Wasteland 3- Best Perks Guide For All Weapons And General Skills

By Angelz in Games PC PS4 Xbox 02/09/2020

In Wasteland 3, there are multiple Skill perks which are the Perks that are related to the Combat, General, or Skills. It can be unlocked once you have invested points into it. However, there is a non-skill perk that can be learned by all the characters, unlike Skill perks. In this guide, we will breakdown which perks are best and consider learning when you are using that class.

Best Perks Guide For all Weapons And General Skills In Wasteland 3

There are multiple perks that are passive and active. Active perks require AP in order to be executed whereas Passive perks remain active all the time. These are the perks available in Wasteland 3 that can be unlocked by investing Perk Points. Scroll down if you want to skip the list to check the best perks.

AUTOMATIC WEAPONS

Puncturing Shot (5 AP): Attacking through multiple enemies and hitting anyone in its path. Additional damage to stunned enemies.
Gopher Hunter: Enemies have 25% less benefit from Cover when attacking them.
Spray And Pray (5 AP): Decreases 25% Hit Chance but deals twice the amount of SMG bullets as your normal attacks.
Reckless: Gain 15% damage with Submachine Guns while not in cover.
Double Tap: If you attack a target twice in a row with an Assault Rifle, the second is always a Critical Hit.
Stormer: If you move more than 5 spaces, your next Submachine Gun attack costs no AP.
Trigger Happy: Killing an enemy with an Automatic Weapon gives +3 AP (once per turn).

MELEE COMBAT

Bleeding Strike (4 AP): Bladed weapon deals 200% weapon damage, -20% Hit Chance. Inflict Bleeding dmg to the targets. Additional 200% dmg vs Burning target.
Stunning Blow (5 AP): Applies Stun while attacking with Blunt weapon. Deals 100% weapon dmg and -15% Hit Chance. Additional 100% dmg vs Frost target.
Striking Distance: +0.5 Combat Speed when you have two melee weapons equipped.
Bloodsport: Attacks with Blunt Weapons critically hit Stunned and Blind enemies.
Hack ‘N’ Slash: Attacking the same target twice in a row with a Bladed Weapon executes a free bonus attack.
Pursuit: If you move more than 3 spaces, your next Bladed Weapon attack has +25% Critical Chance (+100% vs Slowed targets)
Shrug It Off: While using a Blunty Weapon, gain +2 Armor for every enemy adjacent to you.

BIG GUNS

Move Up: Gain +0.5 Combat Speed on the first turn of combat while using Big Guns.
Suppressing Fire (5 AP): A Heavy MG attack consumes twice as many bullets. Suppressing the enemies in the area they lose 0.8 Combat Speed and -20% Hit chance for 2 turns. Deals +300% dmg Vs Demoralized targets.
Terrorizer: Flamethrower attacks Engulf targets reducing their Hit Chance by -15%
Pressure Cooker (5 AP): Superheat an enemy’s vehicle with your Flamethrower. Deals 40% of the vehicle’s CON in Fire Damage over the next 2 turns, and prevents the vehicle from taking any actions.
Steady Shot: Gain +20 Evasion and +10% Hit Chance in Low Cover when using a Heavy Machine Gun
Wide Spread: Increase the firing arc of Heavy Machine Guns and Flamethrowers by +35%

BRAWLING

Shaolin Surprise (2 AP): Penetrating crippling Brawling attack which builds up +2 Armor penetration and +10 Damage per combo meter.
Extreme Combo: Brawling combo maximum increased to 10x
Deadly Combo: Brawling combo Critical Chance increased by 2x
Flurry Of Blows: Brawling attacks cost -1 AP

SMALL ARMS

Shredder Shot (4 AP): Applies Bleeding status to all the targets that are hit. Deals 100% weapon dmg and an additional 100% to targets that have armor damage.
Opportunist: Your Strike Meter charges a bonus of 5% with each successful handgun attack.
Trick Shot (4 AP): Fires a Handgun attack that has a -50% hit chance. If it hits, gain +3 AP and fills up Strike Meter. +100% Dmg to Marked Targets.
Clear Cover: Shotguns do +100% Dmg vs Cover
Draw: Your first attack after reloading an empty weapon costs no AP
Devastation: Shotgun attacks gain +25% dmg for each enemy hit by the same shot.
Counter-Offensive: Attacking a melee enemy on the turn after they hit you deals +50% damage.

