All,

I've got a melee + unarmored (I like both) character who is about level 11 or 12 and I'm having fun, but I'm a little stumped on which Perks are best suited after level 16. Here is my plan for Perks, but after level 16, I'm just kinda guessing. I'll put notes on the ones after level 16 and my thoughts. I'd love suggestions or answers/corrections to my thoughts on the perks.

Thanks!

01 Heavy Handed
02 Intense STR
04 Educated
06 Toughness
08 Super Slam
10 Stonewall
12 Piercing Strike
14 Unstoppable Force
16 Purifier

18 Paralyzing Palm - how does this work in VATS? can any shot trigger it or is there a UI option when in VATS?
20 Light Step - I hate the need to run into melee sometimes because of frag mines crippling me in fortified areas
22 Adamantium Sk - again, I kinda feel like letting my limbs get crippled is bad for a melee character, but not sure
24 Slayer - seems like a must-have. I'm not uncertain of this one at all. looks good.
26 Nerves Of Steel - great perk generally but I almost never use VATS on my melee character. So far, anyway.
28 Toughness - i definitely want the second rank of this, and I might take it earlier, but T1 + Subdermal is OK so far
30 Action Girl - again I dont use VATS much so I'm not certain if this is wasted or pointless

Help?

Thanks!

I have decided that Paralyzing Palm is probably a good one since everyone seems to be taking it. I will probably lean away from Action Girl and Nerves of Steel just because I seem to rarely use VATS. I dunno.

Just remember that with the Paralyzing Palm perk you must be completely unarmed (bare fists) in order to do the move, but it gives you plenty of time to switch back to your weapon of choice afterward and finish off the opponent.

I'd try to get sneak up and get silent running/ninja in there. Silent Running is a lvl 12 perk, but Ninja is lvl 20

As for Ninja, or sneaking, I am not going for them because they are against type. Same for Silent Running. I'm going for a Brotherhood of Steel heavy brute. I never sneak. I want everyone to see me as I run in and maul them. Also, I heard that unarmed and melee crits aren't that big a deal, and I've already taken Heavy Handed which makes your melee/unarmed crits weaker while upping based damage. But either way, Ninja and Silent Running and Sneak are against type.

Thanks tho!

If you're completely against all sneak based and crit perks, I'd say

Fast Metabolism (Extra healing is always good)
Life Giver (Extra HP is always good)
Slayer
Toughness
Black Widow
Cherchez La Femme
Bloody Mess
Living Anatomy

The first two are just to give you extra room for worrying about getting ganged up on by enemies with strong weapons, and Toughness is for that also, while the last bunch are for heavily increased damage. With everything from Black Widow down combined you get a 20% damage increase against all enemies.

I meant against all human enemies.

honestly.. no need for paralyzing palm in this game.. since you have boxing gloves.

Interesting about the last 4. I cant stand Bloody Mess because at least in FO3 it made looting/finding corpses in a pile much harder. However the others seem interesting.

How do they (BW, CLF, LA) stack up against Nerves of Steel and Action Girl? I havent used VATS much though, but I dont want to rule it out.

About Slayer by the way, is anybody have a precise answer about its speed bonus being effective as well in VATS mode? I mean does it then cost less AP to perform or is it just something you get from
real time game?

Since your going for a tank-bruiser type, Id grab all health/HP related perks as well.