Certain perks are almost a must if you wish to rebuild the Commonwealth into a thriving community. With diligent acquisition of the following perks, your path to Commonwealth success will be made much easier.

Local Leader¶

Found on the Charisma tree this should be high priority for anyone serious about settlement management. At Rank 1 you can establish supply lines between settlements while Rank 2 will allow you to build the stores and workstations found in the workshop menu all of which are needed to really grow a settlement.

Hacker¶

Found on the Intelligence tree, this perk allows you to build terminals which in turn allow access to a variety of objects such as switches, lights and defenses. Custom audio/visual elements can be created with ease as well as strong automated defense systems. You will need at least one terminal to unlock access to all the options.

Science!¶

Another staple of the Intelligence tree, this perk is needed to build large generators, laser turrets, tripwires and a whole host of useful additions to your settlements. To build Heavy Laser Turrets, Rank 3 is needed. With substantial investment in this perk, your settlements will go from rudimentary to high-tech and you will be able to fend off even the strongest invaders.

Gun Nut¶

Intelligence goes a long way in settlement building as evidenced by this and previous perks. This perk is a must to build basic turrets and defenses but it really comes alive at Rank 3 where you will gain access to Missile Turrets which provide the most defense over anything else found in the Workshop menu.

A healthy mix of these perks is needed to make the most out of your settlements especially as you go later into the game.