Best Fallout 4 Starting Stats: Perks and Build Guide

Fallout 4, like most Bethesda RPGs, is about building your character up from almost nothing into an absolute powerhouse, though having the right build can make the process much easier. Here are the best Fallout 4 starting stats and perks that will best suit your early adventures into the wasteland.

The Best Starting Stats in Fallout 4

When first creating your character, you’re greeted by the Vault-Tec Representative and are asked to fill out a stat distribution. This lets you distribute 21 points across seven different stats. While placing them evenly might seem like a good idea, there’s a much better way to do it that’ll optimize your early game to be as good as possible. Here’s our favorite stat distribution to start with:

• Strength: 6
• Perception: 4
• Endurance: 3
• Charisma: 1
• Intelligence: 4
• Agility: 2
• Luck: 7

While these may seem like a completely random stat distribution, there is a method to our madness. Each of these stats will unlock certain perks along the different perk trees, which will help you out a ton in the early game.

As a few examples, Luck 5 will give access to Idiot Savant, a perk that’s much better than its namesake suggests. This perk gives you a chance to earn 3x XP from any action. This chance increases the lower your Intelligence is, so we suggest keeping it at Intelligence 4 until you’ve got a healthy amount of levels. Strength 6 also gives access to Strong Back, which heavily increases your carrying capacity. Trust us, you’ll need it.

Benefits of Each Starting Stat in Fallout 4

Strength Stat

Strength provides more melee damage and carry weight, particularly crucial in Survival. Playing with 1-3 strength in survival can be enjoyable, though it makes the Pocketed perk almost necessary for armor. Armorer at rank 3 becomes useful with access to Ballistic Weave from the Railroad.

Perception Stat

Perception is mainly valuable for VATS users. The Museum of Freedom Bobblehead grants access to Rifleman, making it otherwise ignorable. However, Locksmith and Demolition Expert perks are fun and require minimal investment.

Endurance Stat

Endurance is among the most important stats, offering more health and beneficial perks. It also slows AP drain while sprinting, with 21 Endurance stopping AP drain entirely.

Charisma Stat

Charisma is considered the least useful, but Lone Wanderer at rank 3 is excellent unless frequently using Companions. Local Leader at rank 6 is crucial for late-game settlement building.

Intelligence Stat

Intelligence is one of the most important stats, providing more experience. While higher Intelligence is beneficial, it’s not essential, as gaining experience is relatively easy. Gun Nut is useful, but not necessary, and Chemist at rank 7 is an underrated perk.

Agility Stat

Agility enhances AP, crucial for sprinting, VATS, power attacks, and Power Armor jet pack. It also affects how easily enemies detect you while sneaking, making it crucial for stealth and VATS playstyles.

Luck Stat

Luck is a peculiar stat with no real downside to ignoring. While Luck 1 is often sufficient, investing in it can be rewarding, especially for VATS playstyles. Luck 5 is popular for the Idiot Savant perk in low Intelligence builds, maximizing experience gains.

In summary, Strength and Endurance are generally the most crucial for more health, but for VATS-heavy builds, Perception and Agility are equally important.

Other Useful Perks in Fallout 4

Other useful perks that this stat distribution unlocks include Locksmith in Perception, Lifegiver in Endurance, Hacker in Intelligence, and Better Criticals in Luck. All of these perks will do you wonders off the start of the game, as you’ll see on your playthrough.