RPGs are always filled with hundreds of different item types for players to experiment with. Depending on the game, these items can range from being game-changing to small benefits. Some games provide so many items that players never experiment with them.
Bethesda's modern Fallout titles are a great example of this. Despite the hundreds of miscellaneous and consumable items that dot the wasteland, few players ever use them. This is a massive shame considering that many items from each game provide massive bonuses. From skill-enhancing tools to crippling enemies with darts, here are ten underrated items that players should use in the Fallout franchise.
10 Vault 13 Canteen (Fallout And Fallout: New Vegas)
Nearly every Fallout: New Vegas player has seen the message on their screen stating they took a trusty sip from their Vault 13 Canteen. What many speculate is a simple message that adds to immersion actually serves a purpose.
This flask from the original Fallout staves off dehydration in both games. In the original Fallout, the Vault 13 Canteen prevented dehydration encounters from occurring while exploring. In Fallout: New Vegas, every five real-time minutes, the player will need to drink from the flask, restoring 15 HP and reducing a player's dehydration by 25. It won't fulfill a player's dehydration needs on its own, but it is a useful item that makes Hardcore runs slightly easier.
9 Tools (Fallout, Fallout 2, And Fallout: Tactics)
The original Fallout games had tools that players could find. These tools were typically associated with a particular skill, such as the Motion Sensor attachment for the Pip-Boy granting a bonus to the Outdoorsman skill. Every tool granted a 20% increase to a certain skill, making checks related to those skills much easier than they otherwise would be. Since magazines in modern Fallout titles grant temporary skill and stat bonuses, tools were phased out of the franchise entirely.
8 Alternate Currency
Not every Fallout game requires players to use Bottle Caps as currency. There are plenty of alternate currency items introduced in Fallout 2 and beyond that prove to be exceptionally useful.
Fallout 2 took this to the extreme by making Bottle Caps not worth anything since the NCR could print money. Fallout: New Vegas lets players use Bottle Caps, NCR dollars, Legion Denarius, and Pre-War Money to purchase items. Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 only have Bottle Caps and Pre-War Money, although purified water is so common in Fallout 4 that it can be used as a form of valuable currency.
7 Plasma Thrower (Fallout 4)
Out of every weapon in Fallout 4, arguably the most underrated gun in the game is the plasma thrower conversion for the plasma gun. In essence, this barrel will convert the slow-firing projectile plasma gun into a mobile flamethrower that shoots plasma. This deals incredible amounts of damage per tick.
Eleven damage might not sound great, but this attachment nearly triples its fire rate. When combined with other mods and a Legendary effect such as the Staggering modifier, this weapon can shut down any opponent in the game in a few seconds—just make sure to bring enough ammo.
6 Nuka-Grenades (Fallout: New Vegas)
While Nuka-Grenades are present in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, they truly shine in Fallout: New Vegas due to the Nuka Chemist perk. These unique grenades deal an immense amount of damage and are worth hundreds of Bottle Caps, but these grenades are rather rare—at least, in every game excluding New Vegas.
Should players obtain the Nuka Chemist perk, these grenades can be made for the low cost of three Nuka-Colas, one Abraxo Cleaner, a Tin Can, and Turpentine. These materials are so common in the Mojave that players can create dozens or even hundreds of these devastating grenades in a playthrough. Considering how much damage each grenade can dish out, there is no reason not to make Nuka-Grenades.
5 Dart Gun (Fallout 3)
Crafting might not have been incredibly strong in Fallout 3, but it was responsible for some of the strongest items in the game. No weapon exemplifies this better than Fallout 3's dart gun.
Every dart from this weapon will cripple an enemy's limb regardless of their health pool. Is a Deathclaw quickly closing the gap? Fire a dart in its knee to prevent it from running. Is a Yao Guai proving troublesome? Fire a dart in its arm. This weapon could trivialize entire combat encounters, which is likely why this weapon would return in a significantly nerfed state in future titles.
4 Lucky 8-Ball (Fallout 3)
One of Fallout 3's strongest items comes in the form of a miscellaneous item. The Lucky 8-Ball is a unique item that can be found on a pool table in Big Town. Grabbing it will increase a player's Luck by one until dropped. It technically increases a player's base Luck by one while in a player's inventory, meaning players can obtain perks what would otherwise be unavailable to them. Since Luck influences every stat in a small way and boosts critical hit chance, this item is a must for any build.
3 Faction Armor (Fallout, Fallout 2, And Fallout: New Vegas)
Some players forget that most Fallout titles have faction-specific armor that will elicit reactions from others. In the original Fallout, wearing a vault suit in certain towns would cause NPCs to become more hostile or trigger additional conversations.
Fallout 2 and New Vegas also have this behavior. Using faction-specific armor can allow players to infiltrate certain areas that would otherwise be hostile to them. This is fantastic for stealth characters or those that wish to accept quests from hostile factions.
2 Chems
Chems are a category of item that are severely underrated by many players. These situational buffs provide major benefits at the risk of addiction or certain downsides. Bonuses can include increasing a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat, slowing down time, gaining massive damage resistance, or increasing a player's skills.
Every Fallout game has chems, so make sure to use them whenever the player is just shy of succeeding a check or is having a tough time in combat.
1 Magazines And Books
Books and Magazines are powerful items that offer either temporary or permanent bonuses. In Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: New Vegas, books offer permanent increases to stats by a small amount. With how plentiful books are, these small bonuses add up to multiple levels worth of increases.
Fallout 3 introduced magazines to the franchise that provide powerful, temporary increases to skills. These typically grant +10 to a skill for a short duration. Fallout: New Vegas had these, as well. They were also in Fallout 4, although they behaved differently. In that game, Magazines worked more like books in that they granted permanent bonuses. Instead of skill points, these magazines grant miniature perks that mimic Fallout: New Vegas's challenge perks.