Fallout 76 Previews Massive Gleaming Depths Update

Key Takeaways

• Fallout 76 received a new PTS update in early November 2024.
• The patch introduces 68 changes, most of which arrive in the form of weapon rebalancing tweaks, with significantly more buffs than nerfs.
• This release serves as a preview of the Fallout 76 Gleaming Depths update, which is scheduled to arrive in December 2024, kicking off Season 19.

Bethesda has rolled out another update for the PTS version of Fallout 76 in early November 2024. This release introduces nearly 70 changes and serves as a preview of the Fallout 76 Gleaming Depths update.

Originally announced at Gamescom in late August, the Gleaming Depths update is planned to arrive in December 2024, kicking off Fallout 76 Season 19. The majority of the upcoming content drop has been playable via the Public Test Server build of the game since October 25.

Bethesda has updated the PTS version of Fallout 76 on November 1, offering fans another preview of what to expect from Season 19. The changelog attached to this patch contains 68 items in total, the vast majority of which describe combat rebalancing tweaks. This will be of particular interest to Fallout 76 melee players, as over 50 close-combat weapons were buffed by the update. Some of the most notable changes include a 26% damage increase for the War Glaive, as well as a 25% buff for the Grognak Axe, both of which will now deal over 100 points of damage per hit at max item level. Ditto for the Cattle Prod, whose maximum damage output has been increased from 86 to 113 per non-critical hit.

Fallout 76 Double-Nerfs Auto Axe in New PTS Update

At the same time, the early November 2024 update has nerfed the Fallout 76 Auto Axe, which has long been considered as one of the game’s best melee weapons. The industrial saw now deals only 24 points of damage at max level. While its rapid attack rate still makes it deadly, especially considering the 5% damage boost per Strength SPECIAL point, this change is a bit unusual because it completely negates the buff that the Auto Axe just recently received in the Skyline Valley update back in June 2024, when its max-level damage was increased from 26 to 31. As such, this tweak effectively constitutes a double nerf.

The only other nerf that’s part of this patch targets the Fallout 76 V63 Zweihaender, one of the game’s newest two-handed weapons, which launched as part of Season 18. Specifically, this armament now deals 64 physical damage rather than 85. However, its energy damage has also been increased from 45 to 64, making these changes more of a rebalancing rather than a true nerf—especially since energy damage also scales with Strength, despite this not being indicated in the Pip-Boy.

The November 1 update also improved the third-person petting animation for C.A.M.P. pets and rebalanced caravan missions by preventing cryptids from spawning during small caravan runs. Instead, these deadly creatures will now only have a chance of attacking large caravans.

Fallout 76 Gleaming Depths PTS Update Patch Notes (November 1, 2024)

C.A.M.P. Pets

• Updated the third-person petting animation.

Caravans

• The L63 Laser Carbine Heat Gauge no longer appears on screen when the weapon is holstered.
• Players now encounter cryptids only during Large Caravans (with a chance to encounter them during Large runs without cryptid bait and a guaranteed encounter when using cryptid bait).
• Players now have a chance of receiving Legendary items from all Collector Murmrgh’s crates.
• Fixed a number of issues impacting the “A Bump In The Road” quest that were introduced in the last PTS update.

Combat Balancing

• The durability of armor has been increased.
• Slightly increased the chance to learn weapon mods via scrapping.
• Slightly increased the amount of Steel and Ballistic fiber that weapon-using enemies can drop.
• Balance adjustments for Communist and Liberators.

Adjustments to loot from item-using creatures:

• Weapon-using enemies are now more likely to drop their equipped weapon instead of Junk/Caps.
• Slightly increased the amount of Steel and Ballistic Fiber that weapon-using enemies can drop.
• Weapon-using enemies are now slightly more likely to drop Steel Scrap instead of Junk items that contain Steel.
• Lowered the amount of Aluminum, Bones, Copper, Gears, Leather, Screws, and Springs that weapon-using enemies can drop.

Weapon Adjustments

• Reduced the damage of the Auto Axe: 31 –> 24
• Adjusted the damage of the V63 Zweihaender: 85/45 –> 64/64

Increased the base damage for the following melee weapons:

• Assaultron Blade: 40 –> 51
• Baseball Bat: 55 –> 69
• Baton: 40 –> 47
• Bear Arm: 50 –> 70
• Blade of Bastet: 52 –> 61
• Board: 50 –> 68
• Bone Club: 51 –> 60
• Bone Hammer: 80 –> 94
• Bowie Knife: 30 –> 35
• Boxing Glove: 34 –> 40
• Cattle Prod: 86 –> 113
• Chinese Officer Sword: 36 –> 42
• Combat Knife: 33 –> 44
• Cultist Blade: 41 –> 52
• Cultist Dagger: 32 –> 38
• Death Tambo: 45 –> 53
• Deathclaw Gauntlet: 55 –> 77
• Electro Enforcer: 35 –> 44
• Fire Axe: 72 –> 84
• Gauntlet: 50 –> 81
• Golf Club: 45 –> 57
• Grognak Axe: 85 –> 107
• Guitar Sword: 50 –> 59
• Hatchet: 40 –> 51
• Knuckles: 35 –> 50
• Lead Pipe: 39 –> 49
• Machete: 40 –> 51
• Meat Hook: 34 –> 40
• Mole Miner Gauntlet: 45 –> 64
• Multi-Purpose Axe: 69 –> 87
• Pickaxe: 60 –> 76
• Pitchfork: 47 –> 59
• Pipe Wrench: 30 –> 38
• Plasma Cutter: 26/68 –> 30/86
• Pole Hook: 71 –> 90
• Pool Cue: 46 –> 58
• Power Fist: 58 –> 81
• Revolutionary Sword: 44 –> 56
• Rolling pin: 28 –> 35
• Sheepsquatch Club: 60 –> 76
• Sheepsquatch Staff: 75 –> 95
• Shepherd’s Crook: 50 –> 63
• Shishkebab: 27 –> 34
• Shovel: 40 –> 54
• Sickle: 36 –> 45
• Ski Sword: 50 –> 63
• Sledgehammer: 71 –> 90
• Super Sledge: 85 > 107
• Switchblade: 30 > 38
• Tenderizer: 75 > 95
• Tire Iron: 29 > 37
• Walking Cane: 42 > 53
• War Drum: 78 > 99
• War Glaive: 82 > 104

Follow-up on the VATs changes made in the 10/25 PTS Update

We wanted to take a quick moment to say thank you all for the feedback around the recent combat balance changes that were made in the PTS.

The team has decided to revert the recent changes to VATS hit chance for now. The other changes (body part damage multipliers and how much damage it takes to cripple a limb) will still use the updated values with a few exceptions. As always, we plan to monitor and provide further updates in the future.