A new region of the map is opening for those with enough grit to cross the Point Pleasant bridge.
You’ll be traveling westward towards Burning Springs! Taking place in rural Ohio, it’s our largest map expansion to Fallout 76 and it’s available for testing on the Public Test Server right now!
Prepare to become one of the meanest Bounty Hunters around, as the Burning Springs update introduces Bounty Hunting to your Fallout 76 experience. A major new piece of content here to give you the opportunity to find and eliminate some of the area’s largest threats.
We’re extremely excited to share that The Ghoul from the Fallout TV Show on Amazon Prime will be joining us in Burning Springs! Voiced by Walton Goggins himself, The Ghoul will be your guide in all things Bounty Hunting.
The main questline for Burning Springs is just the start of your story in this new region. Planned as the beginning chapter for a story that spans multiple updates, this quest works as an introduction to characters that you’ll end up spending more time with down the line.
With a new questline for you to complete, two new public events, the introduction of Bounty Hunting, plus a load of additional content (including new fish and a local legend to catch), Burning Springs is our largest update since Wastelanders back in 2020.
How to Participate in the PTS
All players who own a copy of Fallout 76 on Steam can participate in our PTS. Please note that progress from the PTS does not carry over into the live game. The Atomic Shop is also disabled during this testing period.
To install the PTS, open your Steam library, and install “Fallout 76 Public Test Server”.
A New Region to Explore - Burning Springs
Burning Springs, a region of southeastern Ohio rocked not only by the nuclear destruction of the bombs dropping, but also the environmental poisoning from the local Abraxodyne Chemical plant. The area is now a desolate and barren wasteland with poisonous water, and a dust storm coating everything in a toxin known as Rust.
Who would ever want to call this land home? The Rust King is who would.
A Super Mutant with just as much brains as brawn, The Rust king is the unrelenting and unforgiving ruler of Burning Springs. He has twisted the land into his cruel kingdom, where the only rule is "might makes right."
Players will cross paths with this monstrous monarch during the new questline. He will task the player with proving their worth and braving the wilds of his wasteland.
While barren, Burning Springs still holds pockets of life. Highway Town serves as a pit stop for the last of humanity. Built on a section of elevated highway, players will be able to rest and resupply here.
Highway Town serves as the region's new social hub and a last resort for survivors-- speaking of which, The Last Resort saloon at the end of town also serves up Bounty Hunt contracts.
Once you unlock the location, you'll be able to fast travel directly to the saloon for maximum Bounty Hunt efficiency!
Players can wander into Burning Springs by crossing the bridge in Point Pleasant. The questline can be started by tuning into the Ohio Distress Signal once they've reached level 30."
Bounty Hunting
Mosey down to the Last Resort saloon in Highway Town if you're looking to put your gun to work. The Ghoul has set up shop there, providing piles of bounties to plunder.
To start a Grunt Hunt, just pick up one of the posters off the table. There's plenty to go around, so you can repeat this activity to your heart's content.
Each time you start a Grunt Hunt, a random location in Burning Springs will be chosen, and a mutation will be applied to your target. Watch out, though, because these mutations are contagious: enemies near your target will also benefit from the effects of the mutation!
Plan accordingly to take out your target without getting overwhelmed. Adjust your build to counteract their mutation or just go for the classic stealth approach.
If you're lucky, a Grunt Hunt target might drop a premium Bounty Poster. These will allow you to start a Head Hunt-- an extra challenging bounty hunt in the form of a public event! (Note: these are granted through the Quest Rewards and not found on the body itself.)
Just place your poster on the bounty board outside of the saloon to send the word wide. All players on the server will be alerted to show up to your aid when you do. Only one Head Hunt can be active at a time, though, so be sure to join in any actives ones before trying to start your own.
There's dozens of unique Head Hunt targets across a handful of locations. Each has a unique loadout and posse protecting them-- some with pretty wild and weird skills, too!
If you've got an itchy trigger finger, and caps to spare, The Ghoul would be more than happy to part with a premium poster... for the right price.
Players will be able to track which Head Hunts they've completed from their Challenges and earn a variety of unique rewards for doing so.
