The Fallout franchise has seen a revival thanks to the Prime Video series, prompting a whole player base to try the games. Fallout 76 has also seen new players, and Bethesda Game Studios has now announced a franchise-first feature with its upcoming Skyline Valley update.
There are several exciting things the update will add, but the standout is the ability to play as the Ghoul, which was a fan favorite due to Walton Goggins’ performance. While fans are excited, there are several disadvantages that may not make the experience as good as they are hoping.
Playing as Ghoul in Fallout 76 Comes With Disadvantages
Bethesda Game Studios announced at the Xbox Games Showcase that the Fallout 76 Skyline Valley update will launch for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation on June 12. This is the first major world map expansion in the game, and players will journey across the Savage Divide to the south of Appalachia.
The new region is called Skyline Valley and brings several new locations for players to explore what was once known as Shenandoah National Park in the real world. It is also allowing players to finally play as ghouls, but there are some things players need to know before they venture to play as one.
Gamers will need to be on level 50 to change into a ghoul, and it will give them benefits such as resistance to radiation and new ghoul perk cards. These are surely good, but there are disadvantages, such as the fact that the Brotherhood of Steel will not work with players playing as Ghouls and will affect the main quest with knights of the Brotherhood.
Playing as a Ghoul in #Fallout76
Need to be level 50 to change in to a Ghoul. This will give resistance to radiation along with new ghoul perk cards.
Factions who don't take kindly to ghouls, such as the BoS, will not work with you.
Ghouls also cannot play bloodied builds. pic.twitter.com/ogD8Bss50P
— Fallout News (@FO4News) June 9, 2024
Fallout 76 players, as Ghouls, won’t be able to play with bloodied builds. The bloodied builds help players take radiation damage to keep their health low and maximize the armor and perk cards that allow them to take more damage as their health is lower. However, with ghouls, it won’t be possible, as they do not take any damage from radiation.
Fans Are Not Sure How This Change Fits With the Feature
Fans are not happy with this, as bloodied builds are an important build in Fallout 76, and playing as Ghouls will not let them play with this build.
Fans are ecstatic about getting the long-overdue feature but have inquired if playing as Ghoul will be permanent or if they can change back or forth.
Can we go back and forth, or would this be a permanent change?
— Ty (@soundwaveisboss) June 9, 2024
One player said, “Irreversibly locking the player out of whole storylines is bad design for an MMO.” Another fan added that the only reason they wanted to play as ghouls was so that they could improve their bloodied build.
On one hand, becoming a ghoul is a long-overdue feature for the series, but the possibility of irreversibly locking the player out of whole storylines is bad design for an MMO, unlike a regular Fallout game where one can make an alternate save file of the same character.
— AnoneySnufftan (@AnoneySnufftan) June 9, 2024
Some players seem to be getting this as they have already completed the Brotherhood of Steel quest line, but the majority of them are not happy with the disadvantages of the feature. One player said this is just a way for the developer to get players off the Bloodied build.
What are your thoughts about the disadvantages of playing as a ghoul in Fallout 76? Let us know in the comments.
