Thief Perk glitch/exploit?

[Kimmaz]

Hi, First I am using the Restoration Project and the Inventory Filter mods.

I think the Thief perk is the best perk to get as the first perk, A lot better than Awareness perk, unless you really need to know hitpoints. Here is why:

1. Select the perk, and 4 skills gets 10% each
2. Click the minus on any of those 4 you dont want, or all 4.(click it 10 times), and see points are added to the number at the bottom.
3. You can now put all those 40 points into guns, speech or any skill you want, on top of the normal points you got that level.

this is very useful as the first perk, but less useful later on in the game. What do you think, whats your go-to first pick perk at level 3?.

[Johnny Casey]

I don't pick any perk until I hit level 12, and when I'm level 12, I pick two ranks of Lifegiver and two ranks of Action Boy right away.

That's the nice thing about the originals. You can save your perk point for later.

[The Chosen Chad]

You can do the same with the Tag perk, but at that point usually you have a balanced character with followers to do your work when you lack the skills.

Like Casey said you can save the perks for later, I do the same with a Jinxed with 1 Luck Unarmed character or for a sniper at level 9 I get More Crits two times with Better Crits + Finesse and 10 Luck you have like 35% critical chance (Yes Sniper perk is better but its way too OP for me it suck out my fun for the game personally).

[EolSunder]

Since this does not work in fallout 2 normal, i only pick the thief perk early on if im actually playing a thief sneaking character. Other builds only benefit from the +10 lockpick, which isn't useful as a perk since non-thieves won't really benefit from the other 3 skills (steal, stealth, traps). With a thief, sure. But regular fallout 2 you can't "lower" the 40 points after you choose the perk and put them into something else.

I go with comprehension as my first perk since i usually don't pick small guns as a starting 3 tagged skill, i go with unarmed. I also have Gifted usually, so even lower starting skill levels. It lets me level up 5 skills with books faster.

[The Chosen Chad]

Originally posted by EolSunder:

Since this does not work in fallout 2 normal, i only pick the thief perk early on if im actually playing a thief sneaking character. Other builds only benefit from the +10 lockpick, which isn't useful as a perk since non-thieves won't really benefit from the other 3 skills (steal, stealth, traps). With a thief, sure. But regular fallout 2 you can't "lower" the 40 points after you choose the perk and put them into something else.

I go with comprehension as my first perk since i usually don't pick small guns as a starting 3 tagged skill, i go with unarmed. I also have Gifted usually, so even lower starting skill levels. It lets me level up 5 skills with books faster.

With 24/19 points per level with 9 Intelligence you have more than enough skill points, I see no point in trying to get Perks like that other than roleplay. You can save perks for later and get like 2 Bonus Move at level 6. Its a new playstyle using comprehsion but books aren't needed imo especially when how early you can finish the game and just get the Fallout 2 guide to be OP af in the post game and just have fun with all the sidequest you have left.

[EolSunder]

true, but for new players or casual players comprehension, while not needed over the course of the game it will level up your 5 book skills faster instead of taking the whole course of the game to find books in the last few areas of the game (san fran, air base, etc).

But don't base answers on vet players, vet players already know how to take advantage of game mechanics, use TAG later for hundreds of bonus skill points, and other such things. Lets try to give advice for newer players. There aren't many good perks at lower levels, Thief is ok, but only beneficial for a thief character, otherwise its really just a +10 lockpick boost. Stuff like night vision, awareness, +2 sequence, ick. nothing really useful, but at least comprehension gets you bonus skill points early that won't take the whole game to get up trying to find books at end-game.

Sure it isn't a great perk, but it is useful for new players who aren't making up an early gunner build and can start building up 5 skills much faster without ever needing to assign points into those skills. Instead of taking the whole game to find books to level up to 91, except for science or repair which you really don't find until later.

Most new players don't save up perks for later levels, and while saving perks for better perks at higher levels is usually the best way to go, most new players, and even most vet players don't do that, such min-maxing isn't needed in the game. You get plenty of perks, plenty of skill points. But it's often much easier to get those skills, etc early in the game for easier play. Late game anyway you have plenty of money, especially with vet players who know who to steal from, how to abuse Tag, etc etc.

[The Chosen Chad]

Yeah encourage them taking ♥♥♥♥♥♥ perks so everyone could complain about the combat when they gimp themselves with sh*tty perks.

I prefer to tell them something intended but never said like you can save perks for later, if you follow the rule of the devs while playing Fallout 1 and 2 YOU will have a bad experience. Thats why starting build recommend 7 to 10 AG or only taking perks like Bonus Move, Bonus Ranged/HTH Attack, Better Crits, Life Giver or Action Boy and Sniper/Slayer. The rest is worthless.

[Kimmaz]

The only way to screw up in this game is to play ironman mode, where you dont reload and delete the save when dying. If you play normal, the every bad thing that happens is just reverted/redone by loading a savegame.
If you play with way, suddenly a few things change, and saving perks might not be smart, since you might die before you hit level 12 by a unlucky random encounter.

[The Chosen Chad]

^This

If you fear to die in an early Ironman Run just put 98% in outdoormans, it gives you pratically no encounters for the areas like the Den to Vault City and Vault City to Broken Hills.