This Wasteland 3 Perks guide will go over the different perks you can get in the game. A perk is a boost to your abilities and is your reward for leveling up as you play.
Wasteland 3 Perks
A few of the Wasteland 3 Perks aren’t dependent upon any particular skill but the rest are determined in what you choose to spend where.
We’ve listed every single one of the perks you can acquire and use throughout Colorado.
Non-Skill Perks
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| DEEP POCKETS | 1 Perk Point | +1 Quick Slots |
| HARDENED | 1 Perk Point | +2 Armor |
| HEALTHY | 1 Perk Point | +35 CON |
| QUICK REFLEXES | 1 Perk Point | +5 Evasion |
| WEATHERED | 1 Perk Point | +10% Crit Resistance |
Combat
Automatic Weapons
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| PUNCTURING SHOT | L2 Automatic Weapons | Unlocks the Puncturing Shot ability. This is an AP Assault Rifle attack that deals damage to the Armor or multiple targets along with 100% Weapon Damage. Stunned targets get hit with an extra 100% Weapon Damage |
| GOPHER HUNTER | L3 Automatic Weapons | Enemies have 25% less benefit from Cover when attacking them. |
| SPRAY ‘N’ PRAY | L4 Automatic Weapons | Unlocks the Spray ‘N’ Pray ability. This is an SMG attack which doubles the number of shots fired at 100% Weapon Damage, but with doubled ammo consumption and -25% Hit Chance. |
| RECKLESS | L6 Automatic Weapons | Gain +15% damage with SMGs while not in cover. |
| DOUBLE TAP | L7 Automatic Weapons | If you attack a target twice in a row with an Assault Rifle, the second is always a crit. hit. |
| STORMER | L8 Automatic Weapons | If you move more than 5 spaces, your next SMG attack costs no AP (once per turn). |
| TRIGGER HAPPY | L10 Automatic Weapons | Killing an enemy with an Automatic Weapon gives +3 AP (once per turn). |
Melee Combat
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| BLEEDING STRIKE | L2 Melee Combat | Unlocks the Bleeding Strike ability. This 4 AP Bladed Weapon attack deals 200% of Weapon Damage at -20% Hit Chance, and applies Bleeding on target. Burning targets get hit with extra 200% Weapons Damage |
| STUNNING BLOW | L4 Melee Combat | Unlocks the Stunning Blow ability. This Blunt Weapon attack deals 100% of Weapon Damage at -15% Hit Chance, and Stuns the target. Deals an additional 100% Weapon Damage on Frozen targets. |
| STRIKING DISTANCE | L5 Melee Combat | +0.5 Combat Speed when you have two melee weapons equipped. |
| BLOODSPORT | L6 Melee Combat | Attacks with Blunt Weapons critically hit Stunned and Blind enemies. |
| HACK ‘N’ SLASH | L7 Melee Combat | Attacking the same target twice in a row with a Bladed Weapon executes a free bonus attack. |
| PURSUIT | L8 Melee Combat | If you move more than 3 spaces, your next Bladed Weapon attack has +25% Critical Chance (+100% vs. Slowed targets). |
| SHRUG IT OFF | L10 Melee Combat | While using a Blunt Weapon, gain +2 Armor for every enemy adjacent to you. |
Big Guns
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| MOVE UP! | L2 Big Guns Skill | Gain +0.5 Combat Speed on the first turn of combat while using Big Guns. |
| SUPPRESSING FIRE | L3 Big Guns Skill | Unlocks the Suppressing Fire ability. |
| TERRORIZER | L3 Big Guns Skill | Flamethrower attacks Engulf targets, reducing their Hit Chance by -15%. |
| PRESSURE COOKER | L7 Big Guns Skill | Unlocks the Pressure Cooker ability. |
| STEADY SHOT | L8 Big Guns Skill | Gain +20% Evasion and +10% Hit Chance in Low Cover when using a Heavy Machine Gun. |
| WIDE SPREAD | L10 Big Guns Skill | Increases the firing arc of Heavy Machine Guns and Flamethrowers by +35%. |
Brawling
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| SHAOLIN SURPRISE | L2 Brawling Skill | Unlocks the Shaolin Surprise ability. |
| EXTREME COMBO | L5 Brawling Skill | Brawling combo maximum increased to 10x. |
| DEADLY COMBO | L7 Brawling Skill | Brawling combo Critical Chance increased by 2x. |
| FLURRY OF BLOWS | L10 Brawling Skill | Brawling attacks cost -1 AP. |
Small Arms
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| SHREDDER SHOT | L2 Small Arms | Unlocks the Shredder Shot ability. |
| OPPORTUNIST | L3 Small Arms | Your Strike Meter charges a 5% bonus with each successful handgun attack. |
| TRICK SHOT | L5 Small Arms | Unlocks the Trick Shot ability. |
| CLEAR COVER | L6 Small Arms | Shotguns do +100% Damage vs. Cover. |
| DRAW! | L7 Small Arms | Your first attack after reloading an empty weapon costs no AP. |
| DEVASTATION | L8 Small Arms | Shotgun attacks gain +25% Damage for each enemy hit by the same shot. |
| COUNTER-OFFENSIVE | L10 Small Arms | Attacking a melee enemy on the turn after they hit you deals +50% damage. |
Sniper Rifles
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| MARK TARGET | L2 Sniper Rifles | Unlocks the Mark Target ability. |
| MASTERFUL PRECISION | L5 Sniper Rifles | Precision Strikes with Sniper Rifles have significantly higher chances of inflicting critical effects. |
