Fallout 4 Stealth Build: Perk Order for 4.8x Sneak

Verified against: Fallout 4 after the August 18, 2026 update. Perk, weapon and armor mod values come from Nukapedia. Per Bethesda's patch notes, the May 27 and August 18, 2026 updates both covered Creations (mods) and stability fixes with no perk or weapon balance changes, so the math below is the same as it has been since patch 1.4.

Short answer: take Cloak & Dagger before Mister Sandman rank 3. Perk acquisition order decides whether your fully stacked sneak multiplier lands on 4.4x or 4.8x, so two characters at the same level with the same perks can differ by roughly 8% damage. Run STR3 / PER2 / END1 / CHA3 / INT3 / AGI7 / LCK9, build around the Deliverer, and know that Muffled, Sleek and Ultra-Light Build all compete for the same leg slot.

The build at a glance

SPECIAL spread: you only get 28 points

Every stat starts at 1 and you distribute 21 more, for 28 points at character creation. The "You're SPECIAL!" book in your Sanctuary house adds one more point after you leave Vault 111, and bobbleheads plus level-ups supply the rest later.

AGI 7 and LCK 9 are the stopping points because those are the highest prerequisites among the perks this build uses. Going higher only opens Quick Hands at AGI 8, Blitz at AGI 9, Gun Fu at AGI 10 and Ricochet at LCK 10, none of which feed the sneak multiplier. Spend the difference on STR and INT so you can craft your own mods instead.

Perk order changes your sneak multiplier

This is the part most stealth guides skip. Since patch 1.4, the order in which you pick up Ninja, Mister Sandman and Cloak & Dagger changes your final sneak attack multiplier. Nukapedia's own pages disagree on the underlying arithmetic — the Ninja page describes Cloak & Dagger and Mister Sandman as multiplicative with Ninja additive, while the Cloak & Dagger page says Mister Sandman contributes percentage points after patch 1.4 — so this guide reports the measured results, which both pages agree on, rather than the internal formula. Nukapedia tested the max-rank combinations and recorded these results.

One rule falls out of that table: get Cloak & Dagger before Mister Sandman rank 3. Cloak & Dagger is the permanent perk you earn by maxing Deacon's affinity, and Mister Sandman rank 3 unlocks at level 30. In practice that means max Deacon's affinity before you hit level 30. Walking into the worst order (Sandman 3, then Ninja 3, then Cloak & Dagger) costs you the 4.4x floor.

The testing covered max-rank combinations, and the behaviour was originally reported on PS4 and Xbox One, where it is also documented on the Ninja perk page. There is no downside to sequencing it correctly, so take Cloak & Dagger early regardless of platform.

Perk numbers you actually need

Three corrections worth flagging, because they circulate widely. Mister Sandman requires AGI 4, not 9. Its bonus only applies to weapons with a silencer installed, which makes it dead weight on energy and melee builds. And Grim Reaper's Sprint is a 15-35% chance, not a guaranteed AP refill. For the Luck half of the tree in more depth, see the Lucky V.A.T.S. critical build.

Weapons: Deliverer now, Gauss Rifle later

Gunslinger route (recommended)

• Deliverer: unique 10mm pistol. 25 base damage, 12 round magazine, 26 AP per V.A.T.S. shot. Its V.A.T.S. Enhanced legendary improves hit chance and cuts AP cost by 25%. It arrives with a suppressor already fitted, so Mister Sandman applies without any Gun Nut investment. Reward for The Railroad quest "Tradecraft"
• Kellogg's Pistol: unique .44 pistol, 48 base damage, refills your AP on a critical hit. Dropped during the main quest "Reunions". The .44 platform cannot mount a suppressor, so Mister Sandman never applies to it. Treat it as the follow-up once stealth breaks
• Stopgaps: a suppressed 10mm pistol or a pipe revolver. Gun Nut (INT3) covers the suppressor early

You may see advice to convert a combat rifle to a pistol grip so it counts for Gunslinger. Nukapedia's Gunslinger weapon table does not list the combat rifle, and the combat rifle's own page lists Rifleman (or Commando when automatic) as its damage perk. This guide treats that conversion as out of scope.

