Now that they've changed the perk system, what are bobble heads going to do? Before they would just increase the points in a perk, but obviously now that's not a thing. Is it going to give us a unique perk? Maybe let us put a point into a perk? What?

For now we technically dont know, my guess is indeed they give a free rank in a perk.

or a +1 to Special like old ones.

Nobody really knows. It's all up to speculation.

In Fallout 3, they gave you a boost to your skills and stats. In New Vegas they were replaced with Snow Globes that could be turned in for a rather generous sum of caps.

This time, with the changes that are being implemented, there really is just not enough evidence or clues.

They will do the same as in fallout 3

7 bobbles 1 for each special
7-10 heads 1 rank for 7-10 perks

Bobble heads gonna bobble.

Hopefully just a unique perk. Its stupid to increase a SPECIAL because after you remember the location you start to metagame without even knowing it. I know there is a bobble head for strenght in the next town over so I can put that point somewhere else. What I would like to see is randomized locations no matter what decision they end up making.

There are 21 slots in the bobble head stand as shown in the garage. 7 per three levels.

At 24:10 in the E3 video it shows the stand, and three bobbleheads in the inventory. The three are Agility, Charisma, and Barter. 2 of those are obviously SPECIAL, Agility and Charisma, and the third, Barter, is likely a rank in the Barter perk. There are only 20 slots on the stand, not 21. You likely get 1 for each category of SPECIAL, and the remaining 13 are probably just a rank in a perk. If you have the perk already, it might just give you a second or third rank in that perk.

I agree that bobble-heads will likely give one SPECIAL point, or one rank in perks-formerly-known-as-skills. That makes me wonder, though: what happens if you don't meet the SPECIAL level requirement for the perk in question? Do you get the perk anyway? Do you have to wait until you reach the SPECIAL level to cash in the bobble-head?

Im assuming these perks are all rather low level, under 5 in each stat so i dont think getting lvl 1 in lock pick would be that game breaking even if you only had lvl 3 agility vs lvl 4.

Here's what I could figure out:

First of all, the most likely function of bobbleheads is to give us either 1 free stat point, or 1 free rank in a skill/perk.

There are 20 slots on the stand, which would allow for 7 stats + 13 skills/perks from the chart. The ones we know so far are Agility and Charisma under the first category and Barter under the second. Out of all 70 entries on the chart, my best understanding of which of these constitute skills (what I call primary skills) is that these would include any that cover damage from a primary weapon group, as well as crafting for all weapons/armor, and any perks that open up basic areas of infiltration/stealth gameplay. I have identified all of these on my thread as the following:

Damage: Brawler, Big Leaguer, Rookie, Commando

Crafting: Armorer, Weaponsmith, Gun Nut, Science!

Stealth: Infiltrator, Code Breaker, Hacker, Sneak

All Three: Firestarter

I believe that all 13 primary skills have a set of associated skill books that would eventually unlock 1 free rank, as well as giving us a unique schematic. All primary skills have 5 ranks, except for the crafting skills, which have 4. Now, we know that the Barter bobblehead is related to the Cap Collector perk, which suggests that some of the bobbleheads are not related to primary skills. The most likely candidates for skills with no bobblehead would be the 4 crafting skills, as they all have less ranks. The 4 remaining bobbleheads would therefore be allocated to what could effectively be called 'secondary skills', which would be Cap Collector, Local Leader, Medic, and Gymnast, and the 4 associated bobbleheads would be called Barter, Speech, Medicine, and Acrobatics.

Some increase SPECIAL by 1, others grant certain perk ranks.

They're gonna bobble.

They probably just add one point to a Special or a rank. Then again they could just be worth a lot of money and have a quest tied to them.

I hope they do absolutely nothing, I hate having to plan a character around finding them where I would otherwise just gimp myself.

you made me inhale my sandwich laughing... thanks for that lol

Yes, but will there be one bobblehead that ?doesn't bobble? Remember, in Fallout 3 the Lockpick bobblehead does not bobble, and is the only one that doesn't.

Might be wishful thinking, but I kind of hope that the "skill" bobbleheads give some unique perk, as opposed to just +1 Rank in one of the basic perks.

You say 'having to'. No one's putting the gun to your head to do that. There is a difference between wanting to and having to. You say that as though getting that stat will make your break your gameplay experience.

Agreed. Bobbleheads are not that easy to find, at least not all of them anyway. I don't plan to spec anything past 8 to start with until I see how and what perks are out there. Until I see that, and find how the heads will add to it, I also probably wouldn't go past 9. This is how I plan to do it. There is nothing stopping anyone from just going to 10 in a category at the start, but still finding a BH. With infinite leveling, there will always be a chance to put a point somewhere that you might want or need it.

Mine just sits on my desk and when we have an earthquake it's head moves around.

I tend to think it's kind of obvious the 7 at the top +1 your SPECIAL (as in the past) and I hoping the others might open up Perks / Ranks you cannot get (easily) from other methods (to actually give additional incentive to obtain them).

Yeah, I certainly never left a skill at 90 in Fallout 3, just because I hadn't found the bobble for it yet. If the skill was important to my build/character/whatever, I'd push it up there, regardless of skill books or bobbles. (Heck, I think the most bobbles I've ever found on one char in FO3 is maybe half. Only ones I definitely remember the locations of are Strength & Int. Well, and Medicine is a gimme, being there in the tutorial level.)

edit: and I don't believe I've ever set starting SPECIAL above 7, so that part (not going above 9) has never been an issue for me.

Really, you don't have a guy dressed up like a bobblehead pointing a gun at your head demanding you to get all of them or he'll shoot you? I always thought that was a normal thing.

And I suppose it wouldn't ruin my experience, but I just hate that I can't max out the stats that I want just because of some magical collectibles that raises my stats and would therefor waste that stat point. I usually just say to hell with it and max them out anyways, but it does still annoy me a little.

Edit: That is a good point about the unlimited leveling, that does make the wasted stat point much more insignificant. And just in case anyone decides to bring up implants, they at least cost something to get so I didn't mind not getting them.