Fallout 76 Hideouts are new instanced bounty encounters on the October 2026 Public Test Server. Find a Lead, take it to an encampment, fight through a changing group of enemies and defeat the gang leader. Four Lead types determine difficulty, with Basic aimed at level 20 teams and Marked built for coordinated endgame players.
Bethesda is targeting spring 2027 for the completed feature. The October 15 PTS patch notes also cover changes to World Pets, weapon mods and perk balance. This first test is focused on how players find Leads and how challenging the encounters feel, rather than finished loot. If you’re playing the PTS now, you can test the two locations and the bonus objectives, but the Drifter and unique release rewards are not yet included.
How to access Fallout 76 Hideouts on the PTS
Steam players who own Fallout 76 can install Fallout 76 Public Test Server from their Steam Library. Launch that version, not the ordinary live game. Bethesda hopes to bring the test to consoles after platform approval, which may make Xbox and PlayStation builds available later than PC.
Head towards Marshal Canton at the Trading Post in Skyline Valley to begin looking into the new encampments. You will also need a Lead of the difficulty you want to run. Fallout 76 Hideouts aren’t regular Public Events; consuming a Lead begins a separate quest, and you cannot activate a new one while standing inside either Hideout location.
How to get Basic, Challenging, Lethal and Marked Leads
Fallout 76 Hideouts use the Lead you collect or craft to set the challenge. Basic Leads can appear during Daily Quests, Activities and Grunt Hunts, and in containers such as cabinets and safes. Higher tiers can be created at a Tinker’s Workbench, although the Caps cost is not specified in Bethesda’s October 15 notes.
| Lead | How to obtain it | Intended team level |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Daily Quests, Activities, Grunt Hunts, cabinets and safes | 20 |
| Challenging | Three Basic Leads plus Caps at a Tinker’s Workbench; also Head Hunts, Infestations and Public Events | 75–100 |
| Lethal | Three Challenging Leads plus Caps; also final Season repeatable page | 175+ |
| Marked | Craft with Lethal Leads, Caps and Drifter Intel | Endgame |
The highest tier is not simply another random world drop. Marked Leads require crafting and are intended to guarantee the Drifter at launch, but the Drifter does not appear during this PTS. In October testing, Drifter Intel can rarely appear as an outcome when crafting Lethal Leads from Challenging ones. Bethesda hasn’t given a guaranteed number of crafts needed to get it.
Fallout 76 Hideouts locations and enemy factions
The two locations are The Forever Farm in Burning Springs and Vault 63’s Immortality Sector in Skyline Valley. You can explore both places without an active Hideout quest, which is handy if you want to learn the layout before putting a valuable Lead on the line.
An active Fallout 76 Hideouts run changes the enemies and sometimes the environment. Bethesda lists Robots, Rust Raiders, the Lost, Mutated Super Mutants and Mothman Cultists as possible opponents. Radiation and other mutations can change the fight. The developers intend Rust Raiders and the Lost to remain in their appropriate regional Hideouts, although the early PTS can place them incorrectly.
How to start a Fallout 76 Hideouts run with friends
Gather your team before consuming a Lead. Only the team leader’s Hideout is joinable by the group; if another team member starts a Hideout, that personal quest must be done solo. You also cannot activate a new Lead while you’re already inside one of the two locations. Step outside, then begin the run.
Using another Lead abandons your current Hideout quest, so finish the run before starting a different difficulty. The PTS doesn’t currently allow you to resume an encounter after disconnecting or leaving, and exiting the location removes you from its active quest. These restrictions are known testing issues, not the intended final release behaviour.
Fallen Deputy’s Badge and bonus rewards
Each Fallout 76 Hideouts encounter has two bonus objectives, and each completed objective awards the team a Fallen Deputy’s Pack. For the first, find a Fallen Deputy’s Badge inside one of four concealed containers before you defeat the gang leader. For the second, defeat the leader within the time limit, which begins after your group moves beyond the preparation area.
Search the four potential containers as you advance, then focus on the boss without lingering after the timer begins. Because layouts and enemy modifiers vary, there isn’t one fixed room or universal quickest route to every badge. The loot in Fallen Deputy’s Packs is placeholder loot during this testing phase, and Bethesda hasn’t published the final unique reward list.
Fallout 76 Hideouts known issues in October
Bethesda identifies several PTS problems: Hideout caches can be empty, some enemies spawn late, the Tesla trap in Immortality Sector can malfunction and enemy mutation names can be wrong. The interface’s hold-to-join prompt sometimes disappears. Occasionally only the team leader receives the Fallen Deputy’s Badge even when the objective was completed together.
Dying can currently drop your loot as if you were outside in Appalachia, which Bethesda says is unintended. Disconnecting ends your ability to resume the run in this early test. If you’re chasing harder Fallout 76 Hideouts, bank valuables and check your team before entering, then keep the reported issues in mind rather than assuming a failed join prompt is your fault.
When will Fallout 76 Hideouts release?
Bethesda’s target is spring 2027. The October PTS is not the complete live feature, and its Drifter encounter and special rewards are absent. In week one of this test, players are meant to obtain Leads naturally; the second week adds Leads to the PTS Locker so testers can get to higher difficulties more quickly.
For broader context on Fallout 76 Hideouts, read our Skyline Valley Bounty Hunting coverage. The October test also includes World Pets changes, such as equipping two unlocked pet buffs across different species. Those updates aren’t required to enter a Hideout, but they may help with survival once you can summon a companion.
More Fallout 76 guides
While exploring the test server, our Skyline Valley Bounty Hunting guide covers related quests, and Fallout 76 World Pets explains the companion system. For specific pet features, see Pet Commands, Pet Passives, Pet Leveling and Best Pet.
Related Guides
Official source: Bethesda’s October 15 World Pets and Hideouts PTS announcement.
