Fallout 4 Guide: The Best Starting Character Build

Developers from Bethesda have completely revamped the character progression system in their new game Fallout 4, making it noticeably simpler. If during the times of Fallout 3 we talked about how to properly level up a character, now it's more appropriate to discuss which starting build to choose. This article is dedicated to that topic.

Although there is no single correct and universal build in Fallout 4, and practically all options will be playable, choosing the right initial investments in your character's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities is still a very important aspect of the game mechanics. Almost all mistakes made while leveling up a character in the prologue can be corrected, but it is a long process and you might face certain inconveniences.

Fallout 4 offers its players seven main character attributes: Strength (S), Perception (P), Endurance (E), Charisma (C), Intelligence (I), Agility (A), and Luck (L) — the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system. Each attribute has 10 levels to upgrade, as well as 10 types of perks, each with their own levels. The level of ability and the chosen perk influence the gameplay. There are three main ways to strengthen your character: first, you can complete quests, kill enemies, and earn experience points for it; second, you can collect various magazines; and third, look for so-called bobbleheads.

Now let's talk about the relationship between investments in stat points and perks. For example, a character with upgraded intelligence earns more experience than all other branches, and the perk Idiot Savant allows you to earn 3-5 times more experience for any action than usual, but only if you haven't upgraded the intelligence branch. Various empirical comparisons suggest that if you haven't upgraded intelligence above level 4, then you definitely need to take the Idiot Savant perk and, conversely, with high intelligence, it would be irrational:

Another useful branch in terms of earned XP is charisma. The thing is that for a successful high-difficulty persuasion, you can earn as much experience as for killing a Deathclaw or a Behemoth mutant! In the world of Fallout 4, there are quite a few places where you'll need persuasion, so charisma is an extremely useful character attribute.

Just remember that it determines the chance of success and you may, after making two successful high-difficulty persuasions, fail a low-difficulty persuasion and vice versa. For full success, you'll have to replay dialogues, but you can invest in certain perks to gain some advantage in conversations with women or men, and, therefore, reload less often.

Here are the enhancements the seven abilities of the main character bring:

Separately, we want to note that, unlike its predecessors, Fallout 4 will not punish the player if they choose 10 ability points out of 10 at the beginning of the game, as it will add another 1 point for a bobblehead in the future.

Let's first talk about builds that are not tailored to any specific weapon or playstyle, meaning you can use them for your game however you like.

The ability points should be distributed as follows: 4 in Strength, 4 in Perception, 3 in Endurance, 3 in Charisma, 10 in Intelligence, 2 in Agility, and 2 in Luck.

The best companion is Piper, as the build is designed for exploring the game world, and with her as a partner, you will receive twice as much XP for discovering new places. If you enter into a romantic relationship, you will receive four times more XP for a limited period of time, but you'll have to treat her like an electric broom.

Perks to acquire: Botanist's Frenzy, Locksmith, Hacker, Science, Gun Nut, Scrounger, Gunsmith, Medic, Fortune Finder, Lead Belly, Toughness, Nuclear Physicist, and Commando or Rifleman, depending on the type of weapon you prefer. First and foremost, upgrade the crafting perks to quickly start improving weapons, and Botanist's Frenzy will allow you to survive in tough situations. When that's not enough, upgrade the survival or health perks. On the other hand, you can use more lethal weapons!

Pros and cons of this build:

Ability points should be distributed as follows: 6 in Strength, 4 in Perception, 2 in Endurance, 1 in Charisma, 8 in Intelligence, 3 in Agility, and 4 in Luck.

Perks to get first: Strong Back (2 points), Science, Gun Nut, Scrapper (2 points).

Best companion — Nick Valentine, whose skills allow you not to worry about unlocking doors and hacking terminals, and Nick also performs well in combat.

Pros and cons of this build:

Ability points should be distributed as follows: 4 in Strength, 4 in Perception, 3 in Endurance, 6 in Charisma, 6 in Intelligence, 1 in Agility, and 4 in Luck.

Perks to get first: Gunsmith, Blacksmith, Strong Back, Lone Wanderer (3 points), Local Leader (2 points), Scrapper (2 points), Science, Mysterious Stranger.

Best companion — no companion (use the Lone Wanderer perk) or Preston Garvey, as he will increase your damage and resistance to enemy damage during encounters with large groups of enemies.

Pros and cons of this build:

Ability points should be distributed as follows: 5 in Strength, 4 in Perception, 1 in Endurance, 8 in Charisma, 5 in Intelligence, 1 in Agility, and 4 in Luck.

Perks to get first: Strong Back (2 points), Party Boy/Girl (3 points), Local Leader, Scrapper, Mysterious Stranger.

Best companion — no companion (fully invest in the Lone Wanderer perk) or Piper, with whom you should quickly enter a romantic relationship and leave at the base, while you get double XP traveling the Wasteland alone.

Pros and cons of this build:

The following builds are focused on a specific type of weapon, unlike the options above, here the intelligence branch is hardly developed. This will not allow you to level up quickly, but will make kills noticeably faster.

Ability points should be distributed as follows: 8 in Strength, 6 in Perception, 2 in Endurance, 1 in Charisma, 2 in Intelligence, 5 in Agility, and 4 in Luck.

Perks to get first: Strong Back (2 points), Night Person, perks that increase damage from weapons or melee combat, depending on your preference.

Best companion — Nick Valentine, whose skills allow you not to worry about unlocking doors and hacking terminals, and Nick also performs well in combat.

Pros and cons of this build:

Ability points should be distributed as follows: 8 in Strength, 3 in Perception, 8 in Endurance, 1 in Charisma, 2 in Intelligence, 1 in Agility, and 5 in Luck.

Perks to get first: Big Leagues or Rooted!, Iron Fist, Strong Back, almost all perks from Perception and Endurance.

Best companion — Strong, who deals massive damage in melee combat or Preston Garvey whose skills will increase your damage and resistance to enemy damage during encounters with large groups of enemies.

Pros and cons of this build:

Ability points should be distributed as follows: 1 in Strength, 8 in Perception, 2 in Endurance, 1 in Charisma, 1 in Intelligence, 7 in Agility, and 8 in Luck.

Perks to get first: Sniper, Penetrator, almost all perks from Luck and Agility.

Best companion — Deacon (high damage in stealth mode), MacCready (excellent chance for a headshot).

Pros and cons of this build:

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Fallout 4 is a unique game that only gets better with age. You can return here and play entirely different roles, whatever you desire. And with the help of custom mods, you can even change the gameplay beyond recognition. We hope this guide will help you decide on the starting skills in Fallout 4.