Speaking of loot, Bounty Hunting is primed to be the premiere path for Legendary Item hunters. Grunt Hunt targets will initially appear as 1-star Legendary enemies. As you complete more, they will eventually make their way toward 2 and 3-star!
Head Hunt targets will always appear as 3 star legendaries, and are flanked by a pair of 2-star posse members.
But, most importantly, Head Hunts have a chance to drop items with NEW 1-, 2-, and 3-star Legendary effects. Some of these will offer special bonuses for Ghoul or human players...
New Legendary Mods
As mentioned above, you’ll be able to earn items containing new and exclusive-to-Bounty-Hunting Legendary Mods.
Note: Numerical values are not being included here as they will be tuned throughout PTS. Also, unless stated otherwise, all Armor mods apply to both standard armor and Power Armor pieces.
New 1-Star * Mods
Feral (Melee Weapon) - Kills make you more feral.
Sniper's (Ranged Weapon) - Gain 120% bonus damage to weak-points while aiming down sights.
Adrenal (Weapon) - +10% Damage per kill while on a kill streak. (Up to 100%)
Adrenal (Armor) - +10 Damage resistance while on a kill streak. (Up to 100)
Lucid (Weapon) - Increase damage up to 40% based on how full your feral sanity meter is.
Lucid (Armor ) - Increase damage up to 6% resistance based on how full your feral sanity meter is.
New 2-Star** Mods
Pick Pocketer's (Melee Weapon) - Kills have a 50% chance to award a small amount of caps.
Pain Killer (Armor) - Gain HP Regen based on your kill streak (up to 3 HP per second)
Rushing (Armor) - Gain AP Regen based on your kill streak (up to 3 AP per second)
Elementalist's (Armor) - +5 All Resistances (up to +25)
Fierce - Fortify limb resistance while on a skill streak (up to 10%, max 50%)
New 3-Star*** Mods
Glowing (Weapon) - Kills grant a small amount of Rads.
Healthy (Armor) - Max HP increased by 20 (up to 100)
Reflex (Armor) - 2% Evade (up to 10%)
Active (Armor) - Max AP is increased by +20 (up to 100)
Barbarian (Melee) - +1 STR per kill while on a kill streak.
As with all PTS features, the names, values, and even mods themselves are not guaranteed to make it to release. Please make sure to share your feedback on these mods in the Discord server!
New Public Events
Gearin’ Up
Have you ever wanted to help a Deathclaw prepare for its debut in an Arena deathmatch? Now’s your chance!
The Rust King requires a new combatant. Your job is to head over to the Junkyard and help The Beastmaster gather the scrap metal needed to armor up her latest tamed Deathclaw.
During this public event, you'll fight alongside your Deathclaw-in-training against the wastelands wildest foes. Just be sure to keep the beast alive! It can't die a glorious death in the arena if doesn't survive the junkyard first...
Remember: you can heal friendly NPCs using the Medic's Legendary Mod. Don't have one? Well luckily a new unique named weapon, the Stimpike, comes with this pre-installed! You'll have a chance to earn it-- alongside many other rewards-- by completing this event.
Sinkhole Solutions
Fires rage beneath the surface of Burning Springs and natural gas deposits occasionally breach the surface near places where the ground has broken.
Willow, a resident of Highway Town, needs your help culling Radscorpions and Stingwings that have gathered around a highly volatile sinkhole. These creatures are causing issues for the residents of Highway Town so you’ll need to head over to the aptly named Scorpion Lake to activate a “stomper” device to draw them out of their dens.
Your objective will be to destroy their dens, all while dodging pillars of fire and navigating a blinding sandstorm.
Also, stick around to the end to learn why Radscorpions aren't an apex predator...
Additional Content
More Fish
Assuming you can even find them, the watering holes around Burning Springs are poisonous and irradiated, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new fish to catch. Explore this new zone and find new fish to add to your collections.
Side Quest: Dirty Laundry
Keep a sharp eye out for mysterious Abraxodyne intel briefcases hidden all over Burning Springs. Return them to Bodhi in the city of Athens to take part in the Dirty Laundry side quest.
Unlike other collectibles, these brief cases appear in specific locations, once per player. You'll have to search every nook and cranny to find all 150.
(Schoolyard rumors say there's a 151st one hidden under a red truck, but we're pretty sure that's made-up.)
