So, I never really thought about getting the Night Person perk under Perception because getting an extra +2 / +3 INT and PER between 6pm and 6am (night time) never really seemed that useful. I snipe with the unaided non-VATS eyeball, so PER doesn't really do much for me and whatever extra little experience I get from a few more INT points hardly seems worth investing a perk point.

That said, the rank 2 perk has the added "benefit" of letting you see at night. At first I was worried it would be a "nightvision" kind of sight and I can't really see anything in that kind of view. So I saved up two perk points and intended to buy both ranks at once, try out the vision, and if I did not like it, load an earlier save.

Well, the good news is that the vision change is pretty clear --- it basically just makes it look like "daytime", without any green tinting or anything. It only works when sneaking, but then I'm almost always sneaking (especially at night) anyway.

The reason for this post / warning is that as handy as it can be to be able to see in dark places, there is a down side that I did not realize until later. While your view is not tinged green or anything, the simple brightness that pervades EVERYTHING tends to "wash out" the view. When I stood up from my crouch, and the night vision shut off, I realized how much more vibrant and colorful everything was, with the deep shadows and the flickering lights and so on.

Without using console commands, there's no way to get rid of a perk, so I'll live with it on this (first) play-through but in subsequent ones I'll be skipping this perk entirely. As useful as it is to be able to see clearly in the dark, it's too much of a sacrifice to lose the color and vibrancy and light/shadow interplay. If it were possible to have that quality of vision though, say, a modded set of Welders Goggles or Wrap-around Shades where i could toggle it on and off (like a Pip Boy light that would not, of course, alert anyone).... then that would be fine. But this perk? Buyer Beware.

Yeah, you get the same effect with Chameleon armor - fortunately it's only a quick pulse of NV - but during a bright, foggy day it's blinding.

The Chameleon effect makes the entire Pip-Boy almost unreadable and the map is just a massive blob of color (the world map not the local one that always seems a big blob...it's even worse (not sure how that's even possible)).

Wait you saved up two perks, used them at once to try it out the second tier, but never saved before applying the perks in case you didn't like it?

I never had an interest in the Perk anyway as I can always find something better ... or just add a point to some SPECIAL. Honestly I can already tell there's a dozen perks in this game that I will never use regardless of how many hours I play or role-plays I try.

I saved the two points, tried it out and ~thought~ I liked it. I could have rolled back to a point before I spent those two points but I didn't realize the impact until much, much later. I just happened to stand up inside a building with a bonfire in the middle of it and realized the color, vibrancy, shadows and depth.... just about made me cry it was so beautiful. Then I crouched down and it went to a flat, very-clear and easy to see, well-lit image and I realized I was too far gone to reload the pre-choice savegame.

As you note, there are a lot of perks that (to me) seem largely useless. I thought this was one of them (based on the +PER/INT only) but figured I MIGHT like the better vision at night. And at first, I did. It's only after realizing what I'd lost that I look back and think that i could have better spent those two points.

Another perk I am going to experiment with some day is Aqua-Girl. I have not run across many underwater sections (yet) and while the rad damage from water is annoying, I'm not sure I want to sink a ton of points into END to get Aqua Girl.

I wouldn't consider Cap Collector, either (who needs to buy anything?) except it's a pre-req for the best Vendor Shops you can create for a settlement. I haven't gotten that perk ~yet~ and I may never. Without personal experience, though, it's hard to ~know~ that it's worthless.

At least you didn't spend 6 levels to raise Endurance to 9 and put a point in Ghoulish, only to find out then that you still die from radiation

I should have researched the damn perk on the internet before going through that much trouble for it.

So you're like Riddike now, except the goggles do nothing.

i really hope bethesda can fix this in a patch.
it is like sneaking while someone is flashing their cars big lights at you.

either let me redo my perks in some way or change the night vision to actual night vision in dark places