My guess possibly a concentrated form of mutated stem cells or whatever prolongs a ghouls life mostly likely harvested from other Younger ghouls.probably renewable like cerebrospinal fluid if I had to take a shot in the dark.
I thought it was just regular chems, and that the Ghoul was relying on addictions to keep his mind straight. That stimulation in any form slows down the degradation, and that was the Ghoul's stimulation of choice. His symptoms off of the chems seemed like normal withdrawal symptoms to me.
I would agree with you if the vials didn't seem to be fairly specific and all filled with the same colored liquid. Basically what I'm saying is that it seems too intentionally accented as something just for ghouls to be any old drug, hopefully season 2 gives us a proper explanation and not more of the same vagueness from season 1 and even better would be an explanation that doesn't break too much lore.
The other ghoul friend turning feral used them to. I think this is a west coast / NCR thing. The drugs were found in NCR medical facilities and in ruins in the area.
Chems don't work well on ghouls. That's why in 3 you can find a ghouls making ultra jet out of sugar bombs that actually effects ghouls unlike normal jet. I don't see this being the case as I personally think that'd just numb him from the fact he's going to turn feral and not actually help him but it's a decent possibility.
I just thought that it was a form of RadAway because when the ghoul was buried he had an IV drip with yellow liquid which is how RadAway is usually depicted in the game.
I like the idea. Ghouls are usually healed by rads, but maybe the cure stops them from accumulating enough rads to destroy the brain. Anyone who thinks it's a plot hole has never played the original Fallout games, where half of the Lore was left to the player to interpret
I am so glad I'm not the only one who has the thought of RadAway that the Ghoul is taking. It has the yellow color of RadAway and if you were to go inside the Repconn Facility Lab where the non-feral Ghouls are kept hidden in New Vegas, a lot of RadAway are being stored I wouldn't be surprised if what Cooper aka The Ghoul is taking, is a small bottle of RadAway to keep himself sane and sustain his whole body from radiation
Hmmm...one part stimpack, one part biomed gel, and two parts cerebrospinal fluid from a smooth skin, and four parts mentats. There's your ghoul drug, you're welcome.
I know what it is! It is.... A retcon. Ghouls in 3, NV, and 4 have explained the feralization process and a couple have explained how they and others have fended it off. Now, in the show, there is a drug that all coherent ghouls take (and apparently have been taking since the bombs dropped) to stave off the crazy
My thoughts too. 😢 I'm not against ret-cons, and sometimes I think they're necessary... But this one seemed pointless to me. All they'd have to do was make it a new invention, and we could keep the plot of Cooper trying to find it and all of that drama... Without ruining all the previous lore.
I figured it was addictol at first... And he was just going through withdrawals, that's why he needed it. All to be shocked with the Roger explanation thing. 🤷♀️
It doesn't have to be a retcon. Not that they haven't before. It seemed to be something local to the area, which would explain why we haven't seen it before. And why I think it doesn't actually stop ghouls from becoming feral.
Would be on brand for Hancock to make something like that, sell in the hopes that he was making things better for his fellow ghouls, but then really making things worse.
It would make a lot of sense. It would also explain why they are being kept alive, if it's something that can be harvested without killing them immediately. But my guess is the harvesting also hastens THEIR progress into becoming feral (In other words, the ferals in the chop shop weren't captured AS ferals, but have gone feral due to the harvesting). So whatever this drug is, it represents some ghouls lengthening their sane lifespan at the expense of the sanity of other ghouls... which honestly is pretty solidly in tune with how the Fallout universe works in general.
ghouls turn feral only if they're weak-willed. most of the ghouls in fallout are strong-willed individuals who havent turned feral because they have something to live for. That is what prevents them from turning feral. the longer a ghoul lives, the more senses they lose. the only thing keeping them going is a sense of meaning which ultimately prevents them from succumbing to their feral instincts. this substance isn't related to radaway or rad x. it's probably something that increases perception and reminds ghouls of more earthly pleasures which can help stave off the transformation into a feral state.
Does this also apply to the ghoul from fallout 4, Eddie winter? He is about the same age as the ghoul from the show and he didn't show any degradation.
@@proxyone5019not really a theory it's pretty clear in the games. Just like the games tell you what drugs ghouls take and it's always chems mixed with alcohol
Makes sense. In the Fallout Tv show, the ghoul is crazy accurate and fully aware of the position of enemies. It sounds plausible that it enhances the senses while keeping the ghouls who have few reasons to keep existing to prevent from becoming feral. I hope that they provide more lore about the drug in future episodes. On the other hand it could just be a radiated dementia/alzheimer medication targeting what happens to most humans that live too long. Its just faster acting because its irradiated and easier to absorb in a ghouls system.
I believe you’re thinking of a ghoul duo found in one of the metro tunnels, they want you to bring him sugar bombs to make super jet, as normal jet didn’t have enough effect. Forgive me if I’m wrong, it could be another drug. But I’m sure it’s super jet.
The TV show also introduces an ambiguity that Cooper can surgically attach someone else’s finger and it will heal , but strangely does not decide to stitch back on a nose.
It’s a good possibility that’s true about the nose cartilage thing, but as we know from actual reconstructive surgery, that’s not necessary for growth normally. honestly, it doesn’t bother me too much. Maybe he’s done it before he realizes that it’s just going to fall off again or something like that. It seems to be the central thing that happens to all Ghouls… so I don’t know, it’s something I’m just going as a character element, because I show enough that it doesn’t really bother me.
I didn't think it was a secret. It's RadAway. Maybe drugs like Jet and Buffout also stay the feral ghoul transformation? It's not something they've ever mentioned in any of the games so this is all new.
Ghouls go feral from the excessive radiation. A ghoul's regenerate property, that is, the thing that keeps him from dying from old age is fueled by radiation. Ghouls will heal bodily injuries faster by being exposed to higher doses of radiation. It's how glowing ones can awaken seemingly dead ghouls in earlier fallout lore. The problem is that the regeneration isn't perfect. Actually it kind of sucks. It puts the body back together but does it in a cancerous way, which is why ghouls look progressively worse. That's a big problem when it comes to the brain. So the more damage a ghoul takes to his brain tissue, the faster they go feral. They're not really immune to radiation so much as they can heal the damage faster than they take it. There's also some factors to how fast ghouls go feral related to the individual specific genetics, the type and amount of radiation taken, the particulars of the trace FEV strain they were exposed to, etc. More than likely the drug is in part radaway as a preventive and maybe some sort of brain boosters like mentats. I'm guessing that if The Ghoul was less cavalier about getting exposed to radiation his drug would probably last longer.
Well, it also turns people INTO Ghouls as well, as with the Squire who had his foot crushed. So the doctor could have concocted it, also he may regret his actions as he was trying to kill himself.
Had half a mind to mention that drug but feel like the one Thaddeus took was different one. Similar to the drug Hancock took in Fallout 4 to become a Ghoul
They were both yellow, which in TV terms is the same thing, if they were different drugs, they would have made them different colours to make the disconnection more apparent.
It might be stem cells that target and repair brain tissue, and/or a combination of the things you mentioned plus mentats for the mental boost. But imagine if it's synthetic mysterious serum haha.
Yeah I definitely think the captured ghouls are a important and related detail. It was an organ harvesting operation. IMO it only makes sense they were also harvesting some kind of fluid from non feral ghouls to sell to ones that had started turning so they could stave it off.
