Fallout 76 Beginner's Guide - First Weapons, First Armor

Fallout 76 starts the same as any other Fallout game, by leaving a vault. Things are a little more vague from there, given that you’ll need to follow an initial questline and travel across the map a bit. To help you out over the first couple of hours, we’ve put together this guide on getting started in Fallout 76. We’ll walk you through the first mission, ‘First Contact’, and let you know where to get your first gun and armor. We’ll be keeping things fairly spoiler free, and leading you towards some great starting areas to loot.

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.

Leaving the Vault in Fallout 76

After creating your character in Fallout 76, you’ll be free to roam around Vault 76. We suggest you explore a bit, as there’s some great stuff to be found early on. First you’ll want to follow the Vault Boy signs. Just head where he’s pointing, but feel free to explore the other rooms as well. One thing to look out for is a terminal which you can hack. You’ll get XP and Atoms for doing so. There’s also a Pip Boy on the way, and your Camp, and don’t miss the Perk Card under one of the Vault Boy signs as well. Once you’re ready, head out of the vault.

Where to Go First in Fallout 76

Once you’re out of the vault, you’ll want to head to a place called Gilman Lumber Mill. You’ll see its icon when heading down the stairs to the left. There’s a machete to pick up on the body at the bottom of the staircase as well, so grab it. Infiltrator enemies will patrol here, but they’re low level and easy to take out. Head to the mill, and loot it. You'll find caps, gunpowder, first aid, and wood. Head to the next building and you’ll find a Tinkerer’s Workbench, use it to scrap your junk.

From here you’ll want to head in the general direction of the First Contact icon, but you should stop off at Wixon Homestead on the way. It is full of loot, but also scorched. Your machete will make short work of them. There’s also a Weapons Workbench, which you can use to craft a weapon if you want, you’ll get Atoms for doing so. Now we’d recommend following the First Contact quest to completion.

Where to Find Your First Weapon in Fallout 76

You’ll want to get yourself a weapon as soon as possible after leaving the vault in Fallout 76. The easiest place to get yourself a weapon is at the foot of the staircase to the left when you leave the vault. The first gun you should go for is at the Wixon Homestead. Many of the Scorched there have guns which you can take. You can easily get short hunting rifles and pipe revolvers here.

Where to Get First Armor in Fallout 76

Once you have your first weapon in Fallout 76, you’ll want to go after some armor. The best way to do this is to follow the ‘First Contact’ mission line. Head to the Overseers Camp and loot the boxes there. You’ll craft armor at this camp as part of the mission, so as long as you’ve looted a bit then you should be fine.

Fallout 76 First Contact Walkthrough - How to Become a Volunteer

The first mission in Fallout 76 sees the player heading to the Overseers Camp, then to an area called Flatwoods. Eventually, they’ll need to volunteer for duty, which can be a little confusing to carry out. We’ve listed details below:

• Head to the waypoint and loot the area.
• Craft a weapon, and then armor.
• Follow the new Waypoint to Flatwoods, there are feral dogs on the way.
• Head into the Trading Post and look around, there’s plenty to loot. You’ll find a tape to listen to in here, indicated with an objective icon.
• Now you’ll need to become a volunteer.
• To do this, just head across the street to the red building with the ‘Volunteer now!’ signs.
• There are terminals inside, which you can use to sign up.
• To complete the quest, search the people database for Kesha McDermott.
• Once you’ve read her location, back out and complete the mission.

Easy Atoms Early On in Fallout 76

One thing to keep an eye out for when starting out in Fallout 76 is easy atoms. You’ll get aoms for the following, so keep it in mind while completing the first mission.

• Harvest first flower
• Kill first enemy
• Play for one hour
• Craft weapon
• Craft Armor
• Drink
• Eat
• Use Stimpak
• Collect water

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