Mentats

Mentats are a pre-war chem created by Med-Tek. These red pills increase memory related functions and speed up other mental processes. They are, of course, highly addictive.

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Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics
Mentats were a chem in Fallout 1, and were most useful for characters with low intellegence. The drawback was withdrawal from addiction.

Fallout 3
Mentats return in Fallout 3, though their effects have been slightly altered to provide a boost to both Intelligence and Perception, while omitting the increase to Charisma. They are particularly useful if the player only needs a small addition to a skill. By using Mentats, the player can gain a temporary boost to Medicine, Repair, Science, Explosives, Lockpick, and Energy Weapons skills. Please note that if the skill is already at 100, it will not be increased beyond that.

In The National Archives, specially-flavored Mentats were given to anyone who won a trivia contest regarding the Declaration of Independence. This contest still exists in electronic form for the player to try.

The bonus flavors of Mentats provide +5 boost to a single S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute:
 * Berry Mentats grant a +5 to Intelligence
 * Orange Mentats grant a +5 to Perception
 * Grape Mentats grant a +5 to Charisma

Trivia

 * Their name is likely a reference to Frank Herbert's Dune, where, in the wake of humanity rejecting computers mimicking human minds, Mentats are humans trained to become living computers, also of note is that the pills are colored red- Red Lips are the characteristic of a Dune Mentat.


 * Mentats may also be a reference to the real life candy Mentos which, based on the Fallout 2 art, they resemble. Mentos also featured a TV advertising campaign in which people face a seemingly unsolvable day-to-day problem that, after eating Mentos, they're able to solve in a creative manner.