Unarmed builds always had a group of fans in previous Fallout games. While this build may underperform when compared to Power Armor builds with Two-handed Weapons, we have decided to build one anyway for the small group of unarmed enthusiasts. This build utilizes Unarmed Weapons, high melee damage bonuses from Strength, and is designed to be played in a team. This build should also be very fun in PvP, especially in closed areas and inside of buildings.
Below you will find all the recommended Perks for each of the SPECIAL attributes. Perks were chosen specifically for non-Power Armor users and team play. If you decide to use a Power Armor and/or play solo, you should replace the Barbarian, Ironclad, Moving Target, and Charisma Perks.
You can also check our other builds on FO76 Builds and a beginner's guide to character customization
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SPECIAL Attributes and Perk Cards
STRENGTH [15 POINTS] |
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Take 45% less damage from your opponents' melee attacks Every point of Strength adds +4 Damage Resist (Max 80). (No Power Armor) Your melee weapons ignore 75% of your target's armor Your melee weapons weigh 60% less, and you can swing them 30% faster Your punching attacks now do +20% damage. |
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Strength is the main attribute for any melee fighter. It increases your melee damage directly and increases your maximum carry weight which is extremely important in Fallout 76. Also, since characters using this build do not use a Power Armors, taking Blocker and Barbarian is mandatory |
PERCEPTION [3 POINTS] |
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You now gain +30 Energy Resistance |
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Perception is the least important attribute in this build. You will never use V.A.T.S. but the extra Energy Resistance may come in handy |
ENDURANCE [5 POINTS] |
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Gain 40 Damage and Energy Resistance while not wearing Power Armor The greater your Rads, the greater your Strength (max +5 STR)! |
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Endurance provides access to another important defensive Perk - Ironclad. Also, additional Strenght from Radicool, which costs only 1 point, may become very powerful against swarms of Ghouls |
CHARISMA [10 POINTS] |
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Gain 12 Damage & Energy Resist (max 36) for each teammate, excluding you Reduce your target's damage output by 30% for 2 seconds after you attack Run 20% faster when part of a team Positive mutation effects are +25% stronger if teammates are mutated too. |
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Charisma is a very important SPECIAL attribute for any team player. It grants very high defensive bonuses and increases your movement speed. Also, Suppressor Perk is great for both team utility and PvP fights |
INTELLIGENCE [5 POINTS] |
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Stimpaks restore 45% more lost health. While below 20% Health, gain 30 Damage Resist, 15% damage and 15% AP regen. |
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Intelligence is one of the least important attributes, but occasionally getting the Nerd Rage bonus is nice (usually it triggers in emergency situations) and extra healing from Stimpacks is also very important for a melee character with mediocre defenses |
AGILITY [6 POINTS] |
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Action Points regenerate 45% faster Sprinting consumes 20% fewer Action Points. Gain +15 Damage and Energy Resistance while sprinting. (No Power Armor) Gain +6% (max 36%) damage for 30s per kill. Duration refreshes with kills |
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Agility is important for your AP and AP regeneration. It is necessary to pick the Action Boy and at least level 1 Marathoner, or you may have troubles getting in melee range as soon as possible |
LUCK [6 POINTS] |
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15% bonus damage means enemies may explode into a gory red paste You will never mutate from rads and Radaway will never cure mutations While below 30% health, gain a 15% chance to avoid damage |
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Luck is always good to have in Fallout 76. Serendipity will save your life quite a lot, and you need Starched Genes to make sure you Radaway does not cure your beneficial mutations |
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Equipment
ARMOR: Use any armor of choice, eventually aiming to get all the parts of a Combat Armor. During the leveling phase, you should focus on armor parts that grant higher damage resistance rather than focusing on energy resistance WEAPON: Deathclaw gauntlet and Power fist are the best of the unarmed weapons in Fallout 76. After you reach level 20 you can head over to areas around the Mount Blair (south-western part of the map). You should easily find Mole Miners there who often carry a Mole miner gauntlet, which is a very good early-game unarmed weapon CHEMS: Med-X (DMG Resist +25) and Psycho (DMG Resist +25, Damage increased by 15%) are the best consumables you can use as an unarmed character. |
Mutations
There are a few extremely powerful mutations for an unarmed character. While these are not entirely mandatory, they are totally worth looking for. Just remember to use the Starched Genes Perk when you get them, or they can be removed by your Rad-Away
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If you have any suggestions related to this build or you have a suggestion for our future build, let us know in the comments below.
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