While there were some non-feral ones there, a few of them had already gone feral and it didn't look like they were doing much to keep the others sane. It sort of looked like the female ghoul closest to Martha may have at one point been trying to keep her distracted but there wasn't much she could do
@@RevanMartinez Every feral ghoul and super mutant was like that. The Scorched from 76 as well. For once I think the Brotherhood had it right about them, if in the worst way. "Another mutant released from it's torment". Forced either by bad luck or the actions of others to turn into a violent, nearly mindless creature. Non-feral ghouls and a few super mutants still retain their minds and personalities after the change. But most are living a cursed existence and a danger to others around them through no fault of their own. If anything, putting them down is a mercy to everyone involved, especially them.
I think the captured ghouls might have a part in it but maybe not in the way everyone's thinking. Maybe the ghouls are being used to make a new version of rad-x. The small bottles seem to look like the in game version and maybe they changed it to be a injectable liquid instead of a pill for the show. Makes sense as rad away is a liquid. Also maybe the ghouls take rad-x so often because for their healing to work it needs radiation. Taking the rad-x stops them from getting radiation and would keep the healing factor from eventually turning them feral.
About the "micro dose of rad-away" theory, if that was the case, it wouldn't cost NEARLY as much as is being charged for it in the show because cannonically, it's pretty readilly available. There is no reason they couldn't just keep a few bags of it on hand and give it a little sip now and then.
Originally developed as treatment for Asthma, later further developed in the Alaskan war as a wound and anti infection agent against Chinese chem weapons. Not a stim pack, but to control decay
@@cameronadam729 Possibly, but FEV has usually been shown as being glowing green and the subject is immersed in it. What Thaddeus took was a brownish yellow and inhaled like the Ghoul was doing. Someone also suggested it might be some version of the Healing Factor serum from 76. But given the doctor said Thad wouldn't have to worry about radiation anymore I'm guessing it was a ghoulification drug since it didn't look or work like FEV.
What got me thinking that it might be radaway was the fact that during the scene when the 2 dudes are getting Coop out of the coffin, there were apparently 2 radaway bags on the surface going all the way down to him underground, considering that as far as I'm aware ghouls turn feral due to excessive and continous exposure to radiation, radaway would make sense
I may be wrong but I think The tv show, which Bethesda says is canon, implied pretty heavily that gouls will go feral quickly without the drug… the guy found in the house said something like it had only been a few months and he was far enough gone that Cooper killed him.
Pretty sure these small vials are just smaller doses of Rad-Away. You’ll notice the similarity with the IV bag Howard had over his grave & the IV Lucy used which was provided to her by Maximus. This makes the most sense since prolonged high levels of radiation eventually transforms a ghoul to a mindless feral ghouls. How would one prevent that fate? Control one’s internal radiation levels & the only way to do that in Fallout was to use Rad-Away.
Isn't it "Jet"? It's even taken as an inhalant in most scenes, the only time he took whole vials was when he was in surplus after the Supermarket incident.
Which also would kind of follow a typical behavior of people with disordered stimulant use, used sparingly when in minimal supply, when in large supply used recklessly until back to a minimal supply
might be some kind of slow release version of Mentats just as addictive, but counters the damage done by time to the brain rather than providing a short boost
Funny enough I thought about that too. Maybe they changed rad-x to be a injectable thing. It makes sense as liquid would provide a quicker means of protecting you from radiation and the one thing about them is that the more radiation they get over time the more they go feral. It's either they get All of the radiation at once and turn into a glowing one or they get some radiation and turn into a ghoul. Maybe they're taking the rad-x so that way their natural regen doesn't get the radiation it needs to eventually drive them crazy
Remember that when Cooper "The Ghoul" Howard was buried, he had what looked like a rad away bag hooked up to him. It could have also been this serum being fed to him intravenously to keep him from turning while he was trapped.
I'm all cool with them creating this drug in the show. What I'm not cool with is them making it seem as though every Ghoul goes feral. The games have never given you a defining answer on this on purpose. No one in the wasteland truly knows, even ghouls. All we know is some do, and some don't. That's the whole premise of the BOS being not an entirely good faction, and you having to bend your moral compass a bit (maybe more so in 4) BOS just downright believes they all turn feral which is a total jump to conclussion because they think taking the time to wait and see is a waste of time and a danger to others. That's the best answer you get, that and other ghouls who joke about turning feral on you. The vault tec rep in 4 and the lady that runs the bar in the underworld in 3 are both well over 200 years old and haven't had the medication.
It's a common belief in the wasteland that all ghouls will eventually turn feral though. It's been that way in every Bethesda title. That's why they are so feared and rejected by others in most places. Sure we the viewers and players who are removed from the world know that it's not a universal rule and can point to many examples of 200+ year old ghouls who are just fine. But a wastelander isn't going to want to take that chance. Sure Martha might be fine now, or next week, or next year. Or the next time you see her she might go for your throat. Why take the chance? And worse yet, if you are a ghoul and seen or heard tales of other ghouls turning, why wouldn't you worry about it? If someone offered you a drug that said it would protect you, wouldn't you take it?
@nekoali2 If I was yes I would. My issue isn't the drug. The drug makes total sense even if it was snake oil. I could see someone taking advantage of that fear since fear creates buyers of unneeded nonsense. My gripe is that every Ghoul you meet is feral or is in the process of turning which shouldn't be the case. Maybe the drug is two fold, maybe it suppresses turning feral but your body gets addicted and relies on it thus initiating the feral process.
in ep 7 Thaddeus was turned into a ghoul by the Snake oil Salesman. perhaps this the same stuff, the Snake oil Salesman used. Thaddeus also used and inhaler like Cooper, but then again Cooper seems to also just drink it.
I believe it's a mixture of glowing one blood and maybe a little bit of water and random chems because when he doesn't have his medicine it seems to give him a withdrawal instead of feral
@@SebastianRamirez-sm7zp I agree, and you're definitely right about what was in the vials! As someone who knows way too many useless details, as I enjoyed sleuthing things out 😅
I thought it was jet this whole time, they even shoot it like jet sometimes. Prolonging and slowing down becoming feral also would’ve been a clever spin on the drug’s slow motion effect.
It's often shown or implied in the games that increased rad dosage will accelerate the brain's degradation in ghouls. It heals them, but since their brains aren't one of the tissues that can heal that way, the brain still suffers radiation damage. Therefore, rad management becomes the best way to avoid being feral.
The idea of being a modified stimpack is interesting, especially when you see Coop just take dose after dose in that scene. If it was a preventative agent, I'd imagine he'd only need one to get back to stable, that, or he was experiencing a form of withdrawal. I'm not a real surgeon or doctor though so don't take my word on that, lmao.
I’m pretty sure they just wanna make a new Soylent green story about how ghouls have to eat other ghouls to survive. And the drug guys tap their spinal fluid like tree sap
When the Ghoul was in the prison grave there was a pouch of yellow liquid connected up to him from the surface to keep him alive. It looked like the Rad Away pouch
It might be linked to oswald from Nuka world, considering one of the options in his questline sees him leaving to find a cure for ghoulism, and the series is set 10 years after fo4
At least from the show it seems it is a drug the help either slow down or prevent a ghoul turning. The chems seem to be effective, but almost like the process speeds up if they go without it. I got that from the one encounter with the one he ate. Which you might be right somehow there could be something in a ghouls blood that can likewise slowdown or stop the feral process.
