It’s said that winners don’t use drugs but if we’re talking about video games, the opposite is true. Your time in the Commonwealth will go just a bit easier if you’re willing to pop some Chems every now and again.
Fallout 4 adds new Chems to the series, some that, unlike the substances in previous games, have no basis in history or reality. It also adds the ability to combine some of these Chems for additional benefits, allowing the player to take one Chem in the place of two.
Chems can cause Addiction, an affliction that will have negative effects on your character stats. For instance, Buffout withdrawal will cause -1 to END and STR. This can be cured in a number of ways, discussed in the Addictol entry below.
Certain perks in the SPECIAL chart will enhance or otherwise buffer your Chem using experience in Fallout 4. Chem Resistant will reduce or eliminate your chances of addiction, while Chemist will greatly increase the duration of Chem effects. Consuming Chems for the most part will cause your companions to dislike you, however Hancock and Cait both approve of your use and the maximum relationship with either can be achieved in this method. Yes, in Fallout 4 you can literally take drugs to make someone like you.
Some, but not all, Chems can be crafted at a Chemistry Station. They make heavy use of the wild flora seen in the wasteland, as well as other practical pieces of scrap, like Plastic. Substances that cannot be crafted and can only be found in the Commonwealth, are noted in the list below.
To get one massive haul of Chems, complete the quest Diamond City Blues, which will award 50 doses of several of the Commonwealth’s most common drugs. You can begin the mission by speaking to Paul Pembroke in Diamond City.
Addictol
Cure all addictions
Addictol is very useful but it is also very rare. The best approach in securing a few dosages is visiting vendors and purchasing it from them, however, it is very expensive. It should only be used in the rarest of occasions when the addiction side effects must be cured before the player can fast travel out of the area. Doctors can still cure addiction, which will spare you a dose. Another option is to make a Radscorpion Egg Omelette (RadScorpion Egg 1, Purified Water 1) at a cooking station, which also cures all addictions.
Addictol cannot be crafted at a chemistry station and does not cause addiction.
Berry Mentats
Highlights living targets for 8 minutes
INT+5
Berry Mentats are a throwback to Fallout 3, where Orange and Grape and Berry Mentats were all being tested in D.C. for a new market. They somewhat retain the benefits of Mentats, but with new modifiers previously unavailable in the series.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 CHR
Craftable? Y
Anti Freeze Bottle 1
Mentats 1
Tarberry 2
Buffjet
Slows time for 15 seconds
STR+3
END+3
Max HP+65
Max AP+35
Buffjet is a hybrid of Buffout and Jet.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -1 END
Craftable? Y
Buffout 1
Jet 1
Buffout
STR +2
END +2
Hit Points +50
Buffout is one of the familiar mainstays of the Fallout series and is used mainly to add to the player’s carrying weight so they can fast travel back to homebase. In appearance, name, and effect it is likely a reference to steroids. It cannot be crafted at a chemistry station.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -1 END
Bufftats
STR+3
END+3
PER+3
Max HP +65
Bufftats are a Mentats-Buffout hybrid.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -1 END
Craftable? Y
Buffout 1
Mentats 1
Calmex
2x Sneak Attack Multiplier
PER +3
AGL +3
Calmex is a pre-War animal tranquilizer. It shares its appearance with Med-X. It is the only chem that boosts the player’s sneaking abilities and cannot be crafted at a chemistry station.
Withdrawal Effects: ?
Daddy-O
INT +3
PER +3
CHR -2
Daddy-O is a newcomer to the Fallout series and is said to be a DMT-like substance popular with beatniks and intellectuals before the War. Note that it is one of the few Chems that will lower a SPECIAL trait even as it boosts another. It cannot be crafted at a chemistry station.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 INT, -1 PER
Day Tripper
LCK +3
CHR +3
STR -2
Another series newcomer, Day Tripper (likely a reference to the Beatles song of the same name) is very rare and cannot be crafted at a chemistry station. Like Daddy-O it is one of the few substances that will have immediate consequences upon consumption.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 LCK, -1 CHR
Fury
Melee Damage+50%
Damage Resistance+25
-5 PER
Yet another series newcomer, Fury is also like Daddy-O and Day Tripper in that there are immediate consequences upon consumption. Players will have drastically reduced Perception when under the influence of Fury.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -1 PER
Craftable? Y
Req: Chemist Level 1
Berserk Syringe 1
Buffout 1
Grape Mentats
Buy for 10% lower
Sell for 10% higher
CHR +5
Grape Mentats are the only Chem that directly boosts the player’s bartering abilities.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 CHR
Craftable? Y
Hubflower 2
Mentats 1
Whiskey 1
Jet
Slows time for 10 seconds
The Jet of Fallout 4 is different from Jet as we knew it from Fallout games past. It no longer boosts Action Points, instead slowing down time for 10 seconds, allowing the player to initiate more attacks. It seems to replace Turbo, a chem first introduced in Fallout: New Vegas. In appearance Jet resembles an inhaler, likely a reference to amphetamines and rampant inhaler abuse during the 1940s.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 AGL
Craftable? Y
Fertilizer 1
Plastic 1
Jet Fuel
Increased Action Points recovery rate
Max AP +35
If you were disappointed at Jet’s new in-game effect, have no fear. Jet Fuel is essentially what Jet used to be, an Action Points booster. It is incredibly rare in the wild–in 230 cumulative hours of playing, I have personally only found one dose. Luckily, it’s also craftable.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 AGL
Craftable? Y
Req: Chemist Level 1
Flamer Fuel 25
Jet 1
Med-X
DMG Resist +25
The Med-X from Fallout 4 is largely unchanged from the past, however the in-game render is now much bigger and filled with a bright purple substance, giving it a more cartoonish feel than the tiny, hyperrealistic syringes from Fallout games past. It is not craftable at a chemistry station.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 AGL, -10 Damage Resistance
Mentats
INT +2
PER +2
Mentats were created by Med-Tek prior to the Great War as a memory and creativity booster. They can be often found among the personal belongings of various scientists and other intellectually-minded citizens across the post-apocalyptic United States. They are undoubtedly a reference to LSD, a fact decipherable in part due to a phrase used in reference to the substance in the Fallout 2 strategy guide: “Turn on, tune in, drop out”. This sentiment was first popularized by LSD enthusiast Dr. Timothy Leary in the 1960s.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 CHR
Craftable? Y
Abraxo Cleaner 1
Brain Fungus 2
Lead 1
Mysterious Serum
DMG Resist+50
STR +5
-10 rads/sec
This substance is very rare and only available under very specific circumstances. How many the player has access to will depend on how they approach the Cabot House missions. Siding with Lorenzo will given the player an infinite supply, but only one can be carried at a time. If the player sides with Jack Cabot in order to obtain Lorenzo’s Gamma Gun, less than 13 dosages will be available.