| CONCENTRATION | L7 Sniper Rifles | Gain +10% Hit Chance when using a Sniper Rifle if you don’t move for 1 turn. |
| CHAIN AMBUSH | L10 Sniper Rifles | Ambush targets with Sniper Rifles that kill your target don’t end the ambush. |
Social
Animal Whisperer
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| ANIMAL TRAINING | L2 Animal Whisperer | Animal Companions gain bonus CON and damage. |
| SPIRIT ANIMAL | L5 Animal Whisperer | Animal Companions provide you with better passive bonuses. |
| VENGEFUL BOND | L7 Animal Whisperer | If your Animal Companion drops to 25% CON, gain +50% Critical Chance and +2 AP. |
Barter
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| PENNY PINCHER | L3 Barter Skill | Buying multiple items instead of just one provides a 20% discount. |
| ANTIQUES APPRAISER | L7 Barter Skill | Junk items have a 5% chance of being sold for 50x their value. |
Nerd Stuff
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| TARGETING OVERRIDE | L3 Nerd Stuff | Robots you hack will now be attacked by other enemies. |
| ELECTRIC LEAKAGE | L5 Nerd Stuff | Hacked robots emit an electric burst every turn, dealing Energy Damage to enemies nearby. |
| OVERCLOCK | L7 Nerd Stuff | Hacked robots gain +2 AP. |
Explosives
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| DUCK AND COVER | L2 Explosives | Fire & Explosive Resistance +20%. |
| BOMB RECOVERY | L3 Explosives | 33% chance to drop a grenade after disarming land mines. |
| MINESWEEPER | L4 Explosives | You no longer set off land mines when stepping on them. |
| MORTAR BLAST | L5 Explosives | Unlocks the Mortar Blast ability. |
| HIGH IMPACT | L7 Explosives | Targets directly hit by rockets or grenades are automatically Critically hit. |
| BLAST RADIUS | L10 Explosives | Radius of grenades and other AoE abilities increased by +40% |
First Aid
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| EMERGENCY RESPONSE | L1 First Aid | When an ally is Downed in battle, gain +1.0 Combat Speed for 2 turns. |
| OVERHEALING | L5 First Aid | Using healing items also boosts the target’s max CON by +25% for 3 turns. |
| PHYSICAL THERAPY | L7 First Aid | Reviving allies has a chance of buffing them (+6% per First Aid level). |
| HYPOCRITIC OATH | L10 First Aid | Gain +50% damage for 2 turns after reviving a downed ally. |
Leadership
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| RALLY | L3 Leadership | Unlocks the Rally ability. |
| DEMORALIZE | L5 Leadership | Unlocks the Demoralize ability. |
Mechanics
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS | L3 Mechanics | +20% Bonus Damage to Robots and Vehicles. |
| HANDY | L4 Mechanics | Deployables gain +25% CON and deal +25% damage. |
| REINFORCED PLATING | L5 Mechanics | Repairing vehicles and robots also boosts the target’s max CON by +25% for 3 turns. |
| FORTIFY | L7 Mechanics | Repairing friendly vehicles, robots, and deployables grants +5 Armor for 3 turns. |
Survival
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| BIG GAME HUNTER | L6 Survival | +20% Bonus damage to Animals and Mutants. |
| EXPLORER’S INSTINCT | L10 Survival | Instantly reveals the entire World Map and all discoverable locations. |
Toaster Repair
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| TOASTER EXPERT | L3 Toaster Repair | Fixing Broken Toasters now yields bonus loot. |
| BREAKFAST BANDIT | L5 Toaster Repair | Fixing Broken Toasters now yields Toast. |
| HEATING ELEMENT | L7 Toaster Repair | +25.0% Fire Damage Bonus |
| TOASTY | L10 Toaster Repair | Killing an enemy causes your next attack to inflict Burning. |
Weapon Modding
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| SCROUNGER’S TOUCH | L2 Weapon Modding | Field stripping now has a chance of providing Weapon Mods. |
| POWDER PACK | L5 Weapon Modding | Your entire party finds +25% bonus ammo when looting, at a minimum of +1. |
| EXPERT DISASSEMBLER | L7 Weapon Modding | Field stripping weapons yields +30% more scrap. |
Weird Science
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| OVERCHARGE | L3 Weird Science | Unlocks the Overcharge ability. |
| MICROWAVE RESEARCH | L6 Weird Science | Energy damage is increased by +0.5 bonus damage for every point of Armor the target has. |
| CONDUCTIVE BEAMS | L9 Weird Science | Energy attacks have a 10% chance to electrocute enemies, dealing Energy dmg. and anyone standing nearby for 2 turns. |
Sneaky Shit
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| SECOND CHANCE | L4 Sneaky Shit | +1.0 sec. Detection Time |
| CLOSE CALL | L7 Sneaky Shit | Alarms and traps have a 50% chance to malfunction when you set them off. |
| LIGHTS OUT | L10 Sneaky Shit | +200.0% Sneak Attack Damage |
Armor Modding
| Perk Name | Requirements | Effects |
| TENDER LOVING CARE | L10 Armor Modding | +5 Armor for all squad members while this character is present. |
