Buffout

Buffout is a highly advanced steroid, popularized before the war by professional athletes and their clandestine use of the drug. While in effect, they increase strength and reflexes but it's very addictive.

Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics
A favorite of melee players, Buffout is designed specifically to increase a person's deadliness in hand-to-hand combat. Consequently, any combat style whose effectiveness is influenced by the Strength SPECIAL stat reaps a significant benefit from the use of Buffout.

Although most players avoid going through Fallout without any weapons whatsoever, those players that do, along with those who prefer melee weapons with hard-hitting attacks (such as the Sledgehammer or Super Sledge) can drastically increase the effectiveness of their assaults with careful use of Buffout. In Fallout 2, NPCs that follow the Chosen One can often be supplied with Buffout and be directed to use it, making already dangerous companions like Marcus all the more fearsome in combat. In those situations where unarmed combat is the law, such as the sparring ring in San Francisco or the Boxing circuit in New Reno, a quick dose or two of Buffout prior to the commencement of hostilities can drastically shift the odds.

Unfortunately, the drawback of Buffout is its high addiction rate. Anyone taking more than a single dose at a time is running a severe risk of addiction and its attendant penalties. A person going through Buffout withdrawal is in no condition to fight hand-to-hand.

Fallout 3
Buffout can be very useful as it boosts both Strength and Endurance, in addition a health increase of 60 HP. However, it carries a 10% addiction rate. After about ten minutes, the chem wears off and you will lose 60 HP from your current total, which can mean instant death if your health is under that. Other than its direct use, it can also be traded to Lucy in Little Lamplight for cave fungus.

One of the main advantages to using Buffout is the fact that it improves your strength by +2, increasing the player's carry weight by 20 pounds. This may save extra trips to the area if the extra weight is discarded in a container before the effects wear off. The Endurance boost is also very helpful in getting one of the two more useful variations of the Survival Expert perk granted by the The Wasteland Survival Guide quest, as getting the dialog options necessary for it requires an Endurance score of 7 or higher.

Although many vendors will have one or two doses, significant quantities of Buffout are sold by:
 * Doc Hoff
 * Cindy Cantelli
 * Ahzrukhal
 * Leo Stahl

Bugs

 * Taking Stimpaks while the Buffout health bonus is active will use your Stimpaks even if you are at full health.


 * If you attempt to use the status tab to heal yourself, you can't gain the extra 60HP afforded by the chem. However, if you use Stimpaks or other healing items in the inventory-aid panel, you can gain the full 60HP.

Appearances
Buffout appears in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3 and Fallout Tactics.