First teased back in October, the Fallout 76 fishing update is finally upon us, and the new leisure activity is just the start of a pretty comprehensive patch that’s just landed on the survival game’s PTS. In its latest episode of Inside the Vault, Bethesda showcases exactly how the addition of fishing will affect the open-world RPG. The developer also reveals a notable rework to limb damage and some crafting adjustments included in the new overhaul, which is now live on the public test server.
Fallout 76 has continued to shine in recent years; having long since abandoned its initial launch woes, the survival RPG just received its most significant change since the arrival of NPCs in Wastelanders. The arrival of playable Ghouls has seen the player count surge as people return to experience the open-world game from a new perspective. Bethesda isn’t stopping there, however; with that initial rush now somewhat settled, it’s time to move on to the next update.
Your journey to become a fisherman in Fallout 76 starts in the suitably named ‘Fisherman’s Rest’ in the Mire. You’ll start off with a basic rod, although this can be upgraded with new styles, bobbers, and reels to improve your skills. You don’t need to manually equip your rod to use it; instead, it will appear when you look at a nearby body of water.
Your success at angling is also influenced by the region, current weather, and the type of bait you’re using. There are three bait types; you’ll start out with common bait that can be bought in Fisherman’s Rest, but will be able to earn improved bait from daily quests and public events, and superb bait as special seasonal rewards. Keep an eye out for special glowing fish variants and, of course, the ultra-rare Local Legends to earn true bragging rights.
Once you’ve landed a catch, you can convert your haul into Fish Bits, which can then be turned into Grilled Fish. This new recipe conveniently makes catching more fish easier, and as you complete fishing daily quests you’ll unlock additional recipes such as Fish Chowder or Fish and Tatos. You’ll also earn camp items, rod upgrades, and a special fish display to proudly show off your biggest catch.
Also landing with today’s PTS update is a change to the way limb damage works, and it’s worth paying attention to. Mods, perks, and weapons that previously had a chance to instantly cripple targets now instead benefit from a percentage increase to limb damage. Bethesda explains that this “will make most enemies easier to cripple while making limb damage more consistent and predictable, [while] making crippling enemies like region bosses more difficult and requiring more focused fire.”
That change also means Bethesda is able to strip cripple immunity off creatures, making limb damage and crippling “more engaging” in future updates. It’s always been a very strong strategy to quickly lock down mobile foes such as Deathclaws, so these changes are scary but will probably prove beneficial in the long run.
Expect these limb damage changes to arrive in an earlier update than fishing’s final form, but you can test them out via the current PTS. There are also more adjustments to take a look at. Perk requirements have been removed from crafting, along with plenty of rebalancing for many perks and legendary mods. A new setting allows you to adjust your quick heal priority, fast travel costs have been reduced by 25%, and using the ‘loot from nearby corpses’ option will now (thankfully) group items of the same type together for faster pickup.
The Fallout 76 fishing update is available now on the public test server (PTS). If you own the game on Steam and want to take part, simply check your Steam library for the ‘Fallout 76 Public Test Server’ to download it and start reeling in some big ones. Be sure to look through the full patch notes while you’re waiting for it to install.
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