In Fallout 4, the creation and development of the Sole Survivor is under the player's control. The decisions made at character creation and at level-ups, as well as the gameplay choices being made, contribute to the player character's specific character build.
Considerations for building a character[]
Building a character is largely a matter of mathematics, although given the lack of a level cap in Fallout 4, all characters will eventually trend toward max stats. As it would take an exorbitant amount of experience to max a character in Fallout 4, it is still important to consider wanted SPECIAL and perks for a given save file.
SPECIAL[]
During the quest War Never Changes, one will be able to choose their initial SPECIAL by allocating 21 discretionary points on top of the base 1 in each stat the player starts with, which have a direct effect on:
- which perks will become available to player character at level-ups.
- player character's derived statistics.
SPECIAL stats can be raised during the game by:
- choosing to improve them at level up;
- finding bobbleheads;
- finding You're SPECIAL!;
- wearing clothing and armor items;
The maximum value for a SPECIAL stat during character creation is 10.
Perks[]
Chosen perks have a variety of gameplay effects.
Which perks become available to player character depends on
- the player character's level.
- the SPECIAL stats.
The player character gets to choose one perk or improve a special stat one point at every level-up.
Equipment[]
Armor and clothing can have a direct effect on the SPECIAL stats but will not fulfill any SPECIAL requirements for perks.