The wastelands ofFallouthave offered many enemies for the player to test their mettle against. Super mutants, feral ghouls, deathclaws, these classic foes are present in Fallout 76 but this live-service take on the formula offers a few monsters based on real-world cryptozoology. Roaming the Appalachian wasteland a player may find themselves against a flying beast named The Mothman.
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Like plenty of Fallout’s iconic monsters, The Mothman is generally a roaming enemy that can appear out of nowhere to ambush an unsuspecting player.Fallout 76’s map is separated into regions and while many enemies only spawn in certain regions, Mothman can spawn in any of them. There is, however, something to bear in mind.
The Mothman Is Nocturnal
Nearly all variants of Mothman appear only a night. That said, while it needs to be nighttime for a Mothman to spawn on the map and attack the player, a Mothman will stay on the map until it is killed. If a player is ambushed by a Mothman and killed, they will keep the chance for revenge even if the sun comes up. This also means that if the player wishes to regain their loot, the same Mothman that killed them will be there waiting for them, ready to attack all over again.
As for actually fighting the brute, it’s not an easy fight. Mothman has high defenses and strong attacks. They will tend to attack the player with sonic blasts, which can do heavy damage and even cause head crippling. If the player gets too close, Mothman can also use a barrier-like blast that has a short range and can deal radiation damage. At any point, the Mothman can and will fly high into the air and vanish. Stay on your toes as when it comes back to down it will continue attacking. Mothman can prove to be a hard target to pin down just as much as a hard target to put much more than a dent in. If you don’t have powerful weapons, or aren’t that high a level, running away is likely your best bet. It will chase you.
The Mothman’s giant red eyes are the thing to watch. Most of its attacks are pointed directly where the creature is looking, a simple sidestep can be all you need to dodge the attack. When there are several blasts in a row this leaves Mothman open to return fire. If the player can manage to kill the Mothman, it will disintegrate, and the pile can then be looted.
The Mothman Equinox
There is a cult that worships the Mothman as a God, if a player comes across one of their shrines, the cultists will attack on sight. While a Mothman may spawn near a shrine too, the most the two are really connected is a seasonal event added to the game during the Night Of The Moth update. When the event isn’t active the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant will still be overrun by cultists, and Mothman eggs can still be found and harvested.
Due to the seasonal aspect, this means Point Pleasant is not a reliable spot if the player is actively looking for a Mothman. A method that can yield more success is a daily event.
Queen Of The Hunt
Once the player comes across Shelby O’Rourke’s cabin and terminal, they unlock a strand of daily events. If accepted, the player under a time limit has to go to the area marked on the map until theycome across a cryptid. If the quest is done at night, there is a chance for a Mothman, but that won’t erase the possibility of the player finding a different cryptid such as a Wendigo. The only guarantee is that at one of the locations, there is a cryptid. The event only ends successfully when the player finds the cryptid, kills it, and brings a sample back to the terminal. The event is not without rewards either way, as with other daily events the player will be rewarded items such as caps and stimpacks, but there is also a trophy/achievement for the first time beating it.
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There is also one specific Mothman who is not at all hostile to the player. Unlike the violent versions of the creature, there is a guaranteed method for the player to meet with one, and the method will work even during all hours of the day. This happens at the end of a public event called The Path To Enlightenment.
The Wise Mothman
This event always takes place at the Landview Lighthouse. If the event is active, the player must walk or fast travel to the Lighthouse where they will be instructed over the radio to gather bioluminescent fluid from radtoads and fireflies. Kill the bugs, loot them, and bring the fluid to the very top of the lighthouse to fill the lamp.
Once the lighthouse is full, the Wise Mothman will spawn on the ground. The player can then commune with him and gain a perk that gives them an extra 5% for all EXP for an hour.
The Mothman is a formidable foe, barring the one friendly variant, that can appear nearly anywhere in the night of the Appalachian wasteland. Ready to ambush a player unaware, unless it is the friendly Wise variant who will happily help the player earn EXP faster.
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