stealthy movement, and your weapon accuracy in V.A.T.S. If you employ V.A.T.S. on a regular basis, and you accrue additional Perception Points, there is a much greater chance of hitting your enemies. A higher Perception also reveals detected threats—which appear as red dots on your compass—at a greater distance.

Value	V.A.T.S. Accuracy Bonus	Compass Distance in feet
1	+0.4%	85
2	+0.8%	97
3	+1.2%	109
4	+1.6%	121
5	+2.0%	133
6	+2.4%	145
7	+2.8%	157
8	+3.2%	169
9	+3.6%	181
10	+4.0%	193
11	+4.4%	205
12	+4.8%	217
13	+5.2%	229
14	+5.6%	241
15	+6.0%	253

Perception Perks (30)

The following table shows all 30 Perception Perk Cards, listed by the earliest level you can obtain them.

Perk Name	C	U	R	Level	Ranks	Description
Concentrated Fire	x			2	1, 2, 3	V.A.T.S. now targets limbs. Focus fire to gain accuracy and damage/more accuracy and damage/high accuracy and damage per hit.
Butchers Bounty	x			3	1, 2, 3	40/60/80% chance to find extra meat when you search an animal corpse.
Green Thumb	x			4	1	Reap twice as much when harvesting flora.
Picklock	x			5	1	Gain a +1 Lockpicking skill; the Lockpicking “sweet spot" is 10% larger.
Crackshot			x	7	1, 2, 3, 4	All pistols have 5/10/15/20% more range and more/even more/much better/excellent accuracy when sighted.
Rifleman			x	8	1, 2, 3	Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.
SkeetShooter			x	10	1, 2, 3, 4	Your shotguns have improved/even better/much better/excellent accuracy and spread.
Pannapictagraphist	x			12	1	You hear directional audio when in range of a Magazine.
Exterminator	x			14	1, 2, 3	Your attacks ignore 25/50/75% armor of any insect.
Commando			x	15	1, 2, 3	Basic combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20 damage.
PerceptiBobble	x			16	1	You hear directional audio when in range of a Bobblehead.
Ground Pounder			x	18	1, 2, 3, 4	Automatic rifles now reload 10/20/30/40% faster and have better/even better/much better/excellent hip fire accuracy.
Picklock (Expert)	x			19	1	Gain a +1 Lockpicking skill; the Lockpicking “sweet spot" is 10% larger.
Rifleman (Expert)			x	20	1, 2, 3	Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.
Fortune Finder	x			22	1	You hear directional audio when in range of a Caps Stash.
Night Person		x		24	1, 2, 3	Gain +1/2/3 INT and +1/2/3 PER between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Commando (Expert)			x	25	1, 2, 3	Rigorous combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20 damage.
Awareness			x	27	2	You can view a target’s specific damage resistances in V.A.T.S.
Sniper			x	28	1, 2, 3	Gain improved control and hold your breath 20/40/60% longer while aiming scopes.
Tank Killer			x	30	1, 2, 3, 4	Your rifles ignore 10/20/30/40% armor and have a 2/4/6/8% chance to stagger.
Refractor		x		32	1, 2, 3, 4	Gain +5/10/15/20 Energy Resistance.
Glow Sight		x		33	1, 2, 3	Deal +20/40/60% damage to Glowing Enemies.
Grenadier			x	35	1, 2	Your explosives detonate with a 50% larger radius/twice the radius.
Longshot			x	37	1, 2, 3, 4	Your rifles have 5/10/15/20% more range and more/even more/much better/excellent accuracy when sighted.
Fire in the Hole			x	38	1, 2, 3	See a throwing arc when tossing grenades, and grenades fly 15/30/50% farther.
Picklock (Master)	x			40	1	Gain a +1 Lockpicking skill; the Lockpicking “sweet spot" is 10% larger.
Rifleman (Master)			x	42	1, 2, 3	Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.
Commando (Master)			x	45	1, 2, 3	Lifelong combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20 damage.
Night Eyes			x	47	2	Gain Night Vision while sneaking between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Penetrator			x	50	1, 2, 3	V.A.T.S. can hit enemy body parts blocked by cover with reduced/improved/normal accuracy.

