Fallout 3 Perks

In Fallout 3, you will gain perks every level, as opposed to every three levels like in previous games. Also, unlike previous games, traits that gave you both bonuses and penalties at the same time are no longer in the game. Instead, some of them (like Bloody Mess) were changed into perks.

In Fallout 3 a Perk's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. requirements will not be met by equipping items, or using drugs.

Regular perks
(Note: These perks are gained by leveling, some quest give you perks as well.) Important Note: Codes can be used by opening the console in the PC version and using the following commands: player.removeperk [perk code] player.addperk [perk code] Replace [perk code] with the code listed for the desired perk. For ranked perks, repeat the process until the desired rank is reached. codes in parenthesis "" are for girls, if the character already has the perk, adding the code will show nothing on the console.

Quest perks
You can get these perks as a reward for quests.

Important note about quest perk codes: Trying to add them before doing the quest required may cause game to crash or corrupt.

DLC perks
These perks will be added through downloadable content packs. it is not yet known whether they will be gained on level-up or through quests.

Notes and Tips

 * Consider what kind of character you want to build and develop. Think ahead.
 * Some perks work great when combined, others have requisites that need to be met before they can become available for selection.
 * In the context of Fallout 3's game design, maximum proficiency in any Skill is 100% and maximum score in SPECIAL is a 10 in any one attribute; it is strongly advised to be mindful of that limit often.
 * You do NOT get additional bonuses above 100% in any of your Skills and a level 10 in any of your SPECIAL scores; perks won't add anything beyond that, either!
 * Without much experience in the game some perks are tempting to get, but keep in mind that the level limit is 20 so you can NOT get many perks. Perks like "Here and now" or "Swift learner" give you a decent amount of exp (depending on when they are taken) but with these you can waste a total of 4 perks for a handfull of exp. Experienced players refrain from taking these quick-win perks to chose unique perks that give you abilities you can not get otherwise in the game.
 * Best is to create a list with all perks you chose at each level from 2 to 20. Note down the requirements for the perk (like 60% science) and make sure you have these before reaching the level.
 * Players from the classic fallout games often tend to chose "intense training", as the main stats ("SPECIAL" in F3) used to be the most important lever for tuning, but in Fallout 3 their role is less-critical. For example even players with a charisma value of "1" can pass speech tests with either saving/loading very often or putting points in "Speech" either by spending points after level up or by reading "Lying - congressional style" books. Another good example is the survival guide perk. When you want to get the 6% defense bonus perk from this quest it requires you to have 7 END for the appropriate answers, but even if you only have 4 Endurance you can take a buffout just for the talk and can give the answer.
 * It is recommended to save all "readable books" until you get the "comprehension" perk. The usefullness of the perk depends on how many books you read after gaining the perk, but even when you don't conciously "hunt" books you will usually get enough of them to make the perk very usefull. Even if you "just" get 50 books during gameplay you will still have a gain of 50 extra skill points.
 * Animal friend is a fun perk if you have both of it, but although being unique it somehow is a weaker perk. That Yao Guai don't attack you sure is usefull when you wander along, but so is save and load. It's fun to watch yao guai kill raiders for you, but they steal your exp. Usefull at the beginning, but later on you will probably look st it as a waste of perk(s). Later on in the game you will for sure have other problems then just Yao Guai and molerats.
 * Chem resistance is quite useless as time doesn't play any role. If you are addicted just go to the doctor in megaton, purchase chemistry lab for free detox or load a savegame before your addiction and try again. It also seems to help if you just let some days pass before you try to take the drug again. The fact that even with that perk you can get addicted (it just lowers the chance by 50%) makes it one of the most useless perks.

For a subjective view on some perks, see the Discussion Page.