Use our Fallout 76 tips and tricks guides to help you uncover secrets and get to grips at the start of the game (which can be great for beginners).

Starting Tips

• Remember to collect all your starting items off the different displays as you leave Vault 76.
• You can change your Pip-Boy view into an overlay so you can still see your surroundings by pressing the View Button on the Xbox One controller.
• Character customisation is not final, you can change your appearance at any time by heading into the start menu > Character Customisation
• When you take a screenshot you loading screen will be on of your taken images. To do this you just need to go into Photo Mode and take a snap.
• Outfits in Fallout 76 do not offer any additional defence noises, except gas masks. Only body armour like leather or power armour will give you some protection.
• Chests or containers are instanced, so other players can not steal your precious loot.
• Items in the open like Nuke Codes, Power Armour, Bobbleheads and Magazines, however, are up for grabs by the first person that takes it.
• Fallout 76 has Hunger and Thirst which means you need to eat and drink on regular occasions to keep your character in top shape. If you are thirsty or hungry it will affect AP regeneration.
• Heading into menus do not stop time, as the game is online swapping weapons, eating food and performing other tasks in your Pip-Boy will still leave you open to attack. Use the D-Pad for quick access to Stimpaks and your favourite wheel.
• Like other games you can fast travel to any location you have visited before but it will cost you a couple of caps to do so.
• Do the main questline as it will take you through the games core mechanics and you’ll also level up and be given some good loot.

Loot/Scavenge Everything You See

Fallout 76 is a lot like Fallout 4 in that your adventure is also about exploring and finding “Junk”. This Junk will form the base components that can then be made into various items through the different crafting stations that are placed around the world.

You’ll also use it for building your base, creating ammo for your weapons but it can take up a lot of your inventory and too much will cause you to not be able to run. When you die, you will also lose all your junk, so it is important to store it in your Player Stash or C.A.M.P. When stored it will then automatically be used when at any workstation or crafting bench.

If you need to reduce the weight of all that junk, breaking down items into their base components can free up some weight. You can also usually find Vault-Tech Stashes at locations like Red Rocket Station, Train Stations and the Overseer’s Camps.

Combat Tips

• In the beginner parts of the game, you should concentrate on fighting enemies with melee weapons as bullets and guns can be hard to come by. Tinker Stations can be used to craft ammo but you will need gunpowder to do so.
• V.A.T.S works slightly differently in Fallout 76. Your target is highlighted like you would be used to in Fallout 4 but the game no longer slows down. Your accuracy is shown and is still based on your weapon, skills, and distance to your target. There’s also a perk card needed to be able to attack certain body parts.
• Even without V.A.T.S, you can aim for body parts to deal specific damage and headshot will still do the most (for most creatures).
• Sneak attacks work the same in Fallout 76, when hidden you can do 2.0x normal damage if an enemy does not expect it. You can increase this damage modifier through perks and other items.
• Like the previous game, you can tap or hold the VATS button as a good way of seeing any enemies in the local area. Using it will drain your AP, so still use sparingly.
• PvP starts at level 5, so you won’t be able to kill other players until you get to this level. Shooting another player will alert them you wish to fight and until they accept by firing back, you’ll do less damage to them. Once they do, normal damage is back and you can fight as normal. There is an option to go to non-PvP mode if you wish, in case you just have a really bad aim when fighting normal enemies.
• Players who do kill other players who do not fight back will be labelled a Murderer and an icon will appear on the map but won’t be able to see other players. If they are killed in revenge, a bounty worth a decent amount of caps is paid from their own stash.

Crafting Tips & Tricks

• Only basic recipes are given to you at the start of the game, a couple melee weapons both blunt and sharp and some ranged guns (Pipe Pistol etc). The only way to get more is to find in the wild, trade with players or buy recipes from vendors.
• Some recpies like food can be crafted once you find the correct food items for the first time.
• This is the same for gunpowder before you can craft it you must find it.
• Weapon and Armour Mods are also found in the same way as recipes out in the world, in chests or through vendors and other players. You can also learn more by scrapping the weapon you want to improve, which is great when you have extras.
• Back again in Fallout 76 is durability, something taken out in Fallout 4. You never lose your weapons but over time through use weapons will lose their “CDN” or Condition and will need to be repaired and a workbench otherwise you can not equip it.

Settlement Building

• The C.A.M.P is your ideal friend out in the wild of Fallout 76. It is your moveable settlement that is great for a home base and protection from enemies. The first time you place it you can do for free, moving it afterwards will cost you 5 caps.
• Handy Tip: Store items, don’t scrap them. If you have built a wall and no longer need it but might have a use for it later, then store it as scrapping it for parts will only get you a small number of resources back.
• Move you settlement when you believe you are in a tough area and can use it as a place to go back to for recovery and preparation. If you do die, it will also be used as a spawn point which could be much closer than the game’s alternative.
• You can blueprint the structures that you place down so when you want to log back in, you are able to pull up your blueprint and place the items back down instantly. This also works when storing items as they can be placed in blueprints, which can’t happen if you scrap them.

Advanced Tips

• As mentioned before, Bobbleheads and Magazines only provide short-term buffs now and are world instanced object meaning once any player has found them you’ll need to wait sometime before they appear again.
• Keep an eye on your thirst and hunger, they move pretty low but lack of resource management for these can be a deal-breaker in fights. Learn food and drink recipes early on and eat and drink regularly. Don’t worry about wasting items on full health, just use your homegrown items and food over Stimpaks.
• Public Workshops can be claimed in the world but other players can take them from you. Claiming one is a good way of getting more building plans.
• Following up on eating and drinking, kill all those little creatures like Opossums, Braheim they do not fight back and can provide easy meals.
• Wood is needed for cooking and creating gunpowder, you can find it from fallen trees but also stacks are found in the world usually by cooking stations.
• Dirty water can be collected from any water source like rivers or lakes, so you can stockpile them. Really useful for building and purifying it later or you can use it in crafting.
• Don’t use lockpicking and hacking in your perk slots until you come across an item. Save those spaces for damage or endurance perks that help when out in the world.
• Levels are not always tied to if you can fight it directly, high-level enemies might not always have tonnes of health but be careful as they’ll hit back harder.
• Power Armour Frames are usually located near Power Armour Stations and are world-instanced objects, so it is first come, first serve. Don’t worry they do respawn.
• Well rested is back again when you sleep in beds, but remember to sleep in ones off the floor to avoid getting a disease.
• A lot of places can be emptied out, but everything in Fallout 76 respawns overtime. So if you go somewhere and can not find much, come back later and see if it has changed.