The 10 best legendary effects in Fallout 4 are:

Fallout 4 is known for taking some deviations from the standard formula of Fallout and introducing new mechanics into the series. One new mechanic introduced in Fallout 4 is legendary equipment. Legendary equipment refers to various types of weapons and armor that come with a unique effect. Think of the enchanted equipment system in Skyrim, but with the addition of firearms.

Although all legendary effects are intended to bring advantages to the player, there are some effects that appear particularly worthwhile even at endgame levels. So, if you come across something with one of these unique effects, it's best to hold onto it.

10 Bloodied

If you enjoy playing fast and recklessly, seeking high rewards, then the legendary effect "Bloody" is just right for you. This effect causes the weapon it is on to deal increasingly more damage the lower your health is. That means every shot you take will be extremely powerful when you're teetering between life and death.

A guaranteed weapon with this attribute is the Survivalist's Special laser rifle. It is carried by Paladin Brandis, who is part of the quest "The Lost Patrol." You can either steal it from him or convince him to return to the Brotherhood of Steel and have him give it to you.

9 Instigating

The legendary effect "Instigating" grants your weapon the ability to deal double damage, but only once. The double damage effect only occurs when the target is at full health. If a target has already lost a portion of its health before you engage it, the effect won't occur. If you prefer shooting from a distance, you'll find that with a well-placed headshot, you can kill or at least critically injure even the toughest enemies.

You don't have to travel too far to find an Instigating weapon. Arturo, the weapons vendor in Diamond City, sells "Old Faithful," a laser pistol with this effect.

8 Lucky

Another change that Fallout 4 has brought to the series concerns the functioning of critical hits. In VATS mode, every successful shot fills up a critical meter, which, when activated, allows for a guaranteed critical hit. The legendary effect "Lucky" enables you to deal double damage with a critical hit and also fills the critical meter 15 percent faster.

That means if you have many luck-based perks and possess a weapon with the "Lucky" effect, you will constantly achieve critical hits. This effect is particularly well-suited for rifles and shotguns, less so for automatic weapons. A guaranteed weapon with this effect is the "Righteous Authority," a laser rifle that will be given to you by Paladin Danse after assisting him at ArcJet Systems.

7 Never-Ending

Imagine having a double-barreled shotgun that you never have to reload. This allows you to continuously unleash shotgun shells on anything foolish enough to stand before you. The attribute "Infinite" grants the weapon it is attached to essentially an endless magazine, so you never have to reload. Of course, this doesn't mean that your weapon runs out of ammunition while you keep firing it.

However, there is an exception to this rule. If you travel to Nuka-World and fight in the arena until you defeat the "Rogue Knight," who drops the "Aeternus," a Gatling laser with the "Infinite" effect. Due to the way the Gatling laser uses Fusion Cores as ammunition, the Aeternus never runs out of ammo, providing you with a truly endless barrage of lasers that you can unleash.

6 The World Series 2076 Bat

Okay, while not a legendary effect, this unique baseball bat has an effect that no other weapon in Fallout 4 possesses: the chance to knock enemies off their feet.

In the treasure room of Jamaica Plains, you can find the World Series 2076 baseball bat, which offers a small chance to send enemies flying through the air - and when we say "through the air," we mean they are launched several good meters up into the sky. Whenever this happens, you'll hear the sound of a baseball being hit, followed by a cheering crowd, reminiscent of this all-American pastime, while you turn whatever you've hit into a red mist.

5 Staggering

At first glance, it may not seem particularly powerful to knock an enemy off balance. However, this legendary effect focuses on continuously throwing the enemy off balance and preventing them from attacking or defending against your assaults.

While the effect of knocking enemies off balance may not be particularly useful on non-automatic weapons, it is incredibly potent on certain weapons—especially on one of the many powerful melee weapons in Fallout 4. If you travel to Far Harbor, you can find "The Harvester" in the Echo Lake Lumber Mill. This Ripper, with its incredibly fast attack speed, stun-locks your enemy by constantly knocking them off balance as you thrust into them.

4 Furious

It is widely known that every enemy is defeated by striking them as often as possible. That's what the legendary effect "Furious" is all about. This effect increases the damage of the weapon each time it hits an enemy and only resets when the respective enemy dies or the player stops attacking.

Since the effect requires you to continuously pummel the enemy, it is a perfect modification for automatic weapons or melee weapons. An automatic shotgun or a submachine gun, for example, are excellent options due to their high rate of fire, while a melee weapon like the Ripper, with its multiple hits per second, will slice through every enemy in breathtaking speed. A guaranteed weapon with the "Furious" effect can be found in Swan's Pond in the form of a power fist wielded by Swan himself.

3 Two Shot

Imagine having a rocket launcher that could fire two rockets simultaneously, or perhaps a double-barreled shotgun that fires four rounds instead of two. All these possibilities become a reality when your weapon has the legendary effect "Two-Shot."

The beauty of the "Two-Shot" legendary effect is that it grants your firearm a second projectile while still consuming only a single round of ammunition. You massively increase your damage with each shot without using additional ammo. This powerful effect is particularly potent with explosive weapons like the Fat Man or rocket launchers. Arturo in Diamond City, who also sells the "Old Faithful" weapon, offers the "Big Boy," a Fat Man that fires two mini nukes for the price of one. That's what you call overkill!

2 Wounding

As many wise men have said, "If it bleeds, it can die." The legendary effect "Bleeding" seeks to put that statement to the test. Any enemy struck by a weapon with this attribute will bleed for five seconds, losing 25 hit points in the process.

The Bleeding effect is triggered with each hit, which means that even two or three hits on an enemy are enough to significantly reduce a considerable portion of their health or, depending on your level, instantly kill them. Humans, ghouls, and mutants can all bleed, making this modification highly effective for quickly decimating hordes of them. You can find Pickman's Blade, a knife with this bloody modification, by completing the side quest "Pickman's Gallery" in Back Bay.

1 Explosive

If there's one thing that every video game teaches, it's that there's nothing that a few explosives can't handle. The legendary effect "Explosive" takes it a step further by granting your firearms the ability to trigger a small explosion with each shot fired.

Already a powerful effect in itself, the Explosive modifier becomes truly exaggerated when applied to a combat shotgun or an automatic weapon, as the wide spread of the bullets causes explosive damage with each hit. The explosion also has a small area-of-effect, meaning that any enemy (or neutral NPCs) in close proximity to your target will also take damage. The traveling merchant Cricket sells an Explosive submachine gun called "Spray n' Pray" - a weapon that will quickly prove its worth.