Iirc there were some Behind The Scenes images online showing the IV bags originally had "Rad Away" written on them but it got removed. My guess is they'll probably try to come up with something if season 2 ever rolls around.
I think it's the same drug that Thaddeus took. It ghoulified him, but it also healed him. I'm betting that it helps ghouls heal their brains, too, but it doesn't last all that long.
I'm going with stems and that everyone that abuses and maybe even just over uses stems has a good chance of becoming a ghoul at some point if they aren't killed first.
Its a sort of medicine that slows a ghoul's mental deterioration and help stave off from turning feral. Given the BoS dude took the same drug and had his foot heal instantly, id say its made from a concentrate of ghoul adrenalime glands and other organ tissues, thus turning the BoS dude into a ghoul. My theory is that same BoS dude is gonna slowly become a ghoul later in the show
What if it’s derived from the mysterious serum that the Cabot’s use in fallout 4 - increases strength and minuses rads for like an hour. Maybe someone got their hands on it and modified it/diluted it for mass production The constant decrease in rads may be what’s slowing down the mutation
Here's the thing. The human body cannot metabolise the radioactive particles (once they're in they stay in but stay radioactive). Normal humans would die of cancer &| radiation sickness long before the particulate can get to their brain. Ghouls don't have that problem. Most of their bodies - except for their brain - can handle RTs & ionizing radiation really well. Still their bodies cannot metabolise the particulate. Over the course of centuries - it builds up in their bodies - eventually crossing the blood-brain barrier & getting to the brain - slowly destroying it - thereby causing them to go feral. In order to mitigate this buildup & prevent it from destroying their brain the RTs need to be purged through chelation - usually via some substance analogous to RadAway. Back when the Ghoul is still in the ground, you can see a drip IV full of the stuff hanging there & going into the ground. There is reference in canon to some individuals being naturally more immune to the effects of ionizing radiation. Normal individuals perhaps exhibiting this even but to a much lesser degree. I suppose that's one of the things the organ factory does - isolate these compounds from the human bodies to sell.
A combination of mentats ans a stimpack most likely. Improve brain functions and heal the brain in the process. That may explain why the drug is still available after all this time, as components can be cooked in the wasteland, but are relatively rare.
It looks to me like Jet. And the show is the first time we ever see any ghoul doing this. My theory: "The" Ghoul is just a Jet addict keeping withdrawal at bay. Ghouls can't actually _"turn_ feral" except in the show. If they "needed" chems to prevent it, you'd notice Charon huffing out of an inhaler in Fallout 3, or Raul doing it in Fallout New Vegas.
@@JohnCastleSmokeless The story of the one in Diamond City who turned feral and attacked the residents. Then they kicked out all the ghouls and the ghouls left to start multiple settlements in Fallout 4 where they tell you that same story. 😂
My thought on it is that it's harvested from the ghouls they're capturing in the Super Duper Mart. After all, they had a large supply of it. It had to come about in the wasteland, because why would they make a drug specifically for ghouls pre-great war when there were no ghouls. It's too yellow to be normal human CSF (I work with it daily in a lab). It might be from ghoul CSF though.
It's probably modified Mentats, with maybe bit of Rad-X. In game mentats are stated to be effective Alzheimer's treatment, and they are relatively easy to modify (seeing from the many variants). The main contributors to going feral is madness, and brain damige from radiation exposure. Radaway and stimpacks could also be involved, and so could be one of the FEV variants, but that is less likely, cause FEV tends to be more permanent, and mutation inducing. By described effects it seems like mentats with something to keep the radiation in check. Probably made from Cave fungi, that are both ingredient in DIY mentats, and can be used as treatment for radiation. Check out Sam Blackwell's bunker terminal entries, they are probably your best source on mentats info, but there are plenty of other mentions of it in games.
Here’s my theory: it’s ultrajet or some form of neurotransmitter stimulant with high levels of radiation. Some sort of isotope with a very short half life. We know ghouls have jet addictions and it doesn’t work good enough. We know two things about ghouls. Radiation heals them. I forget which fallout it is but you can get a ghoulification perk. It doesn’t physically turn you into a ghoul (I assume it’s a very long process and our character would eventually become a ghoul) but radiation poisoning heals you as well your limbs. You can still die from lethal radiation poisoning though unlike a real fully ghoulified ghoul. The other thing we know that even though the surface layer of the skin suffers from necrosis everything else constantly regenerates, muscle tissue, internal organs, etc. The body stops the aging process entirely, all except for the brain. The brain is the only thing that continues to age. That’s why I believe Ghouls are drawn to heavy drug usage. Especially Jet, it keeps the brain active and clear. It keeps them focused. Keeps neurons active and prevents them from decay, in combination with a high dose of radioactive material. It piggy backs the neurotransmitter so the radiation goes directly into the brain and starts a temporary regeneration process. It halts the brain from further decay but it’s temporary as they have to keep taking the medication.
It could just be a radiated Fallout version of dementia/alzheimer medication targeting what happens to most humans that live too long. Its just faster acting because its irradiated and easier to absorb in a ghouls system.
I interpreted it as chems that affect neurochemistry. That's why the Ghoul was so keen about the boxes of all manner of drugs. We know these drugs don't affect ghouls like they do humans, hence needing ultrajet to get the effects of regular jet on anyone else. It would also explain how so many ghouls have been able to stave off turning feral (one source of a specialised drug couldn't possibly be enough for the whole wasteland), and why the ghoul says he's always been good at "making caps" as these drugs are available anywhere and price is the main factor in accessibility. Ghouls don't need drugs like this for the reason regular humans might, but still need an ongoing supply just to live. With that said, the idea of milking a drug from ghouls makes sense of the super-duper mart having ghouls held prisoner and of the Ghoul taking a bite of his freshly killed ghoul friend's spine. Perhaps both are true.
Probably some mixture of IRL “hard drugs” and fictional Radaway. Seems not uncommon for militia IRL to be pumped with drugs before combat. It might in part explain Cooper’s seeming fearlessness and finesse in combat on and above whatever experience and expertise he has. When he drops lifeless, it might also suggest the energy boosting stimulant properties of the drugs. Apparently more radiation leads to becoming feral so for Cooper to remain sentient, Radaway or something similar is probably in the mix to keep radiation levels at bay. When Maximus says Lucy will pass out if she doesn’t take Radaway asap, it also maps to the state Cooper is in after he collapses even though he doesn’t go fully unconscious. The two stoned guys also seem to be using the drugs recreationally so it stands to reason the drugs are not too dissimilar to IRL party drugs. Given it’s the wasteland, either a lot of these are made with impurities or with junk ingredients. And/or someone is pumping the marketplace somehow with drugs for profit and/or an agenda. A possibility given how they seem to be packaged in fairly uniform bottles
I just assumed it was the same drug that turns people into ghoul and they had to keep take it or turn feral. Seems like something that drug companies in that universe would do. Suspected manufacturing process being made of human corpses as there exist the possibility that cannibals can turn into a variants of ghoul (Fallout 76’s wendigo.)
