So I just got Fallout 4 (don't tell me, I'm late on the bandwagon, I know), but I was having difficulty deciding which starting build to go with. I keep changing from intelligence to charisma to perception & agility. In the end I decided to go about 8/8 on intelligence and charisma putting me at 5 points left. Besides that I have no idea which perks to go in for or even if that's the correct usage of a charismatic smart-ass kit.

Anyway I'm 100% certain I want to be an intelligent charismatic wise-ass. That is for certain. However! I don't know the exact ratio to go with these or what to do with the remaining points. And what I should go for from there. I know this game is meant to be different for everyone but still. Any information from veteran players is appreciated. Thanks!

Do you plan on building up a lot of settlements? Then I'd suggest minimum 6 in Charisma for Local Leader, to set up supply lines. Unless you really like the effects of Wasteland Whisperer and Intimidation (they are solid perks, admittedly), I'd suggest stopping at 8 Charisma for Inspirational - although if you don't plan on using companions a lot you could keep it at seven (Party Boy is amazing if you plan on using alcohol, which sounds fitting to your character).

For Intelligence, I'd also say the lowest you should put it on an "intelligent" character is 6. Science! is essential for a lot of advanced crafting (especially energy weapons, which I love), but the perks after it are more niche. Going for 7 to get Chemist isn't a bad idea if you want to use chems a lot, though.

As for where you put the other perks, my questions: do you plan on using VATS a lot? And do you plan on using stealth a lot? I'd recommend at least 2 in Luck to get Scrounger (find more ammo), 3 in Endurance for Life Giver (more HP, and HP regeneration at the last rank), and 2 in Perception to get Rifleman (damage perk for rifles). And if you plan on crafting a lot, you'll need 3 in Strength to take the Armorer perk.

Just take a look at the perk chart and decide what perks you want to get the most easily - remember you can always spend a perk point to boost a SPECIAL stat (which makes the next perk down available), and there's no level cap. You'll also get a second chance to rebuild your character's starting SPECIAL before you leave the vault, if you haven't already gotten to that point. I think the game automatically makes a hard save before that point, too, but I always made a save myself to be sure.

Thanks for the help! I haven't played any prior games so I'm shooting from the hip, quite literally too as VATS is very confusing for me to use, I have to look at the controller frequently. Other than that your suggestions are very helpful. So from what I gather this is my game plan:

Starting build:

S- 2

P- 2

E- 2

C- 7

I- 6

A- 1

L- 2

But ultimately upgrade to a bare minimum of

S- 3

P- (as much as I can afford, as I love VATS despite how confusing it is)

E- 3

C- 9-10 (caps are always nice)

I- 7-8

A- 2-3

L- 4-5 (more ammo)

Other than that I'll focus on the perks you told me about and, yea. Thanks!

Just keep practicing with VATS and you'll get the hang of it. Remember that AP you get from Agility is also important for VATS, and that critical hit (which Luck governs) can only be executed in VATS. Having more Luck won't affect how much ammo you get from Scrounger, but taking additional ranks in Scrounger will and you don't need extra luck for that.

But that looks like a solid build, so your character will do fine. And I dunno if this is your first Bethesda game in general, but be sure to save often and keep multiple saves; this game is pretty stable for a lot of people, but Bethesda's got a reputation for buggy games.

Going to 9-10 Charisma won't really help with caps in any meaningful way. Your clothes can easily provide +4 to Charisma. With the trading perk, that's the bartering cap already. Charisma is a very wastefull stat overall... you can get from 1 Charisma to 10 Charisma anytime you wish by dressing oficially and popping Graqe Mentats. This allows you to pass all conversation checks and achieve best trading prices.

I would go

10 cha (for max settler/charm)
6 int (for science)
7 agi (for sneak)

oh and 2 per for rifleman

There's an argument for putting 10 points each into Int and Cha with a couple of points in Str so you can get Blacksmith and Armourer and the rest probably in Luck.

You're going to be relying on pistols and gunslinger for combat, but you'll have excellent armour and weapons. And you get early access to Nerd Rage and the Indimdation/Whisperer perks and all local leader so you get your settlers working to keep you supplied. Oh and you have access to all the perks needed to fully mod and run a suit of power armour. Which you'll probably need more than most.

I am RPing as Dr.Who and I put 10 Charisma (for intimidation), 9 intelligence and 3 perception (for lock picking) the rest into agility to run faster.

Here a build that worked rally well for my Stealth Sniper/Idiot Savant playthrough:

S - 2 (+1 Bobblehead @lvl25 for Armor Smith)

P - 3 (+1 BH for Locksmith)

E - 1

C - 5 (+1 early for Local Leader)

I - 3 (Gun Nut, +1Book when needing Hacking, +1BH for Scrapping)

A - 7 (Ninja)

L - 7 (Critical Banker)

I "finished" the game at level 124. (Keeping Int as low as possible and getting loads of Idiot Savant procs, including all quest turn-ins.) The starting stats allowed to get all the "must have" perks to maximize damage and get the skills for settlement building, after level 60ish I started to add stat points for the "nice to have" perks.

Low Perception and Endurance was never a problem. The mobs were taken out either from long range (manual aim with sniper rifle) and from close range using stealth (always 95% using VATS).

Stats at the end:

S - 6 (Strong Back)

P - 10 (Concentrated Fire)

E - 5 (Aqua Boy)

C - 7 (Party Boy - Alcohol improved the Idiot Savant chance for quest turn-ins, especially as INT got higher)

I - 6 (Science to get the silencer for a Gauss Rifle and some of the settlement buildings)

A - 10 (Gun Fu)

L - 9 (Four Leaf Clover)

I think you're going to be a bit frustrated by a Charisma/Intelligence build because so much of the game is combat. But if you want to do it, your list is close. I would, however, drop CHA to 6 and increase STR to 3 because you need 3 in STR to access Armorer Perk. The 6 in CHA gets you Local Leader early while putting you high enough to easily buff (with clothes) to CHA 10 when you need to. By the time you have enough alcohol to really exploit the Party Boy/Girl Perk, you won't begrudge spending the Perk point to raise CHA at that time. (And your high INT will accelerate XP gain, as well.) Conversely, you want to be modding weapons and armor as early as possible to help keep yourself alive and somewhat effective in combat.

You will also find the SPECIAL book very early so you can increase one stat. I would personally spend that on AGI for the AP points. The Toughness Perk is also VERY valuable in the beginning of the game as well. It's 10 in damage resistance is more than an entire set of unmodded leather armor that is common in the early game AND it nicely complements that armor's ballistic weakness. You wil need that toughness to survive early on because your low END means low hit points.