Tomorrow, Bethesda Game Studios will open up the gates of the Fallout 76 PTS (Public Test Server) to allow fans to play as a Ghoul for the first time in the franchise, likely in response to the massive acclaim enjoyed by the TV show's Cooper Howard character played by Walton Goggins.
Meanwhile, they shared a few details with the press. Playing as a Ghoul (with customizable design and even skin texture) is an endgame experience, as the related quest only starts at level 50. Ghouls will have 'dozens of alternate ways' to specialize their character, according to the developers.
To begin with, they are not only immune to radiation; it actually heals them. If your character is hurt, standing on top of some radioactive material will start healing them. Moreover, once fully healed, the excess radiation will build up into a new resource called Glow. Depending on how the player character is specialized, Glow can provide various effects. Ghouls can also utilize 32 exclusive perk cards on top of those already available for human characters, providing great variety when it comes to character progression.
Ghouls do not feel hunger or thirst in Fallout 76. However, they must manage a feral meter instead. If a character turns full feral, they'll suffer from drawbacks like reduced hit points and worse accuracy with weapons, but they'll also get a boost in hand-to-hand combat, potentially unlocking a berserker type of playstyle.
Many NPCs (non-player characters) and factions will interact differently with player ghouls, such as the Brotherhood of Steel, who do not take kindly to ghouls. You won't be blocked from their stories, though; instead, this will reportedly open up new narrative paths to experience. Bethesda also said there will be in-world ways to disguise your being a Ghoul. Last but not least, player Ghouls will have the ability to revert to human form, though you will only be able to do this once for free.
There's no final release date for this update yet, although the developers aim to launch it sometime in early 2025. As a reminder, Fallout 76 was recently updated with a brand new raid experience called Gleaming Depths, an MMO-style endgame dungeon where a party of four players must go through five tough encounters to obtain the new four-star legendary weapons.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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