Fallout 76 survival guide

The following is a transcription of the 'Fallout 76 survival guide, issued to all dwellers of Vault 76.

Prepare for the Now!
Our motto at Vault-Tec is: ""Prepare for the Future!"" (TM) But, for you, fine citizen, the future has come, so you must ""Prepare for the Now!"" (TM)

This field manual will prepare you to meet that future where you will not only survive, but thrive!

Establish a base camp!
The rations and stimpaks in your official Vault-Tec survival kit won't last forever. You'll need to become self-sufficient soon. An important first step is finding a safe location to set up a base camp from which you will embark to secure food, water, and other supplies, and which will safeguard and protect the hard earned resources you bring back.

How to choose a camp site?
No one likes moving. Especially when you have to carry your entire house on your back. So take some time to find the perfect spot before you commit. You'll want to consider the following things when deciding if any particular place would make a good base camp: safety, access to resources, concealment, and view.

Safety
You'll want to find a location that is safe from the elements, but also, and more importantly, safe from enemies. Scout out the area, both during the day, and at night. Make sure you aren't setting up camp right next to a group of degenerate gangs, or a family of mutated bears. Consider placing your camp up against natural walls like cliffs and boulders. And further protect your camp by deploying traps and automated defenses to ward off intruders while you are away.

Access to Resources
You should try to find a location that will allow you to gather a variety of resources like food, water, and crafting materials such as wood and stone. But remember other creatures will also be visiting such places, so don't put down right next to a refreshing fish filled stream, or you might find your home visited by mutant bears or worse!

Concealment
Not everyone you meet will be as hardworking or friendly as you. Even some of your Vault 76 compatriots may, in time, resort to thievery and violence. Try to find a secluded place to set up your camp, away from well-defined paths, and where possible, concealed by foliage and natural rock formations.

View
Your ideal placement will provide a clear view 360 degrees around your camp, for miles away. Being able to see trouble coming will allow you to avoid it altogether. A good view overlooking a beautiful natural landscape will also lift your spirits. A calm focused mind, and a healthy positive outlook will go a long way in keeping you alert, safe, and engaged in your surroundings and your survival.

Construct a cooking fire!
You might be accustomed to TV dinners, or cooking decadent meals in a kitchen with all the conveniences modern life had to offer, or perhaps you never learned to put two slices of bread together before the world ended, either way, you'll need to learn to cook a hot meal from scratch. But first, you'll need something to cook it on!

Cooking Gear
You may find yourself limited in the quality of meals you can prepare by what you are cooking on.

At first, you should focus on the bare necessities. A small pit surrounded by stones, and if you can, scavenge a pot to cook in, if not, a good strong stick to hang your food on while you roast it. As you survive and start scavenging what's left of the population centers, or if you are trained in electrical engineering, you might be able to jury rig an actual working stove top and fry up some delicious home cooked meals. But always remember, light, warmth, and good smells can draw unwanted guests.

Also, don't forget to boil your water at your cooking fire!

Make drinking water safe!
That cool and refreshing looking stream or pond has all the water a recently repatriated survivor could ever need, but drinking from it could make you sick. Very sick, indeed! Always bottle water from the purest sources, and always boil it completely before drinking!

Water Quality
Water is of varying degrees of quality. But broadly speaking you can categorize water qualities as Toxic, Dirty, Boiled, and Purified.

Toxic Water
Drinking toxic water will fill you with radiation and disease. It is found in stagnant pools and heavily polluted streams and rivers. Never drink toxic water, unless you are looking for a painful death.

Dirty Water
While much less likely to kill you than toxic water, dirty water is still irradiated, and with some risk of disease. Most sources of water you will find will be dirty. Unless you are desperate boil it before drinking.

Boiled Water
Despite still being irradiated, boiled water is nearly safe to drink, but particularly nasty diseases can resist boiling. You should always boil water found in the wild before drinking it.

Purified Water
Purified water, is guaranteed to be safe and delicious. This water will be rare, or require specialized equipment to produce. If available, drink purified water.

Eat food that won't eat you back!
Plants and animals may have suffered horrifying mutations making it impossible to tell what they once were. But when your supply of rations runs out, you're going to need to eat those things. And even if you think you know what something is, you should never, ever, eat it raw. Raw food will often contain disease causing bacteria and parasites. The only way to be sure you won't make things worse by eating something, is to cook it.

You can also create healing salves and other homemade remedies at your cooking station, by cooking together various plants and natural resources.

Recipes
As you explore the world, you'll find new edible things, and new recipes to make those things tasty. When in doubt, you can always simply set meat or plants on fire. While not exactly tasty, charred food is safer than eating it raw. If you have a little extra time and some boiled water available, prepare it properly by rinsing it off and either boiling or frying it in boiled water helps wash away impurities and improves the taste. And with luck, you'll discover tastier recipes. Be sure to search kitchens and camp grounds to learn the local cuisine.

Meat
Meat is filling and when properly cooked, delicious. But raw or poorly cooked meat is likely to make you very sick. Always cook meat before eating it. And consider the relative healthiness and cleanliness any creature before you put its flesh in your mouth. Eating a giant mutated roach might not be the best idea, even if you cook it first!

Plants
Plants are the healthiest choice, in addition to not causing cancer and cardiovascular disease, they are chock-full of vitamins and antioxidants, and are much less likely to be vectors for disease. The leaves and flowers of many plants can be made into delicious teas. Fruits and vegetables make thirst quenching juices and wholesome soups.

Even though less risky than meat, always cook your plants to remove bacteria and parasites. You never know what may have fertilized the crop, or if it might be infested with maggots or other parasites.