FEV Complete History, Lore and Speculation

[@barkbuck5521]

Gameplay wise, I'm sick of seeing super mutants, especially since they're all roughly the same enemy since FO1. Lore wise however, I love the existence of FEV and that multiple factions just keep experimenting with it. We just need more Harolds, Franks, and Masters for characters and Floaters, Wanamingos, and (ideally multiple designs) Centaurs for enemies.

[@That_Guy_Ty]

I would love to see some new stuff, I hate super mutants with how common they are, but I would love it if different regions had different results of FEV testing.

[@tefnutofhoney2832]

I dont mind super mutants themselves, it is important to have some degree of consistency between games. But there needs to be a bit more variety.

[@DovahFett]

You could say the same thing about raiders, who are essentially just humanoid enemies that reside in groups and attack with firearms and melee weapons. The Super Mutants in Fallout 1/2, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 are all about as different from each other as the raider factions in each game. They dress slightly differently, use different weapons, have differing physical characteristics (height and skin color), and varied levels of intelligence. Are you sick of seeing raiders in Fallout? They differ about as much between iterations as Super Mutants do. The reason all Super Mutants tend to look similar is because they are all made from the same stock. If you inject a human with F.E.V. they either take on a form that can't survive (like the abominations in Vault 87), or they take on one that can. That form is the Super Mutant, and logic follows that if you expose a human to F.E.V. and it doesn't kill them, the vast majority of the time they will come out resembling what we recognize as the stereotypical Super Mutant. There are exception like Harold and The Master, but they are just that, exceptions. It's also been part of the lore at least since Fallout 3 that F.E.V. has the effect of making all those who survive its mutations look the same. It destroys the genitals and removes all traces of sexual dimorphism. Then it causes rapid muscle growth and a drastic decrease in intelligence. Again, there are exceptions like Fawkes and the first generation mutants that the Master produced, but compared to the total Super Mutant population, they are a very small percentage. I'd like to see different variations of Super Mutants, but they should all follow the same basic template that we recognize as being a Super Mutant, or else they'll break the lore in more ways than one. The bottom line is this: F.E.V. does not produce random results. If you expose an "X" to it, you produce a "Y". There is a clear pattern of inputs producing specific outputs, which makes sense on a genetic level. Therefore, there should be about as much variation between Super Mutant individuals as there is between the humans they are made from.

[@spreston03]

This is very random but there is a town called Wanamingo in my state lol

[@Maddiedoggie]

I want to see mutant dog human hybrids. Yes I am a furry lmfao, but I want a canonical reason to play as one in a Fallout game.

[@sharonratner4645]

I wonder if humans after the war who were more sensitive to radiation has less efficient immune systems, because white blood cells were less likely to identify cells with mutations. This also explains why FEV evolves more rapidly in more irradiated individual, since the white blood cells that recognise mutated cells also recognise virus infected cells

[@Rad_King]

Good point about the lowered white blood cell count. I wonder if FEV rewrites some immune system code. It has its origins as a pan immunity virion product that did show resistance to some viral infections, so maybe FEV still confers some viral protection?

[@ncc.voyager]

From what I remember of Fallout lore, the Master and his Lieutenant, as well as pre-war logs at West Tek, said that FEV mutation did succeed in conferring extreme resistance and near immunity to all diseases and radiation in the overwhelming majority of tests performed. There was also something about infected chimpanzees being immune to chemical agents, I think? I would imply that the first tests of the newly reconstituted FEV showing immunity to diseases and radiation also implies that the Pan-Immunity Virion could be considered a success in the original intent of creating a genome immune to biological warfare. It "just" had major side effects, like uncontrolled tissue growth and sterility... Of course, the U.S. Army repurposed that into FEV, with a focus on controlling the mutagenic effects, rather than eliminating them.

[@Sniperboy5551]

If you want your mind to be blown then you should look up the radiation hormesis hypothesis.

[@ironreed2654]

I mean you could definitely infer that the survivors of a nuclear holocaust would be less sensitive to radiation damage than people before the war...most of the extra sensitive people outside of Vaults would of died off generations ago.

[@monabear7287]

If you already have high WBC, radiation unless lowers it. If you have a normal WBC, it'll hurt you more. I win!

[@crislouise2509]

One FEV incident you left out was grayditch in fallout 3 with giant ants being altered with FEV in a attempted to make them smaller but instead they ended up being able to spray fire like a flamethrower.

[@jacobmiller6289]

personally, my theory on the institute's use of fev in synth creation is that they used it to alter the dna enough from the base specimen from shaun to achieve genetic diversity. otherwise, the synths would be clones, rather than synthetic humans.

[@sadomars2446]

Most underrated comment. Mind blown.

[@AdDelayed]

I will be running with this headcanon from now on tyty

[@t-hatguy]

Agreed, I also think the FEV might have been used in other ways for the production of coursers, since Dr. Zimmer is mentioned to have shown a specific interest in the research seemingly correlating to around the time he made A3-21 aka Harkness.

[@coolphoton1234]

It's apparent effects on longevity, neurological function, and cell stability might also be a factor in getting from 'dead meat we assembled' to 'functioning organic creature'.

