The Fallout 76 Guide to Playing a Ghoul

Fallout 76’s next major update, Ghoul Within, arrives March 18.

To prepare yourself for this unprecedented opportunity to play as a ghoul in Fallout 76, we have our official guide to ghouling.

Before we get into it, check out this introduction to ghouls that T0nik put together for us!

What’s a Ghoul?

A ghoul is a person who has been exposed to an inordinate amount of radiation. So much radiation that they have mutated. Sounds painful, doesn’t it? Many of the ghouls we know, and love experienced this mutation during the Great War. (Examples: Mordecai McCoy and Prime Video’s Fallout character, The Ghoul.)

On the other hand, you were a Vault-dweller and wouldn’t know anything about that.

Once Fallout 76’s newest update goes live, you will find out all about what it’s like being a ghoul. The life of a ghoul is not an easy road, but it might just be perfect for a hardened survivor like you.

Age Required

The Process of Becoming a Ghoul

To become a ghoul, you’ll need to complete the Leap of Faith quest, which will take you to Whitespring in the Forest. You’ll have to be Level 50 or above for this quest to unlock.

What’s so Cool about Being a Ghoul

There are lots of reasons to be a ghoul. Ghouls don’t have to worry about radiation or eating and drinking. In fact, ghouls heal from radiation, which is very handy considering the state of Appalachia’s rivers.

Ghouls do have to keep an eye on Fallout 76’s new Feral meter. Since ghouls don’t need to eat or drink, the Feral meter replaces the Hunger and Thirst meter. Keep a close eye on it because the lower the meter gets, the more Feral you become. Going Feral does make aiming more difficult and negatively affects your Charisma, but your melee attacks will be more powerful. Whether you stay sane or go feral, the player ghoul opens up whole new avenues for build creation and playstyle.

Glow is handy for those who want to take more damage. Indicated by a green striped pattern over your health bar, Glow increases as you take radiation damage. Don’t worry, Glow offers more health and can be paired with some of the new ghoul Perks. A few of the new Perks even require Glow to activate.

Perks for Ghouls

Speaking of perks, for building out your wastelander, Ghouls will also have 30 brand new Ghoul-dedicated Perk Cards when the update drops. Let’s go over just a sampling of the cards activating with the update:

• Bomb Scientist is a great ghoul Perk and activates with Glow. This card increases the power of your grenades when you expend Glow. All you need is the right amount of Glow and to throw a grenade, blasting your enemies away.
• Want to be the scariest, baddest, most in-the-mix ghoul? Bone Shatterer is perfect for that, Pair it with going Feral, and you’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. Speaking of Feral, the Feral Presence Perk reduces a target’s damage after you attack for five seconds.
• A dev favorite, the Wild West Hands Perk card gives you a chance at an instant reload of your weapon’s magazine when emptied. You'll be the quickest shot in the whole wasteland.
• For those who want to build a Vault-dweller ghoul with more control and play on a team, there’s Moral Support, which makes your Feral meter decrease more slowly.

Age Required

Get the Look

With the Ghoul Within update, you can change your character’s ghoulish appearance anytime from the character menu. Ghouls will have many new options to choose from, including complexions and tattoos, eyes, scars and makeup.

Adverse Effects

Being a ghoul isn’t all fun and games. Some characters won’t interact with you and entire factions will refuse to speak with you and even attack on sight. Other characters will comment on and react to your new look, changing your narrative experience. But they’ll never guess you’re a ghoul if you’re wearing a disguise! There’s a certain NPC that will be able to help you with that.

De-ghoulification

If it turns out being a ghoul just isn’t for you, there is a way to reverse the effects: you can always return to your human form from the character menu.

While the quest to become a ghoul can’t be repeated, there will be a Ghoul Re-transformation option available in the character menu, which you can purchase with Atoms.

March 18 is just the start of your ghoul experience. Remember to experiment with your Perk cards, your new Feral meter and the radiation counter. There are so many ways to be and play a ghoul. Enjoy!

---

Get Fallout 76 today!

Are you a new player or need a primer on Fallout 76’s new features? Check out our official newcomer’s guides.