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Fallout 76 was a monumental moment for Bethesda as it was the first time their cornerstone franchise leaped online gameplay. They had already had a pretty big success with Elder Scrolls: Online, so seeing the companion franchise Fallout take the same leap wasn’t exactly hard for them to figure out.
Although it had one of the rockiest launches for a game in recent memory, it has built itself from the ground up to become one of the most satisfying experiences in online gaming today.
The setup was a familiar one, emerge from the vault in a nuclear wasteland version of a location in the USA and set you out on a journey to figure out what happened and how you play into the larger story. Accompanying you in this journey are not only enemies and other players but also some of the coolest locations the franchise has ventured to.
West Virginia proved to be the perfect spot for this game as the various mountains and forests you have to explore here make it easy to get lost in the game. The map’s size is also gigantic compared to previous titles, so as you’d expect, there are plenty of new areas to explore here as well.
My experience with Fallout 76 is lengthy, as Fallout has always been one of my favorite gaming franchises. While I wasn’t thrilled with it initially, the DLC add ons and the free to play weekends have made it a much more appealing experience, and the addition of NPCs into the game has given it a ton of life and is far more preferable than hearing story bits play out through your Pip-Boy like it originally was.
Some of the best parts of the game are just exploring the creepy and quiet areas of a bombed-out West Virginia, and you can find it very easy to see yourself just strolling through this game for hours on end, taking in each new piece of scenery. There are certainly some highlights and lowlights, though, so let’s explore the best places to see in Fallout 76.
Fallout 76 Locations
These Fallout 76 locations below aren’t all equally as important, but they’re good to know.
Destroyed Cabin
This is one of the most important areas at the start of the game, and you will find it shortly after leaving Vault 76. Once you’re out on the mainland, you need to go behind the vault, and you’ll find two mutated dogs.
Finish them off, and you’ll find the cabin has a lot to offer you, including your first set of guns, ammo, tons of food, alcohol, medicine, a bed, and a cooking pot.
The Torrance House Maze
The Torrance House Maze is a fascinating location, as you might recognize the name of it sharing in similarity to an area from a little movie called The Shining. With that in mind, you can find not only the maze that the ending of that movie takes place in, but the skeleton of Jack Torrance as well.
If this wasn’t cool enough already, you can loot the corpse to acquire the ax he uses in the final of The Shining as well. It’s not an amazing weapon, but it’s a cool little Easter Egg for the horror fans out there.
You can find this location in the forest south of Sugar maple. There will be Protections guarding the maze, so be ready for a fight.
Explosive Scarecrow Shrine
Fallout has always been a little bit weird and quirky, and here, that quirkiness takes a turn for the horrifying. To fight this hellish area, go to the National Isolate Radio Array, and the northeast of it, you’ll see some rocks, and there you will find this shrine. Head up behind the shrine and drop down, and you’ll find a ton of explosives, including Molotov Cocktails.
Point Pleasant
It feels like any time a town is named something peaceful in Fallout games, it’s always a sign something is not right. For example, Goodneighbor in Fallout 4 has some of the evilest characters in the game dwelling there, so when I stumbled into this area in Fallout 76, I knew that the experience was going to be anything but Pleasant.
Sure enough, explore this town a little bit, and you’ll find the Mothman Museum. This is a tribute to one of the creepier creatures in the game that you might encounter, and The Cult of The Mothman is something you’ll encounter a lot throughout the game. The eerie silence of this town makes it feel like you’re being watched here, and I made it a point to leave Point Pleasant as fast as possible.
Gulper Lagoon
When venturing into the Mire, you might be expecting some less than ideal events to take place, but once you locate the Gulper Lagoon, you’ll really understand why those expectations were spot on.
When you enter this location, you’ll find the Gulpers of the Gulper Lagoon. These are massive lizard creatures, and they blend in with the huge trees in the area, so you can be attacked by them without even noticing them begin with.
As you travel along this area, you’ll see that the water has bones floating through them. These are likely the former victims of the Gulpers, and if you know what’s good for you, you won’t spend any more time here than you need to.
Bastion Park
A national park is a beautiful thing. Well, in our world anyway, in post-nuked West Virginia, this park is far creepier than a park has any right to be. There are broken-down playgrounds and also scattered notes all over the place that relates to the Fallout 76 quest called “Baa Vaa Black Sheep” which is about searching for a man who went looking for the legendary Sheepsquatch.
It gets far weirder and more disturbing as you find someone was burned to death in this park and all this creepiness surrounding what appears to be an innocent park just shows how good Fallout is at creating something horrifying from something pure.