Gauss Rifle route (late game)

• 110 base damage, 2mm EC ammo, 7 round magazine, 40.5 AP per V.A.T.S. shot. Hold the trigger to charge for full damage; an uncharged shot lands around 50%
• It does accept a suppressor, and with one fitted Mister Sandman applies
• The catch is the crafting cost. The Gauss Rifle suppressor needs Gun Nut rank 4 and Science! rank 2. Science! requires INT 6, and Gun Nut rank 4 unlocks at level 39. The INT 3 spread above cannot build it
• It scales with Rifleman (PER2), not Gunslinger, so it pulls your perk points in a different direction

That makes the Gauss Rifle a second-playthrough option for characters that can afford extra INT and PER. On a first run the Deliverer route comes online far sooner.

Armor: there is only one leg slot

Every mod below is gated behind a rank of Armorer, per Nukapedia's armor mod list.

• Shadowed (Armorer 1 on leather, metal and robot; Armorer 2 on combat): improves stealth in dark areas. A material mod whose rank requirement and supported pieces both vary by armor family — leather covers chest, arms and legs (there is no leather helmet), while metal, combat and robot each cover helmet, chest, arms and legs. Raider, synth and trapper armor do not offer it, and marine armor only has it on legs
• Muffled (Armorer 2): reduces detection from moving. Leg misc slot
• Sleek (Armorer 4): increases movement speed while sneaking. Leg misc slot
• Ultra-Light Build (Armorer 3): much lighter and +5 to +10 AP. Chest, arms and leg misc slot

The trap: Muffled, Sleek and Ultra-Light Build all occupy the same leg misc slot, so no single leg piece can carry two of them. With two legs you can field exactly two. Muffled on both legs is the stealth-max option; one Muffled and one Ultra-Light Build is the sensible compromise if you lean on V.A.T.S.

For legendary effects, Chameleon (harder to detect while sneaking and stationary) and Cunning (+1 Agility, +1 Perception) both fit. Cunning is especially useful because it lifts Agility from 7 to 8 and eases the tight starting spread.

Companions: collect the permanent perks early

• Deacon gives Cloak & Dagger: +20% sneak attack damage and +40% Stealth Boy duration. As covered above, take it before Mister Sandman rank 3 at level 30
• Robert MacCready gives Killshot: +20% headshot accuracy in V.A.T.S., available once you finish his personal quest "Long Road Ahead" and max his affinity
• Dogmeat does not count as a companion for Lone Wanderer, so you keep the bonus while travelling with him
• Ace Operator (Nuka-World): earned if the Operators do not betray you during "Power Play". It grants +25% damage with silenced weapons and 10% lower visibility in shadows. That damage bonus applies at all times, not only on sneak attacks, which makes it a high priority if you own the DLC

Both companion perks are permanent once earned, so you can part ways afterwards. Affinity routes are covered in the companion ranking guide.

Survival mode changes

1. Move END from 1 to 3. That costs two points, so drop PER from 2 to 1 and LCK from 9 to 8. The Survival spread is STR3 / PER1 / END3 / CHA3 / INT3 / AGI7 / LCK8 (28 total). PER 1 gives up Rifleman (PER2), which rules out the Gauss Rifle route, and LCK 8 delays Four Leaf Clover (LCK9) while keeping Grim Reaper's Sprint (LCK8). Bobbleheads recover both later
2. Get Lone Wanderer early. Rank 2 at level 17 gives -30% damage taken and +100 carry weight, which directly answers Survival's weight limit
3. Push Sneak to rank 3 (level 12) first. No longer triggering mines removes a common source of sudden death
4. Do not trade shots when spotted. Break line of sight, back off, and get back to [HIDDEN]
5. Mister Sandman's execution animation cannot be used in power armor, and Sandman kills award no XP

Where this build falls apart

• Robots and turrets never sleep, so Mister Sandman's instant kill does not apply to them
• Once an area is already in combat, the sneak multiplier stops applying entirely. That multiplier buys you the opening shot, not a firefight
• Mister Sandman only rewards silenced weapons. If you want to lead with energy or melee weapons, pick a different build

Summary

Three things decide this build. Spend the 28 SPECIAL points with AGI 7 and LCK 9 as ceilings, take Cloak & Dagger before Mister Sandman rank 3 so your sneak multiplier settles at 4.8x rather than 4.4x, and pick leg mods knowing you only have one misc slot per leg. The Deliverer arrives already suppressed, which keeps the early investment low. If the Gauss Rifle appeals to you, check the Gun Nut 4 and Science! 2 requirement before you lock in your SPECIAL spread.