Whether you’re looking to find a four-legged companion to help you fight off a nasty walking infection, or you just want a way to fly around the map with ease—you need to think about which perks are best to invest in while completing your research in Nuclear Nightmare.
Unlocking the starting perk for each tier opens pathways to new perks within the same skill tree. The next tier is unlocked if you unlock two or more perks within the same tier. These are ordered from D tier to S tier. Perks can be refunded to their full amount, letting you unlock tiers and gain points back to use in another skill tree. You can have up to three perks active per match. These are randomly selected in a reroll system via vending machines. You can reroll up to three times per vending machine.
Perks are picked within the Customization tab on the main menu. With 40 perks to unlock, here are the best perks to increase your survival odds in Nuclear Nightmare.
Nuclear Nightmare: Best perks, ranked
10) Hardcore Survivor
Hardcore Survivor is one of the first perks you can get in Nuclear Nightmare. It’s a great pick to start your expedition as a researcher, dipping your toes into the frosty landscape that wants nothing more than to see you dead. Whether you’re playing alone or with friends, gaining double XP by completing objectives to gather classified material will help you unlock perk tiers quickly. This, alongside the ability to refund points, makes life a whole lot easier if you’re looking to reach S tier as fast as possible.
9) Flare Signal
Although infinite Flashlight battery sounds better than stronger Flares, the Flare Signal perk effectively illuminates the way at night and distracts monsters if they take out the generator in the area you’re exploring. Monsters are incredibly persistent, especially if you keep turning the generator back on to access the reinforce laptop or to see where you’re going. The Flare lets you distract monsters and helps guide you in moments of complete darkness.
8) Military Veteran
Much like The Thing, Flamethrowers are the pride and joy for these researchers. Although all weapons can one-shot monsters and infected teammates, Flamethrowers have the added bonus of illuminating their point of contact. It has a wide damage radius that’s capable of hurting multiple enemies at once. Increasing its range keeps you at a safe distance from infection and acts as a torch if the monsters take out the generator.
7) Classified Collector
Much like Hardcore Survivor, Classified Collector gives you triple XP for surviving the round with classified materials in your pocket. It is incredibly helpful to have at least one of these active, especially if you have completed multiple objectives already (at the time of rolling for perks at the soda can machine). You can win big if you successful exfil from the match with 10 classified materials in hand, giving you thousands of XP to spend on perks and Emotes. You can then switch this perk out for something that’ll increase your survivability for the next match.
6) Self Defense
While you can get your hands on many weapons in Nuclear Nightmare, we recommend Self Defense when you have a Flamethrower in hand. This doubles the damage of your flames, making it much more effective at taking down multiple monsters within quick succession. Due to the limited ammunition, it’s better to rely on the Flamethrower and pick your battles wisely so you don’t run out of fuel too quickly.
5) Fire Resistance
This is an obvious pick, as you can disable friendly fire in the settings before you create your lobby. This means that you can get the Fire Resistance buff that protects you from the flames for three seconds without damaging your teammates in the process. This, paired with Self Defense and Military Veteran make you the ultimate Flamethrower user who will easily take down any monster that tries to meddle with your research.
4) Health Regeneration
It’s helpful to free an inventory slot as you can make space for Flares, Vaccines, Fuel, and weapons that are more useful in the long term than holding onto Painkillers. You do need to watch your body temperature, however. Without Painkillers, the only way to avoid frostbite is to find heat sources or hide in buildings generated by power so you don’t succumb to the cold. It’s nice not to worry about taking too much damage, as you can regenerate health without using an item. This lets you focus on staying warm and keeping your weapons locked and loaded.
3) Cold Blooded
Cold Blooded is a useful perk, so you don’t have to worry about your body temperature as you travel across the map. With each location miles away from another, you’re likely spending most of your time either on foot or refueling your vehicle. Although it takes longer to bring your body temperature back to a comfortable number, you can spend far longer outside with this perk equipped than having to rely on generators. This means that you can avoid areas plagued by monsters, where you would typically need to hold your ground if your temperature gets too low.
2) Rocket Booster
As the points of interests (POIs) are incredibly far from one another, the Rocket Booster perk is a must-have to get around the map easily. While you can get Speed Demon first, fuel burns faster with this perk equipped, forcing you to refuel at gas pumps or have a teammate with you carry a jerry can at all times. The Rocket Booster has no negative effect, giving you a speed boost without having to constantly watch your fuel intake.
Just be mindful that you don’t slam into any lampposts or flagpoles as you chase down the next POI. You cannot lift your vehicle if you accidently flip it. Driving recklessly will leave you stranded in the open, with no option but to run the rest of the way.
