So after a rather peculiar discovery I decided that it’s time to figure out if gas masks actually work.
The ingame stats show that it offers some amount of resistance to gas. But that doesn’t really tell us much. Some have claimed that the gas mask does not entirely protect you from gas, that you’ll take reduced damage instead. Others claim they’re broken and offer no resistance. Let’s find out!
Pictured: Gas Mask Stats
So for this experiment I had Roffe travel to Uttern Command Bunker, where he found a gas pocket (it was leaking through the wall from the adjacent room, but that’s a bug for another time) to try the Gas Mask on.
Also note that Roffe has the Chemist perk that grants 10% Gas Resistance. We can assume that it behaves the same as Gas Masks would.
Gas Mask test
Note how Roffe stops taking damage at 25% health. He then used a medkit to heal himself, only to resume taking damage, but it would again stop at the same value. Can it be assumed that gas resistance does not indicate actual resistance to gas, but just a temporary decreased health cap?
To further this theory, I logged my research assistant Lisa, and she made the same trip to Uttern. Lisa doesn’t have the Chemist perk, and even with a gas mask equipped she still took continuous damage at the exact same rate as without one, until she died. RIP Lisa.
In conclusion, this proves a few things.
- Currently, Gas Masks do nothing. This is a bug that still needs to be fixed.
- The Chemist Perk protects you from dying to gas damage…
- …but the values are incorrect; saying it offers 10% protection while leaving your health at 25%.
- I need more research assistants.
This concludes the experiment.
