The Bruiser Build: Unarmed/Melee for Fallout 76

Hello fellow Wastelanders. I’m Jack Starr and welcome to jwilliamstarr.net. Today I’m sharing the Bruiser Build, the third build based on the characters appearing in my and Suzi Sunshine’s episodic story, Wasteland Chronicles. Be sure to checkout the Gunslinger and the Shadow of Death builds, as well as episodes 1-6 here: https://jwilliamstarr.net/category/into_the_wasteland/

The Bruiser has been far and away my favorite character to play. It is an unarmed/melee: strong, fast, and tough as nails. There is no need for stealth for this character, because he won’t need it. If you like to jump right into the fray and stand toe-to-toe with a Scorchbeast or get right in the face of a Mirelurk Queen, this build might be for you. Here are the base stats I went with:

Strength: 15

Perception: 3

Endurance: 14

Charisma: 4

Intelligence: 5

Luck: 8

I’ll tell you a little bit about the character I run this build with. The Bruiser in the Wasteland Chronicles is Tyler Demsey. He was born in Vault 76 on October 30, 2078. Tragically, his mother Natalie died in childbirth. Tyler was raised by his father Aedon, a former soldier, to be tough. Aedon loved his boy and more than anything wanted to prepare Tyler to survive post-vault life. Tyler learned to throw a punch just as soon as he could form a fist.

The young boy formed a close relationship with his teacher, Suzi Sunshine. Although Suzi noted that Tyler had “angry problems,” he quickly became one of her favorites.

Aedon Dempsy died mysteriously when Tyler was 15. The Overseer ruled it an unfortunate accident and attributed it to a climate control issue in Aedon’s quarters. Suzi and her husband, Jack, took the boy in, and Tyler has been a part of the team ever since. You can read more about Tyler’s backstory in a Character Spotlight written by Suzi Sunshine here: https://jwilliamstarr.net/character-spotlight-tyler-dempsey/

Weapon of Choice:

Anti-armor Knuckles: Tyler’s punching weapon has 40% faster swing speed, it ignores 50% of his target’s armor, and adds +1 Endurance. This weapon compliments his style.

Cards Are Destiny: Essential Cards for the Build

Essential defensive perks: The build is designed for power and speed, but as a close-range build, you’ll need to be able to absorb a lot of damage. You won’t be tiptoeing into a room: the Bruiser is loud and proud. The defensive perks I chose are:

Barbarian : With 3 points in this Strength perk, every point of Strength adds +4 damage resist. Maximum is 80, and that’s what you’ll want.

: With 3 points in this Strength perk, every point of Strength adds +4 damage resist. Maximum is 80, and that’s what you’ll want. Blocker : 3 points here will reduce damage from your opponents’ melee attacks by a whopping 45%. As a close-range build, the Bruiser’s strategy is to drop hurt bombs on you while taking anything you can dish out. Cutting damage by almost half helps keep your fighter on his/her feet a swinging away.

: 3 points here will reduce damage from your opponents’ melee attacks by a whopping 45%. As a close-range build, the Bruiser’s strategy is to drop hurt bombs on you while taking anything you can dish out. Cutting damage by almost half helps keep your fighter on his/her feet a swinging away. Fireproof : With 3 points in this Endurance perk, you take 45% less damage from explosions and flame attacks. Fireproof is especially helpful against explosive weapons.

: With 3 points in this Endurance perk, you take 45% less damage from explosions and flame attacks. Fireproof is especially helpful against explosive weapons. Ironclad: 5 points in this Endurance perk provides you with an additional 50 damage and energy resistance while not in power armor which will be most of the time for an unarmed build since you cannot use unarmed weapons in power armor. In a Nuke Zone, you will be wearing a flimsy hazmat suit, increasing the need for plenty of Endurance.

Essential offensive perks:

Iron Fist : 3 points. What I really love about the unarmed build is the specialty only costs a total of 3 points. To max out the other weapon specialties, it will cost 9. Three points here will give you an additional +20% damage to your punching attacks. Although other weapon specialties increase to a maximum +60% damage, this will be offset by the 6 additional points that will be freed up for other things like Bloody Mess. The mutation, Talons, will also offset this, and we will discuss that in just a bit.

: 3 points. What I really love about the unarmed build is the specialty only costs a total of 3 points. To max out the other weapon specialties, it will cost 9. Three points here will give you an additional +20% damage to your punching attacks. Although other weapon specialties increase to a maximum +60% damage, this will be offset by the 6 additional points that will be freed up for other things like Bloody Mess. The mutation, Talons, will also offset this, and we will discuss that in just a bit. Incisor : With this perk, your melee weapons ignore 75% of your target’s armor.

: With this perk, your melee weapons ignore 75% of your target’s armor. Martial Artist : Maxed out, this perk will give you a 30% bonus to your swing speed: more swings, more damage.

