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The light machine gun, or MG42 light machine gun,[1][2] is a heavy gun in Fallout 76.

Background[]

An alternative design for the squad light machine gun, the MG42 was designed during the later half of World War II in Nazi Germany.[Non-game 1] Designed from the start to be low cost and easy to build, the MG42 is an air-cooled, belt fed, open bolt, recoil-operated machine gun with a barrel capable of quick changes in the middle of combat.[3] After World War II, copies of the MG42 produced in the United States would be a semi-common sight in Appalachia.[4]

Characteristics[]

F76 MG42 expanded

Light machine gun, expanded

This light machine gun is a heavy gun that fires .308 rounds. The light machine gun has a high rate of fire and high per-shot damage. However, .308 ammunition is not commonly found in Appalachia, especially in large quantities. For modifications, there is only one non-standard receiver option available. If choosing to use this weapon, the required Ultracite .308 rounds would have to either be crafted via being boosted by the Ammosmith perk and/or the Ammo Factory legendary perk, purchased from other players, looted from contextual ammo drops (such as in Daily Ops), or collected via the converted munitions factory in large quantities. As the light machine gun is classed as a heavy weapon in-game, it will benefit from the Heavy Gunner and Bear Arms perks.

This weapon has the second-highest standard AP cost of any weapon in the game (and the third-highest overall) due to the receiver, stock, and drum inexplicably increasing the cost. Only the Fat Man or an Enclave plasma gun with certain mods go higher.

Crafting[]

Weapon modifications[]

Receiver
ModEffectsDamage changeRange changeAP cost changeRequirementsResources
Automatic+25%Known by default
Prime automatic
(Prime)
+65% Damage to Scorched
Note: Uses Ultracite ammo
+25%-12+25%Plan Read plan to learn
Gunsmith 5 to craft
Adhesive x4
Gear x2
Oil x4
Pure crimson flux x2
Pure violet flux x2
Screw x4
Steel x14
Ultracite x5

Barrel
ModDescriptionRequirementsResources
Long+25% Sighted Accuracy
+50% Recoil
Known by default

Stock
ModDescriptionAP cost changeRequirementsResources
Full stock-10% Aim Speed
+40% Sighted Accuracy
-25% Recoil
+20%Known by default

Magazine
ModDescriptionAP cost changeRequirementsResources
Drum-3% Aim Speed+10%Known by default

Muzzle
ModDescriptionRange changeRequirementsResources
Muzzle brake-10% Recoil
-200% Per-Shot Recoil
-18Scrap to learn (25% chance)
Gunsmith 4 to craft

Paint
AppearanceNameDescriptionRequirementsResources
FO76LMG
Default AppearanceKnown by defaultNone
Atx skin weaponskin mg42 enclave
Enclave PaintSend your bullets flying for the Enclave with this Enclave Light Machine Gun Paint.Unlocked via Atomic Shop
Atom
Oil x1
Fallout-76-season-14-presidential-paint-LMG-rank-5
Presidential PaintGive your weapon a touch of class with this Presidential Light Machine Gun Paint!Rank 5 reward in Fight for Freedom
season S.C.O.R.E.
Oil x1

Locations[]

  • Can be crafted from any weapons workbench after the plan is obtained.
  • Some vendor bots may occasionally sell one.
  • Has a chance of being given as a reward for completing a daily quest.

Notes[]

  • Despite being a belt-fed machine gun, the player does not align the ammo belt to the feed tray while reloading.
  • In third-person view, no casings nor belt links are ejected by the machine gun when it is fired.
  • The muzzle break mod is not known by default, and must be learned by scrapping.
  • It is clear due to the number of available mod slots that many more mods were planned for the MG42 than were ultimately implemented.
  • According to the Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide, it was originally intended to have a fire rate of 929, whereas the minigun would have had a fire rate of 251. If this had been implemented and the weapon had the 2-star Rapid legendary effect, its fire rate would have been roughly 1161.

Behind the scenes[]

The MG42 is based on the real-life MG 42 machine gun.

Bugs[]

PCPC Playstation 4Playstation 4 Xbox OneXbox One The muzzle brake mod is not known by default.

References[]

  1. Plan: MG42 light machine gun
  2. Editor ID: MG42
  3. Model details
  4. Light machine guns in Fallout 76

Non-game

  1. Real-world history of the MG42, which parallels the LMG in 76, as evidenced by its schematics name in-game.
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