Fallout 76’s popularity has been on the upswing, thanks to the well-received TV series set in the same universe; as well as a series of improvements, updates, and patches that make the game a completely different beast than what it was all those years back during launch. One interesting part of the gameplay experience is Mutations – not all of those need to be cured, as the positive effects can be something that adds a lot to your build. In this guide, we have looked at all Mutations in Fallout 76 as well as how to farm Mutations, cure or keep them. We have also lastly included what we feel are the top Mutations in the game. So let’s get started!
What Are Mutations In Fallout 76 & How To Get Them
Mutations in Fallout 76 are a set of positive and negative effects that you get when exposed to radiation through either standing very close to hazardous waste, being attacked by Toxic Ghouls, or eating or drinking unpurified food/water. Serums, purchased from the MODUS Science Terminals in the Whitespring Bunker guarantee that particular Mutation; with the added benefit of not having the negative effect from that Mutation for one hour.
Can You Get More Than One Mutation In Fallout 76?
Yes, you can have more than one Mutation in Fallout 76 by hopping between worlds/servers. So while on one world you can acquire only one new mutation, each world/server login ignores existing Mutations. That way, you can technically get all Mutations on your character, except for the Herbivore / Carnivore combination since the effects for both are the exact opposite of each other.
How To Cure Mutations In Fallout 76
The Mutations are status effects that stay with you even if you sleep, re-load and so on. Consuming RadAway, and using Decontamination Showers are the easiest ways to cure Mutations. If you want to play the game with minimal chances of getting a Mutation, in addition to avoiding all things that can increase Radiation; having the ‘What Rad?’ perk also helps a lot. Alternatively, upgrading ‘The Starched Genes’ perk to second level ensures that you never mutate irrespective of how much Radiation you take.
How To Keep Mutations In Fallout 76
Equipping ‘The Starched Genes’ after acquiring a Mutation will ensure that taking RadAway or using Decontamination Showers also does not remove that Mutation. This is useful in that you would want to get rid of the Radiation that eats away your health, but not remove the Mutation and its effects. The ‘Starched Genes’ is a Luck based Perk that unlocks at level 30.
How To Farm Mutations In Fallout 76
Getting a specific type of Mutation in Fallout 76 is a trial and error process, and the best location to farm Mutations is the Emmett Mountain Disposal Site.
- Once you reach the location, go near to the barrels containing hazardous material.
- Unequip The Starched Gene card if you have it equipped.
- Wait for the Radiation to be 50 – 75% of your health bar; and the Mutation should trigger.
- If it is the one you wanted, equip The Starched Gene and take the Decontamination Shower to remove the Radiation.
- If it is not the one you wanted, take the Decontamination Shower without equipping The Starched Gene card; and repeat the steps.
All Mutations In Fallout 76
| Mutation | Positive Effect | Negative Effect |
| Adrenal Reaction | Increased weapon damage at low HP | Max Health is halved |
| Bird Bones | +4 Agility, -45% Fall Speed, -90% Fall Damage | -4 Strength |
| Carnivore | doubles all benefits from eating Meat with no chance of disease | No benefit on eating Plants |
| Chameleon | grants Invisibility when unarmored | |
| Eagle Eyes | + 4 Perception, +50% Critical Damage | -4 Strength |
| Egg Head | +6 Intelligence | -3 Strength & Endurance |
| Electrically Charged | Chance to cause electrical damage to melee attackers | Player also gets hurt by the electrical damage |
| Empath | +25% less damage to team mates | +33% damage to player |
| Grounded | Increased Energy Resistance | -20% Energy damage |
| Healing Factor | +300% health regeneration | reduces Chems effectiveness by 55% |
| Herbivore | doubles all benefits from eating Plants with no chance of disease | No benefit on eating Meat |
| Herd Mentality | + 2 to S.P.E.C.I.A.L when in teams | -2 to S.P.E.C.I.A.L when solo |
| Marsupial | + 20 to Carry Weight | -4 Intelligence |
| Plague Walker | Poison aura scales when diseased | |
| Scaly Skin | +50 Damage & Energy Resistance | -50 AP |
| Speed Demon | +20% Movement & Reload Speed | +50% Hunger & Thirst when moving |
| Talons | +15% Unarmed & Bleeding Attack Damage | -4 Agility |
| Twisted Muscles | +25% Melee & Unarmed Damage, +20% chance to cripple enemy limbs | -50% Gun Accuracy |
| Unstable Isotope | Chance to release radiation blast when enemies land melee attacks | Player also gets irradiated with the blast. |
Top 5 Mutations In Fallout 76
You can’t possibly go wrong with these Mutations in Fallout 76:
- Twisted Muscles is almost a must-have for melee builds, as the positives are fully for melee attacks while the negatives are for gun accuracy which does not matter for such builds.
- Marsupial helps to carry all that extra scrap and weapons, while the negatives to Intelligence can hurt a bit – still, it can be managed at particularly higher levels.
- Healing Factor again is almost a no-brainer; as it gives a great health regen boost, and you can always make do with not taking Chems.
- Eagle Eyes works best for gun builds with the higher Perception and Crit Damage, while the Strength debuff would probably not matter much here.
- Adrenal Reaction pairs nicely with a bloodied build setup; as it dishes out increased damage at lower health.
Which Mutation in Fallout 76 are you looking to get? While you give this some thought, you may want to check out our guides on some great weapons to base your build and Mutation around – like the Unstoppable Monster, the Slug Buster, or the Tesla Rifle.