[@swakage13x]

Although you're going off science fiction cloning Just because you copy someone's DNA doesn't mean you're gonna get the exact same Features you could get traits from genetic Ancestors in the DNA. Genetically they would be the same but appearance wise that's totally Different. Look at a group of siblings They share the same creation DNA But how the dna formed To create the physical appearance was completely different Sure there might be some similarities but you're not gonna say that To brothers That are 2 years apart Are going to look exactly the same One might look more like mom 1 might look more like dad Could look even More like an Uncle or have similar features to one of there Ants that are blood related to them Or even grandparents or great-grandparents , I mean when I'm heavier set I look more like my mom's older brother Her uncle my grandmother's brother And her grandfather But when I'm skinny I Look more like my dad but taller And his dad Just different hair colors And skin complexion And my full blood brother Looks more like my mom's younger brother And her dad And his twin sister my Full blood sister looks like our dad and our Uncle And our dad's mom And her twin brother, In the end genetics are a c*** shoot of a lottery And even if you clone someone you're gonna get different Features based on what genetics are inside the person If we're going off real world

[@TwentyOneBunSalute]

I love the Super Mutants in FO3 and New Vegas that were treated like SCP Containment Breaches. They were dangerous, dark stories that you got to play through. FO4 Super Mutants were used more like orcs lol

[@doot7730]

This translates with gameplay too. If you look at nv and fo3 (to a less extent) they always took a while to whittle away and on average were rarer (except in 3 but you can make that slide since it was there first rodeo . FO4 has A MASSIVE ISSUE with super mutants being EVERYWHERE. . . and then worse these mutants take a inhuman amount of rounds. Call me bad but no tank enemy like a super mutant should be ANYWHERE NEAR THIS STRONG

[@prototypefae3749]

3 and New Vegas supermutants seemed almost more military (makes sense, a number of the ones in Vegas were from the Masters Army)

[@toxicbatwing]

I think super mutants ahould be very tanky or less tanky and do more damage? I just feel super mutants should be a real threat when you come across them​@@doot7730

[@barfrodgers1202]

They shouldn't even exist outside the masters army

[@incredibleflameboy]

​@@barfrodgers1202there are different FEV strains all over the place, the master just perfected it. Super mutants were developing in Appalachia before the the war, the EEP was taking place in DC and once the institute had some, it became one of their preferred ways of disposing of rule breakers, defectors and enemies. Theres a terminal that explains it's what they do when they're done with you, infect you and dump you outside to see what happens. It makes sense that other infections would pop up elsewhere since it's waterborne and everyone is just dumping infected people and water all over the place.

[@KngMaxwell]

i used to have a big problem with super mutants anywhere but fallout 1 but this video made me okay with them showing up anywhere cause i had no idea FEV was researched in so many areas

[@t84t748748t6]

hole of fallout 76 is just sad reusing assets if the only have super mutants in huntervile it would be cool i can understand that but why the every where ? and fallout 4 it feels like the should have spend more time fleshing out the institute to explain why the do things like super mutants 100 years of making the same super mutants sounds just stupid

[@visassess8607]

@@t84t748748t6 Simple, because Bethesda knows super mutants are a staple of the Fallout series so now they're everywhere!

[@DrownInLysergic]

@@visassess8607 Exactly. Retcon. Simple explanation.

[@dizzydial8081]

​@@t84t748748t6 Yeah, sadly, Bethesda doesn't seem to care about consistency. They prefer to jangle keys in front of the player for five minutes. Using power armor meant you needed specific training, and you couldn't equip any power armor without this training. Then, here comes Fallout 4, where you're given incredible armor and a weapon that was considered end game level gear.

[@michelecastellotti9172]

​@@visassess8607much like the brotherhood

[@tinaherr3856]

I have a potential solution (or something to add) to the FEV airborne debate. The Enclave report said that there were trace amounts of FEV exposure in the people of the region. However, relying on this as a piece of evidence assumes that the report is infallible, when it isn't. Think about it: how would the Enclave actually *get* this data?. They would have to get DNA samples from subjects. But how would they get the DNA samples from everyone in post-war California? I highly doubt they have a sign asking for people to come in and give their blood or hair. The Enclave were a secretive group, not interacting with outsiders unless it was to obtain something important (chemical supplies from the Salvatores, killing the Brotherhood of Steel member who stole some vertibird schematics). Most of the population don't even know of their existence. So I believe that the Enclave only got DNA samples from the people they have kidnapped. And based on the fact that no one is talking about mass disappearances, I believe that the Enclave only kidnapped a handful of wastelanders, and not enough to cause suspicions.Therefore, the Enclave report does not apply to 100% of the people in the region. So I believe that the people that the Enclave captured were people (or their descendents) who were near the Glow (West Tek facility) and got exposed to small amounts of FEV that were scattered around that local area. So the FEV wouldn't need to be airborne in order for the Enclave report to be made. TLDR: Enclave realistically couldn't have gotten DNA from everyone in California, so their report saying that everyone was partially infected with FEV is not accurate.

[@Rad_King]

Certainly a possibility. I would say this, the Enclave sucks at winning but they are good at science. I would be really surprised they didn’t do appropriate statistics and representative sample sizes since their whole plan hinges on using FEV. Seeing what kind of immunity and the scale of the immunity could be the difference between success and failure for them.

