Steam owners can try Fallout 76's Hideouts on the Public Test Server, choosing the difficulty by finding or crafting the right lead. Bethesda opened this early test on October 15 alongside changes to World Pets. It is a playable test of upcoming content, not an update to the live game.

Autumn woodland and the Vault-Tec entrance sign overlooking Appalachia in Fallout 76.
Image: Bethesda Game Studios.

Steam owners can install the separate test client

Install Fallout 76 Public Test Server from your Steam library to participate. Bethesda's announcement says delivery of these features to console test servers is still subject to Xbox and PlayStation approval; it does not confirm a console start date.

Hideouts is planned for spring 2027. World Pets and Return to Skyline Valley are planned for winter 2026. Our earlier Fallout 76 roadmap covers those release windows; this test provides the first opportunity to check the new Hideout access and difficulty systems described in the October 15 notes.

Leads set four difficulty levels

Basic Leads come from daily quests, activities, Grunt Hunts, cabinets and safes. Bethesda targets Basic Hideouts at teams of level 20 characters. Challenging Leads target teams around levels 75 to 100 and can be crafted at a Tinker's Workbench using three Basic Leads and Caps. They can also come from Head Hunts, seasonal public events, Infestations and public events.

Three Challenging Leads plus Caps can be crafted into a Lethal Lead, aimed at teams of level 175 or higher. Marked Leads are craft-only and require Lethal Leads, Caps and Drifter Intel. That tier is intended for coordinated late-game builds. Those level ranges describe Bethesda's targets, not a guarantee that a group can clear the encounter.

During this test, Drifter Intel is a rare result of crafting Lethal Leads from Challenging ones. The Drifter himself will not appear in Hideouts. Bethesda also warns that test rewards are temporary and do not include the unique rewards planned for the feature, so the PTS is not a preview of the final payout.

Two locations come with unfinished team rules

The test includes The Forever Farm in Burning Springs and Vault 63's Immortality Sector in Skyline Valley. Their layouts offer different approaches, with enemy and environmental mutations changing encounters. You can also enter the locations outside a Hideout quest to explore them.

Only the team leader's Hideout can be joined by the group. If another member starts a separate Hideout quest while grouped, that member must complete it solo. Consuming a new lead also abandons your current Hideout quest, and a new one cannot be started while you are inside a Hideout location.

Known issues matter here: disconnecting can prevent continuing a run, while leaving an active Hideout can stop you from rejoining. Bethesda also lists unintended loot drops on death. These are acknowledged test-build problems, not confirmed permanent rules for the finished feature.

Pet bonuses no longer depend on the companion following you

Once a pet earns a passive bonus, the PTS lets that bonus be used with other pet species. Open the Pets page in the Pip-Boy, select Pet Buffs and choose two unlocked bonuses. Those choices can be changed at any time.

That means you can keep a preferred companion alongside you while using bonuses earned by another species. These are World Pets test changes, not confirmation of a live-game rollout.

Use the official PTS notes when setting up a group and spending leads. This build is for testing encounters, access and difficulty, with unfinished rewards and known interruptions. If that is what you want to try, the separate Steam test client is the route in.