After constantly hearing about how far Fallout 76 has come, and with an Ohio-focused expansion just around the corner, I finally pulled the trigger on giving the game another go. So far, I have no regrets, as I’m absolutely loving my time in Appalacia, and I'm drowning in things to do. I still remember some of the common tips that were being spread years ago when the game first came out, such as hoarding wood since it’s hard to come by when you actually need it, or gathering as many materials from junk as possible. However, there are some other things I’ve noticed during my early adventures through the West Virginia wasteland that could prove useful to anyone inspired to restart Fallout 76 — or try it for the first time — due to the Burning Springs update or Season 2 of the TV series.
Small Tips That Can Have a Big Impact on Exploration in Fallout 76
If you’re anything like me, Bethesda RPGs are all about exploration. With Fallout 76, I’ve made the conscious decision to avoid major quests until I hit level 50, as I want to get the maximum level rewards from all the storylines (the level 20 headstart option helps with this kind of approach). Untracking quests and raiding every nook and cranny for junk has been my bread and butter, though this can be easier said than done in certain Fallout 76 locations. While players can hold down the circle button to activate a flashlight on PlayStation, the default green light isn’t all that helpful. However, if players enter their settings, they can mix their Pipboy color to create the aesthetic of their choosing. I highly recommend a white color, as the flashlight brightness becomes night and day, making the looting process in dark caves and abandoned buildings a breeze.
As players begin to check off locations on the Fallout 76 world map, they’ll likely be motivated to Fast Travel from point to point. However, it’s worth avoiding any fast traveling across huge distances, as the cap cost goes up the further players try to travel in one go. A simple workaround for this is to fast travel to a Vault or yellow hub area of some kind that’s found between point A and B, as these places are free to travel to. From there, players can then travel to their final destination, and because the free “middle man” location brought them closer to said area, the cap cost will be significantly lower. Caps are fairly tough to come by early on, and with CAMP building plans and other items being pricey, it’s important to hold onto as much currency as possible.
If players are subscribed to Fallout 1st, either for the gorgeous New Vegas Ranger armor or the ever-useful Scrapbox, they can also make use of the Survival Tent. This can be placed all throughout the open-world and acts as a free fast travel point, which makes the fast travel discount trick even easier to pull off.
Events are something that players should never pass up on, as even if they’re a bit under-leveled, there are usually high-level players around that can carry them through the fights. So long as players slightly damage each enemy, they’ll get the XP for the kill, while staying in the area will see them rewarded with useful items like Fallout 76 plans as well as caps upon completion. Events are a great source of rewards and level progress, and if players want to keep themselves alive within them, they’ll need plenty of Stimpaks and RadAway. Fortunately, players can essentially double each of these items by diluting them with Purified Water at a chemistry station. While this halves their effectiveness, a full version is normally overkill with the amount of healing or rad removal it provides, and the diluted version is more than enough to get the job done.
Other basic tips for Fallout 76 that I’d recommend for newcomers are:
- Don’t ignore the “loot all nearby corpses” button, as it’s genuinely one of my favorite Fallout 76 mechanics. It’s super satisfying to get larger chunks of loot, and it’s a massive timesaver.
- Junk is the hottest commodity in Fallout 76, so pick up and scrap everything that’s not bolted down. Stashing all this junk is easier said than done for those without the Fallout 1st Scrapbox, but the materials are a must for crafting, repairs, and CAMP building.
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Don’t sleep on challenges. Fallout 76 has a solid challenge-tracking system, as well as plenty of worthwhile rewards for players to chase in the seasonal battle passes. If players keep an eye on their dailies and weeklies (as well as their one-time character tasks) they can get tons of currency over time.
- Certain daily and weekly challenges can be easily completed by pulling items out of stashes, as fresh items aren’t always required. Also, use re-rolls for weekly challenges you feel you won't complete, as these provide the most SCORE points by far.
- Check the Atom Shop daily, even if you’re not spending real money. There’s usual a free item or two to pick up each day, be it repair kits, materials, or something else. For those who want cosmetics, the store regularly discounts certain items, so keep your eyes peeled for a price cut on your dream Fallout 76 Power Armor skin or CAMP item.
- Invest early points into Strength, as carry weight can be a nightmare until players start upgrading armor to boost their weight limit. SPECIAL cards that impact the carry limited are also worth using.
How to Make Fallout 76 Multiplayer Safe and Fun
One of the main draws of Fallout 76 has always been its multiplayer elements, and there’s certainly a good bit of depth to interactions with other players. However, there's one part of multiplayer that players should wait to see later on: PvP. As soon as I left Vault 76, I turned on Pacifist mode in the settings so that I wouldn’t have to engage in PvP at all. For the most part, other players cannot kill you with this mode activated, with one exception: trap CAMPs. These player-created CAMPs often have telltale signs like long hallways or tons of wires lying around, and if players see either of these traits, they should leave immediately. Even in pacifist mode, these traps can kill you, so be wary. Additionally, if you see locked items in a CAMP, do NOT lockpick them. Doing so will make you Wanted, which is a status that won’t disappear until you die (and you’ll lose some caps when you do).
However, the reality is that players likely won’t encounter many trap camps or ne'er-do-wells, as the Fallout 76 community deserves its reputation of being welcoming and helpful. In just my first two days, I was given a dozen free plans, a power armor chassis, and some level 50 weapons. Don’t be scared of higher-level players, as more often than not, they’ll be incredibly kind to you just for making your presence known. Visiting player camps in Fallout 76 is also a highlight, as you’ll get to see the full potential of the game’s creative community by looking through them. Even if you’re anti-social like myself, there’s a lot of fun to be had in emoting at a high-level player and making a temporary (or long-term) friend.
Found a Glitch? Here’s a Fix!
Lastly, it’s worth discussing how to get around a handful of common issues in Fallout 76. It’s a Bethesda game, after all, so one has to go in expecting some jankiness. During my first 20 hours of Fallout 76, I’ve encountered three major bugs time and time again. Fortunately, there are workarounds for two of them, and a way to mitigate the third problem:
- Stuck in the environment? Pull out your power armor and enter into to escape the spot, saving yourself some fast travel caps and a walk back.
- Unable to trade with a teammate? Enter and exit a public event to make the trading option reappear.
- Is your game crashing constantly? While the occasional crash is going to happen no matter what, numerous crashes can be stopped by restarting the game every 3 hours or so. Players have also reported that deleting excess notes can also help, but for me, it’s helped to choose when I enter and exit the game world.
There are many other little tricks players will notice the more they play, such as moving Fallout 76's CAMP device to adjust one’s spawn point in the CAMP itself, but I can confidently say that the above tips have made a big difference for me. If you’re considering giving Fallout 76 a go, I highly recommend it. With NPCs, Factions, and more mechanics like fishing, it’s a far deeper and more enjoyable game than it was when I first tried it back in 2019. And if you keep these life hacks in mind, you should have no issue getting hooked on the game just in time for the next significant update in December.
Fallout 76
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 54 /100 Critics Rec: 9%
