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Description
Survival Mode Brotherhood Knight:

Special:

S: 9
P: 1
E: 6
C: 1
I: 9
A: 1
L: 1

Put the extra point from the SPECIAL book in Endurance.

Perks:

lvl 2: Nuclear Physicist
lvl 3: Heavy Gunner
lvl 4: Rooted
lvl 5: Science!
Lvl 6: Gun Nut
lvl 7: Armorer
lvl 8: Hacker
lvl 9: Medic
lvl 10: Endurance +1
lvl 11: Heavy Gunner II
lvl 12: Hacker II
lvl 13: Gun Nut II
lvl 14: Nuclear Physicist II
lvl 15: Armorer II
lvl 16: Endurance +1
lvl 17: Science! II
lvl 18: Medic II
lvl 19: Charisma +1
lvl 20: Charisma +1
lvl 21: Heavy Gunner III
lvl 22: Rooted II
lvl 23: Hacker III
lvl 24: Charisma +1
lvl 25: Gun Nut III
lvl 26: Nuclear Physicist III
lvl 27: Armorer III
lvl 28: Science! III
lvl 29: Charisma +1
lvl 30: Medic III
lvl 31: Charisma +1
lvl 32: Local Leader
lvl 33: Cap Collector
lvl 34: Local Leader II
lvl 35: Heavy Gunner IV
lvl 36: Pain Train
lvl 37: Cap Collector II
lvl 38: Pain Train II
lvl 39: Gun Nut IV
lvl 40: Armorer IV
lvl 41: Science! IV
lvl 42: Cap Collector III
lvl 43: Rooted III
lvl 44: Charisma +1
lvl 45: Lifegiver
lvl 46: Charisma +1
lvl 47: Heavy Gunner V
lvl 48: Charisma +1
lvl 49: Medic IV
lvl 50: Pain Train III

Weapons:

Gatling Laser

Armor:

T-60 Power Armour

Companions:

Codsworth: Robot Sympathy
Danse: Know Your Enemy
Preston Garvey: United We Stand (Explanation in Description)

Optional:
Cait: Trigger Rush
Curie: Combat Medic
Strong: Berserk

Description

The first twenty levels are going to suck. There's no way to go around this, so expect to rage quit and break at least two computer screens/game consoles. The reason is simple: you don't have access to power armour, which you need to play a non-stealth build on Survival. Early-game you will rely on two different things: Rooted and chems. The former may not seem like a great perk compared to the DR you'll get from Power Armour, but those 25 ballistic and energy DR are so useful the first ten levels. It changes an extremely frustrating fight (like the raiders at the Corvega Assembly Plant for the repair bobblehead.) into manageable, yet still intense battles. Even later on those 50 DR and ability to disarm melee users can help in a pinch, because you need every DR you can get your hands on. Of course, you only need to stand still, but you'll usually use cover when fighting anyway. Chems are for when you need to move, especially chems like (psycho) jet that slow down time so you can move and hit what you're aiming at.

The T-45 power armour you get at the start of the game is useless. It contains too little DR. I wouldn't even waste resources trying to upgrade it. You need to get a fully optimised T-60 or X-01 power armour set to be able to walk around without pissing your pants whenever a dog approaches.
Pain Train is an extremely fun perk to have once you get your hands on your strength bobblehead. It allows for some crowd control (mostly for animals and monsters) and helps you out when you need to run to shelter or away from a fight. I'd stick with T-60, because it's easier to repair than the X-01. You will already spend all of your money as it is on ammo and junk.

These costs is why this build slowly adds charisma while playing. You need to build up settlements as quickly as possible for a reliable source of beds and income. You'll have fewer settlements to milk for all their worth if you do the Teagan quests, but the settlements you'll build up yourself should sustain you. Start with Sanctuary (build a water purifier and get plenty of food growing) and then move on to Starlight Drive In and Sunshine Tide Co-Op. It creates a nice triangle of saving goodness. Set up supply lines (with Local Leader) between all your settlements to share all the junk so you don't have to move to Sanctuary Hills all the time.

Time for combat: this is another reason the first twenty levels are going to suck. You don't have a powerful weapon, as the only heavy weapon worth a damn is the gatling laser. Nothing else is worth it; you can't replenish the 5mm ammo for extended minigun use and the missiles weigh to much; 7lbs per missile. However, once you get to the Prydwin and get your hands on a sweet Gatling Laser (save up from the start to buy it; you'll probably only have 3 charisma) you're pretty much set. Try to upgrade it as quickly as possible to maintain your bullet and fusion core cost, because mid-game that'll be your only problem. Fusion cores weigh a lot, but you can maintain that by selling all other ammo. Try to keep around 10 fusion cores in your inventory at all times. Restock at the Prydwin if you run out by using a vertibird grenade.

