Ghoul Within is the twenty-second major update for Fallout 76.[1] It was released on March 18, 2025. It was preceded by Gleaming Depths and will be followed by the fishing update in June 2025.[2][3]
The update includes the playable ghoul feature, allowing the player character to transform into a ghoul, with various related gameplay mechanics and new perks. It also includes the twentieth season, Glow of the Ghoul, and The Big Bloom, a new seasonal public event for the spring.
Background[]
Playable ghouls coming to Fallout 76 was first announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024, alongside the trailer for Skyline Valley. The video gave a release date of "early 2025." Further previews of the feature were shown during the Fallout Day Broadcast in October 2024.[4] The community calendar for season 19, published in November 2024, first revealed the release date of March 2025.[5] The Public Test Server for the update opened on December 21, 2024.
According to producer Bill LaCoste, the development team had discussed the possibility of implementing a playable ghoul race for some time. After the release of the Fallout TV series, highly positive fan reception to the character of the Ghoul further solidified the team's plans, with LaCoste saying "we knew we'd made the right decision."[6] According to Jonathan Rush, the playable ghoul mechanic was intended as a multiplier on a suite of new roles brought with 4-star legendaries.[7]
The update's final release date of March 18, 2025, was announced two weeks prior on March 4, alongside the reveal of the update's official title, Ghoul Within, and previews for season 20. A developer AMA (Ask Me Anything) was hosted as a live event in the Bethesda Game Studios Discord server, with pre-submitted questions from the community, on March 14, 2025. During one of the approximately twenty questions answered during this AMA, the developers announced that an additional character slot would be added to accounts, increasing from five to six in total, but this was retracted on March 17 with an announcement that there would be no additional character slot.[8]
Features[]
- Season 20: Glow of the Ghoul
- Playable ghoul feature, allowing the player character to become a ghoul
- 28 new perks for ghouls, as well as two legendary perks
- Two new main quests: Leap of Faith and A Fresh Pair of Genes
The Big Bloom public event- Onslaught gameplay mechanic
- Level 50 boost available for new characters
- Various combat balancing changes, including a buff to pistols
Characters[]
This section is transcluded from Fallout 76 characters. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.
| Name | Dialogue file | 
|
|
|
Form ID | Ref ID | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black-Eyed Susan | Dialogue | 0079AAA5 | 0079ABEC | Susan's cabin | |||
| Dave | Dialogue | 007BB073 | 007BB077 | Radiant Hills | |||
| Ernie Navarro | Dialogue | 007A1089 | 007A108B | Radiant Hills | |||
| Guy | Dialogue | 007CF736 | 007CF92F | Radiant Hills | |||
| Jaye Vo | Dialogue | 007A0E9B | 007A0E9D | Radiant Hills | |||
| Jess | Dialogue | 007BB074 | 007BB078 | Radiant Hills | |||
| Kevan Asherton | Dialogue | 
|
00797EE6 007A1993 |
007AB8D6 00797F6B 007A1999 |
Hillside cavern Emmett Mountain side tunnel Radiant Hills | ||
| Leamon Price | Dialogue |
|
0078DB2F | 0078DB32 | The Whitespring Resort | ||
| Maddox Mullen | Dialogue |
|
0079C970 | 0079CA95 | Radiant Hills | ||
| Madeline Keene | Dialogue |
|
00798092 | 0079809D | Emmett Mountain side tunnel | ||
| Magellan | 
|
|
0079AAA7 | 007A8D4D | Susan's cabin | ||
| Parthenia Blankenship | Dialogue |
|
00797EE7 | 007ABF06 007AB8D5 |
Hillside cavern Radiant Hills | ||
| Regular Debbie | Dialogue | 007A11B2 | 007A11B4 | Radiant Hills | |||
| Revenants | Dialogue | Various | Various | Radiant Hills |
Creatures[]
Factions[]
Items[]
Armor and apparel[]
- Flower-printed sundress
- Flower crown (and variants)
- Flower suit
- Glowing ghoul mask
- Merc charmer outfit (and blouse variant)
- Nosey glasses
- Radiation quack outfit
- Wasteland florist apron (and sunhat)
- Yellow Vault-Tec hazmat suit
Armor skins[]
- Radium paint
- Sharpshooter power armor paint
Consumables[]
- "The Fix"
- Black-Eyed Susan's soothin'
- Canned cranberry relish
- Gamma green tea
- Slice of slime cake
Keys[]
| Img | Name (Editor ID) |
Opens | Found / in possession of | Related quest | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Emmett Mountain side tunnel key GHL00_Quest_EmmettMountainSideTunnel_GateKey |
Gate to irradiated section of Emmett Mountain side tunnel | Obtained during quest | Leap of Faith | 0079843A |
|
Last Door key GHL_Repose_Last_Door |
The "Last Door" at Point Repose | On barrel outside main rounded building at Point Repose | 007ACFD9 |
Holotapes[]
This section is transcluded from Fallout 76 holotapes. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.