It must be a medical microdose of radaway for the ghouls, cause if the main problem is they’re brain A:aging and dying, then rotting the rest of they’re body from the top up, which is why they’re head is the most messed up part of they’re body, or B: the radiation made they’re brain super, but the amount of radiation in each person is the only problem, so the cleaner the environment the better your brain to resist it’s radioactive influence, possibly could be connected to something like Atom, or possibly like the Radiated moth men or scorched to a lesser degree.
Imagine if there was a way to cure someone from the ghoul condition in the Fallout video game series so that you could choose to be a ghoul in the game series but the problem with being a ghoul in the fallout universe is that not every faction, town and city out there welcomes ghouls unfortunately 😔
For me, it's RadAway. It's seen that the Ghoul had this being infused to his veins in the first episode. Also, in the game it's just as orangy-yellow as the drugs in the show.
I wouldn't even be mad if the lore itself does not know what the "wonder drug" is. Until the series what makes ghouls exactly feral and why some stay sane while others instantly turn has always been rather open with no real explanation or obvious trigger. Loosing hope or emotional triggers seems to play a part but also some luck or genetics of the person that is turning. I'm totally okay if there is no definite answer to this in the show. The formula also seems highly addictive if what we have seen in the show the Ghoul instantly pumps himself with all kinds of drugs/chens to get his "fix".
I think its a combination of radaway, jet, and mentats. Jet as a delivery system and a bit of a kick to the brain, radaway to reduce radiation degradation of the neurological pathways of the brain and mentats to enhance those same pathways and allow the brain to continue fuctioning normally even after damage has taken root.
The ghoul they came across in the house was surrounded by the vials which tells me it isn't a perfect cure for feralization and must be used in greater and greater doses eventually reaching a point of no return where it is no longer effective. We no in previous lore that ghouls are not affected the same way as others by radiation. A mutation that allows radiation to even heal them but we also know from previous lore that extreme doses of radiation can cause ghouls to go feral so radaway makes sense. Jet and Mentats make sense because of the way they operate on the brain speeding up and enhancing mental facaulties (slowing down the way one perceives the world in the case of jet and increasing intelligence in the case of mentats) which can be kinda seen in the show when the ghoul is able to have an almost supernatural aim. proof of the mentats isn't clearly shown but you could chock that up to the mentats being to occupied keeping the brain running normally with a damaged neurological network to do their intended job of enhancing intellegence.
Bio Memetic Liquid? Similar to what is used for Robobrains? Maybe a combination of Stim Pack for repairing the necrotizing brain and bio memetic liquid for stabilization? Just a theory, but that's my best guess.
Ngl, this one is making my brain itcn. If he needs 60 vials for two months and he's lived for over two centuries. . . that math is disturbing. Hopefully they'll explain it in Season 2.
First thought when I hear a chem that effects the brain in such a way is that it must be some variation of Mentats or that it’s an ingredient at the least.
Spinal fluid from Non-ghouls aka Humans. I would have to say that the nuclear radiation has definitely changed the DNA of humans to ghouls and then eventually final form of feral ghouls but to prevent that they need a human DNA to keep them from not going feral. So I think it's extracted spinal fluid.
Excellent addition to the lore. Helps explain why some gouls stick around so long without going feral. Also, overall the best show of the past few years, easily. The people who disagree are whiney naysayers who refuse to admit that their predictions of the show being "bad" were objectively wrong.
Its litterally Rad away Go back to first epsisode where you see him buried alive, with a drip of RadAway probably preventing him from turning feral while burried. Only other explination for the Radaway drip is that it makes the ghouls weakend or docile. But that then does not explane how he so easily dispatched Honcho, Slim, and Biggie so easily. So im sticking with it that this is just Some form of Radaway/jet combo.
Short version? "We don't know."
Some heroes don’t wear capes. Some wear a single letter
The letter D.
as a fan, my only other guess would be some modified version of med-x or perhaps mentats, for what it's worth.
@@vashstampede5774 super jet fallout 3... love the name million dollar typhoon
My guess possibly a concentrated form of mutated stem cells or whatever prolongs a ghouls life mostly likely harvested from other Younger ghouls.probably renewable like cerebrospinal fluid if I had to take a shot in the dark.
I thought it was just regular chems, and that the Ghoul was relying on addictions to keep his mind straight. That stimulation in any form slows down the degradation, and that was the Ghoul's stimulation of choice. His symptoms off of the chems seemed like normal withdrawal symptoms to me.
This is a pretty good explanation. And it could work later for why plenty of ghouls don't use similar methods
I would agree with you if the vials didn't seem to be fairly specific and all filled with the same colored liquid. Basically what I'm saying is that it seems too intentionally accented as something just for ghouls to be any old drug, hopefully season 2 gives us a proper explanation and not more of the same vagueness from season 1 and even better would be an explanation that doesn't break too much lore.
The other ghoul friend turning feral used them to. I think this is a west coast / NCR thing. The drugs were found in NCR medical facilities and in ruins in the area.
did u pay attention to the show ?
Chems don't work well on ghouls. That's why in 3 you can find a ghouls making ultra jet out of sugar bombs that actually effects ghouls unlike normal jet. I don't see this being the case as I personally think that'd just numb him from the fact he's going to turn feral and not actually help him but it's a decent possibility.
If you recall, the ghoul eats the other ghouls spine. So perhaps it's a spinal fluid. They kept ghouls at the market for continuous harvesting.
I like this theory
No he has eating his flesh for food right?
i thought he was eating his ass meat since that is the meatiest part of the body
@@jewiedabooi5527I mean he did call it *ss jerky
So... kinda like a radioactive version of Xydrate?
I just thought that it was a form of RadAway because when the ghoul was buried he had an IV drip with yellow liquid which is how RadAway is usually depicted in the game.
That's what I was thinking too, looked the same as the Radaway IV Lucy has in the later episode
I like the idea. Ghouls are usually healed by rads, but maybe the cure stops them from accumulating enough rads to destroy the brain.
Anyone who thinks it's a plot hole has never played the original Fallout games, where half of the Lore was left to the player to interpret
That look like an irradiated blood bag to me.
I am so glad I'm not the only one who has the thought of RadAway that the Ghoul is taking. It has the yellow color of RadAway and if you were to go inside the Repconn Facility Lab where the non-feral Ghouls are kept hidden in New Vegas, a lot of RadAway are being stored
I wouldn't be surprised if what Cooper aka The Ghoul is taking, is a small bottle of RadAway to keep himself sane and sustain his whole body from radiation
Thank you I've been saying this for a week
Hmmm...one part stimpack, one part biomed gel, and two parts cerebrospinal fluid from a smooth skin, and four parts mentats. There's your ghoul drug, you're welcome.
Bro would be too busy conducting molecular fusion equations in his head to realize his nose has been gone for 200 years with all those mentats😂
Also a good theory!
Exactly
That was the longest fucking "I DON'T KNOW' in the history of "I dont't know"s
I know what it is!
It is.... A retcon. Ghouls in 3, NV, and 4 have explained the feralization process and a couple have explained how they and others have fended it off.
Now, in the show, there is a drug that all coherent ghouls take (and apparently have been taking since the bombs dropped) to stave off the crazy
My thoughts too. 😢
I'm not against ret-cons, and sometimes I think they're necessary... But this one seemed pointless to me.
All they'd have to do was make it a new invention, and we could keep the plot of Cooper trying to find it and all of that drama... Without ruining all the previous lore.
I figured it was addictol at first... And he was just going through withdrawals, that's why he needed it.
All to be shocked with the Roger explanation thing. 🤷♀️
It doesn't have to be a retcon. Not that they haven't before. It seemed to be something local to the area, which would explain why we haven't seen it before. And why I think it doesn't actually stop ghouls from becoming feral.
@@nekoali2 But we've been to that area before.
@@speedyllama8380 15 years before the show though
I think it’s a Jell-O shot of happiness
I like that, Ghouls just love Jell-o shots
My guess is this a variation or recreations of the “experimental radiation drug” that Hancock took.
Wouldn't that make them more feral?
Think that's definitely what was given the Thaddeus later on in the series
Would be on brand for Hancock to make something like that, sell in the hopes that he was making things better for his fellow ghouls, but then really making things worse.
The mysterious serum from Lorenzo Cabot maybe. Lol
Mine is a stimpack and radaway hybrid drug. But that is just my guess.
I hope this drug is explored further and hopefully was made by the followers of the apocalypse id love to see them in season 2
The captured ghouls means in probably come from them, I'm going to say its ghoul spinal or brain fluid.
It would make a lot of sense. It would also explain why they are being kept alive, if it's something that can be harvested without killing them immediately. But my guess is the harvesting also hastens THEIR progress into becoming feral (In other words, the ferals in the chop shop weren't captured AS ferals, but have gone feral due to the harvesting). So whatever this drug is, it represents some ghouls lengthening their sane lifespan at the expense of the sanity of other ghouls... which honestly is pretty solidly in tune with how the Fallout universe works in general.
ghouls turn feral only if they're weak-willed. most of the ghouls in fallout are strong-willed individuals who havent turned feral because they have something to live for. That is what prevents them from turning feral.
the longer a ghoul lives, the more senses they lose. the only thing keeping them going is a sense of meaning which ultimately prevents them from succumbing to their feral instincts. this substance isn't related to radaway or rad x. it's probably something that increases perception and reminds ghouls of more earthly pleasures which can help stave off the transformation into a feral state.
I like this theory.
Does this also apply to the ghoul from fallout 4, Eddie winter? He is about the same age as the ghoul from the show and he didn't show any degradation.
@@proxyone5019not really a theory it's pretty clear in the games. Just like the games tell you what drugs ghouls take and it's always chems mixed with alcohol
Yes exactly thank you the new serum is just a huge cop out
Makes sense. In the Fallout Tv show, the ghoul is crazy accurate and fully aware of the position of enemies. It sounds plausible that it enhances the senses while keeping the ghouls who have few reasons to keep existing to prevent from becoming feral. I hope that they provide more lore about the drug in future episodes.
On the other hand it could just be a radiated dementia/alzheimer medication targeting what happens to most humans that live too long. Its just faster acting because its irradiated and easier to absorb in a ghouls system.
I could be mistaken, but didn’t ghouls in fallout 3 take jet because they got some benefit from it like stalling off going feral?
I believe you’re thinking of a ghoul duo found in one of the metro tunnels, they want you to bring him sugar bombs to make super jet, as normal jet didn’t have enough effect. Forgive me if I’m wrong, it could be another drug. But I’m sure it’s super jet.
drugs in general help brahmen farts arnt special.
I think they were jet addicts already
No... I don't think it is Jet. Jet is usually taken in an aerosol form. It comes in inhalers.
@xylghost3733 ultrajet, buy yeah your description is correct :)
I remember from somewhere that low doses of radiation can slow the feral-ification process. Maybe the drug is something radioactive.
The TV show also introduces an ambiguity that Cooper can surgically attach someone else’s finger and it will heal , but strangely does not decide to stitch back on a nose.
might be because the nose doesnt have any bones
@MrConfrigo I think that's why. A finger has bones and muscles, a nose is just cartilage.
Or he knows the wasteland smells horrible and enjoys his lack of a nose.
It’s a good possibility that’s true about the nose cartilage thing, but as we know from actual reconstructive surgery, that’s not necessary for growth normally. honestly, it doesn’t bother me too much. Maybe he’s done it before he realizes that it’s just going to fall off again or something like that. It seems to be the central thing that happens to all Ghouls… so I don’t know, it’s something I’m just going as a character element, because I show enough that it doesn’t really bother me.
@@MrConfrigo Yeah, the nose is just cartilage and not meaty like an arm.
I didn't think it was a secret. It's RadAway. Maybe drugs like Jet and Buffout also stay the feral ghoul transformation? It's not something they've ever mentioned in any of the games so this is all new.
I pretty much guessed it was radaway the first time they showed it
Same as chemo lol
I mean we literally see 2 bags of it feeding into him in that grave. It's definitely Radaway
@@mrplayfulshade I forgot about that...
Ghouls go feral from the excessive radiation. A ghoul's regenerate property, that is, the thing that keeps him from dying from old age is fueled by radiation. Ghouls will heal bodily injuries faster by being exposed to higher doses of radiation. It's how glowing ones can awaken seemingly dead ghouls in earlier fallout lore. The problem is that the regeneration isn't perfect. Actually it kind of sucks. It puts the body back together but does it in a cancerous way, which is why ghouls look progressively worse. That's a big problem when it comes to the brain. So the more damage a ghoul takes to his brain tissue, the faster they go feral. They're not really immune to radiation so much as they can heal the damage faster than they take it.
There's also some factors to how fast ghouls go feral related to the individual specific genetics, the type and amount of radiation taken, the particulars of the trace FEV strain they were exposed to, etc.
More than likely the drug is in part radaway as a preventive and maybe some sort of brain boosters like mentats. I'm guessing that if The Ghoul was less cavalier about getting exposed to radiation his drug would probably last longer.
Well, it also turns people INTO Ghouls as well, as with the Squire who had his foot crushed. So the doctor could have concocted it, also he may regret his actions as he was trying to kill himself.
Were they not different drugs?
No. That was different.
Had half a mind to mention that drug but feel like the one Thaddeus took was different one. Similar to the drug Hancock took in Fallout 4 to become a Ghoul
They were both yellow, which in TV terms is the same thing, if they were different drugs, they would have made them different colours to make the disconnection more apparent.
Funniest take I ever seen.
Well it's not Jet ... cause Jet gives you the Jitters ...
It might be stem cells that target and repair brain tissue, and/or a combination of the things you mentioned plus mentats for the mental boost.
But imagine if it's synthetic mysterious serum haha.
I like the mentats suggestion, hadn't thought of that
I’m guessing that Mentats are an ingredient, too.
Half vodka, half whiskey with a shot of wormwood and Tabasco sauce. Damn! That sounds like a winner. I'm gonna try that.
Yeah I definitely think the captured ghouls are a important and related detail. It was an organ harvesting operation. IMO it only makes sense they were also harvesting some kind of fluid from non feral ghouls to sell to ones that had started turning so they could stave it off.
