Fallout 76 didn't have the best launch and it faced a ton of scrutiny from fans and critics alike. There were issues with the gameplay, anger from gamers who'd purchased the ultimate edition (the canvas bag fiasco), and a multitude of game-breaking bugs. Many pegged Fallout 76 as a commercial flop and assumed the online multiplayer title would die out soon. Yet, despite the lashing from Fallout fans and the gaming community as a whole, Bethesda decided to stick with the project and the world of Fallout 76 looks much different now than it did during its torrid release. Whatever they're doing, it's slowly working, and Fallout 76 is still seeing a fairly dedicated fanbase, as well as new players.
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Anyone who's just now jumping into the wild world of Fallout 76 will soon realize that it's not like other releases in Bethesda's franchise. There is a pretty big difficulty spike when it comes to certain things in Fallout 76 and one of the hardest adjustments is the lack of Stimpacks later in the game. When you first crawl from the vault, you'll be inundated with all manner of healing items and it will likely feel like any problem can be solved Skyrim-style, by stuffing yourself full of food and potions. Unfortunately, this illusion of safety fades pretty quickly and as the game progresses, players will find themselves lacking any medical supplies. This makes it much, much harder to survive the harsh post-apocalyptic landscapes of Fallout 76.
Thankfully, there is a way to make things a bit easier and gain access to those ever-useful Stimpaks. All you'll need is a Stimpak Recipe, but getting one is much easier said than done. Many players have lamented at how brutal the journey to find a Stimpak Recipe can be. To make things as easy as possible, here's all you need to know about finding and obtaining this elusive item.
Finding the Stimpak Recipe is absolutely like trying to find an irradiated needle in a toxic waste-filled haystack. There have been many players that have randomly stumbled upon this holy grail of healing but in the grand scheme of Fallout 76, there is an absolute abundance of players who haven't looted the rare recipe. You'll find yourself at the mercy of the RNG loot system, and it seems that the Stimpak Recipe is rather rare in the overall pool of loot.
If you are lucky enough to come across it, you're rewarded with an easy-to-build recipe that will have you swimming in stimpaks in no time. All it takes to craft a Stimpak is:
- 1 x Antiseptic.
- 1 x Steel.
- 1 x Blood Pack.
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Unfortunately, you're going to have to be exceedingly lucky to get this far by simply exploring. Thankfully, there is another way to secure yourself a Stimpak Recipe but it's a bit of a grind too. It can be purchased from the Medical Vendor in the Enclave's Bunker, but you'll need to do something pretty involved for the Enclave themselves before they'll allow you access to the store. In order to access the MODUS Terminal in the Medical Bay that sells the Stimpack Recipe, you'll need to complete the main quest, "One of Us." The questline itself will take you into the Whitespring Bunker where the Terminal is located.
The main quest, "One of Us," can be pretty taxing and you won't be able to complete it until you're strong enough to take down a Deathclaw. Because of this, you'll be forced to find and buy the Stimpaks you need through the earlier parts of the game. Thankfully, there are a variety of things you can do to help keep your stimpak supply filled and your health in the green. The following tips can help keep you alive while you progress towards eventually crafting your own stimpaks.
One of the main issues with stimpaks is that you often waste them unless you're at a critical health-level. You'll face many battles in which enemies will chunk your health, making it a risk to enter engagements when you're hurt. Those that heal up while not critically injured will realize they wasted a valuable stimpak, and you won't receive "extra health."
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To get the most out of the stimpaks you're carrying, you'll want to dilute them. You can do this by visiting a Chemistry Station and putting together two purified water and one stimpack. The result will give you two Diluted Stimpaks. They'll heal less health than a traditional stimpak, and add a bit of weight, but it will be much easier to patch yourself up from smaller injuries before engaging anything (or anyone).
It's important to make sure you drink liquids, eat food, or sleep whenever you have the opportunity in Fallout 76. Doing so will restore a bit of your health (although it's only between 5 and 15 percent). Any little bit helps and sleeping is always free. Although it is important to note that Fallout 76 doesn't treat sleeping like most other Bethesda titles. You won't be able to "wait" for a predetermined period of time. Instead, you'll simply see your character lie down and watch your health slowly tick upward. Unfortunately, in this state, you can still be attacked. Because of that, you'll want to find a secure location to take a nap. Just make sure it's not no the ground or atop a random matress as it is possible to catch diseases that way.
The Pharma Farma skill is found in the Luck tree and is unlocked at a low-level, making it ideal to surviving the wasteland early on. Activating it will increase your chance to find Stimpaks in chem boxes and first-aid containers. Keep in mind that it MUST be activated though, like a skill. It doesn't work passively. The best part is that, when you rank it up (by matching it with another perk card), it actually becomes incredibly strong. At the second tier it will boost your chances to 60 percent, and the third tier takes them all the way up to 80 percent, practically guaranteeing you'll be finding extra stimpacks much more often than not.