Considering that Fallout 4 was initially released way back in 2015, it is still a very popular game. Indeed, Fallout 4 is one of the most successful and well-liked video games of all time, even if it might not necessarily be everybody's favorite game in the series. Compared to the other mainline entries, F4 focuses more on action and gunplay, with the RPG elements being even more streamlined than in Fallout 3. Shortcomings aside, these changes made this entry the most accessible in the franchise, and newcomers should start with it.
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As with most traditional sandbox RPGs, when starting a new game in Fallout 4, the player is prompted to set up their basic stats. These stats will then be improved as the player progresses. Each stat has a different purpose, and some suit particular playing styles better than others. There are also stats, such as luck and endurance, that are important for any build.
Updated on January 6, 2026, by Mark Sammut: Fallout season 2 is currently airing its second season, which has been pretty great so far. If the Amazon Prime Video series is your introduction to this universe, you might want to dive a bit deeper by picking up Fallout 4, which is a better entry point than Fallout 76 or even Fallout 3. If you do so, this article should help get you going.
What Are Fallout 4's Special Stats & How Many Starting Points Do You Have?
Like in the older games, Fallout 4 gives you a fair amount of freedom when creating your character at the start of the game. Along with cosmetic choices, your character will have 7 stats, all of which will start with a single point. Let's quickly go through all the stats:
- Strength – Physical power that directly impacts how much weight you can carry and the amount of melee damage you can perform.
- Perception – Elevates your environmental awareness, which improves your weapon accuracy and allows you to steal and pick locks more easily.
- Endurance – Fairly self-explanatory. This stat improves your base health and action points, the latter of which allows you to run for longer.
- Charisma – Invest in this stat if you want to charm the pants off NPCs. The higher your charisma, the more likely you are to persuade and win arguments.
- Intelligence – The smarter you are, the more experience points you get. It simplifies hacking, too, but that is a minor benefit.
- Agility – If you want more action points, you will want to invest in agility. It should help you sneak around, too.
- Luck – Well, you become luckier (so, more critical hits).
At the start of Fallout 4, you already have 7 stat points, with one in each category. After that, you will have 21 more points to allocate how you see fit. While we will dive deeper into the individual stats themselves, we recommend carefully considering what type of character you are looking to build, as that should directly decide your point spread. If you want to mainly focus on combat, then you should invest more in Endurance and Strength (melee) or Perception (ranged). If you are mostly looking to craft a talker and not a fighter, Charisma, Luck, and Intelligence should take precedent.
7 Strength
Very Important For Melee Builds
|
Recommended Starting Value |
3 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
Mostly apply increased damage output |
|
Good For |
Melee damage, carry weight |
For new players who prefer melee combat in Fallout 4, Strength will be a very important starting stat. The higher the player’s strength, the more melee damage they will do. For every point invested in Strength, melee damage is increased by 10%.
As well as directly adding to melee damage, the Strength stat also has an impact on how much weight and how many items the player can carry. For every point spent in Strength, the player will gain 10 Carry Capacity. The Strength perk tree is also very simple for new players, as it generally only deals with adding melee damage and similar skills.
Fallout 4 Strength Gameplay Impact
Strength can be used to create a solid and capable melee build in Fallout 4. Higher melee damage output means that tough fights will be easier, and more survivable, as enemies will die quicker. Of course, being able to carry more loot is a boon as well.
6 Perception
Very Important For Ranged Builds
|
Recommended Starting Value |
4 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
Quite varied, covering ranged weapon use, VATS upgrades, and other skills like lock picking |
|
Good For |
Ranged combat, thief skills including lockpicking and pickpocketing |
Fallout 4 players who prefer using powerful weapons and ranged combat over melee combat will need to have decent Perception. This is the starting stat that directly affects things such as Accuracy. When using VATS, each point spent in Perception adds 10 Accuracy, to a maximum of 95.
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The perk tree for Perception is a little complicated. It covers skills such as upgrades and improvements to VATS, but it also unlocks other skills that are not combat-related. Players can spend perk points in pickpocketing and lockpicking, for example, which will never be used in combat.
Fallout 4 Perception Gameplay Impact
Due to its large boosts to the effectiveness of VATS, Perception is a great primary stat for players to construct an entire ranged build around, and it is useful for dealing with all forms of combat in the game. Put simply, killing something from an extreme range mitigates all incoming damage, which is easy mode.
5 Endurance
Health Multiplier
|
Recommended Starting Value |
3 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
Damage mitigation, better radiation protection, and reduced action point cost for sprinting |
|
Good For |
Tanking more damage, better mobility, reduced radiation damage |
Endurance is a very important stat when playing Fallout 4. It has two primary functions. Firstly, the more points spent in Endurance, the more health the player will have. Secondly, the number of skill points the player gains every time they level is driven by their Endurance stat.
