This is the best way to prepare for 'Fallout 4,' which finally arrives next week

Thankfully, Bethesda Game Studios, the game's developer, offers several helpful video guides to prepare for your adventure in "The Wasteland" - the term for the ruins of society after the nuclear war of 2077, which your character was able to escape.

You see, there's a progression system in "Fallout 4" that most "Fallout" fans are familiar with: You get experience from discovering areas, killing bad guys, and more - but once you get enough experience to "level up," you get special points you can put towards changing your character's traits.

In "Fallout 4," your character has seven defining attributes: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck. You can easily remember these with the "S.P.E.C.I.A.L." acronym - but before you jump into the game, it's best to understand how it all works.

Here's a brief guide to each of these character perks, which includes fun video breakdowns from Bethesda Game Studios on how these "S.P.E.C.I.A.L." attributes affect gameplay in "Fallout 4."