Perception-Related Perks: Overview

Expect some of these perks to be environmental in nature, giving you additional help with your bobby pin on locked doors, safes, and containers; granting additional foraging bonuses (for animal meat and flora); giving you aquatic mastery; and helping you locate Caps Stashes, Magazines, or Bobbleheads. There are a couple of nighttime perks, one offering energy resistance, a couple to improve your grenade-throwing, attack bonuses on a couple of enemy types, and a trio of V.A.T.S. improvements (one early, one in mid-exploration, and one very late). Come here especially if you want to specialize in rifles, both non-automatic and automatic.

Awareness

Rarity: Rare
Level: 27
Ranks:
Points: 2
Description: You can view a target’s specific damage resistances in V.A.T.S.

Advice: Is your enemy shrugging off your best and violent intentions to harm them? Then add a little awareness to your combat. Here’s what to expect to see:Shield: knowing your enemy’s resistance to ballistic, explosive, or impact-related damage.Lightning: Your enemy’s resistance to energy weapons.Radiation: Your enemy’s resistance to weapons inflicting radiation damage.Poison Drip: Your enemy’s resistance to weapons inflicting poison damage.Now you know what the enemy most dislikes getting struck by, and now you’re a high enough level so you should be utilizing weaponry that has a variety of effects. Pick a weapon best suited to taking advantage of the enemy’s weaknesses. This perk is obviously only useful if you utilize V.A.T.S., but even if you don’t, you can flick on V.A.T.S., check the information, and start combat under normal conditions. You may not need this information if you already know what a target’s resistances are, but for encountering new and potentially deadly creatures in the more dangerous wild lands of Appalachia, this can be most helpful.

Butcher’s Bounty

Rarity: Common
Level: 3
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: 40/60/80% chance to find extra meat when you search an animal corpse.

Advice: An early perk, and one that helps in your hunt for animal meat (Mongrel, Brahmin, Opossum, Mole Rat, and all other animals). It lessens the time it takes to hunt and loot animals, allowing you more time for other types of exploration (e.g., acquiring junk). This also relates to finding meat-based recipes and using a cooking station, which you should have learned how to do by the time you choose this perk. If you’re firmly against hunting, or you prefer the taste of Carrot Soup, there are other ways to satiate your Hunger, but this lessens the usefulness of this perk, as you obviously need to focus on killing animals and utilizing their meat afterward. As such, meat needs to be cooked and spoils quickly (unless you’ve taken the Luck perk Good With Salt). Think about volunteering to be your team’s “butcher,” crafting hot and delicious meat dishes for immediate consumption by your friends.

Commando

Rarity: Rare
Level: 15
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Basic combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20 damage.

Advice: When you can utilize this perk, you’re a high enough level to start accessing a variety of automatic rifles, such as the submachine gun, assault rifle, laser, and plasma rifle. Note the damage bonuses are for rifles that fire constantly when you hold down the trigger and include ballistic and energy weapons—important distinctions when stacking other partner perks with this one. The Rifleman perk offers similar effects but for non-automatic rifles, and it becomes available much earlier. This weapon specialization allows you to really mow down the enemy. Also consider adding the Perception perk Ground Pounder, Long Shot, Tank Killer, and the high-level Luck perk Tormentor to really add some hurting!

(Expert) Commando

Rarity: Rare
Level: 25
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Rigorous combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20 damage.

Advice: Ten more levels later, the second set of Commando perks become available. If you’re fully committed to full-automatic takedowns and have the necessary Perception Points to allocate (at the expense of other Perception perks), then start your damage stacking! As a quick calculation, if you want your automatic rifles to inflict +40% more damage, utilize the Commando perk (Rank 3 for 3 points) and the Expert Commando perk (Rank 3 for another 3 points). Also note that it becomes increasingly difficult to utilize other Perception perks that benefit rifles, like Ground Pounder, Long Shot, and Tank Killer: Your maximum Perception won’t allow the highest ranks of all these perks to be active, so pick and choose based on what is most potent and effective to your needs.

(Master) Commando

Rarity: Rare
Level: 45
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Lifelong combat training means automatic rifles do +10/15/20 damage.

Advice: When you’re using automatic rifles to the exception of everything else, and you’ve found that stacking Commando perks is more beneficial than partnering lower-level Commando perks with other rifle-related Perception perks, then add a final layer of mayhem with Master Commando! It takes nine Perception Points to get +60% additional damage (Commando Rank 3, Expert Commando Rank 3, and Master Commando Rank 3). With so many Perception Points allocated, search the other attributes for partner perks you can use with Commando. Focus on perks that allow even more proficient use of your weapons, like the classic Agility perk Action Boy/Girl or the Strength perks Bandolier and Intelligence Perk. Batteries Included.

