Posted Thu Sep 24, 2015 at 10:00 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
Be ready to fall into the varied Perks system.
With 'Fallout 4,' Bethesda has been teasing the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, but what many fans might not yet know is how those stats play into the game's impressive perks system. In short, the seven Specials start at 1 and go up to 10. Players start with 28 points to assign, and that means it's possible to max out two Specials from the get-go. (Fortunately, for those that agonize over building a character, players will get an early opportunity when leaving the vault to reassign points).
Points are awarded through player leveling. Leveling is done through gaining XP, and there is no level cap. As players put points into their Specials, different perks are unlocked.
Players can pick one Special perk from those they have unlocked.
It doesn't end there; however, unlocked perks have their own ranks, what Bethesda is calling a mini Perk tree. The additional ranks require higher player levels. So with seven Specials with ten Perks a piece, that's 70 base Perks. With the Perk ranks, the whole thing goes to 270 perks.
And here is that Perk system visualized:
Not only has this elaborate system been refined over some years, but it's set up to be balanced and to make early perks to still fruitful later on in the game. For example, "Strong Back doesn’t just up the amount you can carry; higher ranks of it allow you to fast-travel while encumbered or even run while encumbered at the cost of Action Points."
Also, the Perk graphic above is going to be included as a small wall poster with each pre-order copy of 'Fallout 4.'
You can find the latest info on 'Fallout 4' linked from our Video Game Release Schedule.
Source: Bethesda
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