The Torrance House
You’ve already seen the maze, but nothing is better than visiting a fresh take on the iconic Overlook Hotel in Fallout 76. This is as creepy as areas get in Fallout 76, and you can see upon approaching that two skeletons are hugging on the roof of the house, showing that this is a house that is not going to be an enjoyable visit.
Upon entering, you can find sets of children blocks that spell out the word “redrum,” which should give fans of The Shining a good chill. There are enemies here, too, so be prepared to fight once the creep factor wears off.
Wavy Willard’s Water Park
If the park didn’t clue you in enough, fun places in the real world equal horrifying things in the video game world. With that in mind, take a trip to Wavy Willard’s Water Park, and you’ll find a completely abandoned water park that is filled with the Scorched and Radroaches.
There are many buildings to explore with some good loot to find, but you’re going to have to be on your guard as there are plenty of jumps scares here if you’re not looking out for them.
Adding to the creepiness is the Miss Nanny Robot you’ll encounter. See, she’s looking for a little boy named Freddy, and this starts you on a quest to find the missing kid.
If there’s one thing creepier than a water park in Fallout 76, it’s going on a hunt to find a missing child in it. I didn’t pursue it, but if you want to find Freddy, I’m sure there are plenty more nightmares to be found there.
The Burning Mine
This area is just awesome. It’s also incredibly dangerous as this mine is going to be toxic throughout the whole time, so you better have equipment against hazardous environments; otherwise, you’re not going to last very long in here.
This amazing area is characterized by a bright orange glow, and the area is almost entirely shrouded by smoke, so knowing what’s ahead of you is almost impossible.
This lack of visibility is made all the worst by some of the most unnerving enemies in the game, the Mole Miners. These guys consistently grunt and growl as you make your way through the mine and their presence just puts the cherry on top of this consistently fascinating area.
Kanawha County Cemetery
Cemeteries are generally never fun in any game, and in Fallout 76, they add a twist of terror to an already creepy area. The atmosphere around it is just beautiful, and it contrasts heavily with the dread produced by simply being in a graveyard.
We’ve got creepy shrines, tons of hints implying that this graveyard is filled with people who all drank rat poison, and the worst part, the presence of the Cult of The Mothman.
This creepy cult is a presence you’ll find plenty of throughout the game, and the evidence of the human sacrifices taking place here is so chilling. What makes this creepier is that the Cult of The Mothman doesn’t exist anymore, and somehow that makes everything seem that much worse because they succeeded in their goals.
Alpine River Cabins
What appears to be an innocent group of cabins down by the Alpine River quickly shows itself to be far more than just that. If you spend some time around the cabins, you will soon see creepy things happening, such as doors closing on their own and, even worse, screams bursting out of the forest in the distance.
You can choose to leave at this point, and there will be nothing you’re really missing out on if you do, but if you stick around, you’ll discover the source of the weirdness.
There is a treehouse a little bit into the forest that houses a computer, and it’s there you will see that the cabins were controlled by this computer the whole time. What the purpose of this computer is or was never gets explained, and you’re left wondering what it all means.
Lucky Hole Mine
Mines are already an interesting time whenever Fallout games decide to throw them in, and here, you get the whole mix of crazy thrown into a pot to create one unforgettable experience.
First off, we’ve got the Mole Miners making a return, and they’re as present here as ever and even creepier than they were in the Burning Mine because you can actually see their faces here.
What’s more unsettling, though, is what you don’t see. Once again, the Cult of The Mothman comes into play here, and their scattered notes around the area get more and more disturbing as you read them. Talk of priestesses, sacrifices and other unnerving statements about the Mothman they worship so much will undoubtedly bring chills to your bones.
Seneca Rock Bridge
This is one of the best areas in the game, not just for the atmosphere, of which there is plenty, but mostly because of the benefits that it can provide you and your teammates.
You will find this location as an unmarked area that’s on the ground level of the eastern side of Seneca Rock. It’s here you will find a red painted bridge above a small lake, and this is an awesome location for setting up your camp.
First off, any approaching dangers you might encounter will be at a huge disadvantage as you have an awesome elevated high ground position over them, and you’ll only need to cover two sides to protect it.
In addition to the awesome advantages combat-wise, you also have a massive lake that provides purified water to collect, and the surrounding area has tons of food in case you’re running low on health items.
This location is also incredibly close to the quests that start taking place around mid-game, so you’ll find use out for it for a good number of hours before you need to move on.
