
tl;dr: Perks are passive bonuses you slot into a battleframe. A frame unlocks its own perks while leveling, perks of other frames come from Elite Ranks. What limits you is the perk bandwidth: every perk costs between 1 and 9 points and you get one point per level from level 10 on.
Coming from an older version? Before update 1.6 a frame unlocked a perk every 10 levels, and for the Accord perks you had to level the Accord frame to 40, even if you never used it again. Now they're part of leveling the advanced frame, with a perk every 5 levels.
| Unlocked at Level | Perks | Cost of Each |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | 1 point |
| 15, 20 and 25 | 4 (two of them at level 25) | 3 points |
| 30 and 35 | 2 | 6 points |
| 40 and 45 | 2 | 9 points |
The game sorts the perks into the tiers Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Master. Generally speaking, the later a perk unlocks, the more it costs.
At level 45 you have 36 points. The nine perks a frame unlocks cost 43 points in total, so even without any perk of another frame you can't equip everything. Elite Ranks can raise the bandwidth by up to 49 points, one point per pick.
There's one more perk every advanced frame gets at level 20: Microcompression Suspension, which lets you survive a fall from any height. It's the same for all frames, so I left it out of the lists below.
Perks are changed at a garage. Open the loadout (default key: P), go to the Perks tab, drag the perks you want into the slots and press Lock In Perks. A frame can have at most ten perks slotted, no matter how much bandwidth it has.
Keep in mind that locking in is meant literally: afterwards you can't change the perks of that frame for 24 hours. The lock ends early whenever the frame earns a new perk point, so while leveling you'll rarely notice it. At level 45 you will.
That's what perk respecs are for. A respec point lets you lock in a new set while the timer is still running, and every lock-in during that time uses up one point. You buy them in the same window with Red Beans (Unlock Perks). On the live servers of 2016 one respec point was 2 Red Beans.
The Accord frame unlocks the first two perks of its archetype at level 10 and 15. Since the Accord frame turns into the advanced frame at level 20, both advanced frames of an archetype share those two and then go their own way. Two frames of the same archetype also share one or two of the later perks, e.g. Tigerclaw and Firecat both get Invigorate and Second Wind.
Perks you've unlocked on one frame aren't automatically available on the others. To use Hunter on a Rhino, the Rhino has to get it offered as an Elite Rank reward, and those are offered in the order the original frame unlocks them.
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Quick-Flexing Servos 1 point | Increases jump height by 3 meters. |
| 15 | ![]() | Plasma Enthusiast 3 points | Thermal weapons and abilities deal 10% additional damage. |
| 20 | ![]() | Quick Hands 3 points | Reduces weapon switching time by 45%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Plasma Scoops 3 points | After taking Thermal damage, grants bonus Jet Energy regeneration (80 energy/sec) for 4 seconds. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 10 seconds. |
| 25 | ![]() | Quick-Pivot Servos 3 points | Increases base movement speed by 0.25 meters per second and sprint speed by 5%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Invigorate 6 points | Activating an ability invigorates you and your allies within 8m, increasing movement and rate of fire by 10% for 6 seconds. |
| 35 | ![]() | Eye of the Tiger 6 points | Reduces the cooldown of movement abilities by 10% |
| 40 | ![]() | Second Wind 9 points | Killing 5 or more enemies within 5 seconds while your health is below 35% heals you for 60% of your maximum health. |
| 45 | ![]() | Hunter 9 points | Shooting an enemy grants 5% bonus damage against that enemy for 3 seconds. Shooting the same target repeatedly increases the damage once per second up to a maximum of 20% bonus damage. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Quick-Flexing Servos 1 point | Increases jump height by 3 meters. |
| 15 | ![]() | Plasma Enthusiast 3 points | Thermal weapons and abilities deal 10% additional damage. |
| 20 | ![]() | Searing Flames 3 points | When you deal Thermal damage to a target, their damage is reduced by 2% for 5 seconds, stacking up to 20%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Extinguisher 3 points | Reduces Thermal damage taken by 15%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Epicenter 3 points | Increases the damage dealt by area effect abilities which emanate from you by 15%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Invigorate 6 points | Activating an ability invigorates you and your allies within 8m, increasing movement and rate of fire by 10% for 6 seconds. |
| 35 | ![]() | Corpse Combustion 6 points | When an enemy is killed, their corpse bursts into flames for 6 seconds, damaging enemies (40 hp/s at level 1) within 3m. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 3 seconds. |
| 40 | ![]() | Second Wind 9 points | Killing 5 or more enemies within 5 seconds while your health is below 35% heals you for 60% of your maximum health. |
