Fallout 76 mutations and all effects
How to pick the best mutations and how to cure them
What are the best mutations in Fallout 76? Not even an apple a day can prevent mutations in Fallout 76. While the mutations here are hyper-unrealistic, you'll still need to take precautions to prevent them appearing or reverse any mutation you may contract. Some mutations are worth keeping though.
To that end, we've prepared this Fallout 76 mutations guide that will go over the best and worst mutations, and how to get rid of them if you want to cure them.
Beginners looking for some tips and tricks to help them get started should also take a look at our Fallout 76 guide. If you're playing your very first Fallout game after getting into the new TV show, this will come in especially handy.
On this page:
- What are mutations in Fallout 76?
- How long does a mutation last?
- Where to find mutation serums
- Fallout 76 mutations and their effects
What are mutations in Fallout 76?
Mutations are effects that are inflicted on a Fallout 76 player when certain conditions are met. They can introduce debilitating effects that the player must manage until they find a cure, but they also introduce some positive effects. For example, while the Adrenal Reaction reduces your maximum HP by 50, it gives you a bonus to weapon damage while at low HP.
Avoiding mutations may be ideal for some people that want to keep their human as pure as possible, but for those who wish to alter their DNA, there are certain ways that you can expedite that process. These include:
- Standing close to any hazardous waste.
- Interacting with any of the petrified corpses.
- Eating unpurified food or drinking water.
- Swimming or standing in pools of water.
- Breathing in noxious gasses.
- Being attacked by toxic enemies or Feral Ghouls.
How long does a mutation last?
Mutations are almost permanent once you obtain them in Fallout 76. The only way to remove a mutation entirely is to chug some Radaways to cure yourself. Alternatively, you can just expose yourself to more radiation to change your current mutation, however this just replaces one with another. Dying won't remove your mutations, so if you have any mutations that you were hoping to keep, an untimely death won't be a worry.
There is a perk however that allows you to keep your mutations. Starched Genes is unlocked at level 1 in Luck and when upgraded to its second rank, it will ensure that you never mutate from rads and Radaway will never cure mutations. If you wish to have mutations in your build and want to ensure you never lose them, grab this perk and upgrade it.
Where to find mutation serums
Sometimes, you'll purposely want to have a certain mutation or suppress the negative effects of your current mutation in Fallout 76. To do this, you'll need to obtain serums, which can only be crafted with the use of serum recipes.
All of the serum recipes are found in The Whitespring Bunker and are sold by the "MODUS" science terminal in the science wing. They do cost a lot of caps though, 24,000 per recipe to be exact.
Fallout 76 mutations and their effects
Now you know how about how to obtain mutations in Fallout 76, here is a table with all the mutations, as well as any positive or negative effects.
| Mutation | Positive effects | Negative effects |
|---|---|---|
| Adrenal Reaction | Increased weapon damage and quick health regeneration at low HP. | Maximum HP -50 |
| Bird Bones | +4 Intelligence. Falling from heights is more gradual. | -4 Strength. |
| Carnivore | Meat provides double the benefits and no diseases. | Cannot eat vegetables. |
| Chameleon | While unarmoured and standing still; gain invisibility. | N/A |
| Eagle Eyes | Critical damage +25%. +4 Perception. | -4 Strength. |
| Egg Head | +6 Intelligence. | -3 Strength. -3 Endurance. |
| Electrically Charged | Chance to shock melee attackers upon being hit. | Small amount of damage is inflicted to the player. |
| Empath | -25% damage taken by teammates. | +33% damage taken by player. |
| Grounded | 100 Energy Resistence. | -20% Energy damage. |
| Healing Factor | Health regeneration +300%. | Chem effects -55%. |
| Herbivore | Vegetables provide double the benefits and no diseases. | Cannot eat meat. |
| Herd Mentality | +2 to all SPECIAL stats when grouped. | -2 to all SPECIAL stats when solo. |
| Marsupial | Carry weight +20 Improved jump height. | -4 Intelligence. |
| Plague Walker | Poison aura scaling with your diseases (up to a ceiling of 4). | Only active when diseased. |
| Scaly Skin | +50 damage and energy resistance. | -50 AP. |
| Speed Demon | +20 movement speed. Faster reload speed. | Hunger and thirst rates increased while moving. |
| Talons | Punching attacks deal 25% more damage and Bleed damage for 5 seconds. | -4 Agility |
| Twisted Muscles | +25% melee damage. Better chance to cripple enemy limbs. | -50% gun accuracy. |
| Unstable Isotope | Chance to irradiate melee attackers with a small explosion when struck. | Inflicts a small amount of damage to yourself. Some enemies are immune to the radiation effect. |
That's it for our guide to Fallout 76 mutations and how to cure them. If you need more help with Bethesda's multiplayer RPG, check out our guides on Fallout 76 Power Armor locations, lockpicking, weapons, perk cards and terminal hacking.