SNIPER RIFLES

Mark Target (2 AP): Reduces an Enemy’s Evasion by -15%. Marked targets take +50% dmg from Precision Strikes.
Masterful Precision: Precision Strikes with Sniper rifles have significantly higher chances of inflicting critical effects.
Concentration: Gain +10% Hit Chance when using a Sniper Rifle if you don’t move for 1 turn.
Chain Ambush: Ambush attacks with Sniper Rifles that kill your target don’t end the Ambush.

ANIMAL WHISPERER

Animal Training: Animal Companions gain bonus CON and damage.
Spirit Animal: Animal Companions provide you with better passive bonuses.
Vengeful Bond: If your Animal Companion drops to 25% CON, gain +50% Critical Chance and +2 AP.

BARTER

Penny Pincher: Buying multiple items instead of just one provides a 20% discount.
Antique Appraiser: Junk items have a 5% chance of being sold for 50x their value.

NERD STUFF

Targeting Override: Robots you hack will now be attacked by other enemies.
Electric Leakage: Hacked Robots emit an electric burst every turn, dealing Energy Damage to enemies nearby.
Overclock: Hacked Robots gain +2 AP

EXPLOSIVES

Duck And Cover: Gain 20% Fire Resistance and Explosive Resistance.
Bomb Recovery: Disarming land mines has a 33% chance to drop a grenade.
Minesweeper: You no longer trigger the mines when walked over it. This effect only applies to the character rather than the whole party.
Mortar Blast (7 AP): Target an area with your Rocket Launcher and fire into the air. The rocket falls down, bombarding the area below for +100% damage 1 turn later.
High Impact: Targets directly hit by rockets or grenades are automatic Critical Hits.
Blast Radius: Radius of grenades and other area-of-effect abilities increased +40%

FIRST AID

Emergency Response: When an ally is Downed in battle, gain +1.0 Combat Speed for 2 turns.
Overhealing: using healing items also boosts the targets max CON by +25% for 3 turns.
Physical Therapy: Reviving Downed allies has a 6% chance to buff per First Aid Skill level.
Hypocritic Oath: Gain +50% dmg for 2 turns after reviving a downed ally.

LEADERSHIP

Rally (4 AP): Provide a +2 AP bonus to allies in a radius around you.
Demoralize (2 AP): Insult your enemies, distracting them and reducing their Hit Chance by -20% and Critical Chance by -25%

MECHANICS

Structural Weakness: Bonus Dmg to Robots and Vehicles is increased by 20%
Handy: Deployables gain +25% CON and deal +25% dmg.
Reinforced Plating: Repairing vehicles and robots also boost targets max CON by +25% for 3 turns.
Fortify: Repairing friendly vehicles, robots, and deployable grants +5 Armor for 3 turns.

SURVIVAL

Big Game Hunter: Bonus Dmg against Animals and Mutants is increased by 20%
Explorer’s Instinct: Instantly reveals the entire World Map and all discoverable locations.

TOASTER REPAIR

Toaster Expert: Fixing broken Toasters now yields bonus loot.
Breakfast Bandit: Fixing broken Toasters now yields Toast.
Heating Element: Fire Dmg Bonus +25%
Toasty: Killing an enemy causes your next attack to inflict Burning.

WEAPON MODDING

Scrounger’s Touch: Field Stripping now has a chance of providing Weapon Mods
Powder Packer: Your entire party finds +25% bonus ammo when looting, at a minimum of +1.
Expert Disassembler: Field Stripping weapons yields +30% more Scrap.

