All the starting perks that matter, ranked for money, crime, water and challenge runs, with exact point costs and the best three-point loadouts.
Probably Stolen Best Perks Tier List
Savings is the best single point in the game: 150 credits on day one, which is nearly a Water Filter plus a testing kit. Diplomatic is the best two-point perk for a long run, Vigilant is the best insurance against losing a stocked store, and Intimidating is the best criminal-run perk. A new player should take Savings + Diplomatic and spend exactly three points.
Starting perks unlock after your first completed run. You get 3 points and 4 slots; positive perks cost 1 or 2 points, negative perks give points back, and Colorful Character adds 3 slots. Perks stack on top of the specialization, so the same loadout can be excellent on Water Merchant and mediocre on Rock Bottom.
This tier list is about the effect, not the flavour text. The point cost is part of the ranking: a 1-point perk that saves 150 credits is better than a 2-point perk that saves 100.
S tier: take these first
| Perk | Cost | Effect | Why it is S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savings | 1 | +150 starting credits | Tempo. It buys stock, a filter or a testing kit on day one, and it fits every start |
| Diplomatic | 2 | Trade reputation +33% | Reputation is access; 33% compounds over a run |
| Vigilant | 2 | Never robbed at night | Protects a stocked store, which is where your capital lives |
| Intimidating | 2 | Crimes generate 33% less evidence | The best criminal-run perk; it buys time to resolve a case |
| Model Citizen | 1 | +30 Security rep, +50% report rewards | The legal route's best opener; also a strong report-income perk |
| Well Connected | 2 | +15 rep with all factions | Five doors opened at once, and no faction starts hostile |
| Working Pipes | 2 | Unlimited Rustwater from the start | The water start's dream: no source-water cost |
| Colorful Character | 1 | +3 perk slots | Turns 3 points into a five-perk build; the best enabler |
Savings is the default first pick. 150 credits is more than the launch price of a Water Filter and a testing kit combined, and it does not lock you into a lane. If you take only one perk, take this.
Diplomatic is the default second pick for a long run. It does not make you money directly; it makes every faction transaction more efficient, which is the same thing over 30 days.
Vigilant is the perk you take after you have been robbed once. A night robbery can take the stock you were saving for rent. If you play with valuable inventory, it is not a luxury.
A tier: strong, situational
| Perk | Cost | Effect | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sycophant | 1 | +15 Upper Levels rep, +25% rep gain, +10% customer budget | Wine, appraisal, luxury |
| Sawyer's Crew | 1 | Underground Exchange from start, free janitorial service | Fence, contraband, low-overhead runs |
| Welfare Program | 1 | Commissary from start, Monday food stamps | Slow starts, Rock Bottom |
| Handy | 1 | Toolbox and basic tools | Scavenging, repairs, machine upkeep |
| Tinkerer | 1 | 20% chance upgrade material is not consumed | Machine-heavy runs |
| Short Sleeper | 1 | No missed customers after an after-hours outing | Players who scavenge at night |
| Wild's Favorite | 1 | Wild's Network upgrades -10%, insurance -50% | Water, long-term infrastructure |
| Proficient Scavenger | 1 | +2 Dumping Ground searches | Early cash, material runs |
| Vending Machine | 2 | After-hours vending machine | Passive sales, low-attention runs |
| Secret Admirer | 1 | Occasional free items | Free stock, low risk |
| Aug Menace | 1 | Augs from day 1, +25% kill credits, run ends if too many escape | Challenge and combat runs |
Sycophant is the best 1-point perk for a wine or appraisal run. The +10% customer budget is a quiet margin increase that applies all run.
Sawyer's Crew is the fence's quality-of-life perk. Free janitorial service and an early Underground Exchange remove two cash leaks.
Aug Menace is powerful and dangerous. It unlocks the Aug threat from day one and pays more for kills, but letting too many Augs escape ends the run on every difficulty. Do not take it on a first run.
B tier: fine, not optimal
| Perk | Cost | Effect | Why it is B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucky | 1 | Luck +5 | Small, opaque effect; the Lucky Perk Plus mod makes it meaningful |
| Tapehead | 1 | All music cassettes | Flavour, no economic effect |
| Revolution Sympathizer | 1 | +25 Revolution rep, more requests | Narrow; only for a Revolution run |
| Makeshift Reactor | 1 | Off-grid power, repairable reactor | Saves power fees but adds a maintenance task and a meltdown risk |
| Hoarder | 0 | Three debris piles in inventory | Free, but costs space |
| Prime Real Estate | 0 | +1 customer/day, +75 rent | Free, but the rent increase is real |
| Careful Scavenger | 0 | No wounds, 3 searches instead of 5 | Free, but slower |
These are not bad picks. They are picks you take when the S and A options are already covered, or when the free cost makes them strictly better than nothing. Hoarder and Prime Real Estate are free, but they are not free in practice: one costs inventory space, the other costs rent.
