Daily Fallout 76 Briefing - May 5, 2026
Spooky Scorched runs through May 12, Minerva's List 10 ends tomorrow at The Crater, Decryption ops hit Charleston Capitol Building vs Communists, and the Purple Axolotl fishing season kicks off today.
Active Events Today
Spooky Scorched Event
April 28 – May 12, 2026
Spooky Scorched are spawning across Appalachia. Hunt them down for event-exclusive rewards including the Scorchbeast Skull Mask and Flatwoods Monster Plushie. Cranberry Bog and Toxic Valley have the densest spawns — the event runs through next Tuesday so there's still time to farm rewards.
Minerva – List 10 (Last Full Day Today)
May 4 – May 6, 2026
Minerva is at The Crater until Wednesday's reset at 12:00 PM ET. Today is the last full day to pick up her List 10 plans at 25% off Gold Bullion prices — including Gauss Shotgun and Hellstorm Missile Launcher blueprints.
Purple Axolotl of the Month
May 5 – June 2, 2026
The Purple Axolotl fishing season begins today. Catch it in Skyline Valley and Cranberry Bog (small fish category). Claim the matching Purple Axolotl Plushie free in the Atomic Shop for the duration of the season.
Today's Daily Ops
| Mode | Decryption |
| Location | Charleston Capitol Building |
| Enemies | Communists |
| Mutations | Savage Strike, Freezing Touch |
Mutation breakdown:
- Savage Strike — Melee hits deal 25% bonus damage and can disarm enemies on unarmored limb strikes.
- Freezing Touch — Melee hits apply a chill effect that slows enemy movement and attack speed.
Strategy: Both mutations reward melee builds — bring a fast one-hander or unarmed weapon to continuously proc Freezing Touch's chill and stack Savage Strike's damage bonus. Charleston Capitol Building has tight corridors and stairwells that funnel Communists into close-quarters chokepoints; avoid open rotundas where enemies can spread out. In Decryption mode, prioritize staying near the active terminal and use the Freezing Touch chill to lock down any Communist that rushes the objective.
Today's Daily Challenges
| Challenge | SCORE |
|---|---|
| ⭐ Gold Star: Complete a Daily Challenge (x6) | 1000 |
| Scrap junk to produce Acid (x5) | 250 |
| Collect Mothman Eggs (x3) | 250 |
| Cook a Meat-Based Meal (x5) | 250 |
| Eat a Cooked Meal (x10) | 250 |
| Kill a Cryptid | 250 |
| Kill a Cultist (x10) | 250 |
| Sell Mothman Egg Omelette to an NPC vendor | 250 |
Quick completion tips:
- Gold Star: Complete a Daily Challenge (x6) — Complete six of today's other challenges to earn the Gold Star, which also counts toward the weekly "Complete a Gold Star Daily Challenge! (x3)."
- Scrap junk to produce Acid (x5) — Abraxo Cleaner, Blast Radius Board Game, Coolant Caps, and Turpentine all yield Acid when scrapped. Check labs, chemical storage rooms, and Vault-Tec University for quick finds.
- Collect Mothman Eggs (x3) / Sell Mothman Egg Omelette — Collect Mothman Eggs near Point Pleasant and the Mothman Museum in the Forest region, then cook one Mothman Egg Omelette at a cooking station and sell it to any NPC vendor. Knocks out both challenges in a single run.
- Cook a Meat-Based Meal (x5) / Eat a Cooked Meal (x10) — Knock both out together: cook 5 meat meals (Brahmin Stew, Caravan Lunch, or Brain Bombs) then eat them to count toward the x10 eating challenge simultaneously.
- Kill a Cryptid — Mothman, Snallygaster, Grafton Monster, and Flatwoods Monster all count. Check Flatwoods (Flatwoods Monster), Point Pleasant (Mothman), or trigger Snallygaster near the Whitespring grounds.
- Kill a Cultist (x10) — Cultists spawn reliably at Ingram Mansion, Purgatory, and Kanawha County Cemetery in the Forest. Fast-traveling between these three locations chains the 10 kills efficiently.
Weekly Challenges
| Challenge | Reward |
|---|---|
| Complete a Gold Star Daily Challenge! (x3) | 1500 SCORE |
| Repeatable Under Rank 100: Gain XP (x10000) | 100 SCORE |
| Repeatable at Rank 100 or above: Complete a Public Event (x3) | 300 SCORE |
| Build a Floor, Wall, or Roof in a Workshop or C.A.M.P. (x25) | 1000 SCORE |
| Catch a Fish while it is Raining (x2) | 1000 SCORE |
| Collect a Burnt Book (x25) | 1000 SCORE |
| Complete an Event while Wearing a Costume (x2) | 1000 SCORE |
| Consume an Alcoholic Beverage (x20) | 1000 SCORE |
| Destroy a Robot (x30) | 1000 SCORE |
| Kill a Mole Miner (x30) | 1000 SCORE |
| Scrap junk to produce Cloth (x30) | 1000 SCORE |
| Scrap junk to produce Cork (x15) | 1000 SCORE |
Quick completion hints:
- Complete a Gold Star Daily Challenge! (x3) — Earn the Gold Star on three separate reset days this week. Today's challenge set (Mothman Eggs, Cultist kills, Cryptid, cooking) is very completable — aim for the star daily to wrap this weekly by Thursday.
- Build a Floor, Wall, or Roof in a Workshop or C.A.M.P. (x25) — Place 25 building pieces in your CAMP. Wood floors are the cheapest option; build and scrap a quick row at your CAMP budget to hit 25 without spending many materials.
