When Fallout 76 first launched exclusively on the Bethesda Launcher, it was an utter mess. Now, over one year later, developer Bethesda Game Studios has released its titular post-apocalyptic MMO on Steam, and, through a full year of hard work, it’s doing quite well in most camps. The review ratings are up, and folks are prepping to launch a nuke in Fallout 76 for the very first time.
If this is your first time wielding a machete and venturing out of Vault 76, you’re in for a wild ride. Often, that wild ride is downright challenging without a helping hand. Don’t bother looking to the other residents of the land, as they’re usually nasty and trigger-happy. But you know what can stop a psycho raider and their posse? A nuke!
Join the Enclave, See the World… Burn
Your first task when prepping a nuclear launch in West Virginia is to locate the Enclave and join their ranks. For that, you’ll want to trek to the Abandoned Waste Dump in the Mire. Remember: You’ll want to be a high enough level to combat the various mutations and raider groups in-between you and your destination, though.
Once at the Abandoned Waste Dump, locate a holotape that points you toward an Enclave robot by the name of “MODUS.” From there, it’s a cakewalk. You’ll receive quests sending you over the map and back, ending with the “Officer on Deck” quest, which promotes you to General of the Enclave and unlocks a surveillance system terminal in the Enclave headquarters.
Secure Nuclear Keycards from Cargobots
Now, with access to the surveillance system terminal, you’ll track Cargobots and Vertibots through the Wasteland. Each one carries a Nuclear Keycard, which you’ll require to launch a nuke in Fallout 76.
Once you track a group of bots, it’s time to engage. You must shoot each one down, lock pick the strongbox, and secure the keycard within.
We recommend acquiring more than one keycard as you use up one per launch, whether or not you’re successful.
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Eight Nuclear Code Fragments
With the keycards tucked away in your inventory, it’s time to find eight nuclear code fragments in Fallout 76. Similar to the previously-mentioned keycards, you loot the pieces from various enemies. For the most part, you’ll find yours on Feral Ghoul Officers. They wear unique transponders (a bulky pack with a blinking red light) and enjoy an escort by a handful of ghouls as bodyguards. Take them down!
It’s important to note that, from your surveillance terminal, you must pick officer missions that correspond with a specific silo — Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. It’s the only surefire way to ensure specific codes work correctly.
Decrypt Your Launch Code Loot
That’s not the end of the road. Just because you have the code fragments to launch a nuke in Fallout 76 doesn’t mean you’re ready to release hellfire on the world.
It’s time to decrypt the launch code segments and prepare for the bunker. With the keycard and code fragments, explore the Enclave bunker’s command/military wing for a board with a corresponding silo keyword. Depending on the reset time for the week, you’ll only see a partial keyword. The full word unveils just before reset.
With the keyword and fragments, you’ll begin the decryption process, which involves a rather tricky setup in which you must write out the alphabet, remove letters found in the code, and insert them along with the fragments of code. But that is a whole other guide.
Venturing Forth into the Silo
Arguably the most challenging portion of the nuclear launch process, the silo requires you to tackle high-level enemies and tricky security systems, along with copious amounts of radiation. You’ll want a few buddies, a lot of ammo, and more than enough Rad-X, RadAway, and Stimpaks to last. We’re talking potentially hundreds of each one.
Each area brings about an additional challenge. To start, you’ll want to move past the laser grid. To do this, forge new Biometric ID cards at the nearby terminal. Once here, select Security Terminal > Security Station to begin the forging process. From there, scan in your Biometric Data before looting the old ID cards in the room. Then, go to the biometric ID machine to craft a fresh one.
Once past the laser beams of inevitable death, you must lift the lockdown status on the nuclear reactor. Nearby, you’ll find a terminal with “Power System Repair Instructions.” That menu is your goal, and it will trigger waves of robotic enemies. It’s a waiting game now. Will you survive the onslaught? You will, but only if you brought enough supplies and pals.
The next few areas are straightforward — walk in, kill the enemies, walk to the next area. Beyond these few areas, you’ll stumble upon the mainframe. Your goal is to destroy the cores and open the security door. But then, once you’re finished bashing a few mainframe cores from their sockets, you must repair them and place them in the second mainframe. Thankfully, Bethesda put a Tinker’s workstation nearby. You’ll need three steel and two circuits per core.
Launch Your First Nuke
If you have a high enough hacking skill (level 3), you can use the security terminal just before the control room. On the said terminal, you’ll find controls for the ensuing machine gun turrets and may alter their targeting parameters to ignore the player group. We highly recommend one of your party doing so.
Inside the control room, you’ll find yet another terminal. This terminal includes the “Initiate Launch Prep” controls. Once activated, the Section Chief bots will begin their automated repair process, for which you must protect them and replace any downed bots. You’ll be facing quite the onslaught of enemies here.
Once done, insert your Nuclear Keycard, type in the correct code, and select an area on the world map to drop the nuclear bomb. Most people choose their bomb location tactically. For instance, certain areas will spawn the Scorchbeast when nuked.
Once you’ve chosen your bombing target, get out! You have three minutes to evacuate the silo safely with your team.
Collect Your Much-Earned Loot
Did you think dropping a nuclear bomb was only for show? Of course not! Take your merry band of survivors and venture to the nuked area, which is now bogged down by radiation. You’ll soon find high-level enemies ranging from level 50 on up spawning. But the loot is fantastic. You’ll complete with other players for drops, so be quick and be deadly.
Congratulations! You now know how to launch a nuke in Fallout 76!