Negative perks worth taking
Negative perks are how you afford a third positive perk. The best ones hurt a resource you can replace.
| Perk | Gives | Effect | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Lease | +1 | Starting rent +40 | Cheap; 40 credits is less than Savings gives |
| Banned from the Commissary | +1 | No Commissary, no food stamps | Good if you do not use food stamps |
| Alcohol Addiction | +1 | 8% trade penalty until treated | Manageable; the cure is a known routine |
| Nicotine Addiction | +1 | 8% trade penalty until treated | Manageable; cigarettes are common |
| Narcotic Addiction | +1 | 8% trade penalty until treated | Riskier; narcotics are contraband |
| Gambling Addiction | +1 | Forced lottery purchases | Bad for a tight budget |
| Agoraphobia | +1 | Two nights rest after an outing | Bad for scavenging runs |
| Degenerative Osteoarthritis | +1 | Scavenging decays weekly | Bad for long runs |
| Illiterate | +1 | Cannot read guides | Bad for learning the game |
| Convict | +1 | -30 Security rep, weaker reports | Bad unless you are already a criminal |
| Maimed | +2 | No scavenging | Bad for early cash |
| Ascetic / Minimalist | +4 / +2 | Smaller inventory | Only for inventory-light runs |
| Public Enemy | +2 | -15 all factions | Dangerous; the floor is -100 |
| Awful Negotiator | +3 | No bargaining, 5% trade penalty | Huge penalty for a lot of points |
| Sentinel Collapse Disorder | +3 | Weekly Immunivax injector or run ends | Challenge only |
| Blackmail | +2 | Weekly blackmail payments | A cash leak you cannot ignore |
| Known Snitch | +2 | Revolution/Black Market -10, no wanted customers | Closes the criminal lane |
Bad Lease and Banned from the Commissary are the standard "free points" picks because their costs are small or avoidable. Addictions are manageable if you plan the cure, but they add a daily task to a game that already has enough.
The best three-point loadouts
Money / general: Savings + Diplomatic
- Savings (1) + Diplomatic (2).
- 150 credits on day one, +33% trade reputation for the rest of the run.
- Works on every start. The default recommendation.
Water: Working Pipes + Savings
- Working Pipes (2) + Savings (1).
- Unlimited Rustwater and 150 credits for filters, containers and labels.
- The water start's cleanest opening.
Legal / Security: Model Citizen + Diplomatic
- Model Citizen (1) + Diplomatic (2).
- +30 Security reputation, better report rewards, faster reputation growth.
- Good for a gun shop or a Clean Hands run.
Criminal: Intimidating + Savings
- Intimidating (2) + Savings (1).
- 33% less evidence, plus capital for the first contraband purchase.
- Pair with the Fence start and a hiding spot.
Wide build: Colorful Character + Savings + Lucky
- Colorful Character (1) + Savings (1) + Lucky (1).
- Seven slots and three perks; add free perks such as Hoarder or Careful Scavenger.
- Good for players who want options, not a min-maxed opener.
Perks that sound better than they are
- Lucky at +5 is too small to plan around. The Lucky Perk Plus mod raises it to 50 and makes the perk real; without the mod, take something else.
- Makeshift Reactor saves power fees but introduces a meltdown ending. If you do not want to babysit a reactor, skip it.
- Prime Real Estate is free but raises rent by 75. One extra customer per day does not always cover that.
- Aug Menace is a challenge perk disguised as a profit perk. The extra kill credits are real; so is the run-ending meter.
How perks interact with specializations
Perks are applied after the specialization's starting cash, rent and reputation. That means:
- Savings adds 150 to any start, including Rock Bottom's 0.
- Well Connected adds +15 to every faction, which can pull a hostile start back from the floor.
- Model Citizen adds +30 Security, which can offset the Fence start's Security penalty.
- Working Pipes is redundant if you already have a water source, but excellent on a non-water start that wants to add water later.
The best specialization guide pairs each start with a loadout. The Rock Bottom guide covers the challenge-run picks.
The Starting Perks screen after a completed run: slots and points are the real constraint.
FAQ
How many perk points do I get?
Three points and four slots after the first completed run. Colorful Character adds three slots.
What are the best first perks?
Savings + Diplomatic for a new player, Vigilant for a stocked store, Intimidating for a crime run.
Can I respec?
There is no vanilla respec. Start a new run or use a mod that changes perk rules.
Sources and version notes
- Perk effects and point costs cross-checked against the community perk tables published 28–30 October 2026.
- In-game Starting Perks screen, checked 2 November 2026.
- Perks unlock after the first completed run; first-run restrictions confirmed in the start screen.
- Build 1.0.0.6.
Official source: Steam store ↗ · Steam guides ↗ · Steam Workshop ↗, checked 2 November 2026.
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