[@tinaherr3856]

@@Rad_King still, regardless of how good they are at science, they still couldn't get the DNA samples of everyone, or even enough samples to get the appropriate statistics, without drawing attention to themselves. Remember, that would include places such as Vault City, the NCR, Broken Hills, and New Reno proper (the Salvatores gang not included, since they secretly trade with them). These are large communities, and people would see the Enclave taking samples from them. Barring kidnapping a few people, like what they did with the miners of Redding, they couldn't get the necessary DNA samples needed for the report. And they can't just kidnap everyone, or even a sizeable amount, without attracting a lot of attention. The problem isn't that the Enclave are good at science, and they would be thorough. The issue is that they *physically cannot* get the proper data they need. The best they can do is to observe from a distance, and analyze the DNA from the few people that they did kidnap, like some of the miners from Redding, and the village of Arroyo.

[@northboundw5248]

Not saying you're wrong or right on the whole, but radking is right here. You don't determine this kind of stuff by literally testing every single person, unless you're screening for quarantine zones or similar situations. For statistics on X prevalence in Y population; you use sample sizes. So for example; if 100% of test subjects from a sample size of 2000 postwar californians from various locations in California end up screening positive for FEV, one could argue that it's very possible that most californians at least have a high probability of FEV exposure, barring a few exceptions (people from geographically isolated areas)

[@abrahamroloff8671]

DNA samples can be gathered indirectly. Not even direct interaction is required. Samples can be taken from sewage, virus spread is already tracked this way in real life. In the last few years we've even been able to sample DNA from airborne samples, so you don't even need the stereotypical hair follicle. Or the original writers just didn't actually know much about how viruses or DNA works. 😆

[@KhrZygarde]

FEV is fascinating to me, since it's tests, especally the tests on Huntersville reminds me of the Tuskegee Syphilis experiments (and if you don't know what those were, look them up, it's saddening what our own government does to some of it's constitutes when they don't think of them as people. )

[@raziyatheseeker]

Happy reminder that a lot of Fallout pre-war lore is a big cautionary tale, both from the fucked-up parts of our past and stuff that lingers to this day. Wouldn't be surprised if the writers took inspiration from such experiments for FEV testing.

[@amarsayshaii]

As one of my favorite people, Wendigoon, put it, "if you dont think the government will do something, Oh. Yes. They. Will."

[@Rad_King]

Very interesting parallel! I know there have also been tests with aerosol mixtures on various areas too in the past.

[@jcdenton6864]

And unfortunately many experiments are still going on to this day.

[@arithecat8819]

@@raziyatheseeker i don't think i fully understand what you're saying sorry, do you mean that lots of the prewar lore is a sort of retelling of our own history and even whats happening in the present? if so that makes sense since the vault where they sacrificed the overseers) is very similar to the tests run by stanley milgram in the 60s

[@falloutshorts]

One whole hour of RadKing Fallout lore, yes please🙌

[@Rad_King]

Wasn’t my plan to have it so long, but I wanted something thorough and well… there’s a lot of lore 😄

[@kieranklein2527]

Lets gooooooo

[@falloutshorts]

@@Rad_King the longer the better dude!😀

[@Rookie-2552]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@LDW12887]

Cringe

[@ponyperson7513]

Holy nuke!! It's an hour long... Please, do continue

[@Rad_King]

😅 hope you enjoyed it

[@renegade6983]

Doing a video on all cut creatures of Fallout would be awesome. Also, I know I said this before, but a video on the companies of Fallout who be cool too.

[@MediumRareOpinions]

I did a deep dive on the wiki once, I was looking for references for a mod I was making, and there are a *lot* more references than I expected to find. I'm sure there's enough for a video or even videos.

[@shayminthedoctor9663]

Man, I love just putting one of Radking's videos on in the background while I build. And this one's a full hour long A real treat

[@Vquid]

Just yesterday I was looking at your channel wondering when you would be back, this is awesome!

[@Rad_King]

Ask and you shall receive my friend.

[@candidization]

Immunologist here. Since mega viruses are so big, most are able to survive long durations of inactivity. Even if they aren't air transmissable, it getting kicked up into the air, it would act as neucleation sites for rain clouds. Once it rains the virus is in the water, essentially exposing all life that needs water to the virus.

[@noodlepotreal]

So basically, by Fallouts own lore and logic, everyone should be a centaur or super mutant?

[@candidization]

@noodlepotreal no, but the ghoulification process is said to require both FEV and radiation exposure. With FEV in almost every water source, and radiation a constant companion, it makes the fact that ghouls are becoming increasingly more common make sense.

[@eve__________]

So essentially the plot point of fallout 3 is useless since they could have just released the virus into the air and it would have been the same effect as polluting the water source directly

[@arandomyoutubecommenter728]

@@candidizationthis isn’t actually said in-game anywhere, it’s restricted to developer statements which vary by developer and time. Particularly I know the fallout Bible had this claim floated around but the last one has them go back on it and say it’s just Radiation. Bethesda seems to lean on it being exclusively radiation now regardless, what with examples like Eddie Winter.

[@skylarbetts5494]

I love when cool facts are also terrifying

[@ServantOfOdin]

There is another possibility about WesTek: When the facility blew up and the strains were thrown around, even with the best possible winds and other aerial carrying factors, it couldn't have gotten that far. But! What if the "aerosol" fell into soil and reached ground water, or fell into a river and polluted the river? A barrel in the right (or wrong) spot in some crevasse trickling a drop every minute into a flowing river can contaminate anything and anyone drinking it downstream the whole way to the ocean for decades, perhaps even centuries. But, this is the only thing that I can think of to make the theory work that the WesTek-FEV is not airtransmittable. This would make it hardly air-transmissible, only the initial burst was a forceful transmission after all, the major transmission was water-based - which dilluted it sufficiently to give everyone a certain immunity without mutating them.

