I’ve managed to get my strength stat up to 62 on my melee build, but I’m curious if it’s possible to go even higher. What are the best ways to boost strength beyond 62, considering all buffs, perks, armor, and temporary effects? Any detailed breakdowns or tips on maximizing strength would be awesome!
3 Answers
I’ve done a deep dive into stacking every available strength bonus. Starting with 15 points assigned at the punch card machine, then +5 from legendary strength, +15 from Unyielding armor, and +10 more from second star armor effects (like +2 strength times 5 pieces) gets you to 45. Adding camp buffs (+2 strength from a weight bench), high-quality carnivore food with Strange in Numbers perk (+8), strength bobblehead (+2), and weapon star perks (+3) pushes it up to 60. Then additive perks like Herd Mentality and Strange in Numbers add +3 more, making 63.
Don’t forget Radicool mutation adds +5 strength, bringing it to 68. There are also temporary buffs like the camp ally Maul’s daily buff (+3), though it’s not reliable, making it 69. Further buffs from chems like buffout (+3), whiskey combo with party perks (+6), better well-fed status (+4), and shielded underarmor (+4) total up to +17 more, which combined with previous 68 makes 85, or 86 temporarily with Maul. So, theoretically, you can hit mid to high 80s when all buffs stack perfectly!
Power armor adds +10 strength base and mod slots, but that conflicts with wearing Unyielding armor, so it’s usually not worth it for max melee strength builds. Some ghoul perks and other side buffs may push numbers slightly more, but the 85+ range is pretty close to the max.
Wow, thanks for the thorough breakdown! I definitely wasn’t aware of some of those temporary buffs like Maul’s daily buff and the combination of food and chems. Definitely need to experiment more with that.
In my experience, assigning 15 points into strength, grabbing the +5 legendary strength perk, and then stacking armor bonuses from underarmor, Unyielding, and other armor star perks usually gets me into the mid 60s. You can also boost strength with food buffs (Carnivore and Strange in Numbers), well-fed bonuses, and alcohol combined with Party Boy/Girl perks. Temporary effects like camp items (+2 strength for an hour) as well as buffs from allies like Maul add extra layers but aren’t always reliable.
Vintage Mire Magic Moonshine is a decent choice because it gives +4 strength but doesn’t stack with Party Boy perks, while whiskey gives +6 with those perks. So depending on your perk setup, you can pick the best option to maximize your strength. Realistically, I’ve pushed my strength to around 70-72 with all these combined.
Nice, 70+ sounds solid. I didn’t realize the moonshine didn’t work with Party Boy perks — good tip! Definitely going to try switching around chems to find the best combo.
From what I’ve put together, starting with about 15 base strength and the usual 5 from legendary strength, then adding around 10 from armor (including Underarmor and other star effects), and 15 from Unyielding armor, plus food and drink buffs, chemical boosts, well-fed perks, and bobbleheads, you’ll generally cap out in the high 60s or low 70s in practice.
Some things get overlooked like the camp item that gives +2 strength for an hour and ally buffs (like from Maul). Those can push numbers up temporarily, but it’s tough to have them up all the time.
Just be wary of any mutation penalties that might chip away at your strength total if you don’t suppress them.
Also, watch out for mutation drawbacks like Egghead that can lower your strength by 1 or more. Without suppressing those, your max won’t be as high as the theoretical numbers.