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For an overview of Mentats variants, see Mentats. |
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Mentats are a chem in Fallout: New Vegas.
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. The active ingredient is a powerful nootropic that increases memory-related functions and speeds other mental processes. 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.[1] Coupled with a high addiction rate, Mentats were a double-edged sword
Despite that, chem packages (available both as cardboard packs and tins) sold well, to the point where the company started developing flavored varieties with slightly different properties.[2][3] 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.
Characteristics
Mentats grant a Charisma bonus, provide +2 Intelligence and have a low addiction rate. It is possible to craft Party Time Mentats, which confer an augmented +5 bonus to Charisma, in addition to the effects of standard Mentats. Effects from Party Time Mentats stack with regular Mentats, but Mentats do not do so by themselves. Party Time Mentats also have a drastically decreased effect time of 1 min, a 75% decrease from standard Mentats.
Variants
Locations
- Occasionally sold by the bartender in the lower lobby at the Gomorrah.
- In the base game, Mentats are rarer than other drugs, but can be found on most doctors in the game.
- Up to three Mentats can be found on Cook-Cook.
In Big MT, Mentats are extremely common and may be found in large quantities, especially in the Forbidden Zone.
- This is especially evident when entering Dr. Mobius' room in which 44 Mentats can be found lying around, implying a Mentats addiction.
- A large number of Mentats can be found in Dr. 8's house in Higgs Village (#108) and in Dr. Mobius' house as well (#102).
Behind the scenes
- 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. Also of note is that the pills are colored red. Red-stained lips are a distinguishing characteristic of a Dune Mentat.
- Berry, Orange, and Grape Mentats are also present in the Fallout: New Vegas game files but are not used in-game.