Bethesda has released the Burning Springs update for Fallout 76, introducing the game's largest map expansion in rural Ohio along with the character The Ghoul from the Fallout TV series, voiced by Walton Goggins. The update includes new bounty hunting features, public events, wildlife, and a fresh questline starting at level 30. Players can now explore the toxic wasteland of Burning Springs, affected by nuclear fallout and chemical poisoning.
Update Overview
The Burning Springs update for Fallout 76 went live on December 2, 2025, expanding the game's world westward from Appalachia across the Point Pleasant Bridge into a new region in southeastern Ohio. This area, scarred by nuclear bombs and pollution from the Abraxodyne Chemical plant, features poisonous water, dust storms laden with toxic Rust, and serves as the setting for a multi-update storyline. Highway Town acts as the primary social hub, including the Last Resort saloon where players can access bounty contracts.
New Content and Features
A key addition is Bounty Hunting, where players collect Grunt Hunt bounties for mutated targets in Burning Springs, with potential upgrades to Head Hunts as public events offering 3-star Legendary enemies and exclusive mods. New Legendary mods include effects like Feral for melee weapons and Adrenal for damage boosts on kill streaks. Two new public events, Gearin’ Up—involving armoring a Deathclaw for arena combat—and Sinkhole Solutions, task players with combating creatures amid fire pillars and sandstorms.
The update introduces The Ghoul, who guides bounty activities at the saloon, and a questline centered on proving worth to the Super Mutant Rust King, ruler of the region. Additional elements include the Radhog as a new C.A.M.P. pet, new fish species (including a Local Legend), a side quest involving Abraxodyne intel briefcases, and the Dom Pedro hand cannon weapon. Season 23, titled Blood X Rust, encourages a raider theme.
Technical Details and Changes
Download sizes vary by platform: 28.8 GB for PC Steam, 39.3 GB for PC Microsoft Store, 41.9 GB for Xbox, and 40.8 GB for PlayStation. The update reorganizes the emote wheel into categories like Social and Performance for easier access. It also closes the Milepost Zero vendor due to bandit threats, redistributing rewards, and adds a weekly challenge to Gleaming Depths for 4-star Legendary caches. Numerous bug fixes address combat, C.A.M.P. building, events, perks, and quests, with known issues noted for future patches.