Going for a kill-free run through of Fallout 4? You’ve got quite a challenge ahead of you. While the game offers many in-dialogue options to avoiding combat (provided your Charisma is high), there are many situations where there is no other option. One item that may help you however is the Syringer, a new weapon that allows you to launch a syringe full of crafted material at the target of your choice, with a variety of effects to choose from.
To use the Syringer, first order of business is to find one. Many of them can be found in or near medical facilities. Personally, I grabbed mine from the storage area near the front desk of the Sandy Coves Convalescent Home in Salem in the NE portion of the map. However you can find them also at Milton General Hospital, Kendall Hospital, Greater Mass Blood Clinic, and Mass Bay Medical Center. You can also purchase one from Doctor Sun in Diamond City.
Syringers can be loaded with 9 types of syringes, each with their own unique effect. Only some of them offer non-combat solutions to conflict, like the Mind Cloud Syringe, and you will need to have many on hand at all times. Syringer ammo is not affected by ammo-related perks in the Perk chart and the gun itself is not affected by Quick Hands, which improves your reload speed. Keep this in mind while using the Syringer and while investing your Perk points. The Syringer itself can also be modded at a weapons crafting table, and is subject to standard gun mods.
To craft a syringe, head over to a chem crafting table, like the one in Sanctuary Hills. Scroll down to Syringer Ammo and you will find every projectile injectable available in the game.
Berserk Syringe
Anti freeze bottle 1
Bourbon 1
Dirty water 1
Steel 1
Chance to frenzy target for 2 minutes.
Bleed Out Syringe
Fiberglass 1
Oil 1
Steel 1
Does 30 points of damage over 10 seconds to a target.
Bloatfly Larva Syringe
Bloatfly Gland 1
Glass 1
Psycho 1
Chance on death for target to spawn a Bloatfly.
Endangerol Syringe
Acid 1
Glass 1
Med-X 1
Pencil 1
Reduces target’s damage resistance by 25% for 2 minutes.
Lock Joint Syringe
Dirty Water 1
Lead 1
Steel 1
Stingwing Barb 1
Tarberry 2
Chance to paralyze target for 10 seconds.
Mind Cloud Syringe
Abraxo Cleaner 1
Asbestos 2
Glass 1
Purified Water 1
Target believes you have vanished and has a reduced chance to detect you for 30 seconds.
Pax Syringe
Mutfruit 2
Nuka Cola 1
Steel 1
Chance to make the target non-violent for 30 seconds.
Radscorpion Venom Syringe
Glass 1
Radscorpion Stinger 1
Steel 1
Does 40 points of damage over 10 seconds to target.
Yellow Belly Syringe
Anti Freeze Bottle 1
Fertilizer 1
Glass 1
Steel 2
Chance on hit to cause target to flee for 30 seconds.
As you can see, the syringes are an opportunity to use some of the rarer items in the Commonwealth that you may not have established a purpose for yet, like Pencils. Most recipes require at least Steel and Glass. Tarberry can be found growing at The Slog. If you need items from the wasteland’s creatures, like the Radscorpion, you’ll typically find them in the boggy areas outside of the metropolitan Boston area. For a full list of craftable components and what items contain them, check out this page on the Fallout 4 Wikia.
