Mutations in Fallout 76 are one of the most vital parts to completing off some of the best builds in the game. You’re able to acquire a BUNCH of different mutations that all do different things, some more useful to your build than others. Look over all the options, and figure out which ones best benefit your play style in Fallout 76!
The MOST Important Part of Mutations
Before you even TRY to get Mutations, you need to make sure you have 2 very specific LUCK Perk Cards, and those would be:
- Class Freak
- Starched Genes
Starched Genes is 100% a must with Mutations and is the most important out of those two Perk Cards. Make sure you MAX it out (Only takes 2 SPECIAL Points) as this will prevent you from accidentally healing away your mutations, which is VERY easy to do.
Class Freak, on the other hand, will lessen the negative effects of your Mutations, as each and every mutations has both GOOD effects and BAD effects, and trust me, without Class Freak you’ll be hit pretty hard by the negatives. Not everyone goes all 3 on Class Freak, but if you’re going to be a Mutation build, you might as well.
NOW TO THE MUTATIONS.
How to Get Mutations
Lets just get RIGHT to the point, cause you want (need) mutations, and you need (want) them now.
Mutations can be acquired through 2 different ways, either standing in incredibly radiated areas for prolonged periods of time or simply drinking the mutation serum. Obviously one of these ways is far more efficient. At least on time, but on caps? Depends where you get them. Lets talk about the ups and downs to each tactic.
Mutations from Radiation
This is the tactic that requires you to simply stand in areas that are highly irradiated. This could be standing in toxic water, next to toxic waste barrels, or even just fighting super radiated enemies.. and LETTING them hit you.
The upside to getting mutations this way, is that it’s easy and free. You can literally just go around getting smacked by ghouls and get some mutations that way. It doesn’t require you to spend a single cap or go hunting around for mutations, you just get it.
Now the DOWNSIDES of this tactic is that you don’t necessarily get what you want. That means that you’ll be swapping your “Starched Genes” Park Card on and off to “Heal” away the wrong mutation. This ALSO means that you might end up with a bunch of mutations you DON’T want, and if you try to heal away the ones you don’t like, well, you might just heal away the ones you DO want.
This way is quite messy, but if you truly don’t care about what mutations you get and you just want them for free, you might as well.
Mutations from Serum
This is the best way to get Mutations, because you get EXACTLY what you want, and typically for around 500-1000 caps. You can actually BUY the Mutation recipes from the Enclave in the Medical bay, and then CRAFT them yourself, meaning you can them distribute them to other players who want those specific Mutations. The Serum RECIPE, however, is incredibly expensive. You can definitely turn a profit if you buy and sell a popular mutation serum, but for the most part it’s smarter to just buy the serums from player vendors.
Mutation Serums are named EXACTLY which mutation you’ll get from drinking it, so you never have to guess what you might get. This way of getting Mutations is definitely the cleanest, and doesn’t involve any “healing” away of unwanted mutations, or HOPING you’ll get the one you want.
Types of Mutations
There are a total of 19 different types of Mutations to get, each offering it’s own benefits. Remember, not ALL mutations are worth having on your build, as some will only negatively impact what you’re running. Make sure you read through each one and decide which best will help you. Also, some are just fun to have.
| MUTATION | POSITIVE EFFECT | NEGATIVE EFFECT |
|---|---|---|
| Adrenal Reaction | More Weapon Damage at Lower Health | Max Health -50 |
| Bird Bones | Agility +4 Falling from Heights is Gradually Slowed | Strength -4 |
| Carnivore | Won't get Disease from eating Meat. 2 Times the Bonuses from Eating Meat | Eating Fruits and Vegetables with NOT Satisfy Hunger |
| Chameleon | Turn Invisible if not wearing armor and standing still | Cannot be wearing armor or attacking for the effect to work |
| Eagle Eyes | Critical Damage Increased by +25%. Perception +4 | Strength -4 |
| Egg head | Intelligence +6 | Strength -3 Endurance -3 |
| Electrically Charged | Have a chance to deal shock damage to Melee Attackers | Shock Damage deals damage to player |
| Empath | Teamates will take 25% Less damage | Player takes 33% More Damage |
| Grounded | Energy Resistance Increased by +100 | Energy DAMAGE Decreased by -50% |
| Healing factor | Health Regeneration while not in Combat increased by +300% | Chem Effects are decreased by -55% |
| Herbivore | Vegetables give 2 times the benefit and won't cause diseases | Meat won't satisfy hunger |
| Herd Mentality | All SPECIAL Stats are increased by +2 when in a Team | SPECIAL Stats are decreased by -2 while NOT in a Team |
| Marsupial | Carry Weight increased by +20 Jump Height Increased | Intelligence -4 |
| Plague Walker | Creates a Poison Aura that scales with your diseases | Must be Diseased for this to work |
| Scaly Skin | Damage and Energy Resistance increased by +50 | Action Point decreased by -50 |
| Speed Demon | Movement and Reload Speed increased by +20% | Hunger and Thirst drains 50% Faster while moving |
| Talons | Unarmed Punching attacks dealing 25% more damage + Bleed Damage | Agility -4 |
| Twisted Muscles | Melee Damage increased by +25%, higher chance to cripple limbs | Gun Accuracy Decreased by -50% |
| Unstable Isotope | Slight chance to release a Radiation Burst when struck by a Melee attack | Deals minor Damage to the Player during the Radiation Burst |
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