You cannot become addicted to Mysterious Serum. It is not craftable at a chemistry station.
Orange Mentats
+10 % VATS accuracy
PER +5
This variation of Mentats is the only Chem to directly give a boosts to VATS accuracy. Its color is achieved with carrots.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 CHR
Craftable? Y
Asbestos 1
Carrots 3
Mentats 1
Overdrive
Critical Chance +25%
+25% Damage
Overdrive is another series newcomer. Its effects are similar to Psycho.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 AGL, -1 STR
Craftable? Y
Req: Chemist Level 1
Acid 2
Nuka Cola 1
Psycho 1
Psycho
Damage +25%
DMG Resist +25
Hello, Psycho, my old friend. This performance boosting Chem is both common and effective. It is also the only Chem that will cause the player character to scream upon ingestion.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -10 Damage Resistance
Craftable? Y
Acid 1
Circuitry 1
Hubflower 1
Stimpak 1
Psycho Jet
Slows time for 15 seconds
Damage +25%
DMG Resist +35
Max AP +40 for 35 seconds
This Chem hybrid is extremely valuable and effective in combat.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -10 Damage Resistance
Craftable? Y
Jet 1
Psycho 1
Psychobuff
Damage +25%
STR +3
END +3
Max HP +65
Note that Psychobuff, like other Chem hybrids, will only cause withdrawal symptoms from one of its components, and not both. In this case, the effects come from Psycho.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -10 Damage Resistance
Craftable? Y
Psycho 1
Buffout 1
Psychotats
Damage +25%
DMG Resist +15
PER +3
Psychotats are the ideal chem for combat situations where quickly identifying a nearby enemy, for instance a Deathclaw, is key to survival.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -10 Damage Resistance
Craftable? Y
Psycho 1
Mentats 1
Rad-X
Rad Resist 100
They say the best medicine is prevention. Rad-X is a healing item and as such, consuming it will not anger your anti-Chem companions. Its effects can also be stacked, allowing you to dose up heavily without constantly accessing your Pip-Boy.
Rad-X cannot be crafted at a chemistry station. Rad-X also cannot cause addiction.
RadAway
Rads -300
RadAway is your best defense against radiation exposure in the Commonwealth. Preventing radiation is now especially important, as radiation damage will take up space in your health meter and prevent your character from healing to their maximum potential.
RadAway cannot cause addiction.
Craftable? Y
Antiseptic 2
Glowing Fungus 3
Plastic 1
Purified Water 1
Stimpak
Heal 30% HP
Stimpaks, short for Stimulation Delivery Package, can now be saved to a quick button for easy access during battle. Along with RadAway, it can also be accessed and taken quickly from the Stat tab in your Pip-Boy. The healing effects of Stimpaks can be boosted significantly with the Medic perk, so it is wise to invest in all subranks, bringing the healing percentage up to 60%.
Stimpaks cannot cause addiction.
Craftable? Y
Antiseptic 2
Blood Pack 1
Steel 1
Ultra Jet
Slows time for 15 seconds
Max AP+100
For those who love Jet both new and old, Ultra Jet is the ultimate Chem. It both slows time and adds to your maximum AP.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 AGL
Craftable? Y
Req: Chemist Level 1
Bloodleaf 1
Fertilizer 1
Jet 1
Plastic 1
X-111 Compound
Rads -620
This Chem is only available through the Brotherhood of Steel, and the player must provide several blood samples to Senior Scribe Neriah in order to obtain it. It cannot be crafted at a chemistry station.
X-111 Compound cannot cause addiction.
X-Cell
STR +2
PER +2
END +2
CHR +2
INT +2
AGL+2
LCK +2
X-Cell, a pre-War prototype drug only distributed on the black market, is by far the most valuable Chem in Fallout 4. It boosts all SPECIAL traits by +2, but is highly addictive. It is rarely found, and cannot be crafted.
Withdrawal Effects: -1 STR, -1 PER, -1 END, -1 CHR, -1 INT, -1 AGL, -1 LCK
The chemistry station where you make chems is also where you can craft a number of other items, including grenades, healing items, mines, and syringes. For more on crafting syringes for use as ammo in the Syringer, see our guide.