You can choose to use the laser and plasma rifle with Rifleman instead, but in terms of DPS the gatling laser is clearly superior. Considering that ghouls and other monsters can still three to five shot you having a high dps is extremely useful. Earlier on I stuck with Righteous Authority. It's a powerful laser rifle for your early game needs.

One more combat-related tip: run away when you're overwhelmed by foes, especially early-game. There's no shame in it and it WILL keep you alive longer. One foe at a time is a lot easier than fighting five at once.

Companions:

Early game I'd go with Codsworth. Unless you're a complete prick you should be able to get his affinity to 1,000 by the time you get to the second act and the Brotherhood arrives. His perk is useless, but he's a pretty good tank that'll distract your foes while you take potshots. Just keep in mind that once he's down you pretty much have to abandon him, as the robot repair kit is not worth making. Those fusion cells especially will be useful for using Righteous Authority.

Danse is essentially a superior tank in every way. Bigger, more resilient and you only need a stimpak to heal him up once he goes down. This guy is also why you need at least 6 charisma during his personal quest: convincing Maxson to spare him will require that much charisma and even then you should prepare to reload several times to pass the speech check. You want to spare Danse because his perk is incredibly powerful. Especially when you fight mutants.

Preston Jacobs: this is a choice you have to make. He's got an incredibly useful perk and he's useful for the early-game settlement/bed farming you probably should do, but it also means you have to rebuild the Minutemen and/or constantly have him in your party when you're upgrading weapons. As a full-time companion he's useless. He's a sniper and you need tanks to distract.

Optionals: Cait and Curie provide useful emergency perks that can help you out. Both gals also support the Brotherhood, so depending on how you play you can get their affinity very quickly. I love Curie, so I always stick with her as my companion, but Cait is better as she's more of a tank that'll try to get into your foes face (hiding and all that).
Strong is another choice and he's useful as a tank, but keep in mind that his perk is useless and I mostly list him because he tends to approve of combat, which you'll be in a lot.

Description
Survival Mode Brotherhood Knight:

Special:

S: 9
P: 1
E: 6
C: 1
I: 9
A: 1
L: 1

Put the extra point from the SPECIAL book in Endurance.

Perks:

lvl 2: Nuclear Physicist
lvl 3: Heavy Gunner
lvl 4: Rooted
lvl 5: Science!
Lvl 6: Gun Nut
lvl 7: Armorer
lvl 8: Hacker
lvl 9: Medic
lvl 10: Endurance +1
lvl 11: Heavy Gunner II
lvl 12: Hacker II
lvl 13: Gun Nut II
lvl 14: Nuclear Physicist II
lvl 15: Armorer II
lvl 16: Endurance +1
lvl 17: Science! II
lvl 18: Medic II
lvl 19: Charisma +1
lvl 20: Charisma +1
lvl 21: Heavy Gunner III
lvl 22: Rooted II
lvl 23: Hacker III
lvl 24: Charisma +1
lvl 25: Gun Nut III
lvl 26: Nuclear Physicist III
lvl 27: Armorer III
lvl 28: Science! III
lvl 29: Charisma +1
lvl 30: Medic III
lvl 31: Charisma +1
lvl 32: Local Leader
lvl 33: Cap Collector
lvl 34: Local Leader II
lvl 35: Heavy Gunner IV
lvl 36: Pain Train
lvl 37: Cap Collector II
lvl 38: Pain Train II
lvl 39: Gun Nut IV
lvl 40: Armorer IV
lvl 41: Science! IV
lvl 42: Cap Collector III
lvl 43: Rooted III
lvl 44: Charisma +1
lvl 45: Lifegiver
lvl 46: Charisma +1
lvl 47: Heavy Gunner V
lvl 48: Charisma +1
lvl 49: Medic IV
lvl 50: Pain Train III

Weapons:

Gatling Laser

Armor:

T-60 Power Armour

Companions:

Codsworth: Robot Sympathy
Danse: Know Your Enemy
Preston Garvey: United We Stand (Explanation in Description)

