It also balances well with a smaller sidearm weapon for close-range combat, which will be required at some point. You don't necessarily need this much in the very early game, but by the time you're coming up against more powerful enemies the added sneak critical damage with your sniper rifle becomes very important. That being said, you'll want at least some perception regardless of which path you take, as the tree unlocks the all-important Rifleman perk. Perception boosts base accuracy in VATS, so if you're not using it this special stat doesn't make much sense. It all comes down to whether you are relying on VATS or taking your shots manually. Perception is an interesting one in a sniper build. You should start off with around 8 Agility as a baseline. Whether you opt to use VATS for your shots or want to take your shots manually, Agility is still crucial to dealing damage and staying alive while you're at it. It's no use having a sniper rifle if your enemies instantly spot you and charge over to snap your spine. Whether you're going full stealth sniper mode or not, agility is still an important stat-line for a sneaky damage dealer. Here's a closer look at what you should pick up first. Ultimately, though, there are a couple of special stats that you should prioritize as a long-range damage dealer.

Like any other build in Fallout 4, there are a few ways to play.

Fallout 4 stealth rifle build