| 45 | ![]() | Flame Buffer 9 points | Activating abilities creates a fire shield that burns enemies (5 hp/sec at level 1) within 4m. After several seconds, the buffer explodes, dealing damage to nearby enemies (20 hp at level 1). |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Get a Move On 1 point | Increases run speed by 10% while weapon is holstered. |
| 15 | ![]() | Knockout 3 points | Increases melee damage by 15%. Attacks with Brawling-type and Hammer-type Auxiliary Weapons now have a 25% chance to stun targets for 2 seconds. |
| 20 | ![]() | Harden 3 points | After taking damage, your armor hardens to reduce all damage taken by 2% for 4 seconds, stacking up to 10%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Thick Skull 3 points | Reduces all headshot damage taken by 20%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Shields Up 3 points | Increases the health of all shields by 20%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Deflection Plating 6 points | Damage from all sources is reduced by 5%. |
| 35 | ![]() | Thick Hide 6 points | Increases Bonus Health by 25% |
| 40 | ![]() | Hellbent 9 points | Suffering damage causes your Battleframe's offensive systems to go into overdrive, increasing damage dealt by 5% for 10 seconds. Taking repeated damage increases the bonus by 5% per two seconds up to a maximum of 25% bonus damage. |
| 45 | ![]() | Health Surge 9 points | Activating an ability heals you for 15% of your maximum health over 10 seconds. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Get a Move On 1 point | Increases run speed by 10% while weapon is holstered. |
| 15 | ![]() | Knockout 3 points | Increases melee damage by 15%. Attacks with Brawling-type and Hammer-type Auxiliary Weapons now have a 25% chance to stun targets for 2 seconds. |
| 20 | ![]() | Back in Action 3 points | Reduces respawn timer by 50%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Self-Cleaning Servos 3 points | Reduces all snare effects and durations by 50%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Stampede 3 points | Sprinting slows targets within 4m, reducing their movement speed by 50%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Deflection Plating 6 points | Damage from all sources is reduced by 5%. |
| 35 | ![]() | Kill Stealer 6 points | Increases weapon and ability damage by 30% against targets below 50% health. |
| 40 | ![]() | Hellbent 9 points | Suffering damage causes your Battleframe's offensive systems to go into overdrive, increasing damage dealt by 5% for 10 seconds. Taking repeated damage increases the bonus by 5% per two seconds up to a maximum of 25% bonus damage. |
| 45 | ![]() | Hero 9 points | When health reaches zero, become immune to damage for 5 seconds. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 15 minutes. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Fuel Injectors 1 point | Increases Jet Energy Recharge rate by 20%. |
| 15 | ![]() | Resonating Shields 3 points | Increases the duration of ability shield effects by 2 seconds. |
| 20 | ![]() | Hardware Genius 3 points | Increases damage dealt to deployables, machinery, and vehicles by 20%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Reactive Armor 3 points | Reduces first instance of damage taken by 20%. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 10 seconds. |
| 25 | ![]() | Resilient Alloys 3 points | Increases health of your non-shield deployables by 15%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Mounted Firepower 6 points | Increases the damage of your deployables by 25%. |
| 35 | ![]() | Sentient Armor 6 points | When hit, automatically adjusts Battleframe armor to reduce damage from that damage type by 10% for 10 seconds. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 12 seconds. |
| 40 | ![]() | Hyper Kinesis Surge 9 points | When your Ultimate Ability is activated, gain a 130% speed boost and a 40% defensive bonus for 12 seconds. |
| 45 | ![]() | Deployable Repulsor 9 points | Applies a repulsor unit to all of your owned deployables. The repulsor unit will detect enemies in close proximity and knock them back. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Fuel Injectors 1 point | Increases Jet Energy Recharge rate by 20%. |
| 15 | ![]() | Resonating Shields 3 points | Increases the duration of ability shield effects by 2 seconds. |
| 20 | ![]() | Combustion Boost 3 points | Adds an additional +60 Jet Energy. |
| 25 | ![]() | Magnetic Shielding 3 points | Reduces all Kinetic damage taken by 15%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Augmented Shield Generators 3 points | Reduces the cooldown of support abilities by 10% |
| 30 | ![]() | Mounted Firepower 6 points | Increases the damage of your deployables by 25%. |
| 35 | ![]() | Rapid Kinesis Assemblage 6 points | Increases the charge rate of your Ultimate Ability by 20%. |
| 40 | ![]() | Hyper Kinesis Surge 9 points | When your Ultimate Ability is activated, gain a 130% speed boost and a 40% defensive bonus for 12 seconds. |
| 45 | ![]() | High Yield Capacitors 9 points | Activating your Ultimate Ability instantly refreshes your cooldowns. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Head Hunter 1 point | Increases critical damage by 10%. |
| 15 | ![]() | SIN Precision 3 points | Targets you place into SIN are visible behind walls. |
| 20 | ![]() | Special Operations 3 points | Reduces cooldown of offensive abilities by 10% |
