Critical Hits

In the combat system of most Fallout games, there is a chance that any attack may affect the opponent (or oneself) in a more damaging or effective way. This is known as a critical hit. The base critical hit chance for all attacks is shown in the SPECIAL display screen.

Critical Chance
Critical chance can be modified in a number of ways. One common way is by skill. The higher one's skill with a particular weapon, the higher the chance that one will perform a critical hit. Another way is through traits and perks. Many traits and perks raise or lower the critical chance of a character, whether for a specific type of weapon, or all attacks in general. An Aimed Shot also changes the chance to land a critical hit.

Critical Effects
The effects of a critical hit vary widely. Sometimes, only some additional damage may be done. Other times, a status impairment will be inflicted. All of the effects for a critical hit are determined by a hidden in-game system that rolls and calculates critical effects. The intensity of critical effects can also be modified by the perk, Better Criticals.


 * Note: A chart with detailed information about critical chances and critical effects can be found right in the article about Aimed Shot