: Maxed out, this perk will give you a 30% bonus to your swing speed: more swings, more damage. Bloody Mess : 3 points will get you 15% damage bonus. I like it.

: 3 points will get you 15% damage bonus. I like it. Adrenalin : 1 point in this Agility perk gives you an additional +6% damage for 30 seconds per kill.

: 1 point in this Agility perk gives you an additional +6% damage for 30 seconds per kill. Optional Explosives: I run Tyler with Demolition Expert maxed out in combination with 2 points Grenadier and 1 point in Fire In The Hole. I find it useful to get those hard to reach places. While diluting the purity of a straight out brawler, tossing a well placed molotov cocktail on the roof full of enemy shooters while raging in the street below feels right for this kid.

Essential non-combat perks:

Radicool : This Endurance perk grants up to 5 additional points of strength the greater your rads.

: This Endurance perk grants up to 5 additional points of strength the greater your rads. Professional Drinker : It will cost 3 points, but you’ll be free to overindulge with no worries of alcohol addiction. Bruisers are drinkers; let’s just get that out there. Bring on the barroom brawl; you’re fine.

: It will cost 3 points, but you’ll be free to overindulge with no worries of alcohol addiction. Bruisers are drinkers; let’s just get that out there. Bring on the barroom brawl; you’re fine. Party boy : The effects of pre-war alcohol are tripled with 2 points in this perk. You’ll have a nice strength bonus with this.

: The effects of pre-war alcohol are tripled with 2 points in this perk. You’ll have a nice strength bonus with this. Chem Resistant : This one may seem redundant with Professional Drinker, but the effects of chems and alcohol do indeed stack. Psychobuff with a bourbon chaser? Oh yes.

: This one may seem redundant with Professional Drinker, but the effects of chems and alcohol do indeed stack. Psychobuff with a bourbon chaser? Oh yes. Starched Genes : For this build, mutations are essential. To hold on to these mutations, you’ll need two points in this Luck perk.

: For this build, mutations are essential. To hold on to these mutations, you’ll need two points in this Luck perk. Class Freak : To mitigate the negative effects of the mutations by 75%, I put all 3 points into this Luck card.

: To mitigate the negative effects of the mutations by 75%, I put all 3 points into this Luck card. Stranger In Numbers: This Charisma perk increases the positive effects of your mutations when playing with a team. Tyler is a team player.

Essential Mutations:

Bird Bones : This mutation gives +4 Agility. For melee, high strength is essential, and while bird bones will take this down a point (4 points without Class Freak). I took this perk primarily for the agility boost. With Class Freak, I felt comfortable with losing 1 to gain 4. The reduced fall damage is also a quality of life bonus that I like.

: This mutation gives +4 Agility. For melee, high strength is essential, and while bird bones will take this down a point (4 points without Class Freak). I took this perk primarily for the agility boost. With Class Freak, I felt comfortable with losing 1 to gain 4. The reduced fall damage is also a quality of life bonus that I like. Healing Factor : This mutation provides a nice +300 health regeneration while not in combat. You’ll take a lot of damage, so this one is just nice.

: This mutation provides a nice +300 health regeneration while not in combat. You’ll take a lot of damage, so this one is just nice. Marsupial : This mutation increases your jump height which will come in handy for hard to reach wall turrets.

: This mutation increases your jump height which will come in handy for hard to reach wall turrets. Speed Demon : The +20% movement speed will have you dispatching enemies swiftly. We need “greasy fast speed” to close in and destroy (Mick, Rocky II).

: The +20% movement speed will have you dispatching enemies swiftly. We need “greasy fast speed” to close in and destroy (Mick, Rocky II). Scaly Skin : You’ll gain +50 damage and energy resist at the expense of 50 AP. This is where the +4 Agility boost from Bird Bones mutation is nice.

: You’ll gain +50 damage and energy resist at the expense of 50 AP. This is where the +4 Agility boost from Bird Bones mutation is nice. Grounded : This mutation grants an additional 100 energy resistance at the expense of energy damage.

: This mutation grants an additional 100 energy resistance at the expense of energy damage. Twisted Muscle : This mutation will give you a nice +25% damage bonus and a better chance to cripple limbs. This bonus will stack with the Talons mutation below. It reduces your gun accuracy, but who needs guns when you can punch a hole in the world?

: This mutation will give you a nice +25% damage bonus and a better chance to cripple limbs. This bonus will stack with the Talons mutation below. It reduces your gun accuracy, but who needs guns when you can punch a hole in the world? Talons: Punching attacks do 25% more damage +bleed damage. The negative is -4 Agility (without Class Freak). This is your bread and butter. Tyler is a puncher, using legendary knuckles. Once again, Bird Bones offsets the negative, which is a beautiful thing.

Thank you for taking time to consider The Bruiser. If you have any questions or suggestions for this build, you can email me at jack@jwilliamstarr.net. We would love to hear what you think, and I’d like to invite you to read Wasteland Chronicles!