Tips For Playing and Survival in Fallout 76
Compared to previous games in the series, Fallout 76 is an incredibly different type. It's the first online game, with a far more in-depth focus on survival and crafting,and exploring a map four times the size of Fallout 4's,
There's a lot tasks to deal with,including crafting, base-building, hunge, thirst systems, diseases to manage, and mutations.
The world outside is frightful and the radiation is not so delightful. In order to survive, here are a few tips newcomers to Fallout 76 should consider that will help ease the transition from pampered vault dweller to expert wasteland survivalist.
Team up
While there aren't nonplayable characters in Fallout 76, there are real people you can interact with. How you choose to interact with those people is ultimately up to you, but if you want to expedite base building, spend less on fast travel, and increase your chances of survival, you should play with some friends.
Put in the work to complete main quest missions early on.
Leveling in Fallout 76 can be an arduous process, especially in the beginning as you're continually introduced to new locations and systems. Doing the main series of quests, which revolve around following in the footsteps of Vault 76's Overseer and collecting the Holotapes she leaves behind, will get you off to a surprisingly good start.
The quests aren't interesting, but they're straightforward to complete (go to the waypoint, collect the thing, move on) and they grant a lot of XP in a short amount of time. You can't do much in Fallout 76's big, bad world until higher levels, so, while it pains me to say it, it's worth grinding out these boring activities as fast as you can. On the bright side, you'll get to see some cool places and set up a great network of fast travel points for getting around the map more quickly later on.
Grab some Power Armor early.
Ever since Fallout 4, Power Armor suits have become a dime a dozen. Fallout 76 continues that trend, spawning new sets throughout the world at regular intervals such that you'll be up to your ears in T-45 leg plates in no time. While you can't equip the pieces themselves until certain levels, you can hop into the chassis itself as soon as you find one.
While you'll need to keep it supplied with fresh power cores, being inside one provides a decent bonus to your strength stat and a lot of extra carrying capacity, as well as better protection. It'll make surviving early run-ins with super mutants easier, and looting buildings a lot faster, so if for whatever reason you don't already have some, get some.
Save on Fast Travel
Speaking of fast travel, with a map four times the size of Fallout 4, you're more than likely going to be using this convenient feature in Fallout 76. Opening the map, clicking on a friend, a friend's C.A.M.P., or a friend of a friend's C.A.M.P. and fast traveling costs nothing. Anywhere else though, expect to dish out some caps to do it. The farther you are from your destination, the more you'll spend, and caps are pretty hard to come by in Fallout 76.
Pick up everything.
Seriously, I mean it.There is junk everywhere in Fallout 76 and it is all useful. You're basically Matt Damon from Mars in this game, taking every random thing you can get your hands on it and sciencing the shit out of it to build out your home base and extend your life another few days.
Everything from mops and glass bottles to desk fans and coffee pots can be turned into crafting materials which can then be used to craft new weapons, repair old ones, and add important structures to you base. You have a stash box in Fallout 76 that can, in the game's current state, hold up to 400 pounds of stuff. Don't get lazy about scavenging for random objects in the fields and abandoned buildings you happen across until it's full.
Use Stash Boxes often
While you're filling your knapsack with everything from coffee makers to pitchforks, take some time to stop by a stash box and dump your junk! Don't wait until you're encumbered because then you'll have to drop some of those precious resources you've collected or cross your fingers and hope you don't get ambushed as you waddle your way to the nearest stash box. In Fallout 76, encumbered players can't fast travel so keep that in mind.
Repair your weapons, cook your food, and boil your water
The degradation system is back in Fallout 76 which means weapons and armor conditions will deteriorate with use, and food can spoil. Pay attention to the condition of your weapons, armor, and food using the status indicator next to the item in your Pip-Boy. Collect copper and aluminum to repair weapons, plenty of which you can find in various houseware items, tools, and duplicate weapons.
If you come across a water source, don't drink straight from it. Instead, collect at least two servings of dirty water and boil it at a cooking station first. All you need is some wood and a cooking station, and you're good to go. You'll still get slight rads from drinking boiled water but it's a lot better than what happens if you don't. Always cook raw food items as soon as possible. This will keep you from acquiring any diseases and will slow down spoilage.
Use melee weapons for backup
You're going to find a lot of weapons scattered throughout the wasteland and you may find yourself using guns a lot. That's great because they're great for combat but they also require ammo, a resource that is susceptible to running out at any time. It's a great idea to always carry a melee weapon (or three) in the case you're shooting blanks or worse, your gun breaks. Unless, of course, you enjoy the thrill of having fist fights with molerats and radroaches then by all means, get your kicks in where you can.
Play instruments
You may have noticed a few instruments laying around during your travels. Playing them for at least 30 seconds will give you an interesting perk called Well-Tuned which regenerates your AP 25% faster for the next hour.
Build an actual bed
And we mean an actual bed. Not a rogue mattress on the ground or sleeping bag. Not to say those won't help in your very early wasteland days but beds help prevent contracting of diseases, regenerates HP, and can give you a Well Rested perk that adds a 5% bonus to the XP you earn.
Use the Overseers Camp
You'll become familiar with the Overseer's Camp relatively early in Fallout 76 and this will act as your hub for the beginning portion of the game. Don't feel pressured to start building a C.A.M.P. too early since you'll need a lot of resources to do so, and it will cost you some caps to move (just like fast travel, the farther you move it, the more it will cost).
Use the Overseer's camp to your advantage by leveling up, refining your arsenal, equipping some good Perk cards, and collecting as many resources as you can before venturing out into the map and looking for a place to set up your base.
There's a lot tasks to deal with,including crafting, base-building, hunge, thirst systems, diseases to manage, and mutations.
The world outside is frightful and the radiation is not so delightful. In order to survive, here are a few tips newcomers to Fallout 76 should consider that will help ease the transition from pampered vault dweller to expert wasteland survivalist.
Team up
While there aren't nonplayable characters in Fallout 76, there are real people you can interact with. How you choose to interact with those people is ultimately up to you, but if you want to expedite base building, spend less on fast travel, and increase your chances of survival, you should play with some friends.
Put in the work to complete main quest missions early on.
Leveling in Fallout 76 can be an arduous process, especially in the beginning as you're continually introduced to new locations and systems. Doing the main series of quests, which revolve around following in the footsteps of Vault 76's Overseer and collecting the Holotapes she leaves behind, will get you off to a surprisingly good start.
The quests aren't interesting, but they're straightforward to complete (go to the waypoint, collect the thing, move on) and they grant a lot of XP in a short amount of time. You can't do much in Fallout 76's big, bad world until higher levels, so, while it pains me to say it, it's worth grinding out these boring activities as fast as you can. On the bright side, you'll get to see some cool places and set up a great network of fast travel points for getting around the map more quickly later on.
Grab some Power Armor early.
Ever since Fallout 4, Power Armor suits have become a dime a dozen. Fallout 76 continues that trend, spawning new sets throughout the world at regular intervals such that you'll be up to your ears in T-45 leg plates in no time. While you can't equip the pieces themselves until certain levels, you can hop into the chassis itself as soon as you find one.
While you'll need to keep it supplied with fresh power cores, being inside one provides a decent bonus to your strength stat and a lot of extra carrying capacity, as well as better protection. It'll make surviving early run-ins with super mutants easier, and looting buildings a lot faster, so if for whatever reason you don't already have some, get some.
Save on Fast Travel
Speaking of fast travel, with a map four times the size of Fallout 4, you're more than likely going to be using this convenient feature in Fallout 76. Opening the map, clicking on a friend, a friend's C.A.M.P., or a friend of a friend's C.A.M.P. and fast traveling costs nothing. Anywhere else though, expect to dish out some caps to do it. The farther you are from your destination, the more you'll spend, and caps are pretty hard to come by in Fallout 76.
Pick up everything.
Seriously, I mean it.There is junk everywhere in Fallout 76 and it is all useful. You're basically Matt Damon from Mars in this game, taking every random thing you can get your hands on it and sciencing the shit out of it to build out your home base and extend your life another few days.
Everything from mops and glass bottles to desk fans and coffee pots can be turned into crafting materials which can then be used to craft new weapons, repair old ones, and add important structures to you base. You have a stash box in Fallout 76 that can, in the game's current state, hold up to 400 pounds of stuff. Don't get lazy about scavenging for random objects in the fields and abandoned buildings you happen across until it's full.
Use Stash Boxes often
While you're filling your knapsack with everything from coffee makers to pitchforks, take some time to stop by a stash box and dump your junk! Don't wait until you're encumbered because then you'll have to drop some of those precious resources you've collected or cross your fingers and hope you don't get ambushed as you waddle your way to the nearest stash box. In Fallout 76, encumbered players can't fast travel so keep that in mind.
Repair your weapons, cook your food, and boil your water
The degradation system is back in Fallout 76 which means weapons and armor conditions will deteriorate with use, and food can spoil. Pay attention to the condition of your weapons, armor, and food using the status indicator next to the item in your Pip-Boy. Collect copper and aluminum to repair weapons, plenty of which you can find in various houseware items, tools, and duplicate weapons.
If you come across a water source, don't drink straight from it. Instead, collect at least two servings of dirty water and boil it at a cooking station first. All you need is some wood and a cooking station, and you're good to go. You'll still get slight rads from drinking boiled water but it's a lot better than what happens if you don't. Always cook raw food items as soon as possible. This will keep you from acquiring any diseases and will slow down spoilage.
Use melee weapons for backup
You're going to find a lot of weapons scattered throughout the wasteland and you may find yourself using guns a lot. That's great because they're great for combat but they also require ammo, a resource that is susceptible to running out at any time. It's a great idea to always carry a melee weapon (or three) in the case you're shooting blanks or worse, your gun breaks. Unless, of course, you enjoy the thrill of having fist fights with molerats and radroaches then by all means, get your kicks in where you can.
Play instruments
You may have noticed a few instruments laying around during your travels. Playing them for at least 30 seconds will give you an interesting perk called Well-Tuned which regenerates your AP 25% faster for the next hour.
Build an actual bed
And we mean an actual bed. Not a rogue mattress on the ground or sleeping bag. Not to say those won't help in your very early wasteland days but beds help prevent contracting of diseases, regenerates HP, and can give you a Well Rested perk that adds a 5% bonus to the XP you earn.
Use the Overseers Camp
You'll become familiar with the Overseer's Camp relatively early in Fallout 76 and this will act as your hub for the beginning portion of the game. Don't feel pressured to start building a C.A.M.P. too early since you'll need a lot of resources to do so, and it will cost you some caps to move (just like fast travel, the farther you move it, the more it will cost).
Use the Overseer's camp to your advantage by leveling up, refining your arsenal, equipping some good Perk cards, and collecting as many resources as you can before venturing out into the map and looking for a place to set up your base.