Perks

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Perks unlocking at the Key Performance Indicator

Perks

Perks are optional bonuses and abilities the player may equip on a Dwarf. Perks were implemented in Update 14: Feature Creep as a major new feature and reworked with Update 28: Feeling Perky. They are purchased using Perk Points which are awarded by completing Milestones. Once a milestone has been completed, the Perk Point reward can be claimed at your Key Performance Indicator terminal in the Space Rig. They offer small boosts to certain stats or give certain abilities, such as increasing the amount of minerals a Dwarf can hold in their pouch, or allowing a Dwarf to revive someone instantly once per mission. Once unlocked, all classes can equip a perk. Players start with one Active and one Passive Perk Slot. Active perks are activated as abilities by the player using a button, while passive perks are always active and always give a bonus. Some active perks also have a passive effect which does not need to be activated. An additional Active Slot is unlocked after Promoting each dwarf, and two extra Passive Slots can be unlocked for all dwarfs at perk Tier 4 and Tier 9. A list of perks and their functions can be found just below.

Milestones

Perks are purchased using Perk Points , which can be acquired by completing Milestones. Milestones may include completing missions in certain biomes, completing missions with certain mutators, gaining levels with a class, or unlocking a certain number of accessories. Milestones and milestone progress can be checked at your Key Performance Indicator terminal. Milestones have levels, typically from 1 to 5, with each level awarding perk points upon completion. For example, completing the 'Complete 1 Deep Dive' milestone will award points, and also unlock the 'Complete 3 Deep Dives' milestone, which will require the player to complete three additional deep dives. Milestones are not dwarf specific, and each class shares completed milestones and milestone progress.

Perk Tiers

Perks are divided into tiers. To progress to the the next tier of perks, you must buy a set amount of perks from the previous tiers. For example, to unlock tier 3 perks you must buy three tier 2 or tier 1 perks. Additional passive perk slots are available for purchase at tier 4 and at tier 9. Higher tiers may also contain higher levels of perks. The previous perk level must be purchased before you may buy the next level, even if you have access to that level's tier.

List of available Tier 1 perks
Field Medic I Costs 3 perk points Passive: Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 15% faster! Active: Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet!	Friendly I Costs 2 perk points Through the power of friendship you both take and deal 50% less damage from friendly fire!	Heightened Senses I Costs 3 perk points Passive: You get an early warning when a creature is about to grab you. Active: 1 times per mission, you can escape after being grabbed, killing your captor in the process!	Second Wind I Costs 2 perk points Get a 8% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 5 seconds.	See You In Hell I Costs 3 perk points Passive: Right after an enemy hits you with a melee attack you get a temporary melee damage bonus. Active: 3 times each mission, you can trigger a large neuro-pulse explosion after you go down. A residual neuro-electric field will electrocute and scare off enemies. (2 minute cooldown)	Thorns I Costs 2 perk points Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 6 damage.

List of available Tier 2 perks
Three perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Veteran Depositor I Costs 2 perk points Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 20% faster! 20% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points!	Field Medic II Costs 5 perk points Passive: Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 20% faster! Active: Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet!	Heightened Senses II Costs 7 perk points Passive: You get an early warning when a creature is about to grab you. Active: 2 times per mission, you can escape after being grabbed, killing your captor in the process! (90 seconds cooldown)	Second Wind II Costs 3 perk points Get a 8% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 4.5 seconds.	See You In Hell II Costs 7 perk points Passive: Right after an enemy hits you with a melee attack you get a temporary melee damage bonus. Active: 3 times each mission, you can trigger a large neuro-pulse explosion after you go down. A residual neuro-electric field will electrocute and scare off enemies. (2 minute cooldown) Neuro-pulse radius increased!	Thorns II Costs 5 perk points Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 12 damage.