Concentrated Fire

Rarity: Common
Level: 2
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: V.A.T.S. now targets limbs. Focus fire to gain accuracy and damage/more accuracy and damage/high accuracy and damage per hit.

Advice: There are two separate effects to be aware of once you equip this low-level, must-use perk: First, you have the ability to pick the head, torso, and limbs off any enemy that has them (or specific body parts for foes with more odd forms); this means you can slow foes down by aiming at their legs, prevent them from firing as proficiently by targeting their arms, or just aim for the head, which results in a quicker (and sometimes messier) death. Second, you can “focus fire,” which means you receive a small cumulative bonus for aiming at a body part and then hitting it again and again. This is an excellent choice for snipers, those who might later want to partner this perk with damage-bonus perks (as well as benefiting from the accuracy bonuses for each point of Perception you allocate permanently to this attribute). This can lead to exceptionally quick and proficient takedowns. Aim for the head, increase your weapon’s damage, and start your V.A.T.S. mastery now!

Crack Shot

Rarity: Rare
Level: 7
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3, 4
Description: All pistols have 5/10/15/20% more range and more/even more/much better/excellent accuracy when sighted.

Advice: Available almost immediately (if you’re lucky enough to get one in a Perk Pack!), this grants you more accuracy for sighted pistols, on top of any bonuses a sight might already grant you. This perk gently forces you to try Weapons Workbench modding (e.g., so you can find the components necessary to add to your 10-mm pistol), though there are some sighted pistols out there to pick up at this point in your exploration. Note the twofold advantages—range and accuracy—for the weapon. However, it is also worth comparing a sighted pistol with this perk to a nonsighted pistol without this perk; if the latter isn’t significantly less helpful, or you’re finding you can take foes down with or without this perk (as it doesn’t grant extra damage, which is a much more helpful perk type), then consider a different perk. The same goes for Vault Dwellers who aren’t interested in using pistols.

Exterminator

Rarity: Common
Level: 14
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Your attacks ignore 25%/50%/75% armor of any insect.

Advice: Though this perk would have been much more impressive if it wasn’t confined to simply insects, it is still an excellent early card to obtain and stack, though it is environmentally situational: That is, you should check to see if irradiated insects have been spotted at a location (listed in this guide’s Atlas) before heading into combat. The good news: You can blast Radroaches, Bloodwings, and anything else revolting enough to scuttle about (check this guide’s Bestiary for a complete list), and blast them much more easily, with less ammo consumption or weapon damage, and with any weapon you like. The bad news: this is ineffective on any other enemy type.

Fire in the Hole

Rarity: Rare
Level: 38
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: See a throwing arc when tossing grenades, and grenades fly 15%/30%/50% farther.

Advice: If you want to cause a disturbance or a distraction, catch a group of foes in an explosion, or add additional offensive capabilities (especially if you’re defending a workshop), then having more prowess with grenades can be extremely helpful. Lobbing grenades one-and-a-half times the normal distance (Rank 3), with a trajectory detail to help pinpoint your punting, means you’re more likely to hit foes and remove threats (including enemies, human foes trying to assault you or your base, and inanimate objects like fortifications or turrets). Conversely, if you’re able to manually throw grenades with expected accuracy more often than not, and you don’t need to lob a grenade farther than normal, this isn’t a perk to pick; however, you should try it out before making that decision. Think about combining this with the Strength perk Ordnance Express, the Perception perk Grenadier, and the Intelligence perk Demolition Expert.

Glow Sight

Rarity: Uncommon
Level: 33
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Deal +20%/40%/60% damage to Glowing Enemies.

Advice: When venturing into high-rad zones or entering into combat with especially irradiated enemies (such as the infamous “Glowing One” Ghouls), you may spot certain extra-mutated members of the enemy group that exhibit glowing tendencies. Pick this perk, and you can inflict some pretty substantial additional damage to them! While this perk is highly situational, it’s worth taking, especially after a nuclear strike when most of the surviving entities in the blast area are going to be glowing! Otherwise, shelve this perk and quickly bring it out if you see a glowing foe. Partner this with rad-reducing, or damage-increasing perks, at your discretion.