- Catch a Fish while it is Raining (x2) — Head to any fishing spot in the Forest or Toxic Valley and wait for rain. If the current server's weather isn't cooperating, hop to a new server until rain triggers. The Purple Axolotl is now catchable in Skyline Valley and Cranberry Bog if you want to multitask.
- Collect a Burnt Book (x25) — Burnt Books spawn in ruined homes, schools, and offices. Charleston Capitol area, Morgantown High School, and Grafton's residential district are reliable multi-book farming routes.
- Complete an Event while Wearing a Costume (x2) — Spooky Scorched is active through May 12: equip any costume (any outfit flagged as Costume in your wardrobe) and complete two Spooky Scorched encounters.
- Consume an Alcoholic Beverage (x20) — Craft Beer or Ale at a Still, or buy from a vendor at any train station. Carry a stack and consume all 20 at once from your inventory.
- Destroy a Robot (x30) — Automated sentry bots and protectrons patrol the Whitespring grounds and Grafton. The Rust Eagles cave near Lewisburg is also dense with combat-ready robots for fast kills.
- Kill a Mole Miner (x30) — Gauley Mine, Blackwater Mine, and the Fossil Farm in the Ash Heap are the fastest Mole Miner farms. Gauley Mine respawns quickly between server hops.
- Scrap junk to produce Cloth (x30) — Undershirts, bandanas, and cram boxes all yield Cloth when scrapped. Clothing stores in Charleston and the Whitespring resort shops are reliable bulk sources.
- Scrap junk to produce Cork (x15) — Wine Bottles are the most consistent Cork source. Loot bars, restaurants, and pre-war homes; the Whitespring golf club bar is a solid single-location run.
Atom Store
New rotation starting May 5:
- Raider's Paradise Bundle — 1800 Atoms
- Rust Warrior Bundle — 1000 Atoms
- Flaming Skulls Bundle — 1800 Atoms
- The Carlight — 500 Atoms
- Rust Riddler Paint (.50 Cal Machine Gun) — 500 Atoms
- Rusted Brazier Set — 250 Atoms
- Rusted Barricade — 250 Atoms
- Raider Skull Pile — 500 Atoms
- Rusted Paint (Minigun) (Fallout 1st) — 500 Atoms
- Purple Axolotl Plushie — Free
- Rebar Reel Rod Paint (Fallout 1st, May 5 – June 2) — Free
Upcoming daily deals at 50% off: The Starlight (May 7), Skull Mask (May 8), Enlightened M.I.N.D. Power Armor Paint (May 9), Stalker Outfit (May 10), Leather Greaser Jacket and Jeans (May 11). Claim the free Purple Axolotl Plushie today — it's free but tied to the May axolotl fishing season.
Minerva
Minerva is at The Crater through (Wednesday, May 6 reset).
May 4 – May 6, 2026 · Location: The Crater
List 10 inventory (25% off Gold Bullion prices):
- Plan: Cowboy Chaps
- Plan: Cowboy Hat
- Plan: Cowboy Duster
- Plan: Gauntlet
- Plan: Gauss Minigun Triple Barrel
- Plan: Gauss Shotgun Precise Stock
- Plan: Gauss Shotgun Vicious Receiver
- Plan: Hellstorm Missile Launcher
- Plan: Brotherhood Recon Pocketed Armor Limb
- Plan: Brotherhood Recon Pocketed Armor Torso
- Plan: Turbo-Fert Fertilizer
- Plan: Unstoppable Monster
- Plan: Flare
Her next appearance is at Fort Atlas starting May 11. If you need any List 10 plans, today is your last full day to visit The Crater.
Updates
Fallout 76 – Patch Notes 21st April 2026 (Patch 67)
The most recent live-server patch dropped April 21 with targeted gameplay fixes. Review the full notes if you've noticed any changes to build behavior or event mechanics since then.
News
Atomic Shop Update – May 5, 2026
Bethesda published today's official Atomic Shop rotation confirming the new Raider-themed bundle lineup, the weekly daily deals schedule, and the claimable Purple Axolotl Plushie and Fallout 1st Rebar Reel Rod Paint for May.
Top Reddit Posts
Some photos I took of the amazing cosplays and fan made creations I saw at the Wasteland Jamboree!
Players shared standout cosplays and fan-made builds from the real-world Wasteland Jamboree fan event in Sutton/Flatwoods, WV — a great look at the community IRL. (3664 upvotes)
to the absolute madlad who spent all of sinkhole solutions casually fishing in the lake
Someone spotted a player fishing in the lake throughout an entire Sinkhole Solutions event, unbothered — a reminder that fishing is live and the weekly "Catch a Fish while it is Raining" challenge is worth pursuing. (1018 upvotes)
getting a real bad rubberbanding with the v63 laser carbine
Multiple players are reporting noticeable hit-registration rubberbanding with the V63 Laser Carbine — worth swapping to an alternate weapon if you're experiencing the same issue. (329 upvotes)
Says it will heal friendly targets. Does that mean if I go around stabbing other players it will heal them?
A player asked about a weapon mod that shows "heals friendly targets" — community confirmed the effect applies to teammates in co-op and does not harm enemies, so no accidental PvP heals. (189 upvotes)
1 year challenge over, all Axolotl's caught.
With the year-long axolotl catch cycle completing and the Purple Axolotl season starting today, players are celebrating finishing all monthly axolotl catches — a timely milestone for May 5. (126 upvotes)
Stay sharp, Wasteland wanderers — Minerva packs up her wares at The Crater tomorrow at noon, so today's your last clean shot at those List 10 Gauss Shotgun plans before she heads to Fort Atlas.