List of available Tier 3 perks
Three perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Veteran Depositor II Costs 3 perk points Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 30% faster! 20% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points!	Field Medic III Costs 7 perk points Passive: Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 25% faster! Active: Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet!	Resupplier I Costs 2 perk points You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 20% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 10% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload!	Iron Will I Costs 3 perk points Active: Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 6 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count!	Heightened Senses III Costs 11 perk points (21 total) Passive: You get an early warning when a creature is about to grab you. Active: 2 times per mission, you can escape after being grabbed, killing your captor in the process! (5 seconds cooldown)	Second Wind III Costs 5 perk points Get a 12% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 4.5 seconds.
See You In Hell III Costs 11 perk points (21 total) Passive: Right after an enemy hits you with a melee attack you get a temporary melee damage bonus. Active: 3 times each mission, you can trigger a large neuro-pulse explosion after you go down. A residual neuro-electric field will electrocute and scare off enemies. (1 minute cooldown) Neuro-pulse radius increased!	Thorns III Costs 8 perk points Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 18 damage.	Hover Boots I Costs 3 perk points Active: Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 2 seconds. (120 seconds cooldown)

List of available Tier 4 perks
Four perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Berzerker I Costs 3 perk points Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (10 minutes cooldown)	Veteran Depositor III Costs 5 perk points Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 40% faster! 20% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points!	Field Medic IV Costs 9 perk points (24 total) Passive: Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 30% faster! Upon reviving someone, nearby enemies flee! Active: Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet!	Sweet Tooth I Costs 2 perk points Getting a taste for that stuff! Get 10% more healing from consuming Red Sugar!	Resupplier II Costs 3 perk points You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 30% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 15% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload!	Iron Will II Costs 5 perk points Active: Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 8 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count!
Elemental Insulation I Costs 2 perk points Get 20% resistance to all elemental damage.	Second Wind IV Costs 7 perk points (17 total) Get a 12% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 4 seconds.	Thorns IV Costs 11 perk points (26 total) Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 24 damage.	New Passive Perk Slot I Costs 15 perk points Moving on up! Equip up to 2 passive perks at a time!	Hover Boots II Costs 5 perk points Active: Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 2.5 seconds. (105 seconds cooldown)

List of available Tier 5 perks
Five perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Berzerker II Costs 5 perk points Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (8 minutes cooldown)	Veteran Depositor IV Costs 7 perk points (17 total) Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 50% faster! 30% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE!	Sweet Tooth II Costs 5 perk points Getting a taste for that stuff! Get 20% more healing from consuming Red Sugar!	Resupplier III Costs 5 perk points You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 40% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 20% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload!	Unstoppable I Costs 2 perk points Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 20%! You move 10% faster while carrying heavy objects!	Iron Will III Costs 7 perk points Active: Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 10 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count!
Strong Arm I Costs 2 perk points You throw flares with 20% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 10% bonus throwing force.	Elemental Insulation II Costs 5 perk points Get 25% resistance to all elemental damage.	Hover Boots III Costs 7 perk points Active: Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 3 seconds. (90 seconds cooldown)

List of available Tier 6 perks
Five perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Berzerker III Costs 7 perk points Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (6 minutes cooldown)	Sweet Tooth III Costs 8 perk points (15 total) Getting a taste for that stuff! Get 30% more healing from consuming Red Sugar! 20% movement speed bonus for 10 seconds after consuming Red Sugar!	Resupplier IV Costs 7 perk points (17 total) You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 50% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 25% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload!	Unstoppable II Costs 3 perk points Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 30%! You move 15% faster while carrying heavy objects!	Iron Will IV Costs 9 perk points (24 total) Active: Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 12 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count!	Vampire I Costs 2 perk points Good thing you work underground! Regain 2 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack!
Strong Arm II Costs 3 perk points You throw flares with 30% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 10% bonus throwing force.	Elemental Insulation III Costs 8 perk points (15 total) Get 30% resistance to all elemental damage.	Dash I Costs 3 perk points Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (40 seconds cooldown)	Beast Master I Costs 3 perk points Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown)	Hover Boots IV Costs 9 perk points (24 total) Active: Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 3.5 seconds. (75 seconds cooldown)

List of available Tier 7 perks
Five perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Berzerker IV Costs 9 perk points (24 total) Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (4 minutes cooldown)	Deep Pockets I Costs 2 perk points Leave nothing behind! Each of your mineral pouches hold +5 more valuables!	Unstoppable III Costs 5 perk points Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 40%! You move 20% faster while carrying heavy objects!	Vampire II Costs 3 perk points Good thing you work underground! Regain 3 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack!	Strong Arm III Costs 5 perk points You throw flares with 40% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 20% bonus throwing force.	Born Ready I Costs 2 perk points Unequipped weapons automatically reload after 15 seconds.
Shield Link I Costs 3 perk points Passive: Whenever you are within 4m of a teammate, both of your shields recharge 50% faster! Active: You can overcharge a teammate’s shield to 300% for 20 seconds. (3 minutes cooldown)	Dash II Costs 5 perk points Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (35 seconds cooldown)	Beast Master II Costs 5 perk points Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) Tamed Grunts deal 100% more damage to their targets!

