If you’re following along with the main storyline in Fallout 76, you’ll eventually head down south to the Ash Heap. Here, you’ll need to complete the Fallout 76 Fire Breathers Exam. It’s mandatory, it’s a little lengthy, but wow, what an ending to the questline!
Who Were the Fire Breathers?
The Fire Breathers call the Charleston Fire Department their home base. The unit is an elite division of the Responders tasked with toppling the Scorch Plague.
As you progress through the primary questline, you’ll receive a task to join the Fire Breathers by moving through three exams: Knowledge Exam, Physical Exam, and the Final Exam.
Fallout 76 Fire Breathers Exam Walkthrough
The first portion of the quest, Into the Fire, involves completing a multiple-choice Knowledge Exam. Once you locate the terminal on the first floor of the Charleston Fire Department, located in a back office along with a charismatic and overly-friendly NPC, you’ll boot up the sequence and answer each question.
Knowledge Exam
You need 7/7 to pass.
The Fire Breathers exam answers are:
- Exam Answer 1: “Evacuate as quickly as possible.”
- Exam Answer 2: “A water-soaked rag.”
- Exam Answer 3: “Gently bind the burn with clean bandages.”
- Exam Answer 4: “Retreat immediately.”
- Exam Answer 5: “1 pt. Purified Water, 2 Ash Rose, 2 Blight, 2 Soot Flower.”
- Exam Answer 6: “Fall back and engage from a distance with firearms.”
- Exam Answer 7: “End his life as mercifully as possible.”
Physical Exam
Once you’ve passed the Knowledge Exam, it’s time to prove your mettle. You’ll need to pass the Physical Exam, which involves a timed foot race through the rubble of Charleston.
The first waypoint takes you to Charleston Herald. The easiest way indoors is to walk around to the front, then climb the makeshift staircase leading to the second floor. Up top, you’ll find a waiting terminal, a walkway leading to the next building, and a red button.
First, activate the terminal and select the exam. Once prompted, hit the button. Do not forget to press the button before you go running along the path! It is imperative!
From there, follow the red arrows through the decaying city until you reach the second button, which prompts you to return to the starting location. In all, you have 3 minutes to complete the run.
Final Exam
The final exam is a breeze. You’ll head further south, well into the Ash Heap, where a robot named Bernie awaits in a bunker outside the Belching Betty mineshaft.
Bernie will provide you with a ticket, which in turn awards you with a full Fire Breathers kit, including an Anti-Scorched Training Pistol. It’s a modified 10mm, in full-auto, capable of dealing additional damage to Scorched.
The goal is to make your way successfully to the bottom of the mineshaft, through the horde of Scorched, where a final red button stands ready for you. Once you hit the button, head back up and speak to Bernie.
Joining the Fire Breathers
With the Knowledge Exam, Physical Exam, and Final Exam complete, you’re officially ready to join the Fallout 76 Fire Breathers! Congrats!
But first, you need to walk or fast-travel back to Charleston Fire Department, head upstairs to the awaiting terminal, and officially register as a Fire Breather.
Congratulations, you’re now one of the elite Responders!