Science

Science is a Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics, Fallout: New Vegas, Van Buren, and J.E. Sawyer's Fallout Role-Playing Game skill.

It covers a variety of high-technology skills, such as computers, biology, physics, and geology.

Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics
A player's starting science skill is equal to 25% + (2 x intelligence). This formula would mean average characters will have a 35% science skill (25% + (2 x 5)), with the minimum value being 27% and the maximum 45%.

The Fallout Tactics 1.27 patch notes readme file says: "The science bonus to criticals on robots is working properly", suggesting that science somehow affects critical chance or effectiveness against robots (at least in Tactics).

Fallout 3
Science allows you to hack terminals using a mini-game. Terminals have different difficulty levels, and they require different science skill levels. The difficulty ratings and skill levels are: very easy (15), easy (25), average (50), hard (75), and very hard (100). This is one of the few skills that may be useful to find a way to raise it to 100% (like lockpick) as some terminals require such a high level. On the other hand, there are few terminals which require 75 science skill and even less that require 100. The relative values of your science level and the difficulty rating affects how hard the minigame is (at 100 science, average terminals are a breeze, presenting only about 5 possible passwords). Harder terminals have more words, longer words, and fewer brackets for removing duds.

Science in quests and exploration

 * With a science skill of 60 or higher you can unlock certain dialog options with Doctor Lesko during the quest Those!. This allows you to learn he had been using a modified Forced Evolutionary Virus to induce pyrosis reactions in giant ants, creating fire ants.
 * 50 Science is required to reactivate the robots during Big Trouble in Big Town.
 * With a high science skill you can bypass the speech check required to convince John Henry Eden to self destruct during The American Dream.
 * Although a high science skill increases your chances of disarming a slave collar, the explosives skill is also taken into account. Even when both skills are high, the slave could still blow up, so saving before disarming it is advised.
 * During Mothership Zeta players with a science skill of 75 or above can modify healing archways to fully heal the player, though this reduces their number of uses to three.

Ways to increase Science

 * Bobblehead - Science (permanent +10)
 * Big Book of Science (permanent +1 or +2 with Comprehension, unlimited skill book)
 * Daddy's Boy/Girl (permanent +5 for each rank)
 * Tag! (permanent +15)
 * Survival Expert (permanent +2, 4 or 6)
 * Covert Ops (permanent +3, requires Operation: Anchorage)
 * Vault lab uniform (temporary +5)
 * Enclave scientist outfit (temporary +5)
 * Lab coat (temporary +5, requires Broken Steel)
 * Lesko's lab coat (temporary +10)
 * Scientist outfit (temporary +5)
 * The Surgeon's lab coat (temporary +5)
 * Mentats (temporary +2-10 depending on intelligence, a perfect intelligence of 10 will see no benefits)

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