In Fallout 76, you can skill, level up and equip your character with perks, just like in previous installments. In this guide, you’ll learn how this works.
Like previous Fallout titles, Fallout 76 is an RPG. You can create a character and level up, distribute skill points, find equipment, and use perks.
The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system and perk cards determine who you are in Fallout 76. This guide will explain what you need to know about it.
You are S.P.E.C.I.A.L. – the attributes of your character
Fallout fans will be familiar with the Special system. Special values are different categories that can enhance various attributes.
This is how S.P.E.C.I.A.L. works in Fallout 76: Special is essentially a summary of several abbreviations. Each letter stands for a value that you can level up.
- S stands for Strength
- P stands for Perception
- E stands for Endurance
- C stands for Charisma
- I stands for Intelligence
- A stands for Agility
- L stands for Luck
You start with one point in each of these values when entering the game. You can increase these with skill points.
How do you get skill points? With each level up to level 50, you will receive one point. However, this does not mean that you cannot level up past level 50. Level 100 is the maximum level, as can be inferred from the 51 trophies of Fallout 76.
Level ups are achieved through experience points. You gain these for completing quests and defeating monsters.
Special values and their impact on your character
How do these values affect me? With each skill point, you improve your character in areas that correspond to the respective attribute.
- Strength increases your melee damage and allows you to carry more
- Perception improves your accuracy with the VATS targeting system and allows you to notice enemies sooner
- Endurance increases your hit points and improves your resistance to diseases; additionally, you can sprint longer
- Charisma allows you to share perks starting from 3 points and influences rewards from group events
- Intelligence affects the condition of the weapons you find and makes them break down more slowly. You also receive more materials when scrapping junk
- Agility increases your action points (stamina), allowing you to land more hits with your VATS, and also enhances your sneaking
- Luck influences the condition and quality of items you find. Additionally, you charge your crit hit rate for VATS faster.
Special case of Charisma – do you even need it? Fallout 76 must do without human NPCs that you could charm and persuade with Charisma. Thus, the purpose of this value has changed. Charisma is now a kind of supporter attribute, with which you can effect many useful benefits for your group.
In addition to these values, there are perks that you can equip. Fallout 76 introduces a new system based on cards.
Can you reset Special points? This is currently not possible. However, this feature is planned for updates after launch by Bethesda.
All about perk cards and how you can get more
This is how perks work in Fallout 76: Unlike Fallout 4, where you get a complete list of all perks at the beginning, in Fallout 76, you first need to unlock the appropriate cards. For each Special attribute, there is a category of perk cards.
These cards require a certain value. So it may be that you find a perk that requires 3 points in Strength. If you meet the corresponding requirements, you can equip the card. You can swap your cards at any time and are not limited to a fixed build.
Many perks have multiple levels, at which the values of the perk increase. To upgrade a perk, you need a duplicate of the perk you wish to upgrade. So if you have two “Sniper” cards at rank 1, you can combine them and upgrade to “Sniper” at rank 2.
Some cards have multiple grades. For example, there is also the perk “Professional Sniper,” which can be equipped and upgraded in addition to “Sniper.”
Special case of Lockpicking and Hacking: Lockpicking and Hacking have three levels in Fallout 76. These can also be learned through cards. However, each level has its own perk card. You must acquire each separately.
This is how you get perk cards: At the beginning of the game, you will receive a small selection of basic cards. As you level up and allocate a skill point to a Special value, you can choose a new perk from three cards corresponding to that.
There are also card packs from which you can draw multiple cards. You receive packs at certain level intervals:
- From levels 4-10, you receive a pack every two levels (4, 6, 8, 10)
- After that, it continues in 5-level intervals (15, 20, 25…)
Will I eventually stop getting perk cards? You can also receive perk cards beyond level 50. The maximum level is 100, so you will be able to continue unlocking perks until then.
