A lot has changed throughout the live service development and ongoing support forFallout 76, although one build has consistently proven to be the dominant meta in the game. For as powerful as Bloodied builds are,Fallout 76could stand to have a lot more competition when it comes to viable endgame builds.
Bloodied builds inFallout 76are glass cannons that can additionally take advantage of the best of every other build in the game. Ultimately no otherbuilds inFallout 76can consistently compete with the high damage output of the Bloodied build for multiple reasons. For the sake of balancing,Fallout 76should consider buffing other builds to be able to have similar performances as Bloodied builds.
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Why Bloodied Builds are the Uncontested Meta in Fallout 76
TheBloodied legendary weapon effect inFallout 76is hands down the highest damage modifier on every weapon and weapon type in the game, with a few rare exceptions. Specifically, the legendary effect offers up to a 95% increase in damage, while the other legendary weapon effects only offer up to 50%. The Instigating legendary effect is worth a mention since it deals double damage to full-health enemies, but it’s only effective during the first attack against any target. Not only is Bloodied the highest percentage increase, but it also has one of the easiest conditions to meet for utilizing the legendary effect. Bloodied increases in effectiveness as the players’ health decreases, so by lowering their max health with radiation, players can consistently stay within the optimal health range for Bloodied.
Not only is Bloodied a top-tier legendary weapon effect, but it pairs extremely well with theAdrenal Reaction Mutation. This Mutation lowers players’ max health while simultaneously increasing damage as the player’s health decreases, just like Bloodied. In essence, the Adrenal Reaction Mutation and the Bloodied legendary weapon effect are one and the same, yet since they are from different sources players can combine them without any conflict. Additionally, the Nerd Rage perk from the Intelligence attribute is yet another damage increase while at low health, making for a third Bloodied buff source. No other builds inFallout 76can quite take advantage of triple-stacking a damage buff, which is another reason why this build is above the competition.
Another reason why Bloodied builds are so overpowered is the potential of dipping into other builds with a set ofUnyielding legendary armor. Unyielding armor isn’t a necessity, but it allows players to maximize their potential when incorporating stealth and VATS critical hit builds onto a Bloodied build. Stealth and VATS builds mainly rely on certain perk cards, but having the boosted SPECIAL attributes from Unyielding armor can still be plenty useful. Specifically, having increased Perception, Agility, and Luck will allow players to stay undetected longer, and utilize critical hits with higher frequency and accuracy.
On top of all of these exclusive components, Bloodied builds also have the option of utilizing universal consumable buffs, like chems, food, and drinks. This build is truly a jack of all trades inFallout 76. Bloodied builds can ultimately take any weapon to the next level, allowing players to experiment with silly loadouts or maximize their damage output withtop-tier weapons inFallout 76.
Since Bloodied builds require players to have low health, the rewards fit the risks. Its unmatched performance in the game highlights a problem with other builds inFallout 76,however. The main things holding other builds back are a lack of permanent stackable buffs, the low-damage legendary effects, and the highly situational windows of opportunity.Fallout 76should seriously consider giving other builds the Bloodied treatment at some point in the game’s future to allow other builds the potential of being more effective in the endgame.
Fallout 76is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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