A bug in Fallout 76 sees players respawning into their games with fewer items in their inventory after dying. Some of their belongings are later seen being used by 76‘s new NPCs as part of its new Wastelanders update.
According to IGN, users on Reddit claim the NPCs can loot weapons from corpses and use them in battle. If they’re killed, the items are gone forever as NPC items aren’t lootable. This also means dying with a rare weapon in Fallout 76 can result in it being stolen by nearby NPCs in the world.
One Reddit user stated they died during an event while losing a 15k cap’s-worth weapon to an NPC who also began using the ammo inside. Another even recorded the bug on YouTube and found the same issue after dying.
Fallout 76’s Wastelanders update filled a void left by developers during the game’s launch in 2019 and hoped its world would be filled by players instead. However, players found themselves wandering in an isolated Fallout game and fans asked Bethesda to add NPCs. Its update was announced in October 2019, fulfilling the request and new challenges that come with interacting with new characters.
A representative from Bethesda responded to the latest NPC revolt, stating on Reddit it would investigate the bug as soon as possible. It’s unknown when a patch will roll out to major systems, while it’s likely players would stay alive until then.