Green Thumb

Rarity: Common
Level: 4
Ranks:
Points: 1
Description: Reap twice as much when harvesting flora.

Advice: At the start of your explorations outside the Vault, and even during subsequent adventuring when you need to turn to a plant-based recipe at the cooking station, you want to ensure you’re getting the most out of the flora dotted throughout Appalachia. This is especially true when you stumble across plants that aren’t that common (such as Ash Rose and Aster, and to a lesser extent Melons) or you need to gather crops from a workshop and turn them into tasty beverages or meals for you and your team. You don’t have to keep this perk active constantly; just remember to turn it on when foraging. Also check your recipes, decide which food or drink you want to keep making, search for the specific plants needed, and flick the perk on before you start the picking.

Grenadier

Rarity: Rare
Level: 35
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2
Description: Your explosives detonate with a 50% larger radius/twice the radius.

Advice: If you want to increase the splash damage, also known as area of effect (AoE), of your explosives, then pick this low-cost, reasonably high-level augmentation to your explosives collection. By “collection,” remember this applies not just to your projectiles like grenades: Think about the additional radius of your mines and explosive heavy weapons (like the missile launcher and legendary Fat Man), as well as missile turrets and artillery strikes you’ve made for your camp or workshop. This enables you to place mines farther apart from each other, and changes where you aim your ordnance; you’re no longer confined to a specific area. Just be aware of the additional damage this can do in confined spaces! Add additional potency by partnering this with the Strength perk Ordnance Express and the Perception perk Fire in the Hole, but the most help is the Intelligence perk Demolitions Expert, which adds up to 100% extra damage to any type of explosive, bolstering the already-massive damage you can wreak!

Ground Pounder

Rarity: Rare
Level: 18
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3, 4
Description: Automatic rifles now reload 10/20/30/40% faster and have better/even better/much better/excellent hip fire accuracy.

Advice: If you’re “spraying and praying” with automatic rifles, or you’re the kind of sharpshooter who likes to primarily fire your rifle from the hip, then pick this perk that ups your accuracy (when you’re not aiming through a sight) and quickens your reload speed (which can really cause havoc as you swap out clips while maintaining an impressive rate of “fire and forget” projectiles). This perk is made to use in situations where covering fire, or mowing down several foes, is required. Just be sure you understand this only affects automatic rifles, not rifles with a bolt action. Now augment this further with rifle-related perks (whether you’re focusing on automatic or nonautomatic variants with the Perception perks Commando and Rifleman); pick the Perception perk Long Shot, the Tank Killer, and the Luck perk Tormentor.

Long Shot

Rarity: Rare
Level: 37
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3, 4
Description: Your rifles have 5/10/15/20% more range and more/even more/much better/excellent accuracy when sighted.

Advice: Though you may immediately think this is an excellent choice for snipers (and it is!), having any weapon in the rifle category that features enhanced range and accuracy (even those that fire automatically, with only a light sighted mod necessary for the perk to work) is an exceptional help to those specializing in rifles. Try out all your rifles with a sight, and this perk, and figure out whether the results fit your play style. Obviously, snipers tend to use sights rather than hip-firing, so this is definitely tailored more to this play style. Whether you’re focusing on automatic or nonautomatic variants, add on as many other rifle-related perks as you can, such as the Perception perks Commando and Rifleman; pick the Perception perks Ground Pounder and Tank Killer and the Luck perk Tormentor.

Night Eyes

Rarity: Rare
Level: 47
Ranks:
Points: 2
Description: Gain Night Vision while sneaking between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Advice: Be completely clear on what this actually does; it gives an enhanced view of your surroundings, not unlike a night vision scope that you can add (as a mod) to some rifles. Dark areas are still there, but shadows are reduced considerably, and you’re able to view your surroundings in almost the same detail as during daylight hours. Now be sure you’re crouched and sneaking, or Night Vision won’t work. Obviously, this adds a great deal to a stealth style of exploration and is usually used as such, though having a better view of an enemy workshop or large location you’re about to investigate or overthrow, is always better. Now think about using perks that benefit you during the night (listed in the Night Person perk advice), as well as those V.A.T.S. improving perks, like the Perception perk Concentrated Fire, the Agility perk Gun Fu, and the Luck perks Better Criticals, Critical Savvy, Four Leaf Clover, Grim Reaper’s Sprint, and Psychopath.

