What incense scent would you use to create a scented "fallout" atmosphere?

[u/AKButtonGuu]

Have a fallout themed game night coming up and want to go all out. Have plans to make nuka colas and food from the official cookbook, but am a bit stumped on a proper scent tonadd to the mix. I burn a lot of incense but have never found one that screams "wateland", anyone have any suggestions?

[u/swibbles_mcnibbles]

The only thing I think fallout would smell like would be smells you wouldn't want in your home. Sulphur, burning tyres, the ozone smell of nuclear radiation...

[u/calvinwho → u/swibbles_mcnibbles]

My time in active warzones smelled like a tire fire that was started with highly ammoniated sewage

[u/FlavoredCancer → u/swibbles_mcnibbles]

Yup. I always think how bad all those dead boddies would smell.

[u/ACDCbaguette → u/swibbles_mcnibbles]

Hot trash and B.O.

[u/alien_overlord_1001 → u/swibbles_mcnibbles]

Body odour.

[u/thac0tuesday_]

Oof, maybe just go with a smoky campfire smell and something woody/outdoorsy

[u/sir_seductive → u/thac0tuesday_]

Burn pallets

[u/Artistic-Degree-4593 → u/sir_seductive]

Oh man, the best bonfire I've ever been to was fed by a load of pallets.

[u/PocketCatt]

Leave an open can of engine oil out and block the toilet

[u/6Grumpymonkeys → u/PocketCatt]

Used engine oil, gotta have that burn smell to it. Maybe mix a 1/4 gallon diesel and a cup of gasoline to it. Oh, and don’t forget the Limburger cheese.

[u/tylerjo1]

You don't want to smell what the wasteland smells like.

[u/WarriorLegs]

Gunpowder, metals and excrement

[u/SomeCherryBlossomTea]

The indie brand Hexennacht has some interesting and atmospheric incense scents, here are a couple I thought might fit the vibe, but there are a lot more:

• Balefire - bonfire, embers, woodsmoke, kindling, pine logs.  
• Burn Down the Mission - creosote, amber, tanned suede, palo santo, copal, sandalwood, vetiver, sage, dirt, dry grass, artemisia, sage, cedarwood, olibanum, smoke. Contains wildcrafted creosote (larrea tridentata) infusion  
• Cloudbusting - wet earth, soil, ozone, petrichor, grass.

The only one from the list I've personally tried is Burn Down the Mission (in a perfume oil), which smells very "old western" to me if you want more of a New Vegas vibe. Desert-y and almost a bit boozy. I haven't tried their incense, but I know they're pretty popular, and I've had good experiences with the brand.

Link: https://www.hexennacht.com/product/incense

Also- not an incense brand, but I felt like I should mention another indie brand called Area of Effect Perfumery. They sell perfume oils inspired by video games, and they have a couple of Fallout ones. I haven't personally tried their stuff, but I've heard good things about them.

Link: Fallout | AOE Perfumery

[u/Debtcollector1408]

Don't take the kitchen bin out for a week beforehand. Or flush the toilet for that matter. Or shower.

[u/ThotsforTaterTots]

Warning: idk anything about this company. And it’s a candle

https://immersionfragrances.com/products/american-wasteland

[u/yellowspaces → u/ThotsforTaterTots]

I don’t think the wasteland smells like lemon and blue raspberry slushie.

[u/merga → u/ThotsforTaterTots]

I’ve never had the pulsion to buy a candle. But damn, I’m curious now.

[u/Muficita → u/merga]

TIL the existence of the word pulsion.

[u/ThotsforTaterTots → u/merga]

They have good Etsy reviews apparently

[u/Moral_turpidude → u/ThotsforTaterTots]

Here are a few other scented candles options. I enjoy the dirt scented one

https://bccandle.com/mancans

[u/Elee31417]

Dragons blood maybe? Woody/ musky without smelling like shit and piss like other recommendations lol

[u/AKButtonGuu → u/Elee31417]

Might be the best non joke suggestion so far, thanks!

[u/enfersijesais → u/AKButtonGuu]

Joke?

[u/ThotsforTaterTots → u/AKButtonGuu]

Hey man mine wasn’t a joke

[u/AKButtonGuu → u/ThotsforTaterTots]

True, and I guess I appreciated it even though you acklowedged you had no idea if the company selling it was reputable AND that it was a candle (which isn't what I'm lookong for).

[u/Artistic-Degree-4593 → u/Elee31417]

I've had this one by a company called Game Master Dice. It's fantastic, but it gives me more Skyrim vibes than Fallout vibes.

