Fallout 76 Character Creation - How to Change Appearance, Hair Color
The world of Fallout 76 is a dangerous place. There’s other players, vicious robots and even a new hyper-intelligent race of ghouls to contend with. Here’s how to make sure you stay alive.
Fallout 76 is out now, giving players all over the world a chance to head out into Fallout’s first online-only experience. Just like in the last Fallout game, players can customize their character in Fallout 76. The character creator is the same one used for Fallout 4, so some of you will already be familiar with it. For those that aren’t though, and for those looking for a refresher, we’ve put together this Fallout 76 Character Creation Guide. We’ll go over how to change your appearance, and how to build your character at the start of the game. We’ll also look at whether or not you can change your appearance whenever you want, and if there’s a way to get more hair colors.
For more on Fallout 76, be sure to check out our Fallout 76 Guides Hub. It’s full of tips, tricks and links to all of our other Fallout 76 Guides content. You’ll find a guide on the best weapons, a look at where to get Power Armor, and more.
Can You Change Your Name in Fallout 76?
When starting out in Fallout 76, you'll be asked to create a character. You'll choose the look, build and overall appearance of your character, and pose with it in photo mode. You'll also select a name, which will show up when you're playing the game. The thing is, once you've named your character, you can't change it. This isn't too important because everyone else in the game will actually see your Bethesda.net username instead anyway. If you want to change that name, you'll need to email support at Bethesda.net. You'll be told to choose four new usernames in order of preference then one will be added in.
Fallout 76 Character Creation
At the start of Fallout 76, you’ll be asked to create a character. This won’t come as a surprise to fans of the series, but for newcomers it could be a little daunting. That’s because, since Fallout 4, the series has adopted its own way of creating characters. Instead of the usual sliders and dials, players have to select and then sculpt different parts of the character’s face. It can be pretty tricky to get the hang of, but makes a lot of sense once you do. Let’s take a look at how to create a character in Fallout 76.
Fallout 76 Face Presets
If you wanted to forgo the fiddly face sculpting, you could always go for a preset. There are 8 to choose from, you just need to press the on screen prompt to cycle through them.
Select and Sculpt Different Parts of the Face
If you want to get a little more detailed than the available presets, then you’ll need to build and sculpt individual parts of the face. To do so, hover over each part of the face and then press select. You can then choose to move the sticks or the mouse to move the feature around. Pressing the slide button will cycle through set states for that particular feature. It can take some getting used to, but just experiment with it and you’ll get the jist.
Fallout 76 Change Hairstyle
The next thing you’ll likely want to do is change your hairstyle. To do so, hover the cursor over your character’s hair and press the style button prompt. This will take you into a menu where you can change your hairstyle. The same applies to facial hair too, so if you’d like a beard, hover over the chin and press the style button to head into the correct menu.
Fallout 76 Change Hair Color
As well as being able to change hair styles, you can also alter the color of your hair. To do so, hover the cursor over your character’s hair, and press the button prompt for color. This will take you into a dedicated hair color menu. The same is true for your facial hair.
Fallout 76 Change Change Sex
You can change your sex in Fallout 76 if you wish. All you need to do is press triangle/Y while the character menu is open. Beware though, all of your current character design will be discarded, and you won’t be able to get it back.
Can You Change Appearance Whenever You Want in Fallout 76?
In previous Fallout games, you were stuck with the character you designed at the beginning. In Fallout 76 however, you can actually change up your appearance whenever you want. All you need to do is head into the map menu, then press L1/LB. This will take you to the main menu. Now, just scroll down to ‘Change Appearance’. There are some areas you cannot do this in, for example during some missions, but mostly it can be changed whenever you wish.
Do You Assign Special Points When Creating Your Character?
You might remember assigning Special points when starting up in other Fallout games, but it’s not quite the same here. Instead, Fallout 76 uses Perk Cards to assign points, which you’ll need to find while out exploring the world. From the start, your character is neutral, and you spec your character bit by bit along the way.
Fallout 76 More Hair Colors
Fallout 76’s character creator is a little limited, offering only natural hair colors. There are a few mods floating around at the moment though, that allow you to add bright colors to your character. You can read about them in our Fallout 76 Modding Guide. Of course, you’ll need to be on PC to add mods to your game, but who knows, perhaps Bethesda will add more options later down the line.
Getting New Outfits and Skins For Your Character in Fallout 76
Once you've created your Fallout 76 character, you'll be outfitted in the classic blue and yellow vault suit. From here, it's up to you to scavenge the wastleand looking for new clothing and outfits, and they can be found all over the map. Another way to get new skins and outfits is to purchase then through the Atomic Shop. For more on Atoms and the Atomic Shop, head over to our Fallout 76 Atoms Guide.
If you're after all the Fallout 76 goodness you can handle, we've got plenty of Fallout 76 guides for you. Consult our Fallout 76 Atoms Guide to find out if Fallout 76 has microtransactions, find out about Fallout 76 Factions, take a look at all the Fallout 76 Perks, and discover how Fallout 76 Nukes work. We've also got a detailed guide on Fallout 76 Base Building and settlements, a page on Fallout 76's Best Weapons, and Fallout 76 Mutations