Although one might normally assume that exposure to radiation would be a bad thing when it comes to getting by in a post-apocalyptic survival game, Fallout 76 practically encourages players to go bathe in the stuff. Doing so (or buying the relevant serum if one is swimming in bottlecaps) will occasionally yield "mutations," which are status effects that offer a mixture of both benefits and penalties.
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Some of them offer benefits that outweigh the consequences by an extremely wide margin, even before any penalty reductions are taken into consideration. If players are wondering which particular mutations offer the most bang for their buck, then they're in luck. Keep scrolling to check out the best mutations players should keep an eye out for while soaking up all of that delicious and healthy radiation blanketing Appalachia.
Updated on May 1, 2024, by Benjamin Joe: Fallout 76 is seeing lots of new players downloading and playing the game. This is due to a combination of the Fallout TV series and the positive updates that are being introduced into the game. Since this piece was last updated, a few things have changed, which makes the order or the list a little bit out of date. Also, thanks to the introduction of clearer effect labels on in-game items, there's more information to add about each serum in the game.
15 Chameleon
Grants The Player Invisibility While Unarmored
- Base Positive Effect: Grants The Player Invisibility
- Base Negative Effect: The Player Has To Be Unarmored And Standing Still For It To Work
The Chameleon mutation isn't a very useful mutation to have. In fact, it is the most pointless mutation in the game. While it may be a fun effect to have, it serves little purpose. If a player wants to activate the Chameleon effect, then they will need to be unarmored and not move. This means that the player would not be able to fight enemies and would also be very vulnerable should they be spotted.
The one good side of this mutation is that it doesn't come with any negative effects. So, it doesn't cause any harm to the player, but then again, it doesn't actually do anything particularly useful, either.
14 Electrically Charged
Randomly Inflict Energy Damage To Melee Attackers
- Base Positive Effect: Causes Random Electrical Damage To Melee Attackers
- Base Negative Effect: The Electrical Charge Also Hurts The Player
Dealing passive damage to attacking enemies is always a good thing, especially against melee assailants who charge at the player relentlessly. Like moths to a flame, the Electrically Charged mutation can punish foes who get too close with a chance to zap them upon making contact.
Adversaries foolish enough to assault players who have this mutation will take energy damage from the reactive shocks. However, the player will also suffer a bit of energy damage. For this reason, Electrically Charged is something best left to melee builds that can soak up damage.
13 Unstable Isotope
Randomly Blast Enemies With Nuclear Radiation
- Base Positive Effect: 10% Chance Of Releasing A Radiation Blast When Hit By A Melee Attacker
- Base Negative Effect: The Player Gets Irradiated During The Blast
The Unstable Isotope mutation grants players a 10% chance to unleash a blast of radiation when struck by a melee attack. Potentially, this means free damage and radiation poisoning to melee-oriented foes, a boon in any battle.
Unfortunately, while not damaging the player in the regular way, it does irradiate them, which can be bad in most cases. Thankfully, there are lots of ways of dealing with radiation poisoning in Fallout 76. That said, this isn't an effect that a lot of players tend to go for unless they have a tank build (high damage resistance build).
12 Talons
More Unarmed Damage
- Base Positive Effects: Cause 15% More Unarmed Damage and Bleeding Attacks
- Base Negative Effect: -4 To Agility
Another mutation that is handy for melee builds is Talons, which increases the damage dealt by unarmed attacks by a notable 25%. Clearly, this is quite situational, though it is highly sought-after for those seeking to pummel enemies into dust the old-fashioned way.
The downside is that this mutation comes with a -4 to Agility. Most players would want to ignore this mutation, but it can be useful for the few players that use an unarmed build.
11 Empath
Take One For The Team
- Base Positive Effect: Teammates Take 25% Less Damage From Enemies
- Base Negative Effect: The Player Takes 33% More Damage From Enemies
This mutation definitely has its place in Fallout 76. However, it needs to be used correctly. A 33% increase in damage received is a very high price to pay for helping out teammates. If the player regularly plays with friends, then this is a great mutation to use.
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However, if the player joins a team of random players, then this mutation isn't worth it. That's because players don't often play together when on a team. So, while the teammates do get a nice reduction in damage taken, the player who has the mutation active will just die a lot more often without the help of their team to keep them alive.
10 Twisted Muscles
Do More Melee And Unarmed Damage
- Base Positive Effects: +25% To Melee And Unarmed Damage. +20% Chance To Cripple Enemy Limbs
- Base Negative Effects: -50% Gun Accuracy
Twisted Muscles is essentially a bread-and-butter mutation when it comes to melee builds. If melee damage is the focus, then players should go entirely out of their way to get this mutation, period. It doesn't matter how many nuclear blast zones one needs to go sunbathing in.
The benefit that makes this an essential component of any melee build is a juicy 25% increase in melee damage. However, that is if one utilizes melee weapons exclusively. Using guns becomes entirely impractical because this mutation's penalty is a brutal 50% decrease in projectile weapon accuracy.
9 Bird Bones
Fall Slower And Take Less Fall Damage
- Base Positive Effects: +4 Agility, -45% Fall Speed, -90% Fall Damage
- Base Negative Effects: -4 Strength, +20% Limb Damage To The Player
The Bird Bones mutation is a great mutation for those who use a low-health build. It works well alongside the Marsupial mutation, but more on that mutation further down the list.