| Name | Quest | Editor ID | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|
 Magellan's log 1
|
SSE_MagellansLog01_Holotape | 0079AAA3 | |
| Magellan's log 2
|
SSE_MagellansLog02_Holotape | 0079AAA2 | |
| Magellan's log 3
|
SSE_MagellansLog03_Holotape | 0079AAA4 |
Notes[]
| Name | Quest | Editor ID | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|
 A failed dinner
|
GHL_Cabin_2Cannibal | 007AE9FC | |
| Asher's training notes
|
GHL00_Note_AshersTrainingNotes | 007A808C | |
| Bill of sale
|
SSE_BillofSale | 0079AF0C | |
| Change of plans
|
GHL_Cabin_3Cannibal | 007AE9FE | |
| Dear Barbara
|
GHL00_NotePointRepose_LettertoBarb | 007AD0A1 | |
| Elmira's dream
|
GHL00_Note_ElmirasDream | 007A808D | |
| Eugenie's response
|
GHL00_Note_EugeniesResponse | 007A8089 | |
| Extortion!
|
SSE_Extortion | 0079AF0A | |
| Letter of resignation
|
SSE_Resignation | 0079AF0D | |
| Goodbye Justin
|
GHL00_NotePointRepose_JustinUsedtheDoor | 007AEC6A | |
Hetty is loosing her mind
|
GHL_Cabin_1OriginalOwners | 007AE9FD | |
| Last Door safety rules
|
GHL00_NotePointRepose_DoorRules | 007ACEED | |
| Leamon's diary
|
Leap of Faith | GHL00_Note_LeamonsDiary | 007A808B |
| Letter to Jaye
|
GHL00_Note_LetterToJaye | 007A808A | |
| Observations of Point Repose
|
GHL00_Note_Ernie_ReposeStuddies
|
007B7718 | |
| Scream
|
GHL00_Note_POIKill | 007AA886 | |
| Training plan
|
SSE_TrainingPlan | 0079AF0B | |
| To whoever else was an idiot
|
GHL00_Note_Treasure | 007ACC9C | |
| Today is not the last day I can write
|
GHL00_NotePoint_ReposeLastDay | 007ACDAF | |
| We are here
|
GHL00_NotePointRepose_WeAreHere | 007AECDD | |
| Welcome to Point Repose
|
GHL00_NotePointRepose_Welcome | 007ACEEC |
Plans[]
The Big Bloom[]
Note: This is a simple alphabetical list. For more details on drop rates and other information about the event's rewards, see Event: The Big Bloom.
- Plan: Flower crown - candykill
- Plan: Flower crown - carnal weeper
- Plan: Flower crown - crystalcup
- Plan: Flower crown - embergold
- Plan: Flower crown - gigablossom
- Plan: Flower crown - glorybell
- Plan: Flower crown - green invader
- Plan: Flower crown - radlily
- Plan: Flower crown - seesprout
- Plan: Flower crown - starlace
- Plan: Flower suit
- Plan: Flower-printed sundress
- Plan: Garden trowel knife
- Plan: Honey beast flower display
- Plan: Honey beast tube
- Plan: Large glazed pot
- Plan: Medium glazed pot
- Plan: Pot o' carnal weeper
- Plan: Pot o' crystalcup
- Plan: Pot o' radlily
- Plan: Small glazed pot
- Plan: Susan's floral secrets
- Plan: Wasteland florist apron
- Plan: Wasteland florist sunhat
- Recipe: Black-Eyed Susan's soothin'
- Recipe: Gamma green tea
Other[]
- Plan: Shattered Grounds handmade paint (sold by Regs)
Weapon skins[]
- Garden trowel knife (combat knife)
- Irradiated paint (various)
Locations[]
- Emmett Mountain side tunnel
- Hillside cavern
- Old Danielson cabin
- Point Repose
- Radiant Hills
- Susan's cabin
- The Bullengrube
Perks[]
This section is transcluded from Fallout 76 playable ghoul. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.