The Cultists Shrine
You’ve heard about them, and you’ve read their notes for hours and hours; now it’s time to see where they actually did their dastardly deeds. This shrine is located on the East Side of Point Pleasant, where you can find the Mothman Museum.
When you enter, you’ll find a ton of corpses and strange-looking effigies, and this will immediately clue you into what’s been going on here. This seems to be the place where the final sacrifices were made by the cult and where the remaining members decided to take their own lives.
In this area, various enemies can appear, but none are too tough, and it’s a good area to loot because of this. You can also loot the Mothman Eggs at the statue in the middle of town if you run low on health supplies, though I feel like there are better things to eat in Fallout 76.
If you’re lucky, you might actually run into the Mothman himself, and this encounter will send chills down your spine like a few others, so be prepared for a potentially tough battle.
The Lakeside Grill
With so little civilization left in the world of Fallout 76, there is nothing like finding something that’s a reminder of the world that used to be. That’s why the Lakeside Grill is so inviting, from the outside at least.
Once you get inside, you’ll be overrun by Ghouls awfully fast, and these are not to be taken lightly, so carefully move your way through it and make sure the area is safe before you keep exploring.
Once you’re done with that, you’ve actually got yourself an awesome campground to set up camp in if you so choose. The Diner is fully stocked with food and drink, the property is in a beautiful location, and you can see enemies coming from pretty much anywhere on the map, so it’s easy to protect as well.
Lake House on The Mountain
This is one of the most incredible-looking locations in the game, and for players looking to set up shop where there aren’t a ton of enemies around, this is as great a location as you can find.
This house can be found east of the Relay Tower and southwest of Watoga. This is an unmarked location, so you’ll have to spot it with your own two eyes, but once you do, you’ll find one of the most popular places to get situated.
You’ve got sources of water and also dirt, so you can set up farmland here. This location is also very close to end-game content, so it makes for a nice place to set up when you’ve spent a ton of hours in Fallout 76 already. Enemies do spawn here occasionally, but nothing will ever be that difficult of a fight when they do.
Gilman’s Lumber Mill
This is one of the best early game locations to set up camp in, and right off the bat, you’re going to be wanting a place to call home as this horrifying world can get pretty brutal early on.
This location is ideal for making camp because it comes with a built-in fence around the perimeter, so you’ll immediately have some protection. You can build them up from here if you’d like, but this location is pretty safe as there aren’t many enemies nearby that you’ll have to worry about.
In addition to the great area, you’ve got massive supplies of wood here, and that can come in handy early on as you can stockpile your building resources for later camps you might come across.
This place is located in Appalachia’s Forest area, and that means it’s rather a low level compared to other areas of the game. As far as a first camp setup goes, this is easily one of the best areas in the game.
The Noose Tree
This area is pretty terrifying, but if you can get past the original chilling sight of the noose on a tree with a chair kicked out under it, you might find quite a bit to like here as well as a perfect location for setting up camp. There is a ton of flat terrain here, so building a camp will be easy as can be, and there’s also dirt and soil here as well, so you can make all the resources you could need here.
In addition to that, you’re right near a bunch of key locations in the game, so you’ll never be too far from a mission when you return home to base. While there’s plenty of room for farmland, you might also want to up your water supply, and you can do that by visiting the nearby areas that have drinkable water ready to go.
White spring Golf Course
One of the few areas of the game that seemingly hasn’t been devastated by nuclear war, the Whitespring Golf Course is a country club and golf course that can become an awesome camp if players choose it to be.
This is a massive area, and every inch of the golf course can be built upon. The best part of this area is that there is already security here. You’ve got built-in NPCs that protect the area as is, and building up your settlement here only increases the security.
Because of its amazing location, though, you might find that you’re not the only one who had the brilliant idea to settle here, and you can find other players competing for this ground a lot of the time.
If you’ve already set up shop here, players might attack you out of jealousy, or you might be fending off multiple players who just are passing through. This can happen in any settlement, but this golf course is among the most popular in the game, so expect it more here.
If you can get over those few negatives, you’ve got access to all of the resources, a great amount of space, a built-in security system, and good proximity to the vendors in the game. Overall, it’s one of the best places to call home in Fallout 76.
Wendigo Cave
You know that whenever you come to a cave in Fallout 76 that it’s going to house some nightmarish things and when it comes to the worst of the worst, the Wendigo Cave might just be it.
To explain why this location is so cool, there needs to be a bit of backstory added. This location is related to the long-running story of the Gourmands, who are cannibalistic Raiders that have had a presence through several Fallout games, particularly in Fallout: New Vegas. Here, you can find what started it all.
