Not only are Bethesda games notorious for being glitchy, the company warned fans that players could expect “spectacular” bugs in Fallout 76. Most players will probably encounter some low-level jank, but some unlucky vault dwellers are encountering a specific hiccup that either ruins or enhances one of Fallout’s central gameplay mechanics, depending on how you look at it.
Players are reporting that using souped-up Power Armor — equipping or storing it — will sometimes result in a bizarre issue where the character’s limbs will elongate and disfigure. Many fans say that when the glitch is active, they are completely immobile. Others are stripped entirely of their clothes, save for high-waisted underwear:
Please fix the power armor for the xbox version, me and my friends have been dealing with this, it happens everytime we try to enter a power armor chassis.
— John mako (@Boldfacedbroom) November 14, 2018
Another version of this glitch morphs characters’ bodies in strange ways, but they’re able to keep their clothes. Judging from posts on social media, it seems that this Power Armor glitch has been around since the beta.
The issues go beyond turning players into monsters, though. Players say that Power Armor glitches out in a variety of ways, often making the gear difficult or impossible to use.
@Fallout Can you please explain to me why my power armor frames stacked in my inventory, and when i placed them down it proceeded to delete my full suit of t45 power armor? Thanks
— NickypooTheMemelord (@TheBladeTK) November 14, 2018
@Fallout so I just had a glitch when I had my 3 power armor suits out in my camp and when I tried to get into one, the animation froze and I couldn't move. No buttons on my controller worked except for the map button so I had to quit and reload. I lost all my power armor.
— steven shears (@billop007) November 14, 2018
I found power armor, attempted put in a fusion core, got stuck in the animation, couldn't fast travel because i was over encumbered, had to quit the server and rejoin, and the frame and fusion core were gone #Fallout76 is bumpy
— Sky {Ravage-Trash} (@skylynkfloyd) November 14, 2018
While I haven’t seen any of these problems firsthand, I can confirm that Fallout 76’s aberrations have a penchant for stripping your character naked. At one point, I found a doppelgänger of my character who was standing in front of a doorway. I couldn’t interact with “myself,” and the character didn’t move at all. I couldn’t shoot it. It was just there, completely lifeless but nude.
Players are theorizing that the game clones you when it’s having network issues, and these models appear in-game stripped down:
We’ve reached out to Bethesda about potential incoming fixes for the more serious versions of this bug, but in the meantime, if you find a Power Armor suit, don’t be surprised if it ends up causing you some headaches — or laughter.