[@RazorsharpLT]

Well, the "black rain" clouds, which you are reffering to - were spread all around the world in huge gust storms of winds after the nuclear war. It's not surprising considering what kind of huge tornadoes those massive nuclear fires the size of entire cities in the future would cause (those cities were probably 2x the size of our own) It's certainly much better than the stupid theory of "Hurr, durr radiation zombies" Fallout has... And Fallout 4 seemingly "Went to" and considering it wasn't the FIRST nuclear war that happened (Nuking of Tel Aviv, Pakistani Indian war come to mind) - people would have KNOWN that ghouls exist.

[@glitterboy2098]

for that matter, perhaps there is a common species that was only mildly altered by the FEV, and which basically act as asymptomatic carriers to spread the virus to the various species it encounters.

[@dylanpelo]

I know you've heard rumors of "zombies" or "waking corpses" from the fallout of the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. But let me assure you, those reports were grossly exaggerated. They were just survivors with horrible radiation and conventional burns. As I'm sure they received the best medical care they could, given the circumstances, but unfortunately anyone fitting the description of "radiation zombie" passed away from their injuries. I hope this puts a stop to this rumor and the dead can finally rest in peace.

[@neetard7360]

I appreciate how people make vids about games with such inconsistent lore as fallout with such heart, vigor & interest Y'all are genuinely epic for such dedication on such genuinely difficult topics, cheers m8!

[@Tarma__]

Keep it up Rad king! I've loved watching you grow :)

[@Rad_King]

Thank you! :)

[@millerboy1212]

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to watch any KZbin, but man, your channel looks way more awesome since I was here last. Great content!

[@Rad_King]

Thank you! I am glad you’ve been able to check up on me :)

[@timturner5151]

Dude your upload just made my day love the channel

[@Rad_King]

Thank you, I’m really glad I could make your day a bit better.

[@shedninjareal]

YAY radchan posted~ all jokes aside please keep up the content

[@Rad_King]

Hey it’s my favorite shed.

[@shedninjareal]

@@Rad_King >///< stophhhhhhhhhhh

[@lemonlefleur6236]

I remember way back in the day I tried to slap together a handful of concepts for things I’d like to see some day in a Fallout game, and I got way into the FEV after considering an intelligent Super Mutant Behemoth loaded up with makeshift armor and weapons. I was hyped when I saw Swan just because it reminded me of my idea, and now I’m hyped to get back into the FEV lore.

[@triplecrosscounter]

I mean frank horrigan is sort of like that since he's bigger than most other super mutants and is fairly intelligent.

[@YazzPott]

This is your best video yet, absolutely amazing!

[@Slop_Dogg]

Stoked to see this in my subscriptions, hell yeah

[@Rad_King]

Happy to hear it :) been too long

[@nebulouscat2210]

You deserve your success. The quality of your content is what is undeniable. Keep it strong, bad, and full of rad rads! So proud to see you at 60k+ subscribers!

[@patrickglover7506]

Thank you for the video. I like your style of presentation. Keep up the good work sir.

[@Rad_King]

Thank you, I am very happy you enjoyed it.

[@goaldude-0041]

I was just wondering where you were yesterday, glad to see you upload again. :)

[@Rad_King]

Sorry friend, I made a big move recently. I’m bag on schedule now though!

[@MediumRareOpinions]

If that quad helix in Fallout is radiation damage resistant, do you think the children of Atom are "blessed" with such an adaption?

[@Hiihtopipa]

No you can see that they are affected negatively by it.

[@The_Obsessed]

@@Hiihtopipa Some are, some aren't. Especially seen in Far Harbor some are outright immune.

[@benjaminbarraza8972]

@@Hiihtopipa many of them are, altough some suffer from rad poisoning and see that as a penitence for not being worthy of the blessed glow of the atom yet

[@therealDiabolicpork]

I just got to the beginning of part 3 and a thought I just had about FEV not being transmitted through the air. What if when the facility was hit, it turned the FEV into a gas form carried up into the stratosphere from wind from the force of the explosion, carried around the us/world on wind currents, froze while in the stratosphere like water does before falling back down with rain thus blanketing everything in smaller less potent doses of FEV, which then causes mutations in the animals and people already affected by radiation giving us Rad (insert animal/insect name here) and ghoulification instead of massive amount of radiation poisoning and cancers.

[@korbyynbear5592]

I believe the FEV-2 SMs were described as "greenish gray" skinned, nowhere near the deep green of the East Coast variants, but otherwise you seem to have managed the megalithic task of amalgamating the vast (and often confusing and contradictory) lore in as much accuracy as one can hope for. Looking forward to the next one!

[@drunkenmmamaster419]

Crazy to see how much this channel has grwon , been here since less than 20k subs your deep dives on lore are amazing !!

[@invaderHUNK]

Fantastic video, love how thorough it was. I’d go so far as to say you nail the “Rad” in Radking.

[@Garaegg]

I may have just found this channel but you've got a fan for life my dude. King, indeed

[@acrazedtanker1550]

This channel will be at 100k in no time, much love RadKing, thank you for all the work you put in.

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

It only took at least 5 months for RadKing to now sit at over 250,000!

[@keithberjeron763]

I would love to get the top minds on bioweapons, viruses, nuclear munitions and such to do a deep dive on FEV. However, in lieu of obscene wealth and resources, I'm very happy this video exists. Thanks, Rad!

