Fallout 76 players are currently diving deep and enjoying the Gleaming Depths. The raid, designed for the highest-level and experienced wasteland adventurers is an MMO-style dungeon challenge that teams up to 4 players to take on some intense encounters in the Enclave Research Lab.
But that’s not all Bethesda has planned. The future of Fallout 76 is about to get… ghoulish. March 2025 will see the long-awaited update that lets players experience the game through the irradiated eyes of a Ghoul. I’m calling it the ‘Ghoulification of Appalachia’, and after getting hands-on with this update during a special preview at Bethesda headquarters, I can confidently say it’s going to shake up the wasteland in all the right ways.
Playing as a Ghoul is every bit as fun as it sounds. From unique abilities to surprising interactions with the world and its inhabitants, the update adds an entirely new dimension to Fallout 76’s gameplay. In fact, I’d be surprised if there are any smoothskins left wandering Appalachia after this update rolls out. Like Diablo 4 being overrun with the new Spiritborn class, it’s going to be Season of the Ghoul in Fallout 76 in the spring.
So, without further ado, let’s dig into everything I learned about how to be cool as a Ghoul.
Start the Ghoulification journey at level 50
Fallout 76 has some really stand out storytelling and voice acting, and the quest to become a Ghoul doesn’t disappoint. You’ll meet a whole host of new characters along the journey, and a whole colony of Ghouls in fact with some eager for you to join their ranks and others not so thrilled at the new arrival of an outsider.
I won’t ruin any specifics of the quest given to you to start the process, but the journey begins with your introduction to Leamon Price, a character grappling with the early stages of Ghoulification. Leamon’s plight centers around his search for a radiation expert—a quest that takes you into a previously uncharted area of the map. In this new underground area, you’ll encounter a quirky cast of characters, each with their own views on radiation, Ghouls, and the wider wasteland.
Once you’ve completed this multi-step questline, you’ll finally gain access to a character creation screen where you can perfect your radiation-riddled visage. This is an endgame activity, available only to players who have reached level 50 or higher. By the time you’re eligible, you’ll likely have built a personal connection to your character, making the transformation into a Ghoul feel all the more significant.
The decision to become a Ghoul in Fallout 76 isn’t just about gaining cool abilities or a striking new look. It’s a choice that comes with intriguing narrative consequences—both good and bad. While some NPCs and factions may embrace your Ghoulish transformation, others will be far less welcoming. This duality adds complexity to the experience, making it more than a mere cosmetic or gameplay tweak.
One faction that’s particularly vocal about its disdain for Ghouls is the Brotherhood of Steel. Known for their rigid beliefs and mistrust of anything that deviates from the norm, the Brotherhood’s hostility towards you as a Ghoul is entirely expected. Interacting with them in your new form might lead to closed doors or more aggressive encounters, forcing you to navigate these challenges strategically.
Bethesda has thoughtfully provided ways to mitigate some of the less desirable elements of Ghoulification. Players can access disguises to mask their appearance when dealing with particularly anti-Ghoul individuals or factions. This feature allows you to maintain some narrative flexibility without entirely sacrificing the consequences of your transformation. And for those experiencing a touch of radiation-induced regret? Fear not—you’re allowed a one-time free option to revert back to human form. This ensures that players who might not enjoy the Ghoulish lifestyle aren’t locked into it forever.
Other things of note about becoming a Ghoul:
- Ghouls are 100% resistant to radiation, in fact radiation heals them.
- If you continue to radiate yourself as a Ghoul, you store up excess radiation called ‘Glow.’
- Glow is a Ghoul specific power you can use a number of ways depending on how you spec with your perk cards.
- There are 32 new Ghoul specific spec cards in total, you can use these with the existing pool of non-Ghoul cards to make all new builds.
- You also no longer suffer from hunger and thirst, hurrah! Though the meter for this is now replaced with a ‘Feral meter’.
- Feral status can be managed with chems, and has some negative drawbacks like reduced accuracy with weapons and lower HP. However going completely feral can have benefits such as boosting your Ghoul into a Berserker.
The variety of builds will be dependent on your combination of Ghoul to normal Perk cards. Here are the new cards I saw in my playthrough.
Ghoul Perk cards
| Card name | Type | Perk |
| Brick Wall | Strength | You’re now immune to staggering attacks |
| Arms of Steel | Strength | Your sturdy arms allow you to reduce ranged weapon recoil increasing accuracy by 40% |
| Breathe It In | Perception | Rad Resistance is reduced by 150 |
| Glowing Gut | Endurance | Irradiated food and drink grant 100% more rads |
| Radiation Power | Endurance | Expend a small amount of Glow per hit to deal 30% bonus damage to targets |
| United Ordeal | Charisma | While in a team with another Ghoul, you gain +3 to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L |
| Glowing One | Charisma | Storing large amounts of Glow provides a medium amount of Glow to nearby ghouls on your team |
| Science Monster | Intelligence | While you have Glow, gain 15% bonus damage for 10 seconds upon getting hit |
| Mad Scientist | Intelligence | Expending a small amount of Glow per attack gives your energy weapons 20% bonus damage |
| Action Ghoul | Agility | The power of Glow makes your AP regenerate 45% faster |
| Gun Tricks | Agility | Your enhanced reflexes allow you to reload weapons 20% faster |
| Wild West Hands | Luck | 36% chance to instantly reload your entire magazine when empty |
| Bloody V.A.T.S. | Luck | Gain 10% bonus damage in V.A.T.S. Enemies may turn into paste (no crits). |
| Battle Genes | Luck | Gain 2HP per second while in combat |
The Ghoul is as overpowered as you would expect, but I was using some pretty rad weapons
The synergy between the new Ghoul-specific perk cards and the existing pool of non-Ghoul perks really opens up the door for some absurdly powerful builds. During my time as a Ghoul, I felt almost invincible as I sprinted across Appalachia, mowing down enemies during public events and reveling in my newfound resilience.
Part of that invincibility, I’ll confess, was thanks to the gear I was equipped with—loot straight out of the Gleaming Depths raid which included a 4 star legendary weapon, the ‘Vaporizing Napalmer Boiling Point’. Watching enemies explode into radiated ashes was hilarious, and it paired perfectly with the Ghoul’s radiation-driven mechanics. The hour I had to test out life as a Ghoul flew by in a blur of carnage.
When can I become a Ghoul in Fallout 76?
While Bethesda hasn’t nailed down an official release date for the Ghoul questline, they have hinted at a launch in early 2025. If their recently released community calendar for Season 19 is any indication, it’s likely that the update will drop alongside the start of Season 20, slated for March 2025.
For those eager to get an early spin, Bethesda has confirmed that official playtests will begin on December 20, 2024, as noted in the game’s official Discord. This gives players a chance to dive into the mechanics, experiment with builds, and provide feedback before the full rollout.
Between the overpowered perks, new weapons, and engaging questline, the Ghoul update looks to be one of Fallout 76’s most exciting additions yet. One thing’s for sure: life as a Ghoul might just make you never want to go back to being a smoothskin.