List of available Tier 8 perks
Five perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Deep Pockets II Costs 5 perk points Leave nothing behind! Each of your mineral pouches hold +10 more valuables!	Unstoppable IV Costs 7 perk points (17 total) Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 50%! You move 25% faster while carrying heavy objects!	Vampire III Costs 5 perk points Good thing you work underground! Regain 4 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack!	Strong Arm IV Costs 7 perk points (17 total) You throw flares with 50% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 20% bonus throwing force.	Born Ready II Costs 5 perk points Unequipped weapons automatically reload after 10 seconds.	Shield Link II Costs 7 perk points Passive: Whenever you are within 4m of a teammate, both of your shields recharge 50% faster! Active: You can overcharge a teammate’s shield to 300% for 30 seconds. (3 minutes cooldown)
Dash III Costs 7 perk points Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (30 seconds cooldown)	It's a Bug Thing I Costs 2 perk points For some reason, Loot Bugs explode whenever you get within 2m of them…!	Beast Master III Costs 7 perk points Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) Tamed Grunts deal 200% more damage to their targets!

List of available Tier 9 perks
Five perks required from previous Tiers to unlock.
Deep Pockets III Costs 8 perk points (15 total) Leave nothing behind! Each of your mineral pouches hold +15 more valuables!	Vampire IV Costs 7 perk points (17 total) Good thing you work underground! Regain 5 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack!	Born Ready III Costs 8 perk points (15 total) Unequipped weapons automatically reload after 5 seconds.	Shield Link III Costs 11 perk points (21 total) Passive: Whenever you are within 4m of a teammate, both of your shields recharge 50% faster! Active: You can overcharge a teammate’s shield to 300% for 30 seconds. (2 minutes cooldown)	Dash IV Costs 9 perk points (24 total) Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (25 seconds cooldown)	It's a Bug Thing II Costs 3 perk points (5 total) For some reason, Loot Bugs explode whenever you get within 5m of them…!
Beast Master IV Costs 9 perk points (24 total) Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) Tamed Grunts deal 300% more damage to their targets!	New Passive Perk Slot II Costs 20 perk points (35 total) Moving on up! Equip up to 3 passive perks at a time!

Milestones

Each milestone rewards the player with perk points; some milestones can only be claimed once. All milestones that can be claimed more than once will have their requirement increase each time it is claimed. The perk point reward amount remains constant. After completing the final requirement tier of a milestone, it will no longer appear in the milestones window. Total progress will still be tracked, and can be found on the statistics window.

Milestone progress is not cumulative. After claiming a completed milestone, your progress starts from zero.

