In the task to rebuild Appalachia in Fallout 76, your CAMP will be your best friend. This base-building device allows you to create buildings and workshops, but also serves as a free fast travel point. Playing Fallout 76 without a CAMP at all is putting yourself at a massive handicap in the game world.
Even if you’re not into home decorating, you should set up a CAMP. This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of CAMP building and give you some expert tips on getting the most out of your home base.
Location, location, location
Upon leaving Vault 76, you’ll be granted your very own CAMP. Deploying your CAMP for the first time is free; after that, there’s a mounting caps cost. If you want to move your CAMP across the map from an established location, the cost will rise based off location.
While a CAMP is a free fast travel location, it’s also worth noting that Vault 76 is also available as a free fast travel location. Therefore, it makes sense to place your CAMP away from 76 to maximize your ability to fast travel for free.
Building near water is inherently powerful because it allows you to purify water, leading to a constant stream of Purified Water to drink and quench thirst. In addition, most enemies in Fallout cannot swim or even jump (Mirelurks excluded), so water acts as a natural moat against Scorched, Super Mutants, and other enemies.
The west river that marks the end of the Appalachia map is one of the best places to build your CAMP. Make sure that part of the green circle covers the river, so you can build purifiers. If you’re not interested in purifying water and are more interested in farming end game content, consider setting your CAMP up near the Whitespring Resort, which is one of the most profitable endgame areas in Appalachia. Not only are there plentiful vendors nearby, but the golf resort spawns legendary Ghouls at a substantial rate. The Whitespring Resort is also a common nuke site, meaning you can easily come by and collect valuable flax.
If debris — a tree stump, some rocks — is obstructing your path, place an item on top of it. If the item is small enough, your construct will clear the obstruction away.
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Master your budget
Budget, along with physical space, is the major restriction placed upon your CAMP. These tips will help you get the most out of your CAMP’s budget.
Budget is determined by an item type, not item size. Generators, no matter how big or small, are a flat budget cost. A small, humble bed and a massive bed are the same amount of budget.
Don’t size down to save budget. Just choose the right items for your CAMP. This is especially important when it comes to walls, ceilings and floors, which eat up a huge amount of your budget. If you can find pre-built structures or cliffs to provide natural walls, and build your CAMP around them, you can save a lot.
Turrets are a massively powerful item for defense, but they also take up a hefty amount of budget. (More on turrets later.) If you want to get as many turrets as possible set up, then avoid building fences. While a Brahmin pen or picket fence may add flavor, it also drains a massive amount of budget and provides little benefit except aesthetics.
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The Poseidon Energy Power Plant will spawn an event to power it up. Upon completing this event, you are guaranteed to get a blueprint for a generator you do not currently know. This means that if you continually complete this event, you will learn how to make every generator in the game — including the Fusion Generator, which is best in class. Make sure you get this generator for the best bang for your buck.
The best defense …
There are two major threats against your CAMP in the world of Fallout 76.
First of all, there are PvP encounters. If you’re not interested in risking your CAMP or engaging with enemy players, then you can log out or rebuild your CAMP upon its destruction. The enemy player will be penalized for such aggression.
The far more annoying and more persistent threat is standard enemies. The enemy AI is programmed to attack crops, purifiers and generators first. If they can’t reach any of these things, they will fire on walls and doors instead.
Ranged attackers are best nullified if you build on high ground. This makes it far more difficult for them to target you from afar, and upon approaching your camp, turrets can shred them. When you build on lower ground, you risk enemies approaching from the high ground and having free reign to fire on your CAMP.
Turrets will defend crops and Brahmin, so opt for active defense over passive fences. Set up turrets away from doors and around generators and crops. This will clean up melee and ranged enemies who enter the attack radius.
