Summary
Chems can be the cornerstone of pushing a build to the next level in a Fallout game, andFallout 76is no different. There are a ton of different Chems to make and use in Fallout, and each of them has its own unique buffs, and in some cases, debuffs that come with them.
An important thing to note with Chems is that many of them can be addictive, if taken often enough. Being addicted to Chems in Fallout can come with some drawbacks when you haven’t taken the Chem in a while, so it’s important to understand the risk/reward while employing their use.
10Stimpack
Blood Pack x1, Antiseptic x2, Steel x1
There are many different kinds of Stimpacks, ranging from the normal Stimpack, to Stimpack Diffusers, Stimpack: Diluted, and Stimpack: Super. All of these have slightly different effects, ranging in efficacy, length of the healing, and who exactly it heals.
Stimpacks are a cornerstone of Fallout, and for just about every player, they are the go-to option when it comes to healing yourself.
The best Stimpack is, unsurprisingly, the Super variety, though it’s also the most expensive to craft. The Diluted Stimpack can help you stretch your Stimpacks if you’re low, essentially allowing you to double your inventory count of them at the cost of each Stimpack being half as effective. The Stimpack Diffuser uniquely restores health to you and nearby teammates, making it a great choice for a support build.
Antiseptic x2, Purified Water x1, Glowing Fungus x3, Plastic x1
Another convenient Chem that just about every player is going to be using at some point, Rad-Away reduces your current radiation level by 300, while also giving you 50 percent more disease resistance, and the chance to cure mutations.
This might be problematic for those with abuild relying on mutations, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Regardless of what you’re doing in Fallout, odds are you’ll be accumulating rads at some point throughout your journey.
Rad-Away likely isn’t a thing you’ll be needing a lot of stored up, but it’s a good idea to always have a few on hand.
8Psychobuff
Buffout x1, Psycho x1
Psychoboff is, quite possibly, the best Chem in the game when it comes to buffing your combat capabilities. When it comes to most of these Chems, the build your character has is going to matter a lot when deciding if they’re useful or useless, but Psychobuff offers some help to everyone, and a larger boost to others.
Psychobuff is a straight 25 percent damage increase across the board, making it an all-around good choice for any fighting situation. On top of that, it increases Max HP by 65, making you that little bit more difficult to put down. If you happen to be running a build relying on Strength or Endurance, it increases both of these stats by three, giving you the relevant buffs for those SPECIAL abilities and adding three perk points temporarily.
7Overdrive
Digested Goo x1, Nuka-Cola x1, Pyscho x1
Overdrive is another Chem that is going to useful to just about anybody, regardless of their build since it is a flat 15 percent damage buff, and also increases your critical damage by the same amount.
No matter the build and no matter what you’re fighting, Overdrive is going to make the situation a little bit easier. It might not be the most extreme buff, but its simplicity is where it shines.
6X-cell
Cannot Be Crafted
Whatever SPECIAL stat you’re looking to buff, X-cell is going to buff it. It’s going to buff it by two, in fact.
X-cell increases all of your SPECIALs by two for two minutes. Some of the other more SPECIALized Chems might make a bigger difference to your build than this one since it only provides a bonus of two, but the fact remains that anybody who picks up X-cell has a use for it.
5Fury
Buffout x1, Psycho x2
Fury isn’t going to open your third eye with its negative three Perception penalty, but that 30 percent bonus to melee damage is going to make a big difference when it comes to not getting eaten alive.
No matter the melee weapon, Fury is going to provide that 30 percent damage buff, and also provide a marginal but still vaguely useful 25 damage resistance.
For someone running agood melee buildand willing to use Chems, Fury is going to be a regular in the rotation.
4Buffout/Bufftats
Buffout x1, Mentats x1
Buffout and Bufftats are very similar Chems, with Bufftats being the stronger version. Buffout increases Strength and Endurance by two each with Bufftats increasing each to three. Buffout increases Max HP by 25 as opposed to Bufftats bonus of 40, with Bufftats having the added benefit of increasing Perception by three, as well.
These are both great Chems for a build relying on any of those stats, and while that HP bonus isn’t anything to write home about, any extra HP is helpful HP.
3Orange Mentats
Carrots x2, Mentats x1, Silt Bean x1
For a build relying on VATS, Orange Mentats can be a very good addition. Increasing VATS accuracy by ten percent and Perception by five, Orange Mentats provide a very meaningful boost that can make a significant difference in every fight.
The plus five addition to Perception alone would make this an invaluable addition to aPerception build, with the VATS accuracy bonus being a nice addition on top.
2Antibiotics
Antiseptic x3, Blood Pack x1, Disease Cure x2, Purified Water x2, Stimpack x1
You won’t be fighting off diseases all the time in Fallout 76, but odds are that, at some point, you’ll be feeling under the weather. When that happens, you’ll be thankful you stocked some Antibiotics, which cures diseases and give you increased disease resistance of 50 percent for 90 minutes.
This likely isn’t going to be a regular by any means, but you’ll regret not having any of these around when you need them.
1Addictol
Most of the Chems on this list, particularly the ones that give you a certain SPECIAL buff, are addictive in nature. If you happen to get addicted to one of them and don’t continue taking the Chem, you’ll have to face the addiction penalties associated with it.
When that happens, Addictol will solve the problem, curing all addictions. It’s another Chem that you probably aren’t going to be taking regularly, but when you need it, nothing else will do.