Strength[]
“Strength is a measure of your raw physical power. It affects how much you carry, and the damage of all melee attacks.”
| Strength perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Arms of Steel | 70 | 1 | Your sturdy arms allow you to handle ranged weapons better, increasing accuracy by 15% | 00797E62 |
| 2 | Your sturdy arms allow you to handle ranged weapons better, increasing accuracy by 30% | 00797E5F | |||
|
Bone Shatterer | 90 | 1 | Your melee weapon attacks have a 15% chance to cripple a limb. | 00797E47 |
| 2 | Your melee weapon attacks have a 30% chance to cripple a limb. | 00797E32 | |||
| 3 | Your melee weapon attacks have a 45% chance to cripple a limb. | 00797E3E | |||
|
Brick Wall | 100 | 1 | When your Glow is high, it makes you immune to staggering attacks. Cost: 2 | 00797E44 |
|
Radioactive Strength | 80 | 1 | Expend a moderate amount of Glow to deal 50% more damage with power attacks and bashing. | 00797E1D |
| 2 | Expend a moderate amount of Glow to deal 100% more damage with power attacks and bashing. | 00797E3B | |||
| 3 | Expend a moderate amount of Glow to deal 150% more damage with power attacks and bashing. | 00797E43 | |||
Perception[]
“Perception affects your awareness of nearby enemies, your ability to detect stealthy movement, and your weapon accuracy in V.A.T.S.”
| Perception perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Breathe It In | 60 | 1 | Rad resistance is reduced by 50. | 00797E3F |
| 2 | Rad resistance is reduced by 100. | 00797E24 | |||
| 3 | Rad resistance is reduced by 150. | 00797E5E | |||
|
Eye of the Hunter | 85 | 1 | Your vision grants you +20% accuracy in V.A.T.S. from a slightly longer distance. | 00797E2F |
| 2 | Your vision grants you +25% accuracy in V.A.T.S. from a longer distance | 00797E5B | |||
| 3 | Your vision grants you +30% accuracy in V.A.T.S. from a very long distance. | 00797E2B | |||
|
Glowing Hunter | 75 | 1 | Traces of glowing blood now have a 50% chance to appear on animal corpses. | 007B283E |
|
Rad-Reaver | 100 | 1 | Dealing non-automatic melee damage provides a small amount of Glow. Cost: 2 | 007AD43C |
Endurance[]
“Endurance is a measure of your overall physical fitness. It affects your total Health, the Action Point drain from sprinting, and your resistance to disease.”
| Endurance perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Chem Diet | 55 | 1 | Chems are 25% more effective at reducing how feral you are. | 00797E4B |
| 2 | Chems are 50% more effective at reducing how feral you are. | 00797E28 | |||
| 3 | Chems are 75% more effective at reducing how feral you are. | 00797E53 | |||
|
Glowing Gut | 80 | 1 | Irradiated food and drink grant 100% more rads. | 00797E27 |
| 2 | Irradiated food and drink grant 200% more rads. | 00797E49 | |||
| 3 | Irradiated food and drink grant 300% more rads. | 00797E40 | |||
|
Radiation Power | 50 | 1 | Expend a small amount of Glow per hit to deal 10% bonus damage to targets. | 00797E50 |
| 2 | Expend a small amount of Glow per hit to deal 20% bonus damage to targets. | 00797E2A | |||
| 3 | Expend a small amount of Glow per hit to deal 30% bonus damage to targets. | 00797E37 | |||
|
Thick Skin | 60 | 1 | Your body now takes 3% less damage from Ballistic attacks. (No power Armor.) | 00797E59 |
| 2 | Your body now takes 6% less damage from Ballistic attacks. (No power Armor.) | 00797E26 | |||
| 3 | Your body now takes 10% less damage from Ballistic attacks. (No power Armor.) | 00797E48 | |||
Charisma[]
“Charisma is your ability to lead and help others. It allows you to share your Perk Cards (CHA must be greater than or equal to 3 times the point value of the card you wish to share) and also affects your rewards from Group Quests and prices when you barter.”
