Fallout 4: Best Raider Build

Discover the Best Raider Build in Fallout 4 and how to create a powerful character with Perks, S.P.E.C.I.A.L., Stats, armor, and weapons.

This build guide has been updated for Game version 1.10.980 on PC and Free Next Gen Update on PlayStation and Xbox.

Table of Contents

[show]

Best Raider Build in Fallout 4

The Raider build in Fallout 4 role plays as a Raider Mercenary wandering the wasteland in search of caps, prizes, and bounties. If you’re looking for a powerful theme build as a mischievous Raider, this is for you. With the Raider build, we will use automatic weapons and create a character focused on survival traveling the harsh wastelands. The Raider will use Dogmeat companion, high endurance, and charisma. You can pacify other NPCs and even creatures, giving you a strategic advantage in combat.

The downside of the Raider build is the lack of high intelligence. This means you will forgo the Science perk and Chemist, which can be helpful while crafting. Beyond level 50, you can obtain these perks but don’t expect this to be a heavily crafting build. Moreover, the Raider will have good damage but nothing like a Sniper. However, we suggest playing this build if Role Play and survivability are your priorities.

Notice: It is highly recommended that you have the Nuka-World DLC to enjoy this build to its fullest potential. Nuka-World is a raider expansion with many quests, armor, weapons, and role-play options for Raiders.

Raider Build Pros	Raider Build Cons
High Survivability	Lower Damage
Role Play	Low Science
NPC Manipulation	Doesn’t Use VATS

Features and Mechanics for Best Raider Build in Fallout 4

The following list presents all the essential Raider Features and Mechanics in Fallout 4:

Damage – Ballistic
Range – 70 Meters
Weapon – Assualt Rifle
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats
- Strength – 1
- Perception – 1
- Endurance – 8
- Charisma – 10
- Intelligence – 4
- Agility – 2
- Luck – 2
Best Perks – Intimidation, Commando, Lone Wanderer, Bloody Mess, Solar Powered
Companion – None

Best Fallout 4 Builds

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats

10 Charisma and 8 Endurance are the best S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats for the Raider build because they help with NPC influencing and survivability. 10 Charisma gives you three important perks: Intimidation, Wasteland Whisperer, and Lone Wanderer. While Endurance helps with survivability, and with a +1 and bobblehead, you gain Solar Powered. The intelligence of at least four is critical for Hacker and Gun Nuts.

Below is the best recommended S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats for the Raider build in Fallout 4 videogame RPG:

1 Strength (S): influences your carrying capacity, melee damage, and the effectiveness of melee weapons.
1 Perception (P): affects your accuracy in VATS, the chance of detecting stealthy enemies, and the ability to pick locks and spot traps.
8 Endurance (E): It affects your maximum health, radiation resistance, and ability to withstand environmental hazards.
10 Charisma (C): influences your success in dialogue options, ability to negotiate prices with vendors, and effectiveness in leading companions.
4 Intelligence (I): affects the number of experience points earned, the quality of crafted items, and your effectiveness with terminals.
2 Agility (A): It affects your overall movement speed, ability to sneak effectively, and performance in VATS.
2 Luck (L): affects critical hit chance, the likelihood of finding valuable items, and the outcome of random events.

Additionally, consider collecting Bobbleheads throughout your Fallout 4 (FO4) adventure. Bobbleheads are collectible items scattered throughout the game world. Each bobblehead represents a particular attribute or skill, and when collected, it permanently increases your character’s corresponding stat or ability.

Best Perks

Intimidation, Commando, and Lone Wanderer are the best perks for the Raider build. Intimidation can pacify NPC below your level and, once upgraded, incite them to attack. This is critical to the RP gameplay of the Raider, who roams the wasteland looking for victims. Commando is our weapon perk for hip-firing automatic weapons. Rifleman perk is also effective depending on the receiver of the weapon. The Lone Wanderer perk is the best for damage reduction and increase, and you are likely to play solo as a “bad” player Raider.

Here is the list of the best and recommended Perks for the Raider Build in Fallout 4:

Intimidation – Pacifcy enemies when you aim them with your gun. The Wasteland Whisperer does the same thing, just with creatures rather than humans.
Commando – This is our weapon damage perk, though you can use Rifleman. When selecting perks and guns, ensure the receiver is auto for Commando and semi-auto for Rifleman.
Lone Wanderer – reduces damage taken and damage done with increased carrying capacity without companions. However, you can use Dogmeat and still have a buddy to aid in combat.
Bloody Mess – a flat bonus to damage, and once maxed, this will explode multiple targets if they are near.
Solar Powered – a powerful way to remove radiation and heal in the sunlight.

In Fallout 4, perks are special abilities and bonuses that enhance your character’s skills, combat prowess, and survival capabilities. Perks are acquired by spending perk points earned each time your character levels up. Perks are divided into categories, each corresponding to one of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes. These perks offer a wide range of customization options, allowing players to tailor their characters to suit their preferred playstyles. However, there are no respecs or redoing of Perks, thus your selections are vital to increasing your characters overall power.

Level Progression

While playing the Raider build, the overall leveling priority is damage reduction and utility. Lone Wanderer and Medic are your survival perks when you start the game. Intimidation and Wasteland Whisper will help you pacify enemies and avoid combat if necessary. Gun Nut will help you modify the weapon to the automatic receiver so you gain the Command damage perk. We select four intelligences, so Hacker is our unlock tool, and we forgo locksmith. If you cannot stand not picking locks, use Cait to lockpick.

