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Fallout 76 has a major update dropping in December 2025, Burning Springs. Ahead of the official reveal, I joined several other journalists in New York to check out an early build of the update. The build we played on was the Alpha build, so what you see on the PTS starting on October 2, 2025, may be a more complete build than what we saw. At the very least, we can confirm that the voice of The Ghoul, Walton Goggins, will be able to be heard in game, when you meet him.
That’s right, The Ghoul is hanging out in the Burning Springs area in Fallout 76, taking care of the new Bounty Hunting system. After all, he can always use a fistful of caps more, right? This upcoming patch brings a major update to the map, new systems, public events, and more. It’s a very exciting time to be an FO76 fan, that’s for sure.
Fallout 76’s Burning Springs update takes us to Ohio in a major map update
The western side of the Fallout 76’s map opens up with the Burning Springs update, and it’s a pretty huge chunk of land. Everything beyond the river on the western part of the map opens up to be a radiation-blasted wasteland, instead of that brilliant green grass we used to see there. A new hub, plenty of new activities, workshops, factions, and much more await players in the Burning Springs.
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Whether you’re taking part in public events and stopping swarms of terrifying giant Radscorpions in Sinkhole Solutions, completing challenges to satiate the Rust King, or taking part in Bounty Hunting, the wastes of Ohio leave you with plenty to see and do.
We heard whispers of an intelligent Super Mutant who players will work with in this area, as well as an amazing new C.A.M.P. Pet in the form of the Rad Hog, if you can tame it. No matter what you’re into in Fallout 76, Burning Springs has you covered.
The Burning Springs introduces The Ghoul to Fallout 76
It’s also the home to Walton Goggins’ very own The Ghoul, who lurks in Highway Town, for anyone brave enough to become a Bounty Hunter. It’s a fantastic new system where players can go find an endless supply of challenges, which can then, in turn, lead to a Public Event, Headhunts.
It’s a pretty simple system, too. You find The Ghoul in Highway Town, and hit him up to become a Bounty Hunter. He’ll offer you some Grunt Hunts. These are the common, everyday, repeatable bounties. You can do these as many times as you want. You’ll head into the Burning Springs, find the criminal scum, and bring them down. When you get your reward, you might randomly trigger one of those public Headhunts.
They naturally have better rewards and more exp, because they aren’t meant to be soloed. However, if you’re flush with caps, you can spend 5K caps to jump the line, and immediately trigger a Headhunt.
Only one can be active in the world at a time. The best part is, you don’t even have to wonder or worry, because it’s a global notification when one begins. It’s always worth going to take part in. We fought in several Headhunts in the Fallout 76 Preview, and it was certainly worth having friends to join in.
Those elites did not mess around; nor did they come alone. I’ve also heard you can unlock The Ghoul’s gun to use, as a reward, but it’s not clear how to get it yet. We’ll keep you updated on that.
The Problem (and Solution) with Challenges is potentially found in the Burning Springs
So, while I am a casual Fallout 76 player, I do enjoy the game immensely. It’s just hard to play so many MMOs all at the same time. One thing I often find myself skipping, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, are the Challenges. They’re in a clunky place in the UI, and so I seldom find myself thinking about them.
One of the new features in the Burning Springs update of Fallout 76 puts more emphasis on the Challenges. While in the Burning Springs, you’ll learn about a mysterious entity known as the Rust King. If you want their attention, and earn an audience, you have to prove your worth. This means taking part in challenges!
For example, during the Proving Grounds quest, you need to complete a series of Challenges from the “Test of Dominance” list, found in the Burning Springs. This hopefully will begin to bring more players to taking part in Challenges. There are so many amazing rewards in the Challenge system, so if you’re skipping it (like me), stop doing so!
Final Thoughts - should you be excited about Burning Springs?
In a word, yes. The Burning Springs updated is a huge change to Fallout 76, not just in new content, but the map extends a significant amount. We’re reaching into a new State (Ohio), and we do admittedly have plenty of new content to take part in. There are several fun public events, a quality, engaging story, and of course, Walton Goggins!
The Bounty Hunting system is definitely something I can see myself actively taking part in. It’s my hope that this will extend, eventually, beyond the borders of the Burning Springs, and into other parts of Appalachia. After all, there are plenty of criminals in the Wasteland, and I doubt The Ghoul would let opportunities like that go to waste.
The Burning Springs update drops in December 2025, likely around the time of Amazon’s Fallout Season 2, but you’ll be able to take part in the PTS starting on October 2, 2025, so don’t miss out if you’re a fan of the Wastelands.