While there were some non-feral ones there, a few of them had already gone feral and it didn't look like they were doing much to keep the others sane. It sort of looked like the female ghoul closest to Martha may have at one point been trying to keep her distracted but there wasn't much she could do
@@rosesweetcharlotteMartha made me sad 😢, Like all these Ghouls were once Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, brothers etc to someone
@@RevanMartinez Every feral ghoul and super mutant was like that. The Scorched from 76 as well. For once I think the Brotherhood had it right about them, if in the worst way. "Another mutant released from it's torment". Forced either by bad luck or the actions of others to turn into a violent, nearly mindless creature. Non-feral ghouls and a few super mutants still retain their minds and personalities after the change. But most are living a cursed existence and a danger to others around them through no fault of their own. If anything, putting them down is a mercy to everyone involved, especially them.
I think the captured ghouls might have a part in it but maybe not in the way everyone's thinking. Maybe the ghouls are being used to make a new version of rad-x. The small bottles seem to look like the in game version and maybe they changed it to be a injectable liquid instead of a pill for the show. Makes sense as rad away is a liquid. Also maybe the ghouls take rad-x so often because for their healing to work it needs radiation. Taking the rad-x stops them from getting radiation and would keep the healing factor from eventually turning them feral.
Maybe some sort of spinal fluid concoction?
Spinal fluid like the sp episode on Christopher reeves? 🤢
Hmmm...one part stimpack, one part biomed gel, and two parts cerebrospinal fluid from a smooth skin, and four parts mentats.
About the "micro dose of rad-away" theory, if that was the case, it wouldn't cost NEARLY as much as is being charged for it in the show because cannonically, it's pretty readilly available. There is no reason they couldn't just keep a few bags of it on hand and give it a little sip now and then.
Originally developed as treatment for Asthma, later further developed in the Alaskan war as a wound and anti infection agent against Chinese chem weapons. Not a stim pack, but to control decay
Remember, thaddeus turned into a ghoul through a drug. Be some variant.
I'm pretty sure he took FEV. I think he is becoming a super mutant
@@cameronadam729 Possibly, but FEV has usually been shown as being glowing green and the subject is immersed in it. What Thaddeus took was a brownish yellow and inhaled like the Ghoul was doing. Someone also suggested it might be some version of the Healing Factor serum from 76. But given the doctor said Thad wouldn't have to worry about radiation anymore I'm guessing it was a ghoulification drug since it didn't look or work like FEV.
What got me thinking that it might be radaway was the fact that during the scene when the 2 dudes are getting Coop out of the coffin, there were apparently 2 radaway bags on the surface going all the way down to him underground, considering that as far as I'm aware ghouls turn feral due to excessive and continous exposure to radiation, radaway would make sense
Could maybe just be like Adderall or an anti-anxiety drug maybe? Would work on the mental aspect for not turning feral
I think its cerebrospinal fluid from other ghouls…he ate stuff from the guys spine after shooting him…
I may be wrong but I think The tv show, which Bethesda says is canon, implied pretty heavily that gouls will go feral quickly without the drug… the guy found in the house said something like it had only been a few months and he was far enough gone that Cooper killed him.
Pretty sure these small vials are just smaller doses of Rad-Away. You’ll notice the similarity with the IV bag Howard had over his grave & the IV Lucy used which was provided to her by Maximus. This makes the most sense since prolonged high levels of radiation eventually transforms a ghoul to a mindless feral ghouls. How would one prevent that fate? Control one’s internal radiation levels & the only way to do that in Fallout was to use Rad-Away.
Isn't it "Jet"? It's even taken as an inhalant in most scenes, the only time he took whole vials was when he was in surplus after the Supermarket incident.
Which also would kind of follow a typical behavior of people with disordered stimulant use, used sparingly when in minimal supply, when in large supply used recklessly until back to a minimal supply
Probably the same stuff Thaddeus got from the shady "Doctor" when his Foot was crushed.
Some sort of High Dose of Radiation mixture.
might be some kind of slow release version of Mentats just as addictive, but counters the damage done by time to the brain rather than providing a short boost
What about Rad-x to prevent further brain degradation ?
Rad-x is a pill
Funny enough I thought about that too. Maybe they changed rad-x to be a injectable thing. It makes sense as liquid would provide a quicker means of protecting you from radiation and the one thing about them is that the more radiation they get over time the more they go feral. It's either they get All of the radiation at once and turn into a glowing one or they get some radiation and turn into a ghoul. Maybe they're taking the rad-x so that way their natural regen doesn't get the radiation it needs to eventually drive them crazy
Radaway i was thinking
@@staceysiegel2006radaway then
Oh man I wonder what yellow/browinish fluid usually stored in an IV bag it could be. 🤔
Remember that when Cooper "The Ghoul" Howard was buried, he had what looked like a rad away bag hooked up to him. It could have also been this serum being fed to him intravenously to keep him from turning while he was trapped.
I'm all cool with them creating this drug in the show. What I'm not cool with is them making it seem as though every Ghoul goes feral. The games have never given you a defining answer on this on purpose. No one in the wasteland truly knows, even ghouls. All we know is some do, and some don't. That's the whole premise of the BOS being not an entirely good faction, and you having to bend your moral compass a bit (maybe more so in 4) BOS just downright believes they all turn feral which is a total jump to conclussion because they think taking the time to wait and see is a waste of time and a danger to others. That's the best answer you get, that and other ghouls who joke about turning feral on you. The vault tec rep in 4 and the lady that runs the bar in the underworld in 3 are both well over 200 years old and haven't had the medication.
It's a common belief in the wasteland that all ghouls will eventually turn feral though. It's been that way in every Bethesda title. That's why they are so feared and rejected by others in most places. Sure we the viewers and players who are removed from the world know that it's not a universal rule and can point to many examples of 200+ year old ghouls who are just fine. But a wastelander isn't going to want to take that chance. Sure Martha might be fine now, or next week, or next year. Or the next time you see her she might go for your throat. Why take the chance? And worse yet, if you are a ghoul and seen or heard tales of other ghouls turning, why wouldn't you worry about it? If someone offered you a drug that said it would protect you, wouldn't you take it?
@nekoali2 If I was yes I would. My issue isn't the drug. The drug makes total sense even if it was snake oil. I could see someone taking advantage of that fear since fear creates buyers of unneeded nonsense. My gripe is that every Ghoul you meet is feral or is in the process of turning which shouldn't be the case. Maybe the drug is two fold, maybe it suppresses turning feral but your body gets addicted and relies on it thus initiating the feral process.
in ep 7 Thaddeus was turned into a ghoul by the Snake oil Salesman. perhaps this the same stuff, the Snake oil Salesman used. Thaddeus also used and inhaler like Cooper, but then again Cooper seems to also just drink it.
Lazurus had a serum that kept him and his family alive a long ass time , if it's a chem i mean xcell or ultrajet
I believe it's a mixture of glowing one blood and maybe a little bit of water and random chems because when he doesn't have his medicine it seems to give him a withdrawal instead of feral
I like to think of it as a placebo passed around this side of the ghouls
I thought it was called Rad-off as “Radiation Off” so that it would lessen the effects of radiation on ghouls bodies so they won’t become like zombies
Radaway indeed removes radiation. Rad-x fortifies against radiation and suppresses symptoms and mutations.
@@SharkkJumpjet thanks for giving me the right name, I thought the show was pretty straightforward with why the ghouls take the drugs
@@SebastianRamirez-sm7zp I agree, and you're definitely right about what was in the vials! As someone who knows way too many useless details, as I enjoyed sleuthing things out 😅
I thought it was jet this whole time, they even shoot it like jet sometimes. Prolonging and slowing down becoming feral also would’ve been a clever spin on the drug’s slow motion effect.