| Charisma perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Feral Presence | 80 | 1 | While Feral, reduce your target's damage output by 15% after you attack for 5 seconds. | 00797E57 |
| 2 | While Feral, reduce your target's damage output by 30% after you attack for 5 seconds. | 00797E33 | |||
|
Glowing One | 70 | 1 | Holding large amounts of Glow provides Glow to nearby ghouls on your team. | 007AEE1C |
| 2 | Holding large amounts of Glow provides greater Glow to nearby ghouls on your team. | 007AEE1B | |||
|
Moral Support | 70 | 1 | When on a team, you become Feral 50% slower. | 007ABF08 |
|
United Ordeal | 60 | 1 | While in a team with another ghoul, you gain +1 to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats. | 00797E45 |
| 2 | While in a team with another ghoul, you gain +2 to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats. | 00797E61 | |||
| 3 | While in a team with another ghoul, you gain +3 to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats. | 00797E3C | |||
Intelligence[]
“Intelligence is a measure of overall mental acuity (+2.072% XP per INT), and affects your ability to hack terminals, the condition and durability of items that you craft, and the return you get from scrapping.”
| Intelligence perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Bomb Scientist | 80 | 1 | Expending Glow makes your thrown grenades deal +20% damage. | 007A18EB |
| 2 | Expending Glow makes your thrown grenades deal +35% damage. | 007A159A | |||
| 3 | Expending Glow makes your thrown grenades deal +50% damage. | 007A159B | |||
|
Mad Scientist | 60 | 1 | Energy weapons expand a small amount of Glow per attack for 10% Damage. | 00797E41 |
| 2 | Energy weapons expand a small amount of Glow per attack for 15% Damage. | 00797E46 | |||
| 3 | Energy Weapons expand a small amount of Glow per attack for 20% Damage. | 00797E2C | |||
|
Rad Specialist | 70 | 1 | Increase Rad intake by 15% on Armor & Power Armor, Double if wearing a matching set. | 00797E21 |
| 2 | Increase Rad intake by 20% on Armor & Power Armor, Double if wearing a matching set. | 00797E36 | |||
| 3 | Increase Rad intake by 25% on Armor & Power Armor, Double if wearing a matching set. | 007CFA0F | |||
|
Science Monster | 100 | 1 | While you have Glow, gain 5% bonus damage for 10 seconds upon getting hit. | 00797E56 |
| 2 | While you have Glow, gain 10% bonus damage for 10 seconds upon getting hit. | 00797E4A | |||
| 3 | While you have Glow, gain 15% bonus damage for 10 seconds upon getting hit. | 00797E4E | |||
Agility[]
“Agility is a measure of your overall finesse and reflexes. It affects the number of Action Points in V.A.T.S. and your ability to sneak.”
| Agility perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Action Ghoul | 50 | 1 | The power of Glow makes your AP regenerate 15% faster. | 00797E5C |
| 2 | The power of Glow makes your AP regenerate 30% faster. | 00797E39 | |||
| 3 | The power of Glow makes your AP regenerate 45% faster. | 00797E23 | |||
|
Gun Tricks | 80 | 1 | Your enhanced reflexes allow you to reload weapons 10% faster. | 007ADC79 |
| 2 | Your enhanced reflexes allow you to reload weapons 20% faster. | 007ADC7A | |||
| 3 | Your enhanced reflexes allow you to reload weapons 30% faster. | 007ADC7B | |||
|
Hyper Reflexes | 100 | 1 | When your Glow is high, gain a 10% Evasion chance. (No Power Armor) | 007AE868 |
| 2 | When your Glow is high, gain a 15% Evasion chance. (No Power Armor) | 007AE867 | |||
| 3 | When your Glow is high, gain a 20% Evasion chance. (No Power Armor) | 007AE866 | |||
|
Jaguar Speed | 60 | 1 | You now sprint 10% faster when your Glow is high. | 00797E29 |
| 2 | You now sprint 20% faster when your Glow is high.. | 00797E1F | |||
Luck[]
“Luck is a measure of your overall good fortune, and affects the recharge rate of critical hits as well as the condition and durability of items you loot.”