1) Nightmare Detector
The best perk by a mile, Nightmare Detector lets you scan for enemies every 10 seconds. Similar to the monster’s infrared sight, you can see the monster’s whereabouts with a thermal reading, letting you easily escape or fight back without panicking in the darkness. Nightmare Detector is best paired with a sniper rifle as you can pick monsters off from afar, free from infection at all times.
All perks in Nuclear Nightmare
D tier
| Perk | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcore Survivor | 200 | Get double points and XP. |
| Gas Guzzler | 100 | The first vehicle you enter has a full tank, but every vehicle you enter after it will have no fuel. |
| Strong Scent | 150 | Huskies trust you and are more likely to follow you before they’re tamed. |
| Doggy Treats | 50 | 40 percent chance to tame huskies by hand, but there’s 60 percent chance they’ll bite you. |
| Immune System | 200 | Getting infected by an enemy is reduced by 50 percent, but you need two vaccines to cure infections. |
| Infection Detector | 100 | Beepers can detect infected human. Can beep for uninfected humans too. |
C tier
| Perk | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers License | 500 | The first snowmobile you enter will have 200 percent more fuel and take less gas. However, you can only drive this snowmobile for the duration of the game. |
| Gen Jockey | 100 | Nearby generators are highlighted and can be repaired twice as fast. Cooldown lasts five minutes. |
| Home Free | 400 | Spawn end game helicopter when the last element is collected, but there’s a 20 percent chance it randomly spawns. |
| Soft Feet | 200 | Running is completely silent, but your sprint speed is decreased. |
| Oil Conservation | 400 | Decreases gas consumption by 50 percent when driving, but you drive 50 percent slower. |
| Monster Hunter | 500 | Beepers have increased range to detect monsters nearby. |
| Flare Signal | 300 | Flares will last twice as long and can distract enemies for a longer duration, but teammates cannot see the flare on the map. |
B tier
| Perk | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic Instrument | 400 | Players don’t take fall damage, but large jumps can kill you, and you experience a long stand up animation every time you jump. |
| Military Veteran | 750 | Increases the range on flamethrowers. |
| Pain Medication | 300 | Painkillers give you an extra dose to restart temperature and heal wounds, but your temperature decreases 20 percent faster. |
| Hungry Humans | 300 | Beef jerky can be eaten for extra health, but you cannot give beef jerky to huskies. |
| Vaccinated Scientist | 400 | One vaccine gives you an extra dose, but the chances of getting infected significantly increases. |
| Warm Blooded | 600 | Heating up happens almost instantly whenever there’s heat, but temperature decreases in cold areas 20 percent faster. |
| Speed Demon | 550 | Increases vehicle speed by 50 percent, but gas burns 15 percent faster. |
| Emergency Fund | 1,000 | Flamethrowers are refueled to 100 percent if used while empty. Has a 10 minute cooldown. |
| Pilot License | 600 | The first helicopter or airplane you enter has 200 percent more fuel, but you can only use this aircraft to fly in. |
A tier
| Perk | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Classified Collector | 600 | Gives triple XP for each classified collected. |
| Self Defense | 650 | Increases flamethrower damage by 50 percent, but fuel burns twice as fast. |
| Fire Resistance | 750 | If in contact with fire, you have the ability to not take damage for up to three seconds. However, the fire you shoot does double damage for teammates. |
| Hide N Seek | 800 | Crouching tremendously increases your chances to not be seen by enemies nearby. |
| Dog Whisper | 800 | Tame huskies by hand (without beef jerky). |
| Elusive Fighter | 1,000 | You have a 25 percent chance to dodge enemy attacks. |
| Rechargeable Battery | 500 | Flashlights have infinite battery life. |
| Nuclear Awareness | 500 | The moment you get infected, you and your teammates know. However, the infection process is twice as fast. |
S tier
| Perk | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Blooded | 950 | Temperature decreases 25 percent slower. However, heating up takes significantly longer. |
| Heated Jacket | 900 | Gives one extra minute before frostbite occurs, but frostbite kills you twice as fast. |
| Health Regeneration | 1,000 | You slowly regain health over time, but you cannot heal yourself with painkillers. |
| Camp Counselor | 1,000 | Standing close to fire warms your temperature. |
| Nightmare Detector | 1,000 | You can see enemy heat signature, but it only occurs every 10 seconds. |
| GPS Navigator | 700 | You can see all of your teammates on the map. However, if all teammates die, the map can no longer be used. |
| Rocket Booster | 1,000 | Snowmobiles have a rocket boost when you press the space bar. 20 second cooldown. |
| Jetpack Ride | 1,000 | Jumping activates the jetpack, letting you fly 1000 feet away from your location. However, it only has a one time use. |
| Night Vision | 1,000 | Exposure decreases significantly, allowing you to see in the dark. Eyes take longer to adjust to light. |
| Winter Mystery | 900 | Temperature has no effect, but fire will kill you instantly. |