Night Person

Rarity: Uncommon
Level: 24
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Gain +1/2/3 INT and +1/2/3 PER between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Advice: First, it’s worth figuring out what this additional Intelligence and Perception is going to provide you. Expect better condition and durability of items that you craft; better return from scrapping items (Intelligence); better weapon accuracy in V.A.T.S.; and better situational awareness (Perception). Secondly, figure out the best use of your (night) time, especially if you’re utilizing the other perks that work during the night, too. In this case, V.A.T.S. combat in the dark and a whole lot of scrapping and crafting will be in order! If you’re after some nighttime combat, add the Perception perk Night Eyes and the Endurance perk Nocturnal Fortitude.

Penetrator

Rarity: Rare
Level: 50
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: V.A.T.S. can hit enemy body parts blocked by cover with reduced/improved/normal accuracy.

Advice: This is your ultimate reward if you’ve been utilizing V.A.T.S. as your go-to combat-planning system of choice, and even if you haven’t, it offers something you can’t get via regular means—the ability to shoot through cover! Naturally, tufts of grass weren’t stopping foes before Penetrator became available, but trees and walls certainly were! Now, nowhere is safe (unless foes are behind two walls!), and at Rank 3, you can dish just as much damage as if you shot them out in the open! Naturally, there are many ways to play with this perk; it’s impossible for melee strikes, but it is amazing during a sneak, with a long-range or silenced weapon. Sniper rifles can tag foes at range, and remember, the cover can be near you or your victim! This gives you the edge when assaulting an enemy workshop, but also if you’re defending one. You can use your own defenses to fire through at foes. Also be sure to partner this with the other V.A.T.S.-improving perks, such as the Perception perk Awareness and Concentrated Fire; the Agility perk Gun Fu; and the Luck perks Better Criticals, Four Leaf Clover, Grim Reaper’s Sprint, and Psychopath.

(Master) Picklock

Rarity: Common
Level: 40
Ranks:
Points: 1
Description: Gain a +1 lockpicking skill, and the lockpicking “sweet spot” is 10% larger.

Advice: If you’re not activating this perk, whenever you locate a door, container, or safe that requires unlocking (with bobby pins) to open it, only those with a Normal (“0”) level of difficulty are accessible, providing you have the bobby pins and solve the minor unlocking puzzle. With the three levels of the Picklock perk, however, the more stubborn locks become accessible, which is important; if you don’t have the Picklock perk, you can’t even open the higher level doors, safes, and containers. Furthermore, the area where the bobby pin can be rotated to pick the lock successfully widens by 10%, meaning a Master Picklock perk gives you pretty much all of a Normal lock’s rotation to open, and bobby pins (which are scavenged) aren’t used up nearly as quickly. Picklock allows access of Advanced (“1”) locks. Expert Picklock allows access of Expert (“2”) locks. And Master Picklock allows access of Master (“3”) locks (the toughest). If you only have a few Perception Points, swap these cards out with a Perception perk you run all the time, only swapping back when there’s a lock to fiddle with. Remember that you can forgo this perk in favor of the Intelligence perk Hacker, especially as some locations are accessible only via a password-protected terminal. However, most terminals are linked to a door or safe with a lock to pick, so either Picklock or Hacker are viable in around 80% of examples. Note there are far more items hidden behind locked objects than terminals across Appalachia, so between the two perks, choose this one. Just be aware you’re missing out on some hidden areas, turret controls, and robot commanding if you do!

Refractor

Rarity: Uncommon
Level: 32
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3, 4
Description: Gain +5/10/15/20 Energy Resistance.

Advice: Extra protection from certain damage types, without the need for weighty armor, or perks that offer protection but have a negative penalty are always welcome, and Refractor is no exception. Though the protection is relatively light (only 20 points at Rank 4), it does enable you to withstand damage from robots, laser weapons (including the powerful turrets your rivals may be using at their workshop), and plasma weapons (including guns and projectiles such as mines and traps). Pick this perk if you’re heading into an environment you know is populated by robots (like Watoga), or when energy-using enemies appear. Otherwise, remember energy damage isn’t as common as regular ballistic damage, so you may wish to pick a perk that helps in that regard. Need even more energy resistance? Then partner this with the Charisma perk Bodyguards, the Endurance perk Ironclad, the Agility perks Evasive and Moving Target, and the Luck perk Junk Shield.