[@trissy8820]

Neutrons are in fact a harmful radiation type given off through the decay of radioactive isotopes. Neutrons are typically what activates other atoms when interacting with them. Neutron shielding is taken into consideration when developing a shield for a reactor plant.

[@stevenschnepp576]

Seeing a subatomic particle referred to as radiation hurts. That's like saying "Lead is in fact bullets".

[@trissy8820]

@@stevenschnepp576 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_radiation www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK304359/ www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/science-101/what-are-different-types-of-radiation.html 🤦‍♀️

[@crosos]

@@stevenschnepp576 neutron radiation is a very real form of radiation, please do your research before trying to call others uneducated.

[@gregoryspringfield2423]

Me about to go to the channel page and find a video the drift off too: "I still haven't finished the talon company one" Me seeing my recommended page when I open the app: "Oh snap, new vid just dropped" I can sleep happy now

[@Rad_King]

Perfect timing! Hope you liked it

[@jtplays7411]

I fall asleep to your videos. You do very good narration. Glad to know you're still around.

[@Rad_King]

Appreciate it. You’ll like a series I’m coming up with next if you need some good sleeping material :)

[@nehpets216]

For Synth FEV it created living tissue (Sort of Stem Cells) that was in pools that reacted with electricity / energy by changing types after they were applied to something (Bonded with the other already changed flesh when it was changing from exposure). In game watch them Print the flesh onto the Synth So, some purposeful change to the pools that was similar to the Master but controllable via tech.

[@Thethreethatareone]

I know this is an older video but I think King is forgetting one huge possibility...the water cycle. When the WestTek facility got kaboomed, entire vats of the stuff went into the atmosphere. But you know what happens when stuff goes into clouds/atmosphere? It comes BACK DOWN. Rain my dude.

[@dylanpelo]

My head cannon is almost everyone in the Fallout universe is infected with FEV. Save those still sealed in vaults.

[@stevenschnepp576]

@@dylanpelo I thought that was explicitly so.

[@jakethesnake4040]

Oh wow I didn't think my comment would be featured. Thanks so much I'm glad you thought my theory made sense.

[@baldrian22]

these long videos is nice to have going in the background when doing different tings, like playing games that dont have lots of dialog etc you need to lisen to etc.

[@AmericanSpyFox]

This took a ton of research. Very thorough & interesting.

[@Pigness7]

He's back!

[@Rad_King]

You bet!

[@RayAkuma]

That's actually a theory i had for a long time. I mean that the reason everything in the fallout world got mostly positive mutations in terms of survivability is that FEV is present in the all around radiation, making it mutations mostly affect organisms by enhancing the organisms rather than just mutating organs into not functioning. I mean Rad scorpions, Death Claws and even Rad Roaches and Mole Rats Mostly mutated beneficially.

[@1cornicon679]

objectively the opening shot is sick as hell, makes me wish you could actually keep swan as a companion somehow.

[@gottfriedosterbach3907]

Or save them.

[@jackrabbitslim8536]

Maybe Zax was right, about FEV in the lab, but once the blast let it loose, it encountered an X factor that Zax couldn't have calculated for and that changed the FEV. Or perhaps the something from Van Buren and that bio-lab was going to be the real cause for global exposure.

[@BendakOGStarkiller]

Nukes split atoms, no way that couldd've happened considering they aimed at West tech.

[@HovektheArtist]

Fev, when destroyed, even if not air transmissable could have easily mixed with the nuclear fallout and ash and mix into the water droplets that make up clouds, which would then spread it in radstorms and acid rain and "nuclear snow" spreading it accross the country due to the different strains accross the country dispersing it into the atmosphere

[@Gnarfendorf]

That would be highly unlikely imho, it hinges on the idea that parts of a virus or genetic material could survive getting nuked and continue to exist in a big enough amount to have a lasting impact on the environment. It might be possible as an explanation in a game, but not if we take a realistic approach to how a virus might spread.

[@HovektheArtist]

@Max Mustermann oh for sure, but this is fallout Baby, where there's strange alien radiation wavelengths, and radioactive zombies, and where water remains radioactive for centuries. All the cool cats make science their bitch in fallout. But yea irl it'd make no sense

[@Gnarfendorf]

@@HovektheArtist Thats why we like it tho, its so nonsensical that its fun again. Take the fatman for example, the closest rl example still has a 10-20 ton tnt equivalent, at the usual engagement range ingame it would 10/10 times kill the user. Or the whole idea of a nuclear powered car that explodes in a mushroom cloud when destroyed. Its completely unrealistic, but it doesnt even pretend to be so, and gives us the whole nuclear apocalypse vibe we expect from fallout games. And if thats fine with us then some lore bits that are easily disproven by rl science dont take away anything, in fact they dont matter. Its still interesting to think about tho.

[@HovektheArtist]

@@Gnarfendorf for sure

[@dylanpelo]

Here is an idea: ghoul viruses.

[@PotooBurd]

This is so informative!!! Fantastic reporting; I love this kind of content!🌻🌼🐝

[@bigdaddydons6241]

Wake up baby new radking just dropped

[@trenchgaming2166]

This is about to make the next 50 miles of cotton enjoyable

[@Rad_King]

You driving 50 mph? 😀

[@trenchgaming2166]

@@Rad_King Was stripping a ruined cotton crop with the cotton stripper yesterday. 50 miles can be hell in one of those things but your hour long video made it a bit more bearable

[@theonlybilge]

I recently completed FNV, I did as many quest as I could, got banned from every casino, did every expansion, tried to be as morally good as possible, and got an independent Vegas. I wish the game acknowledged the fact that I helped out the NCR a lot, and made them more willing to abide by an independent Vegas.