Optional:
Cait: Trigger Rush
Curie: Combat Medic
Strong: Berserk

Description

The first twenty levels are going to suck. There's no way to go around this, so expect to rage quit and break at least two computer screens/game consoles. The reason is simple: you don't have access to power armour, which you need to play a non-stealth build on Survival. Early-game you will rely on two different things: Rooted and chems. The former may not seem like a great perk compared to the DR you'll get from Power Armour, but those 25 ballistic and energy DR are so useful the first ten levels. It changes an extremely frustrating fight (like the raiders at the Corvega Assembly Plant for the repair bobblehead.) into manageable, yet still intense battles. Even later on those 50 DR and ability to disarm melee users can help in a pinch, because you need every DR you can get your hands on. Of course, you only need to stand still, but you'll usually use cover when fighting anyway. Chems are for when you need to move, especially chems like (psycho) jet that slow down time so you can move and hit what you're aiming at.

The T-45 power armour you get at the start of the game is useless. It contains too little DR. I wouldn't even waste resources trying to upgrade it. You need to get a fully optimised T-60 or X-01 power armour set to be able to walk around without pissing your pants whenever a dog approaches.
Pain Train is an extremely fun perk to have once you get your hands on your strength bobblehead. It allows for some crowd control (mostly for animals and monsters) and helps you out when you need to run to shelter or away from a fight. I'd stick with T-60, because it's easier to repair than the X-01. You will already spend all of your money as it is on ammo and junk.

These costs is why this build slowly adds charisma while playing. You need to build up settlements as quickly as possible for a reliable source of beds and income. You'll have fewer settlements to milk for all their worth if you do the Teagan quests, but the settlements you'll build up yourself should sustain you. Start with Sanctuary (build a water purifier and get plenty of food growing) and then move on to Starlight Drive In and Sunshine Tide Co-Op. It creates a nice triangle of saving goodness. Set up supply lines (with Local Leader) between all your settlements to share all the junk so you don't have to move to Sanctuary Hills all the time.

Time for combat: this is another reason the first twenty levels are going to suck. You don't have a powerful weapon, as the only heavy weapon worth a damn is the gatling laser. Nothing else is worth it; you can't replenish the 5mm ammo for extended minigun use and the missiles weigh to much; 7lbs per missile. However, once you get to the Prydwin and get your hands on a sweet Gatling Laser (save up from the start to buy it; you'll probably only have 3 charisma) you're pretty much set. Try to upgrade it as quickly as possible to maintain your bullet and fusion core cost, because mid-game that'll be your only problem. Fusion cores weigh a lot, but you can maintain that by selling all other ammo. Try to keep around 10 fusion cores in your inventory at all times. Restock at the Prydwin if you run out by using a vertibird grenade.

You can choose to use the laser and plasma rifle with Rifleman instead, but in terms of DPS the gatling laser is clearly superior. Considering that ghouls and other monsters can still three to five shot you having a high dps is extremely useful. Earlier on I stuck with Righteous Authority. It's a powerful laser rifle for your early game needs.

One more combat-related tip: run away when you're overwhelmed by foes, especially early-game. There's no shame in it and it WILL keep you alive longer. One foe at a time is a lot easier than fighting five at once.

Companions:

Early game I'd go with Codsworth. Unless you're a complete prick you should be able to get his affinity to 1,000 by the time you get to the second act and the Brotherhood arrives. His perk is useless, but he's a pretty good tank that'll distract your foes while you take potshots. Just keep in mind that once he's down you pretty much have to abandon him, as the robot repair kit is not worth making. Those fusion cells especially will be useful for using Righteous Authority.

Danse is essentially a superior tank in every way. Bigger, more resilient and you only need a stimpak to heal him up once he goes down. This guy is also why you need at least 6 charisma during his personal quest: convincing Maxson to spare him will require that much charisma and even then you should prepare to reload several times to pass the speech check. You want to spare Danse because his perk is incredibly powerful. Especially when you fight mutants.

Preston Jacobs: this is a choice you have to make. He's got an incredibly useful perk and he's useful for the early-game settlement/bed farming you probably should do, but it also means you have to rebuild the Minutemen and/or constantly have him in your party when you're upgrading weapons. As a full-time companion he's useless. He's a sniper and you need tanks to distract.

Optionals: Cait and Curie provide useful emergency perks that can help you out. Both gals also support the Brotherhood, so depending on how you play you can get their affinity very quickly. I love Curie, so I always stick with her as my companion, but Cait is better as she's more of a tank that'll try to get into your foes face (hiding and all that).
Strong is another choice and he's useful as a tank, but keep in mind that his perk is useless and I mostly list him because he tends to approve of combat, which you'll be in a lot.