Highlights
- Avoid buying uncommon items like armor and weapons from a merchant in Fallout 76 . Loot better options later.
- Crafting food and drink in Fallout 76 is better than buying from a merchant. Save money and resources.
- Watch out for overpriced items in player-owned vendors in Fallout 76 . Do some research before purchasing.
All of the games in the Fallout franchise, including Fallout 76, suffer from clutter. From the moment the player enters the world, they are surrounded by a profusion of items that can be looted, and with such a wide variety of loot, new players can never be sure whether an item is worth buying from a merchant. Is the item rare? Or is it commonly lootable?
21 Beginner Tips for Fallout 76
Fallout 76 is significantly different from other games in the series, so players will need to take advantage of these tips to succeed in the game.
It can be tempting to buy useless items from a merchant when playing Fallout 76, especially for someone new to the game and unfamiliar with the loot tables. Most items are worthwhile to some extent. However, there are a few items (or classes of items) that players should never buy from a vendor.
8 Food And Drink
Either Loot It Or, Better Still, Craft It
- Examples: Honeycomb, Iguana bits, Mothman egg
As a new player to Fallout 76, it can be very tempting to stock up on food and drink from vendors. This is understandable, as these consumable items have real use in the game. Food and drink can restore health, cure illnesses, and also grant short-term stat boosts and other buffs.
However, there are two much better ways to get food and drink in Fallout 76. Basic consumables can be looted,which is the easiest way to get them. But the real value of drinking and eating in this game is to learn to craft higher-end consumables. Crafting is a big part of Fallout 76, and skipping out on improving the skill is just wasted potential.
7 Uncommon Armor
Better Armor Can Always Be Looted Later
- Examples: Trapper armor, Metal armor, Leather armor
New players often make the mistake of spending their hard-earned money on uncommon armor. This is simply a bad idea full stop. It might seem that uncommon armor from a merchant is going to give a nice stat boost. The simple truth is, though, that as with most games, uncommon items are generally junk.
Fallout 76: 13 Rarest Apparel Items And How To Get Them
From the BOS Jumpsuit to the Leather Coat, these are the rarest apparel items in Fallout 76.
Players who purchase uncommon armor from a merchant will likely find that, just a short time later, something drops as loot that is better. This means that any money spent buying uncommon armor is going to be wasted in a very short time, so unless players mean to put fashions above function, it's best to just loot armor in the open world.
6 Uncommon Weapons
Not Much Of A DPS Boost
- Examples: 10mm pistol, Hunting rifle, Bow
In a similar fashion to uncommon armor, it is not a good idea to buy uncommon weapons either. Take a look at the additional stat boost that uncommon weapons will provide. They will generally not be worth the money that is spent buying them.
Fallout 76: Best Energy Weapons, Ranked
Energy weapons are a powerful tool that players can bring into the wasteland of Fallout 76, and here are the best ones.
Uncommon weapons in Fallout 76 are only worth using if the player has no better items to use, and if the weapon was looted. Don’t waste money buying uncommon weapons from a merchant in Fallout 76. It can be better spent elsewhere.
5 Overpriced Items
Some Players Are Scammers
- Examples: Varies
When checking out the inventory of a player-owned vendor or merchant, be sure to check that the price of an item is fair. This only applies to player-operated vendors, obviously. It is a good idea to do a little research before purchasing from a player in Fallout 76 to learn the correct price of an item.
Some players make mistakes or don’t know the proper price for items that they are selling. Others mark items up at a vast profit, hoping to trick other players into paying too much for an overpriced item. Either way, getting swindled into spending too much for too little return is never fun, so players would do well to do some research first.
4 Incomplete Item Sets
Make Sure Every Piece Is Available
- Examples: Any armor set that doesn't come completed
For players who are looking for a specific item set, the Brotherhood recon armor for example, then purchasing the pieces could be an option. However, players need to keep in mind that, unless they can find all the pieces to make up the set, they won’t benefit from the set's stat boosts.
Fallout 76: How to Get the Secret Service Armor
This Fallout 76 guide explains how to get, craft, and modify the Secret Service Armor in Vault 79.
The best idea is to list all the parts needed, and then search through merchants to make sure that they have all of them available. That, or only make the final purchase when all the pieces are available. There are quite a few armor sets in Fallout 76 that were given as event rewards. Buying an incomplete set of event armor would mean players are unlikely ever to get the last pieces to complete it.
3 Common Items With Very High Prices
Avoid Being Accused Of Exploiting
- Examples: Varies
Player-owned vendors might be offering basic items, such as clean toilet paper, for sale at a price of 30,000 or more. Most people probably don’t need to be told not to buy these items, as they are vastly overpriced for what they are.
However, there is an exploit in Fallout 76 whereby items can be purchased from a player vendor on a lagged connection, and once the vendor is empty, the person buying from the vendor then has access to the vendor owner's personal stash. Players put these expensive items up for sale to stop other players from buying out the entire vendor inventory and triggering the exploit. Therefore, it's beneficial for both buyer and seller to avoid the sale of these items.
2 Ammunition
Buying Bullets Drains Cash
- Examples: .38 round, Cryo cell, Mini nuke
New players will start off having to make do with any ammunition they can loot, and may have to purchase small amounts from a merchant in an emergency, but this is something that a wise player will try to stop doing as soon as possible. Spending money on bullets is not cost-effective.
All ammunition in Fallout 76 can be crafted. It is recommended that if a player has no other crafting skills, they at least skill up to be able to craft their ammunition of choice. In the long run, this could save them a small fortune.
1 Fusion Cores
Without A Good Power Suit
- Examples: Fusion cores
Fusion cores are used as the power source for Power Armor in Fallout 76. For new players, it can be tempting to use the first power suit they manage to put together, even though it is likely pretty low-grade. The danger here is that too much money ends up being spent on fusion cores to power a mostly-worthless power suit.
Fusion cores should be hoarded when looted, to be used when the player has a good power suit. Then, and only then, is it worth buying power cores, to keep a good power suit operating. Given the price of these items and the difference between good and bad power armor, there's little reason to take a different approach.
