Summary
Bethesda has released a big new update forFallout 76called “Gone Fission,” which brings a lot of new features, gameplay improvements, and balance changes. ThisFallout 76update also officially starts Season 21, which comes with fishing-themed challenges and fishtacular rewards.
Fallout 76has changed a lot since its rough launch in 2018. Back then, the game was filled with bugs and unmet expectations, and many people doubted it would last. But over time, Bethesda kept working on it and steadily turned things around through regular content and hotfix updates. For instance, shortly after the major Ghoul Within update,Fallout 76players got early accessto a test version of a fishing feature through the Public Test Server, giving them a chance to experience upcoming content.
After weeks of leaks and dev teases, theFallout 76June 3 patchis now live along with the full official notes. Update Version 1.7.20.12 brings in a new gameplay system focused entirely on fishing, launched through a questline called Casting Off. It all starts at a new spot in the Mire called Fisherman’s Rest, where players meet Captain Raymond Clark, better known as the Fisherman, and his hermit crab companion, Linda-Lee. Once the quest is complete, players get a Fishing Rod - which doesn’t need to be equipped - and can simply walk up to any swimmable body of water to use the new “Fish” command. The rod itself can be upgraded over time through a series of new challenges and Daily Quests, unlocking different styles, bobbers, reels, and more.
Fishing inFallout 76becomes even more complexand rewarding with the introduction of bait types (Common, Improved, and Superb) and dynamic weather interactions. Different baits increase the chance of catching rare or region-specific fish, and weather - both natural and modified via C.A.M.P. Weather Control Stations - affects catch rates. Once caught, fish can be consumed for health and hunger benefits, broken down into Fish Bits for crafting meals like Grilled Fish (which boosts fishing efficiency), or fed to Linda-Lee in exchange for random Legendary items. This new fishing system ties in directly with Season 21, “Gone Fission,” which offers themed rewards and a retroactive exchange of unused Season Tickets into Gold Bullion.
ThisFallout 76update also delivers major combat balance changes as part of a broader effort to improve build diversity, early-game pacing, and weapon viability. Mod behaviors were also adjusted, such as reduced AP costs for Plasma Gun Flamer mods and tweaks to Gatling Plasma performance. A new Quick Heal priority setting and a 25% Fast Travel cost reduction improve gameplay flow and accessibility, while broader fixes enhance everything from Power Armor and Ghoul mechanics to Perk Cards and UI polish, continuingBethesda’s push for a smootherFallout 76experience.
Update Version 1.7.20.12 & Sizes
Casting Off – New Questline
Head over to Fisherman’s Rest, a new location in the Mire where you’ll begin your fishing journey. Here you will meet a new trio of new characters. The disoriented Captain Raymond Clark, a mysterious new figure who goes by the name The Fisherman, and Linda-Lee, the Fisherman’s adorable pet hermit crab.
During the “Casting Off” questline you’ll receive a working Fishing Rod - allowing you to walk up to any body of water and start fishing. When deciding where you can fish, remember the mantra: “If you can swim in it, you can fish in it.”
Do note that the Fishing Rod won’t appear in your Pip-Boy menu as it’s not an item you need to equip. When you’re standing next to and looking at a body of water, the “Fish” command will appear on your screen. The Fishing Rod will show up in your Tinkers Workbench menu so you’re able to modify it though.
Upgrading your Fishing Rod
You can find the pieces needed to upgrade your fishing rod by completing the new fishing challenges and daily fishing quests. These will reward you with rod styles, bobbers, and linear reels to fine tune your fishing experience and help you catch the mysterious creatures living in the irradiated waters of the wasteland.
It’s important to know that some fish will be near impossible to catch until you upgrade your fishing rod, so get out there and complete those fishing challenges!
Catching Fish (Bait and Weather)
You can have the best-looking fishing rod in Appalachia, but it won’t help you catch any fish if you’re not using bait.
There are three types of bait to gather, and each one increases your chances of enticing rarer fish to bite down on your hook.
Common Bait
Gives you the chance to catch generic fish, scrapable junk, and common regional fish.
Common Bait is purchasable from The Fisherman and Captain Raymond Clark in Fisherman’s Rest. You also have a chance to receive this bait after completing the daily fishing quest.
Improved Bait
This bait gives you an increased chance of catching uncommon fish. While it’s not purchasable from any vendor, you can trade Improved Bait with other players. You can also get more from the daily fishing quest, public events, and finding it in lootable containers around the world.
Superb Bait
Earnable as rewards in Season 21, this bait gives you the best chance to catch very rare fish.
Weather
Weather also influences your odds of catching specific types of fish. Naturally occurring weather, as well as modified weather from a Weather Control Station in your C.A.M.P. will affect the type of fish that bite down on your hook.
Clear Weather:
Best suited for catching common fish that can be found in any region.
Rainy Weather:
Rainy weather has an increased chance of catching region-specific fish, as well as the elusive Axolotls.