In a location called Bolton Greens located in West Virginia, the leader named Morris Stevens created the group, and they survived by killing and eating passing travelers. This eventually led to him eating one of his fellow members, and as a result, the group banished both him and his wife, too….you guessed it, the Wendigo Cave.
Of course, his taste for human flesh did not end there, and he ate his wife as well. This slowly changed him into the horrifying creature known as the Progenitor Wendigo.
With that in mind, approach the cave and start exploring it to find tons of powerful Feral Ghouls and Mirelurks abound. This area is very tough, so either come here with a friend or at least be armed well before entering. There are also corpses all over the place, which are apparent victims of Morris Stevens.
Travel further into the depths of the cave, and you’ll find Morris himself, completely mutated and horrific-looking and still very hungry for people. Quickly take him down, or else he’ll rip you apart in seconds.
It’s a chilling experience but an awesome throwback to one of Fallout’s oldest tales of terror.
Landview Lighthouse
Lighthouses are a pretty strange occurrence in Fallout 76, considering it takes place in West Virginia, but don’t tell that to the Landview Lighthours as this is one of the most bizarre locations in the game. If you work your way up the lighthouse, you will eventually get to the top area, and there you will find a corpse.
Upon inspecting the corpse, you feel that this was yet another member of the Cult of The Mothman named Brother Moncrief. His plan here is a bizarre one indeed as he was collecting the liquid from Fireflies to light up the lighthouse and please the High Priestess.
This is done to make the Great Mothman appear. Considering you can actually encounter the Mothman in the game, maybe Brother Moncrief was onto something here.
The Church in Sutton
Churches are places that Fallout uses to torture us, and whether it’s the terrifying ones in Fallout 4 or the ones in Fallout 76, they are some of the most dread-filled places in the game.
This church is located in a town called Sutton. When you discover the area, Sutton has a massive collection of 666 signs on it, so right away, you know things aren’t exactly good here.
Go into the church, and you’ll see just how not good things really are here, and you’ll find a bunch of corpses with the word REPENT written behind the altar. There is nothing more to see here, and you’ll probably wish you never walked in, but now that you know what to expect, you might as well take a look here.
White spring Resort
There it is again, the innocently-named place that houses some creepy backstory. The Whitespring Resort is not only creepy in Fallout 76 but creepy in real life. That’s right, the renamed Whitespring Resort is actually called The Greenbrier Hotel in real life, and it is known to be one of the most haunted places on earth.
This isn’t just one of those fun haunted houses either, I’m talking real-life ghost experiences, and tons of guests have been known to see and hear things that weren’t there when staying in this infamous place. The most famous incident of which dealt involved the Arizona Cardinals who booked a stay there for a training retreat and, during it, encountered the voice of a disembodied little girl.
With that in mind, entering the Whitespring Resort is awfully eerie as compared to the rest of the world; it’s completely spotless. No evidence of damage, no evidence of nuclear war, just a helpful Protectron staff and plenty of places to explore.
But what is the staff here for? Who are they serving? There are no people in here at all, and the more you wander around, the more you just want to get out as fast as you can, and I don’t blame you.
Unnamed Radio Tower
Some of the best places to visit in Fallout 76 aren’t necessarily the named locations but the places that have the best stories behind them. While most of these places have already seen their stories play out, and you just discover the remnants, this one happens right in front of you.
In Appalachia, you will find a massive radio tower, and near it, the area is packed with angry Super Mutants. Take them down, and you’ll be able to climb the tower where you’ll find a trail of human corpses.
These lead to a safe that has a note attached that says “screw you.” on it. In the note, you find the location of the safe key, and if you follow the directions, you can find it and unlock the safe to find out what the author of the note was protecting so dearly.
FAQs
Question: Can your camps be destroyed?
Answer: Your camps can be destroyed by both players and enemies alike, but the caveat to this is that you can only have your camp destroyed if you’re actually online. If you’re not playing the game, your valuables and campsite will be completely safe.
Question: Can you set up camp anywhere in the game?
Answer: Certain places are better than others for setting up your camp in the game, but generally, anywhere with enough land present can be used if you’d like.
Conclusion
One of the best parts in Fallout 76 is the exploration aspect. There is so much amazing scenery to explore and every turn you take might uncover the beginning of a new quest or give you some interesting backstory that you didn’t know before.
While the discovery is part of the journey, this guide is to help you find some of the more interesting places in the game and it won’t take away from exploring them in person.
While there is a lot listed here, trust me, there is a ton more that isn’t and with more areas being added to Fallout 76 each year, there is surely more to come as well.
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