Best Fallout 76 Builds In 2024

Many dangers wander the wastes of West Virginia, from the Scorched, raiders, Super Mutants, and mutated wildlife to the many cryptids found only in Appalachia. As you fend off against these threats and level up, enemies will scale to your level, making them just as deadly as you are. Some builds made by the community can help you not only survive the post-apocalypse but also dominate the biggest, baddest enemies in the wasteland.

Here are the best builds you can make in Fallout 76 for 2024.

What makes a build?

The core part of your build is your S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats and the perk cards for each stat. These perk cards will not only increase the damage of certain weaponry, but they can also provide some utilities and bonuses that synergize with the different mechanics of the game. Once you have your perks and stats set up, the next part is the Legendary mods in your weapons and armor. These mods can enhance the offensive and defensive capabilities of your gear, with some providing a bonus SPECIAL stat to your character. Lastly, your mutations can greatly aid in further boosting your overall power, but these can either be randomized or expensive to receive.

Best Stealth Commando build

Stealth and potent killing power are the name of the game for this build, which features the Chinese stealth armor and The Fixer unique combat rifle.

💪🏻 Strength (10)

• Bandolier (2): Ballistic ammo weight 90% less
• Blocker (3): You take 45% less melee damage from enemies
• Pack Rat (3): Junk item weight is reduced by 75%
• Strong Back (4): Receive 40 carry weight
• Travelling Pharmacy (3): Chems and Stimpacks weight is reduced by 90%

🧐 Perception (15)

• Commando (3): Automatic rifles deal 20% more damage
• Expert Commando (3): Automatic rifles deal 20% more damage
• Master Commando (3): Automatic rifles deal 20% more damage
• Concentrated Fire (1): VATS will now target specific limbs and gain accuracy per shot.
• Ground Pounder (2): Gain 20% reload speed with rifles and better hip fire accuracy
• Tank Killer (3): Rifles ignore 36% of armor and have a 9% chance to stagger

😠 Endurance (3)

• Fireproof (3): Take 45% less fire damage

✨ Charisma (7)

• Strange in Numbers (1): Your positive mutation effects receive a 25% bonus if teammates have mutations too.
• Suppressor (3): Enemies hit by your attacks have their damage reduced by 30% for 2 seconds
• Tenderizer (3): Enemies hit by your attacks take 10% more damage for 10 seconds

🧠 Intelligence (5)

• Gunsmith (5): Guns break 50% slower

🤸🏼 Agility (5)

• Adrenaline (5): Gain 10% damage per kill up that stacks up to 60% for 30 seconds. Kills refresh the duration.

🎲 Luck (11)

• Bloody Mess (3): You gain 15% bonus damage, and enemies may explode into gibs
• Class Freak (3): The adverse effects of mutations are reduced by 75%
• Starched Genes (2): You will never mutate from rads, and RadAway will never cure mutations.
• Better Criticals (3): VATS critical strikes now deal 40% more damage

Priority Mutations:

• Speed Demon: With only Chinese stealth armor, you can run absurdly fast with this mutation, making open-world traveling extremely easy.
• Marsupial: Like Speed Demon, the extra jump height with light armor can get you to some very advantageous sniping positions.
• Eagle Eyes: The mutation will increase your crit damage by an extra 50% and +4 to your Perception stat. The strength loss is minimal and is a worthy trade for some absurdly high offensive power.

Gear:

• The Fixer can be easily obtained and is one of the mainstay weapons for any Commando build. Simply complete the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing quest to receive one. It has the best intrinsic traits, like a build 25% damage bonus, extra sneak visibility, and movement speed. You can even put Legendary mods on The Fixer without sacrificing its built-in traits, making this weapon formidable even past level 100.

• The Chinese stealth armor gives you free invisibility by crouching and has decent damage resistance. It even functions like a hazmat suit, reducing radiation damage by 98%, fall damage by 90%, and making you immune to airborne and waterborne diseases. The plans for this suit can be obtained by siding with the Settlers during the Wastelanders questline.

Best Power Armor / Heavy Gunner build

If there's one thing that pairs well with power armor, it’s heavy weapons. This build takes the best overall defensive gear in the game with some of the hardest-hitting weaponry on this side of the Wasteland. This build can be a great platform to use non-explosive heavy guns like the Flamer, Minigun, Gatling plasma, Gatling Laser, .50 cal machinegun, Light machinegun, Plasma caster, Cryolator, and Gauss minigun.

💪🏻 Strength (15)

• Lock and Load (3): Heavy guns reload +30% faster.
• Bear Arms (3): Heavy Guns weigh 90% less.
• Heavy Gunner (3): Non-explosive heavy weapons deal 20% more damage.
• Expert Heavy Gunner (3): Non-explosive heavy weapons deal 20% more damage.
• Master Heavy Gunner (3): Non-explosive heavy weapons deal 20% more damage.

🧐 Perception (6)

• Concentrated Fire (3): Allows the V.A.T.S. to aim at specific limbs. Increases accuracy gained per shot.
• Refractor (3): Gain 30 Energy Resistance.