Rifleman

Rarity: Rare
Level: 8
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.

Advice: Once activated, which is early in your exploration of Appalachia, you’re able to dish out some impressive additional damage with any rifle you’ve gathered, bought, or crafted, as long as it’s nonautomatic. This includes bolt-action based rifles, hunting rifles, and anything you fit a nonautomatic receiver mod onto. Basically, if the weapon is a rifle and doesn’t automatically shoot bullets when you hold the trigger down, use this perk! Also think about making one or more of your rifles into an effective, long-distance sniper rifle—one of the keys to using this perk in character builds that benefit from single, high-damage, long-range strikes. Note the Commando perk offers similar effects, but for automatic rifles, and becomes available later in your exploration. This weapon specialization allows you to really dish single, usually well-aimed, and devastating shots (both in and out of V.A.T.S.). Think about adding the Perception perks Ground Pounder, Long Shot, Tank Killer, and the high-level Luck perk Tormentor to heighten your one-shot kill chances!

(Expert) Rifleman

Rarity: Rare
Level: 20
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.

Advice: After around 12 more levels of exploration, the next set of Rifleman perks start to show up. If you’re single-minded in your single-shot takedown philosophy, and you’re enjoying the nonautomatic rifle methods of foe disposal, and you have the necessary Perception Points to allocate (at the expense of other Perception perks), then start your damage stacking! As a quick calculation, if you want your nonautomatic rifles to inflict +40% more damage, utilize the Rifleman perk (Rank 3 for 3 points) and the Expert Rifleman perk (Rank 3 for another 3 points). Also note that it becomes increasingly difficult to utilize other Perception perks that benefit rifles, like Ground Pounder, Long Shot, and Tank Killer: Your maximum Perception won’t allow the highest ranks of all these perks to be active, so pick and choose based on what is most potent and effective to your needs.

(Master) Rifleman

Rarity: Rare
Level: 42
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Your non-automatic rifles now do +10/15/20% damage.

Advice: If you’re employing nonautomatic rifles to the exception of everything else, then your Perception attribute is doing all the heavy lifting for this series of perks: If stacking Rifleman perks is more beneficial than partnering lower-level Rifleman perks with other rifle-related Perception perks, then add a final layer of mayhem with Master Rifleman! It takes nine Perception Points to get +60% additional damage (Rifleman Rank 3, Expert Rifleman Rank 3, and Master Rifleman Rank 3). With so many Perception Points allocated, search the other attributes for partner perks you can use with Rifleman. Focus on perks that allow even more proficient use of your weapons, like the classic Agility perk Action Boy/Girl or the Strength perk Bandolier and Intelligence Perk Batteries Included.

Sniper

Rarity: Rare
Level: 28
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3
Description: Gain improved control and hold your breath 20/40/60% longer while aiming scopes.

Advice: Providing you’re actually employing the scope in question and you’re using aim-enhancing chems like Jet to aid your targeting, this is an extremely helpful perk for long-distance takedowns. Tagging foes at range, without the “wobble” of normal sniper rifle aiming, allows for more proficient kills, though you want to watch the length of time you need to hold your breath for, as you may simply reload before you run out of breath at higher ranks of this perk, making it less necessary. Add all the beneficial Perception perks, as well as stealth-related perks if your sniping is more clandestine and less about charging in afterward. Don’t bother with Long Shot, though; unfortunately the benefits of that perk are related to sights, not scopes.

Tank Killer

Rarity: Rare
Level: 30
Ranks:
Points: 1, 2, 3, 4
Description: Your rifles ignore 10%/20%/30%/40% armor and have a 2%/4%/6%/8% chance to stagger.

Advice: Working for both automatic and nonautomatic rifles, this has huge benefits if you’re choosing these weapons as the main method of foe disposal. Though you might immediately see the benefits of employing this with a sniper rifle (which is an excellent idea), this perk is just as potent with a submachine gun or auto assault rifle. Note the twofold benefits—ignoring some armor and a small stagger chance. Now up the potency by partnering this with the main Perception rifle perks Commando and Rifleman, Ground Pounder, Adrenaline, Evasive, and various other stealth-related or conditional perks (mainly using Agility). And don’t forget the Luck card Tormentor.