Ready to maximize on your Crit. Damage? Perhaps, you’d want to turn invisible? Mutations cannot always be bad, you know. Let’s take a look at all the benefits and disadvantages that the Mutations in Fallout 76 hold for the player in the Wasteland.
Similar to how traits in Fallout: New Vegas worked, Fallout 76 Mutations are Special Perks with their own positive and negative effects.
These are found in the environment with the likes of radioactive areas, special fluids, and after being attacked by certain creatures. Mutations will only be active for a certain amount of time.
However, they can be made permanent with the *Starched Genes Perk Card*. To cure Mutations, make sure you’ve not activated the Starched Genes Perk. Once done, simply use MadAway.
You can also avoid Mutations in the first place by wearing protective gear like Gas Mask, Hazmat Suit, or simply by avoiding direct confrontations with beasts, you don’t know a whole lot about.
Below, you may find each Mutation in Fallout 76 along with their respective positive and negative effects:
Fallout 76 Mutations
HERD MENTALITY
+2 INT to group, -2 INT if on your own
If you are with a group your intelligence goes up +2, if you are on your own your intelligence decreases by -2. This Mutation is perfect if you are planning on playing in multiplayer, coupled with the Strange in Numbers perk, your group will be well protected.
UNSTABLE ISOTOPE
Chance to irradiate melee attackers
You become a walking radiation hazard with a chance of irradiating melee attackers. This mutation was found by reddit user BVoLatte who drank dirty water for twenty seconds until he got the Mutation.
PLAGUE WALKER
Poison aura that scales with your diseases
This one is a bit of a mystery as nobody has managed to grab a screenshot confirming the Mutation’s name or bonuses. However, a reddit user -Kemphler- wrote that they had a Mutation of a similar name called Plague Aura, which gave the players a more powerful poison aura the as they accrued more diseases.
SCALY SKIN
+50 damage and energy resistance, -25 AP
Scaly Skin gives you +50 damage resistance and energy resistance. But you lose -25 Action Points. Action points govern the number of things you can do during a combat turn, so this Mutation gives you the defence of a tank, but it also gives you the sluggish nature of a tank.
SPEED DEMON
+20 movement speed and faster reload
With this Fallout 76 Mutation your character gets +20 movement speed and you get to reload your weapon faster. This Mutation is a great bonus to have and could be used with the Starched Genes perk as it doesn’t appear to have any negative effects.
TALONS
+25% damage using punching attacks and adds bleed damage, -4 agility
Your punching attacks do 25% more damage and just like the sharp talons of a bird of prey you will inflict extra bleed damage. Unfortunately you lose -4 agility. Bleed damage inflicts the target over time and is useful for melee attacks.
TWISTED MUSCLES
+25% melee damage, higher chance to cripple limbs, -4 agility
You gain +25% melee damage and your chance on getting crippled limbs increases. However, because of the state of your limbs your gun accuracy goes down by -50%, which is pretty awful unless your only plan of attack is melee – get your leg crippled as you charge a foe and you’ll lose a lot of movement speed, too. All in all, this sounds like one of the Fallout 76 Mutations to avoid at all costs.
HERBIVORE
Vegetables gives x2 benefits and no disease
Eat your greens! When you eat vegetables it gives you double benefits. But with this Mutation you won’t be able to eat meat. With the consumables in Fallout 76 there is a small chance that eating them will give you a disease but with this mutation you can eat veggies in peace with no chance of getting a disease.
CARNIVORE
Meat gives x2 benefits and no disease
The reverse of Herbivore, when you eat meat it gives you double the benefits but you can’t eat any vegetables. In the wasteland of food is scarce, and unfortunately you can eat the cats in Fallout 76, but with this mutation you won’t have to work about getting a disease – lovely.
MARSUPIAL
+20 carry weight and increased jump height, -4 INT
With the Marsupial Mutation your carry weight is +20 and you jump height increases. Unfortunately your intelligence goes down by -4. This means you can jump almost up to three times your height, so you can hop on top of buildings and obstacles well out of the reach of any monsters.
EGG HEAD
+6 INT, -3 STR, -3 END
Your intelligence goes up +6 but you lose -3 from your strength and -3 from your endurance. If you have a high intelligence in Fallout 76 you’ll be able to hack terminals as well as improve on the condition and durability when you craft items.
ELECTRICALLY CHARGED
Chance to shock melee attackers
When you have the Electrically Charged Mutation, there is a chance to inflict electrical damage on your melee target. So if you’re a fan of electrically charged pipe wrenches, pickaxes and machetes, this might be the Mutation for you.
EMPATH
-25% damage to team, +33% damage taken by player
When you are in a group any damage inflicted on yourself or your teammates is reduced by 25%, but +33% damage is taken by the player – how noble of you. Being that Fallout 76 is entirely online, you’ll find yourself teaming up with different groups making this Mutation rather useful.
GROUNDED
100 Energy Resistance, -20% Energy damage
With this mutation you gain 100 energy resistance but you inflict -20% less energy damage on your enemies. Energy damage is dealt by laser, fire, electricity amd a variety of other sources but the two main weapons to look out for if you have this Mutation is the laser rifle and the plasma gun.
HEALING FACTOR
+300% Health Regen, -55% Chem effects
You health regeneration is +300%, but Chems have -55% less of an effect on you, the largest depletion from any of the Mutations. Chems can be stacked in Fallout 76 and can have four to five simultaneous effects with massive benefits so even though that health regen is immense it’s a big ask to give up over 50% of your chem effects.
CHAMELEON
Invisibility when unarmed and standing still
With this mutation you’ll become invisible when you are unarmed and standing still, so you’ll be vulnerable, but stealthy. This could be handy for PvP, but we’re still unsure if it will help you give and Fallout 76 monsters the slip.
BIRD BONES
+4 INT, Falling speed slowed, -4 STR
Bird Bones grants you +4 intelligence and if you fall from somewhere high your falling speed is slowed down, which presumably means you’ll take either no or very limited fall damage However, for these positive effects your character will get -4 strength.
EAGLE EYES
+4 PER, -4 STR
This mutation makes your perception go up +4, which will help spotting enemy creatures. Given the size of the Fallout 76 map this might also help you spot treasure. But you won’t be able to carry too much of that loot, this Mutation also makes you lose -4 strength.