Fallout 76 multiplayer: How to unlock PvP and Wanted Bounties explained
How to fight other players with Fallout 76's PvP multiplayer.
Fallout 76 multiplayer is the key selling point to the game - the ability to explore alongside your friends in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Not only can you squad up with friends, but you can fight other players too, with Fallout 76 PvP (player versus player) leading to a little extra danger as you explore the world - and a possible bounty on your head if you become too aggressive.
How Fallout 76 multiplayer works
Fallout 76 is an online-only game, and though you can play it entirely solo, you'll always have other real world players in the same world (or instance) as you.
Here are the essential details:
- There will be 24 players per world, and you can group up with strangers organically, or join up to three other friends to create a squad of four.
- It's possible to start the game with a squad, and every mission in the game can be played with a co-operative team.
- You can trade items with anyone by approaching them and selecting a button prompt.
- You can interact with other players with emotes.
- You can fast travel to your squadmember's positions, which are located on the map. There is also a team leader in the squad, who can nominate quests for you to follow.
- If you are downed, you can call for help for another player to revive you.
- If you die, you can opt to respawn near your team.
- As well as coming across strangers in the game as you roam, there will be public Events that are shared missions on the map where everyone can contribute to completing.
- PvP is gated off at the start of the game - you need to be level five and another to start.
How to unlock Fallout 76 PvP and how Wanted Bounties work
To engage in Fallout 76 PvP, you need to be level five and above - giving you a gentle introduction to the world. It won't take long - for us we unlocked it when we unlocked the story quest to go to the airport.
From here, you can start fight other players you encounter in the wilderness.
Here are some of the specifics:
- Attacking another player initially lowers your damage more than usual - until they start fighting back, where it's fair game. It's assumed, because of this, you can't insta-kill another player.
- If you kill a player and they don't fight back, then you get branded a murderer and a bounty is placed on your head. Your position is then shown as red on the map for other players to track you down.
Need more help? If you are following the main storyline, then you'll come across the Type-T Fuse location and Fire Breathers exam answers quests. If you're after online activities, there is Fallout 76 Workshops and base building and how to unlock PvP. If you're after higher-level goals, then we recommend observing the level zones map, unlocking Atom Challenges, plus how to join the Enclave and launching nukes with launch codes.
- Players will earn Caps for completing the bounty, which is said to be taken out of your cash reserves. It's possible to get in debt this way, giving you a 'debtor's debuff' - dealing less damage against other players and in-game enemies for several hours. The debuff doesn't stack.
- Level differences don't appear to matter - it's more about quality of gear and skill.
- If you are killed after a PvP battle, then you can opt to respawn on your team, or near your murderer to extract revenge.
- If you want, you can take out members of your own squad, if they incur a bounty you'd like to claim.
- There will be friendly-fire enabled PvP with a 'Pacifist' mode in the settings.