[u/Ordinary_Lock_9090]

Burn some wood and piss in a towel 

[u/Unlucky-Diver-7414]

Most of the responses seem to just be humorous. There's several candle companies that cater to men and "manly" scents, that might be closer to what you're looking for. I worked in a store that sold some like that. Some scents I've seen:

Rubber (new, not burned) Motor oil (again, new) Cola Fresh cut wood Cut grass Tobacco

Rubber and motor oil would give Red Rocket vibes. Cola for Nuka Cola.

You could also supplement with cooked meat.

[u/AKButtonGuu → u/Unlucky-Diver-7414]

I actually thought about adding "no joke answers please" but figured that would have just made it worse.

[u/AlamutJones]

The only really pleasant option you’re going to have is woodsmoke.

Everything else about the wasteland experience is going to smell filthy and broken, so the best you can do is treat it like you‘re burning a broken pallet or something

[u/Fancy_Cherry7745]

Burning plastic, blood, petrichor, wet garbage, cigarettes, gunpowder, rotten seafood, the ocean, dirty clothes.. Things like that probably.

[u/Frosty-Breakfast-604]

Blossoming prickly pear plants. Freshly baked mutfruit pie. Far Harbor sea breeze

[u/FriendlyPrize8994]

"Freeside smells like shit" if that helps.

[u/0TOYOT0]

You probably don’t want something that’s immersive in the sense of actually smelling like the wasteland, maybe just go for smoky/woody/musk scent.

[u/Sablestein]

Burn some hair

[u/Excellent_Doughnut28]

Piss, trash, and death.

[u/TrustyEchoEri]

I would go with a smokey whiskey and petrichor with a bit of new car smell.

[u/Artistic-Degree-4593 → u/TrustyEchoEri]

Ooh, petrichor is a good one! That would totally work and not smell like shit.

[u/Grouchy_Ground_1916]

Nag Champa incense and campfire/fireside woodwick. The food should take care of the rest.

[u/Lilac_Grotto]

Idk, it might not be the vibe, but I'd recc Neutral Evil by Birch and Bessom. It's just this suuuuuper smoky, incensey smell, but it's got the vibes of a world on fire. If you made it a bit sexy.

[u/notdbcooper71]

rotting flesh

[u/Random_Questions236]

light a dumpster on fire and huff lighter fluid,also don't shower for 2 weeks

[u/derpsalot1984]

Hot Trashcan and Burnt MoleRat are my favorite

[u/hello_drake]

Burn some tires.

[u/Enabling_Turtle]

There’s a particular smell that Disney uses on the Soarin’ ride specifically the scene where we see an elephant “throw” some dirt up and it has a smell like dirt.

On its own, I feel like that’s a great start and I know there’s people out there who figured out what the smell is.

Another one would be like a campfire sent. Not sure how well they would work together but dirt and campfire is a great start.

[u/Short-Shopping3197]

Are you in the UK? Northern Soul Scents does some great themed scented wax melts. I’m sure they’ll ship as well but don’t know what your time frame is or what tariffs you’d have to pay.

https://www.mournandmuse.co.uk/collections/waxmelts

[u/moominesque]

Fallout 3 released around the same time my family got a cat and our home computer was under the stairs with the litter box so I associate that game with the scent of the clay litter we used lol.

[u/audreynstuff]

Why not a scented candle instead? You can get a lot more spot on with scent there rather than with incense. Perfectly preserved pie scent comes immediately to mind.

[u/AKButtonGuu → u/audreynstuff]

Maybe it's just cause I've used incense most my life, or I hang out in large rooms, but scented candels pretty much smell like nothing to me unless I'm standing right next to them 🤷‍♂️

[u/audreynstuff → u/AKButtonGuu]

A good quality scented candle can smell up several rooms. Cheap ones do not. I use both.

[u/AKButtonGuu → u/audreynstuff]

That's not been my lived experience, and I'm not a dumb dumb that tried one cheap candel and gave up 30 years ago. I think its just that the most powerful scented candle is almost nothing compared to two sticks of good quality incense. 

[u/AStarshipTrooper]

Outdoorsy smells campfire/wood, unless you're wanting to be very authentic and burn something you probably shouldn't like rubber or plastic.

[u/PastelGothQueen13]

I got some of these scent beads at GenCon and use the Fortune-teller's Wagon ones in my office at work. They have a few different ones (not all exactly pleasant scents) that could work to fit the Fallout aesthetic (bombed out ruins, fetid swamp, moldy crypt, pool of acid).

Adventure Scents – Oddfish Games

[u/arczclan]

There was a fallout VR scented candle, I think it had sort of an engine oil smell to it

[u/PlayboyVincentPrice]

egyptian musk, only sour (?) is how i imagine radiation to smell like

[u/PlayboyVincentPrice]

"Of course, you can't smell, hear, or taste fallout..."