As you turn these cases in, you'll help Bodhi unravel the mystery of his missing daughter-- and earn unique Abraxodyne-themed rewards along the way.
You'll earn a unique Legendary weapon for completing the quest-- which only requires finding about half of the total cases-- but you'll get a even more powered-up version if you find every last one.
Closing Milepost Zero
The bandits roaming Skyline Valley looking for caravans to rob have proved themselves to be dastardly threats to the Blue Ridge Caravan Company. Scaring poor brahmin into going off track, leaving deliveries incomplete.
For now, Milepost Zero will be closing shop and moving their wares to other vendors across Highway Town. Awaiting a time in the future when things might be a bit safer for their operations.
The rewards from Milepost Zero are now spread across the Wasteland:
Plans for the V63 Laser Carbin and mods have been moved to the Weapon Vendor Splint in Highway Town.
Mac in Highway Town will sell the following items:
Rolled Persian Rug
Persian Wall Rug
Makeshift Wine Rack
Noren Curtains
Park Ranger Supply Box
Persian Rug
Stargazer’s Telescope -Lightning Battery Lamp
Noren Awing
Snow Globes from the Milepost Zero vendors will now be sold by Windy in Highway Town (she is a Gold Bullion vendor).
Spooky Scorched will reward the Lederhosen Outfit & Hat, Redcoat Outfit *Hat, and the Vault Girl/Vault Boy backpacks.
Holiday Scorched will reward all the Skyline Valley specific Snow Globes.
When Burning Springs releases in early December, all players who completed the “A Bump In the Road” Caravan intro quest will receive the title “Caravan Investor”. Players will also be granted 2K Gold Bullion and a new pennant as well. (Please Note: These rewards will not be available during the PTS period).
We believe that Bounty Hunting delivers on the same promise of on-demand content, with Legendary enemies, and great rewards in a more succinct and satisfying way. We love the Skyline Valley region and have some fun things in store for it for the future.
New C.A.M.P. Pet - Radhog
One of the new creatures you’ll find in Burning Springs is the Radhog. They’re tough and fiercely protective of their young, so if you get too close expect to be attacked. What would happen if you brought one to your C.A.M.P.? You would probably have the most adorably disgusting pet this side of the Ohio River!
During the PTS period we would love to get your feedback on the Radhog C.A.M.P. Pet. The Radhog Bed item can be found in the “Dwellers” section of the Workshop menu and its Nose Ring is in the “Pet Clothing” section of the Armor Workbench.
When Burning Springs releases, the Radhog C.A.M.P. Pet will be purchasable in the Atomic Shop.
New Seasonal Weapon – Hand Cannon
A new weapon is entering the fray when Season 23 begins. But for this PTS, it will be available for testing once you craft it from a Weapon Workbench.
The Hand Cannon can be turned into a Rifle through its mods. Firing .50 rounds but can be swapped to .308, the Hand Cannon not only has an explosive effect, but a piercing effect too. Really helping you send a message to anyone foolish enough to stand in your way.
Emote Wheel
Whether you’re hitting your favorite emote at the wandering traveler passing by in the hulking Power Armor skin or trying to convince a level 30 Vault Dweller to pick up the loot you just dropped for them, emoting is core to the Appalachian way of living.
In the Burning Springs update we’re reorganizing emotes so that more emotes can be equipped at once.
We’re doing this by:
introducing 2 new categories, “Social” and “Performance”
removing the “Follow Me” and “Team Up” categories and placing most of their emotes into “Help” and “Social”
reorganizing the emotes in the “Misc” so that more of them live in more appropriate categories like “Performance” and “Taunt”.
With the work done here, you can now equip all your favorite emotes at once with little to no need to go into the Atomic Shop to swap them in and out.
Gleaming Depths
Almost a year after its introduction, Gleaming Depths has proved to be an excellent place for players looking for an endgame challenge to push themselves and their builds to the limit.
We’re introducing a new weekly challenge for Gleaming Depths that can be completed by working through all stages of the raid. Your reward for doing so will be a 4-star Legendary cache that contains a 4-star legendary item (Armor, PA, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon).
