Fallout 76 is getting a brand new cryptid to hunt and battle, as the iconic, mysterious Bigfoot will formally debut in the game on 3 March, following various teasers.
Bigfoot is one of the major headliners of the game’s upcoming 24th season of content, which includes a major ‘Backwoods’ update, as well as various events, from Bigfoot’s Bash to Invaders from Beyond.
Bigfoot joins Fallout 76 – quick links
Bigfoot joins a menagerie of other Fallout cryptids
For now, we don’t know much about the appearance of Bigfoot, but it does appear players will be hunting it in their quest to survive and thrive in the Wastelands. Let’s discount the modern Bigfoot lore, that many consider the creature to be the last of its kind and perhaps worthy of sympathy, instead of antagonism. It’s hunting season, after all – and it’s likely eat or be eaten.
Bigfoot joins a long array of cryptids that have found a home in Fallout 76. It’s a veritable menagerie in there, with legends like Mothman, The Flatwoods Monster, The Grafton Monster, and the chupacabra all available to meet in the wilds.
For all those who enjoy strange, esoteric news stories that border on the supernatural, these cryptids are all fascinating to encounter in the game.
What sets cryptids apart from other magical beasts and myths is that each modern cryptid – including all of the ones depicted in Fallout 76 – is inspired by a real news story or direct report, from someone who genuinely believed (or intended to trick folks) they had encountered something unnatural.
The cryptids of Fallout 76
Mothman, one of the most prominent cryptids featured in Fallout 76, was born of an alleged real-life sighting in the 1960s, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, of a humanoid creature with wings and glowing red eyes. Since initial reports began to spread, others also reported seeing the creature, with this ‘confirmation’ spreading the mythology further, eventually, into the global conscious.
The Flatwoods Monster is another fascinating case. This creature, also in the game, was reportedly spotted in the 1950s, by a group of friends who investigated a strange flash of light, only to find a ‘man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape.’ Its appearance in Fallout 76 is directly inspired by this real news report.
Bigfoot, which is soon to make its debut in Fallout 76, is perhaps one of the most famous cryptids of all time. This creature was first reported in the 1950s, when large, human-like footprints were discovered in Huboldt County, California. This discovery hit the news, and soon, reports were flooding in about the so-called ‘Bigfoot’ and what exactly it was.
Throughout the years, various folks have claimed to have seen Bigfoot, with one particular 1967 short film created by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin largely regarded as the clearest ‘evidence’ that the creature actually existed. This grainy footage depicts a large, lumbering beast – not unlike a large ape – walking through a forest.
What’s most fascinating about this footage is that Patterson defended its legitimacy until his death, and Gimlin has always maintained it was not part of any hoax. In fact, there’s no evidence to suggest this was a hoax at all.
The line between reality and fiction is incredibly blurry when it comes to cryptids, and that’s what makes them so fascinating. They promise a world of fantasy and magic that exists on the periphery of our lives, providing tantalising ideas that our world might be bigger than any of us realise.
Fallout 76 attempts to capture one facet of this fascination, with its post-apocalyptic Wasteland adventures imagining a world where cryptids are real, and now, they roam a strange and wonderful Earth.
Those keen to meet Bigfoot and discover more about this cryptid won’t have to wait long. As announced, Fallout 76‘s Backwoods update arrives on 3 March.
