There are lots of great weapons in Fallout 76. From small bladed weapons to huge two-handed rocket launchers, there's something to suit all playstyles. One of the more popular melee weapons is the Auto Axe. This fast-swinging power tool inflicts lots of damage onto anyone or anything that is unlucky enough to find itself on the receiving end of its motorized blade.
While getting the plan to craft the Auto Axe is a bit of a grind, the grind is more than worth it. With the right perks, armor pieces, and legendary effects, the Auto Axe becomes one of the best melee weapons in Fallout 76.
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How To Get The Auto Axe
For those who didn't get to rank 15 during the City Of Steel season, they'll need to save up stamps and purchase the plan to craft the Auto Axe from Giuseppe in the Whitespring Refuge. This formerly free-to-unlock item now costs an eye-watering 500 stamps. That said, when the weapon first made its way into Giuseppe's inventory, it cost an unbelievable 1000 stamps to buy. Getting 500 stamps does take some time, but it's possible to grind for 500 stamps over the course of one or two play sessions.
There are also some mods that players can purchase from Giuseppe that give the Auto Axe various boosts. Thankfully, these are considerably cheaper than the plan for the Auto Axe itself. Each mod for the Auto Axe costs just 40 stamps. The full list of mods for this weapon can be seen below:
- Plan: Auto Axe Burning Mod
- Plan: Auto Axe Electrified Mod
- Plan: Auto Axe Poisoned Mod
- Plan: Auto Axe Turbo Mod
While things may change in the future, at the time of writing, the Auto Axe Electrified Mod is the most effective mod to use. Just be sure to equip the Science perks to boost this mod's damage output.
Completing Expeditions Fast
Players will need to do quite a few Expeditions in order to gather enough stamps to purchase the Auto Axe plan from Giuseppe. Thankfully, there's one Expedition that can be done in as little as 6 or 7 minutes: The Most Sensational Game. This Atlantic City Expedition is the most beneficial one to grind. While it may take a bit of practice, after a couple of run-throughs, you'll quickly pick up the pace. Not only that, but if you find yourself a good team, then you can complete these missions in no time.
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To maximize the amount of stamps you get, it's important that you complete the optional objectives as well as the main ones. While the objectives vary, provided that you don't get the escort objective, you can complete this Expedition very quickly.
Why The Auto Axe Is Worth Using
The Auto Axe shreds pretty much everything in its path. Even without any special perks or effects, the Auto Axe is a borderline-overpowered weapon. Even if you aren't interested in melee builds, it's worth at least giving the Auto Axe a try. This weapon can take down everything from Mole Miners to the Scorchbeast Queen.
Since it's a melee weapon, it doesn't require any ammo to use. Simply press the button and unleash hell on all enemies that get in its way. There isn't much kickback from this weapon and it is relatively durable. The only real downside is its initial cost. However, it makes sense that it is expensive to buy, due to its ability to tear enemies apart.
Best Legendary Effects For The Auto Axe
When it comes to the primary legendary effect, most players will want to have either Anti-Armor, Bloodied, or Vampire's. While some of the other primary legendary effects can be great, these are by far the most useful. Out of the three mentioned effects, Vampire's is typically the most sought-after. Because the Auto Axe has a very fast swing and the Vampire's effect heals the player each time an enemy is hit, players become pretty much immortal while hitting enemies. However, if you are looking for a boss-killer, then Anti-Armor is the best effect to have.
As for the secondary effect, there's one that stands head and shoulders above the rest: +40% Power Attack Damage. Because of the way this weapon works, every hit counts as a power attack. By using this perk, you'll do 40% more damage to enemies with each hit.
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As for the final effect, there are three that best suit this weapon. That said, the final effect isn't as important as the first and second star effects. The best third-star effects for the Auto Axe are:
- 90% Reduced Weight
- 50% Increased Durability
- +3 Strength
There's a use for each of the effects listed above. If you want to inflict more damage, go for the strength boost. If you want to spend fewer resources repairing it, then the increase in durability will be the effect you want. If you want to maximize your carry capacity, then opt for the weight reduction effect.
Best Perks For The Auto Axe
The main perk cards for the auto axe are the Slugger cards. These directly increase the damage output of two-handed melee weapons. There are also quite a few other perk cards that work incredibly well on the Auto Axe. See the table below for details:
|
Perk |
Star (1/2/3/4/5) |
|---|---|
|
Slugger (Strength) |
Two-handed melee weapons do more damage (10%|15%|20%) |
|
Expert Slugger (Strength) |
Two-handed melee weapons do more damage (10%|15%|20%) |
|
Master Slugger (Strength) |
Two-handed melee weapons do more damage (10%|15%|20%) |
|
Incisor (Strength) |
Melee weapons ignore target's armor (25%|50%|75%) |
|
Blocker (Strength) |
Take less damage from melee attacks (15%|30%|45%) |
|
Martial Artist (Strength) |
Melee weapons weigh less and swing faster (Weight Reduction: 20%|40%|60%) (Swing Speed: 10%|20%|30%) |
|
Tenderizer (Charisma) |
Make targets receive more damage for up to 10 seconds after you attack (Seconds: 5|7|10) (Damage Boost: 5%|7%|10%) |
|
Makeshift Warrior (Intelligence) |
Melee weapons break slower, and you can craft higher tier melee weapons (durability increase: 10%|20%|30%|40%|50%) |
|
Radicool (Endurance) |
The greater your rads, the greater your strength (Up To +5) |
|
Action Boy/Girl (Agility) |
Action Points regenerate faster (15%|30%|45%) |
|
Adrenaline (Agility) |
Inflict more damage for 30 seconds per kill. Duration refreshes with base kill (Base increase: +6%|7%|8%|9%|10%) (Max Increase: 36%|42%|48%|54%|60%) |
|
Bloody Mess (Luck) |
Direct bonus to damange output (5%|10%|15%) |
If you are using the Auto Axe Electrified Mod, consider using the Science perks as they will help to boost the Auto Axe's damage output even further. The effects of the Science perks can be seen below:
- Science: Energy Weapon Damage Increased (5%|10%)
- Science Expert: Energy Weapon Damage Increased (5%|10%)
- Science Master: Energy Weapon Damage Increased (5%|10%)
There are other perks that work well alongside the Auto Axe, like Lifegiver and Class Freak, but they depend on things like what mutations the player is using.
Something else to keep in mind with the Auto Axe is that strength directly impacts the weapon's damage output. If you decide to create an Auto Axe build, then you'll naturally invest a lot of perk points in the Strength category. But, you can go further by taking consumables like Bobbleheads that boost strength as well as armor pieces with the strength boost effect. There are also a few food items that increase the damage output of the Auto Axe. If you combine a little bit of everything, then you end up with an unstoppable weapon that can take down almost any enemy in the game.
Fallout 76
- Released
- November 14, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Creation
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
- Cross Save
- no
- Franchise
- Fallout
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- How Long To Beat
- 34 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- File Size Xbox Series
- 97 GB (May 2024)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