| Luck perks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Level | Rank | Description | Form ID |
|
Battle-Genes | 80 | 1 | Gain 2 HP per second while in combat. | 00797E3A |
| 2 | Gain 4 HP per second while in combat. | 00797E2E | |||
|
Faulty Spots | 75 | 1 | Weak point damage is increased by 15%. Cost: 2 | 00797E5A |
|
Glowing Criticals | 100 | 1 | When your Glow is high, Gain 20% bonus Critical damage in V.A.T.S. | 00797E25 |
| 2 | When your Glow is high, Gain 35% bonus Critical damage in V.A.T.S. | 00797E5D | |||
| 3 | When your Glow is high, Gain 50% bonus Critical damage in V.A.T.S. | 00797E4F | |||
|
Wild West Hands | 65 | 1 | 12% chance to instantly reload your entire magazine when empty. | 00797E20 |
| 2 | 24% chance to instantly reload your entire magazine when empty. | 00797E30 | |||
| 3 | 36% chance to instantly reload your entire magazine when empty. | 00797E2D | |||
Quests[]
Main[]
| Icon | Name | Location(s) | Given by | Reward | Editor ID | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Leap of Faith | The Whitespring Refuge Hillside cavern Emmett Mountain side tunnel Radiant Hills |
Distress signal | Radiation quack outfit Random aid Caps Experience Points |
GHL00_Quest | 0078DE64 |
|
|
A Fresh Pair of Genes | Hillside cavern Radiant Hills |
Parthenia Blankenship | Player ghoul race Access to Radiant Hills Random aid Caps Experience Points |
GHL00_Quest_TransformPlayer | 007980FD |
Public events[]
| Icon | Name | Location(s) | Given by | Reward | Editor ID | Form ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Big Bloom | Susan's cabin | Black-Eyed Susan | Various | SSE_BigBloom | 0079AA0F |
Radio stations[]
- Distress signal (temporary, quest-only)
Gallery[]
Community calendar (March - June 2025)
Ghoul Within keyart
Ghoul Within keyart
Ghoul Within Steam library capsule, sans title
Ghoul Within capsule with title
Ghoul Within promotional banner
Ghoul Within background keyart
Promotional image of playable ghoul race
Promotional image of playable ghoul race
Promotional image of playable ghoul race
Promotional image of ghouls at Radiant Hills
Promotional image from trailer
Promotional image from trailer
Promotional image from trailer
Promotional image from trailer
Promotional image from trailer
Customization, with hairstyle menu
Promotional art for 2025 updates by Nicky Barkla, featuring a ghoul fisherman
- Season 20 images
Season 20 keyart
Videos[]
Fallout 76- Ghoul Within Launch Trailer
Fallout 76 - Season 20- Glow of the Ghoul
T0nik's Guide to Ghouls
Fallout 76 - Ghoul Within Developer AMA (March 14, 2025 - Archive)
External links[]
- Fallout 76: Season 20: Glow of the Ghoul (archived)
- Fallout 76 Seasons Overview (archived)
- The Fallout 76 Guide to Playing a Ghoul (archived)
- Fallout 76: Ghoul Within Release Notes (archived)
- Unleash the Ghoul Within (archived)
References[]
- ↑ "Season 20: Glow of the Ghoul" on fallout.bethesda.net (archived)
- ↑ Fallout 76 season 20 community calendar (March - June 2025)
- ↑ "Thank You, Vault Dwellers!" on fallout.bethesda.net (archived)
- ↑ Fallout Day Broadcast 2024
- ↑ Fallout 76 season 19 community calendar (December 2024 - March 2025)
- ↑ Fallout 76 is about to get the one feature we've always wanted (archived)
- ↑ Youtube - Fallout Day - Fallout Day Deep Dive with Tooniversal!
- ↑ Quick Update: Ghoul Within AMA - Character Slots (archived)
|