Ghouls are a staple in the Fallout series, which are humans who have transformed by radiation into zombie-like beings, appearing in both human-like forms and feral. The RPG series from Bethesda hasn"t yet given players the chance to be a Ghoul, that is, until now. Fallout 76"s latest season is now underway, and it brings the long-teased and hugely requested ability to play as a full-fledged Ghoul.
With today"s massive update to Fallout 76, players will be able to go through the new Leap of Faith questline, which ends up with the chosen character coming a Ghoul. This also unlocks new gameplay mechanics that are unavailable to human (Smooth-skin) players, including being immune to radiation"s bad effects. Ghouls also don’t have Hunger and Thirst meters to worry about.
In fact, absorbing radiation will increase the Ghoul"s "Glow". This new system heals damage, increases the health pool, and helps with new perks when being exposed to radiation or when consuming irradiated food or water.
The chance of going Feral is always a danger for these characters though, so Chems are needed to keep things sane and safe:
Becoming a Ghoul sheds the need to sate your hunger and thirst. Instead, you battle against a gnawing desire to slip back into your base nature, abandoning all sanity you might have had.
The new Feral meter drains over time and can only be filled back up by consuming Chems. You may not want to keep that meter 100% filled though. Your Feral status provides different bonuses and penalties depending on how full the meter is.
- Above 80%: you gain +3 Strength, +3 Endurance, +30 Max HP
- Above 60%: you gain +15 Max HP
- Above 40%: you lose -1 Endurance and -5 Max HP
- Above 20%: you lose -3 Endurance, -15 Max HP, -10 Max AP
- At 0%: you gain +150% Melee Damage, and lose -5 Endurance, -99 Charisma, -30 Max HP, -20 Max AP, -300% Hip-fire Gun Accuracy & V.A.T.S. Accuracy.
Bethesda has also added in a whole bunch of new Perk Cards especially for Ghoulified characters, just as some human-related perks get taken out. Moreover, some factions will be hostile to all Ghouls, including the Brotherhood of Steel. To access these locked questlines, players will have to wear disguises.
Players who want to switch back to being a human can also do so via the Character Screen. Careful with this though, as the only way for this character to become a Ghoul again after this process is by paying Bethesda 1000 Atoms (usually $10).
Find the complete patch notes for Fallout 76: Ghoul Within Season 20 over here.