Fallout games have been around for a long time. With all the changes made in modern games, some things have remained the same until Fallout 3. New mechanics and overall improvements to POV and graphics have brought Fallout to the fore.
Another new mechanic in more modern Fallout games 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 features available in that game. Below is a list of the best perks your character can equip in Fallout: New Vegas.
Updated January 20, 2026 by Andrew Scariatti: The best benefits of Fallout New Vegas include a variety of boosts for your gameplay and immersion. We'll highlight some of the best Fallout New Vegas perks for pure fun, like the Wild Wasteland, key combat upgrades, like the Adamantium Skeleton.
17
Shotgun surgeon
- Shotgun Surgeon: Avoid ten points of enemy damage threshold with the shotgun.
There are many different builds to use to complete the Courier's journey through the Mojave, and each of them has advantages that will greatly benefit them. Shotgun builds are no exception to this. In fact, due to a few key details, they are one of the better builds out there. The Shotgun Surgeon perk earns a spot here as the only weapon type perk for a few reasons.
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Shotguns are incredibly easy to find at any level, from a seeded-off to a high-level hunting shotgun, there's always one you can find or rescue. They are often devastating on a per-shot basis, especially at close quarters and against unarmored, or lightly-armored, targets. The Shotgun Surgeon increases that destructive capacity, meaning that even medium- and heavily-armored enemies can be taken out with just a few rounds.
Combine this perk with different ammo types like pulse slugs to be able to deal more damage to specific enemy types.
16
light step
A soft touch
- Light phase: You no longer set off floor-based traps by stepping on them.
There are few things more frustrating than restarting an old save because a landmine you didn't see knocked you out. A keen eye is one thing when exploring ancient ruins and fiend camps, but why worry about traps?
With Light Step, floor-based traps will no longer be a concern. You can walk, hide, or run over them, and they won't close at all. This is incredibly useful in areas like the city around the Sierra Madre which feels like a trap around every corner.
Your friends can set off these traps and still walk by or near them, so make sure to travel alone or disarm them before they get too close.
15
Swift Learner
Book smart meets street smart
- Swift Learner: Any time experience points are earned adds an additional ten percent experience points.
The higher you level up in New Vegas, the more things become available to you. Better gains, more health, and better loot too; It never hurts to have a chance to level up quickly, which means Swift Learner comes in handy pretty quickly. From this, add another ten percent to any experience points you earn, and it adds up quickly.
This is a perk you can get as early as level two, meaning more experience for you early on, especially for those big main-story quests. Also, there are three levels you can put on this perk, which means any time you kill an enemy, complete a quest, find a new location, or more, an additional 30 percent experience points are added.
14
Silent race
Don't listen to them
- Silent Race: No longer triggers factors on a successful sneak attempt.
Crouch-walking towards the target is one of the worst aspects of an air-oriented stealth build. Silent Running fixes this by making your maximum crouch speed silent, a complete game-changer for melee stealth builds.
Enemies in New Vegas make two checks to find out who they're looking for, and they can hear enemies.
Silent Running completely eliminates all audio-related checks made by enemies, meaning a build with maxed sneak skill can easily melee targets without getting caught. Combine this gain with the Implant M-5 and Tunnel Runner for some insane speed while crouching.
13
the chemist
We have to cook
- Chemist: Doubles the duration of all chemical effects.
Despite what the description implies, every aid item in New Vegas benefits from a chemist, such as Stimpax and food.
Almost every healing item in the game is twice as strong for this perk, making it an invaluable perk for hardcore playthroughs. This perk pairs particularly well with the Psycho, Turbo and Implant GRX perks.
12
Robotics Specialist
Hard reset
- Robotics Specialist: Adds a 25 percent damage bonus to all attacks against robots, and adds an option to disable them while hiding.
Of all the different enemy types in New Vegas, robots may not be the most numerous, but they are one of the deadliest to encounter. Eyebots, Securitrons, Protectrons and even the deadly Roboscorpions. The only bad thing is all those darn mutated bugs.
Robotics Expert means you'll always hit robots a little harder, which is great, since their mechanical bodies are generally more resistant to damage. Also, those with a penchant for hiding have the option to hit their off-switch when they are close to hiding.
11
Excellent and good reviews
Hit them hard
- Clever: You gain five percent increased critical hit chance.
- Good reviews: Your critical hits have their damage increased by 50 percent.
Critical builds are the strongest in Fallout: New Vegas. This is mainly due to how many top-tier weapons such as energy weapons have powerful critical damage. For those who want to kill enemies in a single shot, there is no more iconic duo than Finesse and Better Criticals.
Finesse will grant five percent increased critical hit chance, while Better Criticals will grant 50 percent more critical hit damage. One perk is decent on its own, but both become top-tier when used together. A five percent critical chance increase might sound good on paper, but the way New Vegas handles criticals is a five percent to 25 percent critical chance increase depending on the weapon.
With a high enough lock stat and built to destroy trait, critical builds can repeatedly output critical hits boosted by the absurd 50 percent damage increase of all better criticals. Make sure your weapon has a good critical percentage multiplier before taking both of these features.
10
Advanced sensors
They call them Eyebots for a reason
- Advanced sensors: Better chance of detecting enemies, even cloaked ones.
While the various level-up benefits will take up most of your decision-making process, it's important to quickly separate to take note of the companion features. There are a number of great travel companions in the Mojave, each with their own extra perks that they offer you as well.
Of all of them, few are as beneficial as sophisticated sensors. This is given to you when Ed-E is traveling with you, and it makes spotting enemies much easier. It's pretty much an instant and continuous boost of perception. It never hurts to know where your enemies are before you see them, regardless of build.
9
Sniper
Get your beret ready
- Sniper: Gain a 25 percent accuracy bonus when targeting an enemy's head in VATS.
Taking out an enemy before closing the distance never gets old. The Mojave ruins and its wide open spaces are great for those with a keen eye and a steady hand, so it only makes sense to make good use of the various rifles you'll find in Fallout New Vegas.
The Sniper perk greatly increases the chance of hitting an enemy in the head in VATS, which, funnily enough, is usually their weak spot. Combine it with a sniper rifle, anti-materiel rifle, or a good old-fashioned cowboy repeater, and you'll be doing Boone proud in no time.
8
Hand loader
A tablet with their name on it
- Hand Loader: You are more likely to recover casings and hulls. You also have all hand-load recipes unlocked at any wreck reloading benches.
A hand loader may be one of the most underrated perks in New Vegas. This perk allows you to craft any ammunition type on workbenches and doubles the chance to find casings and hulls from corpses. What's great about this perk is the ammo recipes it gives you. JHP, JSP, and hand-loaded rounds can all be prepared when you have this advantage.
For the uninitiated, these ammo types have a massive damage multiplier of 1.3 to 1.65x and are very good at penetrating armor (except JHP). If this perk lets you craft bullets that increase your damage by 65 percent, it will be a very popular choice.
