Skill progression bonuses
If you are comparing invested skill levels with bonuses, start here; the discussion distinguishes permanent book levels, trinket levels, and early dialogue-skill perks.
Skill books Skill trinkets Early dialogue-skill perks All 167 games
© inXile Entertainment · Game artwork 01 02 03 Progression bonus Equipment bonus Perk Weapon equipment bonus Perk Perk Perk Perk Perk Perk Perk Perk Quirk Perk family
RPG · EQUIPMENT & PROGRESSION
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut
Guides onlyWasteland 2: Director's Cut lets players customize Desert Rangers, and its Steam description identifies Perks & Quirks and tactical Precision Strikes among the edition's features. This reference focuses on progression and equipment choices described in a Steam Community discussion: skill books, trinkets, weapons that add skill levels, and named perks and a quirk. The discussion reports effects involving action points, damage, cover accuracy, armor, and skill progression, with conditions such as armor type or attack position. It also distinguishes bonus skill levels from levels that unlock skill perks. These records explain what the cited discussion says; they do not provide a complete build guide or comparative ranking.
14 guidesinXile EntertainmentPC edition · Sep 18, 2014
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Armor-related choices
If you are reviewing defensive options, compare the reported armor-class combination with Self Defense's separate armor effect.
Hardened Reinforced Plating Self Defense Thick SkinnedConditional combat effects
If you are comparing combat effects, these records describe attack-position, cover, health-threshold, armor, and first-turn conditions.
Tactical Positioning Whack-a-Mole Adrenaline Rush Charge!KNOW YOUR OPTIONS
Equipment & progression guides
Choose a topic to see how it works, where it helps and what to consider.
Skill books
Skill books reportedly grant one permanent level in an associated skill, contributing a level without spending skill points on that level.
Understand this choiceSkill trinkets
Some skill-specific trinkets reportedly add one to three levels, but these bonus levels do not unlock perks for that skill.
Understand this choiceEarly dialogue-skill perks
Early perks for dialogue skills reportedly provide two bonus levels, which can contribute to a combined skill-level bonus.
Understand this choiceDialogue and Leadership skill weapons
Some weapons reportedly add one level to dialogue skills or Leadership, contributing a bonus beyond the skill points invested.
Understand this choiceTinkerer
Tinkerer is associated with Weaponsmithing 2 and is reported to grant one additional action point while wearing light armor.
Understand this choiceTactical Positioning
Tactical Positioning is reported to increase damage by 25% when attacking from behind; Perception 3 is named in connection with the perk.
Understand this choiceWhack-a-Mole
Whack-a-Mole reportedly reduces the penalty for hitting targets behind cover by 15%, and the effect works with weapons beyond submachine guns.
Understand this choiceAdrenaline Rush
Adrenaline Rush is discussed as granting two extra action points at a 25% health threshold, in a comment about a possible sniper use.
Understand this choiceCharge!
Charge! is reported to add 0.5 Combat Speed during the first turn, an effect a participant connects with reaching a position early.
Understand this choiceHardened
Hardened is identified as a broadly appealing perk and as one component in a community-described armor-class setup.
Understand this choiceReinforced Plating
Reinforced Plating is named as one of the perks in a community-described combination intended to stack armor class.
Understand this choiceSelf Defense
Self Defense is included in an armor-class setup and is separately reported to add one armor with Bladed Weapons 3.
Understand this choiceThick Skinned
Thick Skinned is named as a quirk in a proposed combination with three perks to stack armor class.
Understand this choiceArmor penetration perks
The discussion describes perks that add armor penetration to attacks and names Samurai, Full Metal Jacket, and Bullet-Ridden as examples.
Understand this choiceCommon mistakes to avoid
Trinket levels do not unlock skill perks
The discussion explicitly says trinket bonus levels add skill levels but do not unlock perks for that skill.
Not every skill has a trinket bonus
Alarm Disarm and Brute Force are specifically named as skills without trinkets, so the reported trinket bonuses do not apply to every skill.
Several reported effects have conditions
Examples include attacking from behind, hitting targets behind cover, first-turn Combat Speed, and action-point effects tied to health or armor conditions; the discussion does not describe these as unconditional.
References & guide scope
Selected systems and editions described by the linked references.
Edition and mechanic limits
- Mechanics are drawn from one 2018 Steam Community discussion and are not independently verified or a complete catalog.
- Steam metadata establishes identity and Director's Cut context only; it does not substantiate the mechanics in these records.
- Specific acquisition locations, full perk prerequisites, and comparative effectiveness remain unverified.