Fallout 76: Onslaught Mechanic, Explained

There are lots of ways to increase your damage output in Fallout 76, from consumables and weapon effects to perk cards and CAMP resource items. With the recent Ghoul Within Update, players have been able to test out a new damage-boosting mechanic, Onslaught. This feature allows for new and creative builds centered around squeezing that little bit more damage out of each shot.

When used with the right set of perks and effects, Onslaught can be a devastating tool that can be used to take down some of the toughest enemies in the game. This guide will go through all there is to know about Onslaught.

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What Is Onslaught?

Onslaught is a buff that you can use thanks to certain perk cards and a legendary effect. It’s a stacking buff that helps to boost your damage output. There are two different types of Onslaught in the game.

Standard Onslaught

The standard version means that you gain stacks of Onslaught by getting consecutive hits on an enemy. Each hit grants you another stack up until you reach the max cap, which will depend on your perk selection. Each stack will increase your damage by a small amount. The more stacks you have, the higher your damage output.

However, the regular way that Onslaught works means that your accumulated stacks will start to decrease by one every second that you are not hitting an enemy. To see your current stack value, there’s an icon in the bottom right corner of the screen that pops up when you start hitting enemies. It will also have a number next to the icon indicating how many stacks you have.

Master Onslaught

The second way of using stacks is the same as the first way, only in reverse. Instead of accumulating stacks by hitting enemies consecutively, you start with stacks, and then they go down with each successful hit on an enemy. Your stacks will generate passively at a rate of 1 stack per second. This second Onslaught style is called Master Onslaught.

No matter what type of Onslaught you are using, you’ll do an additional 5% damage per stack. So, if you go for a standard Onslaught build, then you’ll start at 0% and your damage output will increase as you accumulate stacks. With a Master Onslaught build, you’ll start with a set number of stacks depending on your loadout, meaning that your damage will start higher. For example, if you have 10 stacks, then your first shot will do +50% damage. But after the first shot, you’ll lose a stack, so your damage output will decrease by 5%.

Perks & Effects That Impact Onslaught

There are a handful of perks that can be used to gain stacks, as well as a legendary prefix that gives you some extra stacks.

Because of how this effect works, there are a couple of combinations that you can use, depending on your build type. Standard Onslaught is best used by those who enjoy fast-firing weapons, while Master Onslaught is best used by those who prefer slow-firing weapons. When it comes to melee weapons, there aren’t any perk cards that impact Onslaught, only the Furious effect.

For standard Onslaught on fast-firing weapons, there are two core build options:

Option 1

• Guerrilla Expert
• Guerrilla Master
• Gunslinger Expert

Option 2

• Furious Weapon Effect
• Guerrilla Expert
• Guerrilla Master
• Gunslinger Expert

If you want to make use of the Master Onslaught system, you’ll need to equip the Gunslinger Master perk card. Once equipped, your stacks will start counting up to 10. To boost this maximum stack count further, you can add in all the perks mentioned for a standard Onslaught build.

Released

November 14, 2018

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol