Once we found out this game was going to be online only, people were concerned and some were even turned off then and there. Once the beta came out, people started to get a feel for it and the response wasn’t great. Now that it’s out, it seems to be more talked about than Red Dead Redemption 2 because people seem to really not like this game. I’ve been playing since launch and it’s fun, but different. Yeah, it has a different feel, and yeah, it has some major problems, but it’s fun to play and that’s what’s important to me!
Now, one of the things this game doesn’t do great is tell the player what’s going on with its mechanics. There are so many little things going on, and that you can do, that the game just wants you to experiment with… so enter this list. I have a feeling that the casual player will play this game for 30-plus hours and have no clue about some of the things going on, and I want to help out with that.
I don’t want the title to deceive you and make it sound like I’m the almighty Fallout player or anything, but I’ve put a good bit of time into this game and have learned some stuff and want to help out. Some of the points are for people new to the franchise but most are for this specific game. Having said that, let’s see what’s out there in the West Virginia Wasteland!
25 Food Can Spoil
You need to make sure to have food to eat in this game, because hunger is a meter you need to keep up with. Another added feature is that the food you have in your inventory can spoil and you’ll have to discard it.
You will get parasites if you eat spoiled food.
You don’t have to worry about Sugar Bombs or any boxed food like that, but you will everything else. You will get hungry about 3 or 4 times an hour so it’s not that big of a deal.
24 Take Advantage Of Fast Travel
After playing Red Dead Redemption 2, it took me a while to remember that a game like this has fast travel! You do have to pay some caps to do it, but it’s worth it because this map is absolutely enormous. Once you build a camp, you can travel there for free, so I would move your camp around so you’ll always have a free fast travel spot. Once you discover a location, it will turn blue on the map and that’s how you know you have a fast travel spot.
23 Make Sure To Eat And Drink
I mentioned before that hunger is a thing in this game, and staying hydrated is a thing as well. Making sure you have some purified water is the best, but boiled water will be fine because the rads aren’t too bad with it.
You can get perk cards to quench your thirst more.
The main reason you want to make sure to eat and drink is that your AP bar will go down. I use V.A.T.S. a lot, so the AP bar is a big deal to me.
22 Get Your Revenge On
An interesting option they have with the PvP in this game is that there is an option to get revenge. Once you go down, you just hit Y/Triangle and you will track down the person that took you down so you’ll spawn near them. I did it one time and the person was apparently in their Pip-Boy so it was so satisfying to take them down! They were almost out of health before they realized! He got revenge on me though, so it was short lived.
21 Use Your Flashlight
This is mainly for the new people to the series, but using your flashlight is something you’re going to want to do. You hold down B/Circle to use it and I use it more often than I don’t, honestly. There are so many underground places and when walking around at night it makes a world of difference. It also makes a cool “blump” sound when you turn it on too and I appreciate stuff like that. They tell you this in a tutorial, but by the time you need it you might forget it.
20 Guns Can Break
Fallout 4 took away weapons needing to be repaired, but this game brought it back and I think it’s for the best. A game like this just feels right with having to repair weapons; since everything else is falling apart, it just makes sense.
Armor has to be repaired as well.
You’ll get a red armor symbol below your AP bar if some armor breaks, so that’s a good indicator you need to repair that at an armor bench. Early on, the materials needed to repair are scarce, but isn’t an issue a few hours in.
19 Take Rad-X
If this is your first Fallout game, then you need to get familiar with Rad X and use it often! There are a ton of spots in this game that are heavily radiated, and taking Rad X will greatly decrease that.
You don’t get rads if you’re wearing power armor.
Jumping in water is the main one you will run into. That meter goes up real fast if you get in water without taking some Rad X! It’s everywhere, so having some shouldn’t be much of an issue.
18 Complete Events
So there are Destiny-like public events in this game, and you need to be doing those! From what I’ve seen they’re a pretty mixed bag of shooting robots and other creatures, and fixing broken structures. Some can be confusing the first time you do them, but you’ll get the hang of it. Some you definitely need multiple people with, but others are very simple. They all have a time limit and give really good experience and rewards. They appear as large glowing yellow marks on the map.
17 Playing In Third Person Feels Good
I never play Fallout games in third person, but for some reason I chose to do that with Fallout 76 and it actually feels pretty good. You get to see your character that you customized, and that was the biggest reason I wanted to.
Aiming is actually easier in third person.
The reticle turns red when on an enemy and you don’t have to use the mediocre sights when in first person. This is just a personal taste thing, but give it a shot, you might be turned like I have been.
16 Complete Quests
This probably sounds like the most obvious thing in the world, but you need to complete the main quests. It’s very easy to get distracted by all the side stuff, but the main quests will give a lot of experience and give the best rewards. I’m not saying to mainline this game till the main quests are done, but don’t forget about them because all the side stuff will be there once the story is done. Plus, it takes you all over the map so you get fast travel spots.
15 You Can Get Diseased
There are so many things in this game that will give you a disease! Most of them aren’t a big deal, but some can make your hunger/thirst meter go down a lot faster.
Using a disease cure will heal any disease instantly.
If you don’t have a disease cure, then sleeping on a bed will help out. Using Radaway will cure some as well, like mutation. It can be kind of annoying that this is in the game, but it gives it a realistic touch that I can appreciate.
14 Play Instruments
Instruments have been added to Fallout 76 and they are just placed around the world. Not only is it weird and kinda goofy, but there is a benefit to playing them a little bit. Playing an instrument for a little bit will get you Well-Tuned, and that will regenerate your AP bar 25% faster for an hour. That can be a decently big deal for something that simple to do. So if you see one laying around, pick it up and play it for like 20 seconds and you’re good to go!
13 Equip New Armor
I’m not saying this game showers you with loot or anything, but if you’re looting regularly you will get a good bit of stuff. You need to be checking new armor as your level goes up and equip the higher-level stuff, because they can have better stats and perks. At the same time, you need to be scrapping the armor you aren’t using instead of selling them. Crafting is a big part of this and you need the parts. Also, keep an eye out for mods because some of those are very powerful.
12 Claiming A Workshop
So, this kind of a whole thing! There are workshops indicated by yellow wrench icons on the map. They have recourses and you can take them over by clearing out the enemies.
They reset after each gaming session.
You claim them, build to get resources, and defend them. But…once you log out of the game that workshop goes back to being vacant. I didn’t realize that and spent a ton of resources building and hours making it look nice to find out I lost it after I logged out. Just a heads up!
11 Hunt For Nuclear Codes
The endgame of Fallout 76 is centered around nukes, and you have to get codes from enemies to set them off. Scorched officers wear backpacks and they carry codes. You will hear a beeping noise when you are around one, so track it down and get that code. This is where the multiplayer stuff comes into play; you’ll want to team up to get full codes. If someone sets off a nuke in your session, then you will definitely notice it and an event starts after one is set off!
10 Try Not To Sleep On The Ground
I mentioned earlier that you can get diseases, and sleeping on the ground will usually result in you getting one. There are places to sleep on the ground all over the place, but I would only use them if you are desperate for a heal. You will still get Well Rested and get the bonus experience, but sleeping in a normal bed will get you that and stay healthy. You might just want to build a bed at your camp to make sure you have a spot to sleep.
9 Build A Storage Container
I would argue the most important thing to build in your camp is a storage container. There’s a ton of stuff, and you will get overencumbered very fast and you’ll need a place to store that stuff.
You’ll have a mission to build one once you make a camp.
The bad part about them is that they have a 400 item limit, so no hoarding as of now. I’m not as salty about that as some people are, but it does need to be more.
8 Stock Up On Fusion Cores
Just like in Fallout 4, you will need fusion cores to power the power armor. I was wondering if they would keep that and was a bit disappointed they did because it’s a bit of a hassle in this game. I’ve played a good bit so far and I only have a few of them so I just keep my power suit at my camp. Once you get to endgame stuff, you’ll want to make sure and have a good bit of them so you can take on scored beasts with your power armor.
7 Upgrade Perk Cards
The perk system is basically a card system in this game and can be a bit confusing at first. Once you play a while and have a few favorite cards, then be on the lookout for multiples of them so you can upgrade the perk. You can combine the cards to level up the perks and they can become very powerful doing that! This game can be a bit tough, so getting help with some perks is something you are going to want to keep up with.
6 Recover Dropped Items
A thing to remember when you go down is that you will lose some of your materials and you will need to go back and get them. It’s odd, but it has kind of a Dark Souls thing going on and I’m not sure why they did this.
You get an objective marker where your stuff is.
You won’t drop weapons or armor, so if you don’t get the stuff it’s not that big of a deal. Crafting is important in this game, so losing materials can hurt a little.