[@Rad_King]

Well that’s disappointing haha. It’s been a while since I did an independent play through (I think it was the first play through I ever did)

[@geminiarch3972]

It would be cool if you could convince Ceasar of his tactical blunder, and make a treaties with the NCR like the Ranger outpost. A true total victory. Let Ceasar keep the east, hell, hire him on to guard caravans going east.

[@theonlybilge]

@@geminiarch3972 I wouldn't want to ally with the Legion, considering they keep people as slaves.

[@n3ckb3ard35]

i know I'm late on the video but thnx for the content it's really rough to find high quality fallout lore. ~ subscribed.❣

[@davidkesten4506]

Radking, thank you! You do great work😎

[@thescotslair]

YAY thanks Raddy!

[@Rad_King]

You got it!

[@awesomesource12]

Maybe FEV doesn't actually cause the majority of the mutations but simply tries to protect the body's DNA aswell as its more vital systems. The radiation causes the mutations like the extra Brahman head or gigantic size, but then the FEV exposure comes in after and sees this as the creatures form, and then tries its best to keep that mutation stable, and the cells going which allows these creatures to keep living. That's why it's so powerful for making creatures like supermutants and deathclaws, because scientists can play around with the DNA to make whatever, then use the FEV to keep that rearranged DNA stable, while also storing the genetic code for the mutation be it a deathclaw, supermutant, or brahman. It would do this because it was supposed to protect people from their DNA being destroyed by the new plague at first but was so effective it could protect the DNA from other things too. But if someone had too much radiation exposure, and their body and DNA was at a point where it was unsustainable already, then the FEV would fail as it couldn't save the body that was already broken. Some evidence for this is that in the fallout bible, while disbuted, it could be that human ghouls are made out of a mix of FEV exposure and radiation, and there is Fev in earths atmosphere. What if ghouls who just get heaps of radiation go feral, but if they get radiation exposure and have a little Fev protecting their vital systems, they stay sane and immortal but still become ghouls. As for ghouls who were created by the bombs falling almost immediately or in a area with no fev, that could be explained that the ghoul transformation to a feral ghoul is slow. those who become normal ghouls and then later went feral, are the ones who remained unexposed to enough Fev. this Fev protecting mutations theory could also explain how a injection like the one Hancock used in fallout 4 could work, having hard wired in the genetic mutation of a ghoul allowing a radiation free transformation like supermutants. Also bonus theory, what if some animal livestock that survived the great war with Fev mutations survived the FEV because the government wanted to protect not just people, but their food sources.

[@morbidone88]

What's up Rad, been awhile, glad to see more content on the FEV, I'm an old school fallout player so it's very important

[@ryanbusch2885]

Wild strains in unconcentrated quantities throughout various air and water over time makes a bit of sense with all the possible sources, ignoring the specific likelihoods of each but yeah the small amounts of immunity from all that makes some sense. Some of the other things that it might’ve evolved into in the wild could’ve even stopped it from mutating in a lot of same degree and start acting like a regular disease in some cases. That minor immunity to lesser strains also leading to unexpected reactions to the larger concentrations of stronger strains might also work for some of the people who didn’t mutate in normal ways like the biomass that seemed to reject it. Idk the immunity side was something I hadn’t put much thought into beforehand

[@simonfrancisphotography8856]

Radiation is definitely a better way of explaining the mutated creatures, it's a basic 20th-C sci-fi concept that fits with the whole vibe of the games. Some of the FEV stories are pretty cool though to be fair, especially when they get the atmosphere right. Great vid as per!

[@Ralph-yn3gr]

Some corrections on the neutron-blocking hydrogen ion shell and radiation bit. Radioactive atoms release radiation, and no form of radiation is itself radioactive. However, alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are all ionizing and either add or remove electrons from atoms, giving them either a positive or negative charge. Ionized atoms bond differently with other atoms than non-ionized ones, so when atoms in your DNA get ionized by radiation the DNA falls apart and the cells affected either stop working and become cancerous or die, leading to radiation poisoning. Neutrons are another form of radiation, but because they have zero charge they are not inherently ionizing and thus don't really do much on their own. However, many atoms like potassium and sodium absorb neutrons when they are hit by them, which changes their isotope and can result in those atoms becoming radioactive, thus cooking you from the inside out. Hydrogen does not have a neutron by default. Almost all natural hydrogen is one proton and one electron. Neutrons are actually the one type of radiation that hydrogen is uniquely good at shielding against. When a neutron is emitted by a radioactive element, it is traveling at very high speed and will bounce off heavy atoms such as lead like a tennis ball bouncing off a bowling ball. It will change its direction, but it will still have a lot of energy and will keep on going. Hydrogen, however, is pretty much the exact same weight as neutrons. When a neutron hits the proton in a hydrogen atom, it slows down almost to a dead stop, like a cue ball striking the 8 ball on a pool table. Hydrogen can also absorb one neutron, becoming deuterium, or two neutrons, becoming radioactive tritium. Tritium beta decays into stable helium 3. With liberal application of *1950s SCIENCE!* and suspension of disbelief, a "protein sheath made of ionized hydrogen" could be argued to work against anything other than gamma rays. It doesn't say if the atoms are positively or negatively ionized, just ionized. Maybe positive ions repel positively charged alpha particles and absorb beta particles, either deionizing them or converting them into negative ions. When another alpha particles hits the sheath, it absorbs the beta particle-turned-hydrogen-electron and either reionizes the sheath or turns it back into positive ions. Neutrons are dealt with by hydrogen being hydrogen, which prevents the ionization of the interior of the FEV. Won't help against gamma rays, though. Only way to stop them is with large quantities of dense material like lead, concrete, tungsten, or uranium (ironic, ain't it?).