WEIRD SCIENCE

Overcharge (1 AP): Charge your weapon to deal with bonus Energy, Cold, or Fire damage on its next attack. Your weapon has a 5% chance to blow up on your face.
Microwave Research: Energy Dmg is increased by +0.5 bonus dmg for every point of armor the target has.
Conductive Beams: Energy attacks have a 10% chance to electrocute enemies, dealing Energy dmg to them and anyone standing nearby for 2 turns.

SNEAKY SHIT

Second Chance: Detection Time +1s
Close Call: Alarms and traps have a 50% chance to malfunction when you set them off.
Lights Out: Sneak Attack Dmg +200%

ARMOR MODDING

Tender Loving Care: All squad members gain +5 Armor while this character is present.

Best Perks In Each Category

Among these Perks, few of them have much greater use than others. It can be considered spending your perk points depending on the Weapon or Builds you are going for. Creating a Character in Wasteland 3 from scratch may require you to choose its starting weapon and quirks, but perks play an important role in supporting and enhancing the class. These are the best perks you can learn in Wasteland 3 for each type of weapon which will be pretty useful early and later on.

Automatic Weapons:

Gopher Hunter (lvl 3)- Enemies stay in cover, this perk allows 25% less benefit to them which is a no brainer to have it in your arsenal.
Reckless (lvl 6)- For submachine gun characters, it is a useful perk as they have a shorter range and you will have to charge at enemies frequently.
Stormer (lvl 8)- Again submachine gun characters tend to move a lot to close the distance, so it is an absolute perk for them.
Trigger Happy (lvl 10)- The best perk in the Automatic Weapons category. Gaining +3 AP will allow you to attack twice or prepare after an attack.

Melee Combat:

Striking Distance (lvl 5)- If you are using a melee character, having a primary and secondary weapon will increase the distance covered which is a must.
Bloodsport (lvl 6)- It is a mid-game perk as the accuracy might be low at the beginning but once the accuracy is taken care of, this will instantly delete the target.
Hack ‘N’ Slash (lvl 7)- Bladed weapons users must have this perk as there will be an instance where you will have to hit twice in a row.
Pursuit (lvl 8) – You are a melee combatant, so your character is always running up and this perk utilizes its movement as an advantage to deal additional damage. The best perk to have.

Big Guns:

Move Up (lvl 2)- It is useful because Big Gunners have less accuracy, so closing the distance with your heavy weapon can be achieved by this perk.
Suppressing Fire (lvl 3)- This perk is useful later than early because tougher enemies who are not easy to kill can have their accuracy and combat speed reduced.
Pressure Cooker (lvl 7)- It is a useful perk that can disable the enemy vehicles and deal fire dmg for 2 turns. As we know the vehicles have higher HP, so it is recommended to have a big gunner and purchase the perk.
Steady Shot (lvl 8)- Additional Evasion and Hit Chance is a must for Machine gunners.
Widespread (lvl 10)- Increased Fire arc which will allow you to deal more damage to the surroundings is an absolute best perk.

Brawling:

Shaolin Surprise (lvl 2)- Uses Combo meter to deal penetration and additional damage is a very good early perk.
Extreme Combo (lvl 5)- It increases the Brawling Combo which allows you to stack and deal more dmg which will be useful early on.
Deadly Combo (lvl 7)- Brawling Combo critical increased is a very definition of a good perk.
Flurry Of Blows (lvl 10)- The best perk in the Brawling category. The decrease in AP will allow you to hit multiple times to the enemy and we are talking a lot of times.

Small Arms:

Opportunist (lvl 3)- It allows you to build up the strike meter fast in order to activate the Precision Strike. Purchase this perk as early as possible.
Clear Cover (lvl 6)- Dealing additional dmg to the cover is a must for shotgun users.
Draw (lvl 7)- One can say the best perk in terms of shotgun users. They have less ammunition and after reloading the no cost attack is huge.
Devastation (lvl 8)- This perk is useful due to the scatter shots of a shotgun. Each time hit by the pellets will deal additional dmg which will drain the enemy’s HP.
Counter-Offensive (lvl 10)- Situational perk which allows you to burst open the enemy brawler or melee combatant.

