Survival

Survival is a skill in Fallout: New Vegas. It replaces the Outdoorsman skill from Fallout and ''Fallout 2.

Overview
The Survival skill allows you to create powerful poisons, chems, and consumable food and drink items at camp fires scattered around the wasteland as the skill is increased.

Higher levels of the Survival skill also increase the effectiveness of food items including stat changes, whether they are made from Survival recipes or not, up to a tripling effect at a skill level of 100. However, this does include negative effects such as penalties to Strength or increases to the player's Dehydration, Starvation and Sleep levels while in Hardcore mode.
 * For example, the gecko steak:

Note: Higher skill does not increase the damage of poisons.
 * Heals 2 HP per second for 15 seconds at Level 15 Survival skill.
 * Heals 3 HP per second for 15 seconds at Level 30 Survival skill.
 * Heals 6 HP per second for 15 seconds at Level 100 Survival skill.

While the skills name "Survival" would denote it simply being a practiced form of subsistence, the Survival skill also encompasses the (relatively) finer points of cuisine in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. This is well displayed with the Courier being able to prepare such food items as the wasteland omelet, fire ant fricassée and brahmin Wellington.

Equation

 * $$\text{Initial level}=2+(2\times\text{Endurance})+\left\lceil\frac{\text{Luck}}{2}\right\rceil$$

Example: A starting Endurance of 5 and Luck of 5.
 * $$2+(2\times5)+\left\lceil\frac{5}{2}\right\rceil=15$$

In-game, health restoration and any other bonus from items are affected by the Survival skill with the following equation:
 * $$\text{Total}=\text{Base}\times\left(1+\frac{Skill}{50}\right)$$

Note: The resulting total is rounded down if it is not a whole number.

In basic terms, food items become twice as effective with a Survival skill of 50, and three times as effective with a Survival skill of 100. This progression is linear, meaning at a skill level of 75 food items are 2.5x as effective, and so on.

Increasing skill

 * Wasteland Survival Guide will increase Survival by +3 permanent points or +4 with Comprehension.
 * Lad's Life will increase Survival by + 10 temporary points or + 20 with Comprehension.
 * Anything that increases Endurance will increase Survival (1 Endurance point is equal to 2 Survival).
 * Caesar's Armor increases survival skill by 5 points, but it is a faction armor.
 * The Park Ranger hat and Sorrows outfit from the Honest Hearts add-on both increase Survival by 5.
 * The US Army combat armor from the Lonesome Road add-on raises Survival by 2.

Survival in quests and exploration

 * 20 Survival to teach Siri at The Fort to make healing powder more efficiently.
 * 20 Survival to call Ricky out when he mistakenly calls deathclaws "Deathjaws."
 * 50 Survival to persuade Jed Masterson to allow you to carry more weight (boosts from 75 to 100) on the trip to Zion National Park.
 * 60 Survival to have Jules in North Vegas Square give you the schematics - .44 magnum, hand load as well as a Guns check of 50.
 * 75 Survival to teach Jack at Red Rock Drug Lab how to make hydra.
 * 90 Survival to craft all existing campfire recipes.
 * Several survival checks are made to access additional dialogue with Ulysses.

Appearances
Survival appears only in Fallout: New Vegas, although it is based on Outdoorsman from Fallout and Fallout 2.