Fallout 76 team highlights upcoming summer changes and updates

The “Once in a Blue Moon” PTS update is being tested now

Welcome back to Fallout 76 land: next stop, a big summer update. We just got a minor patch recently, but the team is gearing up for the “Once in a Blue Moon” content update, which is still on track for a summer release (no exact date is lined up at the moment).

Two new public events are coming our way in the summer via cryptid encounters, building on the prior cryptid focus of the past. The crafting interface was also overhauled (it’s easier to see descriptions of mods), and way more information is shown for just about every item in the game, including AP costs and damage over time (DOT) effects). It’s all part of Bethesda’s effort to make the game more accessible as you dig further into the more esoteric systems.

As a reminder, the PTS is now accessible via Steam. Anyone who owns a Steam copy can get in on the PTS festivities, and you’ll access the PTS through a separate client via your Steam Library. Just note that like most PTS environments, you can’t carry progress over, as Bethesda clarifies: “As with previous iterations of the PTS, your progress will not carry over into the live game and the Atomic Shop will remain offline.”

Once in a Blue Moon Summer 2023 Fallout 76 update info (Full notes)

Our Once in a Blue Moon update arrives this summer, introducing two brand new Public Events and two new cryptids! Every 20 minutes, one of the following Public Events will appear on the map;

Safe and Sound

Blue Ridge has renovated the Middle Mountain Cabins to be their latest and greatest Brahmin pitstop, but they just can’t seem to keep the local critters at bay. The Repeller Speaker system they use to repel the creatures and keep their Brahmin safe has been damaged. To retake the pitstop and create a safe haven for their Brahmin to rest, they will need your help! Clear out the creatures, defend the Repeller, and the Blue Ridge Caravan will reward you handsomely for your assistance!

Beasts of Burden

After a trade deal goes wrong, Luca Costa finds himself in need of some help. A group of local Cultists has stolen his Brahmin and cargo of makeshift explosives. His Uncle Vinny will not be happy if he catches wind of it.

Be extra careful not to disturb the local wildlife, however, as Cultists have recently noticed strange rumblings in the woods nearby.

Additional Improvements

In addition to the Once in a Blue Moon content, we’ve made a few other adjustments to the base game.

Expeditions

In this PTS playtesting phase, we have included some adjustments to Expeditions and their rewards. The following changes have been made:

• Players no longer need to charge the Ultracite Battery to run an Expedition.
• Fuel Quests are no longer mandatory before leaving for an Expedition and are now Daily quests with updated rewards that are more in-line with other Daily Quests.
• Players can join an Expedition even if they haven’t finished the quest Responders Reborn but cannot start a mission as a leader until they have completed that quest.
• Ashes to Fire now grants increased Stamps and Legendary items.
• We’ve reduced the stamp cost from vendors on their items.

Workbench and Mod Descriptions

We’ve overhauled the way weapon and armor mod effects are displayed.

CRAFTING USER INTERFACE

• New Gameplay Setting: Show Advanced Mod Descriptions.
• All mod descriptions have been updated to better reflect the effects the mod grants.

ITEM VIEW AND INSPECTION

• AP cost and Damage Over Time effects are now shown.
• We’ve added new icons to replace the + and – indicators when crafting new items.
• Changes when modding are now color coordinated.
• Set Bonuses now have an icon indicator next to the effect description.
• Legendary effects now have the legendary star icon next to the effect description.
• Extra effects not normally shown elsewhere are now displayed below the Legendary Effects.
• Dynamic values have been added to show the current bonus.

BALANCE

• The Bleedout Syringe Barrel now deals physical damage instead of poison.
• Burning mods for Energy Weapons now deal fire damage.
• We’ve adjusted the Two Shot Legendary Mod to deal its damage similarly to ballistic weapons. This is to keep the damage more in-line with one another.

BUG FIXES

• The Sheepsquatch Shard special effect now works correctly.
• The “Chance to Cripple” effect now correctly works on all weapons.

Known issues

While fighting through Daily Ops and Expeditions you may notice contextual ammo dropping in increments of 4 only. This is a bug that we are aware of and will have resolved in a future iteration of the PTS.