After six years of wandering the wastelands of West Virginia, Fallout 76 players will soon have the opportunity to give in to the radiation and become a ghoul. It’s like Walton Goggins said, ‘I am you, darling. Just give it some time.’
“Years of constant nuclear bombardment have taken their toll on our brave adventurers,” said Jon Rush, creative director of the MMO. The choice to leave your skin behind will be unlocked at level 50, in the form of a new quest that will begin the “mysterious process.”
It will appear in an update scheduled for early 2025.
Ghouls are former humans who survived prolonged exposure to the radiation outside Fallout’s vaults. Side effects usually include infertility, serious dermatological problems and increased longevity. This is the first time in the history of the Fallout series that ghosts have been playable, meaning many of the mechanical implications for players are unexplored.
“If they choose to become a ghoul, they will gain innate abilities such as unique radiation benefits, dozens of ghoul-specific perk cards that they can use in addition to the base game perk cards, and a distinct appearance,” says Rush. “Which could get them into trouble with some groups.”
At a recent press event in London, Rush asked a rhetorical question: “What kind of in-game experiences would make me want to turn into a ghoul? We cover the Scorchbeast Queen every time, and expeditions have become something of a holiday resort. He promises that we will get an answer to that question later this year. To my ears, it sounds like more terrifying endgame opponents are coming to Fallout 76 as well – something new minds can sink their yellow teeth into.
I have your nose
In an accompanying interview, I asked Rush what new features exclusive ghoul perks would introduce to the game. He pointed out that with standard immunity to radiation, ghouls don’t have to rely on powerful armor and the associated perks that make pounding around metal more efficient.
“If I don’t have to wear power armor, great, now I have a whole bunch of extra points that I can use for other things,” he says. “There’s a whole new style of play in itself. When you layer on top of that the 35 new perk cards, and the ghoul’s other innate abilities and mechanics, you have several new viable playstyles.
It’s hard to overstate how important a change this could be. As it stands now, you’ll see that most of the high-level players in Fallout 76 are dressed in power armor. The bonuses to weight control and resistance to damage and radiation are simply too great to be turned down. But a ghoul in power armor won’t feel the benefit of a healthy green glow.
“There are ways our minds can harness that radiation and build it up,” says Rush. Suddenly it will make sense to roll back some well-learned Fallout behaviors. That bathroom sink you would never touch? Time to turn on the tap and guzzle dirty water. “It’s going to be really interesting to see how people fit that into our current play styles,” says Rush, “and how current play styles change or adapt.”
If ghosts can harness radiation, does that mean they can release it in some form, or use it to enhance their abilities? “Maybe,” Rush says. “A lot of this is reflected in the new benefit cards. And since this is a later game experience for players, the ghoul-specific perk cards are focused on late game things you want as a ghoul.”
Very attractive. And yet, if decades of Fallout games have taught us anything, it’s that there are downsides to being a ghoul. Faction interactions are affected by your changed appearance. “There are great advantages to being human,” says Rush. “So I think most players will jump in and try out the creep. Maybe some will turn back into humans. But there will be a nice balance.”
Let’s continue into 2025 and the rapid decline of our skin care regimen.
Until then, you might as well get comfortable with the new Fallout 76 Skyline Valley Map.