| 25 | ![]() | SIN ICE 3 points | When damaged or added to enemy SIN, tags your attacker in SIN. |
| 25 | ![]() | Ballistics Expert 3 points | Kinetic weapons and abilities deal 10% additional damage. |
| 30 | ![]() | Tactician 6 points | When you inflict a critical damage, there is a 20% chance of resetting your ability cooldowns. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 60 seconds. |
| 35 | ![]() | Sure Shot 6 points | Dealing weapon damage has a 10% chance to trigger a 50% rate of fire boost for 3 seconds. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 10 seconds. |
| 40 | ![]() | Energy Spikes 9 points | Activating an ability will deploy an energy spike trap at your location which lasts 10 seconds. Enemies in the trap are snared (-60% movement speed) and take damage over time (10hp/sec at level 1) while in the trap and for 2 seconds after leaving it. |
| 45 | ![]() | Concussion Shells 9 points | Critical hits reduce enemy movement speed and attack speed to 25% of normal and have a 25% chance to stun targets. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Head Hunter 1 point | Increases critical damage by 10%. |
| 15 | ![]() | SIN Precision 3 points | Targets you place into SIN are visible behind walls. |
| 20 | ![]() | Grenadier 3 points | No description in the client data. |
| 25 | ![]() | Feedback Circuits 3 points | Reduces all Energy damage taken by 10%. Additionally, after taking Energy damage, stores 20% of damage taken. This damage is unleashed on the next target shot with your weapon within 10 seconds. |
| 25 | ![]() | Physicist 3 points | Increases weapon charging speed by 10%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Tactician 6 points | When you inflict a critical damage, there is a 20% chance of resetting your ability cooldowns. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 60 seconds. |
| 35 | ![]() | Energy Shaping 6 points | Increases melee damage by 15%. Attacks with Sword-type Auxiliary Weapons now deal 50% additional damage from behind the target. |
| 40 | ![]() | Energy Spikes 9 points | Activating an ability will deploy an energy spike trap at your location which lasts 10 seconds. Enemies in the trap are snared (-60% movement speed) and take damage over time (10hp/sec at level 1) while in the trap and for 2 seconds after leaving it. |
| 45 | ![]() | Arcing Bolts 9 points | Energy weapons chain weapon damage to an enemy within 10m. Each arc inflicts 30% damage and will continue to chain to new targets within 10m. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Persistence 1 point | Increases total health regeneration by 10%. |
| 15 | ![]() | Bio Blending 3 points | Increases damage dealt while at full health by 10%. |
| 20 | ![]() | Bio Reserves 3 points | Reduces the cooldown of all healing abilities by 10% |
| 25 | ![]() | Melding Converter 3 points | Reduces all Melding damage taken by 10%. After taking Melding damage, heal 5% of your maximum health over 4 seconds. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 10 seconds. |
| 25 | ![]() | Frequent Patient 3 points | Increases healing received by 10%. |
| 30 | ![]() | Catalytic Poisons 6 points | Targets hit with Chemical damage have additional damage dealt as a delayed burst (15 base damage at level 1) 4 seconds after being infected. |
| 35 | ![]() | Combat Medic 6 points | Reviving incapacitated players will restore them to full health. Additionally, increases your health regeneration and that of squadmates within 100m and other allies within 8m by 20%. |
| 40 | ![]() | Toxic Finale 9 points | Upon being incapacitated, detonate a powerful chemical bomb in an 8m radius around you that damages enemies and heals allies for 20hp/sec (at level 1) for 10 seconds. |
| 45 | ![]() | Auto-repair 9 points | Increases your health regeneration by 25%. Additionally, if you take an instance of damage greater than 25% of your maximum health, your health regeneration is doubled for 10 seconds. |
| Level | Perk | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ![]() | Persistence 1 point | Increases total health regeneration by 10%. |
| 15 | ![]() | Bio Blending 3 points | Increases damage dealt while at full health by 10%. |
| 20 | ![]() | Necrotic Bite 3 points | Increases damage done to Humanoid targets by 8%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Ventilator 3 points | Reduces Chemical damage taken by 15%. |
| 25 | ![]() | Virus 3 points | Chemical weapons and abilities deal 10% additional damage. |
| 30 | ![]() | Catalytic Poisons 6 points | Targets hit with Chemical damage have additional damage dealt as a delayed burst (15 base damage at level 1) 4 seconds after being infected. |
| 35 | ![]() | Potent Toxins 6 points | Weapons and abilities that deal Chemical damage reduce the targets' movement speed by 30% for 4 seconds. |
| 40 | ![]() | Toxic Finale 9 points | Upon being incapacitated, detonate a powerful chemical bomb in an 8m radius around you that damages enemies and heals allies for 20hp/sec (at level 1) for 10 seconds. |
| 45 | ![]() | Anatomy Lessons 9 points | When dealing damage with your weapon, there is a 10% chance to enter a critical state for 5 seconds, increasing weapon damage by 50%. |
The values in the descriptions that say "at level 1" scale with the level of the battleframe.