The Endurance perk tree has some excellent skill unlocks. There are perks that will reduce overall damage taken, and also perks that will increase resistance to radiation. There are also perks that help with sprint efficiency and the number of action points taken up by performing actions, making Endurance a key stat for most character builds.
Fallout 4 Endurance Gameplay Impact
The Endurance stat has general utility for combat-focused gameplay in Fallout 4. High Endurance grants the player better protection from hazardous environments, such as chemical and radiation damage. Higher overall health means they can suffer these hazards for longer, giving them a better chance of survival.
4 Charisma
Helps With Persuasion And Intimidation
|
Recommended Starting Value |
2 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
Improved speech checks, follower controls, and settlement management |
|
Good For |
Avoiding combat by negotiation, persuasion, and intimidation |
Some players don’t bother with Charisma at all when playing Fallout 4. It is very situational, and flies in the face of combat-focused gameplay. Put simply, players who don’t like to fight might like to try a Charisma build. However, not all combat can be avoided using speech checks.
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The higher the player’s Charisma, the more chance there is that NPCs will do what the player asks. This includes getting price reductions, buying from merchants, and maintaining a settlement community. The perk tree for Charisma simply improves the chance of passing speech checks, as well as providing new options for controlling a follower.
Fallout 4 Charisma Gameplay Impact
Charisma has a deep impact on questing and trading gameplay in Fallout 4, although it is less important in combat. High Charisma has a direct impact on interaction with NPCs in the game and helps to negotiate better deals with vendors and achieve positive dialogue outcomes in conversations.
3 Intelligence
Better Experience Gains
|
Recommended Starting Value |
9 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
More item modification options and bonuses to chem use |
|
Good For |
Any build, as intelligence, has an impact on experience gain and progression |
Every player starting a new game in Fallout 4 will want to pump their Intelligence stat. Intelligence has a direct impact on how much experience is gained from any source at all. This means, no matter what build a player is aiming for, high Intelligence is going to help.
Some skills, such as hacking, are much easier with high Intelligence. Unfortunately, the perk tree for Intelligence is pretty lackluster. It simply grants upgrades to the number of weapon mods that can be installed, and how large a buff chems give.
Fallout 4 Intelligence Gameplay Impact
Intelligence has a great impact on all aspects of gameplay in Fallout 4. High Intelligence makes it easier to craft better gear and mods. It also means the player levels faster, as they receive more experience points for every action that rewards EXP in the game.
2 Agility
Movement Bonuses
|
Recommended Starting Value |
5 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
Focused on stealth gameplay and small arms |
|
Good For |
Stealth builds, avoiding damage in combat, work in conjunction with Perception stat for some weapons |
Agility in Fallout 4 is primarily of use for boosting the number of action points the player has available. Action points are consumed during combat and movement, and are an important part of gameplay for some builds. For every point spent in Agility, the player is given 10 extra action points.
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Agility is also important for stealth builds, as the Agility perk tree has several stealth-focused unlocks. Furthermore, Agility combines with Perception in the game's algorithm for calculating pistol and small arms damage.
Fallout 4 Agility Gameplay Impact
Agility is a useful stat for a player to boost for combat-related abilities in Fallout 4. High Agility opens up options for stealth gameplay, enabling players to engage enemies with devastating ranged or melee attacks. Additionally, Agility is the primary stat that drives evasion and sprint speed; the higher the stat, the better the player is at each of these.
1 Luck
Impacts Every Action In The Game
|
Recommended Starting Value |
3 |
|---|---|
|
Perks |
Impact on loot chance and items, critical hit, and defense |
|
Good For |
Works well for every build and for players looking to maximize loot |
Luck is really easy to understand in Fallout 4. It has an impact on every action the player takes. Luck has the chance to tip the balance, resulting in a successful action, or swing the other way and add a penalty. Luck has a direct impact on the critical hit meter as well while in combat.
The perk tree for Luck has some useful unlocks, primarily those that relate to loot chance and critical hit chance. Overall, Luck is a crucial stat to boost, and Luck unlocks are all beneficial in some way, regardless of a player's build, providing plenty of utility.
Fallout 4 Luck Gameplay Impact
The Luck stat has surprisingly far-reaching effects on many aspects of gameplay in Fallout 4. High Luck is primarily used to ensure the best chance of higher-level loot and resources being received. It can also impact event reward payouts. When in combat, a player with higher Luck has a higher chance of scoring a critical hit either using standard attacks or when using VATS. Don’t overlook Luck as a combat stat; it is surprisingly effective.
Fallout 4
- Released
- November 10, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
