Mentats

Mentats are a brand of chems across the Fallout series.

Background
 The chalky tablets manufactured by Med-Tek Laboratories were a popular drug before the Great War, favored by consumers for their effect on creativity. The drug increases memory related functions, speeds other mental processes, but is highly addictive. Mentats had a reputation for being the drug of choice for "Beatniks" and "armchair philosophers" but the substance assisted those who suffered from memory issues.

The drug affects developing adolescent minds, resulting in a permanent intelligence increase. Withdrawal causes headaches. Med-Tek reported increased sales in school districts and Fixer sales up in seeded zones. The company projected Prevent sales to be +250% in 2078 and +330% in 2079. Fruit-flavored Mentats were among the prizes available at the National Archives after completing a basic history quiz.

Mentats


Mentats are most useful for characters with low Intelligence and Perception, as they grant a useful bonus for both these SPECIAL stats. The downside is that they are addictive.

Grape Mentats


These Mentats do not increase Intelligence and Perception; instead, they only increase Charisma.

Berry Mentats


Berry Mentats do not have the Perception bonus that normal Mentats bring, only increasing Intelligence and in Fallout 4 provide enemy highlighting.

Orange Mentats


Orange Mentats do not have the Intelligence bonus that normal Mentats bring, as they only increase Perception.

Party Time Mentats


Party Time Mentats are a crafted variant of Mentats made by the Courier, requiring a Science skill of 50 and can be produced at any campfire.

Behind the scenes
The chem's name is a reference to Frank Herbert's novel Dune, in which "Mentats" are humans trained for computer-like mathematical and logical computations.