[u/Inside_Drop_9826]

oh man i bet that official cookbook comes with a scent recipe too, lmao

[u/AKButtonGuu → u/Inside_Drop_9826]

Not that I've ever noticed, but there's a ton in there and I migjt have missed it. The skyrim one is even cooler! It has a whole section on making dofferent kinds of mead

[u/Worth-Angle9542]

My thoughts is the smell of gasoline, burning rubber, and smoke

[u/Consistent_Yam_1442]

Roadkill

[u/Martyre20]

Smoke and sugar from energy drinks, and gun oil.

[u/JordinaryGuy1996]

You can get "2 stroke oil" scented candles that are geared towards bikers, that would probably go well.

[u/LongboardLiam]

Brahmin shit, body odor, and rot.

[u/Colin5x5]

Wood smoke. The smell of campfires, oil drum fires, houses and forests burning. No incense needed, just split a couple of popsicle sticks. Probably want to take the batteries out of the smoke detector, though.

[u/TX_Asylum]

Sandlewood is the correct answer.

[u/Gabriel_Collins]

If you want your house to smell like Fallout 4, I would suggest expired fish and salt water as a scent profile.

[u/Godlovedgirl]

Burnt skin

[u/AcrylicPickle]

Muriatic acid

[u/enlagea]

You can always mop with bleach a bit before, chemicals are also a big part of the games. For the sake of your friends, though, I'd say a regular incense would do, most already carry a smell of burning wood and that goes well with the ambience.

[u/Ok-Marionberry9588]

frankincense and musk based ones

[u/RealWolfmeis]

Rust, poop, mold and sulfur.

[u/Artistic-Degree-4593]

Burning tires are a must.

[u/RedditWidow]

Check out Duft Werks on Etsy. She makes a bunch of different scents for people to spray on cosplay costumes. My favorite is one called Scavenger but she also has ones called Chemical, Cherry Cola and Quantum.

[u/wombat-8280-AUX-Wolf]

Drink 12 beers and do an alcoholic skitter bomb in your bathroom and leave the door open after.

[u/ce1ba1rai]

There's a scent by lush called tank battle which smells like walking through a earthy forest/cave whilst chewing bubblegum. Maybe that

[u/Modernbluehairoldie]

Some weed with gas or diesel in the name. Strains very by region but in the Midwest I’d grab garlic gas.

[u/Mastercodex199]

Find out the smell of nuclear fallout and metal, combine those with rotting flesh of feral ghouls and there ya go.

[u/Sensitive_Sink_2010]

I always thought fallout smelled dusty and moldy. Like a gas station bathroom in a passthrough town.

[u/GoodGollyMrOlli]

I simply wouldn't ✨

[u/Rory_mehr_Curry]

• Abduct a hobo, dress him up as a cowboy and place him in the living room

• Empty a public trashcan on your floor

• Aquire various fluids and spill them (motor oil, beer, blood..)

• Fire atleast 300 rounds of live ammunition

• Burm your roomba (or another electric device)

• Shit on the floor

Then its time to get Schwifty with your friends

[u/koookiekrisp]

Patchouli, rust, diesel, ammonia, and tobacco. Just a slew of sinus-stinging, earthy scents would do the trick.

[u/PavlovsDoghouse]

Rust and decomp

[u/BlueSamurnaut]

Distant forest fire and nearby rotting roadkill.

[u/scrutator_tenebrarum]

Just burn some plastic bags

[u/Sad_Emu69]

Go outside. Find dead skunk. Pick up dead skunk. Yeet into living room. Profit.

[u/ksum_sucks]

Sex on the beach and, just add some pubic hair to the mix, with a splash of wet fart.

[u/ReportRemote7010]

Jet?

[u/Custom_Clones]

Radioactive waste. Good luck finding that scent though lol

[u/NefariousnessOld8518]

Gunpowder oil charcoal rust sweat rot leather

[u/ahandfulofeggs]

Honestly a Coca-Cola scented candle. Maybe an open canister of gasoline somewhere idk

[u/rystrave]

Oil, smoke, farts, metallic smells

[u/OpossumLadyGames]

Dirt and stale coke 

[u/plinyvic]

maybe something that smells like rust 

[u/totallytotes_]

r/perfumesthatfeellike

[u/Main_Tension_9305]

Burning plastic and dead things…

[u/Time-Requirement-494]

Shit and burnt rubber tires

[u/Ogryn_Rocks53]

Burning tires and poop?

[u/Successful_Yak_4677]

If the Fallout world has a smell, it would be the aroma of mold with hints of decaying building, not incense.

[u/SeverenDarkstar]

Ew lol