[@founderoftheempire8589]

When you mentioned "There must be an enclave group with fev experiments in an area we havent explored before" the one place that comes to mind is Chicago, which has been mentioned in every single fallout game so far I believe and theyve somehow have held out actively since almost the beginning of the great war. Given they're fighting the midwestern brotherhood, and the only way they could hold out against those chads is probably with a very effective weapon, one like the FEV

[@nicholasvogel9783]

There is one other place, The moon as there was a battle on the moon between China and America in fallout.

[@kylekopsi7039]

Frank Horrigan was so cool. Granted I didn’t get introduced to fallout until 3, when I went back and played 2 finally I really like his character. So few voice lines but such a bad ass memorable voice. I like that he’s a man of few words and unspeakable actions.

[@PapaNixcea]

Thank you Atom for providing us your speaker 🙏🏽

[@DaneInTheUS]

How did I just now find your channel? Thank you!

[@sunlight-sky151]

I'm so stoked for this!

[@rangeroutdoors3]

I'm sorry desert bro, I've been watching your videos for the longest time and they were so good that i kept forgetting to subscribe up til now. keep up the stuff I love what you and others keep putting out. its always nice to have something to listen to while my overencumbered ass limps back to my player home.

[@Zaberdutton]

I'm heavily interested in FEV so I listened intently the whole way through.

[@LongLiveLiberty]

This video just cleared all my questions regarding Fallout76 mmorpg online. Thanks👏✌️🙌

[@BorgWolf359]

Very well done! I love this vid! Great job, keep up the great work! Liked & Subbed! ;)

[@NuclearDemoman]

It could be, as suggested on the FEV page of the Fallout Wiki, that ZAX 1.2 meant that it isn't air transmissible in the person-to-person contagious sense. It was successfully deployed as an aerosol over Arroyo, and that wouldn't functionally be all that different from being dispersed from the WestTek explosion. TL;DR: I think ZAX meant a different kind of not airborne.

[@Falloutlover1011]

42:52 I’d say that they’re only absent because there’s been no showings of Super Mutants produced by other strains using Stealth Boys, let alone for years upon years like the Nightkin have by NV.

[@noneed4me2n7]

In a way the FEV, or a version of it, being released prior to the fall would explain a ton of the mutations (like ghouls) and the ability to survive the radiation at all. That’s how I worked it out in my head canon.

[@noneed4me2n7]

You know these annoy the shit out of everyone right? I get there are marks but this is getting tiresome.

[@jesseharlan2884]

I have a theory for you on ghoulification and airborne fev, it goes something like this. The new plague was a weaponized and genetically modified virus that somehow escaped containment infecting the populace. Survivors of the new plague that were exposed to airborne fev become ghouls. This Theory would indicate that the new plague was a early cousin or clumsy proto variant of the forced evolutionary virus. These people have immune systems that are somehow resilient but not impervious to fev. This causes them to experience a period of cellular decay and necrosis During the period that the body is attempting to fight off fev. Then followed by a period of cellular robustness and prolonged lifespan. This process could be accelerated sometimes greatly so by exposure to large amounts of radiation. This Theory would (at least hypothetically) explain why feral ghouls are so wildly numerous and why non-ferral ghosts are so rare. When you think about it feral ghouls are the most abundant "life form" in the Wasteland. I got caught up in my theory and almost forgot. Welcome back Rad-King I really enjoy your videos.

[@arandomyoutubecommenter728]

37:45 the funniest part about this is it’s backtracked in the last entry of the fallout Bible. Avellone responds to an email that talked about the apparent impracticalities of “FEV did it all” and comes to the conclusion that it was far more selective than he said in the earlier entries. Also the Holodisk on FEV presence is in Mariposa, not the oil rig, pretty sure Edit; here’s the Bible quote, for reference *”For anyone new to this argument, the following answers have been derived from it:* *FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) explains the more grievous mutations in the wasteland (the Master, the Master's pets such as the floaters and centaurs, super mutants, Harold), and radiation caused most of the other giant-style mutations you see (scorpions, rats, ants, etc.) and some of the others (ghouls).“*

[@andyacidsquid5928]

What if its not impossible to make pure FEV 2 airborne but extremely difficult. Maybe the extreme heat and air pressure from a nuke being dropped onto a bunch of FEV was enough to make it airborne by evaporating and getting into the rain cycle.

[@gudmundur-heimisson]

It would be reminiscent of night of the living dead where at the end of the movie the zombie infection is made airborne when they nuke the town where it originated. Fallout science seems to operate on pulp fiction principles rather than actual science so this seems very plausible to me.

[@MrHathaway1337]

Swan fears the Rad King.

[@Rad_King]

Swan has embraced Atom. He’s one of us now.

