Perception is one of the SPECIAL Attributes in Fallout 4 (FO4). See the list of all the Perception perks and know what Perception affects in the game!

All Perception Perks List

Fallout 4 Perception Perks

Perk	Rank	Req. Level	Description	Perk ID
Pickpocket	1	-	Picking pockets is 25 percent easier.	0004d88a
Pickpocket	2	6	Picking pockets is now 50 percent easier. You can place a live grenade in a person's inventory.	000e3702
Pickpocket	3	17	Picking pockets is now 75 percent easier, and you can steal equipped weapons.	000e3703
Pickpocket	4	30	Picking pockets is now twice as easy, and you can steal equipped items.	001d248f
Rifleman	1	-	Attacks with nonautomatic rifles do 20 percent more damage.	0004a0b6
Rifleman	2	9	Attacks with nonautomatic rifles now do 40 percent more damage and ignore 15 percent of a target's armor.	0004a0b7
Rifleman	3	18	Attacks with nonautomatic rifles now do 60 percent more damage and ignore 20 percent of a target's armor.	0004a0b8
Rifleman	4	31	Attacks with nonautomatic rifles now do 80 percent more damage and ignore 25 percent of a target's armor. They also have a slight chance of crippling a limb.	0006fa20
Rifleman	5	46	Attacks with nonautomatic rifles now do double damage and ignore 30 percent of a target's armor. They also have a slightly higher chance of crippling a limb.	00065e52
Awareness	1	-	You can view a target's specific Damage Resistances in V.A.T.S.	000d2287
Locksmith	1	-	You can pick Advanced locks.	000523ff
Locksmith	2	7	You can pick Expert locks.	00052400
Locksmith	3	18	You can pick Master locks.	00052401
Locksmith	4	41	Your bobby pins never break during lockpicking.	001d246a
Demolition Expert	1	-	Your explosives do 25 percent more damage, and you can craft explosives at any chemistry station.	0004c923
Demolition Expert	2	10	Your explosives now do 50 percent more damage, and grenades gain a throwing arc.	0004c924
Demolition Expert	3	22	Your explosives now do 75 percent more damage and affect a larger area.	0004c925
Demolition Expert	4	34	Your explosives now do double damage. Mines and grenades shot in V.A.T.S. explode for double damage, too.	00065e13
Night Person	1	-	Gain +2 to Intelligence and Perception between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.	0004c93b
Night Person	2	25	You now have +3 to Intelligence and Perception between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and night vision when sneaking.	001d2495
Refractor	1	-	Instantly gain +10 Energy Resistance.	000ca99d
Refractor	2	11	Instantly gain +20 Energy Resistance.	000ca99e
Refractor	3	21	Instantly gain +30 Energy Resistance.	000ca99f
Refractor	4	35	Instantly gain +40 Energy Resistance.	00065e4b
Refractor	5	42	Instantly gain +50 Energy Resistance.	00065e4c
Sniper	1	-	You have improved control and can hold your breath longer when aiming with scopes. This reduces wobble.	0004c92a
Sniper	2	13	Nonautomatic, scoped rifles have a chance of knocking down your target.	0004c92b
Sniper	3	26	Nonautomatic, scoped rifles gain +25 percent accuracy to head shots in V.A.T.S.	0004c92c
Penetrator	1	-	In V.A.T.S. you can target an enemy's body parts that are blocked by cover, with a decrease in accuracy.	00024aff
Penetrator	2	28	In V.A.T.S. when you target an enemy's body parts that are blocked by cover, there is no decrease in accuracy.	001d2477
Concentrated Fire	1	-	In V.A.T.S. every attack on the same body part gains +10 percent accuracy.	0004d890
Concentrated Fire	2	26	In V.A.T.S. every attack on the same body part gains +15 percent accuracy.	001d2459
Concentrated Fire	3	50	In V.A.T.S. every attack on the same body part gains +20 percent accuracy and does 20 percent more damage.	001d245a

Best Perks Tier List

Best Perception Perks

Best Perception Perks
Locksmith	Rifleman	Pickpocket	Concentrated Fire

Locksmith

Locksmith is perhaps the best Perception perk since this allows you to lockpick Advanced, Expert, and Master locks. There are many containers in the game that contain valuable loot and unique weapons that require a higher level of lockpicking to open.

Locksmith Perk - Is It Worth It?

Rifleman

Rifleman increases the damage of nonautomatic rifles. Rifles are one of the best weapon types in the game due to their range and overall damage, so picking this perk up will definitely make it easier for you to sweep out areas with a lot of enemies using a semi-automatic rifle.

Rifleman Perk - Is It Worth It?

Pickpocket

Pickpocket improves the chance of successfully stealing items from an NPC's inventory. Higher levels of Pickpocket also lets you snatch equipped weapons of unsuspecting enemies.

Pickpocket Perk - Is It Worth It?

Concentrated Fire

Concentrated Fire improves accuracy the more you hit the same body part of an enemy in V.A.T.S. Not only that, but it also adds extra damage at higher tiers of this perk.

Concentrated Fire Perk - Is It Worth It?

What Does Perception Affect?

VATS Accuracy, Stealing, and Lock Picking

Perception affects weapon accuracy using VATS. It does not affect the success rate of stealing or lock picking unless you unlock the specific perks under Perception that affects them.

Unlocks Perception Perks

Leveling up the Perception stat will allow you to unlock perks under its Perk Tree, providing additional bonuses for your character.

Note that you still need to level up your character, as it is one of the conditions before you unlock a perk!

Fallout 4 Related Guides

Fallout 4 Perk Chart

All Perks Guide