The live service approach for Fallout 76 has added heaps of post-launch content since the game’s launch in 2018, with players constantly having fresh experiences to look forward to. Almost six years have passed since the release of the game, and Bethesda is still thinking of ways to reward longstanding players and keep them engaged with the core gameplay loop. An upcoming Ghoul expansion aims to do just that.
Several new expansions are set to come to Fallout 76 in the near future, with Bethesda even having outlined features that are set to be added in 2025. One 2025 feature in particular has caught the attention of many fans, with players soon being able to transform into Ghouls, an iconic recurring creature-type from the wider Fallout franchise. This transformation to a Ghoul character is set to be a rewarding possibility for experienced players, bringing a slew of gameplay changes in the way of perks, abilities, survival, and interactions with Fallout 76‘s many factions.
Becoming a Ghoul in Fallout 76 is Not For the Weak-Hearted
Ghouls have appeared from the very outset of the Fallout franchise, having appeared in every mainline game for the IP as well as Fallout 76. Intense exposure to radiation turns humans into Ghouls, who go through intense mutations that can lead to things like wound regeneration and massively extended lifespans. Their unsightly mutated form often leads to Ghouls being subjected to intense discrimination and persecution, with Ghouls potentially turning into violent zombie-like Feral Ghouls under certain circumstances.
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There has been a wider discussion in recent years around future Fallout games expanding the possible choices for their protagonists, with the concept of a Ghoul protagonist being one that leads to a lot of debate among the community. While this discussion often centers around future projects like Fallout 5, it is Fallout 76 that will finally put this concept into modern practice with an upcoming 2025 update.
At some point in 2025, an update will come to Fallout 76 that will give players the choice to start a questline that ends with their characters becoming Ghouls, with this quest only being available to players who have reached level 50. Players of this level will have already experienced most of what standard human gameplay has to offer in Fallout 76, and turning into a Ghoul will open a wave of new gameplay possibilities.
Becoming a Ghoul in Fallot 76 Comes with Unconventional Survival Concerns
For example, becoming a Ghoul will come with 100% radiation resistance for the player, eliminating the need to use things like Power Armor in radiation-laden areas. Ghoul players will also have access to a number of Ghoul-specific perk cards that will offer tonnes of new gameplay possibilities to the title. Fallout 76‘s Ghoul update will also play smartly into the lore of Ghouls by doing away with thirst and hunger mechanics, with Ghoulified players instead having to manage a “feral” meter as their top priority.
From a roleplaying perspective, becoming a Ghoul will also cause certain NPCs and factions to treat the player differently, with the Brotherhood of Steel being one faction in particular that will negatively respond to Ghoul characters. This can even impact the main questline for the Brotherhood of Steel, yet players will have the choice to turn back into a human at any time with no cost, meaning that they will not miss out on any major content. The long history of Ghouls in the Fallout franchise, alongside more recent media like the Fallout TV show, has created a huge amount of interest in the mutated beings, and Fallout 76‘s Ghoul update is going to create a huge amount of new gameplay and roleplaying opportunities.