😠 Endurance (3)

• Fireproof (3): Take 45% less fire damage

✨ Charisma (3)

• Tenderizer (3): Enemies hit by your attacks take 10% more damage for 10 seconds.

🧠 Intelligence (15)

• Stabilized (3): While in power armor, heavy guns are more accurate and ignore 45% of armor.
• Science (2): Energy weapons deal 10% more damage.
• Science Expert (2): Energy weapons deal 10% more damage.
• Science Master (2): Energy weapons deal 10% more damage.
• Power User (3): Fusion core duration is doubled.
• Gunsmith (3): Guns break 30% slower.

🤸🏼 Agility (6)

• Action Boy / Action Girl (3): AP regenerates 45% faster.
• Dodgy (3): Avoid 30% damage for 30 Action Points.

🎲 Luck (7)

• Class Freak (3): The negative effect of mutations is reduced by 75%.
• Starched Genes (2): You will never mutate from radiation, and your current mutations will never be cured by RadAway.
• Luck of the Draw (2): Your weapon has a chance to repair itself when hitting a target.

Priority Mutations:

• Speed Demon: This mutation will be the best quality of life buff for this build, as heavy weapons and power armor will reduce your running speed
• Marsupial: The extra jump height will help you reach rooftops and other high places without the need for a power armor jetpack mod.
• Scaly Skin: You can gain a flat 50 resistance to physical and energy damage. While the -50 AP debuff is there, Class Freak can mitigate the AP loss so you can still stay in VATS longer.

Gear:

• Any power armor will do for this build, but ideally, the T-65 and Hellcat power armor are the best in their category. For legendary mods, try to get all of them with the Overeater’s mod, as they will increase your damage reduction by an extra 3% as long as you’re full. Damage reduction is even more important than damage resistance, as the effects of reduction are more tangible than resistance.

• Many of the heavy weapons for this build will do just fine, but some weapons are better for specific scenarios. The Flamer is best in shorter ranges and boss damage, the Plasma caster for ammo cost-effectiveness with good damage, the .50 caliber machine gun for general use, and the minigun for trash clear.

Best Bloodied build

Fallout 76 has something for players who enjoy glass cannon builds, as there are many options that can significantly boost your damage. Before we continue with the build, the best way to keep your health semi-permanently low is by purposefully taking radiation damage to your health bar until it reaches 20%. You can do this fast by going to the West-Tek research station and drinking the toxic goo inside. This build will utilize power armor to ensure that the “glass” part of it is a little bit more durable under heavy fire.

💪🏻 Strength (15)

• Lock and Load (3): Heavy guns reload +30% faster.
• Bear Arms (3): Heavy Guns weigh 90% less.
• Heavy Gunner (3): Non-explosive heavy weapons deal 20% more damage.
• Expert Heavy Gunner (3): Non-explosive heavy weapons deal 20% more damage.
• Master Heavy Gunner (3): Non-explosive heavy weapons deal 20% more damage.

🧐 Perception (6)

• Glow Sight (3): Deal 60% more damage to glowing enemies
• Exterminator (3): Your attacks ignore 75% of insect armor

😠 Endurance (1)

• Radicool (1): The greater your Rads, the more Strength you gain up to +5 max

✨ Charisma (7)

• Tenderizer (3): Enemies take 10% more for 10 seconds after being hit
• Stranger in Numbers (1): Your positive mutation effects receive a 25% bonus if teammates have mutations too.
• Suppressor (3): Enemies hit by your attacks have their damage reduced by 30% for 2 seconds

🧠 Intelligence (11)

• Nerd Rage! (3): When below 20% health, you gain 50 damage resistance, 20% damage, and 15% AP regen
• Stabilized (3): Your heavy weapons are more accurate and ignore 45% armor while you’re in power armor
• Gunsmith (5): Guns break 50% slower

🤸🏼 Agility (11)

• Action Boy / Action Girl (3): AP regenerates 45% faster
• Dodgy (3): Avoid 30% damage at the cost of 30 AP per hit
• Adrenaline (5): Gain 10% damage per kill up that stacks up to 60% for 30 seconds. Kills refresh the duration.

🎲 Luck (15)

• Starched Genes (2): You will never mutate from rads, and RadAway will never cure your mutations
• Bloody Mess (3): Gain 15% bonus damage to all weapons
• One Gun Army (3): Heavy guns gain a 12% stagger chance and a 12% chance to cripple a limb.
• Ricochet (3): You have an 18% chance to deflect enemy ranged attacks back at them
• Class Freak (3): Negative effects of mutations are reduced by 75%
• Curator (1): Magazine and bobblehead effects last twice as long

Priority Mutations

• Adrenal Reaction: The mutation gives you a damage buff when you have low health. Since you’re already in low health, you will permanently gain this mutation’s benefits.
• Marsupial: More jump height.
• Speed Demon: Faster reload and movement speed.

Gear

• Any heavy weapon will work, but it is important that it has the Legendary trait “Bloodied,” as you can get a whopping 80-90% damage buff when you’re on low health.
• Hellcat power armor with the Overeater’s trait can make you take as much damage as if you were in full health.