Character Creation & Attributes
All of your attributes start at Average and can be adjusted down to Below Average or up to Good, High, or even Very High. This means you can feasibly remove points from one attribute to increase others. Beware of the drawbacks from being Below Average, however. Any weak Attributes will incur a penalty for the rest of your playthough. Below Average Temperament, for example, removes your ability to passively heal!
Attributes Tips
What Skills Can I Drop Below Average?
If you’re going to drop any of your Attributes to Below Average, we recommend Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence. While these will cost you damage or Tactical Time Dilation features, they won’t make the game strenuous.
Temperament makes the game much harder, forcing you to rely on healing items, and bad Perception means no critical hit damage. Charm is the only one we’re uncertain about. If you don’t care about faction reputation, by all means drop it. But if you want to actually tread a thin line, then you won’t want to sacrifice this.
Best Skills to Make Very High
A couple of Attributes have a bigger affect than others. Strength, for example, can nearly double your carrying capacity right off the bat. Super useful for loot hoarders. High Charm can keep you out of trouble with boosted positive reputation and reduced negative reputation.
Pick Attributes Based on Skills
Like we mentioned, each attribute affects a handful of skills. Put points into Attributes which give points to the skills you like! For example, our build with Very High Intelligence, Good Perception, Charm, and Temperament ended up giving us more than 20 starting points in Long Guns, Persuade, Hack, Medical, Science, and Determination. All of those skills were affected by at least two of our attribute choices!
Attribute Bonuses & Penalties
Strength
Affects melee weapon damage and the amount you can carry. Will have an impact on 1-Handed Melee, 2-Handed Melee, Heavy Weapons, Block, Inspiration, and Intimidate.
- Below Average: -10% melee damage, 60kg carrying capacity, -100% TTD move time, TTD movement drain doubled.
- Average: 0% Melee Damage bonus, 80kg carrying capacity.
- Good: 10% melee bonus, 100kg carrying capacity.
- High: 20% melee damage bonus, 120kg carrying capacity.
- Very High: 30% melee damage bonus, 140kg carrying capacity.
Dexterity
Affects melee attack speed and ranged weapon reload speed. Has an impact on 1-Handed Melee, Handguns, Dodge, Block, Sneak, and Lockpick.
- Below Average: -10% melee weapon attack speed, -25% ranged weapon reload speed, -30% weapon durability, weapon durability loss is increased.
- Average: 0% melee weapon attack speed, 0% ranged weapon reload speed.
- Good: +10% melee weapon attack speed, +10% ranged weapon reload speed.
- High: +20% melee weapon attack speed, +20% ranged weapon reload speed.
- Very High: +30% melee weapon attack speed, +30% ranged weapon reload speed.
Intelligence
Affects critical hit bonus damage. Impacts Long Guns, Persuade, Hack, Medical, Science, and Determination.
- Below Average: -20% critical damage, critical hit damage is drastically reduced, unlocks Dumb dialogue options.
- Average: 0% critical damage.
- Good: +10% critical damage.
- High: +20% critical damage.
- Very High: +35% critical damage.
Perception
Affects headshot and weakspot damage bonuses. Impacts Handguns, Long Guns, Heavy Weapons, Dodge, Lockpick, and Engineering.
- Below Average: -100% bonus to extra headshot/weakspot damage.
- Average: 0% bonus to extra headshot/weakspot damage.
- Good: +10% bonus to extra headshot/weakspot damage.
- High: +20% bonus to extra headshot/weakspot damage.
- Very High: +35% bonus to extra headshot/weakspot damage.
Charm
Affects faction reputation and companion ability cooldowns. Impacts Persuade, Lie, Intimidate, Hack, Science, and Inspiration skills.
- Below Average: -20% companion ability refresh, -35% positive faction reputation reactions, +15% negative faction reputation reactions.
- Average: +0% companion ability refresh, +0% positive faction reputation reactions, +0% negative faction reputation reactions
- Good: +10% companion ability refresh, +10% positive faction reputation reactions, +10% negative faction reputation reactions
- High: +25% companion ability refresh, 20% positive faction reputation reactions, +20% negative faction reputation reactions
- Very High: +40% companion ability refresh, +35% positive faction reputation reactions, +35% negative faction reputation reactions
Temperament
Improves your natural health regeneration. Impacts 2-Handed Melee, Lie, Sneak, Medical, Engineering, and Determination skills.
- Below Average: 0 health regeneration per second. No passive health regeneration.
- Average: 2 health regeneration per second.
- Good: 3.5 health regeneration per second.
- High: 5 health regeneration per second.
- Very High: 7.5 health regeneration per second.
