Fallout 76 Season 20 plunges players into the irradiated heart of Appalachia, offering the unique opportunity to become a Ghoul. This update, launched March 18th, introduces a wealth of ghoul-themed features, mechanics, and cosmetic options to revamp your C.A.M.P. and gameplay.
Unleash Your Inner Ghoul
Fallout 76's latest update lets you embrace your inner ghoul through the "Ghoulification" process. Initiated by the "Leap of Faith" questline, this journey takes you to a new area within the Savage Divide, where you'll encounter new characters who aid your transformation. Becoming a ghoul unlocks exclusive abilities – Glow and Feral – and grants access to 30 unique perks, dubbed "Gherks" by Bethesda.
The Feral ability replaces hunger and thirst, providing stat boosts based on your Feral meter. A depleted meter (0%) unleashes a dramatic gameplay shift: +150% melee damage, but at the cost of -5 Endurance, -99 Charisma, -30 Max HP, -20 Max AP, and a significant -300% reduction in hip-fire and V.A.T.S. accuracy.
The Glow ability allows you to consume radiation, granting immunity to diseases and mutations, and causing you to, well, glow! It also boosts maximum health, heals damage, and contributes to the power of your Gherks. Choose from 28 perks, plus two new legendary perks exclusive to ghouls. Note that perks related to hunger, thirst, and chem resistance are unavailable to ghouls.
Life as a Ghoul
Your ghoul abilities make exploring the irradiated wasteland significantly easier. However, factions like the Brotherhood of Steel will be less than thrilled with your newfound form, becoming hostile and potentially locking you out of certain quests.
Luckily, a new NPC, Jaye, provides disguises to bypass these restrictions. If you tire of ghoul life, you can revert to human form via the Character Screen – but this is a one-way trip. Re-ghoulification requires purchasing Ghoul Retransformation for 1000 Atoms.
Level 50 Character Boost & Season 20 Patch Notes
Season 20 also includes a Level 50 Character Boost, available for 1500 Atoms. This provides significant advantages, allowing you to immediately jump into Daily Ops, Public Events, and story content.
The patch also features numerous bug fixes and balance adjustments, including accessibility improvements, combat balancing, and weapon damage changes. Bethesda also reminds players of the upcoming "The Big Bloom" update on April 29th.
Since its initially rocky launch in November 2018, Fallout 76 has undergone significant improvements. Season 20's positive reception, reflected in a "Mostly Positive" Steam rating (76% positive reviews), showcases the game's evolution. Fallout 76 is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
