Appalachia

Locations & Ruins · Source: Fallout 76 (2018), Bethesda Game Studios — in-game world, terminals, and holotapes

Overview

Appalachia is the post-war name for West Virginia and the setting of Fallout 76. It is one of the earliest regions repopulated after the Great War, with Vault 76's dwellers emerging on Reclamation Day in 2102 to rebuild.

History & Background

The region suffered the war and then a plague of Scorched — mutated, hive-minded creatures — driven by giant Scorchbeasts. The Responders, the Free States, the Brotherhood of Steel's expedition, and the Enclave all rose and fell trying to contain the threat before the Vault 76 dwellers arrived. West Virginia's pre-war history as a nuclear research and missile site shaped its post-war fate.

Geography & Layout

A mountainous landscape of forests, rivers, and hollows dotted with pre-war landmarks such as the Whitespring Resort, Morgantown, and the Appalachian Vault-Tec university, plus abandoned mines and cryptid-haunted woods.

Wasteland Significance

Appalachia expands the series' timeline, showing a wasteland only about 25 years after the war, and it establishes lore for the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, and the Scorched plague referenced in later stories.

Notable Appearances

Fallout 76 (2018) main setting; its lore is expanded through ongoing updates and referenced in other games.

Tags: appalachia, west-virginia, fallout-76, scorched, scorchbeasts, responders, free-states, whitespring, cryptids, reclamation