Mentats

Item from Fallout by Interplay / Bethesda

Intelligence-boosting chems in a cheerful tin that sharpen cognition for a few hours — the thinking person's addiction, popular with scientists, traders, and anyone who needs an edge that isn't violent.

Mentats make you smarter, or at least make you feel smarter, which in the wasteland amounts to the same thing. Conversations become clearer, details become sharper, and problems that seemed impossible suddenly have solutions. The addiction is subtler than Psycho or Jet — it creeps up as a fog that descends whenever you're not on them.

Appearance

Small round tin with a retro pop-art design in bright primary colors. Inside, chalky pastel-colored tablets in orange, pink, and yellow. They dissolve on the tongue with a chemical sweetness. The lid features a stylized brain graphic.

Also known as: Berry Mentats, Grape Mentats, Orange Mentats

What They Know

• Named as a reference to the Mentats of Frank Herbert's Dune — human computers who replaced thinking machines
• Temporarily increases Intelligence and Perception, making the user sharper and more observant
• Addiction manifests as cognitive fog and reduced mental acuity when not under the drug's effects
• Arcade Gannon is known to use Mentats occasionally for his medical research

Connections

• used_by — arcade
• sold_in — freeside
• sold_in — diamond_city

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