Fallout 76: Why and how you should use the new Onslaught mechanic

Onslaught is a powerful buff in Fallout 76, found in a variety of Perks and items throughout the game. Each time you generate a stack of this buff, it grants bonuses to you, and in general, makes it much easier to kill things. Certain Perks can also change how this mechanic works, but that’s only if you have that Perk equipped. It’s a mechanic that has caused a bit of confusion in the community, but thanks to Redditor Cly_Faker, we have a clearer picture of how exactly it works.

The more stacks you have, the more damage you’re dealing with Onslaught in Fallout 76. You start with zero stacks, in most cases — Gunslinger Master changes how it functions just a bit, albeit in an important way. Whether you’re a Ghoul or Human, understanding this mechanic is important.

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What is the Onslaught mechanic in Fallout 76?

In Fallout 76, your default number of Onslaught stacks is zero. You won’t gain any at all unless you have a Furious weapon equipped or have one of several Perks equipped to your character. Before now, there wasn’t a name for this. If you had Furious (Gun) or Pounder (Melee), you gained these bonus stacks. However now it has a name, Onslaught.

If you have a "Furious" weapon, then you're in business to build Onslaught stacks (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

As long as you have the proper Perks or weapon equipped, you automatically have Onslaught in Fallout 76. It grants you a +5% damage bonus per stack, and the stacks deplete at 1 second per stack unless you keep hitting an enemy. It has to be a direct hit to an enemy, as well. DOTs (damage over time) don’t count.

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How to use the Onslaught mechanic in Fallout 76

Using Onslaught is incredibly simple, thankfully. Once you have any of the following Perks equipped or a weapon that has the Furious/Pounder legendary attachment connected to it, you can start stacking Onslaught anytime you’re hitting an enemy with direct attacks. In most cases, Onslaught is best used with a rapid-fire gun, to build stacks as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, I don't have any of the right perks. Yet. (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

• Furious: +5% damage per stack, +9 max stacks
• Guerilla Expert: +1% reload speed per stack, +3 max stacks
• Guerilla Master: +5% ranged damage to close enemies per stack, +5 max stacks
• Gunslinger Expert: +1% ranged weak spot damage per stack, +3 max stacks
• Gunslinger Master: Gain Onslaught stacks over time and spend them on attacks, +10 max stacks
• Pounder's : +10% damage per stack, +10 max stacks

Technically, there are two types of Onslaught in Fallout 76. Normally, Onslaught works in the way we described above. For any of the above Perks/abilities, other than Gunslinger Master, things work exactly as described.

However, when using Gunslinger Master, you gain 1 stack per second, and then you use those to shoot enemies and gain the extra damage. While normal Onslaught mechanics benefit from rapid-fire weapons, Gunslinger Master wants you to use slow, single-shot weapons/heavy weapons.

That way, you use a big shot, wait for the stacks to refill, and shoot again. While having a melee weapon with Furious does allow you to gain access to Onslaught, the above Perk cards do not modify it, like you can with weapons.

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Check out our other Fallout 76 guides and features.