West Virginia is a big place, and there are a couple weird factions you can find while exploring in Fallout 76. These aren’t your average factions either — there are some strange groups, like the Cult of the Mothman, or the Order of Mysteries. These secret societies offer unique faction-specific apparel you can unlock, as well as other bonuses. The granddaddy of them all, the Enclave, is one of the most secret groups to enter, and one of the most elaborate once you’re part of the team.
That old standby, the Brotherhood of Steel, is featured prominently in the main story, even if you’ll never meet a living member of their organization. At least you can acquire their Power Armor if you checkout their old stomping grounds. You’ll find the First Responders very early in your adventure, or you can add more chaos to the wasteland with the robotic Raiders faction. If you’re willing to checkout some home made bunkers, the Free States tried to survive without help from Vaultec. Learn where to begin for all the factions with the rundown below.
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- Fallout 76: 10 Things You Should Do First | Power Armor Location & More | Beginner’s Guide
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- Fallout 76: How To Join The Enclave & Get The Laser Minigun | Faction Guide
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How To Join Every Faction In The Appalachians | Raiders, Enclave, Brotherhood & More
To “join” a faction, you must simply find the faction quest-giver and take their quests. Not all factions are the same, and some are more elaborate than others.
The Enclave is one of the most complex, with a large underground bunker you can access, and multiple ranks you can achieve by completing Enclave-specific faction missions.
For help finding locations, check this full map.
Factions of the Appalachians
- Brotherhood of Steel
- Locations: Fort Defiance, Camp Venture, Spruce Knob
- The Brotherhood of Steel operate out of many locations. Fort Defiance is their headquarters. You can also find remnants of their past operations at Grafton Dam, Firebase Major, Firebase LT, Forward Station Alpha, and Big Bend Tunnel East.
- Charleston Emergency Government
- Locations: Charleston Capitol Building
- Very simple — just go to Charleston. A robot mayor is running the town from the Capitol Building. Get down south of Vault 76, north of the mining region.
- Cult of the Mothman
- Locations: Point Pleasant
- Find the creepy Mothman Cult at Point Pleasant, in the basement of the Mothman Museum, or at the Landview Lighthouse. If you visit the Lighthouse, you’ll encounter a Mothman every time.
- Enclave
- Locations: Whitespring Resort, Camp McClintock
- Travel to the Abandoned Waste Dump outside of Harper’s Ferry in the Mire region. Take down the Deathclaw nest and loot a holodisk to access the secret Senator’s bunker. From there, you’ll be able to follow the quest.
- The main base is located in the Whitespring Resort bunker. Talk to the AI commander and complete the Basic Training course at Camp McClintock.
- Complete special [Enclave] side-quests and events to gain rank and access new areas of the bunker.
- First Responders
- Locations: Morgantown Airport, Flatwoods, Charleston Fire Station
- The first faction you’ll encounter. Enter Flatwoods near Vault 76 and access the terminal in the Diner to begin. The First Responders are a tutorial faction — complete their quests to learn more about the world.
- Free States
- Locations: Abbie’s Bunker, Harper’s Ferry, Ella Ames’s Bunker, Raleigh Clay’s Bunker
- The Free States are a loose band of survivalists with their own home-made bunkers. Visit the locations listed above to find Free States side-quests.
- Order of Mysteries
- Locations: Riverside Manor
- Find Riverside Manor near Charleston, south of Vault 76. There, you can join the Order of Mysteries and unlock several ranks — the faction is composed primarily of women, so their unique faction apparel is a dress.
- Raiders
- Locations: Top of the World, Palace of the Winding Path
- The primary Raider quest is found in the Top of the World ski resort, in the center of the map in the mountains. Enter the top floor of the old resort and talk to the robot to begin your raider training.
