Radiation is annoying, and in a game as unforgiving as Fallout 4, you want as little to do with that as possible. First off, your character will get exposed to radiation when you go swimming, come into contact with feral ghouls, or get exposed to dangerous electronic equipment. A few points of radiation won’t hurt, but as they start to accumulate, you’ll start to feel the pinch of having more than 25% of your health bar eaten away.
Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of radiation you’re exposed to, and to get rid of the red bar entirely.
Use Rad X: This drastically reduces the amount of radiation damage you take for a short period of time. Make sure to use one each time you enter a highly radiated area.
Use RadAway: Only use it when the red bar eats up more than 25% of your health bar. This will remove the red bar entirely. You can also purchase them at vendors at a hefty price, or craft them at crafting stations if you have the materials for it.
Power armor: The power armor protects you from radiation damage, but keep an eye on its energy level, and make sure you have enough fusion cores to keep it running.
Visit a doctor: If you’re out of RadAways, you can always visit a doctor to get healed up. There’s usually one in every large settlement, including Diamond City.
Get the Aquaboy perk: It’s under the Endurance tree. Grab it as soon as you can. This allows you to swim in gross, irradiated water without taking any damage. Also, you can breathe underwater, which is a nice touch.