Fallout 76 to introduce playable ghouls for the first time in series history in early 2025

Fallout 76 is set to introduce playable ghouls as a standalone update coming in early 2025, in what’ll be a first for the series. Yep, all those years you’ve spent in Appalachia dreaming of being exempt from worrying about radiation, you’ll have the option to bring them to an end soon.

It’s a cool time for Bethesda to be introducing this in 76, given how much everyone loved Walton Goggins’ ghoulified presence in Amazon’s Fallout TV show, the second season of which is already in the works. It’s also fitting because, in addition to being able to rock his outfit right now, a lot of Appalachia’s most hardened veterans probably feel like they’ve amassed just as much wasteland weathering as Cooper Howard by this point.

Once the update drops, you’ll be given the chance to play as a ghoul via a special quest that’ll become available once your vault dweller hits level 50 - obviously if you’re one of the many players who’re already well past that point, it should hopefully pop up from the get go.

Choosing to transform your character into one will have a number of practical effects on gameplay, with the obvious boon being that you’ll now interact with radiation differently, and be able to use it to your advantage. You’ll also be able to benefit from some new ghoul-specific perk cards to add a twist to your build.

There is a bit of a drawback though - being a ghoul will affect how different factions interact with you. Obviously, groups with more accepting stances on ghouls should be just as pleasant - or angry if you’ve previously p**sed them off - as they were before, while those that aren’t might change their stance on you.

I imagine, for example, Brotherhood of Steel members who suddenly end up looking a bit different might be in for a hard time from their fellow knights and paladins. Then again, maybe if you just keep your power armour on, they won’t notice.

Also, you’ll be able to tailor your ghoul’s appearance - so no worrying about how well the irradiated look will mesh with your character’s existing face - and you’ll have the option to change back to being a regular human further down the line if you choose to ghoulify yourself.

For more Fallout, make sure to check out our recent interview with the Fallout New Vegas fan behind the campaign to get Mr House’s face on the Las Vegas Sphere.