Vault 76 Handbook: Dealing with Aggressive Survivors

There are many reasons survivors might take aim at one another after leaving the relative safety of Vault 76.

It’s possible they’re simply looking for a friendly duel. Maybe tensions became heated and boiled over. Or perhaps they’ve turned to a life of crime after exposure to the chaotic post-war landscape.
Whatever the case may be, you’ll want to be prepared to fight or flee in the event another dweller points their weapons your way. Read on to learn about player versus player (PvP) combat in Fallout 76 and the rules of engagement.

Mutual Combat and Hostility

Outside the Vault, you and your fellow dwellers are free to hit, chop, smash, shoot or otherwise attack each other as soon as you’ve reached level five. However, all damage you deal to another player will be greatly reduced until they agree to start a PvP duel with you by returning fire. It’s also worth noting that an attack must hit another player directly to be considered an invitation or agreement to duel. For example, tossing a grenade at a stranger will not flag you as an attacker, and the explosion will deal no damage to them.

As soon as a player strikes back, you will become hostile toward each other, and any attacks from that point on will deal full damage. What’s more, you’ll be hidden from one another on the map and show up as red dots on each other’s compasses. A notification will immediately appear at the bottom of the screen showing who your attacker is, as well as the Cap reward¬ you’ll receive if you manage to kill them. This reward will generally be equal to the player’s current level, and it’s paid from their personal stockpile of Caps.

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Getting Up When You’re Down

After a PvP-related death, you’ll be able to choose a respawn option:

1. Seek Revenge: Continues PvP and hostility, and automatically respawns you in the general vicinity of your killer, allowing you to hunt them down and bring them to justice. If you successfully take Revenge, you’ll also earn some bonus Caps for your efforts.
2. Respawn: Ends PvP and hostility between you and all other players as soon as you choose a respawn location.

As with any other death, you will drop all your junk onto the ground in a tidy paper bag if you are killed by another player. These items can then be taken by anyone who happens across your paper bag before you return to claim it.

If you’re not in the mood to spar, and another dweller refuses to back down, you can use the Block or Block for Session options to end communication with them and make it very difficult for them to find or follow you. Learn more about the value of communication in a post-nuclear world in our feature, Communication is Key!

The Most Dangerous Game

If you enjoy dueling for sport, or have a competitive nature, you can tune your RobCo brand Pip-Boy to Hunter/Hunted Radio to join a pre-war training session designed for clandestine government operatives,in which you’ll attempt to hunt down a survivor- while eluding another for fun and prizes!

Once at least four players have joined the Hunter/Hunted Radio queue, participants will each be assigned another specific Hunter to track and assassinate. You are then free to seek and destroy your prey in a large area, with a one-hour time limit. Don’t get too cocky, however, because your own assassin may be hiding around the next bend, and your target may decide fight back.

Over time, the Hunt area’s size will decrease, forcing you closer to your current victim and assassin. Upon killing your target, you’ll be assigned to the player they were tracking, and so on, until just one Hunter remains. Win or lose, taking down at least one other Hunter will award you with some Caps and XP. These rewards will also increase based on the number of kills you achieve, up to a maximum of six kills.

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Hungry for more Fallout 76? Head to the official Fallout 76 General Discussion Forum to chat about this post, or any other game-related topics with other players. Also, be sure to keep an eye on Fallout.com and Bethesda.net for more Fallout 76 details.

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