After six years of wandering the wasteland of West Virginia, Fallout 76 players will soon have the option to succumb to radiation and become a ghoul. It’s just like Walton Goggins said, ‘I’m you, honey. Just give it some time.”
“Years of constant nuclear bombardment have taken their toll on our brave adventurers,” says MMO creative director Jon Rush. The option to leave your skin is unlocked at level 50 in the form of a new quest that starts a “mysterious process”.
It will arrive in an update planned for early 2025.
Ghouls are former humans who survived prolonged exposure to radiation outside of Fallout’s vaults. Side effects tend to include infertility, severe dermatological problems, and prolonged lifespan. This is the first time in the history of the Fallout series that ghouls have been playable, meaning that many of the mechanical implications for the player are not explored.
“If they choose to become a ghoul, they gain innate abilities like unique radiation perks, dozens of ghoul-specific perk cards that can be used in addition to the base game perk cards, and a different appearance,” says Rush. “Which could get them into trouble with some groups.
At a recent press event in London, Rush posed a rhetorical question: “What kind of gaming experiences would motivate me to turn into a ghoul? We take care of the Scorchbeast Queen every time, and Expeditions has become a bit of a vacation retreat.” He promises that we’ll get the answers to that question later this year. To my ears, it sounds like even more fearsome endgame opponents are coming to Fallout 76 – something for the new ghouls to get their teeth into.
You have a nose
In the accompanying interview, I asked Rush what new options the exclusive ghoul perks will bring to the game. He pointed out that with radiation resistance as standard, ghouls wouldn’t have to rely on armor and the attendant benefits that make stomping in a metal can more effective.
“If I don’t have to wear power armor, great – now I have a lot of perk points to use on other things,” he says. “He has a whole new style of play in himself. Layer on top of that 35 new perk cards and other ghoul innate abilities and mechanics, and you have some viable new playstyles.”
It’s hard to overstate how significant a change this could be. As it is, in Fallout 76 you will see most of the high level players dressed in power armor. The bonuses to weight control and resistance to damage and radiation are simply too great to pass up. But a ghoul in electric armor won’t feel the benefits of a healthy green glow.
“There are ways that our ghouls will be able to use this radiation and build it up,” Rush says. Suddenly, it will make sense to start reversing some of Fallout’s well-learned behaviors. That sink you’d never touch? It’s time to turn on the faucet and start gulping dirty water. “It’s going to be really interesting to see how people incorporate it into our current playstyles,” Rush says, “and how the current playstyles change or adapt.”
If ghouls 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 that will be reflected in the new benefit cards. And since this is a late game experience for the player, the ghoul-specific perk cards are focused on the late game things you want as a ghoul.”
Very tempting. And yet, if decades of Fallout games have taught us anything, it’s that being a ghoul has its downsides. Faction interactions will be affected by your changed appearance. “Being human has great advantages,” Rush says. “So I think most players will jump in and try the ghoul. Maybe some will change back to human. But there will be a nice balance.”
Flash forward to 2025 and the rapid deterioration of our skin care regimen.
Until then, you can familiarize yourself with the news Fallout 76 Skyline Valley map.