A Fresh Pair of Genes is a main quest in Fallout 76, introduced in the Ghoul Within update. It is the second of two quests that lead the player to choose if they want to become a ghoul. It starts immediately after completing Leap of Faith.
Quick walkthrough[]
- Talk to Parthenia Blankenship and learn about the ghoulification process.
- Use the inhaler on the table in Parthenia's laboratory.
- Enter the radiation chamber to the northeast.
- The player character will then pass out and subsequently wake up in the Radiant Hills clinic.
- Proceed with character customization for the ghoul race to complete the quest.
Detailed walkthrough[]
After completing the previous quest, Leap of Faith, this quest is started immediately, regardless of one's choices during Leap of Faith. Talk to Parthenia Blankenship. She proposes that the player turn into a ghoul themselves. She will always make this offer, independent of whether or not Leamon Price was encouraged or discouraged from becoming a ghoul. In their first response, the player can express interest or express doubt about the prospect of becoming a ghoul. After further dialogue with Parthenia, a help menu is displayed providing an overview of ghoulification. The player then has the option to reject Parthenia's offer, accept it, or ask more questions. If one proceeds with the latter, they will have the chance to learn more about the pros and cons of becoming a ghoul, with more help menus being displayed. Once the player has made up their mind, they can inform Parthenia of their decision.
If the player decides to turn their character into a ghoul, Parthenia explains that the process involves taking the inhaler she has developed (as seen during the events of Leap of Faith), then taking in radiation from the nearby leaking and inactive nuclear warhead. The quest is updated with the objective to use the inhaler. After interacting with it and watching the animation, the player is prompted to enter the radiation chamber. Head northeast into the nearby room marked by the sign "launch silo." There, the door has been opened and the player can walk in and see the malfunctioning warhead, surrounded by a green haze. The door seals behind the player and they begin taking in radiation, upwards of +385 Rads. The player character then passes out, leading to a loading screen.
Upon waking up, the player character finds themselves in the clinic of Radiant Hills, and is greeted by Maddox Mullen, the leader of the Revenants. The player then begins with character customization for the ghoul race. Once completed, a message box is displayed further explaining details of ghoul gameplay. A Fresh Pair of Genes is then marked as completed. Parthenia is nearby, and speaking to her will lead to her encouraging the player to talk with Jaye Vo to learn about disguises for interacting with human factions. Although A Fresh Pair of Genes is completed, the player now also has a miscellaneous quest objective to speak with Jaye about disguises. If Leamon agreed to become a ghoul during Leap of Faith, he can also be found in the clinic and spoken to for new dialogue options.
If the player decides to not turn their character into a ghoul, this quest will never be completed. Although becoming a ghoul is not necessary for the game as a whole, it is required to complete this individual quest. However, unlike some other main quests, A Fresh Pair of Genes can be rejected in the Pip-Boy (similar to some daily quests). The player can reject the quest at any point; they can also return to it whenever they would like by speaking to Parthenia again. It will also reappear any time the player joins a different server.
In the game's story, ghoulification is an irreversible process, and Parthenia explains this if asked. However, if one wishes to complete this quest and revert back to being a human at any point after becoming a ghoul, this is an option. Proceed to the Character tab in the main menu and select the player character that transformed into a ghoul. The player has one free redeemable option to revert back to humanity, in an example of gameplay-story segregation, as the choice is for the player's convenience, separate from the story choices. Subsequent switching back-and-forth between human and ghoul requires purchases from the Atomic Shop for 1500 Atoms.