Sniper Rifles:

Mark Target (lvl 2)- Purchase the perk as early as possible. This perk can help you deal with additional dmg to the targets which your character is missing at the beginning.
Masterful Precision (lvl 5)- Increasing chances of Critical effects is a no-brainer for the Sniper build.
Chain Ambush (lvl 10)- Killing a target with ambush does not end the ambush is an overpowered perk. However, your Sniper will be placed very far, so it might be situational but still the best perk to have.

Animal Whisperer:

Animal Training (lvl 3)- Additional CON and dmg is a useful perk to purchase which may be the best perk in this category.
Vengeful Bond (lvl 7)- Once the animal companion’s HP is low they will deal massive dmg but who wants to sacrifice their pet unless you are in pinch.

Barter:

Penny Pincher (lvl 2)- It allows you to have a discount whenever you purchase multiple items which makes it a must perk to have.
Antiques Appraiser (lvl 7)- The best perk in this category can be said Antiques Appraiser. Random Junk Items can be sold 50x worth will make you rich overnight.

Nerd Stuff:

All the Nerd Stuff perks are useful later than early, so it is recommended to leave out these perks as there are much more important perks you can purchase for now.

Explosives:

Bomb Recovery (lvl 3)- Acquiring a grenade after disarming land mines is powerful early in-game.
Mortar Blast (lvl 5)- This is a late-game perk where the enemies are tough and they focus on dealing damage from a distance rather than changing their position more often.
Blast Radius (lvl 10)- Increase in blast radius is the best perk in this category even among these chosen perks. You will be able to deal more dmg as the blast radius will be increased to 40%.

First Aid:

Each perk is based on characters getting downed which is not favorable as you will avoid nasty situations. However, Overhealing is a perk that will be most useful for all the characters.

Leadership:

Rally (lvl 3)- It can be a waste as you will need your characters to be grouped up early in the game and if it can be used then it will be once per battle. However, 2 AP is not much considering the characters might need more AP to attack twice or so.
Demoralize (lvl 5)– It can be useful depending you are fighting against a bunch of enemies during the mid and end level who will be tougher.

Mechanics:

Structural Weakness (lvl 3)- This is a must perk for a mechanic who can deal additional damage to robots and vehicles.

The perks that are left in Mechanics are useful if your character focuses on Deployables and hacking robots.

Survival:

Big Game Hunter (lvl 6)- Additional damage to animals and mutants are worth taking this perk.
Explorer’s Instinct (lvl 10)- Undoubtedly the best perk in Wasteland 3 as the entire World Map is revealed along with the discoverable location.

Toaster Repair:

As Toasters are limited and scattered across the map, purchasing the perks might be overkill unless your character deals with Fire dmg. Heating Element is the only perk who has much use, though you can purchase Toaster Expert for more loots.

Weapon Modding:

Scrounger’s Touch (lvl 2)- gaining weapon mods is always useful as it will provide you with supplies and resources that can be used frequently.
Powder Packer (lvl 5)- acquiring additional ammo is the best in the Weapon Modding category as ammo is expensive and to deal with enemies, you will need sufficient ammunition or else no one likes to go front and punch down the enemies unless he is Brawler.

Weird Science:

Overcharge (lvl 3)- It is a useful perk that allows you to deal additional damage. However, the chances of self dmg may be less but it is worth taking the risk when you have the initiative.
Microwave Research (lvl 6)- Energy weapon users might purchase this perk to deal more dmg to the armored enemies.
Conductive Beams (lvl 9)- The best perk for an Energy weapon character. Though this perk might be the late game perk as early on you want to blow up enemies who are stacked up together with explosives or rocket.

Sneaky Shit:

Second Chance (lvl 4)- The perk is useful as it increases the Detection Time which makes your character undetected.
Lights Out (lvl 10)- The best perk in the Sneaky Shit. An additional 200% dmg is a lot to one-shot any backline enemies.

Armor Modding:

The Tender Loving Care (lvl 10) perk which allows your whole squad to gain +5 Armor is useful. Although +5 Armor is not a lot but watching the whole squad with an additional armor is good.

For more Wasteland 3 guides, click on the link that has been mentioned below the description: