Fallout 76 Leaks Reveal Overpowered 4-Star Legendary Effects

A detailed list of 4-Star Legendary effects for Fallout 76 has emerged online, thanks to data mining from the game’s latest beta build. Some of these 18 effects appear so remarkably powerful that it’s likely they will be toned down before their official introduction to the game.

The concept of 4-Star Legendary effects was first announced over three years ago as part of Fallout 76's 2021 content roadmap. Originally intended to launch with the Invaders from Beyond update, these effects were showcased in an experimental version available through the Public Test Server (PTS) in 2021. However, they were never included in the main release of the live-service RPG.

Datamined Effects from the Latest PTS Update

Although Bethesda hasn’t officially confirmed ongoing development for 4-Star Legendary effects, recent data mining has uncovered substantial evidence that they are indeed in progress. The latest update for the Fallout 76 PTS, released in late September 2024, includes references to 18 different 4-Star Legendary effects. Out of these, ten are designated for weapons while the remaining eight pertain to armor traits.

Both categories feature some exceptionally powerful effects. For example, one armor trait known as Limit-Breaking reportedly decreases the cost of critical hits by 10%, scaling up to 50% for players wearing a full set of armor with this effect. When combined with the Critical Savvy perk card—which reduces the action point cost of critical hits by 45% at rank 3—Limit-Breaking has the potential to revolutionize critical hit-focused builds in Fallout 76.

Leaked 4-Star Legendary Armor Effects

Here’s a look at the leaked armor effects:

- Limit-Breaking: Reduces the cost of critical hits by 10% per armor piece (up to 50% for a full set).

- Battle-loader's: Grants a 15% chance to instantly reload when bashing enemies (up to 75% with a full stack).

- Bruisers: Increases melee weapon damage by 5% (up to 25% with a full stack).

- Miasma's: Releases a poisonous dot cloud when hit, damaging nearby targets for 10 seconds (damage increases with more equipped pieces).

- Molerat's: Gradually regenerates HP while indoors (up to 5 points with a full stack).

- Ranger's: Boosts ranged weapon damage by 5% (up to 25% with a full stack).

- Runner's: Reduces AP cost for sprinting outdoors by 20% (up to 100% with a full stack).

- Tanky's: Standing still reduces ballistic damage by 15% for 10 seconds (20-second cooldown), scaling up to 75% with a full stack.

When it comes to weapon traits, one effect stands out: Conductor's. This trait allows critical hits to fully restore both action and health points, essentially granting a god-like status, even when used with a build not designed for critical hit spam, such as one utilizing Limit-Breaking armor. Due to its immense power, it's unlikely that Conductor's will make it into the game without undergoing significant adjustments. One potential balancing solution for Bethesda could be to limit its activation to a small chance on each critical hit, although even a modest restoration rate could still prove to be game-breaking.

Leaked 4-Star Legendary Weapon Effects

Here’s a summary of the leaked weapon effects:

- Bully's: Increases weak spot damage by 50% outside of VATS.

- Conductor's: Critical hits restore full action and health points.

- Electrician's: Releases a shock wave that stuns nearby targets for 5 seconds when reloading (10-second cooldown).

- Encircler's: Increases damage based on the number of nearby enemies.

- Fracturer's: Crippling limbs causes them to explode, dealing up to 150 explosive damage to nearby foes.

- Pin-pointers: Grants 25% damage when targeting enemy limbs (arms, legs).

- Polished: Weapon damage increases based on equipped item condition, with up to 60% damage boost at maximum condition.

- Slayer's: Increases damage against legendary and raid enemies by 50%.

- Stabilizer's: Improves weapon recoil and stability by 50%.

- Viper's/Pyromaniac's: Deals an additional 50% bonus damage when a target is burning or bleeding.

A Step Toward Completing the 2021 Content Roadmap

As is common with leaks, there’s no guarantee that these datamined traits will actually make it into the final game. Nonetheless, 4-Star Legendary effects are among the last two remaining features from the 2021 content roadmap that haven’t yet been released. The other feature, a pet system for Fallout 76, was recently confirmed to be arriving in late 2024, as announced by Creative Director Jon Rush during the Tokyo Game Show 2024 Xbox presentation on September 26.