While the negative effects are fairly bad, they aren't the worst. This mutation also stacks with things like Acrobat's armor and the Goat Leg perk. When used in combination with other fall damage reduction boosts, fall damage can be almost completely eliminated.
8 Eagle Eyes
Do More Critical Damage
- Base Positive Effects: +50% Critical Damage And +4 To Perception
- Base Negative Effects: -4 Strength
Lots of high-level players build their character around VATS. VATS plays a crucial part in Fallout 76. It allows players to see the chance they have at making a certain shot. VATS also allows players to perform critical hits. These do considerably more damage to enemies. There are also some food and perk buffs that can increase critical damage. Combine those with the Eagle Eyes mutation, and the player can do crazy amounts of damage.
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While the -4 to strength isn't ideal, it can be lessened with the Class Freak perk. But, for those who have VATS builds, this is a must-have mutation.
7 Scaly Skin
Enjoy A Higher Damage Resistance
- Base Positive Effects: +50 To Energy Resistance And Damage Resistance
- Base Negative Effect: AP Reduced By 50
If players are running a build that doesn't rely heavily on VATS for its damage-dealing potential, then it's an absolute must-have. Depending on how much AP one has to spare, it might still be worth it in that instance.
Getting this mutation provides the player with a flat +50 bonus to both ballistic and energy damage resistance. As for the downside, it's a -50 to AP. It's a bonus that anyone without a pressing need for AP should be glad to have, especially if they're already a tank (high damage resistance build).
6 Carnivore (& Herbivore)
Gain Buffs For Eating
- Base Positive Effect: Gain Double Benefits From Eating Meat/Vegetable Meals (Depends On Which Serum Is Taken)
- Base Negative Effect: No Benefit For Eating One Food Type (Depends On Which Serum Is Taken)
As the names of these serums suggest, each one is geared toward one food type. Herbivore is for those who want to eat only vegetables, and Carnivore is for those who only want to eat meat.
Most food types in Fallout 76 come with a temporary boost that players can use. From XP buffs to damage increase boosts, foods can do a lot in the game. Players will need to take a look at all food types and make a decision on what type of food best suits their builds before taking a serum.
5 Adrenal Reaction
Do More Damage While At Low Health
- Base Positive Effect: Inflict Up To 50% More Damage On Enemies
- Base Negative Effect: 50 Point Reduction To Total Hit Points A Player Has
Bloodied builds (low-health builds) are popular in Fallout 76. This serum fits well with bloodied builds as it allows the player to do more damage while at low health. This build isn't for the faint of heart, as it can be dangerous to rely on a low-health status, but when balanced accordingly, there's nothing like it.
It increases the amount of damage done as the player reaches lower HP thresholds. It's a must-have if the player is pursuing a Bloodied build, especially if combined with perks like Class Freak, which mitigates its associated -50 penalty to maximum HP.
4 Egg Head
Become A Genius
- Base Positive Effect: +6 Intelligence
- Base Negative Effects: -3 To Strength And Endurance
Egg Head doesn't sound like the type of thing one would want to pursue in Fallout 76, but that's not the case. At the cost of dropping three strength and three endurance points, players can gain six points in intelligence with the Egg Head mutation active.
This is great for leveling up. The amount of points a player has in intelligence directly impacts the amount of XP they earn. So, the player should do whatever they can to maximize their XP gain. This mutation does exactly that, so it's a great choice for all types of players.
3 Healing Factor
Heal On The Go
- Base Positive Effect: +300% Health Regeneration
- Base Negative Effect: Reduces Chem Effectiveness By 55%
Healing Factor is almost too good a thing (especially when paired with Class Freak), and practically any build can make use of it. That is unless players are running a build that absolutely necessitates a nasty chem habit, but that's a rare circumstance.
The benefit here is a staggering 300% increase in health regeneration, at the cost of chems being less effective. As mentioned, this penalty can be mitigated considerably with the Class Freak perk, so the list of reasons why anyone wouldn't want this is incredibly short. In the heat of the moment, players can lose track of their health, but this mutation is a nice safety barrier to some extent.
2 Speed Demon
Move Considerably Faster
- Base Positive Effects: +20% Movement And Reload Speed
- Base Negative Effects: Hunger And Thirst Go Down 50% Faster While Moving
This mutation is probably one of the most highly sought-after and commonly utilized among the entire roster of those available. It increases both movement and reload speeds by 20%, which has a much bigger impact than one would assume.
Speed Demon has practically all the benefits. The only drawback it poses is an increase in the rate at which the player's hunger and thirst meters deplete, which is almost trivial. There's no practical reason to pass it up, especially as the player gets established with a steady supply of food and water.
1 Marsupial
Jump Very High
- Base Positive Effects: A Plus 20 To Carry Weight And An Increased Jump Height
- Base Negative Effect: -4 To Intelligence
Marsupial is a must-have mutation. It increases carry weight by a small sum, which is always welcome, but the real game-changer is the immense improvement it makes to the player's jump height. The drawback? A -4 penalty for intelligence.
By being able to junk considerably higher than normal, the player can often escape sticky situations against difficult enemies. It also allows players to hop onto high structures and shoot enemies below. While the penalty is steep, by using the Class Freak perk, the player can reduce the negative effects of mutations by 75%.
