If you’ve been wandering around the Fallout 4 Wasteland, bitch slapping Deathclaw’s and butchering Super Mutants, you may be looking for an additional challenge in the form of the Fallout 4 survival mode. The updated Survival mode pumps up the difficulty in a lot of areas, and in many ways makes Fallout 4 a little more realistic, and by realistic I mean lethal.
The details of the Survival mode update originally found by Reddit user ShaneD53 have now been confirmed by Bethesda Game Studios, and instead of the usual do less damage, take more damage approach. The system will be given a full over haul, that restricts when you can save, removes fast travel, gives ammo weight and makes hunger, fatigue and thirst something to worry about as well as a number of other things that make surviving in the Boston Wasteland a little trickier.
I’m not quite ready for Fallout 4 survival mode just yet, but maybe one day I’ll be up for the monumental challenge that it looks like its set to be.
Fallout 4 Survival Mode
Is the struggle of this world merely a pleasant game for you? Do you long for a more brutal take on a life lived post apocalypse?
If you answered “Yes and yes!”, then Survival difficulty is for you!
Fallout 4 Survival upends many of the rules of life in the Commonwealth for maximum challenge. For a full list of these changes, see below.
To enable Survival, press [Pause], select “Settings,” then “Gameplay” and choose “Survival” from the “Difficulty” options.
Saving
Manual and quicksaving are disabled. To save your game, you’ll need to find a bed and sleep for at least an hour.
Combat
Combat is more lethal for everyone. You now deal, but also take, more damage. You can increase the damage you deal even further with “Adrenaline” (see below).
Fast Travel
Fast Travel is disabled. If you wish to be somewhere, you’ll have to physically travel there.
Weighted Ammo
Bullets and shells now all have a small amount of weight, which varies by caliber. Heavier items such as fusion cores, rockets, and mini-nukes can really drag you down.
Compass
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled, as enemies will no longer appear on your compass. As well, the distance at which locations of interest will appear has been significantly shortened.
Adrenaline
Fallout 4 Survival automatically grants the Adrenaline perk, which provides a bonus to your damage output. Unlike other perks, the only way to increase your rank of the Adrenaline perk is by getting kills (hostile or otherwise). The higher your Adrenaline rank, the higher the damage bonus. Sleeping for more than an hour, however, will cause your Adrenaline rank to lower. You can check your current Adrenaline rank at any time in the Perks section on the Stat tab in your Pip-Boy.
Wellness
You’ll find it difficult to survive without taking proper care of yourself. You must stay hydrated, fed, and rested to remain combat-ready. Going for extended periods of time without food, water, or sleep will begin to adversely affect your health, hurting your SPECIAL stats, adding to your Fatigue (see “Fatigue” below), lowering your immunity (see “Sickness” below), and eventually even dealing physical damage to you.
Fatigue
Fatigue works like radiation but affects your Action Points (AP) rather than your Hit Points (HP). The more Fatigue you’ve built up, the less AP you’ll have for other actions. The amount of Fatigue you’ve accumulated is displayed in red on your AP bar.
Sickness
A comprised immune system and a few questionable decisions can end up getting you killed. Eating uncooked meat, drinking unpurified water, taking damage from disease-ridden sources, such as ghouls and bugs, or using harmful Chems all put your body at increased risk for various ill effects. When you are afflicted with an illness, a message will appear onscreen. You can view specifics about your current illnesses by navigating to the Status section on your Pip-Boy’s Data tab to view your active effects.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics, which can be crafted at Chem Stations or purchased from doctors, heal the various effects of sickness.
Bed Types
The type of bed you’re sleeping in determines the length of time you are able to stay asleep. A sleeping bag will save your game and may help save your life when you’re desperate, but it will never allow for a full night’s rest and the benefits that come with it.
Crippled Limbs
Crippled limbs will no longer auto-heal after combat and will remain crippled until healed by a Stimpak.
Carry Weight
Exceeding your carry weight reduces your Endurance and Agility stats and periodically damages your legs and health. Think of your back!
Companions
Companions will no longer automatically get back up if downed during combat and will return home if abandoned without being healed.
Enemy and Loot Repopulation
Locations you’ve cleared will now repopulate enemies and loot at a significantly slower rate.
