The upcoming playable Ghoul character inFallout 76has a variety of unique and exclusive buildcrafting tools at their disposal that will provide a unique gameplay experience compared to the original human playable character. Several of these new Ghoul-exclusive buildcrafting tools are currently available onFallout 76’s Public Test Server, and they are admittedly quite powerful, potentially paving the path for a new meta.
Despite transforming into a Ghoul inFallout 76coming with some negative side effects, the benefits of a fully Feral Ghoul melee build arguably outweigh the negatives so far. While some aspects of the playable Ghoul may be rebalanced before the playable Ghoul character is officially introduced inFallout 76’s Season 20 update coming in March 2025, becoming a Ghoul and allowing the Feral status to reach its full potential will surely be the new meta for melee builds, regardless.
Fallout 76’s New Feral Ghoul Mechanic Is a Game-Changer for Melee Builds
Immediately uponbecoming a Ghoul inFallout 76, players will have to start managing their Feral levels. The player’s Feral level starts at 100%, providing positive benefits to their health and AP. Over time, this Feral level will naturally decay and the positive benefits will eventually become negative side effects as players grow closer to becoming Feral.
The player’s Feral meter currently takes around two hours to fully decay from 100% to 0%. There’s no way to expedite this process yet, although players can replenish their Feral levels by consuming any chem other than Stimpaks.
Once the player’s Feral level fully reaches 0%, their melee damage will increase by 200%, while decreasing their ranged weapon accuracy by 300% when hip-firing or using VATS inFallout 76. While the preparation time to become a fully Feral Ghoul is admittedly quite high, this unique Feral melee buff makes it well worth the investment formelee builds inFallout 76, considering that the Feral status will persist as long as players avoid consuming any chems.
Should players ever decide to swap to a ranged weapon, using one or two chems will nullify the -300% accuracy debuff for a few minutes, though this will also nullify the +200% melee buff.
Even outside of the Feral status’ primary buff, the majority of thenew Perk Cards inFallout 76that are exclusive to the playable Ghoul character are generally suited for melee builds. Consequently, becoming Feral as a Ghoul can take players’ melee builds to the next level thanks to a significant buff that notably stacks with other permanent and temporary damage buffs.
Becoming a Feral Ghoul in Fallout 76 Is a Double-Edged Sword
In addition to the reduced max health and AP, Feral or not, becoming a Ghoul inFallout 76will prevent players from being able to use certain Perk Cards that are exclusive to humans. Ultimately, becoming a Ghoul has both positive and negative side effects that players should consider. In the case of ranged weapon builds, whether the new Ghoul buildcrafting tools are better than the human builds is generally subjective. However, it seems like the upcoming playable Ghoul character will pave the path fora new endgame meta inFallout 76specifically for melee weapon builds.
Fallout 76
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
