In Fallout 4, managing radiation exposure is crucial for maintaining your character’s survivability in the post-apocalyptic environment. The game’s mechanics note that accumulating radiation damage has a unique impact on your character’s health.

Effects of Radiation Exposure
1. Reduction of Maximum Health: For every 10 rads of radiation your character receives, your maximum health is permanently reduced by 1%. This can become quite significant, as taking just 100 rads results in a 10% decrease in your overall health pool. If you typically have a maximum health of 300, for example, this reduction would lower it to 270.

2. Cumulative Vulnerability: As you collect more radiation, your maximum health continues to decline. This means that even if your current health is at its full value after healing, you are still at a higher risk of dying because your overall health pool is smaller. This mechanic effectively places a “poison” effect on your maximum health capacity, making the character increasingly vulnerable as radiation exposure continues unchecked.

Recovering from Radiation
– Removing Radiation: To recover your lost maximum health, it’s essential to remove radiation exposure using items like RadAway or by visiting medical professionals within the Commonwealth. Once the radiation is cleared, your maximum health capacity is restored to its original state based on your health stats.

– Healing Your Current Health: It’s important to note that removing radiation does not heal your current health points. You will still need to use Stimpaks or secure rest to fully restore your current health. This distinction is vital, as players must manage both their radiation levels and their current health independently.

Gameplay Implications
– Strategic Focus: The need to manage radiation effectively adds a layer of strategy to gameplay. Players should be cautious about venturing into highly irradiated zones without adequate preparations, particularly since some enemies might be immune or healed by radiation. This adds complexity to combat and exploration dynamics.

– Survivability: Over time, excessive radiation can lead to a significant decrease in your character’s survivability. It pushes players to regularly monitor their radiation levels and take action to mitigate these effects to ensure they can withstand encounters with hostile entities in the wasteland.

In conclusion, understanding the mechanics of radiation exposure in Fallout 4 is key to navigating its dangers effectively. Players must actively seek ways to manage and mitigate radiation to preserve their character’s health and overall ability to survive in the unforgiving world of the game.