[@PyroKing253]

i wanted to thank you for putting the time into making this video

[@joshuaperrine2019]

The next game is going to take place pre-war(around 2040) and there will be super mutants fighting against the NCR in Florida.

[@stevenrobinson2047]

That's just regular Florida

[@Joebottherobot1]

10:19 "Cute and cuddle deathclaw" - RadKing My favorite line

[@valencrow]

I have a personal theory that the institute wanted FEV in order to give their Synths dna that matched the targets they wanted to replace. The right strain of FEV could give a Synth blood, bone and DNA that matched their human counterpart perfectly. It explains why they are so hard to detect.

[@katiebreeze2705]

I think it's worth noting that vault 87s supply of FEV has been exhausted, possibly well before the events of Fallout three. I'd guess maybe ten years prior, since that's when Super Mutant activity started to spread deeper into the DC ruins. So it wouldn't be a good source of the virus. Another possibility is simply the previous generation of synths couldn't combat super mutants effectively, and the radiation around the entrance prevents any humans from entering. Without 3rd gen synths they wouldn't be able to learn about the back entrance in Little Lamplight

[@MasterOfTwisted]

Can’t wait to learn about green dudes.

[@Rad_King]

There might be one or two

[@MasterOfTwisted]

@@Rad_King I’ll be on the look out.

[@kitten2799]

I have to say, its a little disappointing that Bethesda couldn't keep super mutants as an invention by the master alone. One would think they would jump at the chance to make something entirely new.

[@Hive-Mind-BBX]

Only one thing you got wrong in this whole vid. Shaun was kidnapped AT LEAST 60 YEAR'S before 2287, not 10 year's before as it would be if kidnapped in 2277. The 60 year's were stated to the player character directly by Shaun himself. Everything else, accurate AF and loving the videos you pump out.

[@Mistymist14]

I will say this, if a company that has many chemicals and it blows up, it can seep into the ground and find its way into water supply to any food crops it comes across to animals that interact with it. It’s like the same rule of pollution where we’re all affected by it by both indirectly to directly.

[@nomi_101]

I luuuuuuve relearning fallout lore everytime.

[@davestrider8330]

Has someone pointed out the facts that in order to turn Thaddeus to a ghoul I am pretty sure the doctor had to of given him the FEV pointing out he had a special concoction

[@incredibleflameboy]

I think Harold is a sincere character and Bob really is speaking to him. He's self aware enough to know if he's losing his mind or not but Bob is unique to him so he just appears to have lost a grip on reality.

[@Mr87penguin]

Bro, I love your content🎉 I got to sleep listening to your videos, pls 🙏 keep making videos

[@zebjensen4251]

A side idea I had about the virus mutation idea is that the fev might have mutated like normal viruses from transition from one host to the next as it is possible that it can be spread to different hosts. And Zacks may simply be working with outdated information. He could be a great computer. But if it's been a long time sense he was updated he might be working under false assumptions due to outdated programming. Still a super interesting video I had a lot of fun listening as I worked.

[@Mercury29477]

I love how rad king is casually just sitting next to Swan

[@RileyCoyote846]

This is really random and really small but at about 10:00 you say "The Redding area of post-war Nevada" and idk if Redding got moved in the Fallout lore but if not, Redding is in California not Nevada. Like I said, it's a small thing, and if Redding IS in Nevada in Fallout I apologize, but I grew up in California and have been to and passed through Redding many times so I'm a little confused lol

[@graylyhen9490]

I know that you're MatPat. The cadence, some of the jokes, the way your voice sounds. I think that after the one thousand FNAF vids you didn't want people to think you only play one or two games. Just change a few things, unmask this man, and the truth will be revealed

[@qtar1984]

I just thought of a theory to explain why Zax stated that FEV wasn't able to be airborne. It may have meant that FEV wasn't SUPPOSED to be used in an Airborne form. Because as an Airborne strain, FEV would be impossible to control and use for it's intended purpose of making Super Soldiers. As you mentioned FEV could take in contaminant DNA from unwanted sources and create chimerical beings instead. Also I suspect that the Institute took advantage of FEV's ability to cause rapid growth as a means to culture Shaun's infant cells into adult ones, as well as perfect the Super Soldier aspect intended of the FEV by growing them from scratch through the Cousers.

[@dcross6360]

Another solid vid

[@jek__]

fev is so powerful it turns flatworms into roundworms, and roundworms into hyperdimensional-sphere tubes

[@payodomingo6789]

Sentient humanoid mutant raccons man i gotta lay off day tripper mixed with jet In all seriousnes damm id like to actually see that in a future game or media of fallout heh you learn something new about the wastelands everyday

[@devinodulchaoinitigh5467]

Love the videos radking, these videos are the best late night insomnia cures haha

[@FacemeltsWasteland]

Saw this on my feed and said "fuck yeah". Headphones on. Let's go.

[@AlejandraLopez-nb2yj]

The video is so good, i hate supermutants, but i love seeing supermutants when they are kinda intelligent and non agrressive, like the grandma from new vegas, the one the sales dogs in Far Harbor, and Strong, i love Strong so much with his dialogue "Humans help humans, good" "you are bad leader"

[@DuneRunnerEnterprises]

Woooow,an hour of it !!

[@Rad_King]

Hope you like it! 😅

[@DuneRunnerEnterprises]

@@Rad_King It was .... EduCatIonal 8)))