Idiot Savant is not as good as everyone seems to think it is.
Idiot Savant is not as good as everyone seems to think it is.
At a casual look, it seems OK. Some very good analysis I've seen on this forum also thinks it is OK, but only because that analysis leaves some important things out.
e.g. this old post covers some stuff extremely well, but the author makes a couple of large errors and also some bad (or outdated) assumptions.
https://www.reddit.com/r/fo4/comments/3siw35/i_tested_intelligence_idiot_savant_and_experience/
Their core point, "Idiot Savant is always worth getting" is only true if you save scum, or if you intend to play to very high level (well past 100).
This is largely because, by choosing Idiot Savant, you have chosen to "waste" two early level-ups on a totally passive perk. These two wasted levels take a long time to recoup.
Level 1-3 example (assuming Survival mode: double XP from kills, but no save scumming):
Brad the Brain has INT 10, and he reaches level 2 simply by walking into Sanctuary. He immediately grabs a useful perk, and leverages that new perk to level up again.
Igor the Idiot has INT 1, and takes a bit longer to reach level 2. He then grabs Idiot Savant, which is a totally passive effect. He doesn't get anything that directly helps with gameplay until level 3.
High INT clearly has a faster start - it gains levels faster, and none of the perks it gains are dead weight.
Level 5-10 example:
Brad the Brain has 11 INT (+1 from the book) and +3 from semi-permanent boosts (Destroyer's Helmet, Night Person). He thereby gets +45% XP from his kills while clearing the Super Duper Mart.
Igor the Idiot gets only +25% from the same kills kills, because that's where Savant I peaks.
...so INT continues to be the faster option.
Level 50-100 example:
Brad the Brain is still sitting at +45% XP.
He could jack his INT to >25 and be literally off the chart (e.g. with Unyielding Armour), but he chooses not to.
He could use the INT crafting options that give 2,000 XP just by mashing <ENTER> at a chem bench, but chooses not to. Maybe he feels sorry for Igor.
...so Igor the Idiot has finally peaked! He is getting +50%. Very excitement. As long as Brad self-handicaps, Igor can get ahead by 5%.
Best case scenario is that Igor, with 5% more XP, will manage to get ahead by 2 levels ...but because Igor wasted 2 level-ups on a totally passive perk, he will not be "truly" ahead until well past level 100.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14ucKNxKAXaBcZhmMSMQ8kGA78KEc8G0NfCDAXD5QgXI/edit?gid=0#gid=0