 | For an overview of Mentats in the Fallout series of games, see Mentats. |
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Just between use mechanics, try some Mentats before you tackle that robot. They really clear your head
”— A Scavenger, Fallout 3Mentats are a consumable item in Fallout 3.
Background[]
The chalky red pills manufactured by Med-Tek were a popular recreational (party) drug before the Great War, favored by consumers for their effect on creativity.[1] The active ingredient is a powerful nootropic that increases memory related functions, and speeds other mental processes.[2] Of course, the effect is temporary, leaving the user tired and sluggish once it wears off. Excessive consumption could also result in health complications, including migraines and even debilitating neurological disorders.[3][4] Coupled with a high addiction rate, Mentats were a double edged sword.[2]
Despite that, chem packages (available both as cardboard packs and tins)[5] sold well, to the point where the company started developing flavored varieties with slightly different properties.[6][7] Their popularity survived the Great War and made them a popular drug across the wasteland. Some chemists even figured out how to iterate on the design and create special blends of Mentats.[8]
Characteristics[]
Mentats return in Fallout 3, though they only increase Intelligence and Perception, omitting the Charisma bonus from previous games. Using Mentats will boosts skills based on those attributes accordingly.
Mentats are important at the beginning of Fallout 3; particularly with disarming (or alternatively detonating) the Megaton bomb, as indirectly implied by Lucas Simms. Through the base adjustment to Perception, the Mentats can help raise the player's Explosives skill level above the 25 needed to interact with the bomb.
Variants[]
Locations[]
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Notes[]
- With the Broken Steel add-on, the ghoul Griffon can be heard selling his aqua cura by claiming it will cure "...dry mouth or other Mentats related side-effects."
Behind the scenes[]
- Originally in Fallout, Mentats were supposed to be taken intravenously with a syringe: the .frm file for this item still exists in the Fallout Demo files.
- Their name is a reference to Frank Herbert's Dune, where, in the wake of humanity rejecting artificially intelligent computers and robots, Mentats are humans trained for computer-like mathematical and logical computations. Additionally, the pills are colored red — red-stained lips are a distinguishing characteristic of a Dune Mentat.
References[]
- ↑ Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.74: "This party drug was once favored for the boost it gave to creativity—tune in, turn on, drop out. Mentats are just the ticket when you need to figure out something particularly perplexing or impress someone with your wits and charm. Mentats also sharpen your Perception, which greatly enhances long-range sniping attacks."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fallout and Fallout 2 item description: "{5300}{}{Mentats}"
"{5301}{}{A pillbox of mind-altering chems. Increases memory related functions, and speeds other mental processes. Highly addictive.}"
(PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout), PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout 2)) - ↑ Little Yangtze terminals; Little Yangtze Log Terminal, Elijah's Journal - Day 4
- ↑ Mobius suffers from acute dementia as a result of extremely prolonged Mentats and Psycho abuse.
- ↑ Game items
- ↑ National Archives terminals; Prize Redemption Terminal
- ↑ National Archives terminals; Administrator Berkeley's Terminal, Notice u89003
- ↑ Different recipes available in Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4.