Milestone	Requirements	Reward
Gain levels as the Driller	Gain 4/5/5/5 levels	5 perk points
Gain levels as the Engineer
Gain levels as the Gunner
Gain levels as the Scout
Complete Missions	Complete 10/15/20/25/30 missions	3 perk points
Complete Secondary Objectives	Complete 10/12/14/16/20 secondary objectives
Complete Egg Hunts	Complete 2/4/6/8/10 missions of specified type	2 perk points
Complete Eliminations
Complete Mining Expeditions
Complete Point Extractions
Complete Salvage Operations
Complete Escort Duties
Complete On-Site Refinings
Complete Industrial Sabotages
Complete Hazard 3 or Higher Missions	Complete 2/3/5/10/15 missions on specified difficulty or above
Complete Hazard 5 Missions	Complete 1/2/3/5/7 missions on Hazard 5
Complete Collect Apoca Bloom Objectives	Complete 2/4/6/8/10 secondary objectives of specified type (2/3/4/5/6 dystrum)
Complete Collect Boolo Cap Objectives
Complete Collect Dystrum Objectives
Complete Collect Ebonut Objectives
Complete Eliminate Fester Fleas Objectives
Complete Collect Fossil Objectives
Complete Collect Gunk Seed Objectives
Complete Collect Hollomite Objectives
Complete Missions in Crystalline Caverns	Complete 2/3/4/5/6 missions in specified biome
Complete Missions in Dense Biozone
Complete Missions in Fungus Bogs
Complete Missions in Glacial Strata
Complete Missions in Magma Core
Complete Missions in Radioactive Exclusion Zone
Complete Missions in Sandblasted Corridors
Complete Missions in The Salt Pits
Complete Missions in Azure Weald
Complete Missions in Hollow Bough
Complete 'Cave Leech Cluster' Warnings	Complete 1/2/3/4/5 missions with the specified mutator
Complete 'Exploder Infestation' Warnings
Complete 'Haunted Cave' Warnings
Complete 'Lethal Enemies' Warnings
Complete 'Low Oxygen' Warnings
Complete 'Mactera Plague' Warnings
Complete 'Parasites' Warnings
Complete 'Regenerative Bugs' Warnings
Complete 'Shield Disruption' Warnings
Complete 'Swarmageddon' Warnings
Complete 'Elite Threat' Warnings
Purchase Accessory Items	Purchase 5/10/15/20/25
Purchase Equipment Upgrades	Purchase 5/10/25/50/75
Complete Weapon License Assignments	Complete 1/3/4 of specified assignment
Complete Deep Dives	Complete 2/3/5 Deep Dives
Complete Elite Deep Dives	Complete 2/2/3 Elite Deep Dives
Reach Crafting Mastery Level	Reach Crafting Mastery Level 6/11/16/21/26
Forge Weapon Overclocks	Forge 4/8/12/16/20
Forge Equipment Skins	Forge 2/5/8
Forge Cosmetic Items	Forge2/4/6/8/10
Unlock Special Beers	Unlock Special Beers 3/3/6

Milestone Icons

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  Gain 5 levels as the DRILLER

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  Gain 5 levels as the ENGINEER

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  Gain 5 levels as the GUNNER

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  Gain 5 levels as the SCOUT

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  Complete Missions

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  Complete Secondary Objectives

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  Complete Egg Hunts

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  Complete Eliminations

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  Complete Mining Expeditions

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  Complete Point Extractions

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  Complete Salvage Operations

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  Complete Escort Duties

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  Complete On-Site Refinings

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  Complete Industrial Sabotages

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  Complete Hazard 3 or Higher Missions

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  Complete Hazard 5 Missions

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  Complete Collect Boolo Cap Objectives

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  Complete Collect Dystrum Objectives

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  Complete Collect Ebonut Objectives

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  Complete Collect Fossil Objectives

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  Complete Collect Gunk Seed Objectives

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  Complete Collect Hollomite Objectives

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  Complete Missions in Dense Biozone

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  Complete Missions in Fungus Bogs

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  Complete Missions in Glacial Strata

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  Complete Missions in Magma Core

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  Complete Missions in The Salt Pits

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  Complete Missions in Hollow Bough

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  Complete Missions in Azure Weald

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  Complete 'Cave Leech Cluster' Warnings

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  Complete 'Haunted Cave' Warnings

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  Complete 'Lethal Enemies' Warnings

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  Complete 'Low Oxygen' Warnings

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  Complete 'Mactera Plague' Warnings

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  Complete 'Parasites' Warnings

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  Complete 'Regenerative Bugs' Warnings

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  Complete 'No Shield' Warnings

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  Complete 'Swarmageddon' Warnings

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  Complete 'Elite Threat' Warnings

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  Purchase Accessory Items

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  Purchase Equipment Upgrades

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  Complete Weapon License Assignments

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  Complete Deep Dives

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  Complete Elite Deep Dives

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  Reach Crafting Mastery Level

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  Forge Cosmetic Items

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  Forge Equipment Skins

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  Forge Weapon Overclocks

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  Complete Collect Apoca Bloom Objectives

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  Complete Eliminate Fester Fleas Objectives

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  Complete 'Exploder Infestation' Warnings

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  Complete Missions in Crystalline Caverns

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  Complete Missions in Radioactive Exclusion Zone

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  Complete Missions in Sandblasted Corridors

Trivia

• As of Season 01: Rival Incursion, it costs 437 Perk Points to unlock everything and 600 Perk Points are available from Milestones, leaving 163 unused.
  • Before the Rebalance of the Hotfix 4 (Update 28) the total perks cost was 547 Perk Points, resulting in a total reduction of 22%.

See Also

• Equipment
• Terminals