Fallout 76: Everything You Need To Know About Launching A Nuke (2024)

One of the most entertaining activities inFallout 76 is to launch nuclear missiles with (or at) your friends. But the game developers definitely don't make it easy.

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To send a nuke flying through the hills of Appalachia, players need to complete a lengthy encounter that is filled with killer robots, helper robots, and even more killer robots. This military bunker raid can begin at three Sites across the map. Once inside Site Alpha, Site Beta, or Site Charlie, players will need to accomplish a series of tasks for each room before they can move on to the next room. The nuke launch 'dungeon' ends with a final showdown at Mission Control.

10 Bring Guns With Lots Of Ammo

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To make it to the launch room in one piece, it's important to bring a lot of guns. Big guns. With ammo. Players can expect to face almost exclusively robots inthese nuclear bunkers, and there are some rooms with unlimited waves of enemiesthat don't end until a specific task is completed (more on that later). That means a lot of bullets, plasma cores, fusion cells, and other ammo types will be consumed.

Try to bring at least a couple of guns that deal Energy Damage. Weapons with Ballistic Damage or Explosive Damage are fine too, but elemental and laser guns are especially useful against robots.

9 Gear Up

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Be prepared to take some heavy damage. Hopeful nuclear missile launchers will encounter high-level Protectrons, Asssaultrons, Major/Colonel Gutsys, and at least one massive Sentry Bot. Most of the time, several of these robots will attack simultaneously. So it's probably a good idea to equip special Power Armor before starting the launch encounter.

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Since robots primarily cause Energy Damage, players can also equip high-level variations of Leather Armor, which is very resistant to this type of ammunition. Either type of armor will work depending on playstyle.

8 Use Bobble-heads And Magazines

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Bobbleheads and magazines used to be fun one-time collectibles, but inFallout 76 they can actually be consumed for temporary in-game benefits. Keep in mind that these effects only last for an hour or two. One of the best Bobbleheads to use right before the nuke launch scenario is the Energy Weapons version, which increases damage done by Energy Weapons by 20% for one hour. This will be helpful against the bunker's robot enemies.

For magazines, the most effective choice is "Astonishingly Awesome Tales #8." This consumable will reduce damage from robots by 25% for two hours. Players who combine these temporary power-ups are a lot more likely to survive the encounter.

7 Come With Empty Pockets

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To launch their own nuclear missile into the wastelands of Appalachia, players are required to progress through a long series of bunker rooms filled with enemies. These rooms are also filled with loot! Try and take some time to grab the many high-quality scrap items that are scattered throughout the dungeon.

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Unfortunately, the game's infamous carry-weight maximum can get in the way of taking home all of that beautiful scrap. Players who choose to equip Power Armor will have the most difficulty managing their inventory. So plan ahead, dump extra items at C.A.M.P, and bring a few Scrap Kits.

6 Don't Forget Your Codes

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A nuclear missile can't be launched without knowing the site's correct launch codes. This seems obvious, but many players have felt the heartbreak of reaching the end of the long dungeon and realizing they can't actually launch a nuke. Sneaky Bethesda allows nuke-lovers to start this encounter regardless of if they have the required items for a launch.

Moral of the story: know your codes! The official way to de-crypt Site Alpha, Beta, or Charlie nuclear launch codes is to bring down Ghoul Officers, grab their code fragments, and load them into the Whitespring Bunker's computer. Or just look the codes up online, since they're the same across all servers every week.

5 Bring A Nuclear Keycard

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Though players have remembered their site codes, they may still be unable to launch a nuke. Why? Because they forgot their Nuclear Keycard. This is the other required component to finish the nuclear missile encounter, but luckily it is easier to come across than the launch codes.

Nuclear Keycards can be obtained from shooting down Cargobots anywhere on the map. These helpful supply robots are noisy, so listen for the sound of approaching choppers and search the skies for a small, four-engine drone. Players can also order a US Government Supply Requisition to spawn their own Cargobot.

4 Be Fast

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One of the most important things to keep in mind during the nuclear bunker encounter is to stay focused on the current objective. There will be a lot of hostile robots to shoot at, but a lot of players don't realize that these enemies will keep spawning until the room's task is complete. So repair those pipes, destroy those panels, and program those biometric passcards!

Players may be tempted to kill all enemy robots in the room, and they'll be rewarded with a short quiet period. But not for long. Most of the nuclear bunker rooms will spawn 'reinforcements' continuously until players exit those rooms.

3 Use The Buddy System

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At this point, it should be pretty clear that completing the nuke launch encounter is no easy task. Luckily, it's easy to team up with other adventurers inFallout 76. Even bringing one friend into the nuclear bunker dungeon will make it a lot easier to survive until the end.

The buddy system is especially helpful for rooms that spawn unlimited enemies; one team member can run around and complete the room's objective while the other one draws fire from enemies. It's probably best to use the more heavily-armored friend as 'bait.' Just saying.

2 Play Defense

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Sure, there are a lot of enemy robots in these missile silos to take down. But there are also a few friendly droids! So it's a bad idea to shoot at them, as tempting as that may be.

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When players reach the final stage of the nuclear missile launch raid, they'll find themselves in a mission control room. Access the top-level computer terminal to begin the launch sequence. After the process is initiated, several awkward orange robots will emerge and stumble towards their 'battle' stations. Hostile robots will then enter the room and try to destroy them. To reach the end of the encounter and launch your own personal nuke, defend the station robots until the launch sequence is completed.

1 Have A Plan

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What's that saying about the 5 P's? Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance? This is definitely true for navigating theFallout 76 nuclear silo raid. Though the required objectives for each room are usually the same across all Sites, it's important to be equipped according to your team's strategy. Some players prefer to sprint through the encounter as quickly as possible with a light-armor build. Others want to take their time and maximize possible loot.

Either way, grab some friends, gear up, and have fun. Nuke launching is probably one of the most entertaining activities of the entireFallout franchise. Enjoy!

NEXT:Fallout 4: 10 Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed The First Time Through

Fallout 76: Everything You Need To Know About Launching A Nuke (2024)
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