Fallout 76 Mutations - Effects & How to Get
Mutations are a new feature in Fallout 76. They’re much like traits in older Fallout games – each one has both a positive and a negative effect. You won’t get them when leveling up, though – you’ll only be able to acquire mutations by getting irradiated, and they’ll only stay with you for a certain period of time. If you have any doubts as to how they work or how to get them, our Fallout 76 mutations guide will explain everything.
How to get mutations?
The easiest way to get mutations is to get irradiated. Jump into a river and swim, watching your rads go up, until you’ve scored a mutation. You’ll have it as long as you don’t purge the radiation from your body, so that’s where the first trade off happens. Also, you’ll get a random mutation, which means you might have to clear it and try again if it’s one you don’t like. Stacking up two mutations means getting a heavy dose of radiation poisoning as well, so plan your steps carefully.
Where to find serums?
There’s a way to get mutations without succumbing to radiation, as well, but it’s pretty expensive. There are serums you can drink which grant you a specific mutation and none of the rads. The mutation is still removed when you remove your rads, but seeing how you don’t get any while acquiring the mutation, you can go a long time between drinking Rad Aways if you’re careful enough.
You can buy serums from the Whitespring base, and they cost about five thousand caps each. There might be a way to craft them, but we haven’t found any recipes yet. We’ll update this guide if we do find any, so keep your eyes peeled.
FO76 all mutations
Here’s a list of all the mutations we’ve seen in the game, as well as the effects they have on the player:
| Name | Positive effects | Negative effects |
|---|---|---|
| Adrenal Reaction | More damage at low HP | – 50 HP |
| Bird Bones | +4 agility, less fall damage | -4 strength, brittle bones |
| Carnivore | x2 benefits from meat, no disease buildup when eating it | Cannot eat vegetables |
| Chameleon | Invisible when unarmored and not moving | N/A |
| Eagle Eyes | +25% critical damage, +4 perception | -4 strength |
| Egghead | +6 intelligence | -3 strength, -3 endurance |
| Electrically Charged | Chance to shock & stagger enemies who attack with melee | N/A |
| Empath | Squad mates take -25% damage | Player takes +25% damage |
| Grounded | +100 energy resistance | -20% energy damage |
| Healing Factor | +300% health regeneration | -55% chem effects |
| Herbivore | x2 benefits from vegetables, no disease buidup when eating them | Cannot eat meat |
| Herd Mentality | +2 to all attributes when in a group | -2 to all attributes when alone |
| Marsupial | +20 carry weight, better jumping | -4 intelligence |
| Plague Walker | Emit a poison aura that scales with your disease | N/A |
| Scaly Skin | +50 damage and energy resistance | -50 AP |
| Speed Demon | +20 movement speed, faster reload | Increase thirst and hunger buildup |
| Talons | +25% unarmed damage, +25% bleed chance | -50% gun accuracy |
| Twisted Muscles | +25% melee and limb damage | -50% weapon accuracy |
| Unsable Isotope | Chance to radiate enemies who attack with melee | N/A |
