Addiction countdown

[Charlemagne]

My understanding of addiction was that each time you had a % of getting it. However, I noticed that returning to a prior save after becoming addicted, the next time I used the chem even if I altered what I did, I moved to other areas etc I would still become addicted. So it would appear that addiction could be a product of accumulation, i.e. you will become addicted after consuming X quantity of the drug, this quantity perhaps being different for each character depending on your endurance, perks, etc.

This raises the problem that, if you could know beforehand that the next dose will make you addicted, you will be restricted in using it perhaps even avoiding it entirely. Or, take the dose right in front of a doctor, make him cure you and then you're good for X number of doses again. You could know how many doses it takes by experimentation and then keep a tally. Either way, it takes the fun out of using chems.

If Bethesda wants to make the point that drugs are bad, then why even include them in the game. I'm against drug use in the real world, but in the game they are simply like perks. I don't even think that my character is a junkie because I pop a mentat before going into a dungeon, for the extra experience points, or he takes Psychojet + Med-X when going into a hard battle. I'm going to face a Deathclaw, a hit of Psychojet can make all the difference.

I remember in FO1 the aftereffects of chems were so abysmally awful that you never took them again after trying once. Good moral lesson I suppose.

[Eve of the West]

Congratulations! You've discovered Bethesda's UMON system! All Fallout games sinces Fo3 have had a hidden system of addiction chance separate from the flat addiction percentage chance each time you used a chem. This system is called UMON, which is short for "universal monitoring" and serves as a method to punish heavy repeated drug use with a higher addiction chance.

Every time you use a chem, the game adds the UMON score of the chem to your current total and rolls a check. That check is against the flat percentage chance of addiction for the chem, modified by your current UMON score. Your UMON total goes down with time, but AFAIK cannot be reduced directly. You need a lot of UMON score for it to start significantly upping your chance for addiction. Popping jet in every encounter will quickly pile up UMON and your chance for addiction, but using mentats every day right before you do a bunch of crafting won't make any real difference.

TL;DR: Use lots of drugs often, get addicted more often. If you find this takes the fun out of the game for you... Change it up! Go to the docs and get cleaned up more often, carry addictol, or just live with the addictions and feed them as you go... Maybe get a Junkie's weapon or two. I use Jet all the time when I don't have companions/am traveling with companions who don't care, and I keep buffout and psychotats for really difficult encounters.

[Morrandir]

Curing addiction has never been easier that it is more like they are encouraging you to use them

[Eve of the West]

Originally posted by Morrandir:

Curing addiction has never been easier that it is more like they are encouraging you to use them

Nah, it was definitely easier in New Vegas. Addictol is five times more expensive than Fixer was in FNV, and much less common besides.

[Sentient_Toaster]

...but you can get it cured cheaply by any doc, or you can craft Refreshing Beverages, too.

[Eve of the West]

Originally posted by Sentient_Toaster:

...but you can get it cured cheaply by any doc, or you can craft Refreshing Beverages, too.

You could get it cured cheaply at any doc in FNV too. And Fixer is still insanely cheap, plus you can get doses for free if you help the Followers. Even though refreshing beverages are pretty easy, Fixer is definitely easier.

[cassiels]

My character hardly ever uses chems but in my current melee survival run he sometimes has to. During a long quest when there are two or three legendaries in a room, I take a chem and then another and I am addicted. Two chems = addiction. I have found lots of addictol so it is no problem. Perhaps I need to use them more?

[Sentient_Toaster]

Originally posted by cassiels:

My character hardly ever uses chems but in my current melee survival run he sometimes has to. During a long quest when there are two or three legendaries in a room, I take a chem and then another and I am addicted. Two chems = addiction. I have found lots of addictol so it is no problem. Perhaps I need to use them more?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqg-qY0ZCMA

[Charlemagne]

You know, I wouldn't much care about being addicted if it weren't for those prim companions that hate you taking chems and/or becoming addicted. I always carry addictol or refreshing beverage. But, while I'm wooing Codsworth or Curie I can't even take chems. Piper and Garvey will look the other way if you take chems, as long as you don't become addicted. They don't like that. This is where becoming addicted becomes a small annoyance, and why some companions are so boring (but I want their perks).

Ada is so refreshing, with her finally I can do whatever I please!

[Anacosta]

i absolutely refused to used Fixer in FNV because of the annoying screen blur/hissing sound effect that it caused every 30 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ seconds... i could not stand that ♥♥♥♥, it was SO annoying, to the point that i would rather avoid chems altogether or deal with the withdrawel side effects than use Fixer.

So, personally, i don't even consider Fixer an option, and as such i think FO4 has WAY easier access to removing addictions. It becomes pretty easy even early on to develop a sizeable stockpile of Addictol and/or Refreshing Beverage, so that's 2 super easy on-the-go options for removing addictions, plus any doctor you happen to find

in closing: ♥♥♥♥ Fixer!

sorry... i may be a little bitter

[ChemicalBacon]

Still trying to figure this out for myself
Took Jet at level 21 once
At level 40-something I took it again (at least a whole day solid IRL of time playing)
Took it a third time at level 98 recently, got addicted to jet.

It seems almost to be more like total taken, meaning you seemly never reset to 0 unless you get cured.
More frequency seems to give it faster, but otherwise, no escape.

To be honest, I couldn't care much.
Really easy to get cured from additions in F4.

[end_game_13]

You can get a prek that makes you sorta Immue to addictions, basicly making your character like Bane from Batman.. while drugs can be bad with repeated uses and dependancy, they are not evil in nature most of the time.

[Eve of the West]

Originally posted by KateK8:

i absolutely refused to used Fixer in FNV because of the annoying screen blur/hissing sound effect that it caused every 30 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ seconds... i could not stand that ♥♥♥♥, it was SO annoying, to the point that i would rather avoid chems altogether or deal with the withdrawel side effects than use Fixer.

So, personally, i don't even consider Fixer an option, and as such i think FO4 has WAY easier access to removing addictions. It becomes pretty easy even early on to develop a sizeable stockpile of Addictol and/or Refreshing Beverage, so that's 2 super easy on-the-go options for removing addictions, plus any doctor you happen to find

in closing: ♥♥♥♥ Fixer!

sorry... i may be a little bitter

You do know that you can just pop antivenom to instantly clear the side effects of Fixer, right?
Or just wait them out with the wait key. You don't have to suffer through them.

Originally posted by Chemicalbacon:

Still trying to figure this out for myself
Took Jet at level 21 once
At level 40-something I took it again (at least a whole day solid IRL of time playing)
Took it a third time at level 98 recently, got addicted to jet.

Again, all addictive chems have a flat percentage chance each time you use them of causing addiction. Yes, this means you can become addicted to a chem the first time you use a chem ever. The only way to circumvent this is with the appropriate perks.

Originally posted by Chemicalbacon:

More frequency seems to give it faster, but otherwise, no escape.

Bethesda's UMON system in action, as I detailed above.