Fallout games have been around for a long time. With all the changes in modern games, some things stayed the same until Fallout 3. New mechanics and overall improvements to POV and graphics bring Fallout back to the forefront.
Another new mechanic in the latest Fallout game is perks. Many fans consider Fallout: New Vegas to be the best 3D game in the series, so it's always a good idea to take a look at the offers available for that game. Here is a list of the best perks your character can equip in Fallout: New Vegas.
Updated January 20, 2026 by Andrew Scariati: The best perks of Fallout New Vegas offer various enhancements to gameplay and immersion. We'll highlight some of the best Fallout New Vegas perks for pure fun, like Wild Wasteland, along with major combat upgrades like the Adamantium Skeleton.
17
shotgun surgeon
- Shotgun Surgeon: Shotguns ignore 10 enemy damage thresholds.
There are a variety of builds you can use to complete The Courier's journey through the Mojave, and each build has perks that can be of great help. Shotgun builds are no exception. It's actually one of the better builds due to a few key details. The Shotgun Surgeon perk stands as the only weapon type perk here for a few reasons.
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Shotguns are very easy to find at all levels, from sawed-off shotguns to high-level hunting shotguns, and there is always something available. This is often devastating per shot, especially in close combat and against unarmored or lightly armored targets. The Shotgun Surgeon increases its destructive capabilities, meaning that even heavy and armored enemies can be taken out in just a few shells.
Combining this perk with different ammo types like pulse slugs allows you to deal more damage to special enemy types.
16
light steps
softer touch
- Light steps: Traps on the floor can no longer be set off by stepping on them.
There are few things more frustrating than having to restart an old save file because of a mine you didn't see. A keen eye is important when exploring old ruins and fiend encampments, so why worry about traps?
With Light Step, you no longer have to worry about floor-based traps. It won't fall off at all whether you're walking, sneaking, or running around. This is very useful in areas like the villages around the Sierra Madre where every corner feels like a trap.
Companions can set off traps if they walk on or near them, so travel alone or disarm them before they get too close.
15
quick learner
Smart and street smart meeting reservation
- Swift Learner: Each time you gain experience points, 10% more experience points are added.
The higher your level in New Vegas, the more you can earn. You'll also get better benefits, more health, and better loot. It never hurts to have the opportunity to level up faster. This means that Swift Learner will be useful pretty early on. This adds an extra 10% to the experience you earn, which adds up quickly.
This is a perk you can get from level 2, meaning you can gain more experience early on, especially for the big main story quests. Moreover, this perk has three levels. This means that every time you kill an enemy, complete a quest, find a new location, etc., you get an extra 30% experience points.
14
quiet run
Don't let them hear you
- Quiet Running: Running no longer affects successful sneak attempts.
Crouch-walking towards a target is one of the worst aspects of a melee-oriented stealth build. Silent Running solves this problem by preventing noise at maximum crouch speed. This will completely change the game for melee stealth builds.
Enemies in New Vegas make two checks to detect the person they are looking for and can hear you.
Silent Running completely removes all audio related checks made by enemies. This means that a build with maximum Stealth skill can easily melee a target without being caught. Combine this perk with Implant M-5 and Tunnel Runner and you can gain ridiculous movement speed while crouching.
13
chemist
we have to cook
- chemist: All chemical effects last twice as long.
Despite what the description says, all secondary items in New Vegas benefit from Chemist, such as Stimpacks and food.
This perk makes almost every healing item in the game twice as powerful, making it an invaluable perk for hardcore play. This perk pairs particularly well with the Psycho, Turbo, and Implant GRX perks.
12
robotics expert
hard reset
- Robotics Expert: Adds a 25% damage bonus to all attacks against robots and the option to disable robots while stealthed.
Of the various enemy types in New Vegas, robots may not be the most numerous, but they are one of the deadliest. Eyebots, Secutrons, Protectrons, and even the deadly Roboscorpion. What's worse is all those variant bugs.
Robotics Expert means you'll always hit the robot a little harder. This is good because the robot's mechanical body is generally more resistant to damage anyway. Plus, for those who like to sneak up on them, there's also the option to turn off the switch while sneaking.
11
Finesse and better importance
hit harder
- finesse: Critical hit chance increases by 5%.
- Better importance: Critical damage increases by 50%.
The critical build is one of the most powerful builds in Fallout: New Vegas. This is mainly due to how powerful the critical damage of most top-tier weapons, such as energy weapons, is. For those who want to kill their enemies in one fell swoop, there's no duo more iconic than Finesse and Better Criticals.
Finesse increases critical strike chance by 5%, and Better Criticals increases critical strike damage by 50% more. One perk is fine on its own, but using both together puts them over the top. A 5% increased critical hit chance may not look good on paper, but the way New Vegas handles critical hits means that your critical hit chance increases from 5% to 25% depending on the weapon.
A critical build with a high enough luck stat and destructible talent can repeatedly output critical hits, boosted by Better Criticals' absurd 50% damage increase. Make sure your weapon has a good critical strike multiplier before enjoying both of these perks.
10
improved sensors
There's a reason they call it Eyebot.
- Improved sensors: Increases your chance of detecting even cloaked enemies.
While the various level-up perks will dominate your decision-making process, it's important to take a moment to note companion perks. There are many great companions for your Mojave travels, each with their own additional benefits.
Few of them are as beneficial as Enhanced Sensor. This comes with Ed-E traveling with you, making detecting enemies much easier. This is about immediately and continuously increasing awareness. Regardless of your build, it never hurts to know where your enemies are before they see you.
9
sniper
Get your beret ready
- sniper: Increases accuracy by 25% when aiming at enemy heads in VATS.
Killing enemies before they close the distance will never get old. The Mojave Wasteland and its wide-open spaces suit those with a keen eye and steady hands, so it makes sense to make good use of the variety of rifles found in Fallout New Vegas.
The Sniper perk significantly increases your chances of hitting an enemy's head in VATS. VATS, funnily enough, is usually the enemy's weak point. Combine this with a sniper rifle, anti-materiel rifle, or good old-fashioned cowboy repeater and you'll have Boone proud in no time.
8
hand loader
bullet with name
- Hand loader: There is a higher chance of recovering shell casings and hulls. You can also unlock any recipes that you manually load from the wasteland's reload bench.
The Hand Loader might be one of the most underrated perks in New Vegas. This perk allows you to craft any type of ammunition at a workbench and doubles the chance of finding shell casings and hulls on corpses. The biggest advantage of this perk is the ammo recipe it provides. This perk allows you to craft all JHP, JSP, and hand-loaded ammo.
For those who don't know, these ammo types have massive damage multipliers of 1.3-1.65x and have much better armor penetration (excluding JHP). If it were stated that this perk allows you to create bullets that increase damage by 65%, it would be a much more popular choice.
