The YouTuber JuiceHead creates a lot of content about Fallout 76. In one of his latest videos, he demonstrates his attempt to play Fallout 76 without using the Pip-Boy. The Pip-Boy is actually the core element for most gameplay, as much of it relies on it.
How did he come up with the idea? The impetus for this attempt came from JuiceHead during the beta of Fallout 76. There he encountered the issue that while dismantling certain weapons, he somehow also transformed his Pip-Boy into scrap.
Where the Pip-Boy should have been attached to his left arm, a piece of his forearm was simply missing, and his hand floated freely in the air. When he tried to use the Pip-Boy, he only received the message that it was unavailable.
The problem had to be fixed by Bethesda in the end. A short time ago, JuiceHead experienced something similar, and he could not use the Pip-Boy. Through this bug, he had the idea to play Fallout 76 with a significant handicap – completely without a Pip-Boy.
What is the Pip-Boy? A Pip-Boy is a kind of huge smartwatch that every character in the Fallout games receives. Important gameplay elements such as the following run through it:
- the entire inventory
- character status and attributes
- quests and notes
- supplies like chems, healing, food and water
- the radio
In Fallout 76, the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and perks of the characters and their armor are also managed through the Pip-Boy. Therefore, JuiceHead also had to forgo these features.
These creative methods were discovered by the YouTuber: Since he could not manage most items and could not easily use certain items, JuiceHead had to rely on other functions.
When he wanted to clean out his inventory, for example to make space when overloaded, he packed his items into containers that were lying around. Or he used corpses that he either found or simply “created” himself.
He equipped weapons and chems through the “favorites wheel,” where at least some items can be selected and used. Armor does not fall under this, so JuiceHead could only play without armor or later with power armor.
To play holotapes, he used terminals that can load holotapes. This is necessary for many quests in Fallout 76, as the story does not progress without playing holotapes.
Does this way of playing work? To not use the Pip-Boy out of habit, JuiceHead directly remapped the hotkey for the Pip-Boy when creating his new character to a different key.
Although JuiceHead has not completed Fallout 76 this way, he believes it is entirely possible and quite challenging. He is surprised at how well the game works without using the Pip-Boy, aside from some difficulties like playing holotapes.
Overall, this way of playing is very immersive and a challenge for players who enjoy a bit more difficulty. Especially later on, it is hard to survive, as perks for damage and protection are missing.
Other players have come up with a much weirder challenge:
