Radiation in Lethal Company sounds like a big deal, but it’s a bluff. You’ll see a flashing, red alert that reads, “increased levels of radiation” on your helmet, but it turns out it doesn’t affect anything. So don’t worry—the radiation in Lethal Company is harmless.
So, why is it there if radiation in Lethal Company doesn’t do anything?
Lethal Company’s “Increased levels of radiation” warning, explained
The radiation warning in Lethal Company is a heads-up that getting out will be tougher once you remove the Apparatus—the big battery—from a wall in any facility. It’s the power source for the whole building, so when you take it, the lights will go out, and electric doors become stuck open. You can’t just put the Apparatus back on the wall, either.
This warning is the game essentially trying to tell you, “Hey, taking the Apparatus is a big deal, so be careful.” But the game doesn’t have radiation damage or a radiation status effect that will hurt your character or affect gameplay.
The Apparatus itself offers some very limited lighting that you can try to use to navigate through the dark if you don’t have a flashlight. It’s worth mentioning, however, that trying to carry the Apparatus through a cloud of steam or fog will make it virtually impossible to see where you’re going. If you’re going to extract an Apparatus, ensure your exit route is carefully thought out.
Seeing the radiation warning means grabbing a valuable item (hey, the Apparatus nets you 80c), but you’re trading it for a trickier escape. Unless you’ve got a flashlight, you’ll have to navigate in the dark and deal with electric doors that won’t budge. That’s the perfect situation to have a crew member sitting on the ship giving you directions through the Walkie-Talkie. Otherwise, I hope you can remember the escape route.
A big clue that radiation isn’t a real gameplay factor in Lethal Company is the lack of items that protect against it. In the game, you can counter almost anything—use weapons to stop monsters, TZP-Inhalant to outrun them, or hack turrets from a computer terminal. So, if radiation were a real threat, wouldn’t there be something to shield you from it?
To put it to the test, try it out in your next game. Remove the Apparatus from the wall and hang around as long as you dare. Check if the radiation gets you. I tried this and didn’t get hurt or die from any radiation.
Depending on if you have teammates, utilizing them with complete communication and letting them guide you can go a long way.
What else happens when you take the Apparatus in Lethal Company?
You will undoubtedly bump into some Lethal Company players who think grabbing the Apparatus raises the number of monsters popping up in the dungeon. However, there’s no solid proof backing this up. That said, remember the game’s still in early access. This means the radiation could matter in future updates, especially as we get closer to an entire release.
So, there you have it. You know everything you need about radiation in Lethal Company. Enjoy!
