[Bethesda] Fallout 76

[Max Peck]

But if you take the right combination, the bonuses from one will counter the penalty from another.

For the most part, but that's not the same as "there is no down side."

The one exception may be Herd Mentality. I haven't tried it out yet because the description makes it seem like you need to stay in close proximity to your group members, but I've read that it actually only checks to see whether you're in a group, in which case even being the sole member of a public group should work. Testing it out is on my to-do list if I come across the serum or save up enough to buy the recipe.

Or Chameleon. Chameleon has no downside. It also has very little in the way of an upside other than adding a mutation for the purposes of mutated legendary effects, I suppose. The mutation only activates if you're not wearing armor, so you're better off wearing the Chinese Stealth Armor -- it has better invisibility, some DR and excellent radiation protection.

[Blackhawk]

Chameleon has a downside - a Fallout 4 bug that's still around that makes some sights unusable because they simply disappear, making it impossible to aim.

In any case, I was deliberately simplifying the explanation, giving a stat- and math- free basic idea of how they work. It would be more accurate to say that the net benefits mostly neutralize the penalties, and that the downsides that remain are greatly outweighed by the significant benefits.

[Max Peck]

I'm not sure that not being able to see the sight on your invisible weapon is a bug. It could well be working as intended. When I was running around in stealth armor it was inconvenient but not insurmountable.

Anyway, the mutation has no negative effects per se (and is therefore unaffected by Class Freak), which is offset by being mostly useless due to it's situational constraints (no armor that isn't weightless, no movement, no attacking). My guess is that it was originally intended as a PvP mutation for getting in one good shot from ambush, but who does PvP these days?

[Blackhawk]

I'm not sure that not being able to see the sight on your invisible weapon is a bug. It could well be working as intended. When I was running around in stealth armor it was inconvenient but not insurmountable.

How did you aim?

My guess is that it was originally intended as a PvP mutation for getting in one good shot from ambush, but who does PvP these days?

Except that it's a carry-over from Fallout 4, and even fewer people did PvP there.

[Max Peck]

I'm not sure that not being able to see the sight on your invisible weapon is a bug. It could well be working as intended. When I was running around in stealth armor it was inconvenient but not insurmountable.

How did you aim?

IIRC, it was a problem to aim with sights with a high zoom factor, like scopes, but not a problem with low-zoom ones like reflex sights since there is a bit of visual distortion that lets you know roughly where the barrel of your weapon is pointing. I don't believe it affected VATS targeting at all, which would likely be why it wasn't particularly annoying when I was heavy into a stealth build. Stealth and VATS go together like peas and carrots.

[Max Peck]

My guess is that it was originally intended as a PvP mutation for getting in one good shot from ambush, but who does PvP these days?

Except that it's a carry-over from Fallout 4, and even fewer people did PvP there.

I was talking about the Chameleon mutation, not the invisible weapon sights. The limitations on how Chameleon activates seem like a PvP design rather than a general PvE thing. It would allow you get get off a surprise attack, but the attack itself would void your stealth and unless you have a set of weightless armor, you're going to be very vulnerable to any counterattack if you didn't one-shot your target, or if your target isn't alone.

[Blackhawk]

I'm not sure that not being able to see the sight on your invisible weapon is a bug. It could well be working as intended. When I was running around in stealth armor it was inconvenient but not insurmountable.

How did you aim?

IIRC, it was a problem to aim with sights with a high zoom factor, like scopes, but not a problem with low-zoom ones like reflex sights since there is a bit of visual distortion that lets you know roughly where the barrel of your weapon is pointing. I don't believe it affected VATS targeting at all, which would likely be why it wasn't particularly annoying when I was heavy into a stealth build. Stealth and VATS go together like peas and carrots.

I did a stealth build, too - I just didn't do a VATS build. Knowing roughly where the barrel is pointing is only really viable for very, very close range - trying to hit something a block away was borderline impossible with Chameleon active. I dreaded finding armor pieces with it.

[Max Peck]

Yeah, I never used chameleon armor because it shares some of the same limitations as the mutation. The Chinese Stealth Armor is vastly superior since it lets you remain invisible while moving, provides a little DR and a lot of radiation protection. Couple that with a low AP-cost Fixer and all the stealth and damage mitigation perks, and you have yourself a party. The only thing I don't like about the stealth armor is that it can't be modded, and I'm a big fan of deep pockets.

In other news, this is pretty exactly what I wanted in a Gauss Minigun:

There might be a better God roll out there, but I like all three of the legendaries on this one.

[Blackhawk]

I didn't mind that - but using a non-VATS build meant that I couldn't aim my weapon while in stealth. That was a game-breaker - it made it literally unplayable, as I couldn't engage in combat.

[Max Peck]

That's fair. I tend to use VATS a lot so the aiming limitations when I can't see the weapon sights isn't a significant hindrance for my play style.

I'm still not sold on the invisible sights being a bug as opposed to working as intended, even if you don't like how it's intended to work. In canon, it's pretty on brand for companies like Vault-Tec or West Tek to push out products with questionable design compromises or outright faults. Just ask Cooper Howard what he thinks of T-45 power armor.

[Blackhawk]

Right under the chest plate.

But I doubt that Bethesda would intentionally make certain weapons unusable with a popular feature (again, going back to Fallout 4.) It's sort of the way that spotlights will spontaneously stop functioning in camps, another carry-over from Fallout 4. I spent a week going back and forth with their tech support on the sights issue - that's why I recorded that video, for them. They kept giving troubleshooting steps, but never said anything about it being intentional.