Radstorm/Nuke Weather:
Radstorms and weather caused by nukes increase the chance of catching Glowing Fish.
We’ll leave it to you all to figure out which combination of bait and weather will give you the highest chance of helping you find the fish you want.
Food and More Adventures
Now that you’ve captured a few fish, what can you do with them?
Of course, you may eat them directly out of your inventory to restore some Hunger and Health. The larger the fish, the more you’ll regain.
You can also turn fish into…
Fish Bits
When you obtain a fish by fishing or trading with players, you immediately learn the recipe to convert that fish into Fish Bits at a Cooking Station. Fish Bits can restore small amounts of Hunger/Health on their own, but that’s not the best way to utilize this new material.
When at a cooking station, you’ll notice a new food recipe. The Grilled Fish recipe becomes available after completing the main fishing questline. When eaten it provides you with an effect that reduces the time to hook a fish for 20 minutes, which is perfect because you’re about to do a whole lot of fishing.
Completing fishing daily quests will give you the chance to earn other food recipes that utilize Fish Bits such as Fish and Tatos and Fish Chowder.
There’s one other location where you’re able to use Fish Bits. If you feed Linda-Lee Fish Bits she’ll give you a random Legendary item- just don’t ask where it came from.
Time to Explore
With the addition of fishing there is now a lot of aquatic life for you to find.
Common fish can be found across the map, but there are a ton of region-specific fish to discover along with their glowing variants.
There are also 12 adorable Axolotls to find. One of these glorious amphibians will be available for you to catch every month throughout the year. Keep an eye on our social channels for hints on where they’re located every month.
Lastly, Local Legends. These are the fish you’ll be bragging about catching. That’s all we’ll say about them for now.
Flaunting the Catch
Completing fishing challenges and dailies will reward you with new C.A.M.P. items along with upgrades for your fishing rod. One of these items is a curved fish display so you can show off that rare local legend or Axolotl you were able to catch!
Season 21: Gone Fission
Speaking of flaunting. Season 21 brings a whole suite of new fishing-themed rewards for you to unlock.
Starting today, unused Season Tickets will be turned into Gold Bullion when the next season starts. This retroactively applies to your unused tickets from the previous three seasons.
When you log in after today’s update, you’ll be greeted with a message asking you to confirm the transfer of Gold Bullion to your character inventory. If you’re not sure you have the space, deny the transfer and check your character. The next time you launch the game you’ll be greeted with the same message.
Combat Rebalance – A Year in Update
Last year we kicked off our long-term combat rebalancing project with the Skyline Valley update.
We started this work wanting to make sure:
With the changes made so far, we’ve seen significant improvement in the variety of ranged weapons being used. There are also fewer difficulty spikes in early to mid-game locations which makes the leveling experience smoother for our newer players. Build diversity has also increased as we see people exploring the new opportunities that the Perk card changes have provided.
While we’ve already made significant progress, the next few updates will include a few larger and more impactful changes and represent the culmination of much of the balancing work we’ve done. This gives us a solid new foundation for the future content we have planned.
After these updates, we plan on slowing down to let things settle and evaluate how things shake out.
Combat Balance
Adjusted the Out-of-Range Damage Multiplier for the Following Weapons
These weapons now keep more of their damage at longer ranges.
Lowered Base AP Costs for the Following Weapons
Increased Base Damage for the Following Weapons
These values represent the weapons at their maximum level - all lower levels are scaled proportionally.
The Following Weapons No-longer Receive an AP Cost Reduction from Their Automatic Receivers
Adjusted the Base Critical Attack Damage Bonuses for the Following Weapons
Adjusted the Base Sneak Attack Damage Bonuses for the Following Weapons
Plasma and Enclave Plasma Gun Splitter Mod Adjustments
Plasma and Enclave Plasma Gun Flamer Mod Adjustments
Plasma and Enclave Plasma Gun Automatic Mod Adjustments
Base Damage Adjustments for the Following Weapon
Removed an Unintended Additional Damage Bonus on the Following Mods for the Western Revolver
The damage removed from these mods was already accounted for with prior base damage increases.
Miscellaneous Combat Changes
Limb Damage and Crippling Changes
We are making changes to the way that enemy limbs are affected by various effects. The mods, perks, and weapons mentioned below previously had a chance to instantly cripple a target, but now they deal a percentage increase to the amount of limb damage dealt.
We expect that these changes will make most enemies easier to cripple while making limb damage more consistent and predictable. It will also result in making crippling enemies like Region Bosses more difficult, requiring more focused fire.
These changes will also allow us to remove cripple immunity from many creatures and leverage limb and crippling in more engaging ways moving forward.
Mutations
Weapons
These weapons all now have +50% limb damage instead of a chance to cripple.
Weapon Mods
These weapon mods now have +50% limb damage instead of chance to cripple the target.
Enemies No-Longer Immune to Crippling
Perks
We’re removing the Perk requirements from crafting. Since you already need to have learned the plan, we feel that requiring you to change your Perk loadout to craft is cumbersome.
