Playable Ghoul characters will be coming to Fallout 76 sometime in 2025, though the exact release date is currently unknown. As it grows closer to this feature coming to the game, more details will become available, with Fallout 76’s playable Ghoul character potentially arriving in a future Public Test Server as well. In the meantime though, leaks, datamines, and some early sneak peeks have already revealed quite a bit for players to look forward to for the Fallout franchise's first-ever official playable Ghoul character.
Ghouls will provide a new experience in Fallout 76 with unique world interactions and exclusive buildcrafting tools. Notably, Ghouls will have access to a completely new set of Perk Cards in Fallout 76, the ability to harness power from Radiation, and access to new Feral and Glow mechanics. Early leaks have revealed some of the Perk Cards that Ghouls will be able to use, and the recent Fallout Day livestream also revealed some of the additional mechanics that Ghouls will have access to.
What to Expect From Fallout 76’s Gleaming Depths Update
Between early sneak peeks, datamines, and Fallout 76’s Public Test Server, fans should know what to expect from the December Gleaming Depths update.
All Fallout 76 Ghoul Perk Card Leaks and Reveals So Far
Fallout 76’s creative director, Jon Rush, once said that the Ghoul playable character will have 32 exclusive perk cards to choose from. Between leaks, datamines, and official announcements, 10 of those Perk Cards have already been revealed so far. There have been a handful of additional Ghoul Perk Cards that can be seen in Fallout 76’s Fallout Day Broadcast and recent datamines, but while the names and art for several additional Perk Cards have been revealed, the effects of these perk cards currently remain uncertain.
| Perk Card: | SPECIAL: | Description: |
| Arms of Steel | Strength | Reduced recoil and improved accuracy for ranged weapons. |
| Boneshatter | Strength | Melee attacks have an increased chance of crippling enemy limbs. |
| Brick Wall | Strength | Grants immunity to staggers. |
| Breathe It In | Perception | Reduces player’s radiation resistance. |
| Glowing Gut | Endurance | Increased radiation from consuming food and drinks. |
| Radiation Power! | Endurance | Attacks expend Glow per hit to deal increased damage. |
| Thick Skin | Endurance | Reduces incoming damage from ballistic attacks. |
| Glowing One | Charisma | Having high radiation will provide Glow to nearby teammates. |
| United Ordeal | Charisma | Gain bonus SPECIAL for every teammate who is also a Ghoul. |
| Battle Genes | Luck | Provides passive healing while in combat. |
Players who transform into a Ghoul will be able to double-dip and still use the original Perk Cards in Fallout 76. Although, it’s unclear if players will be able to use Ghoul Perk Cards as humans, and whether this will be practical.
Fallout 76’s Playable Ghoul’s Glow and Feral Mechanics Explained
The playable Ghoul character will be immune to radiation in the way that it affects humans. Instead, Ghouls will be able to draw strength from radiation. Based on what’s been revealed, Glow will be a state that activates when players accumulate a lot of radiation in a short time while playing as a Ghoul in Fallout 76. Once achieved, certain Ghoul Perk Cards can provide additional buffs while players have Glow, likely providing increased damage and damage resistance, among other, more unique buffs depending on the player’s equipped Perk Cards.
Since Ghouls draw strength from Radiation, it’s recommended for players to avoid using Power Armor while playing as a Ghoul, since Power Armor in Fallout 76 typically provides high resistance to Radiation.
Additionally, Ghouls won’t have to worry about hunger or thirst, but they will have to manage their Feral meter. This Feral state is said to provide significantly improved unarmed melee damage at the cost of severely decreased weapon accuracy and reduced AP. Other than the unique roleplaying opportunities, it seems like Ghouls will be especially ideal for players who want to play as an unarmed melee build in Fallout 76. Considering that melee builds are by no means weak, some of these new Ghoul perks and mechanics will take these builds to the next level, potentially rivaling the current Bloodied Unyielding met, at least in terms of damage output.
Fallout 76
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 54 /100 Critics Rec: 9%
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