It's often shown or implied in the games that increased rad dosage will accelerate the brain's degradation in ghouls. It heals them, but since their brains aren't one of the tissues that can heal that way, the brain still suffers radiation damage. Therefore, rad management becomes the best way to avoid being feral.
I think it had something to do with harvested organs of normal humans and ghouls. Like spinal fluid or brain juice.
It’s called “Mcguffin Juice”
The idea of being a modified stimpack is interesting, especially when you see Coop just take dose after dose in that scene. If it was a preventative agent, I'd imagine he'd only need one to get back to stable, that, or he was experiencing a form of withdrawal. I'm not a real surgeon or doctor though so don't take my word on that, lmao.
I’m pretty sure they just wanna make a new Soylent green story about how ghouls have to eat other ghouls to survive. And the drug guys tap their spinal fluid like tree sap
When the Ghoul was in the prison grave there was a pouch of yellow liquid connected up to him from the surface to keep him alive. It looked like the Rad Away pouch
It might be linked to oswald from Nuka world, considering one of the options in his questline sees him leaving to find a cure for ghoulism, and the series is set 10 years after fo4
At least from the show it seems it is a drug the help either slow down or prevent a ghoul turning. The chems seem to be effective, but almost like the process speeds up if they go without it. I got that from the one encounter with the one he ate. Which you might be right somehow there could be something in a ghouls blood that can likewise slowdown or stop the feral process.
seems like the show is making stuff up about ghoul lore
I mean... so has every game. It's not like they are real. And even in game, nobody really knows exactly why ghouls work the way they do.
I believe it's just a drug that cure ADHD stuff. You know he was trying to keep himself calm and in control so he won't go banana and become feral.
Iirc there were some Behind The Scenes images online showing the IV bags originally had "Rad Away" written on them but it got removed. My guess is they'll probably try to come up with something if season 2 ever rolls around.
I think it's the same drug that Thaddeus took. It ghoulified him, but it also healed him. I'm betting that it helps ghouls heal their brains, too, but it doesn't last all that long.
I'm going with stems and that everyone that abuses and maybe even just over uses stems has a good chance of becoming a ghoul at some point if they aren't killed first.
Some kind of serum that stimulates neurotransmitters which in mind holds off necrotisation of the brain
I think it’s Rad-X Ventolin. It slows the ghoulification process by reducing the effects of the radiation in the body
That's exactly what it is.
Its a sort of medicine that slows a ghoul's mental deterioration and help stave off from turning feral. Given the BoS dude took the same drug and had his foot heal instantly, id say its made from a concentrate of ghoul adrenalime glands and other organ tissues, thus turning the BoS dude into a ghoul.
My theory is that same BoS dude is gonna slowly become a ghoul later in the show
What if it’s derived from the mysterious serum that the Cabot’s use in fallout 4 - increases strength and minuses rads for like an hour. Maybe someone got their hands on it and modified it/diluted it for mass production
The constant decrease in rads may be what’s slowing down the mutation
Here's the thing. The human body cannot metabolise the radioactive particles (once they're in they stay in but stay radioactive). Normal humans would die of cancer &| radiation sickness long before the particulate can get to their brain.
Ghouls don't have that problem. Most of their bodies - except for their brain - can handle RTs & ionizing radiation really well. Still their bodies cannot metabolise the particulate. Over the course of centuries - it builds up in their bodies - eventually crossing the blood-brain barrier & getting to the brain - slowly destroying it - thereby causing them to go feral.
In order to mitigate this buildup & prevent it from destroying their brain the RTs need to be purged through chelation - usually via some substance analogous to RadAway.
Back when the Ghoul is still in the ground, you can see a drip IV full of the stuff hanging there & going into the ground.
There is reference in canon to some individuals being naturally more immune to the effects of ionizing radiation. Normal individuals perhaps exhibiting this even but to a much lesser degree.
I suppose that's one of the things the organ factory does - isolate these compounds from the human bodies to sell.
A combination of mentats ans a stimpack most likely. Improve brain functions and heal the brain in the process. That may explain why the drug is still available after all this time, as components can be cooked in the wasteland, but are relatively rare.
It looks to me like Jet. And the show is the first time we ever see any ghoul doing this. My theory: "The" Ghoul is just a Jet addict keeping withdrawal at bay. Ghouls can't actually _"turn_ feral" except in the show. If they "needed" chems to prevent it, you'd notice Charon huffing out of an inhaler in Fallout 3, or Raul doing it in Fallout New Vegas.
Nah we we see jet in ep 1 and it looks like actual jet
No, they say many times in the games that sometimes non-feral ghouls eventually turn feral.
@@proxyone5019 Can you provide an example of a ghoul character who turned feral?
@@JohnCastleSmokeless You think it can't be true if I can't provide an example? Is your IQ 40?
@@JohnCastleSmokeless The story of the one in Diamond City who turned feral and attacked the residents. Then they kicked out all the ghouls and the ghouls left to start multiple settlements in Fallout 4 where they tell you that same story. 😂
My head canon is that this drug was made by the courier with the help of the big MT tech
What if it's like a mix of chems like rad-x for the radiation, and mentats to keep the ghouls mind sharp.
Definitely rad-x and anything else on top, mentats, jet, etc would help. Good point!
I think it's a combo of rad away, mentats, and maybe a stimpack mixture with stimulants
My thought on it is that it's harvested from the ghouls they're capturing in the Super Duper Mart. After all, they had a large supply of it.
It had to come about in the wasteland, because why would they make a drug specifically for ghouls pre-great war when there were no ghouls.
It's too yellow to be normal human CSF (I work with it daily in a lab). It might be from ghoul CSF though.
It's probably modified Mentats, with maybe bit of Rad-X. In game mentats are stated to be effective Alzheimer's treatment, and they are relatively easy to modify (seeing from the many variants). The main contributors to going feral is madness, and brain damige from radiation exposure. Radaway and stimpacks could also be involved, and so could be one of the FEV variants, but that is less likely, cause FEV tends to be more permanent, and mutation inducing.
By described effects it seems like mentats with something to keep the radiation in check. Probably made from Cave fungi, that are both ingredient in DIY mentats, and can be used as treatment for radiation.
Check out Sam Blackwell's bunker terminal entries, they are probably your best source on mentats info, but there are plenty of other mentions of it in games.
Here’s my theory: it’s ultrajet or some form of neurotransmitter stimulant with high levels of radiation. Some sort of isotope with a very short half life. We know ghouls have jet addictions and it doesn’t work good enough. We know two things about ghouls. Radiation heals them. I forget which fallout it is but you can get a ghoulification perk. It doesn’t physically turn you into a ghoul (I assume it’s a very long process and our character would eventually become a ghoul) but radiation poisoning heals you as well your limbs. You can still die from lethal radiation poisoning though unlike a real fully ghoulified ghoul. The other thing we know that even though the surface layer of the skin suffers from necrosis everything else constantly regenerates, muscle tissue, internal organs, etc. The body stops the aging process entirely, all except for the brain. The brain is the only thing that continues to age. That’s why I believe Ghouls are drawn to heavy drug usage. Especially Jet, it keeps the brain active and clear. It keeps them focused. Keeps neurons active and prevents them from decay, in combination with a high dose of radioactive material. It piggy backs the neurotransmitter so the radiation goes directly into the brain and starts a temporary regeneration process. It halts the brain from further decay but it’s temporary as they have to keep taking the medication.