We will eventually increase luck to gain Bloody Mess, one of the best damage perks in Fallout 4. Additionally, we will increase endurance to 10 for Solar Powered, which helps with passive survivability. While we suggest a Canniable perk for role play and utility, if you enjoy settlement building, skip it and select Local Leader. This will let you chain together multiple settlements and help in exploration and building. Moreover, if you enjoy crafting and want to obtain Science, forgo Armorer and increase your intelligence by +2 instead. Also, pick up Chemist with another +1 to Science. However, we suggest selecting the following levels and perks, though you have some flexibility depending on your gameplay priorities.

Level 1 – 10

Here’s a list of the best perks to select from levels 1 to 10 with the Raider Build Guide in Fallout 4:

Level 1 – None
Level 2 – Intimidation
Level 3 – Lone Wanderer
Level 4 – Scrounger
Level 5 – Wasteland Whisper
Level 6 – Commando
Level 7 – Medic
Level 8 – Hacker
Level 9 – Cannibal (or Local Leader for settlement players)
Level 10 – Gun Nut

Level 11 – 20

Here’s a list of the best perks to select from levels 11 to 20 with the Raider Build Guide in Fallout 4:

Level 11 – Scrounger 2
Level 12 – Commando 2
Level 13 – Hacker 2
Level 14 – Gun Nut 2
Level 15 – Luck +1 (or Luck Bobblehead)
Level 16 – Bloody Mess
Level 17 – Lone Wanderer 2
Level 18 – Medic 2
Level 19 – Bloody Mess 2
Level 20 – Save

Level 21 – 30

Here’s a list of the best perks to select from levels 21 to 30 with the Raider Build Guide in Fallout 4:

Level 21 – Wasteland Whisper 2 + Commando 3
Level 22 – Hacker 3
Level 23 – Intimidation 2
Level 24 – Cannibal 2 (or Local Leader 2 for Settlement players)
Level 25 – Gun Nut 3
Level 26 – Endurance +1 (and Endurance Bobblehead)
Level 27 – Solar Powered
Level 28 – Solar Powered 2
Level 29 – Aquaboy
Level 30 – Medic 3

Level 31 – 40

Here’s a list of the best perks to select from levels 31 to 40 with the Raider Build Guide in Fallout 4:

Level 31 – Bloody Mess 3
Level 32 – Strength +1 and Strength Bobblehead
Level 33 – Armorer
Level 34 – Armorer 2
Level 35 – Commando 4
Level 36 – Armorer 3
Level 37 – Scrounger 3
Level 38 – Cannibal 3 (or +1 Science Bobblehead and Scrapper)
Level 39 – Gun Nut 4
Level 40 – Lone Wanderer 3

Level 41 – 50

Here’s a list of the best perks to select from levels 41 to 50 with the Raider Build Guide in Fallout 4:

Level 41 – Armorer 4
Level 42 – Chem Resistant
Level 43 – Adamantium Skeleton
Level 44 – Adamantium Skeleton 2
Level 45 – Adamantium Skeleton
Level 46 – Aquaboy 2
Level 47 – Bloody Mess 4
Level 48 – Save
Level 49 – Commando 5
Level 50 – Intimidation 3 + Solar Powered 3

Gear and Weapons

The best armor and weapons for a Raider build in Fallout 4 are the Pipe Gun, Assualt Rifle, and Disciples Armor. Below, we explain each:

Pipe Gun – Your primary weapon starting is a Pipe gun, which is easy to find by killing fellow raiders. You can upgrade the weapon early and modify the receiver automatically to prioritize the commando perk. Many rifles can be converted to automatic, so experiment as you level. However, the Pipe Gun will give you at least the first 15 levels of easy ammo and decent damage.

Assault Rifle – the next upgrade is the Assault Rifle, carried by Gunners and Super Mutants when you reach level 25. You can also purchase from KL-E-O in Goodneighbor. This weapon can be modified for an advanced automatic receiver and dramatically increase your damage. In the end game, you can use Plasma Rilfe and convert the capacitor to automatic if you obtain science. The most important aspect is the receiver/capacity to gain commando perk.

Disciples Armor – you can obtain this armor only from the Nuka-World DLC, some of the best in the game. When leveling, leather and combat armor are your priorities. The Armorer perk will help you upgrade over time and keep the damage reduction high.

Companions

Dog Meat is the best companion for the Raider build because he does not negate the Lone Wanderer perk bonuses. With three ranks into Lone Wanderer, you will take 20% less damage, do 25% more damage, and carry 100 more pounds. This is in addition to Dog Meat scrambling for items and distracting enemies.

Dog Meat can be found at the Red Rocket truck stop shortly after the game’s introduction. Moreover, you can gain the Attack Dog companion perk to increase Dog Meat’s affinity (affection) to the maximum. Attack dog increases accuracy in V.A.T.S. against enemies immobilized by dog companions. Unlike other companions, Dog Meat’s affinity is increased through leveling and spending perk points. We highly suggest using Dog Meat whenever possible to gain the most damage and reduce damage using the best Raider build.

Looking For More About Fallout 4?

Thank you for reading the Best Fallout 4: Best Raider Build. We provide the latest news and create guides for Fallout 4, Enshrouded, ESO, Baldur’s Gate 3, and More. Also, watch me play games on Twitch or visit my YouTube channel!

Fallout 4: Best Raider Build

Best Raider Build in Fallout 4