Fallout 76 is greatly simplified over previous Fallout games, which had so many mechanics and systems for the player to keep track of, but it does retain some of the things that players fell in love with the franchise for. After all, this is a post nuclear apocalypse, so you shouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself running into nuclear radiation induced disease as you trudge your way through the Wasteland.
Diseases, however, can have a bad effect on you, and it’s best to get rid of them as soon as possible before their effects get compounded, since that just means you’re easy pickings for all the hostility that is out there in the big bad world.
DISEASES
Depending on what disease it is, you can catch it in one or more of the following ways:
- Drinking Dirty Water
- Traveling through toxic areas without a Hazmat suit
- Eating raw food
- Swimming in radioactive water
- Sleeping on rollout beds or thin mattresses
- Getting attacked by an enemy carrying a disease
Diseases can have multiple bad effects on you:
- Swamp Itch reduces your Charisma by 2
- Parasites mean you suffer periodic food loss
- Dysentry causes periodic water loss
- Shell Shock causes you to lose Action Points
- Bone Worms means you take 50% more limb damage
Diseases can be cured in one of two ways:
- Have anti-biotics
- Find or craft Disease cures
Diseases will last through death, so these are the only ways for you to shake them off, other than you trying to outlast them (every disease is temporary).
MUTATIONS
Diseases are temporary, but mutations are permanent. You usually get them from being exposed to excessive radiation, but there are other ways too:
- As mentioned, from standing near or in areas of excessive radiation without a Hazmat suit
- Eating non purified food
- Drinking non purified water
- Breathing in toxic gas
- Being attacked by enemies carrying radiation
Mutations usually have a positive effect and a negative effect:
- EGG HEAD: +6 Intelligence, but -3 Strength, -3 Endurance
- MARSUPIAL: Increases Jump height and +20 Encumbrance, but -4 Intelligence
- EMPATH: Teammates take -25% damage, but you take +33% damage
- CARNIVORE: Meat gives you double benefits and no diseases, but you can’t eat vegetables anymore
- EAGE EYE: +2 Perception, but -2 Strength
- HEALING FACTOR: +300 Health regeneration, but -55% Chem Effects
- PLAGUE WALKER: A poison aura creates around you, increasing the more diseases you have; BUT you suffer the negative effects of the diseases you carry