It could just be a radiated Fallout version of dementia/alzheimer medication targeting what happens to most humans that live too long. Its just faster acting because its irradiated and easier to absorb in a ghouls system.
I interpreted it as chems that affect neurochemistry. That's why the Ghoul was so keen about the boxes of all manner of drugs. We know these drugs don't affect ghouls like they do humans, hence needing ultrajet to get the effects of regular jet on anyone else. It would also explain how so many ghouls have been able to stave off turning feral (one source of a specialised drug couldn't possibly be enough for the whole wasteland), and why the ghoul says he's always been good at "making caps" as these drugs are available anywhere and price is the main factor in accessibility. Ghouls don't need drugs like this for the reason regular humans might, but still need an ongoing supply just to live.
With that said, the idea of milking a drug from ghouls makes sense of the super-duper mart having ghouls held prisoner and of the Ghoul taking a bite of his freshly killed ghoul friend's spine. Perhaps both are true.
So you made a video about complete speculation. BRILLIANT!
Probably some mixture of IRL “hard drugs” and fictional Radaway.
Seems not uncommon for militia IRL to be pumped with drugs before combat. It might in part explain Cooper’s seeming fearlessness and finesse in combat on and above whatever experience and expertise he has. When he drops lifeless, it might also suggest the energy boosting stimulant properties of the drugs.
Apparently more radiation leads to becoming feral so for Cooper to remain sentient, Radaway or something similar is probably in the mix to keep radiation levels at bay. When Maximus says Lucy will pass out if she doesn’t take Radaway asap, it also maps to the state Cooper is in after he collapses even though he doesn’t go fully unconscious.
The two stoned guys also seem to be using the drugs recreationally so it stands to reason the drugs are not too dissimilar to IRL party drugs.
Given it’s the wasteland, either a lot of these are made with impurities or with junk ingredients. And/or someone is pumping the marketplace somehow with drugs for profit and/or an agenda. A possibility given how they seem to be packaged in fairly uniform bottles
I just assumed it was the same drug that turns people into ghoul and they had to keep take it or turn feral. Seems like something that drug companies in that universe would do. Suspected manufacturing process being made of human corpses as there exist the possibility that cannibals can turn into a variants of ghoul (Fallout 76’s wendigo.)
It must be a medical microdose of radaway for the ghouls, cause if the main problem is they’re brain A:aging and dying, then rotting the rest of they’re body from the top up, which is why they’re head is the most messed up part of they’re body, or B: the radiation made they’re brain super, but the amount of radiation in each person is the only problem, so the cleaner the environment the better your brain to resist it’s radioactive influence, possibly could be connected to something like Atom, or possibly like the Radiated moth men or scorched to a lesser degree.
I think it may be kinda like Frank from fallout 2. Frank Horrigan had a suit that injected him with a serum that kept him stable. Ish.
my guess would be one of the Chems that boosts INT like Mentats or something. That way it can "counteract" the degeneration into a Feral.
Highly concentrated dose of redbull with a dash of cocaine
Imagine if there was a way to cure someone from the ghoul condition in the Fallout video game series so that you could choose to be a ghoul in the game series but the problem with being a ghoul in the fallout universe is that not every faction, town and city out there welcomes ghouls unfortunately 😔
Might be a combination of stimpak fluid, radaway, and spinal fluid of a ghoul
well one thing i'm wondering is what about Zao or Billy in Fallout 4, who were locked away for 200 years and didn't turn?
Its radaway mixed with radX probably. Hes managed not to go feral by keeping his radiation level low
For me, it's RadAway.
It's seen that the Ghoul had this being infused to his veins in the first episode.
Also, in the game it's just as orangy-yellow as the drugs in the show.
I wouldn't even be mad if the lore itself does not know what the "wonder drug" is. Until the series what makes ghouls exactly feral and why some stay sane while others instantly turn has always been rather open with no real explanation or obvious trigger. Loosing hope or emotional triggers seems to play a part but also some luck or genetics of the person that is turning. I'm totally okay if there is no definite answer to this in the show. The formula also seems highly addictive if what we have seen in the show the Ghoul instantly pumps himself with all kinds of drugs/chens to get his "fix".
My theory is that the ghoul magician in nuka world found that person he sent to find a cure for ghouls
I think its a combination of radaway, jet, and mentats. Jet as a delivery system and a bit of a kick to the brain, radaway to reduce radiation degradation of the neurological pathways of the brain and mentats to enhance those same pathways and allow the brain to continue fuctioning normally even after damage has taken root.
The ghoul they came across in the house was surrounded by the vials which tells me it isn't a perfect cure for feralization and must be used in greater and greater doses eventually reaching a point of no return where it is no longer effective. We no in previous lore that ghouls are not affected the same way as others by radiation. A mutation that allows radiation to even heal them but we also know from previous lore that extreme doses of radiation can cause ghouls to go feral so radaway makes sense. Jet and Mentats make sense because of the way they operate on the brain speeding up and enhancing mental facaulties (slowing down the way one perceives the world in the case of jet and increasing intelligence in the case of mentats) which can be kinda seen in the show when the ghoul is able to have an almost supernatural aim. proof of the mentats isn't clearly shown but you could chock that up to the mentats being to occupied keeping the brain running normally with a damaged neurological network to do their intended job of enhancing intellegence.
I thought it was MENTATS to keep his mind sharp.
ITT: we come up with ideas that Bethesda reads for ideas on how to retcon this new drug into the existing lore 😂
Bio Memetic Liquid? Similar to what is used for Robobrains? Maybe a combination of Stim Pack for repairing the necrotizing brain and bio memetic liquid for stabilization? Just a theory, but that's my best guess.
Ngl, this one is making my brain itcn. If he needs 60 vials for two months and he's lived for over two centuries. . . that math is disturbing.
Hopefully they'll explain it in Season 2.
First thought when I hear a chem that effects the brain in such a way is that it must be some variation of Mentats or that it’s an ingredient at the least.
Spinal fluid from Non-ghouls aka Humans. I would have to say that the nuclear radiation has definitely changed the DNA of humans to ghouls and then eventually final form of feral ghouls but to prevent that they need a human DNA to keep them from not going feral. So I think it's extracted spinal fluid.
What about spinal fluid from the ghouls
It seems like the mysterious liquid that the children of atom get.
Well, it does have the same color as lymph, so maybe something from someone's blood.
Excellent addition to the lore. Helps explain why some gouls stick around so long without going feral.
Also, overall the best show of the past few years, easily. The people who disagree are whiney naysayers who refuse to admit that their predictions of the show being "bad" were objectively wrong.
Its litterally Rad away Go back to first epsisode where you see him buried alive, with a drip of RadAway probably preventing him from turning feral while burried. Only other explination for the Radaway drip is that it makes the ghouls weakend or docile. But that then does not explane how he so easily dispatched Honcho, Slim, and Biggie so easily. So im sticking with it that this is just Some form of Radaway/jet combo.
It’s ghoul juice. They ring them out like wash cloths and put the fluid in those vials.
glowing fungus, crushed muttfruit, carrot flower and a drop of FEV.... meh, your guess is as good as mine.