We'll never know. Many, many people have reported the chameleon/sights issue going clear back to the launch, but Bethesda have never responded (not that they respond publicly to bugs to begin with.) I'd personally put it up there with the spotlights and "floating object" when placing a camp - stuff that they either don't know how to fix, or that they know how to fix, but can't due to the limitations of their tech.

[Daehawk]

Besides neat masks the only thing Ive gotten from Fasnacht is this semi ok Alien Blaster I just got.

Spoiler:

[Daehawk]

I changed my cards around so now I can keep the marsupial one perm on my main build and not on my luck based test build....that one had low str and couldn't carry enough at all.

[Max Peck]

AFAIK if you lose the mutation on your low-strength build, you'll also lose it for your main build as well. You'd probably be better off just offsetting the strength penalty with a buff unless you want to be burning a dose of serum every time you switch back to your main build. From what I've seen, the punch card machine will let you swap between different combinations of SPECIAL and perks, but things like legendary perks and mutations persist across all builds.

[Daehawk]

I made a plain bow to test out making a legendary from it. First try I got a Vampires bow. I modded it to use plasma arrows. So now when I use it and loot I get arrows back AND Cells lol. They look cool too....like Green Arrow's arrows

[Daehawk]

The entire 2nd half of the game I used a modded gatlin gun. Just loved it for the power but it was slow. Well yesterday I got its replacement in the parade event. Its a gatlin gun still but it has the FAST legendary on it so its twice as fast plus its one of the 50% armor pen and such. I stuck my mods on it for range and upped its ammo capacity to 500. Man its a killer. Love it.

[Max Peck]

TIL that the next update, Milepost Zero, lands on 3 Sep. In addition to starting a new SCORE season, the update adds a "caravan management" system and a completely overhauled legendary crafting system. In the off chance that anyone is interested, here are the videos that my more informed friends in the game recommended for a quick overview of the caravan system and revamped legendary crafting.

[Daehawk]

The update was teased by creative director Jonathan Rush at QuakeCon in August 2024, showing a teaser trailer featuring new ultracite-heavy locations, as well as fights against an emplaced sentry bot, mole miners and a new giant boss enemy resembling a cobra.

[Daehawk]

I admit to watching only half this video but I liked the changes I saw.

[Max Peck]

I don't have a strong opinion about the new legendary crafting system. It still seems very grindy, but the grind can pay off when/if you finally learn to craft particularly desirable mods. I'm not at all hyped about the caravan system, since at its core you are spending caps for the privilege of running escort missions.

Anyway, here is the community calendar for the next 4 months:



And the rewards teaser for Season 18:



There's also a rumor floating around on reddit that PTS sleuths have uncovered evidence that Bethesda is laying the groundwork for a pet system of some sort. Hiking along a country road with Dogmeat at my side doesn't seem like it would be a bad thing, should it come to pass.

[Daehawk]

hehe I like the stop sign paint.

[Daehawk]

I have a little treat for Fallout fans here. Its old and I think it was made for Fallout 3. Its a rap video. A good one too. It incorporates Lamp Light and Little Billy.......or Widdle Biwwy...and his wazer wifle...*cough* laser rifle..

[Max Peck]

Fallout 76: Milepost Zero Release Notes

Update Highlights

• Legendary Crafting – Craft your ideal weapons and armor with this updated take on crafting that gives you more control over the mods that are on your Legendary items.
• Best Builds – Submit, visit, and rate C.A.M.P.s from across the Wasteland for all to see!
• Vendor History Log – Returning customers are key, so find out who is buying from your vendors and make sure you give them a nice wave when you see them around Appalachia!
• Start your own Caravan – Later this month you will be able to protect your Caravan from raiders and creatures alike as you make deliveries around Skyline Valley.

[Cylus Maxii]

So far, I'm enjoying the new season.

[Max Peck]

Patch notes for today's update.

The Halloween events start today and run for 2 weeks.

[Jaymann]

On sale for $9.99 and free to play for the next 5 days. 96GB download tho.

[Max Peck]

Here's the Fallout Day stream. They discuss some upcoming Fallout 76 features, such as a new high-end raid, C.A.M.P. pets (cats and dogs, with more types coming down the road), and playable ghoul characters.

[coopasonic]

and playable ghoul characters.

I had no interest until I saw that part. There's a chance that could get me back.

[Daehawk]

This all sounds like a lot of fun! Ill have to reinstall yet again. I hope they are putting fishing in!!

Im glad they are continuing to support Fallout. Lets get a Fallout 5 New York!

[Daehawk]

Ran around in there a little bit tonight. First time in a long time. Killed me some spooky scorched and got treat bags. Nothing interesting from them thought. Put up a candy bowl. Got a few achievements.

[Max Peck]

Inside the Vault – The Gleaming Depths Perk Card Changes

The Gleaming Depths update releases with some substantial balancing changes to a handful of Perk Cards. We wanted to make sure you had a heads up on what’s changing so that you can prepare your builds for the update.

Our goal was to take generally underperforming perks and make them more interesting and easier to incorporate into your builds by removing some extra ranks, lowering the cost, and changing their effect to scale with the related primary state.

[Max Peck]

Season 19 preview.

Season 19: The Scientific Forge begins December 3, releasing alongside the Gleaming Depths update.

The Scientific Forge is themed around the para-military organization the Enclave, once known as a deep-state faction of the United States government, comprised mostly of our favorite artificially intelligent supercomputer, M.O.D.U.S. The Enclave’s mission? The revitalization of America through the power of science!

Buried at the end of the new community calendar is the news that the player ghoul update will be happening in March 2025.