To go along with this new weekly challenge, we’re also redistributing the raid rewards so that the farther you progress in Gleaming Depths the more enticing the rewards will be. We know this may cause some disruption to your local EN06 farming group (and you can still farm him for XP), but it was never our intention to have one phase of the raiding experience be the source of some of the most coveted rewards in the game.
Combat
There have been a lot of changes to combat since the Skyline Valley update was released last year. For Burning Springs we’re planning on slowing down to see how it all settles.
We have also seen your feedback about the V.A.T.S. changes that arrived in the Fallout 76: C.A.M.P. Revamp update and wanted to let you know that we’ll be making some adjustments during this PTS cycle. They’re not ready yet but stay tuned to future patch notes for more information.
Daily Ops
- The Freezing Touch mutation now deals Cryo damage.
- Decryption
- Removed the armor penetration and increased damage effects.
- Enemies are now higher levels than you would normally encounter.
Gameplay
- Becoming immune to fall damage now always prevents the stagger animation from playing.
- All Cryo damage now has a unified effect that slows the target and drains Action Points. This effect scales up the more Cryo damage the target takes and recovers over time when the target isn’t taking Cryo damage. Cryo resistance also plays a role in how quickly the status effect is built up and recovers. Weapons and effects that caused a slowing effect now deal Cryo damage instead.
- Fixed a bug where applying slow effects to a target could make them move very fast.
- RAD damage is no longer recovered to a minimum value when loading into the world. RAD damage is still recovered to a minimum value when respawning. This also applies to Glow for Ghouls.
- Fixed an issue where damaging auras would not deal any damage in certain cases.
- Fixed an issue where players could be stuck in a state where their AP constantly drains.
Legendary Mods
- The Stalker’s mod can now be attached to melee weapons.
- The Miasma mod has been reworked to always deal poison damage to nearby targets, similar to the Plague Walker mutation.
Mutations
- Bird Bones now displays its Fall Damage reduction in the Pipboy.
- Fixed a bug where Herbivore and Carnivore mutations could be acquired at the same time.
- If you currently have both mutations, they will be removed from your character.
Perks
- Bullet Shield
- Removed Rank 4
- Four Leaf Clover
- Now grants the correct amount of crit meter for multiple projectile weapons.
- Fast Fighter
- Now grants 50% of your movement speed above 100% (your bonus movement speed) as reload speed. Previously, it granted 30% of your total movement speed as reload speed.
- Lifegiver
- Fixed an issue where players could die when unequipping this Perk Card.
- Fixed an issue where the players HP could be incorrect and overlapping the RADS portion of the HP bar when this Perk Card was equipped.
- Night Eyes
- Reduced cost to 1 point.
- Number Cruncher
- Now applies to weapon DoT effects.
- Deal Sealer
- Cryo slow now counts as an impairment for this Perk.
- Poison aura effects now correctly inflict poison impairment.
- United Ordeal
- Now shows in the Pipboy Effects tab when active.
- Rad Sponge
- Fixed an issue where Thirst and Hunger restored at different rates.
- Increased the rate at which Thirst and Hunger are restored.
- Good With Salt
- Moved from LCK to INT.
- Curator
- Moved from LCK to INT.
- Tightly Wound
- Fixed an issue where the animation speed would reset when entering or exiting Power Armor.
- Bloody Mess
- Fixed an issue that would allow this to proc on bleed immune targets.
Power Armor
- Fixed an issue that caused players to not be able to enter their Power Armor.
Quest
- Reading the Sacred Tomes of the Mothman now correctly progress the hidden quest.
UI
- Perks are now sorted into their own group in the Status tab.
- Fixed a display issue where Number Cruncher would increase the Pipboy damage values more than expected.
- DoT floating numbers are now hidden when the floating numbers are disabled.
- Fixed an issue where DoT floating numbers would sometimes display twice.
- V.A.T.S. Accuracy is now correctly displayed with a percentage sign in mod properties.
Weapons
- Weapons will no longer experience a delay in firing after being reloaded when using effects that increase reload speed.
- The Light Machine Gun full stock mod no longer adds the Rifle tag to the weapon.
Workbench
- Fixed missing armor names in the how to learn text.
- Fixed an issue that would cause cut content to be displayed in the workbench.